My knuckles whitened. I held myself steady with one hand, moving with the other, using all my energy.
Thankfully, the groundwater was not that cold and dense.
I waited until it calmed, filling the tunnel’s empty spaces.
Now, you can’t take the cannons out until the water drains. And in this life, the water would never drain.
I exhaled deeply and started swimming toward the river’s prime point, where the rope awaited me.
It was pitch dark.
My only hope was my memory. I began swimming with the axe, taking breaks in small sessions.
Suddenly, my head hit hard against a rock, and I cried out in pain.
“Oh, my God!” I didn’t know if I bled since I couldn’t tell the difference between blood and water.
But I kept going.
I felt utterly worn out, sleepy, and dizzy.
However, a war awaited my leadership, and I needed to take action for everyone’s safety.
To keep my blood warm, I thought of my family, whom I had to see upon returning. But not Suman. I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t want to talk to her. I didn’t have the courage.
Unexpected thoughts from another person can lead to avoidance of eye contact.
I was unsure how I felt about her, but it wasn’t a dreamlike experience. She said I was bothering her, that she didn’t want to see me, that she didn’t trust me, and that she didn’t even want to talk to me.
And I didn’t know what the hell I had done wrong.
Honestly, if her past was like mine or worse, I would never have questioned it or made her feel ashamed, even if I didn’t want to stay with her.
She said‘No’without even hearing me out. I would never turn that into a‘Yes,’even if the world coerced me into stopping before it.
Finally, after a long, long time, a light flashed before my eyes. I inhaled a deep breath, noticing the rope hanging.
I swam faster.
Grabbing the rope’s end, I screamed at the top of my lungs.“Pull me up,”
No one responded from the other side, and I closed my eyes in exhaustion. I didn’t realise my voice wasn’t coming from my throat. It burnt.
My whole body burned.
“I said, pull me up,” I yelled again.
No one listened. My body felt weak, and the rope slipped from my hand.
No one replied, and I felt myself drowning.
Using the last ounce of energy, I pulled the rope down and felt the restraint tied to the tree.
“Pull me up!” My scream was unsteady.
Finally, I heard the soldier respond, pulling me up.
I curled the rope around my hand. The wound from the cut from the other day opened again, sending waves of brutal pain through me.
