Cheryl Tardif - Submerged

You can do this.

She tossed the cell phone and breathed a sigh of relief when he caught it.

“When we get out of here, maybe you should take up baseball,” she said, trying to inject some humor into an otherwise bone-chilling situation.

“Can I call Dad?” Colton asked, his voice trembling.

“You can try.”

She bit her bottom lip to keep from crying. There was no point in saving the battery power now. Colton needed to hear his father’s voice. To say good-bye.

She gave her head a sharp shake. No! We’re going to survive.

“Dad’s not picking up,” Colton said.

“Leave him a message.” Her voice cracked on the last word.

There was silence in the back seat.

“Colton?”

“I hung up. I didn’t know what to say.”

“That’s okay, honey. He knows you love him. And Daddy loves you.”

Colton began sobbing.

“Please stop crying,” she said, wishing she could hold him in her arms. “I know you’re scared, honey. So am I. But we have to have faith. We have to believe that we’ll be out of here soon.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes, I do. Be brave, honey.”

Hearing his sobs made her angry. Not at him, but at her own uselessness.

Seething with frustration, she grabbed the steering wheel and pushed it up with all her strength. With her children’s faces in her mind, she attempted to wriggle free. But every movement sent severe knife-pains through her ribs.

Her eyes streamed with tears, and she was drained of all energy. As her emotions collapsed, she cried as inaudibly as possible so that Colton wouldn’t hear. There was nothing more she could do except pray for a miracle.

Another jagged flash of lightning streaked across the sky, and a sharp crack came about five seconds later.

“Damn,” Marcus muttered. The storm was getting closer.

He opened the car door, ripped the Bluetooth off his ear and tossed it on the passenger seat next to his cell phone. Stripping off his shirt, he slung the straps from the tanks over his shoulder. With a flashlight in hand, he waded into the river. The water was frigid, but he pressed on. The ground sloped sharply. He dove in and swam toward the car. It took less than five minutes.

As he reached for the driver’s door, the boards beneath the front end gave way and the car slid further into the river.

Shit!

He rapped the flashlight on the top of the car and heard a muted reply.

How much water is inside?

The door handle was out of reach, so he dove below. He didn’t bother with the mask. This was a reconnaissance dive. Plus, he needed to conserve the air in his tank, in case he couldn’t get Rebecca out right away and had to leave it with her.

The door didn’t budge. He shone a flashlight into the window. The sharp angle of the car had forced Rebecca over the steering wheel.

“Hurry!” she mouthed.

He gave a nod, then swam to the surface and shone the light inside the rear window. Colton had pushed an unconscious Ella up onto the top of the back seat, against the rear window. The water was up to the boy’s chest.

When Colton noticed the light, the terrified boy pressed his face against the window and screamed something. It was heartbreaking to witness.

Marcus gave Colton the OK signal, then held up a finger. One minute, and I’ll have you all out. He prayed the boy would understand.

Correct timing was essential. Marcus knew he had to get the first tank to Rebecca as soon as he broke the window. They’d be holding their breath as the car filled. He’d have to open the back door, secure the kids’ masks and get them to shore.

Then he’d go back for Rebecca.

The question was, could he get everyone out alive?

Rebecca let out a victorious whoop as soon as she spotted the faint light moving in the water toward them.

“Marcus is here. Outside the car.” She turned her head and saw Ella lying on top of the back seat. “You are brilliant, my son. That’s the perfect place for your sister.”

The car jerked and shifted forward, and they each let out a scream.

“What’s happening, Mom?” Colton cried.

“Just a bit of movement. Keep calm.”

Rebecca knew what had happened. The car had moved further into the river.

Colton groaned.

“Are you all right, honey?”

“I’m almost out, Mom! The seat’s moved forward. My leg’s almost free.”

“That’s awesome, honey. Keep working at it. How’s Ella doing?”

“She’s breathing real loud.”

“Give her another dose.”

“I lost Puff,” he said in a forlorn tone. “It’s in the water somewhere.”

She took a fortifying breath, thinking of the backup inhaler that was locked in the glove compartment. “That’s okay. Marcus is here now.”

“I’m out!” Colton shouted seconds later.

When he half walked, half swam toward her, Rebecca held up a hand and shook her head. “No! Stay where you are. We don’t want the car to shift any more than it has. Stay back and keep your head above the water. Ella’s too.”

“But what about you? Maybe I can get you out.”

“No, honey. We have to trust Marcus. He’ll know what to do.”

Something banged against the car. Rebecca knocked on the window in response.

The light moved closer. Then she saw Marcus. His face was distorted from the dirty water and faint light, but she’d never felt so glad to see someone in all her life.

She released a heavy sigh. “Hurry!”

He swam toward the rear, and a minute later, he vanished.

“Help us!” Colton sobbed, banging on the window.

“Honey, I know you’re scared, but we have to stay calm.”

“I want out, Mommy! Get us out!”

“I know.”

She cried openly now, rocking back and forth, hugging her chest. Her heart ached for her son, for Ella. God, please… if you can’t save all of us, save my children. Save Ella and Colton. Please…

She couldn’t imagine life without her babies. Couldn’t contemplate never holding them again.

“What if we die here?” Colton asked.

The question sent icicles down her spine. “We’re not going to die.”

“But what if we drown?”

“Marcus won’t let that happen.”

She didn’t know why she was relying so heavily on a stranger to save them, but there’d been something in Marcus’s voice—something that made her feel calm, made her believe they would all come out of this nightmare, alive.

She glanced down at the steering wheel that immobilized her. Or at least some of us will survive.

With a high probability of internal damage and definite broken ribs, she doubted she’d have the strength to swim, much less get out of the car. Marcus would be busy with the kids. By the time he got them to shore and came back for her, she could be dead.

But Colton and Ella will be alive.

She smiled, imagining their lives as they grew. Would they be rebellious teenagers? Would Wesley be able to handle them? What would they do with their lives? What would they become?

The water had risen to her breasts. Though the majority of her body was numb with cold, she kept her hands above her head and flexed her icy fingers every now and then. Breathing hurt her ribs, and she tried to slow each uneven breath. A surge of nausea rippled through her body. Her vision swam in and out, and all the blinking in the world wouldn’t bring things into focus.