The Survival

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

I have been awake for minutes now, but I still haven’t allowed my eyes to open. I want to remain relaxed and in peace as much as I can. I want to believe that when I open my eyes, I’ll see the white walls of some hotel I’m supposed to be staying in or be laying on my bed at home.

Yet, I know that it’s the farthest thing from the truth, the reality.

Slowly I open my eyes, and I’m faced with Nathan’s black t-shirt. My head is resting on his shoulder and my body is still between his parted legs. I shift so my knees are against my chest.

“Hey babe,” Nathan greats me. His hands start making small circles and patterns on my back, “How are you?”

I shrug and nuzzle my face on his neck not really knowing how to respond. My arms are around his waist and his arms are around mine. I take a deep breath and look outside, it’s almost dark “What time is it?”

“Not sure. I haven’t checked my watch, afraid of waking you up.”

“Oh, sorry, your body is probably numb.” I lift myself from his chest just so I can sit in front of him.

“It’s not, you could have stayed here if you wanted,” He says softly. I look around and realize that the others aren’t on the covert, “Where’s the guys and the girls?” I frown and try to change the theme of the conversation.

“Bathing.” Huh?

“Excuse me, what?”

“They are on the river, cleaning the dirt from their bodies.” And just like that it clicked I glance at my form and see that I’m still covered in mud and leaves and some other things. My top used to be red but now is brown. I liked this piece.

Nathan is just like me, dirty from head to toe. I did a pretty good job putting mud on his body, he looks like poop.

“Why aren’t you with them?” I ask.

“Did you forget that you were asleep? I wasn’t going to leave you alone.” Right.

“I was waiting for you to wake up so we could bath together.” What? What did he say?

He must have noticed my dumbstruck face because he started laughing “When you wake up, you’re deaf?”

“No... But my brain is still asleep, I guess.”

“Maybe you need a cold bath to fully wake up.” I start laughing. Not a simple laugh, but a huge laugh, the kind of laugh that you almost howl and you need to clutch your belly.

“You don’t really expect me to go into that river correct?”

“You don’t expect me to let you sleep against me stinking correct?” He fires back, I cease my laughing and raise an eyebrow.

“That wasn’t cool,” I pout, it was his idea to cover us with dirt, “And you also stink.”

“I’m going to take that as a compliment and pretend that you just said that after I had my working out session.” He winks.

“But it isn’t a compliment you smell worse than a ferret.” I cross my arms on my chest and smirk at him.

“Oh, really?” His lip twitches, forming an almost smirk.

“Yeah.” I say defiantly.

“Maybe we need to fix it” Before I have time to say another word, he is grabbing me by my waist and pulling me off the covert. The chilly air hits my warm skin and goosebumps appear. Nathan doesn’t wait a second to throw me over his shoulder and walks over to the river.

“Let go of me you brute.” I say pounding my fists on his back.

“I’m the brute but you’re the one hitting me. Oh, the cruelty of this world.” A laugh leaves his mouth.

“I’m serious, I’m not going to step a foot in there.”

“Fine, you can do a handstand then. I’ll help you so your feet don’t touch the water.”

“Nathan you i***t, put me down!” I’m screaming from the top of my lungs, not the best idea if I was in the right state of mind, but I’m in panic mood.

“Soon cupcake, wait a little more.”

With sooner he meant the next second, cause next thing I knew I was falling to the freezing water. The river is too deep, and my feet can’t find the end of it. I kick my legs and move my arms, but I’m sinking, the surface of the river farther and farther away from me. The strong current is taking my body to wherever it wants.

I look up and see the last few rays of the sun shining and penetrating the water. My eyes are burning, and it seems like I’m being stabbed million times, the icy water is penetrating through my bones, my members are halting their movements, my organs are failing, and my heart is beating less.

Bump... Bump... Bump

Bump... Bump

Bump...

“Kate?” Is this God? Am I dead?

I feel friction on my arms and legs, on my entire body, but I can only see dark. I hear voices around me, but don’t understand what they are saying. May it be angels?

