Chapter Thirty Two
Randy was barely conscious but felt it as they hit, his head snapping forward until the airbag deployed against his chest. Everything just kept happening so fast! Immediately the car started to sink, starting downward towards the front, evening out slightly as water began to seep in through the cracks. It took a few seconds but he was the first to come around with a groan, his chest hurting in so many places he could barely breathe. Shit shit shit! No fucking way they just crashed! The water was icy cold as it started to pour into the car through the cracks in the doors, covering his feet up to his ankles and steadily moving upwards. And he was trapped behind an air bag that just about crushed his face. Fuck fuck FUCK! This was fucking REAL!-! He fumbled to bring his hands up and tried to push at the air bag but he jerked up with a gasp, arching hard against as pain radiated and shot up his ribs and around to his spine. Fuck fuck fuck this was bad! He brought his hands up higher to feel along his chest, grunting as he found the airbag pressed so tightly there he couldn't even fit a finger threw and tried moving his legs. They jerked to life and he found them easy to move under the water. At least that much he could do! "Cody?" He was his first thought as he blinked and tried to clear blurry vision. It worked. Cody came into sight still beside him in the passenger seat, groaning as he looked about, bleeding from a wound on his head but otherwise seemed okay.
"Oh god, Randy!" Cody said with a terrified whimper, breathless after getting a good look at his exact whereabouts as he slowly regained full consciousness. "Oh god the bridge! They drove us off the fucking bridge!-! Oh god we're in the fucking RIVER!-!" He reached down, fumbling as he began struggling with his seat-belt that he just realized had somehow become jammed during the crash, jerking as the icy cold water rushed upwards over their knees. "SHIT! I'm-It's-It's-Oh god it won't come out!" He paused to let out a frantic cry, "FUCK I'M STUCK!-!-!"
"What?-!" Randy's eyes grew wide, quickly reaching for Cody but stopped as he sucked in a sharp breath when he found it too painful with the airbag pressed so tight against his chest. "I-I can't-" He couldn't do anything but hurt. The airbag was just too hard, too big! "I can't move."
"Come on baby please I think I almost had it!" Had he? For a split second even? Randy hadn't noticed as pain continued to tear over his torso and stole his breath. And he was growing dizzy; his legs growing colder and colder beneath the quickly rising water. But somehow with one more small frantic whimper Cody broke through his pain like a rock threw a window, shattering it into bits so that is was bearable and took him back to his senses with a slow but deep breath. Come on Randy! He could pull it together and DO this. He HAD to! He fumbled weakly as he went for his own belt and just couldn't believe it as it clicked and released with one push. At least they still had a little bit of luck left! It fell away against his side and just as it did he turned as far as he could against the airbag and with one hand grabbed Cody's seat belt across his chest and pulled as hard as he could.
It didn't work. Fuck Cody wasn't kidding! It was so fucking STUCK! He pulled harder and it was only a few seconds before he just couldn't take it anymore and let out a sharp cry as his back uncontrollably arched his chest against the airbag in a hard spasm. Shit shit SHIT! That fucking HURT. "I can't!"
"Randy!" Cody was suddenly pushing on the air bag, frantically trying to pop it with his hands. That also failed to work, of course it would! His hands only made things worse as they forced the bag against his ribs harder and harder until finally he begged him to stop. It was just too painful; his ribs were on fire!
He tried to breathe as Cody looked around the water for anything that could help them; panting, panicking, blinking rapidly as blood dripped from a deep gash on his scalp into his eye. But there was nothing there, nothing but ice cold dooming death. Shit shit shit! "Hang on baby!" Cody begged frantically as he gave up on searching and rose up from his seat, digging into his pocket beneath the water; and he pulled out a set of keys. "Cover your eyes!" His voice cracked and rasped with fear as he picked out the biggest key on the ring and prepared it between shaky fingers.
Cody leaned in and with another deep breath Randy brought his arm up and covered his face as best as he could, groaning as the strain shot more pain down his chest. Fuck he hoped nothing was broken. He might not be able to swim ashore if they ever get out of the fucking car!
