Page 61 of All He Sees
"What about Rachel?" Ken asked.
"She's okay!" Nicky swam up to them as they latched onto the driftwood. Danny was awake, and Ken looked exhausted.
"Rachel, she's okay," Nicky said. "She's on the beach. We have to get to land."
"I know," Ken said. He jostled Danny, who lifted his head. "Danny, can you swim?" Ken asked.
Danny coughed up water. "I--I can try."
"You have to try," Ken said. "Can you do it?"
Danny nodded, looking out into the water. "I can do it."
"You have to try, Danny," Nicky said.
"I can do it," Danny said.
"Okay, you two, this is going to be hard," Ken said. "Hold onto each other and keep your heads above water. When you're ready, take a deep breath, then swim as hard as you can for the beach."
"Are you sure you're okay to swim?" Nicky asked. Ken nodded. "Yeah. I can't carry Danny. But I can pull him, at least."
"All right," Danny said. "I'm ready."
"Okay," Ken said. "Here we go." He let go of the driftwood and started swimming towards shore. Danny followed right after, and Nicky swam after Danny, ready to grab him if he needed it.
The three of them swam forward together, Nicky and Ken swimming up front, holding Danny up if he started to sink. Nicky could tell he was exhausted from how much he was coughing and how much he was struggling to swim, but he was fighting back. He was doing his best. Nicky's lungs were on fire, but she kept swimming, hoping the others would make it to shore.
Nicky saw the shore. A few yards away, the waves were small, the water shallow. Nicky could see the sand, and she knew they were almost there.
"We're almost there," she said. "Can you make it?"
"I will!" Danny said.
"I know you will," Ken said. "I know you can do this."
They were all huffing and gasping for air, exhausted, but they managed to make it to shallow waters. Rachel ran over and grabbed Danny, helping support him.
"You're okay!" she yelled.
Nicky dragged herself onto shore, relishing in the feeling of sand and solid ground beneath her feet. This had been a nightmare. But they were all alive.
She went over to her pile of clothes and put them back on. They'd dried somewhat in the sun, but Nicky had lost her gun somewhere in the crash. As soon as her breathing returned to normal, and she was fully dressed, she turned back to Ken, who had collapsed on the sand and was catching his breath.
"That was close," Nicky said.
Ken was still huffing. "Too close."
Nicky looked into the forest beyond the beach. "Those bastards shot us down."
Just then, a sound echoed through the forest. Everyone stilled. But it wasn't another gunshot.
It was a girl's scream.
Nicky didn't think.
She just ran.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
