Just before it hit, he turned to block the dog from the blow, afraid the animal’s dangling back legs might otherwise be crushed. Gabe’s lower back took the brunt as the floating mass slammed against him. A shock wave of pain raced up and down his spine as he was knocked into the water. The thick branch tumbled over him, a dozen twigs and offshoots tugging at his clothes and gripping hold of him like a thousand barbed tines. The branch dragged him along underneath the surface of the water. The slim life vest that ran down his chest and torso pressed up against him, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the weight of the branch keeping him submerged.

To overcome his body’s natural inclination to suck in air, he locked down his fear and focused on releasing the air in his lungs in a slow, controlled stream. The terrified dog fought to free himself, and Gabe released him, knowing the animal had a better chance if he did. Seconds ticked by as Gabe struggled to be free of the deathly embrace of the branches. He was being dragged along and running out of air. He fought to reach underneath the giant limb and tear away at the branches entangled in the back of his shirt.

The craving in his lungs for his next intake of breath was more intense than anything he’d experienced in the densest of smoke-filled buildings in a stifling fire mask. The pressure in his head became so intense that he could hear a roaring buzz in his ears and knew he was close to passing out or involuntarily sucking in a breath of water.

He was losing focus when something knocked into one side of the branch, dragging the bulky thing down his back and yanking it free from him.

Jutting up, he gulped in air and floated downstream for another few seconds as his head cleared. The massive branch had struck a tree and was now floating sideways beside him, seeming far more benign that it had a moment ago.

Once his head cleared, Gabe swam toward the bank. He’d been swept downstream enough that the house was blocked from view by a strip of trees at the water’s edge. When he got close enough in, he stood and finished exiting at a walk. As the adrenaline began to wane, pain tore across his back and exhaustion slipped into his spent muscles.

Movement in the far edge of the tree line drew his attention as he sloshed out of the water. It was Olivia, weaving between the trees.