I open my eyes despite the intense amount of pain I can feel throughout my body.

The sudden realization of where I am sends me into a panic.

My heart beats fast. I can't breathe. My chest hurts. I need to get out of here.

An eerie silence falls over the car. Cold water slowly begins to fill the bottom of the car, seeping in through the creases of the doors.

I shove at the door, trying to open it. I can feel the pressure of the water pushing back at me as it opens.

This isn't working. And if I can't get this car open, fast, I'm going to die in here.

Cold water seeps into my shoes, freezing my ankles. I pull my legs on to the seat and slam my fists against the window as the car sinks deeper into the body of water.

The car is sinking faster than I would have ever thought. It always seems to happen so slow on all the tv shows and movies I have seen. And I definitely didn't realize just how hard it is to open the doors even when the car is only partly submerged. I thought it was just all fiction and way overdramatized to make for a good show.

Now I know it's not.

The lake seems to be shallow. I can see the bottom from where I am in the car. But even with the shallowness of the water, it doesn't stop me from being able to die down here.

My heart races as reality hits me. I am going to die down here. I am going to die in this car.

Cold water pools around my knees, freezing me even more. The water is so cold. The shock of cold water distracts me.

My arms feel heavy as water slowly soaks my clothing. The waterline is now up to my waist. Now that the shock of cold water is dulled, I can focus on getting out of here. The freezing water sucks the warmness out of me, making all of my muscles stiff and hard to move. My body numbs and cramps as the water continues to rise.

I am tired. I want to take a nap. My body will need some time to recover from this.

Images of my mom flash into my brain as freezing cold water continues filling up the car.

I can't believe this is what her final moments were like. She died in a car just like this, in a lake like this, and in vain like this.

I fill my lungs with what might possibly be my last breath of the sweet, life-giving air and kick at the window. The car is nearly filled with water.

My ears begin ringing as water fills them. My eyes sting with dirty water clouding them. My nose burns with every breath I try my hardest not to take.

Despite all of this, I know I need to keep fighting. I know my mom would want me to keep trying to escape. If she had the option, she would have done the same. I know that she is watching me right now, pushing me forward to escape this car.

I kick and I kick, fighting to get the window broken or the door open.

Before I know it, I am fighting my way to the surface. I am not sure how I did it or how long it took me (or if it is even real. It might be a hallucination for all I know.), but I did.

I take a sweet breath at the surface.

"AVERY!" I hear as my head bobs up and down on the surface.

A splash in the water to my right startles me. Who just jumped in the water?

Please don't let it be my father. I don't think I would be able to fight him now if he got in here and tried to drown me again.

"AVERY!" I swim away from the voice, panic filling my brain, making the recognition of who that voice is coming from impossible.

I swim towards the rocky shore of the lake. I need to get out of this water if I want any chance at making it out of here alive.

"AVERY!"

I scream and cry as I continue fighting to get to land. I don't want to die. Not like this. Not now. I still have so much left in me.

Above me, on the bridge, are flashing lights. I hear car doors open and slam shut. "Help!" I yell. "Help! Down here!"

"Avery!"

I pull myself onto the rocks and catch my breath for a moment, looking up and making eye contact with an officer. "Please help me." I whisper, struggling to pull myself onto the large rocks.

"Avery!"

My hand slips, causing me to tumble back down to the water.

Two hands grab me and yank me out of the water. I squirm and fight against them, fearing that they are the hands of my homicidal father

"Avery! It's me. It's me." Tyler uses his fingers to brush my hair out of my eyes so that I can see him.

"Ty?" I ask, unsure if it is really him. I squeeze him tighter.

"We are going to wait down here until they lower the harness. Okay?" He asks, holding me. I nod, and grab on to him tighter, never wanting to let go.

Authors note: I'm sorry for posting so much today. I'm just so excited for you guys to read this.

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