Is that possible? Jenna squeaked.
Its going to have to be, Molly muttered her attention riveted upon the contents of the box as she pawed through it.
I watched with growing unease as she began to pull things out and lay them neatly upon the ground.
CHAPTER 17
I felt like swamp thing/idiot as I walked/wobbled toward the edge of the water. I also felt completely exposed. It was only a brief moment that we would be in the open, only a brief moment in which there was a chance we would be spotted, but that moment was far too big for my liking.
We had avoided the parking lot area, moving further down the shoreline to a more secluded spot. It was a long distance to the mainland from here, but we had all opted for a longer swim rather than longer exposure time. Molly, as the only one with experience, was the only one with her own tank. It would be better if she possessed it and was able to help out if something went wrong, or someone panicked. Molly and Aiden were also the only ones with compasses.
I glanced at Cade, my eyes lingering upon the rope tying us together, tying all of us together, except for Molly. She would need to be free if something went wrong and her help was needed. I didnt like this, not one bit. Though the ocean was vast and wide open, I could already feel a growing sense of panic at being trapped beneath its rolling waves.
Aiden and Abby had been paired together in the front; Bret and Jenna were behind them, and finally Cade and I. Cade had the tank strapped to his back, though I had a feeling that he would try and force me to take the mouthpiece far more often than I would need it. I only hoped he didnt hurt himself in the process.
Knives had been handed out in case someone got into trouble and had to be cut away. In case they had to be sacrificed . I didnt have a knife, but then I wouldnt have been able to cut the rope and sacrifice anyone, no matter what happened. I shuddered at the thought, shifting the bag of guns on my back as fear trickled through me. The weight of the guns was reassuring. They had been divided into three water proof bags and given to the three of us without tanks.
I wasnt too confident in this plan, but it was all we had. It had taken a half an hour for Molly to explain everything to us as quickly, and as well, as she could. It had been another half an hour before we found this secluded backyard. The fire was encroaching; small pops and bursts continued to fill the air. The falling ash was becoming thicker again. Dawn was only hours away. We didnt have any time to try and formulate another plan.
I didnt think there was one anyway.
Lets go.
Molly slipped easily into the water, my entrance was nowhere near as graceful as hers as I flopped, floundered, and fell into the ocean. I was thankful for the wetsuit as the chill of the water hit my cheeks and hands. I inhaled sharply before ducking beneath the waves. Though I was nowhere near lacking in oxygen, my lungs began to burn as panic tried to claim me. Cade was suddenly beside me, I could not see him in the murky water, but his hand grasped hold of my arm before stroking slowly upward.
His presence caused the burning in my lungs to ease slightly. My fear ebbed. I clung to the rope, kicking easily through the water. It had not been long, I knew that, but I felt as if we were making good progress, even if I couldnt see where the hell we were going. Apparently Molly decided that we were far enough down as she clicked on the light. I could barely see the dim glow, it briefly highlighted Aiden in front of me, and then it was gone as Molly turned it back off. There was a slight shifting in front of me, a small turning toward the right.
Cade was beside me again, I didnt know what he intended until I felt the press of the mouth piece against my lips. I tasted salt and water as I inhaled deeply, grateful for the fresh
surge of oxygen that filled my lungs. His hand pressed lightly over my mouth, looking to soothe me as we continued to slip silently through the sea.
This was going far better than I had anticipated; a fact that only caused my uneasiness to spike. Everything had been so hard until now; I had expected the same thing here. It made me anxious and tense, I was certain that something was going to happen. Cade tried to force me to keep the mouth piece, but I managed to give it back to him. For a brief moment my fingers entwined in his, and then he was taking the air from me.
We made our way through the water, the light would flare briefly every once in awhile before going back out. Subtle adjustments would be made in our direction as Molly read the compass. Three sharp tugs on the line alerted me that we were finally approaching land. Hope and fear shot through me. We were almost out of here, but there was no way to know what awaited us on the other side.
Then suddenly I felt it, a rising up of the ocean floor beneath us. We began a steady ascent, swimming upward, heading for land again. What the hell were we going to do if they were awaiting us? Nothing, there would be nothing we could do. We couldnt get to the guns, we wouldnt have enough time to flee back into the sea, and even if we did, we wouldnt have enough oxygen to remain hidden for much longer.