The windshield smashed open as the car hit the bottom of the lake nose-first, then came to rest on the driver's side. One minute later, the vehicle was filled with water, but not before Lorraine had time to unbuckle her seatbelt.
Ed, on the other hand, had not been as fortunate. The buckle securing his seatbelt had been dented in the crash, rendering the button to release the belt unusable.
The temperature of the water was freezing in the winter weather, though Lorraine hardly noticed, as her attention was focused on Ed. While they'd landed in a part of a lake that wasn't very deep, every second they spent submerged mattered.
After about five seconds of the two trying to pry Ed free, Ed looked up at Lorraine. Her vision in the murky water was blurred, but even then, she could see fear in his eyes. Then, without breaking eye contact, Ed waved his hand through the water, motioning for her to swim through the broken windshield and leave without him.
Lorraine felt her heart sink as she imaged Ed saying something like "Forget about me, swim out of the car and save yourself. Judy needs you," But she couldn't imagine leaving Ed to this fate, a death brought about because of an item they didn't even have a full backstory of.
Shaking her head, Lorraine looked from side to side. There had to be SOMETHING to break Ed free.
Then, she saw it.
In addition to being murky, the water was also dark. Nonetheless, just beyond the windshield Lorraine could make out a glowing human-like figure by the hood of the car. Her mind raced, wondering what it could be. Was it something associated with the painting? Was it a vision? No, she could feel this was something else, something…pure.
The figure extended a glowing arm, indicating towards a round object on the hood of the car. Swimming forward, Lorraine forced her way through the broken windshield to see what the being was pointing at. The mysterious object, she realized, was a piece of concrete no larger than the palm of her hand, smooth on one end yet jagged on the other.
Guided by the light from the being, Lorraine picked up the object and swam back to Ed. She could somewhat make out the worried look on his face- he thought she'd finally made up her mind to leave. But instead, Lorraine used the jagged piece to smash the other end of the buckle that had been dented, hoping that whatever indentation had been created on the front would be undone with what she was doing to the other side.
After multiple tries, the belt snapped free.
Pushing himself out of the seat, the two swam through the windshield and upward until they broke the surface. They gasped as they breathed in the chilled air, paddling with whatever strength they had left to stay afloat. They weren't even aware of a man shouting in the distance until he'd waded into the water and brought them to land.
Laying next to his wife, Ed pulled the drenched cardigan sweater from Lorraine's shoulders with shaking hands. She seemed barely able to move, as if the adrenaline rush that saved his life had taken all the extra energy she had.
"St…stay with me," Ed managed to sputter as her eyes fluttered between consciousness and sleep. He inched himself closer so that his face was next to hers, allowing him to breathe warm air onto her.
The man who'd pulled them to shore came back from his car, carrying a single blanket. "Her!" Ed gasped, nodding at his wife. Their rescuer looked unsure, but in the end followed Ed's direction.
"I have a car phone," the man explained once he'd wrapped the blanket around Lorraine, "And I've already called 911. The paramedics are on their way,"
All Ed could do was nod gratefully. He wanted to thank the man properly with a handshake…maybe even a hug. But this slight movement was all he could manage for now.
Ed turned back to Lorraine, locking eyes with her as he did when they were in the water. This time, however, he wasn't trying to indicate that she should leave; he was trying to indicate that she should stay.