crawl! I don't care what you have to do, you get out of the water!"
He groaned, his arm twitching. "Can't."
Desperate, she cried, "Yes you can! You can!"
Slowly, as if moving through cement rather than water, he lifted a hand and dug into the sand. She heaved as he pulled himself forward. It gained them a few inches. He tried again and she heaved as he eked out another couple of inches.
"No more," he said. "No more. Can't."
"It's just a little further," she lied. "Just another pull. Just one more."
With a groan, he gave another pull as she heaved.
"Please," she begged him. "Try again. One more time. For me."
With her sobbing and coaxing, he pulled five more times. The water tugged at him and she clung to him.
"Little one, Abaddon is dead," came the voice again into her head.
"No!" she screamed. She jumped up and screamed it out loud, as if they'd hear and believe her from where they were. "No! He isn't dead! He's not dead and I'm not going to let him die. You know what? Fuck you! And I mean it! He's not dead, you bastard! You just shut up! You hear me? You shut the fuck up and don't speak to me! I'm getting him out of there, and then he can heal, and nothing is going to stop me!"
She sank to her knees beside him, sobbing. Falling over him, she begged him. "Please, Abaddon, you have to try. One more time. They think you can't do it, but I believe you can."
"Don't cry, Sarah. I can't bear it when you cry," came his voice, so far away that she could barely hear it in her mind.
"Then try, damn it. You stubborn ass, you promised you would never quit on me."
"Can't, Sarah. Not giving up, just can't."
She felt the truth of it in her heart. He really couldn't. He'd given her everything, fought to the last vestiges of his strength.
"Oh god, please. Please don't die. You can't die now, we just made it."
"Love you, Sarah. Don't want to go. Love our babe."
"No, no, no," she cried, grabbing his arm and trying again to pull him free of the water. She fell and lay in the water, staring up at the stars. It wasn't fair. They'd come so far, only to lose at the finish line.
"Little one, listen to me," came the voice in her head.
"Go away. I hate you," she snapped.
"If you can find a way to secure him, you can step out of the water and replenish yourself. Soon you will have the strength to drag him free yourself."
"There's nothing here!" she screamed at the voice. "Don't you get it? There's nothing!"
She slammed the door in her mind shut. He didn't care, anyway. He didn't even believe it was Abaddon. She wouldn't give up, she couldn't.
"Protect our baby," Abaddon's voice broke through her mental barrier.
"I'll protect both of you," she told him. She would. She had to. "Make no mistake, Abaddon, I'll save you both. I won't pick. I won't."
But fate was against them. The tide, merciless and inexorable, rolled in. It dragged Abaddon out. Sarah dragged him back. It dragged him out. She dragged him back. Hours passed and Sarah's hope and determination slipped away under the endless march of time.
Abaddon no longer responded to her, and his light was now even dimmer than hers.
"Let go, little one," said a different voice. Sarah slammed her mind shut again. "Let go, you're safe now. He's safe now. It's okay."
Sarah opened her gritty eyes. She was surrounded by gargoyles.
"Let him go," one of them said, out loud, in English. "We'll take you both out of the water. You're safe now."
She looked down at Abaddon. She was holding him in a death grip. She realized suddenly that they'd gotten farther out in the water than she'd realized. It had almost been too late... she had fallen asleep.
With a monumental effort, she let go and felt herself plucked from the water.
Then she watched as they pulled Abaddon towards shore, the water up to the chests of the massive men. She'd been underwater and not even realized it, just clinging to him in her sleep. The possibilities terrified her and it was all she could do not to break in two
He groaned, his arm twitching. "Can't."
Desperate, she cried, "Yes you can! You can!"
Slowly, as if moving through cement rather than water, he lifted a hand and dug into the sand. She heaved as he pulled himself forward. It gained them a few inches. He tried again and she heaved as he eked out another couple of inches.
"No more," he said. "No more. Can't."
"It's just a little further," she lied. "Just another pull. Just one more."
With a groan, he gave another pull as she heaved.
"Please," she begged him. "Try again. One more time. For me."
With her sobbing and coaxing, he pulled five more times. The water tugged at him and she clung to him.
"Little one, Abaddon is dead," came the voice again into her head.
"No!" she screamed. She jumped up and screamed it out loud, as if they'd hear and believe her from where they were. "No! He isn't dead! He's not dead and I'm not going to let him die. You know what? Fuck you! And I mean it! He's not dead, you bastard! You just shut up! You hear me? You shut the fuck up and don't speak to me! I'm getting him out of there, and then he can heal, and nothing is going to stop me!"
She sank to her knees beside him, sobbing. Falling over him, she begged him. "Please, Abaddon, you have to try. One more time. They think you can't do it, but I believe you can."
"Don't cry, Sarah. I can't bear it when you cry," came his voice, so far away that she could barely hear it in her mind.
"Then try, damn it. You stubborn ass, you promised you would never quit on me."
"Can't, Sarah. Not giving up, just can't."
She felt the truth of it in her heart. He really couldn't. He'd given her everything, fought to the last vestiges of his strength.
"Oh god, please. Please don't die. You can't die now, we just made it."
"Love you, Sarah. Don't want to go. Love our babe."
"No, no, no," she cried, grabbing his arm and trying again to pull him free of the water. She fell and lay in the water, staring up at the stars. It wasn't fair. They'd come so far, only to lose at the finish line.
"Little one, listen to me," came the voice in her head.
"Go away. I hate you," she snapped.
"If you can find a way to secure him, you can step out of the water and replenish yourself. Soon you will have the strength to drag him free yourself."
"There's nothing here!" she screamed at the voice. "Don't you get it? There's nothing!"
She slammed the door in her mind shut. He didn't care, anyway. He didn't even believe it was Abaddon. She wouldn't give up, she couldn't.
"Protect our baby," Abaddon's voice broke through her mental barrier.
"I'll protect both of you," she told him. She would. She had to. "Make no mistake, Abaddon, I'll save you both. I won't pick. I won't."
But fate was against them. The tide, merciless and inexorable, rolled in. It dragged Abaddon out. Sarah dragged him back. It dragged him out. She dragged him back. Hours passed and Sarah's hope and determination slipped away under the endless march of time.
Abaddon no longer responded to her, and his light was now even dimmer than hers.
"Let go, little one," said a different voice. Sarah slammed her mind shut again. "Let go, you're safe now. He's safe now. It's okay."
Sarah opened her gritty eyes. She was surrounded by gargoyles.
"Let him go," one of them said, out loud, in English. "We'll take you both out of the water. You're safe now."
She looked down at Abaddon. She was holding him in a death grip. She realized suddenly that they'd gotten farther out in the water than she'd realized. It had almost been too late... she had fallen asleep.
With a monumental effort, she let go and felt herself plucked from the water.
Then she watched as they pulled Abaddon towards shore, the water up to the chests of the massive men. She'd been underwater and not even realized it, just clinging to him in her sleep. The possibilities terrified her and it was all she could do not to break in two
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