High Tide

One misstep was all it took for Brandon to lose his footing and slip on the rocks. 

A lightning bolt of pain pierced his leg as it made contact with a jagged rock.

Brandon reached out his hands, trying to catch himself, but he only felt air.

Thud. His body shuddered as he fell onto the hard, sandy ground.

A sharp intake of breath as a shell sliced his hand open.

Now, he let a small scream escape his mouth.

‘Brandon!’ said a person already clambering over the rocks. ‘You okay mate?’

‘Everything hurts. My hand’s pretty messed up and I think I broke my leg.’

‘I’ll rinse your hand with some water to stop any infections from happening.’

Cold sea water trickled along the ravine in Brandon’s hand.

‘Thanks Hank, I don’t know what I’d do without you.’

‘Less talking, I need to stop that bleeding as soon as I can’

Hank remembered that in a medical emergency it was best to lie the patient down on a flat surface.

The ground here was rocky, far from ideal and it continued like this all along the coastline.

The sea on one side, and towering cliffs on the other, made it impossible to get to higher ground and call for help.

The only way up was by walking a kilometre to get to the boat ramp.

Hank noticed a cove nearby where the ground was mostly flat.

Deciding that that’s where they should go, he secured his hands around Brandon’s shoulders and attempted to pull him along.

‘I can push with my good leg.’ suggested Brandon.

That way was better. The progress was slow but it was something.

‘Don’t worry, I’ll look after you.’ Hank said reassuringly.

Brandon didn’t think he needed looking after but it was still nice of him.

As Hank and Brandon drew closer to the cove, they recounted memories of their youth and their plans for the weekend. Trivial things mostly, but it took their mind off everything they would have to deal with soon.

Hank tried to remember why they had come here in the first place.

Hank had wanted to walk this coast for a long time, so he and Brandon had set out, but they had come too late and the tide wasn’t going down anymore, it was going up.

‘You’re not as light as I remember.’ joked Hank as he laid Brandon against the cliff of the cove and wiped the sweat off his face.

‘I used to carry you on my back when we played together as children.’

‘We’re big kids now,’ sighed Brandon wistfully.

His face relaxed and he closed his eyes, escaping into a slumber.

Hank also felt a wave of tiredness sweep over him.

I can’t sleep now. We don’t have much time. Hank realised.

He shook off his exhaustion and tried to think of a plan.

The water was already rising and if they didn’t move soon, they wouldn’t be able to get to safety.

Hank hastily tugged off his shirt, ripped it down the middle and wound one half tightly around Brandon’s hand.

That should stop the bleeding.

A short assessment of the broken leg showed swelling around the ankle and dark blue spots beginning to bloom everywhere.

This definitely needs hospital treatment. Thought Hank. I don’t know if I’ll be much help.

He scoured the shore for driftwood, which he secured to Brandon’s foot with the other half of his shirt.

That should be good enough.

Now, what else was on my list? pondered Hank. Ah yes. Sleep.

And with that, fatigue’s fat fingers pulled him into a deep, deep sleep.

. . . . . . . . .

Trees were bending over and stretching back up, like puppets controlled by the wind. A mixture of leaves, dust and sand swirled around creating a mini hurricane.

The waves were choppy and tall, crashing down onto shore.

A storm was brewing.

Brandon stirred from his sleep with a cold sensation in his foot.

Probably just side effects of my broken leg. He thought.

But after a few seconds he could feel the sensation spreading up his leg.

Brandon shrieked in surprise and sat up in a flash as coldness swept all over his body.

He saw the water being pulled back into the sea, preparing another big wave.

His wet clothes stuck to his body as he attempted to stand up.

One leg, his good leg. Then the other-

No. His broken leg buckled beneath him and he fell onto the sand.

Only now he noticed a piece of wood tied to his calf and some fabric around his hand.

Hank must’ve done some makeshift first-aid. Where was he anyways?

The last time Brandon had seen him was before he had blacked out. Had Hank abandoned him?

The thought instilled terror in his mind.

‘Hank?’ He called out, his voice cracking and laced with fear. ‘Where are you?’

The howling wind snatched his voice and carried it away.

An oncoming wave pushed him backwards and he found himself, back against the cliff.

A shape appeared from behind one of the cliff walls. Hank, waist deep in the water and a grimace on his face.

Brandon released a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding.

‘Oh my, I’m so glad you’re back. I thought you left me.’

Hank must have heard the tremor in his voice because he comforted him.

‘Don’t worry. I said I wouldn’t leave you. I didn’t. Yeah, sorry, I just wanted to see if there was a way to get outta this cove before, um…’

Hank paused, splashing as he got out of the water.

