Yours To Keep [Completed]

Chapter 13: Without Further Ado

Darkness. Everywhere. Where was she? Serena didn't know. All she could see was black all around. Serena tried to move her hand, wanting to reach out in the emptiness that swirled around but her body felt weak, any movements shutting down as Serena could no longer feel.

What was she suppose to feel anyway? Pain. Shock. Terror. Surprise. But why should she feel that way? What exactly had happened? Serena tried to remember but the functioning of her brain were seized, much like her body, giving up on her.

And then it rushed in like an adrenaline. However instead of thrill, mortification guzzled up much like bile that slowly churns in the stomach, and then rising up and down the chest, leaving a burning trail scorching along its way before clogging up the throat. Serena had to squint as the darkness took form in the shade of dark blue.

A ray of light penetrated her surrounding and Serena looked up. As she looked closely enough, Serena could see the surface where the blue tinted like the color of the sky— a soft baby blue. The closer she looked, the farther away from the light Serena was. The surface that was once bright started blurring as she felt herself slipping down further and further into the deep blue.

Serena once again tried to reach out, not wanting to fall into the darkness where her feet were getting swallowed by blankness underneath but no matter how much she tried, it was no use. Her body felt too heavy to do anything as though a boulder was stringed to her ankle, dragging her down with it.

Looking down where nothingness awaited, a twinge of panic burst inside her chest and Serena let out a painful breath. Needing a fix of oxygen to reenergize her betraying brain and body Serena tried to breathe. It should have worked. So why was she feeling suffocated instead?  Why was she feeling the sensations of fingers wrapping around her neck and digging into her throat, clutching hard enough to disallow her from breathing.

Terror shook her body when no longer could Serena breathe as she blinked painfully. It was like a blurred picture that kept zooming in and out in order to make sense of what the picture entailed. And with every blink, a piece of the picture became clear until the image that laid in front of her eyes was unmistakable.

Serena was drowning. Drowning in the depths of water. A flash of her memory bolted and it was as though she had time travelled. The familiarity was too realistic to imagine as Serena was once again the young girl whose naivety once again took the better of her. And then she remembered. HER. The last face she saw before falling in the water. She could hear the mumbling sounds of laughter, though seemingly distant and yet the sounds resonated loud and crisp within the confines of her ears.

Her heart was racing away and like a bullet that broke through the air and her chest constricted from the pain. PAIN. That was all Serena felt, next to panic as she tried to claw her way up. The terror of drowning seemed to have triggered the start button on her rigid body as now her hands and legs were able to move, working on its own accord, flailing around in an attempt to escape the swallowing pit that laid beneath her. She screamed despite being choked, her whole body resisting with every kick and every punch against the water, struggling to get away.

It was all too overwhelming. Her throat and eyes burned and Serena felt as though she was being ripped in half. Hope dimmed much like the light above her head. But she continued to fight regardless of the pain until spots of darkness danced in her vision. And just as her consciousness was about to slip and break, a voice broke through the reverie, calling to her.

"Serena." *Ba-dump*

"Serena." *Ba-dump*

"Serena." *Ba-dump*

"Serena." The voice called out as her heart started to beat to its tune. Slowly, Serena felt as the hand around her neck was released, her body started gaining equilibrium and her chest was heaving rapidly from the gust of air that she was finally able to breathe.