USER: Maybe it amounted to nothing-after hours of rotting in the daylight , night had fallen over his helpless frame, bathing him in solitude. Maybe it could only ever be nothing, and he was nowhere, as a thousand stars danced across his vision. Blood pulsed in his throat , chasing the burn of rope that encircled his wrists . It was useless to seek solace amongst the dazzling constellation, his pupils shone with the terror of his demise. His spine , bound against the metallic surface of the black Mustang , refused to elevate as restraints held it captive . In a thrash of despair , his pelvis rose upwards , only to be scorned with the grind of further entrapment . Victor's helpless screams punctured the air , sending a reverberation to his core. "Please-help me -please-" With the roof of the car submerged under cruel water , the underpass flooding, his pulse was counting his moments away . Time pirouetted in tight circles, casting shadows that danced over and over as he screamed. "Please-help me-. Victor could almost taste the hollow voices that had taunted him , whispering his fate against his flesh. He thrashed, despite the protest of his limbs , resisting the suffocation of his bindings. As the menace of frigid water encroached the edges of his mind , his demise was closing in. And while the car's wheels were against the ground, his captors had left him unable to escape as he lay infused with the car's roof. Binds had been wound over his torso and hips, securing his fate atop the...

USER: So it's well written?

USER: Maybe it amounted to nothing-after hours of rotting in the daylight , night had fallen over his helpless frame, bathing him in solitude. Maybe it could only ever be nothing, and he was nowhere, as a thousand stars danced across his vision. Blood pulsed in his throat , chasing the burn of rope that encircled his wrists . It was useless to seek solace amongst the dazzling constellation, his pupils shone with the terror of his demise. His spine , bound against the metallic surface of the black Mustang , refused to elevate as restraints held it captive . In a thrash of despair , his pelvis rose upwards , only to be scorned with the grind of further entrapment . Victor's helpless screams punctured the air , sending a reverberation to his core. "Please-help me -please-" With the roof of the car submerged under cruel water , the underpass flooding, his pulse was counting his moments away . Time pirouetted in tight circles, casting shadows that dancedpiqued over and over as he screamed. "Please-help me-.me-". Victor could almost taste the hollow voices that had taunted him , whispering his fate against his flesh. He thrashed, despite the protest of his limbs , resisting the suffocation of his bindings. As the menace of frigid water encroached the edges of his mind , his demise was closing in. And while the car's wheels were against the ground, his captors had left him unable to escape as he lay infused with the car's roof. Binds had been wound over his torso and hips, securing his fate atop the dormant shell of freedom and open roads . Victor had been fleeing his captorsill choice , until the day had taken a twist toward hell, with his beloved Mustang now on the floor of the highway's underpass, and the ocean's water set to flood the channel . Entering his peripheral vision , a now buoyant can of soda that had been embedded in the mud hours earlier sent a wave of nausea to the pit of his guts. Victor had resisted the implantation of the contraband , and as a consequence, he awaited the flowing seawater's embrace. It had been a mistake to resist. To misinterpret an ultimatum for an option. Had he been too blind to see with the clarity his eyes did now , as they gazed in terror at the clear , taunting glow of the stars , his heartbeat striking against his shivers of revulsion . With his boots soaked in freezing saline and his clothing sodden with his autonomy; it was ending. His delusion of agency, of his earlier freedomliberation as the steering wheel had laid under his hands, was running dry. It seemed the very essence of his humanity was seeping into the air as he closed his eyes. "Don't worry Vic, someone will notice you're gone , right?" , the voice had sneered against his neck. "Before we rope you to the roof of your vehicle, here , take the keys , so you can drive it on out,out of the middle of who knows where, you pathetic fool." The flashback lingered on the edges of his psyche , as he flinched at the recollection. His eyes refocused on the sky, and he struggled to hold back another futile scream, his ears ringing from the sound of his own pleas. And as his tears bled into the void atmosphere, he convulsed in reactive horror, the sensation of his captor's breath still travelling across his flesh, draining his insides. Twisting his head away from the rising soda can , another scream wrought itself from his chest, albeit his better instincts . "Help me-" , his own voice echoed against the underpass , surrounding him. As he thrashed against his binds , throwing his head back against the roof of the drowning car, the frigid water bit at his flesh as it rushed over the gleaming surface of the Mustang's roof. The same one he had driven to the side of the highway earlier that day. Now with his hands placed on his chest, and clasped around its keys , his teeth clenched with the irony of control being buried in his own grip. "Those bastards -" he muttered, his energy dying , the stars seeming closer yet further away as water lapped over the car's bonnet. As his eyes slid closed , the silence mocked him. With its clinical , resounding illusion, rushing water creeping closer , he cursed. Poised to spit at how his existence was unheard in the lucidity, he heard the voices of drunken strangers . "Yeah Ryan, I don't understand where this Hennessy came from but , damn I'll take what I get." Laughter followed , and the air was filled by the oncoming revelry. . "Nah , Liam, it was abandoned , which is why I'm thinking these roads aren't so safe-who would leave a bottle of decent-" Victor elicited another scream, his chest encompassed by the unyielding binds. "Please-Oh God-please-" --------- Ryan halted in his tracks, gripping Liam's forearm and steering him toward the overpass , as the wrenching voice curdled through his eardrums. "Bloody hell, Li , I'm sobering up damn quick-" he said, his voice skirting a whisper.

USER: Maybe it amounted to nothing-after hours of rotting in the daylight , night had fallen over his helpless frame, bathing him in solitude. Maybe it could only ever be nothing, and he was nowhere, as a thousand stars danced across his vision. Blood pulsed in his throat , chasing the burn of rope that encircled his wrists . It was useless to seek solace amongst the dazzling constellation, his pupils shone with the terror of his demise. His spine , bound against the metallic surface of the black Mustang , refused to elevate as restraints held it captive . In a thrash of despair , his pelvis rose upwards , only to be scorned with the grind of further entrapment . Victor's helpless screams punctured the air , sending a reverberation to his core. "Please-help me -please-" With the roof of the car submerged under cruel water , the underpass flooding, his pulse was counting his moments away . Time pirouetted in tight circles, casting shadows that piqued over and over as he screamed. "Please-help me-". Victor could almost taste the hollow voices that had taunted him , whispering his fate against his flesh. He thrashed, despite the protest of his limbs , resisting the suffocation of his bindings. As the menace of frigid water encroached the edges of his mind , his demise was closing in. And while the car's wheels were against the ground, his captors had left him unable to escape as he lay infused with the car's roof. Binds had been wound over his torso and hips, securing his fate atop the dormant shell of freedom and open roads . Victor had been fleeing his ill choice , until the day had taken a twist toward hell, with his beloved Mustang now on the floor of the highway's underpass, and the ocean's water set to flood the channel . Entering his peripheral vision , a now buoyant can of soda that had been embedded in the mud hours earlier sent a wave of nausea to the pit of his guts. Victor had resisted the implantation of the contraband , and as a consequence, he awaited the flowing seawater's embrace. It had been a mistake to resist. To misinterpret an ultimatum for an option. Had he been too blind to see with the clarity his eyes did now , as they gazed in terror at the clear , taunting glow of the stars , his heartbeat striking against his shivers of revulsion . With his boots soaked in freezing saline and his clothing sodden with his autonomy; it was ending. His delusion of agency, of his earlier liberation as the steering wheel had laid under his hands, was running dry. It seemed the very essence of his humanity was seeping into the air as he closed his eyes. "Don't worry Vic, someone will notice you're gone , right?" , the voice had sneered against his neck. "Before we rope you to the roof of your vehicle, here , take the keys , so you can drive it on out of the middle of who knows where, you pathetic fool." The flashback lingered on the edges of his psyche , as he flinched at the recollection. His eyes refocused on the sky, and he struggled to hold back another futile scream, his ears ringing from the sound of his own pleas. And as his tears bled into the void atmosphere, he convulsed in reactive horror, the sensation of his captor's breath still travelling across his flesh, draining his insides. Twisting his head away from the rising soda can , another scream wrought itself from his chest, albeit his better instincts . "Help me-" , his own voice echoed against the underpass , surrounding him. As he thrashed against his binds , throwing his head back against the roof of the drowning car, the frigid water bit at his flesh as it rushed over the gleaming surface of the Mustang's roof. The same one he had driven to the side of the highway earlier that day. Now with his hands placed on his chest, and clasped around its keys , his teeth clenched with the irony of control being buried in his own grip. "Those bastards -" he muttered, his energy dying , the stars seeming closer yet further away as water lapped over the car's bonnet. As his eyes slid closed , the silence mocked him. With its clinical , resounding illusion, rushing water creeping closer , he cursed. Poised to spit at how his existence was unheard in the lucidity, he heard the voices of drunken strangers . "Yeah Ryan, I don't understand where this Hennessy came from but , damn I'll take what I get." Laughter followed , and the air was filled by the oncoming revelry. . "Nah , Liam, it was abandoned , which is why I'm thinking these roads aren't so safe-who would leave a bottle of decent-" Victor elicited another scream, his chest encompassed by the unyielding binds. "Please-Oh God-please-" --------- Ryan halted in his tracks, gripping Liam's forearm and steering him toward the overpass , as the wrenching voice curdled through his eardrums. "Bloody hell, Li , I'm sobering up damn quick-" he said, his voice skirting a whisper. Liam dropped the bottle , splinters of glass raining over the pavement , along with the remains of their alcohol ."Ah, shit. Well fun's over Ry-but what the hell was that ?". As Ryan surveyed the scene below, it was distressing in its familiarity. "He can't be any older than us-and he's bound to the roof of that car in ...what, three places? Poor guy has gotta be freezing. Those bastards are getting even more intricate with their tactics...."his voice smoked into a whisper , as his face paled. As he dropped to the asphalt, Liam gathered up an assortment of rocks and debris , including a rusty , hollowed pipe. Upon inspecting it, he announced "it's short, touch-and-go wide, but it'd do in a grave situation " Ryan was already stripping his shirt , grabbing his share of gravel and sprinting for the bank of the underpass . Victor somehow managed another blood boiling scream, sending shocks of raw panic through the air. As Ryan's dark shadow hit the water , and swam into his vision, Victor attempted eye contact in the consuming dark. As Victor's glazed grey stare was met by Ryan's hazel concern, hailing himself onto the roof of the car, his knees knelt by Victor's head . "Hey buddy, just try and slow the breathing down. Those binds around your ribs look tight-but Liam and I escaped similar circumstances earlier, we're gonna get you outta here, alright." Victor offered a dark chuckle, "In a body bag right? Because I'm gonna drown-" Ryan reached over Victors chest and pried at the ropes around his wrists, assessing their proximity to his flesh. "Damnit, I can't fit a finger underneath, he cursed. "What's your name? I'm Ryan, call me Ry'. Busted my own binds and his-" How about this continuation: Ryan's brief gesture at Liam, had him grinning in the moonlight as he hauled himself onto the trunk of the car and crouched by Victor's legs. "Yeah, it's no small feat that we're alive but, we're gonna do what we can to get you untied-but yeah they've given ya no room to breathe ", Liam said, his blue gaze less visible. "It's hopeless right? I'm Victor , dead man-not walking..." he went to lift a hand , and was reminded of his bindings . Ryan , cracking a smile, replied "Good thing I've done this before then , huh? It might not be as hopeless as it should be-" . Angling a rock at a thread of rope , he began sawing at Victor's wrists, the burn travelling through his fingers as an empty Dorito packet sailed past his thigh. "Well, the ropes seem to have some age in 'em. Lazy bastards tied you down with something good 'ol Ry ain't immune to-" he said, as he gained momentum on the fraying rope , as Liam managed to leverage a small rock under the rope that held Victors chest. "You really believe you'll get through these before I meet my watery-" Victor asked before Liam gave a measured response. "Well I can get through the thicker ones with some time, but not to alarm ya both but, he's gonna be breathing through this if this tide keeps coming-" . As Liam reached out and handed Ryan the hollow piping, he tucked it into his pocket in a discreet motion . . As a flash of light from the piping caught in Victors eyes, he asked , disconcerted, "Breathing through what?" . As Ryan maintained his rhythm , hacking into the fibres of the binds which were finally giving way... "I'm almost through, keep the breathing steady for me so you don't bruise those ribs , you're gonna need em for drinking a round of booze when this is over-" Victor managed a sallow smile, the terror in his dilated pupils growing. As a bind snapped , spraying water into Ryan's face , he grasped Victors hands , removing the residual rope. "There we go" Ryan said, a rasp of relief dragging through his exhausted voice... Victor's trembling hands flew to his face as he ran his palms over his eyes, and whispered "Thanks-I -" . As the chill of water cascaded over Ryan's thighs , he lifted Victor's head into his lap, affording him an inch of height. The tide edged at Victors throat , as he steeled a hand in his damp hair. "It's already too hi-high" , he said , through chatting teeth that stammered his panic into fragments . Liam , working tirelessly at the thick rope around Victors torso , mouthed a few silent words in the moonlight "I'm only halfway-". His irises harbouring a slight edge of concern, Ryan plunged his hand across Victors submerged sternum, holding it stable as he spasmed . Almost on cue , as the water's brittle temperature irritated his airway, Victor began to cough under Ryan's palm . "Alright Victor , I need you to focus on the breathing. Nice and slow. Now, me and Liam operate fast, but I need you to breathe through this pipe when the water gets higher. Block off your nose , you can do this Victor, I've got you." As Victors eyes radiated an alertness , he nodded as he said "oh God, this is-" . Ryan held his grasp firm until the spasms stopped. "I'll hold you still , you only have to concentrate on breathing alright?" . The threat of ice lapped at Victors jaw, licking his earlobe with tongues of freezing peril. Holding the pipe firmly in his grasp, the keys of the Mustang long forgotten in the tide, , Ryan braced a palm under Victors head , as his neck collapsed with exhaustion. The tide, without mercy , hedged at Victor's temples , and he wrapped his tongue around the steel piping, his blue lips stretched around the girth of metal. His teeth settled painfully against his gums as he struggled to form a seal. Instincts overrode him as he held the pipe in place, closing his eyes as the water claimed his eyelids . Ryan's voice, seeming a mile away as the seawater engulfed his head, rang out clear . "Victor , I have my hand hovering right the top of the pipe, I can feel you buddy, nice deep breaths. You can do this.". As Ryan held Victors head , the pipe formed an eerie lifeline in his lap. "Liam , how far in are you?", he asked , staving off his own fear as Victor's shallow breaths hit his palm. "This ain't ideal Ry' and I don't mean to alarm ya but, the rope is thicker than-my fingertips are bleeding-". Shaking the stiffness from his hands , Liam rested the heal of his palm over one of his bruised eyes , his earlier injuries shadowing his features. "I'm trying not to pass out, but I'm maybe half an inch from done-" . Ryan , interweaving his fingers through Victor's hair as he held his head steady, yelled, "Liam's got you, now this is gonna hurt as he gets closer to your chest but that means he's almost there, so keep breathing for us." As he fought against his abraded airway, with every urge to cough careening him towards the edge of his control, he managed another breath. Ryan's firm grasp was all that tied his fragile state to a tangible reality, each breathe a triumph, only to be repeated from scratch. As Liam's blood intermingled with the saltwater , staining the rope under his finger, his vision glazed with tears. "Hold on Vic, last few damn fibres." he muttered , grazing the rock against Victor's chest , watching him contain his flinches. The next moment, the rope broke, and Ryan propelled Victors head upward , as he gasped for fresh air. The pipe fell from his mouth and he smiled through bloodied teeth, before his neck collapsed into Ryan's chest. Ryan, breaking into a smile of relief, delivered a gentle thump to Victors back. "he's up and kicking-almost." Tears fell from victors eyes as adrenaline rushed through him "Thank you -I -thought I'd die." Ryan scanned his trained eyes over Victor's back, before noticing Victor's shoulder had dislocated during his attempts to overcome his own imprisonment. As he realigned his shoulder blade , and guided in back into place, Victor groaned at the force. "What the hell was that?" . Ryan , dodging Victor's outpouring of gratitude, responded coolly "You must have put your shoulder out thrashing around, and you're too cold to feel it, but don't worry , you will later." Victor's cheek , still nestled aside Ryan's chest, vibrated with his low murmur. "Oh, shit, how did you-" Ryan only laughed as he gazed at the exhausted Liam who had already travelled to Victors pelvis , strain in his eyes. "I've had some experience with medical -it doesn't matter . Liam is on breaking point so I'm gonna take his position. Victor offered his hand to Ryan , his eyes gesturing at the rock "I can help you cut-" Ryan stashed the rock out of reach as Liam slid himself behind Victor's back, wrapping his arms around his chest to keep him upright. "Sounds like you've got a bit of hypoxia -what I mean is , your brain's messed up, with that shoulder you and Liam are gonna share body heat while I finish this. "

USER: Maybe it amounted to nothing-after hours of rotting in the daylight , night had fallen over his helpless frame, bathing him in solitude. Maybe it could only ever be nothing, and he was nowhere, as a thousand stars danced across his vision. Blood pulsed in his throat , chasing the burn of rope that encircled his wrists . It was useless to seek solace amongst the dazzling constellation, his pupils shone with the terror of his demise. His spine , bound against the metallic surface of the black Mustang , refused to elevate as restraints held it captive . In a thrash of despair , his pelvis rose upwards , only to be scorned with the grind of further entrapment . Victor's helpless screams punctured the air , sending a reverberation to his core. "Please-help me -please-" With the roof of the car submerged under cruel water , the underpass flooding, his pulse was counting his moments away . Time pirouetted in tight circles, casting shadows that piqued over and over as he screamed. "Please-help me-". Victor could almost taste the hollow voices that had taunted him , whispering his fate against his flesh. He thrashed, despite the protest of his limbs , resisting the suffocation of his bindings. As the menace of frigid water encroached the edges of his mind , his demise was closing in. And while the car's wheels were against the ground, his captors had left him unable to escape as he lay infused with the car's roof. Binds had been wound over his torso and hips, securing his fate atop the dormant shell of freedom and open roads . Victor had been fleeing his ill choice , until the day had taken a twist toward hell, with his beloved Mustang now on the floor of the highway's underpass, and the ocean's water set to flood the channel . Entering his peripheral vision , a now buoyant can of soda that had been embedded in the mud hours earlier sent a wave of nausea to the pit of his guts. Victor had resisted the implantation of the contraband , and as a consequence, he awaited the flowing seawater's embrace. It had been a mistake to resist. To misinterpret an ultimatum for an option. Had he been too blind to see with the clarity his eyes did now , as they gazed in terror at the clear , taunting glow of the stars , his heartbeat striking against his shivers of revulsion . With his boots soaked in freezing saline and his clothing sodden with his autonomy; it was ending. His delusion of agency, of his earlier liberation as the steering wheel had laid under his hands, was running dry. It seemed the very essence of his humanity was seeping into the air as he closed his eyes. "Don't worry Vic, someone will notice you're gone , right?" , the voice had sneered against his neck. "Before we rope you to the roof of your vehicle, here , take the keys , so you can drive it on out of the middle of who knows where, you pathetic fool." The flashback lingered on the edges of his psyche , as he flinched at the recollection. His eyes refocused on the sky, and he struggled to hold back another futile scream, his ears ringing from the sound of his own pleas. And as his tears bled into the void atmosphere, he convulsed in reactive horror, the sensation of his captor's breath still travelling across his flesh, draining his insides. Twisting his head away from the rising soda can , another scream wrought itself from his chest, albeit his better instincts . "Help me-" , his own voice echoed against the underpass , surrounding him. As he thrashed against his binds , throwing his head back against the roof of the drowning car, the frigid water bit at his flesh as it rushed over the gleaming surface of the Mustang's roof. The same one he had driven to the side of the highway earlier that day. Now with his hands placed on his chest, and clasped around its keys , his teeth clenched with the irony of control being buried in his own grip. "Those bastards -" he muttered, his energy dying , the stars seeming closer yet further away as water lapped over the car's bonnet. As his eyes slid closed , the silence mocked him. With its clinical , resounding illusion, rushing water creeping closer , he cursed. Poised to spit at how his existence was unheard in the lucidity, he heard the voices of drunken strangers . "Yeah Ryan, I don't understand where this Hennessy came from but , damn I'll take what I get." Laughter followed , and the air was filled by the oncoming revelry. . "Nah , Liam, it was abandoned , which is why I'm thinking these roads aren't so safe-who would leave a bottle of decent-" Victor elicited another scream, his chest encompassed by the unyielding binds. "Please-Oh God-please-" --------- Ryan halted in his tracks, gripping Liam's forearm and steering him toward the overpass , as the wrenching voice curdled through his eardrums. "Bloody hell, Li , I'm sobering up damn quick-" he said, his voice skirting a whisper. Liam dropped the bottle , splinters of glass raining over the pavement , along with the remains of their alcohol ."Ah, shit. Well fun's over Ry-but what the hell was that ?". As Ryan surveyed the scene below, it was distressing in its familiarity. "He can't be any older than us-and he's bound to the roof of that car in ...what, three places? Poor guy has gotta be freezing. Those bastards are getting even more intricate with their tactics...."his voice smoked into a whisper , as his face paled. As he dropped to the asphalt, Liam gathered up an assortment of rocks and debris , including a rusty , hollowed pipe. Upon inspecting it, he announced "it's short, touch-and-go wide, but it'd do in a grave situation " Ryan was already stripping his shirt , grabbing his share of gravel and sprinting for the bank of the underpass . Victor somehow managed another blood boiling scream, sending shocks of raw panic through the air. As Ryan's dark shadow hit the water , and swam into his vision, Victor attempted eye contact in the consuming dark. As Victor's glazed grey stare was met by Ryan's hazel concern, hailing himself onto the roof of the car, his knees knelt by Victor's head . "Hey buddy, just try and slow the breathing down. Those binds around your ribs look tight-but Liam and I escaped similar circumstances earlier, we're gonna get you outta here, alright." Victor offered a dark chuckle, "In a body bag right? Because I'm gonna drown-" Ryan reached over Victors chest and pried at the ropes around his wrists, assessing their proximity to his flesh. "Damnit, I can't fit a finger underneath, he cursed. "What's your name? I'm Ryan, call me Ry'. Busted my own binds and his-" How about this continuation: Ryan's brief gesture at Liam, had him grinning in the moonlight as he hauled himself onto the trunk of the car and crouched by Victor's legs. "Yeah, it's no small feat that we're alive but, we're gonna do what we can to get you untied-but yeah they've given ya no room to breathe ", Liam said, his blue gaze less visible. "It's hopeless right? I'm Victor , dead man-not walking..." he went to lift a hand , and was reminded of his bindings . Ryan , cracking a smile, replied "Good thing I've done this before then , huh? It might not be as hopeless as it should be-" . Angling a rock at a thread of rope , he began sawing at Victor's wrists, the burn travelling through his fingers as an empty Dorito packet sailed past his thigh. "Well, the ropes seem to have some age in 'em. Lazy bastards tied you down with something good 'ol Ry ain't immune to-" he said, as he gained momentum on the fraying rope , as Liam managed to leverage a small rock under the rope that held Victors chest. "You really believe you'll get through these before I meet my watery-" Victor asked before Liam gave a measured response. "Well I can get through the thicker ones with some time, but not to alarm ya both but, he's gonna be breathing through this if this tide keeps coming-" . As Liam reached out and handed Ryan the hollow piping, he tucked it into his pocket in a discreet motion . . As a flash of light from the piping caught in Victors eyes, he asked , disconcerted, "Breathing through what?" . As Ryan maintained his rhythm , hacking into the fibres of the binds which were finally giving way... "I'm almost through, keep the breathing steady for me so you don't bruise those ribs , you're gonna need em for drinking a round of booze when this is over-" Victor managed a sallow smile, the terror in his dilated pupils growing. As a bind snapped , spraying water into Ryan's face , he grasped Victors hands , removing the residual rope. "There we go" Ryan said, a rasp of relief dragging through his exhausted voice... Victor's trembling hands flew to his face as he ran his palms over his eyes, and whispered "Thanks-I -" . As the chill of water cascaded over Ryan's thighs , he lifted Victor's head into his lap, affording him an inch of height. The tide edged at Victors throat , as he steeled a hand in his damp hair. "It's already too hi-high" , he said , through chatting teeth that stammered his panic into fragments . Liam , working tirelessly at the thick rope around Victors torso , mouthed a few silent words in the moonlight "I'm only halfway-". His irises harbouring a slight edge of concern, Ryan plunged his hand across Victors submerged sternum, holding it stable as he spasmed . Almost on cue , as the water's brittle temperature irritated his airway, Victor began to cough under Ryan's palm . "Alright Victor , I need you to focus on the breathing. Nice and slow. Now, me and Liam operate fast, but I need you to breathe through this pipe when the water gets higher. Block off your nose , you can do this Victor, I've got you." As Victors eyes radiated an alertness , he nodded as he said "oh God, this is-" . Ryan held his grasp firm until the spasms stopped. "I'll hold you still , you only have to concentrate on breathing alright?"alright? And if you can't hold it in place , just squeeze my hand and I'll get it out. You'll have to hold your breath, and hold any water in your mouth, but this may buy us some time. I'll have to remove it slowly, but I know you can do this." . The threat of icethe cold water lapped at Victors jaw, licking his earlobe with tongues of freezing peril. Holding the pipe firmly in his grasp, the keys of the Mustang long forgotten in the tide, , Ryan braced a palm under Victors head , as his neck collapsed with exhaustion. The tide, without mercy , hedged at Victor's temples , and he wrapped his tongue around the steel piping, his blue lips stretched around the girth of the metal. A far fetched attempt at air , he prepared for water to fill his lungs . His teeth settled painfully against his gums as he struggled to form a seal.seal, ensuring not even a droplet would berate his airways, or his demise would be met. Instincts overrode him as he held the pipe in place, closing his eyes as the water claimed his eyelids .and didn't stop there. Ryan's voice, seeming a mile away as the seawater engulfed his head, rang out clear . "Victor , I have my hand hovering right the top ofabove the pipe, I can feel you buddy, nice deep breaths. You can do this.".this. No water is gonna come down this end . Not a drop. I'm gonna rotate it every five breaths, it'll be painful, but we don't want you choking on your own carbon. " As Ryan held Victors head , the pipe formed an eerie lifeline in his lap.lap , his eyes not leaving it for a second as Victor groaned. "Liam , how far in are you?", he asked , staving off his own fear asasked, as he gave the pipe a slow turn, and Victor's shallow breaths hit his palm. "Thisgums were torn with the motion. He fought the urge to scream into the rusted metal, instead staring at the isolating darkness of his eyelids, delivering another breath upward. ""This ain't ideal Ry' and I don't mean to alarm ya but, the rope is thicker than-my fingertips are bleeding-". Shaking the stiffness from his hands , Liam rested the heal of his palm over one of his bruised eyes , his earlier injuries shadowing his features. "I'm trying not to pass out, but I'm maybe half an inch from done-"done" . Ryan , interweaving his fingers through Victor's hair as he held his head steady, yelled,whispered, "Liam's got you, now this is gonna hurt as he gets closer to your chest but that means he's almost there, so keep breathing for us."us. It's just like a straw yeah, just blow those bubbles down into the milkshake. We'll both be right here." As he fought against his abraded airway, with every urge to cough careening him towards the edge of his control, he managed another breath. One single breath, his every fibre of his being concentrated into the very act. Ryan's firm grasp was all that tied his fragile state to a tangible reality, each breathe a triumph,following breath a triumph in the encroaching adversity , only to be repeated from scratch.again. As Liam's blood intermingled with the saltwater , staining the rope under his finger, his vision glazed with tears. "Hold on Vic, last few damn fibres." he muttered , grazing. Grazing the rock against Victor's chest with a careful precision , watching him contain his flinches. The subsequent rising and falling of his torso promising hope as Victor held the pipe in place, turning it with a wince in his eyes . The next moment, the rope broke, and Ryan propelled Victors head upward , as he gasped for fresh air. The pipe fell from his mouth and he smiled through bloodied teeth, before his neck collapsed into Ryan's chest.chest, unable to speak. Ryan, breaking into a smile of relief, delivered a gentle thump to Victors back. "he's"He's up and kicking-almost."kicking-almost... you took about sixty breaths. Damn amazing job" Tears fell from victors eyes as adrenaline rushed through him "Thank you -I -thought I'd die." Ryan scanned his trained eyes over Victor's back, before noticing Victor's shoulder had dislocated during his attempts to overcome his own imprisonment. As he realigned his shoulder blade , and guided in back into place, Victor groaned at the force. "What the hell was that?" . Ryan , dodging Victor's outpouring of gratitude, responded coolly "You must have put your shoulder out thrashing around, and you're too cold to feel it, but don't worry , you will later." Victor's cheek , still nestled aside Ryan's chest, vibrated with his low murmur. "Oh, shit, how did you-" Ryan only laughed as he gazed at the exhausted Liam who had already travelled to Victors pelvis , strain in his eyes. "I've had some experience with medical -it doesn't matter . Liam is on breaking point so I'm gonna take his position. Victor offered his hand to Ryan , his eyes gesturing at the rock "I can help you cut-" Ryan stashed the rock out of reach as Liam slid himself behind Victor's back, wrapping his arms around his chest to keep him upright. "Sounds like you've got a bit of hypoxia -what I mean is , your brain's messed up, with that shoulder you and Liam are gonna share body heat while I finish this. "

