Set Me Free - Chapter 4
Rated: T
Drowning
Chapter Summary: Life is full of ups and downs but apparently, even as things start to look up, fate isn't quite through with them yet…
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Nothing could have prepared them for what happened next.
The water tanks glass splintering with horrendous bangs and cracks as the entire group looked on in shock and barely concealed horror. Before anyone could gasp, let alone react, glass and water had literally exploded forth with little warning leaving no one any chance to escape.
A scream prepared to escape from her throat, Ash was silenced when she was literally swallowed up by the waves along with everyone surrounding her.
The weight of the water consuming her into their cold icy depths had her body and mind going into complete shock. Never realizing before just how heavy water was; a strange thought to have when death seemed so imminent, but they flitted through her mind regardless.
All Ash could see was inky blackness as the water raged all around her; washing her throughout the entire theater, throwing her body this way and that like a rag-doll in the hands of a sugar-induced toddler. Quills taut and frilled as she regained control of her body; trying desperately to cushion her fall and find any opportunity to get breath or grab onto anything that could stabilize all the frantic motion of the waves. Arms and legs deliriously kicking and pushing at the force of the liquid but to little avail.
Ash just couldn't find the surface; couldn't break through to find and inhale the sweet oxygen that her lungs so desperately needed. The water was far too powerful; the force of all the rocking and rolling throughout the theater was too strong, too overwhelming for her small body to handle much longer. Air was becoming scarce in her lungs; throat constricting and body shaking in the horrendous realization of the situation that had befallen her.
This was it.
This was really it…
Ash was going to die.
About to drown and there was nothing she could do to prevent it. Soon, her body would have no choice than to take a breath only to suck in a lungful of water and choke until her vision blurred and blackened and she would be no more - a cruel merciless death at the hands of the unforgiving waves.
A once promising life would be all over.
Her parents to see the fate of their only child on the five o'clock news. A young life with precious little to show for it. A few lame gigs and endless promises that would never be fulfilled. Nothing but a trashed apartment littered with remnants of a cheating asshole and a girl who believed his filthy lies for over five years. To be remembered as a hapless, naive teenager that refused to take her ex-boyfriend's advice and got herself killed in a freak accident…Dying in a flood and the irony wasn't lost on her since she always hated to swim…
No…
No.
No!
NO!
Not here and definitely not now.
Ash refused to go out like this.
There was far too much she wanted to do for it to end in a freakin' squid tank explosion! While kinda epic didn't sound like an all too comfortable way to go out. That thought was enough to induce a rush of reality to bring her out of her own emotional pain she fed into; her own depressing thoughts when she realized how much she wanted to live.
Death was not welcomed here today!
A sudden jolt of adrenaline was all she needed as she managed to finally push above the surface with a loud gasp; inhaling lungfuls of sweet, sweet oxygen that she would never take for granted again.
Vision blurry, she saw the vague outline of poor Meena trapped in front ticket booth before another tidal wave pushed the elephant through the glass and front doors. Meena's weight too great for the glass to take and before Ash could even react, the glass shattered. The elephant plummeted through the front of the filling auditorium and the water rushed out into the street.
Ash went with it where she was ultimately tossed aside by wave after wave of water until she lay curled by the debris on the concrete street. She had swallowed so much salt water that her throat was tight and she coughed and hacked repeatedly to try and expel most of it from her battered lungs. Not even aware as pieces of beams and concrete were headed right toward her.
There was a swish, a crack, and a thud of a piece of cement that landed somewhere to her left. By the time her ice blue eyes slipped open to see what happened, she found herself in a large shadow. Using a quick arm to swipe at her fuzzy vision until it cleared, she saw Johnny kneeling by her side.
Shock would be a gross understatement as she took in his form in front of her. It was only now she noticed what he'd done; blocked the debris from hitting her and he showcased the efforts with a few cuts that riddled his hands, arms and clothes. The rust color of blood staining part of his blue jeans had her shivering beside herself…
…that's when he said something that literally took her breath away…
"A-Are you alright?" he asked, accent thick in his throat and Ash choked.
