Phase 43

Chapter 3 - Finn

We all sat on the edge of the patio, our feet dangling over the water. The moon was full - its bright light illuminating the pool. Elliot, Sam and Rick were arguing the pro and cons about Star Wars Battlefront with Carter, who thought that the game deserved 100% of his attention. El was insisting that it should only get like 60-70%, which I still thought was a little much, but hey, who was I to judge their crazy addictions to fictional characters made up of alternating LED lights.

"Whoa man, take it easy!"

I was about to complain about my little brother Lucas's annoying habits to Gwen when I heard my dad cry out. My head whipped up. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Will, my father's best friend from high school that had come over tonight, standing weirdly by the edge of the pool, a beer in hand. His eyes seemed to be glazed over.

"Dad?" I called, hopping up from where I had been sitting cross-legged next to Gwen on the couch. My bare feet padded against the cool stone, goose bumps rising up on my legs. I noticed that Carter, Elliot, and the older boys had completely dropped their argument on Star Wars Battlefront. It seemed like they were almost afraid to talk. A sudden static filled the air. I frantically tried to figure out what was going on, but my dad had just broken the beers out. Like, not five minutes ago. There was no way that Will had already gotten that drunk. It was something else.

I was just about to grab my father's arm when Will exploded. And I don't mean the literal term - but there's no other word to describe it. He just exploded.

His beer bottle smashed to the ground in a heartbeat, and in the next, Will was foaming at the mouth and scrambling towards Elliot and Carter. Sam and Rick had already scooted out of the area. I almost screamed for them, but I was too terrified and confused to form words.

Luckily, Elliot was able to swing himself over the ledge of the stone and crouch on the side of the pool. I saw Carter roll backward, out of harm, but then Will was facing me, and I was looking into those clear green eyes that weren't so clear anymore and I couldn't think. I tugged on my father's arm, unable to form words in my mouth. Will was drooling, and he seemed almost animalistic.

"Michelle, call the police," My dad called to my mom, but his voice must've set Will off. Light from the patio danced across his eyes for a moment before he launched.

My father was able to jump out of the way, but my sweater, which he had grabbed in hopes of pulling me out of harm with, frayed under his fingers. I faintly heard a scream and a roar, and then I felt pain in my arms as Will grabbed my shoulders and shook.

When he finally stopped, there was a ringing in my ears and my vision bobbed. However, nothing rivaled the pain when Will twisted me back and slammed his foot into the side of my knee. Red seeped into my view, blurring the edges. I was sure that everything was a dream. Voices flitted through my head like old recordings, full of static and missing words. Nothing seemed to be able to penetrate this veil of pain that had been draped over me - pulsing from my left knee. I almost thought I felt something sticky running over my fingers, but I didn't have time to figure out. Suddenly, I was looking at the patio sideways, and my gut was flying into my throat.

Water closed in around me as my world tilted. Blackness swept in, and then I was choking. I tried to swim up because I knew that that was water clogging my lungs, but my knee was screaming too loud to function. My lungs burned. In the back of my head, the headline from the news reports I should have paid attention to surfaced. "Not much is known about this disease, but scientists are saying that it deteriorates brain tissue and makes one go psychologically mad."

Psychologically mad.

Even though I was underwater in complete darkness, my lungs were burning, and my leg was on fire, I somehow connected the dots and realized that maybe Will had this virus. My brain works in the weirdest ways. Anyways, in the silence of the pool, I was able to regain most of my consciousness. After that, I realized that I needed this thing called oxygen to breathe and that the water was not going to give me that, which meant I had to pull myself off the bottom of the pool and swim. Except that, when I finally just sucked up the pain and kicked off the bottom, I was only able to take in one huge gulp before water splashed my face and a hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me back under. My long hair tangled around my neck, and I grappled with someone to get back to the surface.

I distantly heard a voice underwater, roaring. Fear rippled through my body and then I was screaming underwater, bubbles escaping my mouth and nose, taking my precious oxygen with them. But that was the least of my worries, considering that Will, who had somehow followed me into the pool, was now dragging me down with him. Fear switched to adrenaline, and then the pain faded away, and I was kicking with both legs, trying to land a decent blow to anything.

I was startled to feel my heel collide with something after a few excruciating minutes of grappling. I threw my eyes open, even though I was underwater, and watched as Will grabbed at his nose. Using my second of freedom, I once again swam for the surface, my arm reaching toward air.

"FINN!" The moment I broke the water I heard screaming. I sucked in huge gulps of air like a fish, but my adrenaline was fading away. Pain kicked back in and then I was sinking, unable to tread water with my destroyed knee. I was about to slip back into unconsciousness when someone grabbed my arm, from out of the pool. My body was pulled up, and then someone was in the water next to me, pulling me towards the shallow end. I distantly heard Elliot's worried, slightly high-pitched voice.

"Finn, oh god, hey hey hey, keep your eyes open..." He was mumbling to himself as he pulled me back, his arms wrapped under my shoulders. Cold wind bit at my face, and I almost wished to be back underwater in the silent blackness. At least there, it was quiet. My ears hurt from the amount of screaming and yelling, and then within the minute, there were sirens whining in the air. Moaning, I curled in on myself, trying to sink back underwater. I had no idea where the monster that Will had turned into had gone, but I was too tired and dizzy to care. Water, along with Elliot's arms kept me afloat, but I was already drifting away. One of my favorite songs, We Don't Know by the Strumbellas somehow started to play within my mind, and then I was flying away.