Wyatt watched as she dove into the water. “Wait! What?” he asked, as he felt the rope pull taut. He quickly wrapped the rope around his hand and took a deep breath before being tugged under. He tried to see Nev, but the water was too murky to see much of anything. At least he could still sense her. Wyatt found himself struggling to keep up with Nev as he followed the direction the rope was being pulled. As he was dragged towards her, he could feel the current of the water rushing past him. Suddenly, her figure unexpectedly took shape before him. With no time to react, he felt her pull hard on the rope.
Nev could feel the water being pulled past her and swam as quickly as she could in that direction. Having reached the hidden crevasse, she pulled Wyatt towards her with all her might. Once he reached her, Nev forced them both to the surface. “Deep breath and don’t let go,” she quickly reminded him before disappearing back into the water. Swiftly locating the opening in the ground, she pushed herself through the small gap and pulled fiercely on the rope.
Is she crazy? Wyatt thought as he followed her back under the water and observed her squeeze into the underwater opening. He could swim, but it was not a skill he was particularly proficient at. Now she wanted to go even deeper. He felt the rope tug intensely and quickly decided to take a plunge of faith by following her through the narrow hole.
Nev hadn’t waited to see if Wyatt was following her. Her lungs were begging for air. She could see a faint light coming from nearby, and she pushed herself to swim towards it as quickly as her muscles would allow. She reached the pale glow and swam up towards it, immediately gasping for air as she breached the surface of the water. Her thoughts quickly turned to Wyatt. She pulled and pulled on the rope. Please tell me you didn’t let go, she thought, feeling her panic build.
Wyatt had tried to keep pace with Nev but had found himself being tugged forward more and more. He was slipping into unconsciousness as his lungs burned through the last bits of air. His final sensations were of being pulled forward and trying to desperately hang on to the rope. Despite his best efforts, he could feel his grasp loosening.
Nev pulled up the end of the rope and looked with horror as she saw no sign of Wyatt. Without hesitation, she took a deep breath and dove back into the water. She swam with her arms outreached. I told you not to let go. You promised, she said, as she kept searching. Despair began to overtake her when her hand suddenly brushed up against something soft. She could feel his hair entangle around her fingers, and she frantically reached down and grabbed him.
She pulled him swiftly to the surface, but the breath she expected him to take didn’t come. Swimming quickly, she dragged him with her and towards an outcropping that was perched above the water’s edge. Nev climbed up on top of the rocks, careful to not let go of him. Frantically, she pulled him up onto the rocky ledge and looked for any sign that he was breathing again. “No, no, no!” she begged, feeling more and more panicked. She pounded on his chest and then leaned down close to him. With a feeling of desperation, she began blowing breaths into his mouth.
Wyatt woke to Nev hovering inches from his face. He smiled slightly at her before suddenly coughing up water violently. Wyatt sat up and took in several ragged breaths. After catching his breath a bit, he looked up at her. “I’m sorry that I let go. I won’t do that again,” he stated regretfully before immediately coughing again.
Nev felt a rush of relief as she watched him start breathing again. She lunged at him as he apologized and hugged him tightly, burrowing her face against his chest. “It’s alright. You… we are both safe for the moment,” she said, with her voice muffled.
He was momentarily stunned as he felt her arms wrap around him. Up until this moment, he hadn’t been totally convinced she didn’t, at a minimum, seriously dislike him. As she nestled her face against him, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. Wyatt rested his chin gently on the top of her head and breathed in deeply.
Nev allowed herself a rare moment of vulnerability. Instead of pulling away from his embrace, she relaxed into it. She was so tired. Tired of being hunted. Tired of being cold and wet. Tired of being scared and more than anything, she was tired of being alone.
Thoughts of her past and the guilt that always accompanied them began to creep slowly into her mind. She swallowed hard and savored the feeling of Wyatt’s embrace for a moment longer before pushing back and away from him. You can’t do this. Not to him, she thought, with a heavy heart.
Wyatt reluctantly loosened his embrace as he felt her backing away. He reached out and brushed her face gently with his hand. “What is it?” he asked softly.
Nev looked away and pushed his hand down gently. “It’s nothing,” she said, trying to sound convincing. She stood up and looked around the cave they were in. Water and time had eroded several paths large enough to walk through. There were also tiny mushrooms, growing along the walls, illuminating the caverns with a soft blue light. Nev checked to ensure her dagger and necklace had not been lost during their swim before bundling up the rope and securing it back on her belt. Her small pack had also survived their escape, although its contents were waterlogged.
As she scanned their surroundings, she could see hints of more blue light emitting from the far end