USER: Maybe it amounted to nothing-after hours of rotting in the daylight , night had fallen over his helpless frame, bathing him in solitude. Maybe it could only ever be nothing, and he was nowhere, as a thousand stars danced across his vision. Blood pulsed in his throat , chasing the burn of rope that encircled his wrists . It was useless to seek solace amongst the dazzling constellation, his pupils shone with the terror of his demise. His spine , bound against the metallic surface of the black Mustang , refused to elevate as restraints held it captive . In a thrash of despair , his pelvis rose upwards , only to be scorned with the grind of further entrapment . Victor's helpless screams punctured the air , sending a reverberation to his core. "Please-help me -please-" With the roof of the car submerged under cruel water , the underpass flooding, his pulse was counting his moments away . Time pirouetted in tight circles, casting shadows that piqued over and over as he screamed. "Please-help me-". Victor could almost taste the hollow voices that had taunted him , whispering his fate against his flesh. He thrashed, despite the protest of his limbs , resisting the suffocation of his bindings. As the menace of frigid water encroached the edges of his mind , his demise was closing in. And while the car's wheels were against the ground, his captors had left him unable to escape as he lay infused with the car's roof. Binds had been wound over his torso and hips, securing his fate atop the dormant shell of freedom and open roads . Victor had been fleeing his ill choice , until the day had taken a twist toward hell, with his beloved Mustang now on the floor of the highway's underpass, and the ocean's water set to flood the channel . Entering his peripheral vision , a now buoyant can of soda that had been embedded in the mud hours earlier sent a wave of nausea to the pit of his guts. Victor had resisted the implantation of the contraband , and as a consequence, he awaited the flowing seawater's embrace. It had been a mistake to resist. To misinterpret an ultimatum for an option. Had he been too blind to see with the clarity his eyes did now , as they gazed in terror at the clear , taunting glow of the stars , his heartbeat striking against his shivers of revulsion . With his boots soaked in freezing saline and his clothing sodden with his autonomy; it was ending. His delusion of agency, of his earlier liberation as the steering wheel had laid under his hands, was running dry. It seemed the very essence of his humanity was seeping into the air as he closed his eyes. "Don't worry Vic, someone will notice you're gone , right?" , the voice had sneered against his neck. "Before we rope you to the roof of your vehicle, here , take the keys , so you can drive it on out of the middle of who knows where, you pathetic fool." The flashback lingered on the edges of his psyche , as he flinched at the recollection. His eyes refocused on the sky, and he struggled to hold back another futile scream, his ears ringing from the sound of his own pleas. And as his tears bled into the void atmosphere, he convulsed in reactive horror, the sensation of his captor's breath still travelling across his flesh, draining his insides. Twisting his head away from the rising soda can , another scream wrought itself from his chest, albeit his better instincts . "Help me-" , his own voice echoed against the underpass , surrounding him. As he thrashed against his binds , throwing his head back against the roof of the drowning car, the frigid water bit at his flesh as it rushed over the gleaming surface of the Mustang's roof. The same one he had driven to the side of the highway earlier that day. Now with his hands placed on his chest, and clasped around its keys , his teeth clenched with the irony of control being buried in his own grip. "Those bastards -" he muttered, his energy dying , the stars seeming closer yet further away as water lapped over the car's bonnet. As his eyes slid closed , the silence mocked him. With its clinical , resounding illusion, rushing water creeping closer , he cursed. Poised to spit at how his existence was unheard in the lucidity, he heard the voices of drunken strangers . "Yeah Ryan, I don't understand where this Hennessy came from but , damn I'll take what I get." Laughter followed , and the air was filled by the oncoming revelry. . "Nah , Liam, it was abandoned , which is why I'm thinking these roads aren't so safe-who would leave a bottle of decent-" Victor elicited another scream, his chest encompassed by the unyielding binds. "Please-Oh God-please-" --------- Ryan halted in his tracks, gripping Liam's forearm and steering him toward the overpass , as the wrenching voice curdled through his eardrums. "Bloody hell, Li , I'm sobering up damn quick-" he said, his voice skirting a whisper. Liam dropped the bottle , splinters of glass raining over the pavement , along with the remains of their alcohol ."Ah, shit. Well fun's over Ry-but what the hell was that ?". As Ryan surveyed the scene below, it was distressing in its familiarity. "He can't be any older than us-and he's bound to the roof of that car in ...what, three places? Poor guy has gotta be freezing. Those bastards are getting even more intricate with their tactics...."his voice smoked into a whisper , as his face paled. As he dropped to the asphalt, Liam gathered up an assortment of rocks and debris , including a rusty , hollowed pipe. Upon inspecting it, he announced "it's short, touch-and-go wide, but it'd do in a grave situation " Ryan was already stripping his shirt , grabbing his share of gravel and sprinting for the bank of the underpass . Victor somehow managed another blood boiling scream, sending shocks of raw panic through the air. As Ryan's dark shadow hit the water , and swam into his vision, Victor attempted eye contact in the consuming dark. As Victor's glazed grey stare was met by Ryan's hazel concern, hailing himself onto the roof of the car, his knees knelt by Victor's head . "Hey buddy, just try and slow the breathing down. Those binds around your ribs look tight-but Liam and I escaped similar circumstances earlier, we're gonna get you outta here, alright." Victor offered a dark chuckle, "In a body bag right? Because I'm gonna drown-" Ryan reached over Victors chest and pried at the ropes around his wrists, assessing their proximity to his flesh. "Damnit, I can't fit a finger underneath, he cursed. "What's your name? I'm Ryan, call me Ry'. Busted my own binds and his-" How about this continuation: Ryan's brief gesture at Liam, had him grinning in the moonlight as he hauled himself onto the trunk of the car and crouched by Victor's legs. "Yeah, it's no small feat that we're alive but, we're gonna do what we can to get you untied-but yeah they've given ya no room to breathe ", Liam said, his blue gaze less visible. "It's hopeless right? I'm Victor , dead man-not walking..." he went to lift a hand , and was reminded of his bindings . Ryan , cracking a smile, replied "Good thing I've done this before then , huh? It might not be as hopeless as it should be-" . Angling a rock at a thread of rope , he began sawing at Victor's wrists, the burn travelling through his fingers as an empty Dorito packet sailed past his thigh. "Well, the ropes seem to have some age in 'em. Lazy bastards tied you down with something good 'ol Ry ain't immune to-" he said, as he gained momentum on the fraying rope , as Liam managed to leverage a small rock under the rope that held Victors chest. "You really believe you'll get through these before I meet my watery-" Victor asked before Liam gave a measured response. "Well I can get through the thicker ones with some time, but not to alarm ya both but, he's gonna be breathing through this if this tide keeps coming-" . As Liam reached out and handed Ryan the hollow piping, he tucked it into his pocket in a discreet motion . As a flash of light from the piping caught in Victors eyes, he asked , disconcerted, "Breathing through what?". As Ryan maintained his rhythm , hacking into the fibres of the binds which were finally giving way... "I'm almost through, keep the breathing steady for me so you don't bruise those ribs , you're gonna need em for drinking a round of booze when this is over-" Victor managed a sallow smile, the terror in his dilated pupils growing. As a bind snapped , spraying water into Ryan's face , he grasped Victors hands , removing the residual rope. "There we go" Ryan said, a rasp of relief dragging through his exhausted voice... Victor's trembling hands flew to his face as he ran his palms over his eyes, and whispered "Thanks-I -" . As the chill of water cascaded over Ryan's thighs , he lifted Victor's head into his lap, affording him an inch of height. The tide edged at Victors throat , as he steeled a hand in his damp hair. "It's already too hi-high" , he said , through chatting teeth that stammered his panic into fragments . Liam , working tirelessly at the thick rope around Victors torso , mouthed a few silent words in the moonlight "I'm only halfway-". His irises harbouring a slight edge of concern, Ryan plunged his hand across Victors submerged sternum, holding it stable as he spasmed . Almost on cue , as the water's brittle temperature irritated his airway, Victor began to cough under Ryan's palm . "Alright Victor , I need you to focus on the breathing. Nice and slow. Now, me and Liam operate fast, but I need you to breathe through this pipe when the water gets higher. Block off your nose , you can do this Victor, I've got you." As Victors eyes radiated an alertness , he nodded as he said "oh God, this is-" . Ryan held his grasp firm until the spasms stopped. "I'll hold you still , you only have to concentrate on breathing alright? And if you can't hold it in place , just squeeze my hand and I'll get it out. You'll have to hold your breath, and hold any water in your mouth, but this may buy us some time. I'll have to remove it slowly, but I know you can do this." . The threat of the cold water lapped at Victors jaw, licking his earlobe with tongues of freezing peril. Holding the pipe firmly in his grasp, the keys of the Mustang long forgotten in the tide, , Ryan braced a palm under Victors head , as his neck collapsed with exhaustion. The tide, without mercy , hedged at Victor's temples , and he wrapped his tongue around the steel piping, his blue lips stretched around the girth of the metal. A far fetched attempt at air , he prepared for water to fill his lungs . His teeth settled painfully against his gums as he struggled to form a seal, ensuring not even a droplet would berate his airways, or his demise would be met. Instincts overrode him as he held the pipe in place, closing his eyes as the water claimed his eyelids and didn't stop there. Ryan's voice, seeming a mile away as the seawater engulfed his head, rang out clear . "Victor , I have my hand hovering right above the pipe, I can feel you buddy, nice deep breaths. You can do this. No water is gonna come down this end . Not a drop. I'm gonna rotate it every five breaths, it'll be painful, but we don't want you choking on your own carbon. " As Ryan held Victors head , the pipe formed an eerie lifeline in his lap , his eyes not leaving it for a second as Victor groaned. "Liam , how far in are you?", he asked, as he gave the pipe a slow turn, and Victor's gums were torn with the motion. He fought the urge to scream into the rusted metal, instead staring at the isolating darkness of his eyelids, delivering another breath upward. ""This ain't ideal Ry' and I don't mean to alarm ya but, the rope is thicker than-my fingertips are bleeding-". Shaking the stiffness from his hands , Liam rested the heal of his palm over one of his bruised eyes , his earlier injuries shadowing his features. "I'm trying not to pass out, but I'm maybe half an inch from done" . Ryan , interweaving his fingers through Victor's hair as he held his head steady, whispered, "Liam's got you, now this is gonna hurt as he gets closer to your chest but that means he's almost there, so keep breathing for us. It's just like a straw yeah, just blow those bubbles down into the milkshake. We'll both be right here." As he fought against his abraded airway, with every urge to cough careening him towards the edge of his control, he managed another breath. One single breath, his every fibre of his being concentrated into the very act. Ryan's firm grasp was all that tied his fragile state to a tangible reality, each following breath a triumph in the encroaching adversity , only to be repeated again. As Liam's blood intermingled with the saltwater , staining the rope under his finger, his vision glazed with tears. "Hold on Vic, last few damn fibres." he muttered . Grazing the rock against Victor's chest with a careful precision , watching him contain his flinches. The subsequent rising and falling of his torso promising hope as Victor held the pipe in place, Ryan turning it with a wince in his eyes . As Victor felt the pipe grind , it's insidious twist of execution set his chest into a fatal spasm. "Oh shit- Victor , listen to me, if youve got water in your mouth squeeze my hand, Ryan said, staving off his own panic as he felt the jolt through his fingers. "It's alright , hold your breath, we still got some minutes, you're doing great, Vic." Ryan lifted the pipe from the water , a sense of disconnection haunting him. The next moment, the rope broke, and Ryan propelled Victors head upward , as he gasped for fresh air. The pipeAs fatigue laden tears fell from his mouth andbloodshot eyes, he smiled through bloodied teeth, before histeeth. His neck then collapsed into Ryan's chest,chest as Victor was rendered unable to speak.speak . Ryan, breaking into a smile of relief, delivered a gentle thump to Victors back.head. "He's up and kicking-almost... you took about sixtytwenty breaths. Damn amazing job"job, borrowed you some life" Tears fell from victorsVictor's eyes as adrenaline rushed through him "Thank you -I -thought I'd die." Ryan pulled Victor's weak frame against him , replying , "well you scared the hell out of me and I don't scare easy". Ryan scanned his trained eyes over Victor's back, before noticing Victor's shoulder had dislocated during his attempts to overcome his own imprisonment. As he realigned his shoulder blade , and guided in back into place, Victor groaned at the force. "What the hell was that?" . Ryan , dodging Victor's outpouring of gratitude, responded coolly "You must have put your shoulder out thrashing around, and you're too cold to feel it, but don't worry , you will later." Victor's cheek , still nestled aside Ryan's chest, vibrated with his low murmur. "Oh, shit, how did you-" Ryan only laughed as he gazed at the exhausted Liam who had already travelled to Victors pelvis , strain in his eyes. "I've had some experience with medical -it doesn't matter . Liam is on breaking point so I'm gonna take his position. Victor offered his hand to Ryan , his eyes gesturing at the rock "I can help you cut-" Ryan stashed the rock out of reach as Liam slid himself behind Victor's back, wrapping his arms around his chest to keep him upright. "Sounds like you've got a bit of hypoxia -what I mean is , your brain's messed up, with that shoulder you and Liam are gonna share body heat while I finish this. " With a laugh, Liam readjusted Victors head against his chest , allowing himself to shiver , his muscles radiating heat. "I gotta say, you did one hell of a job breathing for that pipe for a few minutes . It's a good thing you didn't have to resort to holding' your breath ." They both chuckled, their relief intermingling with the surrealism of the moment. "I couldn't have breathed through that, you're really something, huh? " Victor grinned , his humour still intact as oxygen crawled to his nerve endings . "I'm death warmed up, thanks to you-". Ryan finally snapped the binding from Victor's left hip, groaning as he hauled himself to the other side of the car , the water holding its rapid infiltration of time. "And this is the easy part-bloody hell, the alcohol is catching back up to me -" . Liam's heartbeat slowed as his eyelids sank lower and he replied "Keep at it Ry' , the tide is reaching my armpits here, and he must weigh as much as I do-" . Victor's gruff reply, filled with the thickness of his throat , hung in the air as the keys to the Mustang hit Liam in the forearm. He retrieved them, flipping them around his knuckles , and handing them to Victor. "This was your car-man I'm sorry-", he lamented a somber tone lacing his voice. "Well it's not as if I planned to drive her again after this-" Silence fell over Victor in a blanket of emancipation from his former identity. "I just want to block the whole incident out-" he said, and turned his attention to the rising water. Finally, Ryan sawed through Victor's right hip, pulling the rope away , his expression betraying his strength. "Thank goodness for that. Now Victor, wanna be a dead man swimming?" He asked, his smile illuminating in the dark. With his arm slung around Victors injured shoulder , Liam heaved him into a one armed embraced and swung his legs from the roof of the car. "Lean on me, and let's get you to shore huh? Me and Ryan don't know where the hell we are but it seems like right place at the right time cuts it..." Victor nodded, as Ryan swam to shore , and sprawled across the bank , chest heaving .Liam and Victor's conjoined shadow swam across the rushing water, as Liam eased Victor onto his back . Joining him , the sky held its silver edge of despondency, quiet and somehow offering meaning . It could maybe be more than nothing, and nowhere , even it that's precisely what it was. ------- His gaze wandered from his shaking hands and out onto horizon, trailing the stars with bloodshot eyes. The whites that surrounded his irises held broken vessels from his head injuries, and lingering evidence of his trauma . thrashing against concrete had a way of leaving behind stark physical reminders , and the sand was salvaging and cool against his temples. The clear skies , however, taunted an unreached clarity with striking distance from any hope of seeing in the dark. Liam traced Victor's outline as he stumbled across the shoreline, gathering driftwood. "Least I can do is get a bonfire started , despite the horrible pain in my right shoulder ". As he shifted in the sand , his calves elevated on a sand dune, Liam kept his head low. "Don't strain yourself Vic, we have all night and with me being indisposed and Ryan being ...well". His eyes , refocusing on Ryan's unconscious face under the moonlight, stung as he laughed. "Yeah, Ryan is dead to the world , after sawin' through your binds it seems he's spent." Victor yelled out from the breakers that lapsed around his bare ankles . "He's a hell of a lot more together than me-", Victor said, heaving wood into his arms, his right shoulder pulsing with his heart. "Well it's not like there's a hospital out here in the middle of nowhere so good thing 'ol Ry could slam your scapula back into place " Liam replied , still watching Ryan sleeping , his expression at peace for the moment. "Yeah, thank goodness he's got medical training, popping dislocated shoulders back in seems like a hobby to him...". Victor grinned as he dumped down a pile of wood beside the recovering Liam , and collapsed by his side. "How are we gonna light this ?" Victor asked, the dampness of the air seeping through his words. Liam was quick to toss a lighter at Victor , his pulsating headache fading to the background as the waves' crashing beckoned the pain away. As Victor ignited a piece of wood, a the flame spread through the pyre , the warmth flickered over their skin. "Ah , this is the life huh", Liam said, his voice full of exhausted humor. Victor, flexing his interlocking palms at the fire , nodded. "Yeah, beats being tied up on a car, waiting for the tide to-" His eyes darkened as he stared at the dancing flames, his voice lost in the crackling embers. "I need to make clear how grateful I am to you both" Victor said, his gaze in the material of his fatigues as he spoke. "I'd have drowned , tide was creeping up so fast-" As he replied from his makeshift bed of a rolled shirt and a dune of sand , Liam chose a space between the stars. "It was nothing , I mean Ryan is out cold and I'm worse off for shredding my fingers but, still -". As another wave crashed in rhythm with Liam's pulse , he said, eyes not leaving his focal point. "Ok, it was the hell we went through because we needed to , there was no other choice." Victor stoked the flames , lost in thought, as Ryan lifted his head from its cradle of sand, shaking particles from his hair. "How long was I out. I'm so stiff-" Victor answered as he stood up and hauled another chunk of debris toward the fire , "Maybe three days? Nah , a few hours, welcome back to the living." Ryan groaned , feigning disgust "you look like hell Liam, I'm guessin' neither of you have slept, just watched me huh?" . Eying Ryan's profile Liam shot back "Yeah, me and Vic were just discussing how you should be the one to go catch us a boar and gut it , seeing as you're the medic round here" And a laugh followed as Ryan sat up, life returning to his expression. "Ain't no wildlife round here...but your lazy ass would starve before it found out any different".

