Page 81 of Desperate Creed

He tried to keep his eyes open. The world looked upside down.

He remembered Grace’s crate underneath him, pressing against his ribs. Now, it was up on top of him. The floor of the Jeep had replaced the roof. It was dented in, trapping him. He couldn’t move.

“Grace!” The one word took his breath away.

He tried to lift his head then dropped it back. It was too heavy to hold up. He still had his helmet on. He lifted his head a second time. He needed to see inside the crate.

His wrist was caught in the seatbelt strap and he remembered wrapping it to secure himself. Now, it handcuffed him to the frame of the vehicle restraining his movement. His other hand was free, and he twisted his arm so his fingers could feel the metal grate, the door to Grace’s crate. It was still intact. He couldn’t reach the other side to see if the rear grate was in place.

The water was getting higher around his neck, gurgling close to his ears. From what he could tell it was starting to fill the inside of the vehicle, seeping in through the blasted out windows.

Creed tried to move his body out from under the hard-shell enclosure. Pain stopped him. He was pinned in.

The water was cold against his skin. But it actually felt good, soothing his raw back. Was that really possible or was it simply shock?

“Grace?” His voice sounded like a croak. The emotion he heard surprised him.

If she was gone, he’d never forgive himself. She trusted him. She depended on him to keep her safe, and he let her down.

He laid his head back. It was too difficult to keep holding it up. The water climbed up towards his ears. His chest ached. He heard his own rasps. He was breathing through his mouth, and it was still difficult to get enough air.

He closed his eyes. Maybe it was too difficult to care. If he’d lost Grace...

There was motion outside of the vehicle. Boots crunched glass and sloshed through water.

“Over here,” he heard someone yell.

He opened his mouth to call out only to have water trickle down his throat. He choked and spit. He arched his back and tried to shove the weight off his chest.

Nothing moved.

And this time pain exploded inside his chest. He craned his neck, keeping his face out of the water. It hurt too much. He dropped his head back down, splashing water over his face, sucking in another mouthful. He jerked up, choking and spitting.

The water had seeped all around his body. He no longer could hear what was happening outside. He closed his eyes and held his breath as his head fell back. Water lapped entirely over his face now. He was a good swimmer but he couldn’t do this. Not with the weight of the vehicle crushing down on top of him. He wasn’t strong enough. He couldn’t breathe without panic.

His fingers still gripped the metal grate. And just then, he felt Grace’s soft tongue on his fingertips.

He jerked his head back up, sputtering and choking.

“Grace!”

It took all his strength to twist and turn, but he still couldn’t see her.

He was gulping for air when a shadow came over him. Someone was lifting the crate. From behind him he felt strong hands grabbing his shoulders and starting to pull him free.

“Grace,” he spat out the word along with a mouthful of water. “She’s inside.”

“We’ve got her,” someone told him.

A woman’s voice. Familiar.

But he couldn’t see anyone. Free of the confines of the demolished Jeep, the brightness hurt.

He blinked. Finally, he could see the sky, and he could feel grass against his searing back. It was like lying on a bed of needles. No more cold water to soothe the raw pain.

Out of the corner of his eye he got a glimpse of the black metal hand still holding onto his shoulder. He tilted his head back, and he could see Jason. There were two other men, but he didn’t recognize them.

“Hey,” he croaked.