Yet another coughing fit taking over in pure astonishment of how he could ask of her well being when he was literally bleeding from multiple lacerations.
Just who the hell was this guy?!
When his large hand suddenly appeared on her lower back (careful to avoid her quills), she had the reaction you probably think - she instantly flinched at the contact but it didn't keep him from firmly giving her backs a few pats to help cease her frantic coughing.
"I'm *hack* fine!" she choked out as she tried fruitlessly to push him away. She just wanted him to stop touching her; she didn't want to be fawned over...it just wasn't who she was, dammit! Just what was his reasoning for being so nice?!
Johnny seemed to take the hint and pulled his hand away but his eyes stayed on her as she tried her hardest to stand up; her legs shaking so badly and outright refusing to cooperate. Within seconds, she'd fallen back on her rear end and the flush of shame became a arduous reality.
"Dammit…" she muttered the curse under her breath; the heat of embarrassment flushing her cheeks when she realized she really couldn't move much of her own accord.
Without uttering a singly word, Johnny hands reappeared; lightly grasped her arms and began gingerly pulling her to her feet as if she weighed little more than a feather. If her mind wasn't so clouded, she might have been rather astonished at his excessive strength.
Ash reluctantly allowed him; even going as far as to grab onto his leather jacket to give herself some awareness of leverage and gravity that she seemed to have lost almost instantaneously. Once her knees stopped wobbling precariously, she forcefully pushed his hands away and he didn't even flinch at her rather rude contact.
"...thanks." she whispered beside herself, refusing to meet his gaze; shaking hands brushing some random debris off the tacky dress. Realizing she was decided to re-wear the hideous thing made her face even flush further as she refused to look anywhere but her feet.
"You're welcome." Johnny replied steadily and she sensed more than saw him shrug.
Stealing a glance at his legs and the part of his torso that was eye level, she took in the few cuts and scraps he acquired and instantly regretted being a bit bitchy when it was greatly baseless. Yet before she could speak to apologize for her unwarranted behavior, a sudden crash was heard by the precarious structure of Moon Theater.
Without realizing what she was doing, Ash had latched onto Johnny's arm.
It wasn't until in retrospect when she wondered just why the hell she had done that. Perhaps it was because he protected her life once already or he was the closest big thing to hide behind, but she did. She drummed it up to survival instinct to keep her mind less clouded from her own doubts…at least it helped her stop thinking about her near demise if only for a second. Hands retreating when the danger was over - they surveyed the scene.
The group looked on in shock as the dust cleared; the wind pushing away the debris that clouded their view…and all that remained was a pile of bricks and rubble scattered between the two buildings sandwiching what was now the dusty remains of Moon Theater.
One thing was for certain when they finally gained their bearings - the theater was gone and the truth was aired out - there was never a $100,000 grand prize at all….
An eerie calmness fell over all of them as they watched Buster Moon sprint toward the sight and began tilling through whatever remained of his theater. The shock wearing off and all the group came to grips with all of it…
…Buster had lied to all of them…
The prize was nowhere near $100,000; instead, it was only $1,000 worth of random junk stuffed into a wooden chest. Yet, instead of just outwardly admitting his own mistake on the fliers, Buster had gone along with the fictitious number instead of rectifying the error immediately. He ran with the lie and brought them all along on this roller-coaster ride knowing full well that there never a prize to be won. In some small way he was using them for publicity and burgeoning his theater from financial collapse; feeding them the falsehood that they were to be rewarded at all.
…not to mention how easily they could have all died just now…
For Ash, it was more than the money, blatant lie and cover up.
It brought to the surface many other doubts; how perhaps if he lied so easily about the money, or lack of it, that he also lied about her abilities and talents. Perhaps she really didn't have what it took to make it as a singer and performer; maybe, she never did…
…what if Lance was right all along…?