USER: Is the use and failure of the pipe plausible Maybe it amounted to nothing-after hours of rotting in the daylight , night had fallen over his helpless frame, bathing him in solitude. Maybe it could only ever be nothing, and he was nowhere, as a thousand stars danced across his vision. Blood pulsed in his throat , chasing the burn of rope that encircled his wrists . It was useless to seek solace amongst the dazzling constellation, his pupils shone with the terror of his demise. His spine , bound against the metallic surface of the black Mustang , refused to elevate as restraints held it captive . In a thrash of despair , his pelvis rose upwards , only to be scorned with the grind of further entrapment . Victor's helpless screams punctured the air , sending a reverberation to his core. "Please-help me -please-" With the roof of the car submerged under cruel water , the underpass flooding, his pulse was counting his moments away . Time pirouetted in tight circles, casting shadows that piqued over and over as he screamed. "Please-help me-". Victor could almost taste the hollow voices that had taunted him , whispering his fate against his flesh. He thrashed, despite the protest of his limbs , resisting the suffocation of his bindings. As the menace of frigid water encroached the edges of his mind , his demise was closing in. And while the car's wheels were against the ground, his captors had left him unable to escape as he lay infused with the car's roof. Binds had been wound over his torso and hips, securing his fate atop the dormant shell of freedom and open roads . Victor had been fleeing his ill choice , until the day had taken a twist toward hell, with his beloved Mustang now on the floor of the highway's underpass, and the ocean's water set to flood the channel . Entering his peripheral vision , a now buoyant can of soda that had been embedded in the mud hours earlier sent a wave of nausea to the pit of his guts. Victor had resisted the implantation of the contraband , and as a consequence, he awaited the flowing seawater's embrace. It had been a mistake to resist. To misinterpret an ultimatum for an option. Had he been too blind to see with the clarity his eyes did now , as they gazed in terror at the clear , taunting glow of the stars , his heartbeat striking against his shivers of revulsion . With his boots soaked in freezing saline and his clothing sodden with his autonomy; it was ending. His delusion of agency, of his earlier liberation as the steering wheel had laid under his hands, was running dry. It seemed the very essence of his humanity was seeping into the air as he closed his eyes. "Don't worry Vic, someone will notice you're gone , right?" , the voice had sneered against his neck. "Before we rope you to the roof of your vehicle, here , take the keys , so you can drive it on out of the middle of who knows where, you pathetic fool." The flashback lingered on the edges of his psyche , as he flinched at the recollection. His eyes refocused on the sky, and he struggled to hold back another futile scream, his ears ringing from the sound of his own pleas. And as his tears bled into the void atmosphere, he convulsed in reactive horror, the sensation of his captor's breath still travelling across his flesh, draining his insides. Twisting his head away from the rising soda can , another scream wrought itself from his chest, albeit his better instincts . "Help me-" , his own voice echoed against the underpass , surrounding him. As he thrashed against his binds , throwing his head back against the roof of the drowning car, the frigid water bit at his flesh as it rushed over the gleaming surface of the Mustang's roof. The same one he had driven to the side of the highway earlier that day. Now with his hands placed on his chest, and clasped around its keys , his teeth clenched with the irony of control being buried in his own grip. "Those bastards -" he muttered, his energy dying , the stars seeming closer yet further away as water lapped over the car's bonnet. As his eyes slid closed , the silence mocked him. With its clinical , resounding illusion, rushing water creeping closer , he cursed. Poised to spit at how his existence was unheard in the lucidity, he heard the voices of drunken strangers . "Yeah Ryan, I don't understand where this Hennessy came from but , damn I'll take what I get." Laughter followed , and the air was filled by the oncoming revelry. . "Nah , Liam, it was abandoned , which is why I'm thinking these roads aren't so safe-who would leave a bottle of decent-" Victor elicited another scream, his chest encompassed by the unyielding binds. "Please-Oh God-please-" --------- Ryan halted in his tracks, gripping Liam's forearm and steering him toward the overpass , as the wrenching voice curdled through his eardrums. "Bloody hell, Li , I'm sobering up damn quick-" he said, his voice skirting a whisper. Liam dropped the bottle , splinters of glass raining over the pavement , along with the remains of their alcohol ."Ah, shit. Well fun's over Ry-but what the hell was that ?". As Ryan surveyed the scene below, it was distressing in its familiarity. "He can't be any older than us-and he's bound to the roof of that car in ...what, three places? Poor guy has gotta be freezing. Those bastards are getting even more intricate with their tactics...."his voice smoked into a whisper , as his face paled. As he dropped to the asphalt, Liam gathered up an assortment of rocks and debris , including a rusty , hollowed pipe. Upon inspecting it, he announced "it's short, touch-and-go wide, but it'd do in a grave situation " Ryan was already stripping his shirt , grabbing his share of gravel and sprinting for the bank of the underpass . Victor somehow managed another blood boiling scream, sending shocks of raw panic through the air. As Ryan's dark shadow hit the water , and swam into his vision, Victor attempted eye contact in the consuming dark. As Victor's glazed grey stare was met by Ryan's hazel concern, hailing himself onto the roof of the car, his knees knelt by Victor's head . "Hey buddy, just try and slow the breathing down. Those binds around your ribs look tight-but Liam and I escaped similar circumstances earlier, we're gonna get you outta here, alright." Victor offered a dark chuckle, "In a body bag right? Because I'm gonna drown-" Ryan reached over Victors chest and pried at the ropes around his wrists, assessing their proximity to his flesh. "Damnit, I can't fit a finger underneath, he cursed. "What's your name? I'm Ryan, call me Ry'. Busted my own binds and his-" How about this continuation: Ryan's brief gesture at Liam, had him grinning in the moonlight as he hauled himself onto the trunk of the car and crouched by Victor's legs. "Yeah, it's no small feat that we're alive but, we're gonna do what we can to get you untied-but yeah they've given ya no room to breathe ", Liam said, his blue gaze less visible. "It's hopeless right? I'm Victor , dead man-not walking..." he went to lift a hand , and was reminded of his bindings . Ryan , cracking a smile, replied "Good thing I've done this before then , huh? It might not be as hopeless as it should be-" . Angling a rock at a thread of rope , he began sawing at Victor's wrists, the burn travelling through his fingers as an empty Dorito packet sailed past his thigh. "Well, the ropes seem to have some age in 'em. Lazy bastards tied you down with something good 'ol Ry ain't immune to-" he said, as he gained momentum on the fraying rope , as Liam managed to leverage a small rock under the rope that held Victors chest. "You really believe you'll get through these before I meet my watery-" Victor asked before Liam gave a measured response. "Well I can get through the thicker ones with some time, but not to alarm ya both but, he's gonna be breathing through this if this tide keeps coming-" . As Liam reached out and handed Ryan the hollow piping, he tucked it into his pocket in a discreet motion . As a flash of light from the piping caught in Victors eyes, he asked , disconcerted, "Breathing through what?". As Ryan maintained his rhythm , hacking into the fibres of the binds which were finally giving way... "I'm almost through, keep the breathing steady for me so you don't bruise those ribs , you're gonna need em for drinking a round of booze when this is over-" Victor managed a sallow smile, the terror in his dilated pupils growing. As a bind snapped , spraying water into Ryan's face , he grasped Victors hands , removing the residual rope. "There we go" Ryan said, a rasp of relief dragging through his exhausted voice... Victor's trembling hands flew to his face as he ran his palms over his eyes, and whispered "Thanks-I -" . As the chill of water cascaded over Ryan's thighs , he lifted Victor's head into his lap, affording him an inch of height. The tide edged at Victors throat , as he steeled a hand in his damp hair. "It's already too hi-high" , he said , through chatting teeth that stammered his panic into fragments . Liam , working tirelessly at the thick rope around Victors torso , mouthed a few silent words in the moonlight "I'm only halfway-". His irises harbouring a slight edge of concern, Ryan plunged his hand across Victors submerged sternum, holding it stable as he spasmed . Almost on cue , as the water's brittle temperature irritated his airway, Victor began to cough under Ryan's palm . "Alright Victor , I need you to focus on the breathing. Nice and slow. Now, me and Liam operate fast, but I need you to breathe through this pipe when the water gets higher. Block off your nose , you can do this Victor, I've got you." As Victors eyes radiated an alertness , he nodded as he said "oh God, this is-" . Ryan held his grasp firm until the spasms stopped. "I'll hold you still , you only have to concentrate on breathing alright? And if you can't hold it in place , just squeeze my hand and I'll get it out. You'll have to hold your breath, and hold any water in your mouth, but this may buy us some time. I'll have to remove it slowly, but I know you can do this." . The threat of the cold water lapped at Victors jaw, licking his earlobe with tongues of freezing peril. Holding the pipe firmly in his grasp, the keys of the Mustang long forgotten in the tide, , Ryan braced a palm under Victors head , as his neck collapsed with exhaustion. The tide, without mercy , hedged at Victor's temples , and he wrapped his tongue around the steel piping, his blue lips stretched around the girth of the metal. A far fetched attempt at air , he prepared for water to fill his lungs . His teeth settled painfully against his gums as he struggled to form a seal, ensuring not even a droplet would berate his airways, or his demise would be met. Instincts overrode him as he held the pipe in place, closing his eyes as the water claimed his eyelids and didn't stop there. Ryan's voice, seeming a mile away as the seawater engulfed his head, rang out clear . "Victor , I have my hand hovering right above the pipe, I can feel you buddy, nice deep breaths. You can do this. No water is gonna come down this end . Not a drop. I'm gonna rotate it every five breaths, it'll be painful, but we don't want you choking on your own carbon. " As Ryan held Victors head , the pipe formed an eerie lifeline in his lap , his eyes not leaving it for a second as Victor groaned. "Liam , how far in are you?", he asked, as he gave the pipe a slow turn, and Victor's gums were torn with the motion. He fought the urge to scream into the rusted metal, instead staring at the isolating darkness of his eyelids, delivering another breath upward. ""This ain't ideal Ry' and I don't mean to alarm ya but, the rope is thicker than-my fingertips are bleeding-". Shaking the stiffness from his hands , Liam rested the heal of his palm over one of his bruised eyes , his earlier injuries shadowing his features. "I'm trying not to pass out, but I'm maybe half an inch from done" . Ryan , interweaving his fingers through Victor's hair as he held his head steady, whispered, "Liam's got you, now this is gonna hurt as he gets closer to your chest but that means he's almost there, so keep breathing for us. It's just like a straw yeah, just blow those bubbles down into the milkshake. We'll both be right here." As he fought against his abraded airway, with every urge to cough careening him towards the edge of his control, he managed another breath. One single breath, his every fibre of his being concentrated into the very act. Ryan's firm grasp was all that tied his fragile state to a tangible reality, each following breath a triumph in the encroaching adversity , only to be repeated again. As Liam's blood intermingled with the saltwater , staining the rope under his finger, his vision glazed with tears. "Hold on Vic, last few damn fibres." he muttered . Grazing the rock against Victor's chest with a careful precision , watching him contain his flinches. The subsequent rising and falling of his torso promising hope as Victor held the pipe in place, Ryan turning it with a wince in his eyes . As Victor felt the pipe grind , it's insidious twist of execution set his chest into a fatal spasm. "Oh shit- Victor , listen to me, if youve got water in your mouth squeeze my hand, Ryan said, staving off his own panic as he felt the jolt through his fingers. "It's alright , hold your breath, we still got some minutes, you're doing great, Vic." Ryan lifted the pipe from the water , a sense of disconnection haunting him. The next moment, the rope broke, and Ryan propelled Victors head upward , as he gasped for fresh air. As fatigue laden tears fell from his bloodshot eyes, he smiled through bloodied teeth. His neck then collapsed into Ryan's chest as Victor was rendered unable to speak . Ryan, breaking into a smile of relief, delivered a gentle thump to Victors head. "He's up and kicking-almost... you took about twenty breaths. Damn amazing job, borrowed you some life" Tears fell from Victor's eyes as adrenaline rushed through him "Thank you -I -thought I'd die." Ryan pulled Victor's weak frame against him , replying , "well you scared the hell out of me and I don't scare easy". Ryan scanned his trained eyes over Victor's back, before noticing Victor's shoulder had dislocated during his attempts to overcome his own imprisonment. As he realigned his shoulder blade , and guided in back into place, Victor groaned at the force. "What the hell was that?" . Ryan , dodging Victor's outpouring of gratitude, responded coolly "You must have put your shoulder out thrashing around, and you're too cold to feel it, but don't worry , you will later." Victor's cheek , still nestled aside Ryan's chest, vibrated with his low murmur. "Oh, shit, how did you-" Ryan only laughed as he gazed at the exhausted Liam who had already travelled to Victors pelvis , strain in his eyes. "I've had some experience with medical -it doesn't matter . Liam is on breaking point so I'm gonna take his position. Victor offered his hand to Ryan , his eyes gesturing at the rock "I can help you cut-" Ryan stashed the rock out of reach as Liam slid himself behind Victor's back, wrapping his arms around his chest to keep him upright. "Sounds like you've got a bit of hypoxia -what I mean is , your brain's messed up, with that shoulder you and Liam are gonna share body heat while I finish this. " With a laugh, Liam readjusted Victors head against his chest , allowing himself to shiver , his muscles radiating heat. "I gotta say, you did one hell of a job breathing for that pipe for a few minutes . It's a good thing you didn't have to resort to holding' your breath ." They both chuckled, their relief intermingling with the surrealism of the moment. "I couldn't have breathed through that, you're really something, huh? " Victor grinned , his humour still intact as oxygen crawled to his nerve endings . "I'm death warmed up, thanks to you-". Ryan finally snapped the binding from Victor's left hip, groaning as he hauled himself to the other side of the car , the water holding its rapid infiltration of time. "And this is the easy part-bloody hell, the alcohol is catching back up to me -" . Liam's heartbeat slowed as his eyelids sank lower and he replied "Keep at it Ry' , the tide is reaching my armpits here, and he must weigh as much as I do-" . Victor's gruff reply, filled with the thickness of his throat , hung in the air as the keys to the Mustang hit Liam in the forearm. He retrieved them, flipping them around his knuckles , and handing them to Victor. "This was your car-man I'm sorry-", he lamented a somber tone lacing his voice. "Well it's not as if I planned to drive her again after this-" Silence fell over Victor in a blanket of emancipation from his former identity. "I just want to block the whole incident out-" he said, and turned his attention to the rising water. Finally, Ryan sawed through Victor's right hip, pulling the rope away , his expression betraying his strength. "Thank goodness for that. Now Victor, wanna be a dead man swimming?" He asked, his smile illuminating in the dark. With his arm slung around Victors injured shoulder , Liam heaved him into a one armed embraced and swung his legs from the roof of the car. "Lean on me, and let's get you to shore huh? Me and Ryan don't know where the hell we are but it seems like right place at the right time cuts it..." Victor nodded, as Ryan swam to shore , and sprawled across the bank , chest heaving .Liam and Victor's conjoined shadow swam across the rushing water, as Liam eased Victor onto his back . Joining him , the sky held its silver edge of despondency, quiet and somehow offering meaning . It could maybe be more than nothing, and nowhere , even it that's precisely what it was. ------- His gaze wandered from his shaking hands and out onto horizon, trailing the stars with bloodshot eyes. The whites that surrounded his irises held broken vessels from his head injuries, and lingering evidence of his trauma . thrashing against concrete had a way of leaving behind stark physical reminders , and the sand was salvaging and cool against his temples. The clear skies , however, taunted an unreached clarity with striking distance from any hope of seeing in the dark. Liam traced Victor's outline as he stumbled across the shoreline, gathering driftwood. "Least I can do is get a bonfire started , despite the horrible pain in my right shoulder ". As he shifted in the sand , his calves elevated on a sand dune, Liam kept his head low. "Don't strain yourself Vic, we have all night and with me being indisposed and Ryan being ...well". His eyes , refocusing on Ryan's unconscious face under the moonlight, stung as he laughed. "Yeah, Ryan is dead to the world , after sawin' through your binds it seems he's spent." Victor yelled out from the breakers that lapsed around his bare ankles . "He's a hell of a lot more together than me-", Victor said, heaving wood into his arms, his right shoulder pulsing with his heart. "Well it's not like there's a hospital out here in the middle of nowhere so good thing 'ol Ry could slam your scapula back into place " Liam replied , still watching Ryan sleeping , his expression at peace for the moment. "Yeah, thank goodness he's got medical training, popping dislocated shoulders back in seems like a hobby to him...". Victor grinned as he dumped down a pile of wood beside the recovering Liam , and collapsed by his side. "How are we gonna light this ?" Victor asked, the dampness of the air seeping through his words. Liam was quick to toss a lighter at Victor , his pulsating headache fading to the background as the waves' crashing beckoned the pain away. As Victor ignited a piece of wood, a the flame spread through the pyre , the warmth flickered over their skin. "Ah , this is the life huh", Liam said, his voice full of exhausted humor. Victor, flexing his interlocking palms at the fire , nodded. "Yeah, beats being tied up on a car, waiting for the tide to-" His eyes darkened as he stared at the dancing flames, his voice lost in the crackling embers. "I need to make clear how grateful I am to you both" Victor said, his gaze in the material of his fatigues as he spoke. "I'd have drowned , tide was creeping up so fast-" As he replied from his makeshift bed of a rolled shirt and a dune of sand , Liam chose a space between the stars. "It was nothing , I mean Ryan is out cold and I'm worse off for shredding my fingers but, still -". As another wave crashed in rhythm with Liam's pulse , he said, eyes not leaving his focal point. "Ok, it was the hell we went through because we needed to , there was no other choice." Victor stoked the flames , lost in thought, as Ryan lifted his head from its cradle of sand, shaking particles from his hair. "How long was I out. I'm so stiff-" Victor answered as he stood up and hauled another chunk of debris toward the fire , "Maybe three days? Nah , a few hours, welcome back to the living." Ryan groaned , feigning disgust "you look like hell Liam, I'm guessin' neither of you have slept, just watched me huh?" . Eying Ryan's profile Liam shot back "Yeah, me and Vic were just discussing how you should be the one to go catch us a boar and gut it , seeing as you're the medic round here" And a laugh followed as Ryan sat up, life returning to his expression. "Ain't no wildlife round here...but your lazy ass would starve before it found out any different".

