Blindsighted

"You raped a thirteen-year-old child, a blind woman, and an emotionally unstable twenty-two-year-old. Is that what gets you off, Jeb? Attacking helpless women? Controlling them?"

His jaw clenched. "You're just going to make it harder for yourself."

"Fuck you, you sick bastard."

"No," he said. "It'll be the other way around."

"Come on," Sara taunted, clenching her fists. "I dare you to try."

Jeb lunged toward her, but Sara was already moving. She ran full force toward the picture window, tucking her head as she broke out the glass. Pain flooded her senses, shards of glass cutting into her body. She landed in the backyard, tucking as she rolled a few feet down the hill.

Sara stood quickly, not looking over her shoulder as she ran toward the lake. Her arm was cut across the bicep and a gash was in her forehead, but these were the least of her concerns. By the time she got to the dock, Jeb was close behind her. She dove into the cold water without thinking, swimming under the water until she could no longer breathe. Finally, she surfaced ten yards from the dock. Sara saw Jeb jump into her boat, too late remembering she had left the key in the ignition.

Sara dove under the water, pushing herself, swimming as far as she could before surfacing. When she looked back around, she could see the boat coming toward her. She dove down, touching the bottom of the lake as the boat sped over her. Sara turned underwater, heading toward the rock field lining the far side of the lake. The area was no more than twenty feet away, but Sara felt her arms tiring as she swam. The coldness of the water hit her like a slap in the face, and she realized that the low temperature would slow her down.

She surfaced, looking around for the boat. Again, Jeb came at her full throttle. Again, she ducked under the water. She came up just in time to see the boat skimming toward the submerged rocks. The nose of the boat hit the first one head-on, popping up, flipping the boat over. Sara watched as Jeb was thrown from the boat. He flew through the air, splashing into the water. His hands clawed helplessly as he tried to keep himself from drowning. Mouth open, eyes wide with terror, he flailed as he was pulled down below the surface. She waited, holding her breath, but he did not come back up.

Jeb had been thrown about ten feet from the boat, away from the rock field. Sara knew the only way she would make it to the shore was to swim through the rocks. She could tread water for only so long before the cold enveloped her. The distance to the dock was too great. She would never make it. The safest route to the shore would take Sara past the overturned boat.

What she really wanted to do was stay where she was, but Sara knew the cold water was luring her into a sense of complacency. The lake's temperature wasn't down to freezing, but it was cold enough to bring on moderate hypothermia if she stayed in too long.

She swam a slow crawl to conserve body heat, her head just above the water as she made her way through the field. Her breath was a cloud in front of her, but she tried to think of something warm; sitting in front of a fire, roasting marshmallows. The hot tub at the YMCA. The steam room. The warm quilt on her bed.

Altering her course, she went around the far side of the boat, away from where Jeb had gone down. She had seen too many movies. She was terrified he would come from the deep, grabbing her leg, pulling her down. As she passed the boat, she could see a large hole in the front where the rock had torn through the bow. It was overturned, the belly up to the sky. Jeb was on the other side, holding on to the torn bow. His lips were dark blue, a stark contrast against his white face. He was shivering uncontrollably, his breath coming out in sharp puffs of white. He had been struggling, wasting his energy trying to keep his head above water. The cold was probably lowering his core temperature with every passing minute.

Sara kept swimming, moving more slowly. Jeb's breathing and her hands pushing through the water were the only sounds on the still lake.

"I c-c-can't swim," he said.

"That's too bad," Sara answered, her voice tight in her throat. She felt as if she was circling a wounded but dangerous animal.

"You can't leave me here," he managed around chattering teeth.

She started to sidestroke, turning in the water so as not to put her back to him. "Yes, I can."

"You're a doctor."

"Yes, I am," she said, continuing to move away from him.

"You'll never find Lena."

Sara felt a weight drop onto her. She treaded water, keeping her eyes on Jeb. "What about Lena?"

"I't-t-took her," he said. "She's somewhere safe."

"I don't believe you."

He gave what she assumed was a shrug.

"Where's somewhere safe?" Sara demanded. "What did you do to her?"

"I left her for you, Sara," he said, his voice catching as his body started shaking. From the recesses of her mind, Sara recalled that the second stage of hypothermia was marked by uncontrollable shaking and irrational thought.

He said, "I left her somewhere."

Sara moved slightly closer, not trusting him. "Where did you leave her?"

"You n-n-need to save her," he mumbled, closing his eyes. His face dipped down, his mouth dropping below the waterline. He snorted as water went up his nose, his grip on the boat tightening. There was a cracking sound as the boat moved against the rock.

Sara felt a sudden rush of heat through her body. "Where is she, Jeb?" When he didn't answer, she told him, "You can die out here. The water's cold enough. Your heart will slow down until it stops. I'd give you twenty minutes, tops," she said, knowing it would be more like a few hours. "I'll let you die," Sara warned, never more certain of anything in her life. "Tell me where she is."

"I'll tell you on th-th-the shore," he mumbled.

"Tell me now," she said. "I know you wouldn't leave her somewhere to die alone."

"I wouldn't," he said, a spark of understanding in his eyes. "I wouldn't leave her alone, Sara. I wouldn't let her die alone."

Sara moved her arms out to her side, trying to keep her body moving so that she would not freeze. "Where is she, Jeb?"

He shook so hard the boat shuddered in the water, sending small wakes toward Sara. He whispered, "You need to save her, Sara. You need to save her."

"Tell me or I'll let you die, Jeb, I swear to God, I'll let you drown out here."

His eyes seemed to cloud and a slight smile came to his blue lips. He whispered, " 'It is finished,' " as his head dropped again, but this time he didn't stop it. Sara watched as he let go of the boat, his head slipping under water.

"No," Sara screamed, lunging toward him. She grabbed the back of his shirt, trying to pull him up. Instinctively, he started to fight her, pulling her down instead of letting her pull him up. They struggled this way, Jeb grabbing her pants, her sweater, trying to use her as a ladder to climb back up for air. His fingernails raked across the cut in her arm, and Sara reflexively pulled away. Jeb was pushed back from her, the tips of his fingers brushing across the front of her sweater as he tried to find purchase.

Sara was pulled down as he climbed up. There was a solid thud as his head slammed against the boat. His mouth opened in surprise, then he slipped soundlessly back under the water. Behind him, a streak of bright red blood marked the bow of the boat. Sara tried to ignore the pressure in her lungs as she reached toward him, trying to pull him back up. There was just enough sunlight for her to see him sinking to the bottom. His mouth was open, his hands stretched out to her.

She surfaced, gasping for air, then ducked her head back underwater. She did this several times, searching for Jeb. When she finally found him, he was resting against a large boulder, his arms held out in front of him, eyes open as he stared at her. Sara put her hand to his wrist, checking to see if he was alive. She went up for air, treading water, her arms out to the side. Her teeth were chattering, but she counted out loud.