There was a moment’s hesitation once the group were undressed. Lingering on the edge, peering down into the water and waiting – for what, Emily wasn’t sure. For them to come to their senses? But they’d drunk too much, smoked too much, their senses tossed away with that last joint and in an instant, Sam grabbed a hold of Erika and chucked her into the water.
Emily let out a shriek of fear, rushing forward in time to see Erika crash through the surface and disappear. She called her name, searching the faces of their friends who didn’t look half as scared as the bubbles rose but Erika didn’t.
“Erika?” Emily panted. “Erika!”
Within a matter of seconds, their friend appeared, throwing back her mass of wet raven feather hair as she laughed and gasped for breath. “It’s fucking freezing!” she yelped, to whoops and cheers from their friends. As though Erika was a plug in a sink of water that had been pulled, the rest of their friends piled in, splashing and screaming as they hit the cold water.
Emily hung back, her focus darting from each of them, terrified if she lost sight of one it would mean their demise.
“Boo bear?” Will said, turning her to look at him. “Calm down, we’re all strong swimmers. We’ve done this before. It’ll be alright.”
“But they’re drunk!”
“They’re okay, I promise,” he said, hands on her shoulders as he gave her that handsome smile that always made her soften. That and the sight of him topless.
She was distracted by him this way; standing in his form-fitting boxers, muscular torso on display. She saw every inch of him, even in that pale moonlight and the orange glow of the streetlights. His hair shone a syrupy brown, his eyes aglow as he flexed those muscles ever so slightly. Emily became breathless all over again.
It was in those minutes as she stood admiring her boyfriend and wondering what would have happened if they hadn’t been interrupted earlier that evening, she lost track of her friends, including Sam; the only one of them who hadn’t jumped into the river yet. The pair were so absorbed, both thinking about all that could have happened that night, they didn’t notice Sam creep up behind Emily. If she had, she might have had a chance to react; run, fight, do anything but allow him to lift her up and hurl her out across the water quicker than she could blink.
Fully clothed, scream stuck in her throat, Emily plunged toward the river.
She hit the water like a bag of rocks, smacking the surface and slapping any exposed skin. Emily had just enough time to gasp for breath before she disappeared into the bitter darkness.
Gripped by her fear, the memories threatening to overpower her senses, Emily flailed through the murky water. Her lungs burned for breath. Her mind desperately tried to make sense of her surroundings. The water crushed her. It filled her nostrils, her mouth, her ears. There was no air. Only solid darkness. She batted the icy water with her numb arms. She tried to kick. She could no longer feel her toes. She looked to the sky. There was none. Which way was up? Which way was down? The reeds clawed at her skin, winding around her ankles like frozen fingers, tugging her into their depths.
Like Mum.
Like Dad.
Like Mary.
The water was reclaiming her. Sucking her down into its darkness. It would swallow her.
Just like before.
The night her parent’s car swerved off the road to avoid the oncoming lorry. That cold December evening when all she’d been able to hear was screams and shouts all around her as the car flew off the embankment and hit the water. It had sunk fast, faster than she’d had time to think, fumbling with her seatbelt, begging for her mum. For her father. For Mary. To help –
Help me!
Emily gurgled as she screamed, eyes wide open to that wall of endless black. Terror had consumed her that night and it consumed her all over again as her head pulsed and the current beneath threatened to drag her away. Kicking wildly, she clawed for the surface and prayed as she had that night.
Dear God, don’t let me die here.
If there was a God, He had granted her wish and left her an orphan. What kind of God did that?
Not mine.
I have none.
Not anymore.
Emily gave up praying and kicked. She kicked as hard as she could until her face broke the surface and air rushed into her lungs. Too soon, she felt herself slipping back under. With every struggle, her mouth and nose submerged, drawing her down again; a continuous loop, sending her lungs into a frenzy. She choked on the river water, and below, her foot kicked something solid. Solid and cold. She couldn’t distinguish the past from the present. Bright headlights burned below, revealing her fate if she didn’t keep kicking. If she didn’t keep moving. The cold would take her first. Freeze her limbs and work its way to her heart until she became a suspended white corpse in the abyss, floating in the dark icy waters.
They didn’t find the bodies for hours…
She couldn’t hold back the tide of memories. She couldn’t stop herself from reliving those final moments over and over again as she fought her way to the surface.
I must survive.
She was losing strength.
I will not die here.
She was too far away from her friends desperately trying to reach her. There was only one person who could save her now.
She felt a powerful shove from below and an even stronger tug from above.
Hillside Academy: October (Volume II) Copyright © 2024 Jodie May Mullen