Finally, his hand touched something warm and solid. Or, he tried to. Her body revolted against him, thrashing and shoving wildly as she fought to struggle towards the air above them. Gripping her by the waist, he swam upward, fighting with strained muscles to struggle against the punishing current. Everything was cold. Everything was painful. But he couldn’t dwell. Thought vanished, leaving only the primal. It shoved him onward even when he wanted nothing more than to quit. Survive. Save her and survive. But with each passing second, her body grew more and more limp, and she fought less and less…until one cruel moment when she went still and slack in his arms.

“Ah!” He gasped when they finally hit the air. He drank it in, coughing and choking and spluttering. Kate returned to life, too, though not as violently as he. As he pushed their way crosscurrent to the river’s dirty bank, Clark watched Kate’s limp head barely suck in air. Her entire body shook with shivers, but at least she was breathing. Her eyes fluttered enough to tell him she was conscious. A small, desperate relief.

Clark moved quickly. They needed to get back inside. No time to waste, not when he’d been so supremely stupid. Every second they wasted not moving towards the house was a moment she wasn’t getting the care she needed. Wordless and shivering himself, Clark scooped Kate into his arms, bridal style, and set his eyes on the peak of the house poking out from just over the trees in the distance. They left the clearing and the river behind, but not before he picked up Kate’s coat, the one she’d discarded before her expedition across the log bridge.

Invisible needles stabbed him as his wet skin met cold air. He could only imagine what Kate was going through. Her now pale body almost convulsed in his arms, though she kept the slightest of grips on his neck. The pressure provided him a small modicum of relief. As long as she touched him, he knew she wasn’t under.

The forest that scared him so deeply as a child now served as mere window dressing. Nothing mattered but getting her home. As he walked, he tried to keep her awake. What little warmth he felt in her body slipped away with every step he took.