Mmnnhhn. Clio awoke to her own moaning. She couldn't draw a full breath, and her head was exploding with pain. She cracked opened her eyes, but it was so dark, she couldn't make sense of what she saw. Sounds of gurgling water filled her ears as the echoes of the crash faded. Slowly her surroundings took shape. She swiveled her head around, and it swayed on her neck, making her dizzy. It was hard to draw a proper breath.
The windows were dark with green, as though she were in a dense underwater jungle. She tilted her head back, though it felt so heavy. Above her was the steering wheel and dash, her hands flopped on the canvas roof in a puddle of water, objects scattered, pens, and coins and a travel mug. What? Why–?
She realized she was upside down, still strapped into her seat, hanging at an awkward angle. The whole car was flipped over. Did I black out? But for how long? Clio's eyes adjusted to the dim interior of her car. Stay calm. How bad is it? Her head hurt like hell, but that was all she could feel at the moment. Panic fluttered through her, and she wiggled her toes. Whew. She could at least feel her feet.
The front windshield was badly cracked, and the side windows had shattered. Shards of glass lay all around, glinting blue in the water. Lifting her arms to her middle, she groped for her seatbelt, grabbing it like a sling, and popped the latch.
Oomph. Not smart. She collapsed in a twisted pile on the canvas ceiling. It bowed like a hammock under her, sharp objects poking at her back. Cold water instantly soaked through her clothing. She shuddered. Plop. Plop. Plop. Water seeped in through the smashed windows, bubbling in rivulets over the smashed glass, gradually filling her tiny prison. Slowly, but still, her heart kicked. It was a very small space, a Fiat, seen from a new angle. Small and dark.
She righted herself into an upright crouch and tried to push open one door, then the other. In addition to being crumpled, they were wedged tightly against the edges of a ditch. She would never get out that way. Her pulse tripled at the thought of being trapped. How much water was there? Was there any chance of a gasoline leak? Weren't you supposed to get clear away from wrecked cars in case of explosions? She sniffed, but smelled only the ripe, rotting green smell of the drainage ditch. The engine was dead.
Stay calm. Think. There must be a way out.
A little light filtered in through the front windshield, beyond which she could make out dense thick-bladed grasses. Or maybe rushes.
Clio sat back and swallowed thickly. She had to get out. But first, she'd have to go down. Examining the canvas roof under her, she found, not surprisingly, a small tear. It was a start. She poked a finger through, gripped the loose flap, and pulled. Rrriiippp. Getting a larger, better handful of canvas, she yanked again. Rrriiippp. And again. She turned over the flap and looked down. More water seeped in, and mud, with rushes poking up and bent over, dense as a rug. The blades were thick and sharp like knives. Somehow, she'd have to get through.
Tentatively she dropped one foot into the tangled wet mess, shivering as icy water swirled around her bare ankle. Her foot sunk knee deep into shallow water and slimy mud, which sucked at her sandal. There was perhaps two feet space beneath her, mostly filled with water and reeds. Just enough.
She kept ripping until there was a hole big enough to fit her body through. If she lay flat, she could pull herself out on the surface of the rushes, and avoid sinking. Glancing around, she grabbed a car blanket from behind her seat and opened it out into a small padded raft. She pushed herself down on her stomach, poking her head under the roof. Oh, my God. Oh my God.
She hesitated, but what was the point. I have to do it.
Cold water swallowed her. It was tight. And dark. If she sunk, or got stuck, she'd drown in a foot of water. Her heart hammered in her chest, her hands shaking. But it wasn't far. Just past the trunk, maybe four or five feet. She sucked in and held a lungful of air, just in case. Please, please, please let me get through.