USER: Is the use andof the pipe AND its subsequent failure of the pipe plausibleportrayed realistically? Maybe it amounted to nothing-after hours of rotting in the daylight , night had fallen over his helpless frame, bathing him in solitude. Maybe it could only ever be nothing, and he was nowhere, as a thousand stars danced across his vision. Blood pulsed in his throat , chasing the burn of rope that encircled his wrists . It was useless to seek solace amongst the dazzling constellation, his pupils shone with the terror of his demise. His spine , bound against the metallic surface of the black Mustang , refused to elevate as restraints held it captive . In a thrash of despair , his pelvis rose upwards , only to be scorned with the grind of further entrapment . Victor's helpless screams punctured the air , sending a reverberation to his core. "Please-help me -please-" With the roof of the car submerged under cruel water , the underpass flooding, his pulse was counting his moments away . Time pirouetted in tight circles, casting shadows that piqued over and over as he screamed. "Please-help me-". Victor could almost taste the hollow voices that had taunted him , whispering his fate against his flesh. He thrashed, despite the protest of his limbs , resisting the suffocation of his bindings. As the menace of frigid water encroached the edges of his mind , his demise was closing in. And while the car's wheels were against the ground, his captors had left him unable to escape as he lay infused with the car's roof. Binds had been wound over his torso and hips, securing his fate atop the dormant shell of freedom and open roads . Victor had been fleeing his ill choice , until the day had taken a twist toward hell, with his beloved Mustang now on the floor of the highway's underpass, and the ocean's water set to flood the channel . Entering his peripheral vision , a now buoyant can of soda that had been embedded in the mud hours earlier sent a wave of nausea to the pit of his guts. Victor had resisted the implantation of the contraband , and as a consequence, he awaited the flowing seawater's embrace. It had been a mistake to resist. To misinterpret an ultimatum for an option. Had he been too blind to see with the clarity his eyes did now , as they gazed in terror at the clear , taunting glow of the stars , his heartbeat striking against his shivers of revulsion . With his boots soaked in freezing saline and his clothing sodden with his autonomy; it was ending. His delusion of agency, of his earlier liberation as the steering wheel had laid under his hands, was running dry. It seemed the very essence of his humanity was seeping into the air as he closed his eyes. "Don't worry Vic, someone will notice you're gone , right?" , the voice had sneered against his neck. "Before we rope you to the roof of your vehicle, here , take the keys , so you can drive it on out of the middle of who knows where, you pathetic fool." The flashback lingered on the edges of his psyche , as he flinched at the recollection. His eyes refocused on the sky, and he struggled to hold back another futile scream, his ears ringing from the sound of his own pleas. And as his tears bled into the void atmosphere, he convulsed in reactive horror, the sensation of his captor's breath still travelling across his flesh, draining his insides. Twisting his head away from the rising soda can , another scream wrought itself from his chest, albeit his better instincts . "Help me-" , his own voice echoed against the underpass , surrounding him. As he thrashed against his binds , throwing his head back against the roof of the drowning car, the frigid water bit at his flesh as it rushed over the gleaming surface of the Mustang's roof. The same one he had driven to the side of the highway earlier that day. Now with his hands placed on his chest, and clasped around its keys , his teeth clenched with the irony of control being buried in his own grip. "Those bastards -" he muttered, his energy dying , the stars seeming closer yet further away as water lapped over the car's bonnet. As his eyes slid closed , the silence mocked him. With its clinical , resounding illusion, rushing water creeping closer , he cursed. Poised to spit at how his existence was unheard in the lucidity, he heard the voices of drunken strangers . "Yeah Ryan, I don't understand where this Hennessy came from but , damn I'll take what I get." Laughter followed , and the air was filled by the oncoming revelry. . "Nah , Liam, it was abandoned , which is why I'm thinking these roads aren't so safe-who would leave a bottle of decent-" Victor elicited another scream, his chest encompassed by the unyielding binds. "Please-Oh God-please-" --------- Ryan halted in his tracks, gripping Liam's forearm and steering him toward the overpass , as the wrenching voice curdled through his eardrums. "Bloody hell, Li , I'm sobering up damn quick-" he said, his voice skirting a whisper. Liam dropped the bottle , splinters of glass raining over the pavement , along with the remains of their alcohol ."Ah, shit. Well fun's over Ry-but what the hell was that ?". As Ryan surveyed the scene below, it was distressing in its familiarity. "He can't be any older than us-and he's bound to the roof of that car in ...what, three places? Poor guy has gotta be freezing. Those bastards are getting even more intricate with their tactics...."his voice smoked into a whisper , as his face paled. As he dropped to the asphalt, Liam gathered up an assortment of rocks and debris , including a rusty , hollowed pipe. Upon inspecting it, he announced "it's short, touch-and-go wide, but it'd do in a grave situation " Ryan was already stripping his shirt , grabbing his share of gravel and sprinting for the bank of the underpass . Victor somehow managed another blood boiling scream, sending shocks of raw panic through the air. As Ryan's dark shadow hit the water , and swam into his vision, Victor attempted eye contact in the consuming dark. As Victor's glazed grey stare was met by Ryan's hazel concern, hailing himself onto the roof of the car, his knees knelt by Victor's head . "Hey buddy, just try and slow the breathing down. Those binds around your ribs look tight-but Liam and I escaped similar circumstances earlier, we're gonna get you outta here, alright." Victor offered a dark chuckle, "In a body bag right? Because I'm gonna drown-" Ryan reached over Victors chest and pried at the ropes around his wrists, assessing their proximity to his flesh. "Damnit, I can't fit a finger underneath, he cursed. "What's your name? I'm Ryan, call me Ry'. Busted my own binds and his-" How about this continuation: Ryan's brief gesture at Liam, had him grinning in the moonlight as he hauled himself onto the trunk of the car and crouched by Victor's legs. "Yeah, it's no small feat that we're alive but, we're gonna do what we can to get you untied-but yeah they've given ya no room to breathe ", Liam said, his blue gaze less visible. "It's hopeless right? I'm Victor , dead man-not walking..." he went to lift a hand , and was reminded of his bindings . Ryan , cracking a smile, replied "Good thing I've done this before then , huh? It might not be as hopeless as it should be-" . Angling a rock at a thread of rope , he began sawing at Victor's wrists, the burn travelling through his fingers as an empty Dorito packet sailed past his thigh. "Well, the ropes seem to have some age in 'em. Lazy bastards tied you down with something good 'ol Ry ain't immune to-" he said, as he gained momentum on the fraying rope , as Liam managed to leverage a small rock under the rope that held Victors chest. "You really believe you'll get through these before I meet my watery-" Victor asked before Liam gave a measured response. "Well I can get through the thicker ones with some time, but not to alarm ya both but, he's gonna be breathing through this if this tide keeps coming-" . As Liam reached out and handed Ryan the hollow piping, he tucked it into his pocket in a discreet motion . As a flash of light from the piping caught in Victors eyes, he asked , disconcerted, "Breathing through what?". As Ryan maintained his rhythm , hacking into the fibres of the binds which were finally giving way... "I'm almost through, keep the breathing steady for me so you don't bruise those ribs , you're gonna need em for drinking a round of booze when this is over-" Victor managed a sallow smile, the terror in his dilated pupils growing. As a bind snapped , spraying water into Ryan's face , he grasped Victors hands , removing the residual rope. "There we go" Ryan said, a rasp of relief dragging through his exhausted voice... Victor's trembling hands flew to his face as he ran his palms over his eyes, and whispered "Thanks-I -" . As the chill of water cascaded over Ryan's thighs , he lifted Victor's head into his lap, affording him an inch of height. The tide edged at Victors throat , as he steeled a hand in his damp hair. "It's already too hi-high" , he said , through chatting teeth that stammered his panic into fragments . Liam , working tirelessly at the thick rope around Victors torso , mouthed a few silent words in the moonlight "I'm only halfway-". His irises harbouring a slight edge of concern, Ryan plunged his hand across Victors submerged sternum, holding it stable as he spasmed . Almost on cue , as the water's brittle temperature irritated his airway, Victor began to cough under Ryan's palm . "Alright Victor , I need you to focus on the breathing. Nice and slow. Now, me and Liam operate fast, but I need you to breathe through this pipe when the water gets higher. Block off your nose , you can do this Victor, I've got you." As Victors eyes radiated an alertness , he nodded as he said "oh God, this is-" . Ryan held his grasp firm until the spasms stopped. "I'll hold you still , you only have to concentrate on breathing alright? And if you can't hold it in place , just squeeze my hand and I'll get it out. You'll have to hold your breath, and hold any water in your mouth, but this may buy us some time. I'll have to remove it slowly, but I know you can do this." . The threat of the cold water lapped at Victors jaw, licking his earlobe with tongues of freezing peril. Holding the pipe firmly in his grasp, the keys of the Mustang long forgotten in the tide, , Ryan braced a palm under Victors head , as his neck collapsed with exhaustion. The tide, without mercy , hedged at Victor's temples , and he wrapped his tongue around the steel piping, his blue lips stretched around the girth of the metal. A far fetched attempt at air , he prepared for water to fill his lungs . His teeth settled painfully against his gums as he struggled to form a seal, ensuring not even a droplet would berate his airways, or his demise would be met. Instincts overrode him as he held the pipe in place, closing his eyes as the water claimed his eyelids and didn't stop there. Ryan's voice, seeming a mile away as the seawater engulfed his head, rang out clear . "Victor , I have my hand hovering right above the pipe, I can feel you buddy, nice deep breaths. You can do this. No water is gonna come down this end . Not a drop. I'm gonna rotate it every five breaths, it'll be painful, but we don't want you choking on your own carbon. " As Ryan held Victors head , the pipe formed an eerie lifeline in his lap , his eyes not leaving it for a second as Victor groaned. "Liam , how far in are you?", he asked, as he gave the pipe a slow turn, and Victor's gums were torn with the motion. He fought the urge to scream into the rusted metal, instead staring at the isolating darkness of his eyelids, delivering another breath upward. ""This ain't ideal Ry' and I don't mean to alarm ya but, the rope is thicker than-my fingertips are bleeding-". Shaking the stiffness from his hands , Liam rested the heal of his palm over one of his bruised eyes , his earlier injuries shadowing his features. "I'm trying not to pass out, but I'm maybe half an inch from done" . Ryan , interweaving his fingers through Victor's hair as he held his head steady, whispered, "Liam's got you, now this is gonna hurt as he gets closer to your chest but that means he's almost there, so keep breathing for us. It's just like a straw yeah, just blow those bubbles down into the milkshake. We'll both be right here." As he fought against his abraded airway, with every urge to cough careening him towards the edge of his control, he managed another breath. One single breath, his every fibre of his being concentrated into the very act. Ryan's firm grasp was all that tied his fragile state to a tangible reality, each following breath a triumph in the encroaching adversity , only to be repeated again. As Liam's blood intermingled with the saltwater , staining the rope under his finger, his vision glazed with tears. "Hold on Vic, last few damn fibres." he muttered . Grazing the rock against Victor's chest with a careful precision , watching him contain his flinches. The subsequent rising and falling of his torso promising hope as Victor held the pipe in place, Ryan turning it with a wince in his eyes . As Victor felt the pipe grind , it's insidious twist of execution set his chest into a fatal spasm. "Oh shit- Victor , listen to me, if youve got water in your mouth squeeze my hand, Ryan said, staving off his own panic as he felt the jolt through his fingers. "It's alright , hold your breath, we still got some minutes, you're doing great, Vic." Ryan lifted the pipe from the water , a sense of disconnection haunting him. The next moment, the rope broke, and Ryan propelled Victors head upward , as he gasped for fresh air. As fatigue laden tears fell from his bloodshot eyes, he smiled through bloodied teeth. His neck then collapsed into Ryan's chest as Victor was rendered unable to speak . Ryan, breaking into a smile of relief, delivered a gentle thump to Victors head. "He's up and kicking-almost... you took about twenty breaths. Damn amazing job, borrowed you some life" Tears fell from Victor's eyes as adrenaline rushed through him "Thank you -I -thought I'd die." Ryan pulled Victor's weak frame against him , replying , "well you scared the hell out of me and I don't scare easy". Ryan scanned his trained eyes over Victor's back, before noticing Victor's shoulder had dislocated during his attempts to overcome his own imprisonment. As he realigned his shoulder blade , and guided in back into place, Victor groaned at the force. "What the hell was that?" . Ryan , dodging Victor's outpouring of gratitude, responded coolly "You must have put your shoulder out thrashing around, and you're too cold to feel it, but don't worry , you will later." Victor's cheek , still nestled aside Ryan's chest, vibrated with his low murmur. "Oh, shit, how did you-" Ryan only laughed as he gazed at the exhausted Liam who had already travelled to Victors pelvis , strain in his eyes. "I've had some experience with medical -it doesn't matter . Liam is on breaking point so I'm gonna take his position. Victor offered his hand to Ryan , his eyes gesturing at the rock "I can help you cut-" Ryan stashed the rock out of reach as Liam slid himself behind Victor's back, wrapping his arms around his chest to keep him upright. "Sounds like you've got a bit of hypoxia -what I mean is , your brain's messed up, with that shoulder you and Liam are gonna share body heat while I finish this. " With a laugh, Liam readjusted Victors head against his chest , allowing himself to shiver , his muscles radiating heat. "I gotta say, you did one hell of a job breathing for that pipe for a few minutes . It's a good thing you didn't have to resort to holding' your breath ." They both chuckled, their relief intermingling with the surrealism of the moment. "I couldn't have breathed through that, you're really something, huh? " Victor grinned , his humour still intact as oxygen crawled to his nerve endings . "I'm death warmed up, thanks to you-". Ryan finally snapped the binding from Victor's left hip, groaning as he hauled himself to the other side of the car , the water holding its rapid infiltration of time. "And this is the easy part-bloody hell, the alcohol is catching back up to me -" . Liam's heartbeat slowed as his eyelids sank lower and he replied "Keep at it Ry' , the tide is reaching my armpits here, and he must weigh as much as I do-" . Victor's gruff reply, filled with the thickness of his throat , hung in the air as the keys to the Mustang hit Liam in the forearm. He retrieved them, flipping them around his knuckles , and handing them to Victor. "This was your car-man I'm sorry-", he lamented a somber tone lacing his voice. "Well it's not as if I planned to drive her again after this-" Silence fell over Victor in a blanket of emancipation from his former identity. "I just want to block the whole incident out-" he said, and turned his attention to the rising water. Finally, Ryan sawed through Victor's right hip, pulling the rope away , his expression betraying his strength. "Thank goodness for that. Now Victor, wanna be a dead man swimming?" He asked, his smile illuminating in the dark. With his arm slung around Victors injured shoulder , Liam heaved him into a one armed embraced and swung his legs from the roof of the car. "Lean on me, and let's get you to shore huh? Me and Ryan don't know where the hell we are but it seems like right place at the right time cuts it..." Victor nodded, as Ryan swam to shore , and sprawled across the bank , chest heaving .Liam and Victor's conjoined shadow swam across the rushing water, as Liam eased Victor onto his back . Joining him , the sky held its silver edge of despondency, quiet and somehow offering meaning . It could maybe be more than nothing, and nowhere , even it that's precisely what it was. ------- His gaze wandered from his shaking hands and out onto horizon, trailing the stars with bloodshot eyes. The whites that surrounded his irises held broken vessels from his head injuries, and lingering evidence of his trauma . thrashing against concrete had a way of leaving behind stark physical reminders , and the sand was salvaging and cool against his temples. The clear skies , however, taunted an unreached clarity with striking distance from any hope of seeing in the dark. Liam traced Victor's outline as he stumbled across the shoreline, gathering driftwood. "Least I can do is get a bonfire started , despite the horrible pain in my right shoulder ". As he shifted in the sand , his calves elevated on a sand dune, Liam kept his head low. "Don't strain yourself Vic, we have all night and with me being indisposed and Ryan being ...well". His eyes , refocusing on Ryan's unconscious face under the moonlight, stung as he laughed. "Yeah, Ryan is dead to the world , after sawin' through your binds it seems he's spent." Victor yelled out from the breakers that lapsed around his bare ankles . "He's a hell of a lot more together than me-", Victor said, heaving wood into his arms, his right shoulder pulsing with his heart. "Well it's not like there's a hospital out here in the middle of nowhere so good thing 'ol Ry could slam your scapula back into place " Liam replied , still watching Ryan sleeping , his expression at peace for the moment. "Yeah, thank goodness he's got medical training, popping dislocated shoulders back in seems like a hobby to him...". Victor grinned as he dumped down a pile of wood beside the recovering Liam , and collapsed by his side. "How are we gonna light this ?" Victor asked, the dampness of the air seeping through his words. Liam was quick to toss a lighter at Victor , his pulsating headache fading to the background as the waves' crashing beckoned the pain away. As Victor ignited a piece of wood, a the flame spread through the pyre , the warmth flickered over their skin. "Ah , this is the life huh", Liam said, his voice full of exhausted humor. Victor, flexing his interlocking palms at the fire , nodded. "Yeah, beats being tied up on a car, waiting for the tide to-" His eyes darkened as he stared at the dancing flames, his voice lost in the crackling embers. "I need to make clear how grateful I am to you both" Victor said, his gaze in the material of his fatigues as he spoke. "I'd have drowned , tide was creeping up so fast-" As he replied from his makeshift bed of a rolled shirt and a dune of sand , Liam chose a space between the stars. "It was nothing , I mean Ryan is out cold and I'm worse off for shredding my fingers but, still -". As another wave crashed in rhythm with Liam's pulse , he said, eyes not leaving his focal point. "Ok, it was the hell we went through because we needed to , there was no other choice." Victor stoked the flames , lost in thought, as Ryan lifted his head from its cradle of sand, shaking particles from his hair. "How long was I out. I'm so stiff-" Victor answered as he stood up and hauled another chunk of debris toward the fire , "Maybe three days? Nah , a few hours, welcome back to the living." Ryan groaned , feigning disgust "you look like hell Liam, I'm guessin' neither of you have slept, just watched me huh?" . Eying Ryan's profile Liam shot back "Yeah, me and Vic were just discussing how you should be the one to go catch us a boar and gut it , seeing as you're the medic round here" And a laugh followed as Ryan sat up, life returning to his expression. "Ain't no wildlife round here...but your lazy ass would starve before it found out any different".

USER: Is the use of the pipe AND its subsequent failure portrayed realistically? Maybe it amounted to nothing-after hours of rotting in the daylight , night had fallen over his helpless frame, bathing him in solitude. Maybe it could only ever be nothing, and he was nowhere, as a thousand stars danced across his vision. Blood pulsed in his throat , chasing the burn of rope that encircled his wrists . It was useless to seek solace amongst the dazzling constellation, his pupils shone with the terror of his demise. His spine , bound against the metallic surface of the black Mustang , refused to elevate as restraints held it captive . In a thrash of despair , his pelvis rose upwards , only to be scorned with the grind of further entrapment . Victor's helpless screams punctured the air , sending a reverberation to his core. "Please-help me -please-" With the roof of the car submerged under cruel water , the underpass flooding, his pulse was counting his moments away . Time pirouetted in tight circles, casting shadows that piqued over and over as he screamed. "Please-help me-". Victor could almost taste the hollow voices that had taunted him , whispering his fate against his flesh. He thrashed, despite the protest of his limbs , resisting the suffocation of his bindings. As the menace of frigid water encroached the edges of his mind , his demise was closing in. And while the car's wheels were against the ground, his captors had left him unable to escape as he lay infused with the car's roof. Binds had been wound over his torso and hips, securing his fate atop the dormant shell of freedom and open roads . Victor had been fleeing his ill choice , until the day had taken a twist toward hell, with his beloved Mustang now on the floor of the highway's underpass, and the ocean's water set to flood the channel . Entering his peripheral vision , a now buoyant can of soda that had been embedded in the mud hours earlier sent a wave of nausea to the pit of his guts. Victor had resisted the implantation of the contraband , and as a consequence, he awaited the flowing seawater's embrace. It had been a mistake to resist. To misinterpret an ultimatum for an option. Had he been too blind to see with the clarity his eyes did now , as they gazed in terror at the clear , taunting glow of the stars , his heartbeat striking against his shivers of revulsion . With his boots soaked in freezing saline and his clothing sodden with his autonomy; it was ending. His delusion of agency, of his earlier liberation as the steering wheel had laid under his hands, was running dry. It seemed the very essence of his humanity was seeping into the air as he closed his eyes. "Don't worry Vic, someone will notice you're gone , right?" , the voice had sneered against his neck. "Before we rope you to the roof of your vehicle, here , take the keys , so you can drive it on out of the middle of who knows where, you pathetic fool." The flashback lingered on the edges of his psyche , as he flinched at the recollection. His eyes refocused on the sky, and he struggled to hold back another futile scream, his ears ringing from the sound of his own pleas. And as his tears bled into the void atmosphere, he convulsed in reactive horror, the sensation of his captor's breath still travelling across his flesh, draining his insides. Twisting his head away from the rising soda can , another scream wrought itself from his chest, albeit his better instincts . "Help me-" , his own voice echoed against the underpass , surrounding him. As he thrashed against his binds , throwing his head back against the roof of the drowning car, the frigid water bit at his flesh as it rushed over the gleaming surface of the Mustang's roof. The same one he had driven to the side of the highway earlier that day. Now with his hands placed on his chest, and clasped around its keys , his teeth clenched with the irony of control being buried in his own grip. "Those bastards -" he muttered, his energy dying , the stars seeming closer yet further away as water lapped over the car's bonnet. As his eyes slid closed , the silence mocked him. With its clinical , resounding illusion, rushing water creeping closer , he cursed. Poised to spit at how his existence was unheard in the lucidity, he heard the voices of drunken strangers . "Yeah Ryan, I don't understand where this Hennessy came from but , damn I'll take what I get." Laughter followed , and the air was filled by the oncoming revelry. . "Nah , Liam, it was abandoned , whichhose scene is why I'm thinking these roads aren't so safe-who would leave a bottle of decent-" Victor elicited another scream, his chest encompassed by the unyielding binds. "Please-Oh God-please-" --------- Ryan halted in his tracks, gripping Liam's forearm and steering him toward the overpass , as the wrenching voice curdled through his eardrums. "Bloody hell, Li , I'm sobering up damn quick-" he said, his voice skirting a whisper. Liam dropped the bottle , splinters of glass raining over the pavement , along with the remains of their alcohol ."Ah, shit. Well fun's over Ry-but what the hell was that ?". As Ryan surveyed the scene below, it was distressing in its familiarity. "He can't be any older than us-and he's bound to the roof of that car in ...what, three places? Poor guy has gotta be freezing. Those bastards are getting even more intricate with their tactics...."his voice smoked into a whisper , as his face paled. As he dropped to the asphalt, Liam gathered up an assortment of rocks and debris , including a rusty , hollowed pipe. Upon inspecting it, he announced "it's short, touch-and-go wide, but it'd do in a grave situation " Ryan was already stripping his shirt , grabbing his share of gravel and sprinting for the bank of the underpass . Victor somehow managed another blood boiling scream, sending shocks of raw panic through the air. As Ryan's dark shadow hit the water , and swam into his vision, Victor attempted eye contact in the consuming dark. As Victor's glazed grey stare was met by Ryan's hazel concern, hailing himself onto the roof of the car, his knees knelt by Victor's head . "Hey buddy, just try and slow the breathing down. Those binds around your ribs look tight-but Liam and I escaped similar circumstances earlier, we're gonna get you outta here, alright." Victor offered a dark chuckle, "In a body bag right? Because I'm gonna drown-" Ryan reached over Victors chest and pried at the ropes around his wrists, assessing their proximity to his flesh. "Damnit, I can't fit a finger underneath, he cursed. "What's your name? I'm Ryan, call me Ry'. Busted my own binds and his-" How about this continuation: Ryan's brief gesture at Liam, had him grinning in the moonlight as he hauled himself onto the trunk of the car and crouched by Victor's legs. "Yeah, it's no small feat that we're alive but, we're gonna do what we can to get you untied-but yeah they've given ya no room to breathe ", Liam said, his blue gaze less visible. "It's hopeless right? I'm Victor , dead man-not walking..." he went to lift a hand , and was reminded of his bindings . Ryan , cracking a smile, replied "Good thing I've done this before then , huh? It might not be as hopeless as it should be-" . Angling a rock at a thread of rope , he began sawing at Victor's wrists, the burn travelling through his fingers as an empty Dorito packet sailed past his thigh. "Well, the ropes seem to have some age in 'em. Lazy bastards tied you down with something good 'ol Ry ain't immune to-" he said, as he gained momentum on the fraying rope , as Liam managed to leverage a small rock under the rope that held Victors chest. "You really believe you'll get through these before I meet my watery-" Victor asked beforefessble ? Liam gave a measured response. "Well I can get through the thicker ones with some time, but not to alarm ya both but, he's gonna be breathing through this if this tide keeps coming-" . As Liam reached out and handed Ryan the hollow piping,garden hose, he tucked it into his pocket in a discreet motion . As a flash of light from the piping caught in Victors eyes, he asked , disconcerted, "Breathing through what?". As Ryan maintained his rhythm , hacking into the fibres of the binds which were finally giving way... "I'm almost through, keep the breathing steady for me so you don't bruise those ribs , you're gonna need em for drinking a round of booze when this is over-" Victor managed a sallow smile, the terror in his dilated pupils growing. As a bind snapped , spraying water into Ryan's face , he grasped Victors hands , removing the residual rope. "There we go" Ryan said, a rasp of relief dragging through his exhausted voice... Victor's trembling hands flew to his face as he ran his palms over his eyes, and whispered "Thanks-I -" . As the chill of water cascaded over Ryan's thighs , he lifted Victor's head into his lap, affording him an inch of height. The tide edged at Victors throat , as he steeled a hand in his damp hair. "It's already too hi-high" , he said , through chatting teeth that stammered his panic into fragments . Liam , working tirelessly at the thick rope around Victors torso , mouthed a few silent words in the moonlight "I'm only halfway-". His irises harbouring a slight edge of concern, Ryan plunged his hand across Victors submerged sternum, holding it stable as he spasmed . Almost on cue , as the water's brittle temperature irritated his airway, Victor began to cough under Ryan's palm . "Alright Victor , I need you to focus on the breathing. Nice and slow. Now, me and Liam operate fast, but I need you to breathe through this pipehose when the water gets higher. Block off your nose , you can do this Victor, I've got you." As Victors eyes radiated an alertness , he nodded as he said "oh God, this is-" . Ryan held his grasp firm until the spasms stopped. "I'll hold you still , you only have to concentrate on breathing alright? And if you can't hold it in place , just squeeze my hand and I'll get it out. You'll have to hold your breath, and hold any water in your mouth, but this may buy us some time. I'll have to remove it slowly, but I know you can do this." . The threat of the cold water lapped at Victors jaw, licking his earlobe with tongues of freezing peril. Holding the pipe firmly in his grasp, the keys of the Mustang long forgotten in the tide, , Ryan braced a palm under Victors head , as his neck collapsed with exhaustion. The tide, without mercy , hedged at Victor's temples , and he wrapped his tongue around the steel piping, his blue lips stretched around the girth of the metal. A far fetched attempt at air , he prepared for water to fill his lungs . His teeth settled painfully against his gums as he struggled to form a seal, ensuring not even a droplet would berate his airways, or his demise would be met. Instincts overrode him as he held the pipehose in place, closing his eyes as the water claimed his eyelids and didn't stop there. Ryan's voice, seeming a mile away as the seawater engulfed his head, rang out clear . "Victor , I have my hand hovering right above the pipe,hose, I can feel you buddy, nice deep breaths. You can do this. No water is gonna come down this end . Not a drop. I'm gonna rotate it every five breaths, it'll be painful, but we don't want you choking on your own carbon. " As Ryan held Victors head , the pipehose formed an eerie lifeline in his lap , his eyes not leaving it for a second as Victor groaned. "Liam , how far in are you?", he asked, as he gave the pipehose a slow turn, and Victor's gums were torn with the motion. He fought the urge to scream into the rusted metal, instead staring at the isolating darkness of his eyelids, delivering another breath upward. ""This ain't ideal Ry' and I don't mean to alarm ya but, the rope is thicker than-my fingertips are bleeding-". Shaking the stiffness from his hands , Liam rested the heal of his palm over one of his bruised eyes , his earlier injuries shadowing his features. "I'm trying not to pass out, but I'm maybe half an inch from done" . Ryan , interweaving his fingers through Victor's hair as he held his head steady, whispered, "Liam's got you, now this is gonna hurt as he gets closer to your chest but that means he's almost there, so keep breathing for us. It's just like a straw yeah, just blow those bubbles down into the milkshake. We'll both be right here." As he fought against his abraded airway, with every urge to cough careening him towards the edge of his control, he managed another breath. One single breath, his every fibre of his being concentrated into the very act. Ryan's firm grasp was all that tied his fragile state to a tangible reality, each following breath a triumph in the encroaching adversity , only to be repeated again. As Liam's blood intermingled with the saltwater , staining the rope under his finger, his vision glazed with tears. "Hold on Vic, last few damn fibres." he muttered . Grazing the rock against Victor's chest with a careful precision , watching him contain his flinches. The subsequent rising and falling of his torso promising hope as Victor held the pipehose in place, Ryan turning it with a wince in his eyes . As Victor felt the pipehose grind , it'sits insidious twist of execution set his chest into a fatal spasm. "Oh shit- Victor , listen to me, if youve got water in your mouth squeeze my hand, Ryan said, staving off his own panic as he felt the jolt through his fingers. "It's alright , hold your breath, we still got some minutes, you're doing great, Vic." Ryan lifted the pipehose from the water , a sense of disconnection haunting him. The next moment, the rope broke, and Ryan propelled Victors head upward , as he gasped for fresh air. As fatigue laden tears fell from his bloodshot eyes, he smiled through bloodied teeth. His neck then collapsed into Ryan's chest as Victor was rendered unable to speak . Ryan, breaking into a smile of relief, delivered a gentle thump to Victors head. "He's up and kicking-almost... you took about twenty breaths. Damn amazing job, borrowed you some life" Tears fell from Victor's eyes as adrenaline rushed through him "Thank you -I -thought I'd die." Ryan pulled Victor's weak frame against him , replying , "well you scared the hell out of me and I don't scare easy". Ryan scanned his trained eyes over Victor's back, before noticing Victor's shoulder had dislocated during his attempts to overcome his own imprisonment. As he realigned his shoulder blade , and guided in back into place, Victor groaned at the force. "What the hell was that?" . Ryan , dodging Victor's outpouring of gratitude, responded coolly "You must have put your shoulder out thrashing around, and you're too cold to feel it, but don't worry , you will later." Victor's cheek , still nestled aside Ryan's chest, vibrated with his low murmur. "Oh, shit, how did you-" Ryan only laughed as he gazed at the exhausted Liam who had already travelled to Victors pelvis , strain in his eyes. "I've had some experience with medical -it doesn't matter . Liam is on breaking point so I'm gonna take his position. Victor offered his hand to Ryan , his eyes gesturing at the rock "I can help you cut-" Ryan stashed the rock out of reach as Liam slid himself behind Victor's back, wrapping his arms around his chest to keep him upright. "Sounds like you've got a bit of hypoxia -what I mean is , your brain's messed up, with that shoulder you and Liam are gonna share body heat while I finish this. " With a laugh, Liam readjusted Victors head against his chest , allowing himself to shiver , his muscles radiating heat. "I gotta say, you did one hell of a job breathing for that pipe for a few minutes . It's a good thing you didn't have to resort to holding' your breath ." They both chuckled, their relief intermingling with the surrealism of the moment. "I couldn't have breathed through that, you're really something, huh? " Victor grinned , his humour still intact as oxygen crawled to his nerve endings . "I'm death warmed up, thanks to you-". Ryan finally snapped the binding from Victor's left hip, groaning as he hauled himself to the other side of the car , the water holding its rapid infiltration of time. "And this is the easy part-bloody hell, the alcohol is catching back up to me -" . Liam's heartbeat slowed as his eyelids sank lower and he replied "Keep at it Ry' , the tide is reaching my armpits here, and he must weigh as much as I do-" . Victor's gruff reply, filled with the thickness of his throat , hung in the air as the keys to the Mustang hit Liam in the forearm. He retrieved them, flipping them around his knuckles , and handing them to Victor. "This was your car-man I'm sorry-", he lamented a somber tone lacing his voice. "Well it's not as if I planned to drive her again after this-" Silence fell over Victor in a blanket of emancipation from his former identity. "I just want to block the whole incident out-" he said, and turned his attention to the rising water. Finally, Ryan sawed through Victor's right hip, pulling the rope away , his expression betraying his strength. "Thank goodness for that. Now Victor, wanna be a dead man swimming?" He asked, his smile illuminating in the dark. With his arm slung around Victors injured shoulder , Liam heaved him into a one armed embraced and swung his legs from the roof of the car. "Lean on me, and let's get you to shore huh? Me and Ryan don't know where the hell we are but it seems like right place at the right time cuts it..." Victor nodded, as Ryan swam to shore , and sprawled across the bank , chest heaving .Liam and Victor's conjoined shadow swam across the rushing water, as Liam eased Victor onto his back . Joining him , the sky held its silver edge of despondency, quiet and somehow offering meaning . It could maybe be more than nothing, and nowhere , even it that's precisely what it was. ------- His gaze wandered from his shaking hands and out onto horizon, trailing the stars with bloodshot eyes. The whites that surrounded his irises held broken vessels from his head injuries, and lingering evidence of his trauma . thrashing against concrete had a way of leaving behind stark physical reminders , and the sand was salvaging and cool against his temples. The clear skies , however, taunted an unreached clarity with striking distance from any hope of seeing in the dark. Liam traced Victor's outline as he stumbled across the shoreline, gathering driftwood. "Least I can do is get a bonfire started , despite the horrible pain in my right shoulder ". As he shifted in the sand , his calves elevated on a sand dune, Liam kept his head low. "Don't strain yourself Vic, we have all night and with me being indisposed and Ryan being ...well". His eyes , refocusing on Ryan's unconscious face under the moonlight, stung as he laughed. "Yeah, Ryan is dead to the world , after sawin' through your binds it seems he's spent." Victor yelled out from the breakers that lapsed around his bare ankles . "He's a hell of a lot more together than me-", Victor said, heaving wood into his arms, his right shoulder pulsing with his heart. "Well it's not like there's a hospital out here in the middle of nowhere so good thing 'ol Ry could slam your scapula back into place " Liam replied , still watching Ryan sleeping , his expression at peace for the moment. "Yeah, thank goodness he's got medical training, popping dislocated shoulders back in seems like a hobby to him...". Victor grinned as he dumped down a pile of wood beside the recovering Liam , and collapsed by his side. "How are we gonna light this ?" Victor asked, the dampness of the air seeping through his words. Liam was quick to toss a lighter at Victor , his pulsating headache fading to the background as the waves' crashing beckoned the pain away. As Victor ignited a piece of wood, a the flame spread through the pyre , the warmth flickered over their skin. "Ah , this is the life huh", Liam said, his voice full of exhausted humor. Victor, flexing his interlocking palms at the fire , nodded. "Yeah, beats being tied up on a car, waiting for the tide to-" His eyes darkened as he stared at the dancing flames, his voice lost in the crackling embers. "I need to make clear how grateful I am to you both" Victor said, his gaze in the material of his fatigues as he spoke. "I'd have drowned , tide was creeping up so fast-" As he replied from his makeshift bed of a rolled shirt and a dune of sand , Liam chose a space between the stars. "It was nothing , I mean Ryan is out cold and I'm worse off for shredding my fingers but, still -". As another wave crashed in rhythm with Liam's pulse , he said, eyes not leaving his focal point. "Ok, it was the hell we went through because we needed to , there was no other choice." Victor stoked the flames , lost in thought, as Ryan lifted his head from its cradle of sand, shaking particles from his hair. "How long was I out. I'm so stiff-" Victor answered as he stood up and hauled another chunk of debris toward the fire , "Maybe three days? Nah , a few hours, welcome back to the living." Ryan groaned , feigning disgust "you look like hell Liam, I'm guessin' neither of you have slept, just watched me huh?" . Eying Ryan's profile Liam shot back "Yeah, me and Vic were just discussing how you should be the one to go catch us a boar and gut it , seeing as you're the medic round here" And a laugh followed as Ryan sat up, life returning to his expression. "Ain't no wildlife round here...but your lazy ass would starve before it found out any different".

