My husband drove the car into the river with my brother and me trapped inside, but when the water had already reached my neck, the man who had been “paralyzed” for 15 years stood up from his wheelchair, k:ick:ed the door open, and whispered, “Play d:ea:d. He’s watching.” I didn’t ask any questions… until I saw who was waiting for my husband on the shore.

Pressure had nearly equalized.

He pushed.

The door opened.

Water rushed around us.

Tobias grabbed my arm.

“Move.”

We slipped through the opening.

Cold water swallowed me.

I kicked upward.

Tobias yanked me down.

I panicked.

“We’re going to drown!”

He pressed something into my hand.

A small emergency breathing mouthpiece.

It was attached to a compact air cartridge inside a waterproof pouch.

“Use it.”

I stared at him.

“Where did you get this?”

“Later.”

I put it in my mouth.

We stayed beneath the surface.

Above us, Garrett was still watching the sinking SUV.

Tobias pointed toward an old pier.

We swam beneath it.

My lungs burned despite the emergency air.

My clothes dragged against me.

Tobias moved like a man who had never spent a day in a wheelchair.

That terrified me almost as much as Garrett.

We reached a narrow maintenance space between two concrete pillars.