Chapter 12 Rachel
Rachel
Jake was gone. He left, after putting whatever piece back in place above the hole. Now, I couldn’t see anything at all. It was pitch black and I could feel the darkness creeping into my soul, sucking any hope out with it.
No one would find me here. Not in the next hour or so, and I would be lucky if I lasted that long.
I stopped moving, letting my arms and legs go still, and slowly sank down into the ice-cold water.
I lifted my chin, keeping my head exposed for as long as possible.
When the liquid came past my chin, I took a deep breath and pinched my eyes closed, then let myself fall, drifting down to the bottom.
My feet hit and sank a little in whatever slush was down there.
I succumbed, and my butt hit the bottom.
I let my hands fall and counted slowly in my head.
I swam in high school and could, at that stage in my life, hold my breath for two minutes.
Now? Would I make it to one hundred seconds?
This wasn’t death, I told myself. I could push off with my feet at any moment.
Push up to the surface and take another breath.
I fanned out my hands and flinched when they hit something hard.
It bounced away, and I reached for it again, my awareness clinking into place even as my hands closed around it.
The tablet.