The remaining animals stood around for a long time. Lost in their own thoughts and worlds as Buster disappeared among his demolished possessions. Any pity they may have felt for the koala was fleeting as they acknowledged just how close they had ultimately came to losing their lives. Sure, those bears weren't exactly Buster's fault but it didn't make his blatant disregard and lies sting any less.
One by one, the group began to depart. Nana Noodleman and her grandson, Eddie fleeing in a car. Mike and the bears that started it all were nowhere to be seen since the water cleared. Rosita left with tears filling her eyes and not far behind her, a strangely demure Gunter. Meena stuck around for a little while to see if anything would further transpire, but when it didn't, she left on foot as well; ears sagging and covering her face as she slipped away into the growing crowd surrounding the rubble…
Soon after, the sirens of police and emergency vehicles arriving were nothing but background noise. Officers and personnel closing off the immediate area and helped to move traffic and file reports for destruction or damaged property. Crews showing up to take pictures, start clean-up, and don't forget the media that almost immediately began filming the carnage and remains of the historic building.
Lost in all the hubbub was Ash.
Refusing to acknowledge anyone's comings and goings, Ash sat down among the rubble away from prying eyes. It was almost fitting somehow for she had absolutely no desire to leave; her emotional state went far better with the ruins of Moon Theater than her apartment.
Ash was literally left with nothing but a broken heart and even further shattered dreams…and she could have easily lost her life. Could have been dead and her whole existence would literally have nothing to show for it; doubted anyone would even miss her aside from her parents…
Ash really had nothing left.
Her only options now were to just lay down here and wait for death or to go home and bury her sadness and tattered remains of her life in a pint of double fudge mint ice cream and a pack of cookies like a complete sad-sack. Both options sounded crappy (one obviously less than the other), but before she had much time to ponder them, fate intervened yet again.
Shifting upon her new improvised chair, she winced; ankle developing a rather shooting pain that had her quills tense. The flood apparently had done more damage than her bruised ego and emotional state; now she had a sprained ankle.
Fucking perfect…
Allowing a sigh to escape her throat, she reached down to rub at the pained ligament. Her adrenaline fading bringing the awareness to her injury. Adding further insult, the sun disappeared behind the clouds and the wind picked up, causing her damp clothes to make her uncomfortably cold and further making the situation that much worse…
"Great…just great…Can this day possibly get any better?" she muttered sarcastically under her breath; shoving her face into her hands only to be interrupted by an unexpected voice.
"So, um…w-where do you live?" Johnny voice broke through the clouds of depression and as much as she tried to ignore him; it appeared he wasn't receiving the hint.
Ash just peered up at his strange question before turning her head away and wiping at some tears that hopefully would be mistaken for her damp fur. Silently mourning her own life and pain; including her rear end that was already terribly sore from the jagged debris digging into her ass.
Couldn't he tell that she just wanted to be left alone!?
"Heh. I um-" he stuttered and flushed suddenly as if realizing how strange that question sounded. You know, being virtual strangers and all, yet the side of her that wasn't in a deep funk thought it was kind of endearing in its own weird way. Johnny seemed far too pure to think of anything of the sort anyway.
It still annoyed her nonetheless…
"I-I'm asking because the cops want everyone to vacate the area." Johnny explained.
"So? I really don't care…" Ash shrugged, hoping he'd take the hint and leave her alone.
"Well, it's also getting kinda cold and the train stop is pretty far of a walk when you do decide to go home." the only thought Ash had was how the hell did he knew that she took the train but those thoughts fluttered away when he kept speaking.
"I thought it might be a good idea if I offered you a ride home. I-I have an extra seat in my truck and I'm not too terrible of a driver if you're interested." he continued with a nervous chuckle, sliding in the spot next to her and she had to bite her cheek to keep from rolling her eyes and scooting away.
How the hell was he so fuckin' pleasant after what just happened?!
"I don't need your charity." Ash exclaimed ruder than intended; a sharp rasp in her voice as she wiped a hand over her leaking nose.
"I know you don't need it, I-I just want to help. It's no trouble, I promise." Johnny replied with his hands up in a placating matter but if anything, it just infuriated her more.
