21 - Drown

Sariel looked up at the distant surface. The light of the sun barely reached her depth. She wasn't sure how deep that was, given she was surrounded on all sides by nothing but deep blue. How long had she been down here?

Sariel started swimming up, toward the light. Her arms and legs pushed through the water, slowly and deliberately in a way that resembled a frog. It was something she had done many times before, and now was no different. Something seemed off, though. No matter how long she swam, the surface never got any closer.

The contractions started. Her lungs tried to pull in air that wasn't there, but she didn't let them. Panic bubbled up in her stomach. Had she told anyone she was here? Where was here? All she could see was the twinkling light of the surface above her, and the impossible blackness of the deep sea below her. At any moment, something could slither up out of the deep and take her down, never to be seen again.

She felt something slimy crawl up her leg. In a panic, she reached for her dagger, but it wasn't there. She looked down, expecting to see a giant octopus about to swallow her whole. But there was nothing there.

Her heart raced. The contractions got worse. The corners of her vision darkened. All she could do was push forward. But it wasn't enough. She knew in her heart that she was going to drown again. Fear overwhelmed her.

She grasped out at the surface, her cry of terror silenced by the sea. Water choked her lungs, and she fell backward. As life faded from her body and her vision turned black, she watched the surface slip away forever.

Sariel's eyes snapped open. Her heart was racing, and she was covered in sweat. But she had just- ah, a dream. She was still in bed next to Nathxena, who was sound asleep. The nightmares that came from drowning occasionally reared their ugly head, and it seems they had chosen tonight to torment her. She wondered if Nathxena had any dreams like that. She probably did. Everyone probably did.