[The Medic] Dive

[GrandExecutioner 1,403]

The Medic

 

Hey guys! It's been a while since I wrote the last chapter of this series. I think it's probably time to whip out the next chapter, don't you? For context, I would heavily recommend reading the first 2 chapters which I've linked below.

Chapter 1: Fatigue
Chapter 2: Decision

Or you can live life on the edge and dive in... which also happens to the title.

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Preview

 

At around 126 steps, he reached the lake. Perhaps in the day, it was clear blue. But in the middle of the night, it was the same colour as everything else. Pitch black. If he didn't have his torch he had no doubt he would have walked right into the water.

It didn't take long for the beam of light to fall on to the half-submerged car in the middle of the lake. It was sinking quickly. Soon only the roof was visible. Alex could feel adrenaline being pumped back into his blood. He had no phone. No emergency services to help him. There was no guarantee when the next car might come along at this time of night.

The car was no longer visible and had submerged completely. There was no telling how deep the water was, or what was lurking in there.

Alex had a decision to make. And he had to make it now.

 

Chapter 3: Dive

 

Alex had made his mind up. He worked quickly taking his shoes off first.

He didn't have a choice. He was a medical student. He had essentially signed up to a lifetime of saving people. He couldn't just pick and choose who to help just because he finished his shift at the hospital.

Next came the blazer and finally the tie. No time to look formal.

But more importantly than his chosen career- this was his fault. If he hadn't been so careless to fall asleep at the wheel he wouldn't have endangered the lives of everyone in the other car. The car which was now completely underwater...along with its passengers.

Alex took his torch and held it against the side of his head with one hand. With his other hand, he looped the tie around both his head and the torch, before finally tying a knot. The torch was waterproof and he needed to be able to see underwater. The make-shift bandanna would now serve as a headtorch. It wasn't perfect but it would have to do. He made one last check to make sure the torch was secure before taking a deep breath.

Then he dived into the water.

As soon as he made contact with the surface, the icy water sent a shiver through his spine. It felt like needles were being poked straight into his skin. He kicked at the water below and came up taking sharp breaths. He hadn't prepared himself for how cold the water would be. The sub-zero temperature jarred him and his teeth started chattering madly.

 

He could vividly remember worrying about whether he had a concussion or internal bleeding from the crash.

Add hypothermia to that list.

Without giving it another thought, he turned around and started swimming towards the middle of the lake, or what he thought was the middle of the lake anyway.

Alex's powerful strokes were the only thing disturbing the eery stillness of the water. Silently he thanked himself for going down to the pool every week. He tried to concentrate on where he last saw the car. By the time he reached the rough spot, he had already taken a deep breath before submerging himself completely.

 

Alex started swimming down- this time kicking at the water above him. The water was murky and even with his headtorch, he could barely see a metre in front of him. Then metal came into his view.

 

The car roof!

 

He swam alongside it and held on to the wing mirror to try and level himself against the car window. He couldn't clearly see inside but he could make out shadows. He breathed a sigh of relief. Water hadn't filled the car then. He hoped that the light from his torch gave the stranded passengers some hope.

That is, if they're alive.

Alex tried to yank the door open but the pressure of the water held it tight. Frustrated he swung around the car and perched on the bonnet as best he could. He punched the windscreen but it held and he was greeted with a sharp pain through his fist. That's when he realised he still had his watch on. It was an expensive brand and a recent birthday present from his mum. He took it off and wrapped it around his fist so that the watch face rested on his knuckles.

Sorry, mum.

Alex punched the windscreen.

 

Again and again, he brought his fist down on to the glass. His knuckles were flaring up in pain as the metal watch dug into his skin. The watch shattered but the windscreen started forming cracks too. All of a sudden- and all too quickly- Alex started to feel the pressure build up in his lungs. He was running out of oxygen. It had only been two minutes or so but he felt as if he'd been holding his breath for an hour.

Finally, he was able to break through and he cleared the broken glass away, fully aware that he was cutting his hand and arm in the process. Water started gushing in. The force of the water behind him pushed him through the windscreen and into the dashboard of the car where he was finally able to release his breath and inhale the stuffy air. Or what was left of it anyway. He could feel the water pounding on his back as it started to rapidly fill up the car.

