Chapter 22: the storm

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Chapter 22

The storm

 

 

 

     I woke up later and just did as normal. I tried to go the rest the day not thinking about how Derek had betrayed me. It didn’t really work though. I just couldn’t believe it. After everyone else had hurt me, the one person I thought would be ok hurt me too!

     A few hours later, I decided to take a small nap to get my mind off of it. I needed my rest then still anyways. I fell asleep right away.

I woke up one a couple hours later, but it really wasn’t by choice. I heard a tremendous boom echo through the forest. I jumped up real quick and stood there until I realized what it was. Thunder. I grabbed my PDO and saw that the forecast had changed. I went to the door to take a look outside.

     I opened the door to have rain and leaves violently blown in my face by the extremely harsh winds. I looked up to see the long, slender, yellow streaks of lighting flashing across the black skies. The skies were like tar black, the trees knelt in the wind, and the rain was like liquid spikes. It was the worst storm I had ever seen in my life.

     Then it hit me. Derek was still out there somewhere! Even though I was still mad at him, I was worried. There was no real shelter in a forest during this kind of storm. You can’t go near the river and you can’t go under a tree, my cabin was the only safe place.

     I stalled for a moment, then knew what I felt like I had to do. I got my boots, and my jeans, and fetched my tough exterior coat. I tried to make sure I was ready to be out in this. This really was no mere storm. I counted to three and opened the door and quickly slipped out into the center of it. The wind took me the breath right out of me and I had to stand a moment to regain it.

     I started to venture out, calling his name as loud as I could. It was barely audible in those conditions and didn’t do much good. I could barely see through the thick heavy sheets of rain that fell. I still went on though, further and further I went from the safety of the cabin.

     “Derek!” I called again. Still no one answered. I was becoming more worried about it now. I started to run, looking for him still. I neared the rivers edge, which was a ways from normal. It had risen and it was getting higher and higher. The entire floor of the forest was covered in an inch of water and it was going up. I still had to check the valley before it completely filled.

     I ran as fast as I could, splashing water with every last step. My heart raced and my mind was centered. I finally got there after what felt like hours of worry. I wasn’t even mad at him anymore; I just wanted to find my love. I didn’t want to see anything happen to him. All that was above the water was the tops of the tall statures of rocks. I thought I saw something move on one of the more distant ones. I looked again. It was Derek!

     “Derek!” I yelled to him. “Amber!” he yelled back. “Swim over here!” I yelled. “I can’t! The currents too strong for me!” “You have to try Derek! It’s only going to get higher! Hurry!” I yelled again. “Alright then! I’ll try to! Watch me incase!” he yelled back. “I will!”

     He stood up and still on the rocks for a moment, then dove into the cold rushing waters. I waited for him to break though to the surface, but he didn’t come up right away. I was glad to see it when he did a minute later. He swam as fast as he could, just barely beating the current. I could tell he was tiring quick, but he couldn’t stop, not even for a moment. If he did, he would have hell to pay to regain the grounds he would have lost.

     He started to struggle as he swam. He flailed his arms as hard as he could, but it didn’t seem to do any good rather then getting him a few more feet. I knew I was gonna have to help him somehow for him to be able to make it out of there alive. I hoped I could.

Using all my brain, I was able to figure out a way. I looked at all the trees, searching for vines to use. I only saw a few that weren’t as long as I had hoped. “They’ll have to do.” I mumbled. I ran the small distant to get them. I went back to the waters edge. “Derek!” I yelled, “Swim as far as you can and grab the vine I’m throwing to you!”

     He nodded from above the water and said nothing. I’m sure it was the water that kept him so quiet. I held the brown rough textured vine and threw the one end as far as I could. It could only go so far. I held my end tight. He swam harder, but it seemed no matter what, he never got any closer. Finally he was able to grab it in one hand and stretched the other arm and grabbed it too. I pulled as hard as I could to bring him back to land. My arms hurt and I struggled to finish the task.

     But last moment before he was at the edge, he let go! He started to sink back and he didn’t even try to swim. He went under and never moved. I dove in to get him, not thinking about the possible consequences of that. I grabbed him from underneath and dragged him and myself back to the land some how. Miraculously, I made it back some how. I jumped up and dragged him the rest the way onto the shore. Of course, the shore was still a shallow two inches deep.

     I laid my head on his chest and his heart had stopped beating. At the thought of that, so did mine. He wasn’t breathing either. I tried CPR, but it really did no good. I tried again and still nothing. He was gone it seemed. My mind raced again from memories to emotion. I could hear nothing it was so shocking. I knelt there and stared blankly. The thunder and rain were silent. I was deaf with emotion, not blind, but deaf.

     I waited another twenty seconds and thought it as over, but then, in an odd turn of event, he spewed water out and breathed a little! I rolled him on his stomach so he wouldn’t choke on the water.

I looked up in relief, then back down to see him, and the waters that were slowly covering him. The water was still rising and I was none to close to home, and the rain still came down on me. I helped Derek up and held him up. I didn’t think he’d actually be able to walk with me. I held him up on my shoulder as best I could.

     I started to go as fast as I could, but with that much extra weight, it wasn’t too fast. The water followed us behind for about thirty more feet, and then stopped, and within minutes more, started to recede. That’s when we knew the storm was finally drawing to an end.

     The water slowly raced farther and farther away. So I kept on dragging ourselves home, wondering why this had to happen. It was then that I knew it was entirely my fault. If I wouldn’t have kicked him out in the first place, he would have never almost drowned. I wasn’t going to apologize yet though. I was still mad at him for the fight we had earlier.

     We managed to reach the cabin and he was passed out again. He had waked up for a few minutes on the way but was dazed and unresponsive. I hoped he was going to be ok, but in a way, I hoped he wouldn’t. It made me feel like a monster.

     I carefully laid him on the sofa and just stared at him. He was right. I did need help. But I was too much of a wimp to admit it. When I first came to the forest, it was because I wanted full independence from the world. But then I met Midnight, and Sheilla came, then the eagle and Derek. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my dogs and wouldn’t trade them for anything, but I wasn’t alone any more, and I needed to accept it.

     Derek only wanted to help, but all I did was shoved him away. As I stared at him, I could see his heart beating ever so slightly underneath his drenched blue shirt.

     I decided. I was going to tell him I give up and I would come quietly to get the help I needed. I just hoped he would still be willing to. It took near death to show me what I didn’t want to see. I would tell him, but I was going to wait until he got up. I knew that would be awhile. I just went to my bed on the floor.

     When I pulled back the covers, there were Midnight and Sheilla side-by-side sleeping. They had really taken a liking to each other. I didn’t disturb them. I just pulled the covers over a bit and shared. Besides, Sheilla wouldn’t have let me move her anyways. They looked so peaceful. “Good night you two.” I softly said, then laid down myself.