Cody visibly started to shiver, his teeth clattering uncontrollably as he found a spot and gave it a good jab, crying out when it didn't give way. "Shit!" He tried again and again until finally the bag popped and Randy jerked forward with a gasp. Oh god, thank FUCK! With a deeper breath the pain left his chest as he brought his hand to feel across his ribs that had only moments before felt crushed, broken; in pieces. But they were intact and not a one felt out of place. Or maybe it was shock kicking in? Or…
Dare he hope?
Maybe even God?
A strange thought but, would he be so merciful now as to save their lives when he'd shown little to no mercy before? Oh god how at that moment Randy really wanted to believe that! His relationship with God over the years had been rocky to say the least but he always wondered if maybe in the end God just might actually throw him a bone? Maybe God just might spare him the pain of dying so horribly and just take him quickly in his sleep? Seeing as how he hadn't spared him all the other heartaches; all the hardships...The loss of his father. Surely this had to be God working now. Surely there was something; some wonderful merciful force! Because damn it God fucking owed him!
Able to move now he brought his legs up higher, careful of his ribs that oddly still didn't hurt. "Randy!" Cody whimpered desperately pulling on the buckle of his seat belt again, "The buckle's jammed!" The water was up racing to their stomachs, so cold, so fast, so wild as it swallowed them whole. "Shit!" Randy turned, grabbed the belt with both hands and pulled hard, using the seat as leverage. But fuck it was still so seriously fucking stuck! It wouldn't budge! Not even a little! Shit shit shit! "Help me pull!" He stopped and waited for Cody's hands to rejoin his on the belt and together they pulled and jerked against the clasp; the water rushing upwards to their chests. Still nothing.
He glanced out the windshield and tugged harder. "Hurry Cody come on PULL!" Fuck they were sinking so fast the front end of the car was completely submerged up to the top of the wind shield and only going deeper with each passing second! And fucking shit the god damn seat belt still wouldn't fucking break!-!-! They were trying so hard and the damn thing just wouldn't give! Not even a little! "It's no use you have to go!" Cody suddenly stopped pulling and started pushing against Randy's chest beneath the water, trying to force him away. "Go!-!"
FUCK THAT! Fucking HELL was Cody fucking INSANE?-! "I'm not leaving without you!" He shook his head, splashing water that forced him to tilt his chin to breathe and noted again that luck was once again temporarily on their side as the water seemed to slow as the car completely disappeared into the river, sinking quickly into the rivers miraculously shallow depths. "Come on you piece of shit!" He screamed desperately to the buckle beneath the icy water that was quickly weakening and freezing his muscles to the point of no use. "GOD DAMN IT! FUCKING BREAK!"
"RANDY GO!" Cody scream echoed within and pierced his ears but still he didn't stop. Still he tore, yanked, jerked, tugged, pulled; did everything he could with everything he had! He wasn't giving up! He wasn't leaving him behind to drown! Cody was getting out of the car with him and if not Randy was prepared to die trying!
"YOU HAVE TO!"
"I WON'T!-!-!" He yanked even harder, putting all of his weight into it with a desperate snarl. "Come on Cody don't give up! Pull baby PULL!-!-!" He screamed and with a defeated whimper Cody weakly wrapped his hands around the belt and started to pull, titling his head as the water finally began to splash against his mouth. "Randy please!" Another whimper and tears streamed down towards his ears and into the water. "Baby please you have to go! It's too late baby please just go! Please you can still make it!"
