- Mar 24, 2014
- 1,420
- 1,070
- Country
- Canada
- Gender
- Female
- Faith
- Christian
- Marital Status
- Married
Lucas dove deeper. The salt water mercilessly stung his eyes and his lungs burned almost screaming for oxygen as he kicked his feet forward blinded by the opaqueness of the water. The muscles in his legs ached, but he did his best to ignore it as he worked his way further into the dark, murky sea. Blood stained the water now making everything appear even more turbid and muddy-looking. He blinked his eyes several times feeling disconcerted but hoping the action would clear his vision. He needed to focus and keep his bearings. Something brushed against his foot suddenly causing terror to nearly consume him. Fearing the worst, he thrust his legs away with a vicious kick. His heart felt like it would leap from his chest as he tried desperately to see what brushed against him, but it was no use. The water was too thick and cloudy. His vulnerability hit him square in the gut. He didn’t know what kind of predators lay beneath the water’s surface.
He continued diving deeper and was rewarded when his fingers touched the netting in front of him confirming his earlier suspicions. He reached for his knife and started feverishly hacking at the mesh; his heart was beating frantically in his chest and his lungs felt on the verge of exploding. Just as he thought he was making some headway chopping through the weave, he felt something—or someone-- grab his shirt. His eyes darted over his shoulder but before he could even process a logical thought of escape, he was yanked harshly away. Lucas struggled but quickly discovered it was a futile effort. Breaching the surface of the water, Lucas sputtered to catch his breath. Anger mixed with frantic panic flooded over him as he struggled and gasped for air only to come face to face with a furious looking Mitchell Brady.
“Don’t be stupid, Lucas!” scolded Mitch.
Lucas was taken aback. Mitch looked every bit a parental figure rather than the comrade he’d fondly come to know. Lucas shrugged off the strong arm clinging to his shirt with a scowl.
“Lemme go! He’s gonna die if I don’t cut him free!”
Mitch sternly grasped his forearms and gave him a stern shake.
“Knock it off, Lucas! You can’t free him on your own, for Pete’s sake! Give me some credit here; I just might know more than you. Stay here!”
Seawater mixed with tears ran down Lucas’ face as he choked and coughed. He knew it was true. He didn’t have the stamina to dive that deep and as much as he’d tried, he just wasn’t strong enough to cut the netting on his own. None of this was supposed to happen. He’d just come out for a couple hours to swim with the dolphin. This was his fault.
“Don’t move!” Mitch said firmly, commanding obedience.
Lucas nodded reluctantly and grasped onto the side of the boat feeling stricken with grief. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to his beloved pet. He should have done a better job of patrolling the region before bringing the mammal to the area. He could have asked Miguel to do a sweep and look for sharks and debris. How could he be so stupid? It was a reckless, idiotic thing to do, and now Zeus might die.
“I-I’m sorry, Mitch. I should--”
“Save it, Lucas. This is not the time. Stay put!”
Mitch disappeared into the water once again, leaving Lucas alone treading water beside the small boat. Lucas bit down hard on his bottom lip when he saw more blood seep up to the surface. His eyes were a raw and red as hot tears seared his eyes. He wiped away the water from his face, fighting a mixture of anger and heart-wrenching despair as he tried to desperately clear his vision. He swallowed a burning lump in his throat as he struggled to stay somewhat calm. Allowing his thoughts to berate him wouldn’t help Zeus. He needed to stay focused. Zeus would be alright. He had to be.
Lucas’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Mitch surface, inhale a deep breath and disappear once again into the murky depths. More blood crept to the surface making Lucas’ heart rate speed up even further. How much blood had the dolphin lost? It felt like time stopped as Lucas hovered beside the boat waiting for Mitch to surface again.
He continued diving deeper and was rewarded when his fingers touched the netting in front of him confirming his earlier suspicions. He reached for his knife and started feverishly hacking at the mesh; his heart was beating frantically in his chest and his lungs felt on the verge of exploding. Just as he thought he was making some headway chopping through the weave, he felt something—or someone-- grab his shirt. His eyes darted over his shoulder but before he could even process a logical thought of escape, he was yanked harshly away. Lucas struggled but quickly discovered it was a futile effort. Breaching the surface of the water, Lucas sputtered to catch his breath. Anger mixed with frantic panic flooded over him as he struggled and gasped for air only to come face to face with a furious looking Mitchell Brady.
“Don’t be stupid, Lucas!” scolded Mitch.
Lucas was taken aback. Mitch looked every bit a parental figure rather than the comrade he’d fondly come to know. Lucas shrugged off the strong arm clinging to his shirt with a scowl.
“Lemme go! He’s gonna die if I don’t cut him free!”
Mitch sternly grasped his forearms and gave him a stern shake.
“Knock it off, Lucas! You can’t free him on your own, for Pete’s sake! Give me some credit here; I just might know more than you. Stay here!”
Seawater mixed with tears ran down Lucas’ face as he choked and coughed. He knew it was true. He didn’t have the stamina to dive that deep and as much as he’d tried, he just wasn’t strong enough to cut the netting on his own. None of this was supposed to happen. He’d just come out for a couple hours to swim with the dolphin. This was his fault.
“Don’t move!” Mitch said firmly, commanding obedience.
Lucas nodded reluctantly and grasped onto the side of the boat feeling stricken with grief. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to his beloved pet. He should have done a better job of patrolling the region before bringing the mammal to the area. He could have asked Miguel to do a sweep and look for sharks and debris. How could he be so stupid? It was a reckless, idiotic thing to do, and now Zeus might die.
“I-I’m sorry, Mitch. I should--”
“Save it, Lucas. This is not the time. Stay put!”
Mitch disappeared into the water once again, leaving Lucas alone treading water beside the small boat. Lucas bit down hard on his bottom lip when he saw more blood seep up to the surface. His eyes were a raw and red as hot tears seared his eyes. He wiped away the water from his face, fighting a mixture of anger and heart-wrenching despair as he tried to desperately clear his vision. He swallowed a burning lump in his throat as he struggled to stay somewhat calm. Allowing his thoughts to berate him wouldn’t help Zeus. He needed to stay focused. Zeus would be alright. He had to be.
Lucas’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Mitch surface, inhale a deep breath and disappear once again into the murky depths. More blood crept to the surface making Lucas’ heart rate speed up even further. How much blood had the dolphin lost? It felt like time stopped as Lucas hovered beside the boat waiting for Mitch to surface again.