He turned his attention to the passenger who he was almost thrown at. The person in the front seat was alive and fully awake. His eyes weren't wide with fear as Alex had expected but rather calculating as if he was trying to solve a problem. He took one look at the water that had started cascading in and, as if in response, kicked away from his seat to go through the windscreen past Alex. Worried, Alex turned around to grab the man thinking he had a panic moment but saw he had already started to swim up.

So Alex turned back to the others. The driver was unconscious. His head was resting against the airbag. There were two others in the back seat but Alex's torchlight didn't illuminate them particularly well. They both seemed to be awake but very much dazed. One looked quite young. No older than Alex was. Maybe 17 or 18. The other man was well built and his muscles were clearly defined under his shirt. They squinted at the light shining on their faces. At least they were awake.

Sort of.

Alex worked quickly and unbuckled the driver's seatbelt. The others were awake which means they could hold their breath when the water starts filling in. But the driver was unconscious so he couldn't. He grabbed the driver under the armpits before making his way out of the windscreen after taking one final breath.

 

With one hand he held the driver, and with the other, he made wide strokes. He kicked with his feet as hard as he could to try and propel them both up. Considering the extra weight and the fact that he was swimming with one arm, he assumed that it would take much longer to reach the surface than it took to reach the car. At least he knew he was swimming in the right direction.

 

Up.

 

When Alex finally emerged out of the water, he inhaled the fresh air trying to get as much of it into his lungs as possible. Swimming with an unconscious person was exhausting, to say the least.

He looked around expecting to see someone greet him.

Where did the other man go? Why didn't he take anyone?

As swiftly as he could, he swam back towards the land where he flopped the driver down on the ground. The man wasn't breathing. Panicking, Alex folded his fingers and dug the heels of his palm on the man's ribcage making sharp compressions. Alex was able to hold his breath for the entire time they were underwater- but the man wouldn't have been able to. Having been unconscious, the driver must have taken a lot of water into his lungs.

Alex carried on pushing- making sharp downward movements. Each time he pushed down, the man's chest rose up slightly before descending back down. But no sign that the man was actually alive. Alex couldn't help thinking how closely the man in front of him related to a lifeless corpse.

Still no movement...
 

Well, there you go! That wraps up Chapter 3. I'm not sure if anybody is actually enjoying this series so far or if I'm just writing for myself so please comment down below to make me feel better with some constructive feedback if you want to see more. So yeah...

Peeeeeeeaaace!

 

 

 

[KillerGnat 3,135]

Edits: Only one. Thanks for making my job easy hehe

Formatting: Added an Hr line under your intro

Slight rephrasing. "That's if they're alive" to "That is, if they're alive". That may be a Britishism I guess, but I haven't heard anyone say it. 

 

 

Approved

 

 

Great read! Loved the flow of it. I felt like I was being carried along with the writing. Definitely gonna go check out the previous chapters when I have a chance  :ph34r:

[YaMaM-SpecialUnit 54]

not good job 

your english writ isn't 100/100

and

GL 

Edited April 20, 2018 by Mafia_AR

[You.Have.to.die 519]

Love it!

[GrandExecutioner 1,403]

Edits: Only one. Thanks for making my job easy hehe

Formatting: Added an Hr line under your intro

Slight rephrasing. "That's if they're alive" to "That is, if they're alive". That may be a Britishism I guess, but I haven't heard anyone say it. 

 

 

Approved

 

 

Great read! Loved the flow of it. I felt like I was being carried along with the writing. Definitely gonna go check out the previous chapters when I have a chance  :ph34r:

 

Nice, just a few edits that's all. Good work.

 

Love it!

 

Thanks <3

 

First article that Gnatty approved. Should have tested him with some mistakes *cough*.

not good job 

your english writ isn't 100/100

and

GL 

Can you expand on that please?

Edited April 20, 2018 by KillerGnat
:ph34r:

[arnav0506 2,777]

Grand story + Grand signature.. only by Grand executioner

Edited April 20, 2018 by arnav0506

[GrandExecutioner 1,403]

Grand story + Grand signature.. only by Grand executioner

:wub: :wub: Thanks but @Merovingian must take the credit for the signature.

[shafter9 156]

"Then he dived into the water."

Dove? 

[GrandExecutioner 1,403]

"Then he dived into the water."

Dove? 

'Dived' is the traditional past tense whereas 'dove' is a modern invention.

 

Basically,

'dived': real British English

'dove': American English

Edited April 21, 2018 by GrandExecutioner

[shafter9 156]

^Ahh, a lingual conservative...