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The pain in his fingers told him that he was bleeding.

But that only spurred him on.

Told him that he was alive.

“Mari!”

The answering silence weighed down on him.

“Damn it! Where are you?”

“Hea-Heath…”

He turned his head in the direction of her voice.

“I… I’m over here!”

Halfway between faith and desperation, he pushed himself up and over the top of the fence and dove into the darkness.

MARI

She turned her head away from the water, trying to keep her mouth above it. Something she could feel more than she could see.

“Heath?” She couldn’t keep the sob from her voice. Her hands were cold.

Her arms shaking.

Mari started to wonder if she’d only imagined his voice.

Hallucinating?

She squeezed her eyes shut and fought back the tears that threatened to fall and make the flood even worse.

Willing herself to draw in another deep, lung filling breath she opened her mouth to speak, but heard him instead.

“Mari? Call out to me!”

He sounded close.

Almost close enough to hope.

“H-here! I... I don’t know how to tell you-”

Water splashed in her face and she sputtered, turning her head away from the splash. Something landed on her face. Something cold, flat.

She shook her head and it slid down to her cheek and then slid down

Another wave of water rolled toward and splashed the side of her face.

“Mari-”

“H-here-” She half-swallowed and half choked on the water that rushed in her direction. Before she could speak again, something crashed into her and she nearly lost her hold on the submerged wood that she was clinging onto.

“Hold… Hold on.”

It was a struggle.

She wanted to let go and grab for him, but it felt like her arms were locked around the wood. At least she could pretend that she was listening to him.