My eyes opened.
Darkness envoloped my body.
Countless shadows circled around me, constantly weaving around my limbs as I hovered, frozen in place.
A string of dulled thoughts echoed across my empty mind, slowly breathing life into my soul.
'Almost like… water?'
The inky river flowing around me was warm, comforting even. It made me feel whole.
My thoughts started to speed up; sluggish, but revitalised by recent activity.
'I'm in a river? But, how did I get here… And… how am I breathing?'
I wasn't.
My chest constricted, the previously warm water turning bitterly cold in an instant. I tried to breathe, choking on the freezing water. There was no air.
An instinctual fear arose within me: No air meant no breathing. No breathing meant no living, and in my case I wouldn't for much longer if I didn't get some air soon.
I clenched my teeth, closing my mouth tightly and ignoring the insatiable gagging reflex that was so ingrained into me.
I needed to move. NOW.
I willed my still limbs to move, rusted joints creaking in obvious complaint as I did so.
How long had I been down here?
The darkening shadows swirled around me, wrestling my movement, seemingly intent on trapping me back into my once constrained posture.
'Fuck that.'
My attempts at freedom redoubled, now knowing I had an enemy to fight for my survival. My arms and legs shook erratically as I fought back and forth with my watery restraints with every bit of strength I had left.
A splitting sound echoed through the water, the noise of fabric being torn. This cued the tiniest bit more leeway to appear in my shrinking cage which I thrust myself into agressively.
"Mmmph" I grunted, a few stray bubbles trickled from my lips, rolling along and out of shadows I was trapped in.
'I could probably do it,' I realised. 'I could get free. No, I am going to get free, I'm sure of it. Its only a matter of time.'
While I thought this my limbs snapped more and more of the unseen bindings, the destruction I wrought increasing in intensity with every audible tear.
'One - More - Fucking - Second' I inwardly panted, struggling harder than ever before. Black spots started to appear in my vision, almost unnoticable as my surroundings where so devoid of light.
One grand ripping noise later and I was finally free, liberated from my inky bindings at last.
The darkness slithered away, retreating down into even darker waters. The water had brightness?
'Now - the surface, I have to get to the surface.'
I looked up? Whatever axis it was on didn't matter. It looked brighter than down at the very least. Kicking towards the light, I began to swim; strength slowly beginning to evade me.
I recognised the feeling of my thoughts slowing down, my body near unresponsive.
'Nonono, I'm so fucking close this isn't happening, it isn't. FUCK!'
Petty denial didn't dissuade the truth though, I was drowning and I knew it.
My heart ached.
The word drowning and its implications steadily lost all meaning as my thoughts gradually slowed down due to the lack of oxygen.
I reached out my right arm unconciously in a last desperate attempt to grasp the light I could see above, ultimiately a futile effort. My oustretched fingers balled into a weak fist, clutching at the grey water that was holding me back.
Conciousness faded.
"An adequete performance, qualifications for XXXXXXXXXXXXX met."