Curiosity

Anya had always wondered what it would be like to die. How painful drawing her last breath would be before Death swept her away into a welcoming embrace, if it would be peaceful. However what the dark haired girl really wanted to know was what would be the last thought that passes through her mind before she is pulled into the dark abyss, would she think of her parents? Would she think of her Uncle who had been raising her ever since their passing? Or would it simply be a swirl of thoughts that made no sense? Maybe her life would flash past her like a movie playing out on a big screen.

Anya’s curiosity was answered when she fell, and the truth was it was nothing like she had thought it would be.

One minute the eighteen-year-old girl was happily skating across an abandoned lake just out of town and the next thing she knew she was being pulled under by the icy water beneath the frozen surface.

It happened too quickly and Anya was unable to do anything about it. She was under before she could try to stop it, kicking as powerfully as she could she fighting to reach the surface. Breaking the surface she gasped for air as she reached out on the ice trying to dig her nails into the surface. It was hopeless as hard as she tried her nails couldn’t pierce the hard surface and the palms of her hands were slick with water making it impossible for her to grip anything.

She fought on, however as she struggled the feeling in her legs slowly began to disappear, it started in the tips of her toes she gripped desperately at anything but to no avail she simply slipped back into the lake. Her lack of knowledge of how to swim made it hard for her to keep her head above water level as the water seeped into her clothes, causing the cotton to turn into weights dragging her down.

With fingers like stone she fumbled with buttons on her jacket trying to pry the material from her body but the feeling in her feet was disappearing rapidly and the numbness of her fingers made it hard to push the small button out of the hole. The numbness began to trail up past her feet gripping onto her ankles and snaking around her calves in a tight hold while travelling down her fingers over her hands and past her wrists encasing her arms slowly.

Feeling her body descend down she gulped in air desperately before her head went under, she tried to move but everything was numb and unmoving her eyes becoming heavy with the cold and slowly closing encasing her into a darkness, a silent and eerie darkness.

Anya’s mind was buzzing with thoughts none where coherent, they were just fragments of thoughts, none were complete. She thought about her uncle, what he would do if she never came home. What was going to happen to her. Would she ever see his smiling face again? As she sank further her thoughts turned to her parents, the car crash, their last night. Was their death anything like this? Slow and painful or was it quick and over in an instant? As Anya continued to sink her thoughts began to vanish and slowly her mind began to shut off. That was until something grabbed hold of her and she began to move upward.

Even though she was numb her mind could still register that she was moving, she was being pulled out.

“Oh my God!” the words were a rough whisper, a male voice, it was distant but she could still hear it and register that it was a male that had pulled her body out of the dark abyss. Anya didn’t know what was going on, all she could register was when he spoke. “Can you hear me?” she wanted to answer but her lips were sealed shut with cold. “Oh shit,” the male uttered as he took in her state, her lips were no longer a light peach they were tinged with a sick blue and her skin the colour of a sheet. Rapidly the male ran his hands over her face wincing at how cold she was, he wasn’t sure what to do gently he began to undo the bulky coat before pressing his ear to her chest. Faintly he could hear the girls heart beating. He went into panic mode yelling at the top of his lungs he called for his friend who was standing at the edge of the lake waiting.

“LOUIS!” his yells cut through the silence, at the sound of his yells Anya found the strength to open her eyes, even for the briefest moment, but the last thing she saw before darkness took over her was a pair of glittering green eyes staring down at her freezing face. “LOUIS GET OVER HERE!” He yelled once he saw her eyes flutter closed, the feather haired teenager hurried over to the male bent over Anya gasping when he saw her.

“Harry… is she-?” he asked worriedly.

“Not yet,” Harry interjected looking up through his unruly curls.

“Help me…” he began to unbutton his over coat and peeling the saturated coat off of Anya’s still body.

“What…”

“She can’t stay in that.” He pointed out.” Once he had wrapped his coat around her he pulled her into his arms cradling her close to his chest. “Get the car started. Put the heaters on full blast, we need to get her to a hospital as quick as we can.” He stated as the two began toward the vehicle. Nodding his head Louis hurried jumping in the front seat and turning the heaters on to the hottest temperature it would go.

Harry placed Anya on the back seat before getting in and cradling her close not bothering about a belt.

“Go.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but take your shirts off,” Louis began as he reversed and sped toward the nearest hospital.

“WHAT!” the curly haired male spat.

“It helps, I read somewhere that’s one way to warm someone up, body heat and all you know.” It sounded plausible so awkwardly Harry removed his shirt and began on the buttons of hers. As wrong as it felt he had to do everything he could to keep her heart beating and if that meant getting semi-naked he was going to do it. Quickly he peeled his coat off her and began on the buttons of her shirt, peeling the thin material from her skin.
Entangled his arms around her and pressed his naked chest against hers before wrapping the coat over her shoulders.

“Like this?” he asked looking into the revision mirror.

“Yeah, that should help.”

“I hope so.” Harry could feel Anyas’ heart beating slowly against his, he prayed silently that she would stay with him. “Hurry.” He gripped her tighter praying silently to God that he kept her alive. “Stay with me,” he whispered peering down at her pale face and blue rimmed lips moving her dripping raven strands from her face.