Insanity Bites |z.m| |h.s|

Chapter 68: Salvation

My body felt like it was being ripped into two halves, one side fighting to reach the surface and the other part dragged me deeper into the vast oblivion below me. 

It was obvious which side was winning. With every stroke towards the surface, my body sank deeper twice as much. My frozen limbs weren't all that useful anyway.

It stung to keep my eyes opened but the thought of shutting them brought with it a different set of fears. Would they ever open once I did?

After a few seconds of fighting against the current my limbs began to slump with fatigue. Now all my energy was focused on keeping as much air in my lungs as I could but each bubble that left my lips felt like a piece of my life already leaving my body.

In this state of utter helplessness, I realized how stupid I had been to believe I could actually beat Zayn. Of course he must have known I would drown or freeze to death but the realization refused to sink in.

It didn't seem like Zayn to let me die like this.

Death.

I could feel its dark hands wrap around my ankles, pulling me away from the lights reflecting the water on the surface.

My chest constricted when the last bit of air I was holding in escaped my lips. Suddenly the mind numbing cold around me was secondary to the way my chest heaved in an attempt to breathe. 

My mouth involuntarily opened in a gasp making me swallow icy cold water. I held my throat that had begun to spasm in an attempt to cough out the water fighting its way inside my body.

It felt like I was stuck in time as this cycle of pain occurred over and over until my head grew dizzy and even though I was surrounded by water, the stinging in my eyes told me I was crying. A rush of darkness filled my vision and I could feel the dark hands inching its way higher, the promise of a new victim about to join deaths club.

I blinked rapidly praying that this torture would end fast. Would there be a light at the end of the tunnel waiting for me? Would death welcome me warmly after the freezing torture I went through?

A violent cough escaped my lips making me choke as water rushed in, freezing my throat. Fighting the darkness I opened my eyes for as long as I could and then I saw it. A dark object making its way towards me.

My first thought was that it was a shark. There were rumors of shark sightings in the lake before even though there were really only ever found in the sea. But the sea connected to the lake and this thought was enough to give me something close to a heart attack.

I swallowed more water hoping I would drown before it got to me.

It got closer and closer and I could make out the faint outline of something much smaller and slimmer than a shark.

My head whipped to the side as a rush of current dragged me with it. My body was numb and I was tethering dangerously towards the edge of unconsciousness. My eyes closed involuntarily despite my best efforts.

The current was stronger this time. I could feel myself being pulled at a much faster speed. My back hit something hard and a rush of cold air hit my face like a slap.

Body shaking like a leaf, I coughed fervently and this time the water came out of my mouth instead of going in. It didn't make sense. Was I dead already? 

I could feel my body being pulled and the feeling of water on my skin disappeared only to be replaced with sharp, stinging cold air. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe, all I could see was darkness. I felt paralyzed and on the brink of collapsing into unconsciousness but there was something shaking me.