The ocean thrummed, alive, as I died within it.
I stared up at the sky. It was perfect; filled with these fluffy, sunset-colored, cotton candy clouds that the fading sunlight leaked through in uneven patches. The way the light gleamed on the water's horizon was nearly blinding.
A warm, gasping breath ached against my throat with the most desperate sound.
I had always loved the ocean. I loved the feeling of the warm ocean sand as it squished between my toes, and the way that the water lapped against my bare legs. I loved the color of the waves against the sky, the salty smell that clung to the heavy, evening air, and the sloshing sound of the tide as it rushed in to meet the shore. I loved the squawking calls of the seagulls that flew overhead and the deep, melodic songs that the crickets sang as they welcomed the oncoming night.
I never expected to die there.
The bullets tore through my skin as easily as a knife would through warm butter. My insides burned, as my blood poured effortlessly from my body. It flowed like a waterfall, staining my hands in rich, red ichor. I watched it trickle through my fingers, droplets careening into the abyss of clear water like heavy raindrops.
I remember the intense tremors that rolled down my spine when I had stumbled forward, far past the shoreline. My knees had buckled under my weight.
I don't remember hitting the water, but I do remember the tattered gasps that tumbled from my lips, full and drawn out as air became foreign to my lungs. I remember the deafening sound of my heart pounding against my chest, drumming erratically in my ears. I remember how my skin had come to itch as if there were spiders skittering beneath my skin. I remember how I had thrashed, aghast, screaming in agony as I swallowed mouthful after mouthful of saltwater. Like a thick tar, the water clung to my insides, hard and scathing. I struggled to stand back up, to rise to my feet and pull myself out of the water. But I couldn't. My body would not move.
I was completely immobile, held captive under the decimating weight of the ocean.
And I just wanted it to be over.