USER: The hose scene is fessble ? Liam gave a measured response. "Well I can get through the thicker ones with some time, but not to alarm ya both but, he's gonna be breathing through this if this tide keeps coming-" . As Liam reached out and handed Ryan the hollow garden hose, he tucked it into his pocket in a discreet motion . As a flash of light from the piping caught in Victors eyes, he asked , disconcerted, "Breathing through what?". As Ryan maintained his rhythm , hacking into the fibres of the binds which were finally giving way... "I'm almost through, keep the breathing steady for me so you don't bruise those ribs , you're gonna need em for drinking a round of booze when this is over-" Victor managed a sallow smile, the terror in his dilated pupils growing. As a bind snapped , spraying water into Ryan's face , he grasped Victors hands , removing the residual rope. "There we go" Ryan said, a rasp of relief dragging through his exhausted voice... Victor's trembling hands flew to his face as he ran his palms over his eyes, and whispered "Thanks-I -" . As the chill of water cascaded over Ryan's thighs , he lifted Victor's head into his lap, affording him an inch of height. The tide edged at Victors throat , as he steeled a hand in his damp hair. "It's already too hi-high" , he said , through chatting teeth that stammered his panic into fragments . Liam , working tirelessly at the thick rope around Victors torso , mouthed a few silent words in the moonlight "I'm only halfway-". His irises harbouring a slight edge of concern, Ryan plunged his hand across Victors submerged sternum, holding it stable as he spasmed . Almost on cue , as the water's brittle temperature irritated his airway, Victor began to cough under Ryan's palm . "Alright Victor , I need you to focus on the breathing. Nice and slow. Now, me and Liam operate fast, but I need you to breathe through this hose when the water gets higher. Block off your nose , you can do this Victor, I've got you." As Victors eyes radiated an alertness , he nodded as he said "oh God, this is-" . Ryan held his grasp firm until the spasms stopped.Is well written? "I'll hold you still , you only have to concentrate on breathing alright? And if you can't hold it in place , just squeeze my hand and I'll get it out. You'll have to hold your breath, and hold any water in your mouth, but this may buy us some time. I'll have to remove it slowly, but I know you can do this." . The threat of the cold water lapped at Victors jaw, licking his earlobe with tongues of freezing peril. Holding the pipe firmly in his grasp, the keys of the Mustang long forgotten in the tide, , Ryan braced a palm under Victors head , as his neck collapsed with exhaustion. The tide, without mercy , hedged at Victor's temples , and he wrapped his tongue around the steelrigid piping, his blue lips stretched around the girth of the metal.reed. A far fetched attempt at air , he prepared for water to fill his lungs . His teeth settled painfully against his gums as he struggled to form a seal, ensuring not even a droplet would berate his airways, or his demise would be met. Instincts overrode him as he held the hosetip of the reed in place, closing his eyes as the water claimed his eyelids and didn't stop there. Ryan's voice, seeming a mile away as the seawater engulfed his head, rang out clear . "Victor , I have my hand hovering right above the hose,reed, I can feel you buddy, nice deep breaths. You can do this. No water is gonna come down this end . Not a drop. I'm gonna rotate it every five breaths,as often as I can, it'll be painful, but we don't want you choking on your own carbon. "You might feel a bit dizzy but this all we've got-" As Ryan held Victors head , the hosereed formed an eerie lifeline in his lap , his eyes not leaving it for a second as Victor groaned. "Liam , how far in are you?", he asked, as he gave the hosereed a slow turn, and Victor's gums were torn with the motion. He fought the urge to scream into the rusted metal,reed , instead staring at the isolating darkness of his eyelids, delivering another breath upward. ""This ain't ideal Ry' and I don't mean to alarm ya but, the rope is thicker than-my fingertips are bleeding-". Shaking the stiffness from his hands , Liam rested the heal of his palm over one of his bruised eyes , his earlier injuries shadowing his features. "I'm trying not to pass out, but I'm maybe half an inch from done" . Ryan , interweaving his fingers through Victor's hair as he held his head steady, whispered, "Liam's got you, now this is gonna hurt as he gets closer to your chest but that means he's almost there, so keep breathing for us. It's just like a straw yeah, just blow those bubbles down into the milkshake. We'll both be right here." As he fought against his abraded airway, with every urge to cough careening him towards the edge of his control, he managed another breath. One single breath, his every fibre of his being concentrated into the very act. Ryan's firm grasp was all that tied his fragile state to a tangible reality, each following breath a triumph in the encroaching adversity , only to be repeated again. As Liam's blood intermingled with the saltwater , staining the rope under his finger, his vision glazed with tears. "Hold on Vic, last few damn fibres." he muttered . Grazing the rock against Victor's chest with a careful precision , watching him contain his flinches. The subsequent rising and falling of his torso promising hope as Victor held the hosepiping in place, Ryan turning it with a wince in his eyes . As Victor felt the hosereed grind , its insidious twist of execution set his chest into a fatal spasm. "Oh shit- Victor , listen to me, if youve got water in your mouth squeeze my hand, Ryan said, staving off his own panic as he felt the jolt through his fingers. "It's alright , hold your breath, we still got some minutes, you're doing great, Vic." Ryan lifted the hosereed from the water , a sense of disconnection haunting himhim. The next moment, the rope broke, and Ryan propelled Victors head upward , as he gasped for fresh air. As fatigue laden tears fell from his bloodshot eyes, he smiled through bloodied teeth. His neck then collapsed into Ryan's chest as Victor was rendered unable to speak

USER: Is well written?Maybe it amounted to nothing-after hours of rotting in the daylight , night had fallen over his helpless frame, bathing him in solitude. Maybe it could only ever be nothing, and he was nowhere, as a thousand stars danced across his vision. Blood pulsed in his throat , chasing the burn of rope that encircled his wrists . It was useless to seek solace amongst the dazzling constellation, his pupils shone with the terror of his demise. His spine , bound against the metallic surface of the black Mustang , refused to elevate as restraints held it captive . In a thrash of despair , his pelvis rose upwards , only to be scorned with the grind of further entrapment . Victor's helpless screams punctured the air , sending a reverberation to his core. "Please-help me -please-" With the roof of the car submerged under cruel water , the underpass flooding, his pulse was counting his moments away . Time pirouetted in tight circles, casting shadows that piqued over and over as he screamed. "Please-help me-". Victor could almost taste the hollow voices that had taunted him , whispering his fate against his flesh. He thrashed, despite the protest of his limbs , resisting the suffocation of his bindings. As the menace of frigid water encroached the edges of his mind , his demise was closing in. And while the car's wheels were against the ground, his captors had left him unable to escape as he lay infused with the car's roof. Binds had been wound over his torso and hips, securing his fate atop the dormant shell of freedom and open roads . Victor had been fleeing his ill choice , until the day had taken a twist toward hell, with his beloved Mustang now on the floor of the highway's underpass, and the ocean's water set to flood the channel . Entering his peripheral vision , a now buoyant can of soda that had been embedded in the mud hours earlier sent a wave of nausea to the pit of his guts. Victor had resisted the implantation of the contraband , and as a consequence, he awaited the flowing seawater's embrace. It had been a mistake to resist. To misinterpret an ultimatum for an option. Had he been too blind to see with the clarity his eyes did now , as they gazed in terror at the clear , taunting glow of the stars , his heartbeat striking against his shivers of revulsion . With his boots soaked in freezing saline and his clothing sodden with his autonomy; it was ending. His delusion of agency, of his earlier liberation as the steering wheel had laid under his hands, was running dry. It seemed the very essence of his humanity was seeping into the air as he closed his eyes. "Don't worry Vic, someone will notice you're gone , right?" , the voice had sneered against his neck. "Before we rope you to the roof of your vehicle, here , take the keys , so you can drive it on out of the middle of who knows where, you pathetic fool." The flashback lingered on the edges of his psyche , as he flinched at the recollection. His eyes refocused on the sky, and he struggled to hold back another futile scream, his ears ringing from the sound of his own pleas. And as his tears bled into the void atmosphere, he convulsed in reactive horror, the sensation of his captor's breath still travelling across his flesh, draining his insides. Twisting his head away from the rising soda can , another scream wrought itself from his chest, albeit his better instincts . "Help me-" , his own voice echoed against the underpass , surrounding him. As he thrashed against his binds , throwing his head back against the roof of the drowning car, the frigid water bit at his flesh as it rushed over the gleaming surface of the Mustang's roof. The same one he had driven to the side of the highway earlier that day. Now with his hands placed on his chest, and clasped around its keys , his teeth clenched with the irony of control being buried in his own grip. "Those bastards -" he muttered, his energy dying , the stars seeming closer yet further away as water lapped over the car's bonnet. As his eyes slid closed , the silence mocked him. With its clinical , resounding illusion, rushing water creeping closer , he cursed. Poised to spit at how his existence was unheard in the lucidity, he heard the voices of drunken strangers . "Yeah Ryan, I don't understand where this Hennessy came from but , damn I'll take what I get." Laughter followed , and the air was filled by the oncoming revelry. . "Nah , Liam, it was abandoned , which is why I'm thinking these roads aren't so safe-who would leave a bottle of decent-" Victor elicited another scream, his chest encompassed by the unyielding binds. "Please-Oh God-please-" --------- Ryan halted in his tracks, gripping Liam's forearm and steering him toward the overpass , as the wrenching voice curdled through his eardrums. "Bloody hell, Li , I'm sobering up damn quick-" he said, his voice skirting a whisper. Liam dropped the bottle , splinters of glass raining over the pavement , along with the remains of their alcohol ."Ah, shit. Well fun's over Ry-but what the hell was that ?". As Ryan surveyed the scene below, it was distressing in its familiarity. "He can't be any older than us-and he's bound to the roof of that car in ...what, three places? Poor guy has gotta be freezing. Those bastards are getting even more intricate with their tactics...."his voice smoked into a whisper , as his face paled. As he dropped to the asphalt, Liam gathered up an assortment of rocks and debris , including a short piece of reed. Upon inspecting it, he announced "it's short, touch-and-go wide, but it'd do in a grave situation" Ryan was already stripping his shirt , grabbing his share of gravel and sprinting for the bank of the underpass . Victor somehow managed another blood boiling scream, sending shocks of raw panic through the air. As Ryan's dark shadow hit the water , and swam into his vision, Victor attempted eye contact in the consuming dark. As Victor's glazed grey stare was met by Ryan's hazel concern, hailing himself onto the roof of the car, his knees knelt by Victor's head . "Hey buddy, just try and slow the breathing down. Those binds around your ribs look tight-but Liam and I escaped similar circumstances earlier, we're gonna get you outta here, alright." Victor offered a dark chuckle, "In a body bag right? Because I'm gonna drown-" Ryan reached over Victors chest and pried at the ropes around his wrists, assessing their proximity to his flesh. "Damnit, I can't fit a finger underneath, he cursed. "What's your name? I'm Ryan, call me Ry'. Busted my own binds and his-" How about this continuation: Ryan's brief gesture at Liam, had him grinning in the moonlight as he hauled himself onto the trunk of the car and crouched by Victor's legs. "Yeah, it's no small feat that we're alive but, we're gonna do what we can to get you untied-but yeah they've given ya no room to breathe ", Liam said, his blue gaze less visible. "It's hopeless right? I'm Victor , dead man-not walking..." he went to lift a hand , and was reminded of his bindings . Ryan , cracking a smile, replied "Good thing I've done this before then , huh? It might not be as hopeless as it should be-" . Angling a rock at a thread of rope , he began sawing at Victor's wrists, the burn travelling through his fingers as an empty Dorito packet sailed past his thigh. "Well, the ropes seem to have some age in 'em. Lazy bastards tied you down with something good 'ol Ry ain't immune to-" he said, as he gained momentum on the fraying rope , as Liam managed to leverage a small rock under the rope that held Victors chest. "You really believe you'll get through these before I meet my watery-" Victor asked before Liam gave a measured response. "Well I can get through the thicker ones with some time, but not to alarm ya both but, he's gonna be breathing through this if this tide keeps coming-" . As Liam reached out and handed Ryan the hollow piece of reed, he tucked it into his pocket in a discreet motion . As a flash of light from the reed caught in Victors eyes, he asked , disconcerted, "Breathing through what?". As Ryan maintained his rhythm , hacking into the fibres of the binds which were finally giving way... "I'm almost through, keep the breathing steady for me so you don't bruise those ribs , you're gonna need em for drinking a round of booze when this is over-" Victor managed a sallow smile, the terror in his dilated pupils growing. As a bind snapped , spraying water into Ryan's face , he grasped Victors hands , removing the residual rope. "There we go" Ryan said, a rasp of relief dragging through his exhausted voice... Victor's trembling hands flew to his face as he ran his palms over his eyes, and whispered "Thanks-I -" . As the chill of water cascaded over Ryan's thighs , he lifted Victor's head into his lap, affording him an inch of height. The tide edged at Victors throat , as he steeled a hand in his damp hair. "It's already too hi-high" , he said , through chatting teeth that stammered his panic into fragments . Liam , working tirelessly at the thick rope around Victors torso , mouthed a few silent words in the moonlight "I'm only halfway-". His irises harbouring a slight edge of concern, Ryan plunged his hand across Victors submerged sternum, holding it stable as he spasmed . Almost on cue , as the water's brittle temperature irritated his airway, Victor began to cough under Ryan's palm . "Alright Victor , I need you to focus on the breathing. Nice and slow. Now, me and Liam operate fast, but I need you to breathe through this reed when the water gets higher. Block off your nose , you can do this Victor, I've got you." As Victors eyes radiated an alertness , he nodded as he said "oh God, this is-" . Ryan held his grasp firm until the spasms stopped. "I'll hold you still , you only have to concentrate on breathing alright? And if you can't hold it in place , just squeeze my hand and I'll get it out. You'll have to hold your breath, and hold any water in your mouth, but this may buy us some time. I'll have to remove it slowly, but I know you can do this." . The threat of the cold water lapped at Victors jaw, licking his earlobe with tongues of freezing peril. Holding the pipe firmly in his grasp, the keys of the Mustang long forgotten in the tide, , Ryan braced a palm under Victors head , as his neck collapsed with exhaustion. The tide, without mercy , hedged at Victor's temples , and he wrapped his tongue around the rigid piping, his blue lips stretched around the girth of the reed. A far fetched attempt at air , he prepared for water to fill his lungs . His teeth settled painfully against his gums as he struggled to form a seal, ensuring not even a droplet would berate his airways, or his demise would be met. Instincts overrode him as he held the tip of the reed in place, closing his eyes as the water claimed his eyelids and didn't stop there. Ryan's voice, seeming a mile away as the seawater engulfed his head, rang out clear . "Victor , I have my hand hovering right above the reed, I can feel you buddy, nice deep breaths. You can do this. No water is gonna come down this end . Not a drop. I'm gonna rotate it as often as I can, it'll be painful, but we don't want you choking on your own carbon. You might feel a bit dizzy but this all we've got-" As Ryan held Victors head , the reed formed an eerie lifeline in his lap , his eyes not leaving it for a second as Victor groaned. "Liam , how far in are you?", he asked, as he gave the reed a slow turn, and Victor's gums were torn with the motion. He fought the urge to scream into the reed , instead staring at the isolating darkness of his eyelids, delivering another breath upward. ""This ain't ideal Ry' and I don't mean to alarm ya but, the rope is thicker than-my fingertips are bleeding-". Shaking the stiffness from his hands , Liam rested the heal of his palm over one of his bruised eyes , his earlier injuries shadowing his features. "I'm trying not to pass out, but I'm maybe half an inch from done" . Ryan , interweaving his fingers through Victor's hair as he held his head steady, whispered, "Liam's got you, now this is gonna hurt as he gets closer to your chest but that means he's almost there, so keep breathing for us. It's just like a straw yeah, just blow those bubbles down into the milkshake. We'll both be right here." As he fought against his abraded airway, with every urge to cough careening him towards the edge of his control, he managed another breath. One single breath, his every fibre of his being concentrated into the very act. Ryan's firm grasp was all that tied his fragile state to a tangible reality, each following breath a triumph in the encroaching adversity , only to be repeated again. As Liam's blood intermingled with the saltwater , staining the rope under his finger, his vision glazed with tears. "Hold on Vic, last few damn fibres." he muttered . Grazing the rock against Victor's chest with a careful precision , watching him contain his flinches. The subsequent rising and falling of his torso promising hope as Victor held the piping in place, Ryan turning it with a wince in his eyes . As Victor felt the reed grind , its insidious twist of execution set his chest into a fatal spasm. "Oh shit- Victor , listen to me, if youve got water in your mouth squeeze my hand, Ryan said, staving off his own panic as he felt the jolt through his fingers. "It's alright , hold your breath, we still got some minutes, you're doing great, Vic." Ryan lifted the reed from the water , a sense of disconnection haunting him. The next moment, the rope broke, and Ryan propelled Victors head upward , as he gasped for fresh air. As fatigue laden tears fell from his bloodshot eyes, he smiled through bloodied teeth. His neck then collapsed into Ryan's chest as Victor was rendered unable to speak . Ryan, breaking into a smile of relief, delivered a gentle thump to Victors head. "He's up and kicking-almost... you took about twenty breaths. Damn amazing job, borrowed you some life" Tears fell from Victor's eyes as adrenaline rushed through him "Thank you -I -thought I'd die." Ryan pulled Victor's weak frame against him , replying , "well you scared the hell out of me and I don't scare easy". Ryan scanned his trained eyes over Victor's back, before noticing Victor's shoulder had dislocated during his attempts to overcome his own imprisonment. As he realigned his shoulder blade , and guided in back into place, Victor groaned at the force. "What the hell was that?" . Ryan , dodging Victor's outpouring of gratitude, responded coolly "You must have put your shoulder out thrashing around, and you're too cold to feel it, but don't worry , you will later." Victor's cheek , still nestled aside Ryan's chest, vibrated with his low murmur. "Oh, shit, how did you-" Ryan only laughed as he gazed at the exhausted Liam who had already travelled to Victors pelvis , strain in his eyes. "I've had some experience with medical -it doesn't matter . Liam is on breaking point so I'm gonna take his position. Victor offered his hand to Ryan , his eyes gesturing at the rock "I can help you cut-" Ryan stashed the rock out of reach as Liam slid himself behind Victor's back, wrapping his arms around his chest to keep him upright. "Sounds like you've got a bit of hypoxia -what I mean is , your brain's messed up, with that shoulder you and Liam are gonna share body heat while I finish this. " With a laugh, Liam readjusted Victors head against his chest , allowing himself to shiver , his muscles radiating heat. "I gotta say, you did one hell of a job breathing for that pipe for a few minutes . It's a good thing you didn't have to resort to holding' your breath ." They both chuckled, their relief intermingling with the surrealism of the moment. "I couldn't have breathed through that, you're really something, huh? " Victor grinned , his humour still intact as oxygen crawled to his nerve endings . "I'm death warmed up, thanks to you-". Ryan finally snapped the binding from Victor's left hip, groaning as he hauled himself to the other side of the car , the water holding its rapid infiltration of time. "And this is the easy part-bloody hell, the alcohol is catching back up to me -" . Liam's heartbeat slowed as his eyelids sank lower and he replied "Keep at it Ry' , the tide is reaching my armpits here, and he must weigh as much as I do-" . Victor's gruff reply, filled with the thickness of his throat , hung in the air as the keys to the Mustang hit Liam in the forearm. He retrieved them, flipping them around his knuckles , and handing them to Victor. "This was your car-man I'm sorry-", he lamented a somber tone lacing his voice. "Well it's not as if I planned to drive her again after this-" Silence fell over Victor in a blanket of emancipation from his former identity. "I just want to block the whole incident out-" he said, and turned his attention to the rising water. Finally, Ryan sawed through Victor's right hip, pulling the rope away , his expression betraying his strength. "Thank goodness for that. Now Victor, wanna be a dead man swimming?" He asked, his smile illuminating in the dark. With his arm slung around Victors injured shoulder , Liam heaved him into a one armed embraced and swung his legs from the roof of the car. "Lean on me, and let's get you to shore huh? Me and Ryan don't know where the hell we are but it seems like right place at the right time cuts it..." Victor nodded, as Ryan swam to shore , and sprawled across the bank , chest heaving .Liam and Victor's conjoined shadow swam across the rushing water, as Liam eased Victor onto his back . Joining him , the sky held its silver edge of despondency, quiet and somehow offering meaning . It could maybe be more than nothing, and nowhere , even it that's precisely what it was. -------

