Desolation by J. B. Everett (read more books .txt) 📕

the top of the waterfall.

The water roars, cascading down into the crystalline lake below. We stand there for a few moments, breathless, taking in the surreal sight in front of us.

"Holy shit" Dylan whispers under his breath.

"I can't believe we didn't find this" Nikki says.

"Well wait are we waiting for! Let's go in!" Dylan exclaims.

In an instant, he rips off his shirt and jumps in.

"Dylan!" Nikki shouts as Dylan jumps from the top of the waterfall and plunges down into the water.

My heart skips a beat when Dylan disappears under the surface of the water. But then, I am flooded with relief when he resurfaces, a huge grin on his face.

"C'mon in guys!" he shouts.

Nikki is the next one to jump in, followed by Tristan. Now, it is only Ian and I standing at the top of the waterfall. Ian takes off his shirt, tossing it to the ground. I find myself in a trance for a few moments, staring at his tanned, chiseled abs.

Damn.

I broken out of this trance when Ian says,

"So are you going to jump in or what?"

"What? Oh, no I don't want to jump in" I say.

Jumping into a lake from the top of a waterfall is definitely not my thing.

"C'mon Tessa, you can do it. Don't be afraid" he says.

I shake my head.

"I'll jump in with you" he says, looking at me earnestly.

Something about his eyes convinces me that I can do it.

"Okay" I say, smiling.

He smiles back.

"Let me just take my clothes off" I say.

I turn around, pulling off my tank top. But this time, I don't force Ian to turn away. I turn back around, standing in my bra and shorts. His eyes rake my body up and down, causing my cheeks to burn bright red.

"Holy shit...you are beautiful" he whispers.

I smile, my heart fluttering.

"C'mon, let's go" I say, trying to sound as confident as I can.

I walk to the edge of the waterfall and Ian stands beside me. I feel his hand clasp mine and he squeezes it.

"On the count of three. One..."

I take a deep breath.

"Two..."

I squeeze my eyes shut.

"Three!"

I jump and scream as we free fall through the air. My hand lets go from Ian and I feel myself falling until SMACK.

I plunge underwater, sinking down far until my feet touch the grimy floor. I immediately push off the ground, swimming up until I finally resurface. Gasping for air, I tread water, wiping the water from my eyes.

"Ian I did it!" I shout excitedly.

But Ian isn't here. I spin around, looking for him, but he still hasn't resurfaced. Maybe he's still swimming up.

But then, all of my blood runs cold when I see what is in front of me.

There, spreading throughout the water is something that makes my heart stop.

Blood. Chapter Twenty-One

The scream that comes out of my mouth is blood curdling.

I watch in utter terror as dark red blood floats to the surface of the water. I can't move; it's as if all the muscles in my body have stopped working.

"Holy shit" Dylan says.

I scream again, trembling with fear. The sight of blood makes me queasy.

"I'll get him" Tristan says, then quickly dives under the surface of the water, disappearing.

I feel sick to my stomach. The pit of dread worsens when Tristan doesn't resurface.

I have to go under.

Without thinking, I take a deep shuddering breath and go underwater. I begin to swim deeper, looking around for them through the murk.

Then, I see him.

And my heart stops.

Ian's body is sinking down, blood pouring out from the back of his head. I immediately realize why he is bleeding; there is a tall, jagged rock protruding from the floor of the lake.

He must of hit his head on it.

This cannot be good.

I scream, bubbles erupting from my mouth, then begin to swim towards his descending body as fast as I can propel myself through the water. After a few seconds my lungs begin to burn; I need oxygen. But I cannot go back up to the surface. If I do, Ian will sink to the bottom and die.

If he isn't dead already.

With adrenaline pumping through my veins, I finally reach Ian, grabbing him by his arm. I try to swim upwards, but he is too heavy and I can barely lift him up an inch. I look up at the surface, which seems miles away. My lungs are on fire and my head starts to pound.

I'm not going to make it.

We're both going to die at the bottom of the lake.

I close my eyes, my hand still clasped around Ian's arm.

I'm sorry Ian.

By now, my lungs are screaming for air. I can't hold on anymore.

Then suddenly, I feel two strong arms wrap around me. My eyes flash open and through blurred vision I see Tristan. He begins to swim me up towards the surface, but I don't think I am going to make it. The only thought in my mind is Ian. I want to scream to Tristan to take Ian up to the surface instead of me, but I don't have enough air in my lungs to do so.

Just when I think I am going to die, I feel my head rise above the surface. I take a huge breath of air and immediately begin to cough up water. Before I can say anything, Tristan dives back under the surface.

