Page 93 of Forever Mine
Struggling against the suffocating grip of the seat belt digging into my chest, unconsciousness begins to creep in at the edges of my vision. As if viewing the world through a camera’s aperture, everything goes fuzzy then snaps into sharp focus when the car collides with the lake’s surface. The impact is bone-jarring and punches the air from my lungs like bellows.
“Julien?” My voice sounds like I just ate glass.
When he doesn’t respond, I carefully turn my head, and fear chokes the life out of me when I see him. Caught by his seat belt, his body and head droop like a broken marionette on lax strings. Panic surges through me when I see the blood gushing from a deep wound on his forehead.
“Julien!”
No response. No movement.
Please god, no.
Fear wraps its icy tendrils around my heart, squeezing until I can barely breathe. With numb fingers that refuse to cooperate, I frantically work the seat belt release. Water fills my shoes. Water?
I watch in horror as the car begins to tilt nose-first, the water surging in through the shattered window and rapidly flooding the interior.
Oh, my God! Oh, God!The car is filling up with water.
No. No. No.
I twist in my seat, the restraint holding me tight as I fight to free myself.
“Julien, wake up!”
His eyes remain closed, his body frighteningly still.
I have to get him out. The water is almost at our waist.
Not like this. I can’t lose him like this.
Think, goddammit. Think.
Going for the glove compartment box, I frantically dig through the contents and want to shout in victory when my hand closes around the multitool. I fucking love my dad.
Sawing at the belt, my shaking fingers make the simple task feel impossible, and a sob tears free when it finally gives way. I grab Julien’s shoulder strap and cut through it. The car horn blares when he slumps forward onto the steering wheel.
“I’ve got you,” I repeat over and over again, praying that he can hear me.
When I tug on my door handle, it won’t open, the pressure from the water outside too strong.
Fuckfuckfuck.
Break the window. Break the fucking window.
I take a deep breath, pushing down the fear that has clawed free. Summoning every ounce of strength I can muster,I strike the tempered window glass with the pointed tip of the multitool… and gasp from the sudden shock of water that rushes in like a dam breaking.
Out. Out. Get Julien out.
We don’t have much time. The car is sinking faster, the waterline creeping higher, turning the interior into a watery tomb.
My muscles strain when I hoist Julien’s limp, heavy body out of his seat. Fighting against the relentless push of water, my breaths come in short, ragged bursts as I push myself through the window gap, pulling him with me.
Once we’re out, instinct takes over, years of swimming and lifeguard drills kicking in. I band my left arm under his armpits, and I prop his head against my shoulder in a supine position to keep it out of the water. As I scan around searching for the shoreline, every direction looks like an endless expanse of black. Something catches my eye in the distance, a flickering orange light at the top of the hill. I use it like a beacon and swim toward it.
Julien’s head lolls against my shoulder. “Elijah.”
The sound of my name from his lips is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. Joyous relief blasts through me like a shot of adrenaline injected straight into the heart. I hold on to that sound like a lifeline as I swim us toward the shore.
“I’m here. Just hold on. Don’t move. I’ve got you.”