"NO!" He stopped and grabbed Cody's face in both his hands and forced Cody to look him in the eyes, panting, panicked, utterly frantic and not at all worried that the pain in his chest was very slowly returning. "I'm not leaving you here to die Cody!" He gave him a wet, desperate but quick kiss to calm his nerves, silencing another one of his desperate pleas. He broke away just as quickly, shaking his head firmly as he fought off a hard shudder, his body beginning to feel the cold water working to stiffen his muscles. "I'm not letting us die like this! We're going to get out of this and go the fuck home okay? Just like we talked about!" He squeezed Cody harder, trying desperately to bring him back from the brink of hysterics, "Don't you want that? Don't you want me to take us home?" Cody nodded rapidly, swallowing hard as the water crawled higher. Yes he wanted that so bad but there was no time! The water would cover them at any moment and Randy had to get out and save himself! He just had to! "Randy please!"
"NO! I'M GETTING US OUT OF HERE!" He tore his hands away from Cody's terrified face and returned them to the belt, "PULL CODY PULL!-!-! COME ON WE CAN DO THIS!" He pulled and with more encouragement Cody joined, putting all he had into it as the water splashed around the faces. Both of them screamed at the top of their lungs as they desperately willed the strap to break, the metal to bend, the clasp to release. Fucking anything that would set Cody free! Randy prayed. Begged for mercy. Begged for another chance to do things right. He even prayed to his father, calling out to him in his head as he struggled to save them when all else failed and left them still fighting to set Cody free. "Help us oh god Dad please help us! Give me the strength! Give me the time! Give us fucking SOMETHING!-!-! Oh god please the water! Shishitshit oh god no! NO! God PLEASE!-!-! HELP US!" He stopped and maneuvered upwards as he grabbed more of the strap, gliding through the water over Cody's lap, bracing his feet on the floor and started wildly jerking back with everything he had; screaming again as the water slowed his movements. But still he jerked, tugged, yanked and pulled; putting his entire body into it until finally just when it seemed completely hopeless something snapped beneath the water and the entire strap gave way. And Cody let out a stunned but very relieved gasp. "It broke!-!-!"
No time to celebrate. Randy bent down and searched his ankle for the holster he was relieved to find still there and prayed his gun still worked as he tore it free. "Try to get back. I'm going to try to break the window." He clicked the safety off but before he could fire Cody was grabbing his arm, pulling on it hard. "Wait!" He shook his head, "If we don't make it-"
"We will-"
"Please just wait! I'm sorry okay?-!" Cody shook his head frantically, his teeth still chattering as he threw his arms around him in the small space they had to use and hugged his shoulders tight. "You didn't leave me! You-You could have saved yourself! Oh God Randy I love you so much! I'm so sorry for everything I've done to us!" He paused as they kissed; hard and quick just like before, "I love you!" They kissed again, longer this time but only by mere seconds and when they broke apart the water was passed their lips. Randy rose up enough to speak, one last time. And he did his best to be quick but sincere at the same time. "Of course I didn't leave you! Forget the past Cody! I love you! More than anything or anyone I've ever known and I promise you that we'll get out of this. I promise you that I will get us home!" Of course he wanted to say more, sure he wanted to whisper his forgiveness to him over and over again between sweet, tender kisses but there just wasn't time! They had only minutes or seconds left before it was too fucking late for both of them!
Cody nodded rapidly before turning his head up and gasped for air in the small quickly disappearing pocket of air above their heads. And with that Randy turned, took a deep breath and said another silent prayer as he sank beneath the water and pressed the barrel of the gun against the window.
He pulled the trigger as he felt Cody's hand come to rest on his shoulder, jerking back as a loud pop echoed throughout the water and almost let out his breath in a scream of joy as the glass exploded outward into the water and disappeared. They were free! He looked back and found Cody nodding his head beneath the water and felt him already pushing his shoulder for him to go. Whether that meant he was ready or the air was finally all gone Randy wasn't sure but there was no turning back now. Either way they still had to fucking GO!
He reached back and took his hand before dropping down a little further and pushed on as pain stabbed and pinched his chest as he carefully pulled himself out of the car through the window. It felt like swimming threw ice; hard and thick, cold and merciless as it chilled him to the bone. But it didn't slow him down. In seconds he was out. He was out and he was free but still he waited for Cody. Still he held his hand as Cody swam out and together they rushed for the surface.