USER: Maybe it amounted to nothing-after hours of rotting in the daylight , night had fallen over his helpless frame, bathing him in solitude. Maybe it could only ever be nothing, and he was nowhere, as a thousand stars danced across his vision. Blood pulsed in his throat , chasing the burn of rope that encircled his wrists . It was useless to seek solace amongst the dazzling constellation, his pupils shone with the terror of his demise. His spine , bound against the metallic surface of the black Mustang , refused to elevate as restraints held it captive . In a thrash of despair , his pelvis rose upwards , only to be scorned with the grind of further entrapment . Victor's helpless screams punctured the air , sending a reverberation to his core. "Please-help me -please-" With the roofwheels of the car submerged under cruel water , the underpass flooding, his pulse was counting his moments away . Time pirouetted in tight circles, casting shadows that piqued over and over as he screamed. "Please-help me-". Victor could almost taste the hollow voices that had taunted him , whispering his fate against his flesh. He thrashed, despite the protest of his limbs , resisting the suffocation of his bindings. As the menace of frigid water encroached the edges of his mind , his demise was closing in. And while the car's wheels were against the ground, his captors had left him unable to escape as he lay infused with the car's roof. Binds had been wound over his torso and hips, securing his fate atop the dormant shell of freedom and open roads . Victor had been fleeing his ill choice , until the day had taken a twist toward hell, with his beloved Mustang now on the floor of the highway's underpass, and the ocean's water set to flood the channel . Entering his peripheral vision , a now buoyant can of soda that had been embedded in the mud hours earlier sent a wave of nausea to the pit of his guts. Victor had resisted the implantation of the contraband , and as a consequence, he awaited the flowing seawater's embrace. It had been a mistake to resist. To misinterpret an ultimatum for an option. Had he been too blind to see with the clarity his eyes did now , as they gazed in terror at the clear , taunting glow of the stars , his heartbeat striking against his shivers of revulsion . With his boots soaked in freezing saline and his clothing sodden with his autonomy; it was ending. His delusion of agency, of his earlier liberation as the steering wheel had laid under his hands, was running dry. It seemed the very essence of his humanity was seeping into the air as he closed his eyes. "Don't worry Vic, someone will notice you're gone , right?" , the voice had sneered against his neck. "Before we rope you to the roof of your vehicle, here , take the keys , so you can drive it on out of the middle of who knows where, you pathetic fool." The flashback lingered on the edges of his psyche , as he flinched at the recollection. His eyes refocused on the sky, and he struggled to hold back another futile scream, his ears ringing from the sound of his own pleas. And as his tears bled into the void atmosphere, he convulsed in reactive horror, the sensation of his captor's breath still travelling across his flesh, draining his insides. Twisting his head away from the rising soda can , another scream wrought itself from his chest, albeit his better instincts . "Help me-" , his own voice echoed against the underpass , surrounding him. As he thrashed against his binds , throwing his head back against the roof of the drowning car, the frigid water bit at his flesh as it rushed over the gleaming surface of the Mustang's roof. The same one he had driven to the side of the highway earlier that day. Now with his hands placed on his chest, and clasped around its keys , his teeth clenched with the irony of control being buried in his own grip. "Those bastards -" he muttered, his energy dying , the stars seeming closer yet further away as water lapped over the car's bonnet. As his eyes slid closed , the silence mocked him. With its clinical , resounding illusion, rushing water creeping closer , he cursed. Poised to spit at how his existence was unheard in the lucidity, he heard the voices of drunken strangers . "Yeah Ryan, I don't understand where this Hennessy came from but , damn I'll take what I get." Laughter followed , and the air was filled by the oncoming revelry. . "Nah , Liam, it was abandoned , which is why I'm thinking these roads aren't so safe-who would leave a bottle of decent-" Victor elicited another scream, his chest encompassed by the unyielding binds. "Please-Oh God-please-" --------- Ryan halted in his tracks, gripping Liam's forearm and steering him toward the overpass , as the wrenching voice curdled through his eardrums. "Bloody hell, Li , I'm sobering up damn quick-" he said, his voice skirting a whisper. Liam dropped the bottle , splinters of glass raining over the pavement , along with the remains of their alcohol ."Ah, shit. Well fun's over Ry-but what the hell was that ?". As Ryan surveyed the scene below, it was distressing in its familiarity. "He can't be anybelow ; a dark figure strapped strategically to the roof of a car , he identified the nylon ropes with a hint of distress occupying the rasp in his voice . "It seems like those bastards -namely Valen-are getting into more intricate tactics. I'm guessin' the poor guy is no older than us-and he's bound to the roof ofus, and he made the same mistake I did -" Ryan stumbled back into Liam's shoulder , his face consumed with pallor. "I think if that car in ...what, three places? Poorunderpass could flood it'd take hours but- cutting through those damn ropes would take just as long- but I can tolerate the cold at least-" Liam was already stripping his shirt as he nodded "Well, it's not as if we can keep walking now, and this place is only bearable after dark anyways-" . Ryan levelled his gaze at Liam as she inspected a rock and other various debris in his hand as he coached by the roadside. "Are you sure you're alright to -after , well..." Liam, dropping to his knees beside Ryan, scooped up a handful as stones."I'm -lost in the middle of nowhere-I'll deal with it-that poor guy has gotta be freezing. Thosefreezing-and if I'm honest, after finding Logan's dog..this whole area is just a dumping ground right?" . A low whistle escaped Ryan's teeth as he replied, "seems like the body count will only rise at this rate , but if he survives this, it kinda proves that while these bastards are gettingcan try-we can't even more intricate with their tactics...."his voice smoked into a whisper , as his face paled.walk a mile without finding another victim, or the traces of one, and they will fail at this bust. " As he dropped to the asphalt, Liam gathered up an assortment of rocks and debris , including a short piece of reed. Upon inspecting it, he announced "it's short, touch-and-go wide, but it'd do in a grave situation" Ryan was already stripping his shirt , grabbing his share of gravel and sprinting for the bank of the underpass . Victor somehow managed another blood boiling scream, sending shocks of raw panic through the air. As Ryan's dark shadow hit the water , and swam into his vision, Victor attempted eye contact in the consuming dark. As Victor's glazed grey stare was met by Ryan's hazel concern, hailing himself onto the roof of the car, his knees knelt by Victor's head . "Hey buddy, just try and slow the breathing down. Those binds around your ribs look tight-but Liam and I escaped similar circumstances earlier, we're gonna get you outta here, alright." Victor offered a dark chuckle, "In a body bag right? Because I'm gonna drown-" Ryan reached over Victors chest and pried at the ropes around his wrists, assessing their proximity to his flesh. "Damnit, I can't fit a finger underneath, he cursed. "What's your name? I'm Ryan, call me Ry'. Busted my own binds and his-" How about this continuation: Ryan's brief gesture at Liam, had him grinning in the moonlight as he hauled himself onto the trunk of the car and crouched byhis feet he said, a strain in his words "It's all get-out of hell of die trying right? , let's get down there-" Another of Victor's legs. "Yeah, it's no small feat that we're alive but, we're gonna do what we can to get you untied-but yeah they've given ya no room to breathe ",screams ripped through Ryan's core as he followed Liam said, his blue gaze less visible. "It's hopeless right? I'm Victor , dead man-not walking..." he went to lift a hand , and was reminded of his bindings . Ryan , cracking a smile, replied "Good thing I've done this before then , huh? It might not be as hopeless as it should be-" . Angling a rock at a thread of rope , he began sawing at Victor's wrists, the burn travelling through his fingers as an empty Dorito packet sailed past his thigh. "Well, the ropes seem to have some age in 'em. Lazy bastards tied you down with something good 'ol Ry ain't immune to-" he said, as he gained momentum on the fraying rope , as Liam managed to leverage a small rock under the rope that held Victors chest. "You really believe you'll get through these before I meet my watery-" Victor asked before Liam gave a measured response. "Well I can get through the thicker ones with some time, but not to alarm ya both but, he's gonna be breathing through this if this tide keeps coming-" . As Liam reached out and handed Ryan the hollow piece of reed, he tucked it into his pocket in a discreet motion . As a flash of light from the reed caught in Victors eyes, he asked , disconcerted, "Breathing through what?". As Ryan maintained his rhythm , hacking into the fibres of the binds which were finally giving way... "I'm almost through, keep the breathing steady for me so you don't bruise those ribs , you're gonna need em for drinking a round of booze when this is over-" Victor managed a sallow smile, the terror in his dilated pupils growing. As a bind snapped , spraying water into Ryan's face , he grasped Victors hands , removing the residual rope. "There we go" Ryan said, a rasp of relief dragging through his exhausted voice... Victor's trembling hands flew to his face as he ran his palms over his eyes, and whispered "Thanks-I -" . As the chill of water cascaded over Ryan's thighs , he lifted Victor's head into his lap, affording him an inch of height. The tide edged at Victors throat , as he steeled a hand in his damp hair. "It's already too hi-high" , he said , through chatting teeth that stammered his panic into fragments . Liam , working tirelessly at the thick rope around Victors torso , mouthed a few silent words in the moonlight "I'm only halfway-". His irises harbouring a slight edge of concern, Ryan plunged his hand across Victors submerged sternum, holding it stable as he spasmed . Almost on cue , as the water's brittle temperature irritated his airway, Victor began to cough under Ryan's palm . "Alright Victor , I need you to focus on the breathing. Nice and slow. Now, me and Liam operate fast, but I need you to breathe through this reed when the water gets higher. Block off your nose , you can do this Victor, I've got you." As Victors eyes radiated an alertness , he nodded as he said "oh God, this is-" . Ryan held his grasp firm until the spasms stopped. "I'll hold you still , you only have to concentrate on breathing alright? And if you can't hold it in place , just squeeze my hand and I'll get it out. You'll have to hold your breath, and hold any water in your mouth, but this may buy us some time. I'll have to remove it slowly, but I know you can do this." . The threat of the cold water lapped at Victors jaw, licking his earlobe with tongues of freezing peril. Holding the pipe firmly in his grasp, the keys of the Mustang long forgotten in the tide, , Ryan braced a palm under Victors head , as his neck collapsed with exhaustion. The tide, without mercy , hedged at Victor's temples , and he wrapped his tongue around the rigid piping, his blue lips stretched around the girth of the reed. A far fetched attempt at air , he prepared for water to fill his lungs . His teeth settled painfully against his gums as he struggled to form a seal, ensuring not even a droplet would berate his airways, or his demise would be met. Instincts overrode him as he held the tip of the reed in place, closing his eyes as the water claimed his eyelids and didn't stop there. Ryan's voice, seeming a mile away as the seawater engulfed his head, rang out clear . "Victor , I have my hand hovering right above the reed, I can feel you buddy, nice deep breaths. You can do this. No water is gonna come down this end . Not a drop. I'm gonna rotate it as often as I can, it'll be painful, but we don't want you choking on your own carbon. You might feel a bit dizzy but this all we've got-" As Ryan held Victors head , the reed formed an eerie lifeline in his lap , his eyes not leaving it for a second as Victor groaned. "Liam , how far in are you?", he asked, as he gave the reed a slow turn, and Victor's gums were torn with the motion. He fought the urge to scream into the reed , instead staring at the isolating darkness of his eyelids, delivering another breath upward. ""This ain't ideal Ry' and I don't mean to alarm ya but, the rope is thicker than-my fingertips are bleeding-". Shaking the stiffness from his hands , Liam rested the heal of his palm over one of his bruised eyes , his earlier injuries shadowing his features. "I'm trying not to pass out, but I'm maybe half an inch from done" . Ryan , interweaving his fingers through Victor's hair as he held his head steady, whispered, "Liam's got you, now this is gonna hurt as he gets closer to your chest but that means he's almost there, so keep breathing for us. It's just like a straw yeah, just blow those bubbles down into the milkshake. We'll both be right here." As he fought against his abraded airway, with every urge to cough careeningunderpass and waded through the shallow water , his boots lending him towards the edge of his control, he managed another breath. One single breath, his every fibre of his being concentrated into the very act. Ryan's firm grasp was all that tied his fragile state to a tangible reality, each following breath a triumph in the encroaching adversity , only to be repeated again. As Liam's blood intermingled with the saltwater , staining the rope under his finger, his vision glazed with tears. "Hold on Vic, last few damn fibres." he muttered . Grazing the rock against Victor's chest with a careful precision , watching him contain his flinches. The subsequent rising and falling of his torso promising hope as Victor held the piping in place, Ryan turning it with a wince in his eyes . As Victor felt the reed grind , its insidious twist of execution set his chest into a fatal spasm. "Oh shit- Victor , listen to me, if youve got water in your mouth squeeze my hand, Ryan said, staving off his own panic as he felt the jolt through his fingers. "It's alright , hold your breath, we still got some minutes, you're doing great, Vic." Ryan lifted the reed from the water , a sense of disconnection haunting him. The next moment, the rope broke, and Ryan propelled Victors head upward , as he gasped for fresh air. As fatigue laden tears fell from his bloodshot eyes, he smiled through bloodied teeth. His neck then collapsed into Ryan's chest as Victor was rendered unable to speak . Ryan, breaking into a smile of relief, delivered a gentle thump to Victors head. "He's up and kicking-almost... you took about twenty breaths. Damn amazing job, borrowed you some life" Tears fell from Victor's eyes as adrenaline rushed through him "Thank you -I -thought I'd die." Ryan pulled Victor's weak frame against him , replying , "well you scared the hell out of me and I don't scare easy". Ryan scanned his trained eyes over Victor's back, before noticing Victor's shoulder had dislocated during his attempts to overcome his own imprisonment. As he realigned his shoulder blade , and guided in back into place, Victor groaned at the force. "What the hell was that?" . Ryan , dodging Victor's outpouring of gratitude, responded coolly "You must have put your shoulder out thrashing around, and you're too cold to feel it, but don't worry , you will later." Victor's cheek , still nestled aside Ryan's chest, vibrated with his low murmur. "Oh, shit, how did you-" Ryan only laughed as he gazed at the exhausted Liam who had already travelled to Victors pelvis , strain in his eyes. "I've had some experience with medical -it doesn't matter . Liam is on breaking point so I'm gonna take his position. Victor offered his hand to Ryan , his eyes gesturing at the rock "I can help you cut-" Ryan stashed the rock out of reach as Liam slid himself behind Victor's back, wrapping his arms around his chest to keep him upright. "Sounds like you've got a bit of hypoxia -what I mean is , your brain's messed up, with that shoulder you and Liam are gonna share body heat while I finish this. " With a laugh, Liam readjusted Victors head against his chest , allowing himself to shiver , his muscles radiating heat. "I gotta say, you did one hell of a job breathing for that pipe for a few minutes . It's a good thing you didn't have to resort to holding' your breath ." They both chuckled, their relief intermingling with the surrealism of the moment. "I couldn't have breathed through that, you're really something, huh? " Victor grinned , his humour still intact as oxygen crawled to his nerve endings . "I'm death warmed up, thanks to you-". Ryan finally snapped the binding from Victor's left hip, groaning as he hauled himself to the other side of the car , the water holding its rapid infiltration of time. "And this is the easy part-bloody hell, the alcohol is catching back up to me -" . Liam's heartbeat slowed as his eyelids sank lower and he replied "Keep at it Ry' , the tide is reaching my armpits here, and he must weigh as much as I do-" . Victor's gruff reply, filled with the thickness of his throat , hung in the air as the keys to the Mustang hit Liam in the forearm. He retrieved them, flipping them around his knuckles , and handing them to Victor. "This was your car-man I'm sorry-", he lamented a somber tone lacing his voice. "Well it's not as if I planned to drive her again after this-" Silence fell over Victor in a blanket of emancipation from his former identity. "I just want to block the whole incident out-" he said, and turned his attention to the rising water. Finally, Ryan sawed through Victor's right hip, pulling the rope away , his expression betraying his strength. "Thank goodness for that. Now Victor, wanna be a dead man swimming?" He asked, his smile illuminating in the dark. With his arm slung around Victors injured shoulder , Liam heaved him into a one armed embraced and swung his legs from the roof of the car. "Lean on me, and let's get you to shore huh? Me and Ryan don't know where the hell we are but it seems like right place at the right time cuts it..." Victor nodded, as Ryan swam to shore , and sprawled across the bank , chest heaving .Liam and Victor's conjoined shadow swam across the rushing water, as Liam eased Victor onto his back . Joining him , the sky held its silver edge of despondency, quiet and somehow offering meaning . It could maybe be more than nothing, and nowhere , even it that's precisely what it was. -------traction .

