Chapter 14 - A Burning Cold (Jethro)
268 Words
The water was so frigid that it burned our skin. All thoughts of lying down vanished and were replaced with total panic.
“Arthur, I don’t want to die!” I shouted over the raging river. Our bodies were repeatedly slammed into rocks, and it took all of my efforts not to let go of my brother.
“You think I do?!” he shouted back. I could hardly hear him over the torrent.
“I’m sorry, by the way.”
“Good to hear! Now is not the time to apologize!” he yelled back in annoyance.
Our clothes became more soaked by the second, and I felt like I had doubled my body weight. My breathing was rapid and shallow from the fear that consumed me. Every second, I was worried that I’d freeze to death.
It’s funny how we were worried about getting roasted alive over a fire just a minute ago. The agony the river caused us made us forget about everything and everyone. All that mattered now was survival. All that was left now was the fight within. We couldn’t extinguish that spark.
As we were flung across the river, we noticed another drop ahead. This one was much smaller, but the water wasn’t any warmer. We held our hands together to prevent drifting away.
Dread filled our nerves as we went down the drop. The torrent dragged us underwater and spun us around countless times.
I resurfaced after about ten seconds, and the horror set in instantly. I was no longer holding Arthur’s hand.
In fact, he was nowhere to be seen.
- Writer