“C’mon Kate, open your eyes,” A hoarsely voice says, God has a voice very similar to someone I know…

Minutes after I’m coughing water that was in my lungs, someone pushes me on the side, so I don’t choke on the water.

“You scared the s**t out of me,” I look at the owner of the voice and see Nathan, looking at me with concern, “Why didn’t you tell me that you didn’t know how to swim?”

Everyone is around me, Nathan, Ed, Beth, Lucy, Dylan and Sarah. How can I explain that I don’t know how to swim because no one taught me? My brother tried but I was really scared and almost drowned, so I begged him to never take me anywhere near water, expect the bathtub.

My eyes start to get watery, now everyone knows my embarrassing secret, from here only Sarah and Beth knew about it.

“Why don’t you guys go dress and eat something? I’ll take care of her.” Nathan says to the others, everyone nods, and they take their time leaving. Nathan is looking at me, but I can’t meet his gaze. I’m too embarrassed.

“Hey Kate,” He curls his finger on my chin and turns my head to him, so our eyes can meet “I’m sorry. If I knew about it, I would have never thrown you in the water.” His massive hand strokes my hair while the words leave his mouth.

“Come here,” He pushes me up and wraps his arms around my waist while I wrap my legs around his waist. He is sited on the floor and I’m on his thighs. I wrap my arms around his neck and burry my head on his chest “I’m so sorry Kate.”

I simply shake my head, it’s not his fault. He didn’t know. His hands travel up and down my body to try to bring some warmth to it. But the icy water on my clothes and the chilly air isn’t helping.

“We still have to get you clean.” I lift my head instantly from his chest and look at his green eyes.

“I-I can’t Har-” I start to say, panic begins to take hold of my heart.

“I’ll be there with you. I’ll be holding you. I’m not going to let you go.” His warm breath caresses my face and his gaze pierces mine, “Either way we can’t stay in the water for long, otherwise we will freeze to death.”

He lifts himself of the ground and I wrap my legs and arms tighter around his body, he steps into the river and a hiss leaves his mouth, “Oh s**t, its freezing.” He keeps walking till the water reaches his waist and its almost touching my butt.

“Just a few more steps so we can be covered in water. Hold on tight.” Nathan spoke in my ear.

When the water reaches my belly I tense up, Nathan notices it and starts whispering sweet nothings in my ear. He takes us deeper and the water goes up, consuming our bodies. I’m trembling by the time the water reaches my neck.

“We need to be quick. I’m going to let go one arm so I can wash you okay?” I nod and he does as he says. His arm start on my neck and my cheeks, he cleans my belly and ribs and avoids my breast.

“I-I’m freezing.” My teeth are shattering, and I can’t feel my limbs anymore.

“Just a little bit more Kate.” I look at the water around us and it gained a brownish colour. I look at Nathan’s body and immediately start cleaning the dirt from his body.

“Lean y-your head back cupcake, so I c-can wash your head.”

It doesn’t take us long to be clean and done, and Nathan take us out of the water as fast as he can. The moon is already shinning in the sky, being the lady of the night and it’s, light is glowing everywhere. We are both dripping wet and our clothes are clinging to our bodies.

Never letting me fall, he lower us and enters the covert, “Dylan p-pass me a blanket.” My head is on his neck when I feel a soft and warm material on my skin, and I couldn’t be gladder.

“There you go.” He whispers in my ear while rubbing the blanket on me to create some sort of friction and bring heat to my body.

I’m still wrapped around him and he is still cleaning me. “T-thank you, Nathan.” I whisper in his ear.

He ceases his movements for a minute, “Anytime cupcake. You shouldn’t be thanking me though, I almost killed you.”

I ignore his comment, instead I tell him, “You should also clean yourself.”

“You are more important.” He says after kissing my now warm cheek. I ignore him again and take the blanket from his hands to clean the water from his body.

“Done.” I say after a while.

“Thanks.” A smile appears on his lips, “Ed do you have another blanket?”

Ed rummages through his backpack, takes a blanket from it and passes it to us. Nathan and I say ‘thanks’ at the same time.

He wraps it around our bodies and pulls me closer to him, “Now rest cupcake.”