The water lapped chest high, but when the ceiling came down to the water, that pissed Kevan off. Leila’s idea of not far was certainly different from hers.
“Okay, this is enough, we have to turn back,” Kevan shouted, as her entire body slowly went numb from cold. “We aren’t doing anything, except get soaked and cold.”
“Kevan, no, please, really, it is just on the other side,” Leila pleaded with her.
“But you can’t tell me how far on the other side. Leila, it could be another mile under water, and I don’t know about you, but I can’t hold my breath that long. No, we have to turn back. Maybe one of the other tunnels will hold better luck.”
“Or they could be just as bad, or even worse,” Wren told her. “Thanks for the positive thinking,” Kevan spat at her.
“Look, I’m not any happier about this than you are, but we have come this far because you believed in her. Well, keep believing; she saw that it isn’t much further, let’s go for it,” Wren said. Kevan looked to the others for their opinions.
“We’ve come this far, as Wren already said,” Joseph stated. “I believe that Leila knows what she is talking about, and we should listen to her.”
“Kevan, its all chance, this whole quest thing has been one big chance from the beginning,” Kaitlyn told her. “But Leila wouldn’t do anything to hurt; at least I don’t think that she would.” Kaitlyn watched her for a second, before she smiled. “I say we carry forward.”
Kevan looked to Marcus, who had stayed quiet. “What do you think?” She wanted to know.
“I think that we are in the middle of a mountain, with men coming after us. If we go back, we risk running into them; going forward is also a risk, but Leila says that she believes that it’s not far. So let us believe in that, and carry on the path that we have started down,” Marcus shrugged.
“Alright,” Kevan sighed. “We carry on.” Turning to face the low edge of the tunnel, drawing in deep breaths to fill her lungs, she dunked under the water and pushed forward. The water over her head was dark and she couldn’t see anything as she pushed herself along the tunnel, praying for the end to come soon. Kevan felt her lungs begin to burn, lighting up a bloom of panic that caused stars to flicker behind blind eyes. Just when she starting to think that she wasn’t going to make it, she saw light. With the last of her strength, she propelled herself forward, and into the light.
Bursting free of the water, she gasped and sputtered, as her body fought to drag in enough air to her oxygen starved body. She hung onto the rocks, having no strength to move from where she clung. One by one, they came through, coughing and gasping for air, then climbing out onto a rock littered shelf. Kevan held on as her body shook, and she didn’t trust herself enough to let go.