Coughing, I shakily swim to the side of the lake and crawl out onto the shore. I collapse onto the muddy shore, my entire body trembling. That's when I begin to cry. Not just soft crying; loud sobs that shake my entire body.

Ian is gone.

I still cannot process this through my mind.

I bury my face into the ground to muffle my screams.

Why did this have to happen?

I feel someone's arm touch mine and I look up to see Dylan and Nikki on both sides of me. I look up at them, tears streaming down my face.

"He's...he's...he's gone" I sob.

Nikki puts her arm on my shoulder, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry" she whispers.

Just then, I hear a splash in the water and turn to see Tristan resurfacing, Ian's body slung over his shoulder. Tristan coughs, gasping for breath. He then swims over, laying Ian down on the shore.

I rush over to Ian's motionless body, my heart pounding in my chest.

Tristan collapses onto the shore, panting.

"Is...is...he dead?" I stutter.

Tristan looks up at me, a grim look on his face.

"I don't know" he says.

"We have to stop the bleeding!" I say, lifting Ian's head up.

My stomach sinks when I see a gash on the back of his head.

"I need someone's shirt!" I shout.

Dylan quickly gets up, running to go get his shirt. When he returns with it, I take it and with trembling hands, tie it around Ian's head so that it covers the gash.

I then press my ear to Ian's chest, listening to see if he is breathing.

"He's not breathing!" I scream in horror.

In an instant, Tristan pushes me off of Ian's body and leans down over him. He puts his mouth up to Ian's and begins breathing into mouth. I watch, frozen with fear. After breathing a few times into his mouth, Tristan pushes down hard over and over again on Ian's chest. He then does that same process over and over again.

But it isn't working.

Finally, Tristan collapses to the ground, completely exhausted.

"He's gone Tessa" he murmurs breathlessly, looking at me with a miserable look on his face.

Even he has tears in his eyes.

Ian can't be gone.

Not yet.

"No" I say.

Tristan looks at me, utterly confused.

"What do you mean? He's not breathing Tessa; he's dead" he says.

"No" I say again, then climb on top of Ian.

"Tessa, it's not worth trying. He is gone" Tristan says.

But I block his words out. I look down at Ian, whose eyes are shut. He looks as if he is asleep; not dead, just sleeping.

I then lean down and begin to breathe into Ian's mouth. I breathe out as hard as I can, pushing all of the air out of my lungs with as much force as I can. I push down hard on his chest, pumping up and down as rapidly as I can.

"Please Ian" I whisper, tears streaming down my face.

I keep trying, over and over again until I finally collapse down onto him, giving up. I take a shuddering breath in, sobbing.

"I'm sorry Ian" I whimper, resting my head onto Ian's chest.

The tears roll down my cheeks, cascading down onto his chest.

I feel Tristan's arm grab me, trying to pull my off of his body.

"No! Go away!" I scream, holding on tight to Ian's body.

I won't let him take me away.

I close my eyes and hear the others walk away, leaving me alone.

"I'm so sorry" I whisper again.

Why wasn't I the one that hit my head on the rock? Why was it him?

I let out another wretched sob that racks my chest up and down.

But then, I stop crying when I realize that my chest was not the only chest that moved up and down.

I freeze, completely still for a moment, holding my breath.

And that's when I feel his chest slowly rise up and down.

He is alive.

Chapter Twenty-Two

My heart stops.

"Ian?" I whisper, my eyes widening.

He still looks rigid and lifeless.

Did I just imagine him breathe?

I rest my head back down on his chest, waiting. Waiting for any sign of life.

Then, I feel it.

Ian's chest slowly but surely rises up and down again.

Tears of joy begin to cascade down my face as I am flooded with relief.

"He's alive!" I scream ecstatically.

Tristan, Dylan and Nikki all turn around, looking at me with their eyebrows raised in confusion.

"What?" Tristan says.

"He's breathing! He's alive!" I shout.

They all run over, gathering around Ian. His eyes are still shut and he is motionless except for the rising and falling of his chest. I lean over Ian, and softly whisper,

"Ian?"

At first he doesn't respond. But then, I hear a low moan from the back of his throat.

"Ian, it's me" I say, trying to stop my voice from trembling.

I place my hand into his, squeezing it gently. Slowly, I feel his fingers intertwine with mine. He groans again, stirring slightly, his eyes still shut. I wait, my heart pounding in my chest, still filled with the relief that he is alive.

Then suddenly, his eyes flutter open. I lean over him, my eyes wide. At first, he looks disorientated, but then his eyes focus on me. He stares at me for a few moments, his dark eyes penetrating into mine.

"Tessa, I..." he murmurs,