‘Before the water catches up to us.’

The words hung in the air like poison.

’Anyways, I found some rocks further away that we could go across but we need to go, now.’

‘The waves seem a bit dangerous.’

And they were. From far off, they rose up and gathered height. Then crashed down on the shore with great force. Some even managed to lick the cliff face.

‘The storm will only get worse.’ said Hank darkly.

Can we really do this? Came a voice deep from within his mind. Of course we can.

Hank positioned himself behind Brandon and took hold of his shoulders, dragging him across the wet sand in the direction of the rocks.

He could feel that Brandon was slipping out of his hands so he tightened his grip.

‘That hurts!’ Brandon said with a wince.

‘I know, but unless you get up and walk we’re gonna have to do it this way.’

The waves latched onto Hank’s ankles, making it difficult for them to make much progress.

‘Put your arm around me.’ ordered Hank as he lifted Brandon up. ’The rocks are gonna to be even more slippery ‘cause of the water, so be careful.’

Together, they lifted themselves up onto the rocks. Testing their footing each step, they slowly hobbled across.

I know I said to be careful, Thought Hank. But this is just painful. If only Brandon wasn’t so slow.

‘Look!’ Hank pointed. ‘There’s the boat ramp. It’s far, but we can still make it.’

Brandon squinted into the distance but as he did, his foot lost contact with the rock and he slid down into the water.

Brandon could feel the ground, but try as he might, he couldn’t get back on the rock.

He was never going to get out!

‘Hank, help!’

Strong arms pulled Brandon roughly back onto the rocks.

‘Listen, you gotta stop messing around. We’ve got to go!’ said Hank with desperation in his voice.

They resumed their hobbling, anxiously observing the water level moving up with every wave.

The tops of even the highest rocks were almost submerged.

Hank looked behind him and saw that the cove was completely filled with water. There would be no return.

There were no more rocks in front of them and all that was left was a long stretch of water until the boat ramp.

This was going to be the hardest part.

‘You’re not going to leave me, right?’ Brandon asked nervously.

‘Just be quiet,’ Hank replied irritatedly. ‘I need to concentrate and I’ve already told you I won’t.’

Hank lowered himself into the water, then hauled Brandon in as well.

It was hard for Hank to stay afloat with an adult holding him down and almost drowning him.

Hank stayed far away from the cliff, trying to avoid the waves crashing against the cliff wall. He didn’t want to be anywhere in between.

The waves kept on getting bigger and bigger and one managed to pull Hank and Brandon into the water.

Hank fought to get back to the surface but his body felt as if it were made of bricks. Salty sea water forced itself into his lungs and seemed to fill him up.

The need for oxygen was killing Hank but it also gave him an adrenaline rush. He pushed himself to the surface and his head broke through the water.

Hank breathed in and out quickly, in time with his beating heart.

He felt his senses heighten.

His face was icy and frigid from the harsh wind blowing into his face.

The muscles in his arms hurt from dragging Brandon all around the place.

He had a burning sensation in his throat from the sea water.

Something inside him shifted and he let go of all his troubles. He was as light as a feather and weightless. A new surge of energy propelled him forwards. We’ll make it! He thought decisively.

But Brandon wasn’t here.

Where was he?

Hank tread water as he looked around, surveying his surroundings.

Over there. A thrashing body, a few meters away.

‘Help me,’ panted Brandon. Then he went under.

Hank changed directions to go help Brandon but stopped. A memory rushed at him from nowhere.

The sun beams down on the world through a blue sky causing near-boiling temperatures. Kids run around, their parents close behind. Turtles sit lazily on their stones. Monkeys hang from the bars. Brandon and Hank are in line for ice cream. As is everyone else. Brandon gets strawberry and Hank gets hokey-pokey. Though they are friends, their tastes vary. Brandon, the clumsy one, drops his ice cream and starts crying. Of course Hank gives his own ice cream to Brandon. What else could he have done? Was there another choice?

Brandon had always been the one who ruined everything. Thought Hank. Every time I had to sacrifice myself to cover up his failures. It’s all Brandon’s fault that he broke his leg. We were never going to make it out alive. Only me. So with that decided, Hank kicked back, away from Brandon and towards his future.

Hank’s eyes were set on the boat ramp and that’s where they would stay.

His arms ached and his mind was foggy. The pain didn’t bother him as much. What bothered him was this feeling that he had.

A feeling that he had done something wrong.

Hank’s mind cleared for a second.

Wait? Where was Brandon? The thought frightened him. Then he remembered that Brandon had messed it up for himself and Hank couldn’t always be there to rescue him.

Making his way back to shore, Hank thought he heard someone say his name, but then again, it was probably just the wind.