the Dark and Cold Depths

Not wasting a second, Tracey pulled off her white coat in an instant, hurling it behind her as she stepped up onto the thin ledge and without hesitation; she hopped off the bridge after her dear and close friend.

I just hope its deep enough that I don't hit a rock...

After a brief fall she splashed into the water's surface and plopped all the way in.

Uh - darn that's so cold...!

The water was so bitingly chilled, that it took her a second to get over the shock of the sudden temperature drop, but she held her air and opened her eyes in the fast and sweeping water.

I can't see her... it's too dark...!

She felt the rushing water push her downstream, as she bobbed below the flicking waves above her head, searching desperately for any sign of Amanda, but somehow there was none.

Did she sink to the bottom...? How deep is this river...?.

Tracey kicked herself lower, fighting against the flow as she tried to find her friend in the darkness, until she almost bumped her nose into the rocky pebble base.

Grabbing a bigger stone, she twirled her head without luck, seeing no trace of her anywhere.

Did this fast flow send her...?

Tracey let go of her stabilising rock and allowed the water to carry her downstream, until she found a part of what she wanted.

Tracey grabbed onto the stone that had been wrapped up by rope, sitting neatly among several others, as one strand tilted further away, with a human sized figure at the other end.

Immediately Tracey attacked the rope knots, but in the cold water, her fine fingers had already started to feel numb, and the tight ties were rather well done, so after a short and rough effort, she had nothing to show for it.

As she tried, Tracey could see Amanda struggling at the end of the line, thrashing about in the binds and bag in a vain effort to get free herself, without any luck either.

These are too tight... and this is already taking too long... I don't have anything to -!

Tracey pulled herself along the tight rope toward Amanda and grabbed her firmly, making her trapped friend stop randomly moving about.

Giving the other end a brief go, she found it had too good a knot as well, so she went for Amanda's sword, still neatly in its protector on her hip's side.

I need to borrow this...

Tracey tugged it out, but needing two hands to achieve that, she was roughly swept away a little, but with the sharp blade in hand, Tracey fought hard against the moving water to get back to where she needed to be.

Now struggling against the fast flowing river, Tracey felt her foot touch something solid under her, and immediately kicked off the stones and made a desperate lunge back to the tied up figure.

With a short sweep, she cut through the holding rope, and grabbed Amanda again, so she wouldn't lose her.

Tucked under her free arm, Tracey kicked her legs franticly in the freezing water, propelling them toward the surface, as her burning lungs desperately needed fresh air.

I have you now...

But then she realised Amanda no longer moved at all, feeling completely limp in Tracey's tight grasp as she kicked them toward the splashing surface.

The moment she could, Tracey sucked in as much oxygen as she could, then got her bearings as she looked for the nearest edge.

I need to get us out of this water...!

It seemed like she was right in the middle of the rapid stream, and continuing to fight the pushing water, Tracey did her best to get to the side.

Gathering what strength she had, while holding her helpless comrade, Tracey drove toward land, feeling her heavy wet clothes tug on her, she persisted and got close. Then again feeling something solid under her boots, she launched herself from the hard rock, and propelled them both from the rushing water, to splatter onto the nearest bank.

"Amanda... are you...?"

Scrambling further away from the lapping river, she quickly yanked off the wet bag from her unresponsive friend's floppy head.

Amanda had already started turning blue.

What do I do...!?

Able to easily undo the rope binding her hands and wrists together with her sword, Tracey laid Amanda on her back and began to panic when she had failed to take a breath of her own.

"How do I start you breathing again?"

She asked her unmoving and cold friend, who always had the right answers, but nothing this time when Tracey really needed her to.

Is she... already...? No, I won't even think that...! I have to somehow get her breathing again...!

Tracey briefly assessed her trusted friend, opening her mouth to see it was clear, before feeling for a very weak and slow beat in her chest, under her trembling clod hands.

She's not gone yet... So it must be... water...! If she breathed it in...!

Tracey whacked Amanda's chest, underneath her ribcage, making her limp body flail, but after another set of desperate squashes.

"Ah...!"

Amanda surged back to life, as she started coughing hard and spitting water everywhere.

"Amanda!"

Tracey rolled her to her side, to let more liquid run free from her friend's mouth, who continued to splutter with deep inhales, followed by sharp coughs.

Eventually her troubled gasps lessened and Amanda weakly huffed and went still.

"You okay now?"

Tracey asked, as Amanda's skin was still all white or blue, so Tracey held her tightly, giving any warmth she had.

"You really had me worried there..."

She slid some wayward wet dark hair from her eyes.

"Sorry..."

"It's not your fault..."

Tracey paused; as Amanda's eyes closed, she went limp and became unresponsive again.

"Amanda - Amanda!"