"Just leave me alone…okay?" she whispered, loathing how her voice cracked and a few tears leaked from her bloodshot eyes.
"...but…I don't want to. No one should be left alone."
Ash went silent at his words; her own options flitting through her clouded mind as she felt the twinge of pain infiltrating her ankle and as if everything could further be against her, a strong wind suddenly spiked and her cold clothes and fur had her shivering in the breeze.
…Dammit…
"I don't need your help. Now, just go awa - ack!" Ash screamed, punching herself for making a big show of jumping off her seat; ankle and knees buckling underneath her and fresh tears filled her eyes at the horrendous pain that shot through her body as she collapsed to her knees. Ash didn't even have the strength to push Johnny's hands away as he helped her regain her composure and sit her back upon the debris.
Refusing to meet his eyes, Ash dutifully ignored his gentle touch as he moved to caress her ankle with unsure hands.
"Please," he spoke suddenly and the genuine concern in his voice had her chest warming, "…let me help you."
Ash's icy blue eyes lifted and she realized the shift in his demeanor. Where he was at once nervous and anxious the last time they spoke, he seemed strangely calm and complacent in the events of this near-death experience. There was a warmth about him; a kindness she latched onto far too quickly like with Rosita. Perhaps it was her own version of a cry for help or otherwise, she wasn't sure. Maybe because she really had nothing left to lose… Whatever it was, the words poured out before she could filter them out.
Ash barely recalled saying "…fine."
"Thank you." he replied, giving her the same smile that had the sensation of butterfly wings thundering on her abdomen walls. She ignored them.
Johnny was silent as he gingerly removed her boot and placed it to the side. A tearing of fabric filled her ears and she curiously looked over to where he was ripping off the bottom part of his jeans. Her gaze questioning, Johnny felt compelled to answer.
"Heh. Don't worry. They're trash anyway. Might as well put it to good use, eh?" he chuckled, wrapping the strip tightly around her ankle to keep her foot steady before slipping her boot back on. "It appears to be just a mild sprain, so that should work for now. Let's see if you can hobble on it a bit."
Suddenly a bit curious how he seemed so sure in his self-diagnosis, Ash was hesitant to obey him. Mostly because she was a bit uncertain to trust anyone right now - perhaps ever. Yet, another glance at his kind face made up her mind for her. Mouth and tongue silent, Ash gingerly lowered to the ground and surprisingly, it didn't hurt as terribly as before and she found herself being able to actually walk on her own.
"Is that alright?" Johnny asked.
Ash shrugged and gave him a slight nod; still feeling a bit out of sorts and wanting the ground to swallow her up. This was not the predicament she did not want to be in right now - or ever for that matter. She never liked to rely on anyone, and certainly not a cute stranger…dammit...
"Hmm." Johnny hummed in a pleased manner as he stood up to his full height and motioned to his truck that was parked a block over. "Are you able to walk over to my truck on your own?"
"Yes, I'm not completely helpless..." she replied in a raspy tone; her discontent evident in her voice but she couldn't care less right now.
"Good, um, let's go." he stated before heading in that direction.
Ash reluctantly and wordlessly followed.
Lost in her own thoughts for a moment, as to why the hell she could be doing this and why didn't he just get the hint and leave her be. Why didn't she just tell him to get lost…? Perhaps her injury put her at risk of falling for kindness she wouldn't have before. She hated to admit he was right but had to admit that walking to the train in her condition would have sucked and she doubted anyone else would take pity on the dripping wet teenager with a pissy attitude.
A sudden breeze filtered through and her body shivered automatically; quills bristling in the wind.
Without realizing what happened, a warm weight suddenly brushed along her shoulders and draped over her like a heavy blanket. Ash froze mid-step; eyes quickly peering up as she saw Johnny bending over her slightly. Eyes half-mast and a smile barely creasing the edges of his lips. Eyes gravitating to her own body, his leather jacket was draped over her and without even thinking, she pulled it tighter around herself…