1Chapter Seven

"Do you feel that?" She asked softly quickly wiping the last tear away.

Dean shifted against her and raised back up his arms protesting from the added weight once more. "Yeah." He whispered as something wet began to soak into his pants leg. They tipped at the foot of the box slightly. He ran his hand down the side of her body until he found the source of the leak.

The water was cold and felt like sludge beneath his fingers. It was like mud rather then actual water. It was pooling around her bare feet and legs as she squirmed uneasily. Dean felt his breath catch at the coldness and turned his head against hers as he tried to position his body so that he could kick. "We have to get this thing open." he said in a rush as he rammed his foot against the spot around the leak. "Now."

She pulled her legs up trying to give him more room as her breathing became ragged. He could feel the sludge coming in around the top too as it soaked into the hands that were holding him up. "We can alternate kicks." She said suddenly as he kicked out again. He wasn't going to argue that she was barefoot. Being alive was more important then whatever damage she could possible do to her foot.

"Ok." He breathed feeling light headed now as the sludge seemed to seep in faster the further they sank into it. "Here we go." Dean kicked out again with a yell behind the force he put into the kick and then pulled back slightly as he heard her foot connect with the wood with a scream. He gave her a split second then kicked again. "Come on!" He screamed at the wood that held them at bay. He pulled back again and waited for her to kick again. They kept going until he felt her head slip under and she pushed against him trying to keep her head above the liquid. Dean tried to get more weight off her body as he screamed again kicking out as hard as he could. "Break you bastard!"

Her arm went around his neck again as she pulled her face inches away from his losing the ability to help him kick in leu of being able to breathe. He kicked again and felt the wood splinter against his foot as the liquid continued to fill the box. "Hold on." he panted and continued the fervent attempts at kicking the whole wider. When his shoe went all the way through he knew he should have been happy, but they were running out of time.

She suddenly sank below him as the weight of his lower body dragged her under the liquid in the box. Dean slammed his foot into the side again in a panic. "Come on!" He screamed again as the liquid began to effect how hard he could kick out. He kicked out again then gave a pained cry of frustration as he slid his hands down and tried to pry what was left open enough that they could go out feet first. He felt her struggling pinned beneath him and cursed again as he kicked out one more time. He grabbed her feet when he felt her go limp and began to shove her body through the hole as fast as he could. Dean then went through himself and searched for her body through the sludge feeling every muscle in his body protest to the action against the thick mud. He finally found her hand and kicked upward trying to find a way out.
Dean broke the surface of the boggy water and pulled Nia up after him pulling her to his chest so that he could make it up and out of the murky thick water. He opened his eyes slinging his head from his side to side as his only means of clearing his vision.

The moon light did little to illuminate the surroundings but the flashlight on the shore brought into perfect focus the figure standing there. Dean was painfully aware of the fact that Nia wasn't breathing as he heard the gun cock from the figure on the shore.

"You should have stayed down there!" The man called. Dean froze. Obviously this man was insane and trying to kill them. And the last thing he wanted to do was get shot. He wasn't going to be able to help her if he was dead. Still he knew her life was slipping through his fingers. Dean's jaw line pulled tight as he was faced with the horrific ramifications of any choice he made at the moment.

Dean suddenly made up his mind and he pulled the both of them back under the surface. He swam hard as the gunshots rang out. He swam for the opposite shore knowing that if he couldn't see well then this guy couldn't either and unless he was a damn good shot then hitting the two of them on the other side was going to be difficult. Dean broke the surface again near the other shore line and pulled Nia up beside him again trying his best to get the both of them over the steep bank. He struggled to pull the small woman up beside him and collapsed on the shore.

The flash light was gone. The man was no where in sight and Nia was running almost out of time. Dean quickly tilted her head back and began to administer mouth to mouth. "Come on." he said in frustration as he alternated the chest compressions and assisted breathing. She wasn't responding! And he didn't know where this lunatic was! "Come on Nia."

She suddenly choked on the muck and began to spit the water out. Dean gave a relieved half smile as he turned her head to the side and closed his eyes just for a split second to count that in his favor. When he opened them he quickly took it back as the butt of the shot gun connected with his skull and everything slowly faded to black around him.