Page 144 of Deliria

He’s not just dragging me down; he’s trying todrownme.

I kick wildly, twisting and thrashing as the ocean swirls around us, black and endless. His grip tightens, his nails biting into my flesh, and for a moment, fear threatens to overwhelm my fury. But then I see his face, contorted and monstrous under the water’s refracted light, and my fear evaporates, replaced by something primal.

I reach for his face, my fingers finding his eyes, and I jab as hard as I can.

His scream is muted by the water, but it’s unmistakable all the same. He jerks away, his grip slackening just enough for me to shove free.

My lungs burn as I struggle to reach the surface, the night air just barely within my grasp.

We break the surface together, gasping and spluttering, the freezing wind cutting into my wet skin. He’s still there, still reaching for me, his strength fuelled by sheer malice.

I claw at the jagged rocks, hauling myself onto a narrow outcrop where the waves still crash against my legs.

“Scarlett” he roars, hoarse and deranged as he grabs my ankle, yanking me back down.

My head slams against the rock, the pain momentarily blinding me, but I bite down on the scream that rises up my throat. Struggling against his weight, I twist my body, kicking out with every ounce of strength I have left.

My heel connects with his jaw, the impact reverberating through me. He reels backward, but doesn’t let go.

The ocean surges again, a wave cresting over us and dragging us further out.

My world narrows to two things; survival and ending him.

There’s no logic, no strategy. Just an all-consuming need to finish this.

He drags me back under, holds me there and I swallow so much water as I fight, as I try to survive.

And then another wave comes, a bigger one. It sends us both scattering into the deep.

As I come back up for air, I’m gasping, scrambling, my hands frantically splashing as I try to make contact with something other than just water.

And I do, I touch something solid, something hard. Something human.

Alexander latches onto me, shoving me once more under the surface. “Drown, bitch, why won’t you fucking drown?”

The darkness envelops me, salty water fills my mouth, my nose, it scratches at my eyeballs, and I land one weak punch that I know will have no effect.

I can hear it, his laughter, his taunting laughter in this moment, when he thinks he’s beaten me, when he thinks he’s won.

I reach down, going for the only thing I have left, the only option. My hand wraps around his dick, claws at it and he doubles over.

As he releases his grip around me I launch myself at him, using my own weight to pull him down, to drag him down. I don’t care what it takes, I don’t care what I have to sacrifice to do it. This man will die here, right now.

He kicks out, he drags his nails into the flesh of my back, as though he’s trying to rip out my spine.”Die,” I scream, “Fucking die already!”

He kicks out, he shakes his body, trying to throw me off but I’m not going anywhere, not this time.

I cling on, I cling to him and second by second I can feel it, I can feel him weakening, I can feel his grip on me easing.

The bastard is dying, he’s drowning.

I feel the minute his life leaves him. I feel the moment his hands drop, and his body goes limp, but I stay where I am, holding him down, holding him under, just in case this is some sort of ruse.

When I finally do let him go, his body sinks down, disappearing into the darkness like he’s returning back to the pits of hell.

He’s dead. He’s finally fucking dead.

I feel the joy in my heart for only a fleeting second because I realise suddenly how very far I am from the shore. No wonder I couldn’t feel the rocks, I must be hundreds of metres away, carried by the current.

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