USER: Maybe it amounted to nothing-after hours of rotting in the daylight , night had fallen over his helpless frame, bathing him in solitude. Maybe it could only ever be nothing, and he was nowhere, as a thousand stars danced across his vision. Blood pulsed in his throat , chasing the burn of rope that encircled his wrists . It was useless to seek solace amongst the dazzling constellation, his pupils shone with the terror of his demise. His spine , bound against the metallic surface of the black Mustang , refused to elevate as restraints held it captive . In a thrash of despair , his pelvis rose upwards , only to be scorned with the grind of further entrapment . Victor's helpless screams punctured the air , sending a reverberation to his core. "Please-help me -please-" With the wheels of the car submerged under water , the underpass flooding, his pulse was counting his moments away . Time pirouetted in tight circles, casting shadows that piqued over and over as he screamed. "Please-help me-". Victor could almost taste the hollow voices that had taunted him , whispering his fate against his flesh. He thrashed, despite the protest of his limbs , resisting the suffocation of his bindings. As the menace of frigid water encroached the edges of his mind , his demise was closing in. And while the car's wheels were against the ground, his captors had left him unable to escape as he lay infused with the car's roof. Binds had been wound over his torso and hips, securing his fate atop the dormant shell of freedom and open roads . Victor had been fleeing his ill choice , until the day had taken a twist toward hell, with his beloved Mustang now on the floor of the highway's underpass, and the ocean's water set to flood the channel . Entering his peripheral vision , a now buoyant can of soda that had been embedded in the mud hours earlier sent a wave of nausea to the pit of his guts. Victor had resisted the implantation of the contraband , and as a consequence, he awaited the flowing seawater's embrace. It had been a mistake to resist. To misinterpret an ultimatum for an option. Had he been too blind to see with the clarity his eyes did now , as they gazed in terror at the clear , taunting glow of the stars , his heartbeat striking against his shivers of revulsion . With his boots soaked in freezing saline and his clothing sodden with his autonomy; it was ending. His delusion of agency, of his earlier liberation as the steering wheel had laid under his hands, was running dry. It seemed the very essence of his humanity was seeping into the air as he closed his eyes. "Don't worry Vic, someone will notice you're gone , right?" , the voice had sneered against his neck. "Before we rope you to the roof of your vehicle, here , take the keys , so you can drive it on out of the middle of who knows where, you pathetic fool." The flashback lingered on the edges of his psyche , as he flinched at the recollection. His eyes refocused on the sky, and he struggled to hold back another futile scream, his ears ringing from the sound of his own pleas. And as his tears bled into the void atmosphere, he convulsed in reactive horror, the sensation of his captor's breath still travelling across his flesh, draining his insides. Twisting his head away from the rising soda can , another scream wrought itself from his chest, albeit his better instincts . "Help me-" , his own voice echoed against the underpass , surrounding him. As he thrashed against his binds , throwing his head back against the roof of the drowning car, the frigid water bit at his flesh as it rushed over the gleaming surface of the Mustang's roof. The same one he had driven to the side of the highway earlier that day. Now with his hands placed on his chest, and clasped around its keys , his teeth clenched with the irony of control being buried in his own grip. "Those bastards -" he muttered, his energy dying , the stars seeming closer yet further away as water lapped over the car's bonnet. As his eyes slid closed , the silence mocked him. With its clinical , resounding illusion, rushing water creeping closer , he cursed. Poised to spit at how his existence was unheard in the lucidity, he heard the voices of drunken strangers . "Yeah Ryan, I don't understand where this Hennessy came from but , damn I'll take what I get." Laughter followed , and the air was filled by the oncoming revelry. . "Nah , Liam, it was abandoned , which is why I'm thinking these roads aren't so safe-who would leave a bottle of decent-" Victor elicited another scream, his chest encompassed by the unyielding binds. "Please-Oh God-please-" --------- Ryan halted in his tracks, gripping Liam's forearm and steering him toward the overpass , as the wrenching voice curdled through his eardrums. "Bloody hell, Li , I'm sobering up damn quick-" he said, his voice skirting a whisper. Liam dropped the bottle , splinters of glass raining over the pavement , along with the remains of their alcohol ."Ah, shit. Well fun's over Ry-but what the hell was that ?". As Ryan surveyed the scene below ; a dark figure strapped strategically to the roof of a car , he identified the nylon ropes with a hint of distress occupying the rasp in his voice . "It seems like those bastards -namely Valen-are getting into more intricate tactics. I'm guessin' the poor guy is no older than us, and he made the same mistake I did -" Ryan stumbled back into Liam's shoulder , his face consumed with pallor. "I think if that underpass could flood it'd take hours but- cutting through those damn ropes would take just as long- but I can tolerate the cold at least-" Liam was already stripping his shirt as he nodded "Well, it's not as if we can keep walking now, and this place is only bearable after dark anyways-" . Ryan levelled his gaze at Liam as she inspected a rock and other various debris in his hand as he coached by the roadside. "Are you sure you're alright to -after , well..." Liam, dropping to his knees beside Ryan, scooped up a handful asof stones."I'm -lost in the middle of nowhere-I'll deal with it-that poor guy has gotta be freezing-and if I'm honest, after finding Logan's dog..this whole area is just a dumping ground right?" . A low whistle escaped Ryan's teeth as he replied, "seems like the body count will only rise at this rate , but if he survives this, it kinda proves that while these bastards can try-we can't even walk a mile without finding another victim, or the traces of one, and they will fail at this bust. " As Liam hauled himself onto his feet he said, a strain in his words "It's all get-out of hell ofor die trying right? , let's get down there-" Another of Victor's screams ripped through Ryan's core as he followed Liam down into the underpass and waded through the shallow water , his boots lending him traction . "Hey , buddy , it's alright, we know Valen , you coukd say-" Ryan called out as he reached the roof of the ruined Mustang, and his hazel eyes met Victor's grey stare. "What's your name , I'm Ryan, but just call me Ry'-he does-" . As he gestured towards Liam , who was already hauling himself onto the trunk , offered up a lopsided grin. "Liam, also survived a similar set up, he broke out of his own binds , then he severed mine. We're gonna get you out of here. Looks like we've got a few hours to damn well try anyway-" Victor's eyes glassed over as he chuckled darkly, "In a body bag right-coz I'm gonna drown. That asshole knew the tide would flow in here eventually but he planned to kill me soft and slow and all that-" Ryan reached over Victor's body smoothing a finger along the trademark nylon texture of the rope binding his wrists. "Good thing I've done this before , huh? " Victor , waggling a thumb, introduced himself , "Victor, I'd shake your hand but-I'm trying not to jump out if my skin here." Ryan inspected the proximity of the rope against Victor's flesh, cursing at his failure . "Damnit, I can't even slip a finger underneath-" . An ease , amalgamated with caution, laced Liam's response as he dug a stone from his pocket. "Well there's enough assorted debris around here , a damn sight more than what we had at our disposal, I'd imagine these rocks will erode the nylon without cutting his ribcage when when get down close-" Ryan , elevating himself onto the roof of the car, knelt beside Victor's head, and held his concern on Victor's terrified gaze. "Not that we wont use broken glass if we have to, as long as it ain't fatal, it's a variable I'll deal with, but buddy , I need you to work on slowing the breathing down 'cause those binds 'round your chest seem tight. You're gonna need those ribs for drinking when we get some booze onto you later , huh?" . As the levity quelled Victor's panic breaths, the shallow reach of his breaths encompassing depth, he laughed. "Well, if you two escaped Va-that bastard-I'd be buying you the drinks. I won't go into specifics but, I may have committed a serious crime if it weren't for my stubborn resistance-and now, here I am." Ryan's hazel aspect shone with flecks of illumination as he said "you never actually had a choice , so don't beat yourself into insanity-none of us ever had a choice. Liam can tell you for himself . It was an ultimatum, say no ..you get this ..say yes , well..." Liam interjected, his blue irises averted into the distance ,"You wind up in the centre of a different hell. But either way, it felt like agency but-define that. I nearly died." Victor lifted his head to confront Liam's expression . "And I'd take your own advice there. You look like hell talkin'-" . Ryan , angling a stone with meticulous precision, exhaled another low whistle through his teeth. "I've been telling him that myself . But that's Li'" . As Ryan tackled the fibres of rope , with hours of the same repetitive motion staring him in the face he watched Victor in his peripheral vision , noticing the steadying of his respiration. "I gotta admit , I'd be out of my skin by now if I had ropes hugging me-I'll give you kudos for that-" Victor shifted under the hold of his confinement, his eyes weathered and betraying his composure. "This isn't the hardest part. It's -well , I believed I'd escaped , I was driving her, and then-well , I had so much nothing .. I was lost , my face is probably on flyers back home -and here I was picturing my face staring back through a plastic sleeve when they find my drivers licence at the bottom of -" Liam finally opted for a razor edged stone, one that sat in his palm with a smoothness and lent the binds around Victors chest a glance. "Well you better keep that breathing steady for me , I can't stall this any longer. It's gonna hurt but it beats the alternative . I suppose when you think about the realties of being captive , you start dissecting the disturbing shit , but right now we need you clear minded ." Liam's subsequent smile was laced with a sober empathy, as he slithered the sharp edge of the rock into the thick tethers , the motion grinding Victor's chest. "Damn, yeah that hurts but, somehow I don't half mind it-" . Ryan was quick to slap a hand down over Victors forearm, "that's the spirit , cause this ain't exactly easy-but hey we have nowhere else to be. And you're more that a mugshot under plastic. I'm gonna see to that." As Ryan worked on the rope , his fingertips abrading and his sweat intermingling with blood , the cool air skimmed across the rising water . "Hey Liam, at what rate do you figure that's rising? I'm guessin' we've been at this half an hour , and it's only just submerged the bottom rim of the passenger door. It's not rapid , but then , neither are we-my fingers are-" Liam nodded , shaking his fingers and running a hand over his bruised eye sockets, wincing. "Yeah, we have time , but we need it. I'm struggling not to pass out. " Liam's earlier brush with the concrete caused his temples to ache with a distinct ache of exertion, his expression exposing his effort. "But I can do this for as long I have to-" he muttered, more to himself as his voice trailed into an internalised musing. Victor rolled his head to the side with unease , "if this goes south, I -well-please don't leave me when-y'know-" . Ryan's voice , filled with metallic resolve , stated calmly as he said "It doesn't matter what they made you believe you deserve, to lose your dignity is not one of those things. I told him, and I'll tell you . Ain't nobody getting left behind, now let ol' Ry severe this damn bind-it's getting weaker." He grunted, his muscles gleaming against the moonlight as he edged on Victors wrists, applying a mixture of calculated pressure and measured dexterity. Controlling his own strength left his fingers trembling as the binds neared their limits. And then , with a satisfying snap, the rope sprung from Victor's skin and Ryan uncoiled the rope , freeing Victor's arms . Liam ceased his rhythmic efforts on Victor's torso as he gazed up, his crooked grin beaming in the moonlight. "Hell yeah , Ry, he's able bodied from the waist up". Victor was quick to raise his cramped hands to his face, running his palms over his bloodshot eyes. The jangle of his keys hitting his sternum cut through the air, and he clutched at them, his knuckles shaking. "Thanks-I-" he whispered, and Ryan grabbed his free hand. "It was nothing, that I wouldn't do for ya Victor . Now lie back down , conserve the energy for thanking Liam, he's burning himself out like a candle with no wick" . A laugh replied , as Liam's arms shook with the smattering of his amusement ringing through the air. "Ah Ryan, deflecting gratitude , has its downsides, because I'm basting in it because I'm too exhausted to resist sweet nothings , you'll be down here finishing this off-" Ryan's warm smile , not leaving his worn features , faded as he noticed the keys wedged between Victor's fingers. "Damn, I'm sorry -" Victor diverted his irises in the darkness, laying his head back down and dropping the keys into the water below . "It's not as if I'd drive her again after-" . A silence consumed them , its thickness distilled only by Liam's hacking at the thick rope in his grasp. The splash caught Ryan's broader attention, as he noticed the water was lapping at the handles of the car doors. "Its halfway to the roof Li' , tell me you're halfway through this damn things -"

USER: Please highlight highly realistic speech and dialogue: Maybe it amounted to nothing-after hours of rotting in the daylight , night had fallen over his helpless frame, bathing him in solitude. Maybe it could only ever be nothing, and he was nowhere, as a thousand stars danced across his vision. Blood pulsed in his throat , chasing the burn of rope that encircled his wrists . It was useless to seek solace amongst the dazzling constellation, his pupils shone with the terror of his demise. His spine , bound against the metallic surface of the black Mustang , refused to elevate as restraints held it captive . In a thrash of despair , his pelvis rose upwards , only to be scorned with the grind of further entrapment . Victor's helpless screams punctured the air , sending a reverberation to his core. "Please-help me -please-" With the wheels of the car submerged under water , the underpass flooding, his pulse was counting his moments away . Time pirouetted in tight circles, casting shadows that piqued over and over as he screamed. "Please-help me-". Victor could almost taste the hollow voices that had taunted him , whispering his fate against his flesh. He thrashed, despite the protest of his limbs , resisting the suffocation of his bindings. As the menace of frigid water encroached the edges of his mind , his demise was closing in. And while the car's wheels were against the ground, his captors had left him unable to escape as he lay infused with the car's roof. Binds had been wound over his torso and hips, securing his fate atop the dormant shell of freedom and open roads . Victor had been fleeing his ill choice , until the day had taken a twist toward hell, with his beloved Mustang now on the floor of the highway's underpass, and the ocean's water set to flood the channel . Entering his peripheral vision , a now buoyant can of soda that had been embedded in the mud hours earlier sent a wave of nausea to the pit of his guts. Victor had resisted the implantation of the contraband , and as a consequence, he awaited the flowing seawater's embrace. It had been a mistake to resist. To misinterpret an ultimatum for an option. Had he been too blind to see with the clarity his eyes did now , as they gazed in terror at the clear , taunting glow of the stars , his heartbeat striking against his shivers of revulsion . With his boots soaked in freezing saline and his clothing sodden with his autonomy; it was ending. His delusion of agency, of his earlier liberation as the steering wheel had laid under his hands, was running dry. It seemed the very essence of his humanity was seeping into the air as he closed his eyes. "Don't worry Vic, someone will notice you're gone , right?" , the voice had sneered against his neck. "Before we rope you to the roof of your vehicle, here , take the keys , so you can drive it on out of the middle of who knows where, you pathetic fool." The flashback lingered on the edges of his psyche , as he flinched at the recollection. His eyes refocused on the sky, and he struggled to hold back another futile scream, his ears ringing from the sound of his own pleas. And as his tears bled into the void atmosphere, he convulsed in reactive horror, the sensation of his captor's breath still travelling across his flesh, draining his insides. Twisting his head away from the rising soda can , another scream wrought itself from his chest, albeit his better instincts . "Help me-" , his own voice echoed against the underpass , surrounding him. As he thrashed against his binds , throwing his head back against the roof of the drowning car, the frigid water bit at his flesh as it rushed over the gleaming surface of the Mustang's roof. The same one he had driven to the side of the highway earlier that day. Now with his hands placed on his chest, and clasped around its keys , his teeth clenched with the irony of control being buried in his own grip. "Those bastards -" he muttered, his energy dying , the stars seeming closer yet further away as water lapped over the car's bonnet. As his eyes slid closed , the silence mocked him. With its clinical , resounding illusion, rushing water creeping closer , he cursed. Poised to spit at how his existence was unheard in the lucidity, he heard the voices of drunken strangers . "Yeah Ryan, I don't understand where this Hennessy came from but , damn I'll take what I get." Laughter followed , and the air was filled by the oncoming revelry. . "Nah , Liam, it was abandoned , which is why I'm thinking these roads aren't so safe-who would leave a bottle of decent-" Victor elicited another scream, his chest encompassed by the unyielding binds. "Please-Oh God-please-" --------- Ryan halted in his tracks, gripping Liam's forearm and steering him toward the overpass , as the wrenching voice curdled through his eardrums. "Bloody hell, Li , I'm sobering up damn quick-" he said, his voice skirting a whisper. Liam dropped the bottle , splinters of glass raining over the pavement , along with the remains of their alcohol ."Ah, shit. Well fun's over Ry-but what the hell was that ?". As Ryan surveyed the scene below ; a dark figure strapped strategically to the roof of a car , he identified the nylon ropes with a hint of distress occupying the rasp in his voice . "It seems like those bastards -namely Valen-are getting into more intricate tactics. I'm guessin' the poor guy is no older than us, and he made the same mistake I did -" Ryan stumbled back into Liam's shoulder , his face consumed with pallor. "I think if that underpass could flood it'd take hours but- cutting through those damn ropes would take just as long- but I can tolerate the cold at least-" Liam was already stripping his shirt as he nodded "Well, it's not as if we can keep walking now, and this place is only bearable after dark anyways-" . Ryan levelled his gaze at Liam as shee inspected a rock and other various debris in his hand as he coachedcrouched by the roadside. "Are you sure you're alright to -after , well..." Liam, dropping to his knees beside Ryan, scooped up a handful of stones."I'm -lost in the middle of nowhere-I'll deal with it-that poor guy has gotta be freezing-and if I'm honest, after finding Logan's dog..this whole area is just a dumping ground right?" . A low whistle escaped Ryan's teeth as he replied, "seems like the body count will only rise at this rate , but if he survives this, it kinda proves that while these bastards can try-we can't even walk a mile without finding another victim, or the traces of one, and they will fail at this bust. " As Liam hauled himself onto his feet he said, a strain in his words "It's all get-out of hell or die trying right? , let's get down there-" Another of Victor's screams ripped through Ryan's core as he followed Liam down into the underpass and waded through the shallow water , his boots lending him traction . "Hey , buddy , it's alright, we know Valen , you coukd say-" Ryan called out as he reached the roof of the ruined Mustang, and his hazel eyes met Victor's grey stare. "What's your name , I'm Ryan, but just call me Ry'-he does-" . As he gestured towards Liam , who was already hauling himself onto the trunk , offered up a lopsided grin. "Liam,"Liam also survived a similar set up, he broke out of his own binds , then he severed mine. We're gonna get you out of here. Looks like we've got a few hours to damn well try anyway-" Victor's eyes glassed over as he chuckled darkly, "In a body bag right-coz I'm gonna drown. That asshole knew the tide would flow in here eventually but he planned to kill me soft and slow and all that-" Ryan reached over Victor's body smoothing a finger along the trademark nylon texture of the rope binding his wrists. "Good thing I've done this before , huh? " Victor , waggling a thumb, introduced himself , "Victor, I'd shake your hand but-I'm trying not to jump out if my skin here." Ryan inspected the proximity of the rope against Victor's flesh, cursing at his failure . "Damnit, I can't even slip a finger underneath-" . An ease , amalgamated with caution, laced Liam's response as he dug a stone from his pocket. "Well there's enough assorted debris around here , a damn sight more than what we had at our disposal, I'd imagine these rocks will erode the nylon without cutting his ribcage when when get down close-" Ryan , elevating himself onto the roof of the car, knelt beside Victor's head, and held his concern on Victor's terrified gaze. "Not that we wont use broken glass if we have to, as long as it ain't fatal, it's a variable I'll deal with, but buddy , I need you to work on slowing the breathing down 'cause those binds 'round your chest seem tight. You're gonna need those ribs for drinking when we get some booze onto you later , huh?" . As the levity quelled Victor's panic breaths, the shallow reach of his breaths encompassing depth, he laughed. "Well, if you two escaped Va-that bastard-I'd be buying you the drinks. I won't go into specifics but, I may have committed a serious crime if it weren't for my stubborn resistance-and now, here I am." Ryan's hazel aspect shone with flecks of illumination as he said "you never actually had a choice , so don't beat yourself into insanity-none of us ever had a choice. Liam can tell you for himself . It was an ultimatum, say no ..you get this ..say yes , well..." Liam interjected, his blue irises averted into the distance ,"You wind up in the centre of a different hell. But either way, it felt like agency but-define that. I nearly died." Victor lifted his head to confront Liam's expression . "And I'd take your own advice there. You look like hell talkin'-" . Ryan , angling a stone with meticulous precision, exhaled another low whistle through his teeth. "I've been telling him that myself . But that's Li'" . As Ryan tackled the fibres of rope , with hours of the same repetitive motion staring him in the face he watched Victor in his peripheral vision , noticing the steadying of his respiration. "I gotta admit , I'd be out of my skin by now if I had ropes hugging me-I'll give you kudos for that-" Victor shifted under the hold of his confinement, his eyes weathered and betraying his composure. "This isn't the hardest part. It's -well , I believed I'd escaped , I was driving her, and then-well , I had so much nothing .. I was lost , my face is probably on flyers back home -and here I was picturing my face staring back through a plastic sleeve when they find my drivers licence at the bottom of -" Liam finally opted for a razor edged stone, one that sat in his palm with a smoothness and lent the binds around Victors chest a glance. "Well you better keep that breathing steady for me , I can't stall this any longer. It's gonna hurt but it beats the alternative . I suppose when you think about the realties of being captive , you start dissecting the disturbing shit , but right now we need you clear minded ." Liam's subsequent smile was laced with a sober empathy, as he slithered the sharp edge of the rock into the thick tethers , the motion grinding Victor's chest. "Damn, yeah that hurts but, somehow I don't half mind it-" . Ryan was quick to slap a hand down over Victors forearm, "that's the spirit , cause this ain't exactly easy-but hey we have nowhere else to be. And you're more that a mugshot under plastic. I'm gonna see to that." As Ryan worked on the rope , his fingertips abrading and his sweat intermingling with blood , the cool air skimmed across the rising water . "Hey Liam, at what rate do you figure that's rising? I'm guessin' we've been at this half an hour , and it's only just submerged the bottom rim of the passenger door. It's not rapid , but then , neither are we-my fingers are-" Liam nodded , shaking his fingers and running a hand over his bruised eye sockets, wincing. "Yeah, we have time , but we need it. I'm struggling not to pass out. " Liam's earlier brush with the concrete caused his temples to ache with a distinct ache of exertion, his expression exposing his effort. "But I can do this for as long I have to-" he muttered, more to himself as his voice trailed into an internalised musing. Victor rolled his head to the side with unease , "if this goes south, I -well-please don't leave me when-y'know-" . Ryan's voice , filled with metallic resolve , stated calmly as he said "It doesn't matter what they made you believe you deserve, to lose your dignity is not one of those things. I told him, and I'll tell you . Ain't nobody getting left behind, now let ol' Ry severe this damn bind-it's getting weaker." He grunted, his muscles gleaming against the moonlight as he edged on Victors wrists, applying a mixture of calculated pressure and measured dexterity. Controlling his own strength left his fingers trembling as the binds neared their limits. And then , with a satisfying snap, the rope sprung from Victor's skin and Ryan uncoiled the rope , freeing Victor's arms . Liam ceased his rhythmic efforts on Victor's torso as he gazed up, his crooked grin beaming in the moonlight. "Hell yeah , Ry, he's able bodied from the waist up". Victor was quick to raise his cramped hands to his face, running his palms over his bloodshot eyes. The jangle of his keys hitting his sternum cut through the air, and he clutched at them, his knuckles shaking. "Thanks-I-" he whispered, and Ryan grabbed his free hand. "It was nothing, that I wouldn't do for ya Victor . Now lie back down , conserve the energy for thanking Liam, he's burning himself out like a candle with no wick" . A laugh replied , as Liam's arms shook with the smattering of his amusement ringing through the air. "Ah Ryan, deflecting gratitude , has its downsides, because I'm basting in it because I'm too exhausted to resist sweet nothings , you'll be down here finishing this off-" Ryan's warm smile , not leaving his worn features , faded as he noticed the keys wedged between Victor's fingers. "Damn, I'm sorry -" Victor diverted his irises in the darkness, laying his head back down and dropping the keys into the water below . "It's not as if I'd drive her again after-" . A silence consumed them , its thickness distilled only by Liam's hacking at the thick rope in his grasp. The splash caught Ryan's broader attention, as he noticed the water was lapping at the handles of the car doors. "Its halfway to the roof Li' , tell me you're halfway through thisthose damn things -" As Victor writhed under the subtle movements against his chest, Liam mouth to Ryan , his fingers covered in blood "I'm not even half-way-" . It was a sinking pull, gnawing at Ryan's instincts , as he leaned forward and grasped Victors hand. "Try to keep still , I know it's gotta hurt like hell but, the sting of cold water on a laceration-I admit I have some medical training, nothin a first aid course couldn't take care of but, I don't want you suffering more than you have to-" . His voice slaved Victirs raging nerves , the short circuiting of his scattered thoughts coming together ." You guys are both-I'm just , so glad you found me-" Ryan ran his tongue his teeth, as he gestured toward Liam, "Well , this guy here , I was trying to get us both a bit of relief from the trauma we escaped ourselves two days ago. We found a pair of boots further up the street. And a malnourished dog. The boots were sock-less , straight and perfect. And the dogs tag -had a phone number . I called it and Logan grey's recorded voice answered me. We're gonna find him, most likely alive and tortured in the usual way. Finding you was no accident , Vic, we're just lucky to have found you alive -" As the moon hit Liam's profile , he turned his face away and rasped a quiet string of words. "The way his boots were , like some sick calling card. Nauseates me. And I don't have to explain why I have a weak stomach after what they-I mean I said yes after all." As Victor nodded with a grave expression he replied. "It's alright. I know the alternative and I couldn't bear it. Why did you?" Liam directed his blue stare at Ryan, answering without a beat. "Thought if ai said yes I'd spare him. But we'll, I'm not so sure that what he had to watch was any better-" . As Liam's breaths grew laboured he threw a glance to the rising water , now covering the car's windows. "Not to alarm ya both-but I'm just halfway on this rope now . . Ryan you'd better get down here and help me. "I should , but/Ive gotta stay close to his neck because if the air irritates his airways he's spasm right into your rock, and secondly, if the water gets to high , he'll need mental preparation-" Liam's face drained of colour, and he nestled the heel of his palm against his temple. "oh God Ry' , I can't -maybe I'm too raw for this after all-" Ryan leaned in closer to Liam, muttering close to his ear "It's not gonna be easy for him to hold his breath , but I have to get him through if he goes -" . Victor, clenching his jaw as he felt the lap of water just below his head stared straight upward . "It's getting higher, it will spill onto the roof soon and then" Ryan held Victors sternum in place as he felt him start to spasm into a cough. "Easy buddy , I really need you to focus on the breathing for me ok. I'm gonna help you practice holding your breath , and controlling those spasms when and if they happen. It might all go out the window in the moment but we can work on it over the next few hours.." Victor twisted his head towards Ryan, fear lacing his voice as it cracked in the cold air. "Oh god-this is really-" . Ryan , quick to disperse his own concern into the atmosphere gave a steady reply ." Not if we can help it. it's more of a worst case scenario, because you're gonna pull the hell through this . And you won't be be alone. I'm right here to help you stay warm alright" Ryan said as he dragged Victors head into his lap, the friction of his jeans heating up the cool skin on Victor's throat. "The air is gonna get abrasive as all hell but we can do what we can to keep you breathing strong and even. Now , tell me Victor , do you have a dog? " Victor shook his head against Ryan's thighs, incredulous at the question . "What on earth does that matter , although hes probably peed on every damn surface he can find , and my neighbors will have broken my front windows to get him out, feed him-ah shit the poor thing won't know what he did to deserve total abandonment-" Ryan maintained his hold over Ryan's sternum as he responded with an insightful tone. "You realise that, now that you have two people , and an animal , that even if you put one foot in the grave , we own your other damn leg-" a wry grin twisted Victors lips "Yeah, I'm beginning to realise that. Oh shit , this hurts though. The air , the binds , It's been hours-" Ryan, not shying away from Victors faltering resolve , wound his fingers through Victirs , "if you do convulse I've got you. At least , while being cold out here, it's not hypothermic or anything. Your have decent color in that mug. But holding water in your mouth while you fight your own urge to inhale won't be easy. And I won't sugarcoat this. All I can do is let you feel that I'm here , and you'll feel Liam, don't worry about that. Remember , you got three lives counting on you to stay strong." Victor cracked his darkest smile yet , "but the likelihood of me lasting long underwater is as slim as finding any actual booze to drink if I were to live-" . Liam interjected , his through hoarse from the lack of use -"actually me and Ry-found Henny earlier. So at this stage I'll bet on you living-" as Liam's comment elicited a chuckle from Victors throat he lamented as he said"Well , it's true, I owe you both my hands , just to have some autonomy as I go under is-and I owe it to you both to fight , even as my lungs are filling up with -oh-g-" . Victors eyes, widening with the realism of the impending fate, albeit interwoven with a newfound empathy and humanity, slapped him cold. "I-I'm not gonna live through this-" Ryan fought to contain his instinct to flinch, countering as he said "Well Victor if we lost you , you know that, you'd die a fucking hero- also , not under my watch. I won't let Liam check out so easy and the same goes for you. You'd better stay with me and that's a threat. " a smirk stole Victors panicked demeanour as he grinned "or what? You'll kill me?." "Ah shut up-"Ryan smirked , jest in his voice before returning to his metal tone. "Block off your nose and give it some run throughs of holding your breath . It's not some skill to be mastered but you'll have the subconscious knowledge that you can do it . Maybe that'll help. We can focus just holding it longer and longer. Or will we just let you do what you gotta if this goes -" Victor held a look of resilience in his eyes as he nodded . "No , I should practice being' calm , embracing my demise is not gonna happen anyhow but I'll do anything to fight it. I mean, I'll probably inhale a lungful of water as soon as I go under but I'll do my best" Ryan held Victors collarbones as Victor ran through holding his breath, lasting a full minute before gasping . "That's one minute you've bought yourself" Victor stared with dread into the distance. "Is that really long enough. One lousy minute." Liam piped up "if I'm still hacking away by then, yeah every minute will count. I'm over halfway through -"

