12 August 2012
"I want to swim," he said, that mischievous sparkle appearing in his clear blue eyes, as it always did when he had concocted a crazy plan.
"What? Are you insane?" I replied, raising my voice a little over the wind and crashing waves.
"We're on a beach aren't we?" He was already untying the laces on his well-worn boots. "It's totally time for a swim." Jamie's argument would have been flawless. Except it was February, minus two degrees Celsius and blowing a gale.
"I don't have my swimming stuff..." I started, hoping my excuse would wash, but knowing it wouldn't be good enough.
"Neither do I," Jamie grinned as he unzipped his hoodie. He stopped, catching the look of uncertainty on my face. He pulled me into an unexpected hug, his warm body pressed against mine. I could feel his heart beating against his rib cage.
"Come on, swim with me," he whispered, running his fingers through my wind-tangled hair. He kissed my forehead, his stubble scratching at my skin satisfyingly.
"You said you want to be spontaneous, live more, be free" he said softly, "come on...I'll look after you." I glanced around at the darkened, deserted beach. A gust of wind blew sand against my face, stinging my skin.
"You're crazy," I smiled, "and a bad influence!" Hesitantly I started to undress, peeling off the layers of winter clothing. He stripped down to his boxers and I couldn't help staring at his slim body as he stood, shivering in the darkness. Once I was down to my underwear I was less worried about the freezing weather and more about Jamie seeing me undressed; it wasn't the first time but I still felt self-conscious.
We had only known each other for a couple of months, but Jamie and I had become close. He was wild, fun, free, and he had taught me so much about myself that I didn't know. Two months ago I wouldn't have even considered going to the beach in the middle of winter, let alone going for a midnight swim. I had become more confident and strong-willed with each day we spent together.
As I bent down to place my bundle of clothes next to his I caught him sneaking a sideways glance at my breasts, my push-up bra doing it's job perfectly.
"Ready?" He grinned, gesturing towards the black ocean.
"As I'll ever be," I replied. He took my hand and we ran, laughing, into the waves.
"It's freezing!" I exclaimed with a scream as the icy water splashed against my thighs.
"What were you expecting, a nice hot jacuzzi?" He said, jokingly, before diving into the next white-crested wave. It slammed into my chest, nearly toppling me over into the surf. I regained my balance, pulling some seaweed from my hair, and waited for him to surface. As the seconds passed I started to panic, my eyes scanning the dark surface for his familiar form. The churning water and the reflection of the night sky made it impossible to see anything beneath the waves. Something brushed against my leg and I screamed, before I was pulled beneath the water. I fought, lashing out with all my strength, struggling until I surfaced, coughing and spluttering saltwater. Suddenly Jamie burst out of the water, gasping for air, a good five meters further out to sea. I struggled through the waves until I could grab one of his flailing arms.
"Jamie," I pulled his body against mine - I could feel him shaking from cold and shock. "Are you alright?" My voice sounded tiny and terrified.
"Yeah," he managed to splutter, his hair plastered to his face. His nose was bleeding a little. "Something...pulled me down."
"Me too," I replied, holding him closer, "I don't think we're...alone."
"Let's get out of here," Jamie said, and he started towards the shore before stopping, crying out in pain. "My leg...it's broken or something," he grimaced, leaning against me for support. I'd never seen him look afraid before but now, injured in the dark, turbulent sea, with water up to both of our chins and who-knows-what after us, he looked positively petrified.
"Stay close," I said, trying to sound confident despite my chattering teeth, "I'll get us out of here. In one piece." The safety of the beach was only about twenty-five meters away; I could swim the distance easily, but Jamie, with his injured leg, would find it impossible. I would have to wade and drag Jamie along with me. I felt him tighten his grip, his arm around my shoulder.
"We can do this," he said, "we have to."
I started wading back towards the shore, half-dragging a limping Jamie along with me. I kept expecting something to grab me, to pull us both down beneath the crashing waves. But nothing happened - the short trip back to shore was exhausting but uneventful. We staggered back up the beach to where our clothes were bundled beside a rock. I helped Jamie to sit down on the boulder then turned to pick up his hoodie; he was injured and I didn't want him to go into shock. In an instant I was blind-sided; something crashed into me from behind, sending me smashing down onto the sand. I felt it's heavy, wet form on top of me and I struggled to breathe, my face pushed down into the sand.
"Jamie," I called desperately, but there was no reply. I fought, managing to turn myself to face my attacker as they wrapped cold, wet fingers around my throat. In the darkness I saw Jamie's familiar blue eyes staring down at me, his face contorted, a twisted smile on his face.
"...Jamie...please," I begged, barely able to speak. My mind did somersaults; was he trying to kill me? I tried to tear his fingers from my throat but I was tired from helping him back to shore. Maybe that had been the plan all along, I thought. I suddenly felt very sick.
"Shh," he spat, "it's alright. You'll be free soon enough, sweet, sweet Alice." He pressed his thumbs into my windpipe, stopping the air. I felt like my lungs were going to explode. I flailed around blindly, looking for anything to use as a weapon. My fingertips brushed something smooth and damp at the edge of my reach; a large stone. I struggled, fumbling to grip its slippery form, before getting a firm purchase in it. I swung with all my remaining strength and the stone connected, full force, with the side of Jamie's head. He released his grip with a cry of surprise and pain, slumping to one side. I rugby-tackled him to the ground, seizing the opportunity. Jamie never did anything by half - only one of us would leave this beach alive. I wrapped my hands around his throat and squeezed, gritting my teeth. His beautiful blue eyes bulged in their sockets and a trickle of spittle ran down his chin as he gasped for air. He beat his fists against my chest in a final bid to escape but it was no use. I watched, tears streaming down my cheeks, as his eyes rolled and he struggled no more. Jamie was dead.
I dressed silently, my eyes on Jamie's corpse. In the few months we had spent together he had taught me to be brave, wild, passionate, free. In death he had taught me to be stronger than I ever thought possible. I brushed his wet, tangled hair from his face and gently kissed his lips. They were still warm.
"I'm sorry," I said, covering his body with his hoodie, "and thank you. For everything."
Swim • Opuss № I