Drowning Hell

The water felt like 1000lbs on my chest. As I gasped for air, Only water filled my lungs. I know they say you‘re supposed to see your life flash before your eyes as you near death, which is a load of bullshit. I saw nothing. Well my eyes were flooded with water, burning as I tried to open them, but still, no perfect movies showing me all my amazing memories and accomplishments. Just pitch black. My limbs were starting to feel heavy, as if there was something pulling me under. I kept swimming though, trying to go back up to the surface, but my attempts were useless. The tons of water over my body were making every movement next to impossible. I am going to die. A thought that just hit to me. I was in fight mode for what felt like hours, and finally realized this is it.

What a stupid way to go. My whole life living basically on the beach, I learned to swim when I was 3 years old and learned to surf when I was 7 years old. Yet I go to a lake one time and I get sucked under. I‘ve been knocked out by waves and swam next to sharks, but a lake is what take me out. My head hurt so bad I couldn't even remember how I got here. Still trying to swim, I could feel the water putting an insane amount of pressure on my head. My throat was dry and with every attempt to go up, I would accidentally release more air. The big bubbles floated to the surface.

As the water continued to slowly crush me, a spark of energy pulsed through my body. My feet hit a near by rock and I knew if I could push hard enough, momentum would then be on my side. One more shot. My knees bent and arms pointed, I pushed off the rock and was off. The momentum was strong in the beginng, but it quickly wore off. Now its up to me. Kicking my legs and pushing the water past me with my arms. I was giving it everything I had, whatever energy and strength. My head was now feeling like a bomb, ready to explode at any minute, but I wasn’t going to die like this.

I dim light appeared. I knew that had to be the sun and my hopes sky rocketed. I had forgotten was air felt like. That deep breath you take, feeling the oxygen fill your lungs like a balloon. That is all I wanted. I wanted to live. I wanted to breathe again. The light continued to grow brighter with each kick. I’m going to make it. My head was throbbing at this point, my limbs were going numb and my lungs felt frozen. But I was going to make it.

I kept swimming and swimming and swimming. The light kept getting brighter, but my hopes were fading. Every inch I moved the pain got worse. The momentum was gone and now it was just a fight to move and inch. Why was the surface so far? No way did I sink that fast? How have I not drown yet?

I kept swimming, but now it was like swimming through glue. The water was sticking to my body making it next to impossible to keep going at a fast enough pase. The little hope I had was now drowned out by the water too. Even if I keep fighting, I won‘t make it. My arms gave out first, then my legs, and my body then slowly allowed the water to pull me back to the lake floor. This is it. I thought. This is my end.

BEEP!!!! BEEP!!! BEEP!!!! I sat straight up, gasping for air. My whole body covered in a cold sweat. Turning off my alarm, I swung my legs over the side of my bed and couldn't believe it when my feet hit the floor. I kept taking deep breaths and just sat on my bed in shock. What kind of fucked up dream was that? A laugh slipped out. I threw on some clothes and walked downstairs. Where is everyone? “MOM? DAD?” No response. They must have still be asleep. Walking over to the kitchen and grabbed a cup from the cabinet. CRASH!! The glass exploded in a million pieces on the kitchen floor. I was staring outside my kitchen window to see, it was underwater. The whole house covered in a dark, muddy water. Just then the window cracked from the pressure. No fucking way. The words slipped out of my mouth quietly. I stood frozen. Watching as the kitchen window didn’t hold. the water came bursting through, flooding the floor and filling up the house faster then I could move. It kept filling with water and I knew I had to get out of there.

Swimming over to the window, I shoved myself through. I was swimming again to the surface. How am I going through this again!?

”Time of death 10:27am. We are so sorry for your lose” The EMT put his hand on my mothers shoulder. They covered my body and placed it into the ambulance. “I don’t understand... He was such a strong swimmer… how did this happen…” my mom whipped the tears away from her face and walked over to the edge of the lake. “He was such a strong swimmer…”

What she didn’t know is he would be forever swimming. A loop of water drowning him, over and over and over again. No escape from his hell. Were he’d always be so close to the surface. But not be able to hold his breath long enough.