The man's thoughts were wrenched from his skull--in an instant, he was submerged in water, and his eyes burned with the light blue. He tensed his jaw, conjuring a memory of keeping his mouth closed underwater--his tongue exploded in pain. He had bit it! Gasping, water was sent down his throat, like liquid fire despite its coolness. Flailing around in desperation proved useless--he sank to a reef, resting not more than a few feet under the water. However, pain clouded his thoughts. He desperately tried to remember how to move underwater...there was a name for it, but he couldn't remember. More pressing matters were on his mind.

Looking to his right, he saw another figure in the water. At first he was scared--which leviathan of the deep had come to consume his flesh?--upon a millisecond of inspection, it was a girl. One of the ones from above the water. The man knew he couldn't leave her down here, in this pain. He moved to save her. 

Tensing his thighs under the water, he pushed off--darting through the water as if he had been born in it. He moved his hands outwards and kicked, as if he were forcing the liquid out of his way. [i]Swim![/i] That was the word, and that was what he did--despite his burning eyes and lungs, he moved with single-minded purpose. Save the girl, and himself.

Or die.

He crashed into the girl's torso with force. They tumbled together for half a second--the man was tempted to breathe for air--his body screamed for it. Ignoring the warnings, he again darted upwards, towards one of the boxes above the surface. The girl was light underwater, strangely so--and he was glad. His body couldn't take much more. 

Sweet air! They both broke through the surface, feeling the wind on their faces once again. He kept kicking and moving with his hand, trying to reach the metallic box that was only a few feet away. He was ready to pass out. His hand ran along the edge, feeling the coolness, and he scrambled to push the girl over the edge--another pair of hands came down to join him. He looked up to see another take the girl from his hands, and help him up himself. With all three in the box, it swayed from side to side slightly, rocking in the waters. The man didn't care. They were alive! 

He looked up at the figure, to say something. The sun in his eyes prevented him from seeing their face, but it didn't matter. He wanted to say something in thanks--but he didn't realise his mouth was still closed, and that water still filled it. Pain flared in his lungs, and he found himself retching the water over the side of the box. After a few moments he remained dry-heaving. His hands cramped as he gripped the side of the box tightly. His eyes watered and his tongue burned. But a minute ago, he didn't feel any pain--he'd forgotten what pain even was. Now, it was all that clouded his mind. 

Still, he turned to the girl on the floor. She had short hair, and an eye missing, curiously. He wondered for a half second if it was lost in the water--but the scars there indicated it had been lost long ago. He remained concerned--she wasn't moving, and guessed she swallowed water as well. He didn't want her to die. Feeling grief grip him, he screamed. "[i]Help![/i]" the word echoed in the area--creatures took flight at the sound of such a loud noise. He turned to the figure, tears in his eyes. "Help." Looking back at the girl, he felt anger at himself. He couldn't remember what to do, [i]how[/i] to help--it was all his fault. Everything was his fault.