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I clenched my teeth hard, preventing myself from letting in a single molecule of water. But the desire was too strong.
Just a little further! I told myself.
Just a little further!
No. That was it. I’d hit my limit. I couldn’t do it.
I opened my mouth—
But Nighteko had pressed his lips to mine, clamping his lips firmly to block out any water that might seep inside.
I was hesitant as I opened up my lungs to take a little of his air. I took just a fraction of a mouthful from him and pulled back.
He held onto me and wouldn’t let go, kicking his legs so we floated there, somewhere beneath the surface of a limitless ocean on an alien world.
I took a little more oxygen from him and finally, he let go. He ran a thumb over my mouth and smiled at me.
He was gorgeous even down here, I realized. And all fear and all panic fled my body. I was calm and at ease.
We would get to the surface. He would make sure of it.
He nodded up, at our waterworld ceiling.
I kicked and swam toward that bright shimmering ball of light and glanced back, making sure he was following me. I wouldn’t put it past the fool man to give me every drop of oxygen he possessed.
He was there, right beside me, winding his body the way professional swimmers did, looking more like a dolphin than a humanoid creature.
I burst through the surface and gasped a huge lungful of sweet oxygen. I leaned back and wiped the water from my eyes.
“We can’t stay here,” Nighteko said. “We have to get to shore.”
And with that, he began to swim away.
There was no way I could swim. I was exhausted. I decided to tread water for a while and get my breath back. Just how dangerous could it be?
Nighteko paused and turned back to check on me. “Come on!”
“I can’t!” I panted. “I need to recover!”
“There are some dangerous animals in the water. If we don’t get out soon, we’re going to be something’s lunch.”
I groaned and moved my aching muscles, willing them to get me to shore. My legs lacked coordination and my arms couldn’t complete the movement I needed.
“Work damn you!” I ordered.
I forced my muscles to move. They protested but I didn’t care. It was better to swim in water than in the belly juices of some alien creature.
My muscles burned and I gritted my teeth against the pain. My lungs wheezed around every breath but I kept going. I reached Nighteko and, knowing I would sink if I came to a stop, I kept on going.
He swam alongside me. One kick of his legs and swipe of his arms equated to two of mine.
With each overarm crawl of my right arm, I thought I saw something. A fin. Several of them, forming a V formation like a flock of birds. And behind it, a reverse-V of another set of fins.
“Uh… Nighteko?” I said, timing my words to coincide with each crawl. “There are… some fins… coming… this way.”
Nighteko moved forward to peer at the creature. “Those aren’t fins. Swim faster!”
Swim faster? He was lucky I was swimming at all!
