I wasn’t sure how long I laid there sobbing, but eventually I lifted my eyes to study the swamp. The water rushed on each side of me. The hill that the den opening was at only had the length of my body of land. But the water wasn’t rising anymore. Instead, it was a rushing rapid pouring water into the lower sections of the swamp. A placement I was sure was by design.
Every muscle shook as I stumbled to my feet, using a tree to hold me steady. An invisible pressure released off my lungs that I hadn’t even realized was there, until I could breathe evenly. At the same time, dread that didn’t belong to me punched me in the gut, making me nauseous.
Yeah, fucker. I can do this.
My best bet was swimming across the pond to my left since I knew there was higher ground that way, but the water was rushing so much that it was going to be a fight.
Apparently, I was going all nine rounds today.
I slipped into the water to find it much deeper than I remembered. The current wasted no time, carrying me downstream.
Memories of drowning hit me, but I kicked my legs and arms as hard as I could to swim across, even as I steadily moved downstream.
Come on, Talia. You got this.
Panic welled in my throat, but I poured all the energy into swimming against the current, ignoring that I was moving away from the pathway I knew.
You can track your way back. You’ve found your way through worse. Keep going.
Because I was a bad ass bitch, who’d survived through more than most people ever would.
Right as I got my fingers on semi-solid land, a huge wave of water slammed into me. I clutched my fingers, but the mud gave way as easily as paper, tossing me back into the rapids.
Damn it.
I grabbed the branches of a thick brush along the waterline, letting the thorns dig into my fingers and palm, and using it as an anchor to pull myself onto land.
Once I had my feet under me, I leaned on my knees to catch my heaving breath, and noticed another den opening beside me. I chewed over the wisdom of going in there when a threatening growl rumbled from deep inside.
The last thing I needed was a bear or something on my ass.
Thunder clapped loudly and shook the land under me as a loud roar echoed from deep within the swamp.
Keep going.
Chapter 27:
Ifinallymadeitto the old campsite. The entire road was now flooded, moving the water around the site, and it was steadily rising. I eyed the cliff wall in the back.
The inches of water creeping up my ankle, signalled that this place wasn’t as safe as Gale had thought when he picked it. I needed higher ground, but the only way up was against the current of the flooded river that was once a road, or the slippery cliff side with no climbing equipment.
Up it is.
My heart pounded as I made the first ascension. This wasn’t a blunt cliff like the basin in the nest was. This had a narrow ledge at the top that I’d have to get around to get up.
Slow and steady, I told myself.
I used the roots sticking out as handholds, but the blood, mud, and rain made everything slick. A made it a couple feet up, before my hand slid off the roots and I tumbled to the ground with a painful squish from the impact. My heart banged against my sternum in warning.
I didn’t even make it three fucking feet.
The weaker part of me knew the perfect place to hide until the storm passed. A secondary agreement came from something more territorial and defensive than me; Rot.
How far did I have to go to make his thoughts shut up? I guess I’d find out.
The hole in my shoulder was a constant throbbing reminder that I had to work for it this time. I grabbed my gloves from my pant’s pocket, but they were soaked. I sighed to myself. Raw dog it was.
Much like everything else today.