USER: Please highlight highlyDoes this avoid idealism and stay realistic speech and dialogue:to the situation Maybe it amounted to nothing-after hours of rotting in the daylight , night had fallen over his helpless frame, bathing him in solitude. Maybe it could only ever be nothing, and he was nowhere, as a thousand stars danced across his vision. Blood pulsed in his throat , chasing the burn of rope that encircled his wrists . It was useless to seek solace amongst the dazzling constellation, his pupils shone with the terror of his demise. His spine , bound against the metallic surface of the black Mustang , refused to elevate as restraints held it captive . In a thrash of despair , his pelvis rose upwards , only to be scorned with the grind of further entrapment . Victor's helpless screams punctured the air , sending a reverberation to his core. "Please-help me -please-" With the wheels of the car submerged under water , the underpass flooding, his pulse was counting his moments away . Time pirouetted in tight circles, casting shadows that piqued over and over as he screamed. "Please-help me-". Victor could almost taste the hollow voices that had taunted him , whispering his fate against his flesh. He thrashed, despite the protest of his limbs , resisting the suffocation of his bindings. As the menace of frigid water encroached the edges of his mind , his demise was closing in. And while the car's wheels were against the ground, his captors had left him unable to escape as he lay infused with the car's roof. Binds had been wound over his torso and hips, securing his fate atop the dormant shell of freedom and open roads . Victor had been fleeing his ill choice , until the day had taken a twist toward hell, with his beloved Mustang now on the floor of the highway's underpass, and the ocean's water set to flood the channel . Entering his peripheral vision , a now buoyant can of soda that had been embedded in the mud hours earlier sent a wave of nausea to the pit of his guts. Victor had resisted the implantation of the contraband , and as a consequence, he awaited the flowing seawater's embrace. It had been a mistake to resist. To misinterpret an ultimatum for an option. Had he been too blind to see with the clarity his eyes did now , as they gazed in terror at the clear , taunting glow of the stars , his heartbeat striking against his shivers of revulsion . With his boots soaked in freezing saline and his clothing sodden with his autonomy; it was ending. His delusion of agency, of his earlier liberation as the steering wheel had laid under his hands, was running dry. It seemed the very essence of his humanity was seeping into the air as he closed his eyes. "Don't worry Vic, someone will notice you're gone , right?" , the voice had sneered against his neck. "Before we rope you to the roof of your vehicle, here , take the keys , so you can drive it on out of the middle of who knows where, you pathetic fool." The flashback lingered on the edges of his psyche , as he flinched at the recollection. His eyes refocused on the sky, and he struggled to hold back another futile scream, his ears ringing from the sound of his own pleas. And as his tears bled into the void atmosphere, he convulsed in reactive horror, the sensation of his captor's breath still travelling across his flesh, draining his insides. Twisting his head away from the rising soda can , another scream wrought itself from his chest, albeit his better instincts . "Help me-" , his own voice echoed against the underpass , surrounding him. As he thrashed against his binds , throwing his head back against the roof of the drowning car, the frigid water bit at his flesh as it rushed over the gleaming surface of the Mustang's roof. The same one he had driven to the side of the highway earlier that day. Now with his hands placed on his chest, and clasped around its keys , his teeth clenched with the irony of control being buried in his own grip. "Those bastards -" he muttered, his energy dying , the stars seeming closer yet further away as water lapped over the car's bonnet. As his eyes slid closed , the silence mocked him. With its clinical , resounding illusion, rushing water creeping closer , he cursed. Poised to spit at how his existence was unheard in the lucidity, he heard the voices of drunken strangers . "Yeah Ryan, I don't understand where this Hennessy came from but , damn I'll take what I get." Laughter followed , and the air was filled by the oncoming revelry. . "Nah , Liam, it was abandoned , which is why I'm thinking these roads aren't so safe-who would leave a bottle of decent-" Victor elicited another scream, his chest encompassed by the unyielding binds. "Please-Oh God-please-" --------- Ryan halted in his tracks, gripping Liam's forearm and steering him toward the overpass , as the wrenching voice curdled through his eardrums. "Bloody hell, Li , I'm sobering up damn quick-" he said, his voice skirting a whisper. Liam dropped the bottle , splinters of glass raining over the pavement , along with the remains of their alcohol ."Ah, shit. Well fun's over Ry-but what the hell was that ?". As Ryan surveyed the scene below ; a dark figure strapped strategically to the roof of a car , he identified the nylon ropes with a hint of distress occupying the rasp in his voice . "It seems like those bastards -namely Valen-are getting into more intricate tactics. I'm guessin' the poor guy is no older than us, and he made the same mistake I did -" Ryan stumbled back into Liam's shoulder , his face consumed with pallor. "I think if that underpass could flood it'd take hours but- cutting through those damn ropes would take just as long- but I can tolerate the cold at least-" Liam was already stripping his shirt as he nodded "Well, it's not as if we can keep walking now, and this place is only bearable after dark anyways-" . Ryan levelled his gaze at Liam as e inspected a rock and other various debris in his hand as he crouched by the roadside. "Are you sure you're alright to -after , well..." Liam, dropping to his knees beside Ryan, scooped up a handful of stones."I'm -lost in the middle of nowhere-I'll deal with it-that poor guy has gotta be freezing-and if I'm honest, after finding Logan's dog..this whole area is just a dumping ground right?" . A low whistle escaped Ryan's teeth as he replied, "seems like the body count will only rise at this rate , but if he survives this, it kinda proves that while these bastards can try-we can't even walk a mile without finding another victim, or the traces of one, and they will fail at this bust. " As Liam hauled himself onto his feet he said, a strain in his words "It's all get-out of hell or die trying right? , let's get down there-" Another of Victor's screams ripped through Ryan's core as he followed Liam down into the underpass and waded through the shallow water , his boots lending him traction . "Hey , buddy , it's alright, we know Valen , you coukd say-" Ryan called out as he reached the roof of the ruined Mustang, and his hazel eyes met Victor's grey stare. "What's your name , I'm Ryan, but just call me Ry'-he does-" . As he gestured towards Liam , who was already hauling himself onto the trunk , offered up a lopsided grin. "Liam also survived a similar set up, he broke out of his own binds , then he severed mine. We're gonna get you out of here. Looks like we've got a few hours to damn well try anyway-" Victor's eyes glassed over as he chuckled darkly, "In a body bag right-coz I'm gonna drown. That asshole knew the tide would flow in here eventually but he planned to kill me soft and slow and all that-" Ryan reached over Victor's body smoothing a finger along the trademark nylon texture of the rope binding his wrists. "Good thing I've done this before , huh? " Victor , waggling a thumb, introduced himself , "Victor, I'd shake your hand but-I'm trying not to jump out if my skin here." Ryan inspected the proximity of the rope against Victor's flesh, cursing at his failure . "Damnit, I can't even slip a finger underneath-" . An ease , amalgamated with caution, laced Liam's response as he dug a stone from his pocket. "Well there's enough assorted debris around here , a damn sight more than what we had at our disposal, I'd imagine these rocks will erode the nylon without cutting his ribcage when when get down close-" Ryan , elevating himself onto the roof of the car, knelt beside Victor's head, and held his concern on Victor's terrified gaze. "Not that we wont use broken glass if we have to, as long as it ain't fatal, it's a variable I'll deal with, but buddy , I need you to work on slowing the breathing down 'cause those binds 'round your chest seem tight. You're gonna need those ribs for drinking when we get some booze onto you later , huh?" . As the levity quelled Victor's panic breaths, the shallow reach of his breaths encompassing depth, he laughed. "Well, if you two escaped Va-that bastard-I'd be buying you the drinks. I won't go into specifics but, I may have committed a serious crime if it weren't for my stubborn resistance-and now, here I am." Ryan's hazel aspect shone with flecks of illumination as he said "you never actually had a choice , so don't beat yourself into insanity-none of us ever had a choice. Liam can tell you for himself . It was an ultimatum, say no ..you get this ..say yes , well..." Liam interjected, his blue irises averted into the distance ,"You wind up in the centre of a different hell. But either way, it felt like agency but-define that. I nearly died." Victor lifted his head to confront Liam's expression . "And I'd take your own advice there. You look like hell talkin'-" . Ryan , angling a stone with meticulous precision, exhaled another low whistle through his teeth. "I've been telling him that myself . But that's Li'" . As Ryan tackled the fibres of rope , with hours of the same repetitive motion staring him in the face he watched Victor in his peripheral vision , noticing the steadying of his respiration. "I gotta admit , I'd be out of my skin by now if I had ropes hugging me-I'll give you kudos for that-" Victor shifted under the hold of his confinement, his eyes weathered and betraying his composure. "This isn't the hardest part. It's -well , I believed I'd escaped , I was driving her, and then-well , I had so much nothing .. I was lost , my face is probably on flyers back home -and here I was picturing my face staring back through a plastic sleeve when they find my drivers licence at the bottom of -" Liam finally opted for a razor edged stone, one that sat in his palm with a smoothness and lent the binds around Victors chest a glance. "Well you better keep that breathing steady for me , I can't stall this any longer. It's gonna hurt but it beats the alternative . I suppose when you think about the realties of being captive , you start dissecting the disturbing shit , but right now we need you clear minded ." Liam's subsequent smile was laced with a sober empathy, as he slithered the sharp edge of the rock into the thick tethers , the motion grinding Victor's chest. "Damn, yeah that hurts but, somehow I don't half mind it-" . Ryan was quick to slap a hand down over Victors forearm, "that's the spirit , cause this ain't exactly easy-but hey we have nowhere else to be. And you're more that a mugshot under plastic. I'm gonna see to that." As Ryan worked on the rope , his fingertips abrading and his sweat intermingling with blood , the cool air skimmed across the rising water . "Hey Liam, at what rate do you figure that's rising? I'm guessin' we've been at this half an hour , and it's only just submerged the bottom rim of the passenger door. It's not rapid , but then , neither are we-my fingers are-" Liam nodded , shaking his fingers and running a hand over his bruised eye sockets, wincing. "Yeah, we have time , but we need it. I'm struggling not to pass out. " Liam's earlier brush with the concrete caused his temples ache with exertion, his expression exposing his effort. "But I can do this for as long I have to-" he muttered, more to himself as his voice trailed into an internalised musing. Victor rolled his head to the side with unease , "if this goes south, I -well-please don't leave me when-y'know-" . Ryan's voice , filled with metallic resolve , stated calmly as he said "It doesn't matter what they made you believe you deserve, to lose your dignity is not one of those things. I told him, and I'll tell you . Ain't nobody getting left behind, now let ol' Ry severe this damn bind-it's getting weaker." He grunted, his muscles gleaming against the moonlight as he edged on Victors wrists, applying a mixture of calculated pressure and measured dexterity. Controlling his own strength left his fingers trembling as the binds neared their limits. And then , with a satisfying snap, the rope sprung from Victor's skin and Ryan uncoiled the rope , freeing Victor's arms . Liam ceased his rhythmic efforts on Victor's torso as he gazed up, his crooked grin beaming in the moonlight. "Hell yeah , Ry, he's able bodied from the waist up". Victor was quick to raise his cramped hands to his face, running his palms over his bloodshot eyes. The jangle of his keys hitting his sternum cut through the air, and he clutched at them, his knuckles shaking. "Thanks-I-" he whispered, and Ryan grabbed his free hand. "It was nothing, that I wouldn't do for ya Victor . Now lie back down , conserve the energy for thanking Liam, he's burning himself out like a candle with no wick" . A laugh replied , as Liam's arms shook with the smattering of his amusement ringing through the air. "Ah Ryan, deflecting gratitude , has its downsides, because I'm basting in it because I'm too exhausted to resist sweet nothings , you'll be down here finishing this off-" Ryan's warm smile , not leaving his worn features , faded as he noticed the keys wedged between Victor's fingers. "Damn, I'm sorry -" Victor diverted his irises in the darkness, laying his head back down and dropping the keys into the water below . "It's not as if I'd drive her again after-" . A silence consumed them , its thickness distilled only by Liam's hacking at the thick rope in his grasp. The splash caught Ryan's broader attention, as he noticed the water was lapping at the handles of the car doors. "Its halfway to the roof Li' , tell me you're halfway through those damn things -" As Victor writhed under the subtle movements against his chest, Liam mouth to Ryan , his fingers covered in blood "I'm not even half-way-" . It was a sinking pull, gnawing at Ryan's instincts , as he leaned forward and grasped Victors hand. "Try to keep still , I know it's gotta hurt like hell but, the sting of cold water on a laceration-I admit I have some medical training, nothin a first aid course couldn't take care of but, I don't want you suffering more than you have to-" . His voice slaved Victirs raging nerves , the short circuiting of his scattered thoughts coming together ." You guys are both-I'm just , so glad you found me-" Ryan ran his tongue his teeth, as he gestured toward Liam, "Well , this guy here , I was trying to get us both a bit of relief from the trauma we escaped ourselves two days ago. We found a pair of boots further up the street. And a malnourished dog. The boots were sock-less , straight and perfect. And the dogs tag -had a phone number . I called it and Logan grey's recorded voice answered me. We're gonna find him, most likely alive and tortured in the usual way. Finding you was no accident , Vic, we're just lucky to have found you alive -" As the moon hit Liam's profile , he turned his face away and rasped a quiet string of words. "The way his boots were , like some sick calling card. Nauseates me. And I don't have to explain why I have a weak stomach after what they-I mean I said yes after all." As Victor nodded with a grave expression he replied. "It's alright. I know the alternative and I couldn't bear it. Why did you?" Liam directed his blue stare at Ryan, answering without a beat. "Thought if ai said yes I'd spare him. But we'll, I'm not so sure that what he had to watch was any better-" . As Liam's breaths grew laboured he threw a glance to the rising water , now covering the car's windows. "Not to alarm ya both-but I'm just halfway on this rope now . . Ryan you'd better get down here and help me. "I should , but/Ive gotta stay close to his neck because if the air irritates his airways he's spasm right into your rock, and secondly, if the water gets to high , he'll need mental preparation-" Liam's face drained of colour, and he nestled the heel of his palm against his temple. "oh God Ry' , I can't -maybe I'm too raw for this after all-" Ryan leaned in closer to Liam, muttering close to his ear "It's not gonna be easy for him to hold his breath , but I have to get him through if he goes -" . Victor, clenching his jaw as he felt the lap of water just below his head stared straight upward . "It's getting higher, it will spill onto the roof soon and then" Ryan held Victors sternum in place as he felt him start to spasm into a cough. "Easy buddy , I really need you to focus on the breathing for me ok. I'm gonna help you practice holding your breath , and controlling those spasms when and if they happen. It might all go out the window in the moment but we can work on it over the next few hours.." Victor twisted his head towards Ryan, fear lacing his voice as it cracked in the cold air. "Oh god-this is really-" . Ryan , quick to disperse his own concern into the atmosphere gave a steady reply ." Not if we can help it. it's more of a worst case scenario, because you're gonna pull the hell through this . And you won't be be alone. I'm right here to help you stay warm alright" Ryan said as he dragged Victors head into his lap, the friction of his jeans heating up the cool skin on Victor's throat. "The air is gonna get abrasive as all hell but we can do what we can to keep you breathing strong and even. Now , tell me Victor , do you have a dog? " Victor shook his head against Ryan's thighs, incredulous at the question . "What on earth does that matter , although hes probably peed on every damn surface he can find , and my neighbors will have broken my front windows to get him out, feed him-ah shit the poor thing won't know what he did to deserve total abandonment-" Ryan maintained his hold over Ryan's sternum as he responded with an insightful tone. "You realise that, now that you have two people , and an animal , that even if you put one foot in the grave , we own your other damn leg-" a wry grin twisted Victors lips "Yeah, I'm beginning to realise that. Oh shit , this hurts though. The air , the binds , It's been hours-" Ryan, not shying away from Victors faltering resolve , wound his fingers through Victirs , "if you do convulse I've got you. At least , while being cold out here, it's not hypothermic or anything. Your have decent color in that mug. But holding water in your mouth while you fight your own urge to inhale won't be easy. And I won't sugarcoat this. All I can do is let you feel that I'm here , and you'll feel Liam, don't worry about that. Remember , you got three lives counting on you to stay strong." Victor cracked his darkest smile yet , "but the likelihood of me lasting long underwater is as slim as finding any actual booze to drink if I were to live-" . Liam interjected , his through hoarse from the lack of use -"actually me and Ry-found Henny earlier. So at this stage I'll bet on you living-" as Liam's comment elicited a chuckle from Victors throat he lamented as he said"Well , it's true, I owe you both my hands , just to have some autonomy as I go under is-and I owe it to you both to fight , even as my lungs are filling up with -oh-g-" . Victors eyes, widening with the realism of the impending fate, albeit interwoven with a newfound empathy and humanity, slapped him cold. "I-I'm not gonna live through this-" Ryan fought to contain his instinct to flinch, countering as he said "Well Victor if we lost you , you know that, you'd die a fucking hero- also , not under my watch. I won't let Liam check out so easy and the same goes for you. You'd better stay with me and that's a threat. " a smirk stole Victors panicked demeanour as he grinned "or what? You'll kill me?." "Ah shut up-"Ryan smirked , jest in his voice before returning to his metal tone. "Block off your nose and give it some run throughs of holding your breath . It's not some skill to be mastered but you'll have the subconscious knowledge that you can do it . Maybe that'll help. We can focus just holding it longer and longer. Or will we just let you do what you gotta if this goes -" Victor held a look of resilience in his eyes as he nodded . "No , I should practice being' calm , embracing my demise is not gonna happen anyhow but I'll do anything to fight it. I mean, I'll probably inhale a lungful of water as soon as I go under but I'll do my best" Ryan held Victors collarbones as Victor ran through holding his breath, lasting a full minute before gasping . "That's one minute you've bought yourself" Victor stared with dread into the distance. "Is that really long enough. One lousy minute." Liam piped up "if I'm still hacking away by then, yeah every minute will count. I'm over halfway through -"

USER: DoesIs this avoid idealism and stay realistic to the situationadvanced writing: Drown Maybe it amounted to nothing-after hours of rotting in the daylight , night had fallen over his helpless frame, bathing him in solitude. Maybe it could only ever be nothing, and he was nowhere, as a thousand stars danced across his vision. Blood pulsed in his throat , chasing the burn of rope that encircled his wrists . It was useless to seek solace amongst the dazzling constellation, his pupils shone with the terror of his demise. His spine , bound against the metallic surface of the black Mustang , refused to elevate as restraints held it captive . In a thrash of despair , his pelvis rose upwards , only to be scorned with the grind of further entrapment . Victor's helpless screams punctured the air , sending a reverberation to his core. "Please-help me -please-" With the wheels of the car submerged under water , the underpass flooding, his pulse was counting his moments away . Time pirouetted in tight circles, casting shadows that piqued over and over as he screamed. "Please-help me-". Victor could almost taste the hollow voices that had taunted him , whispering his fate against his flesh. He thrashed, despite the protest of his limbs , resisting the suffocation of his bindings. As the menace of frigid water encroached the edges of his mind , his demise was closing in. And while the car's wheels were against the ground, his captors had left him unable to escape as he lay infused with the car's roof. Binds had been wound over his torso and hips, securing his fate atop the dormant shell of freedom and open roads . Victor had been fleeing his ill choice , until the day had taken a twist toward hell, with his beloved Mustang now on the floor of the highway's underpass, and the ocean's water set to flood the channel . Entering his peripheral vision , a now buoyant can of soda that had been embedded in the mud hours earlier sent a wave of nausea to the pit of his guts. Victor had resisted the implantation of the contraband , and as a consequence, he awaited the flowing seawater's embrace. It had been a mistake to resist. To misinterpret an ultimatum for an option. Had he been too blind to see with the clarity his eyes did now , as they gazed in terror at the clear , taunting glow of the stars , his heartbeat striking against his shivers of revulsion . With his boots soaked in freezing saline and his clothing sodden with his autonomy; it was ending. His delusion of agency, of his earlier liberation as the steering wheel had laid under his hands, was running dry. It seemed the very essence of his humanity was seeping into the air as he closed his eyes. "Don't worry Vic, someone will notice you're gone , right?" , the voice had sneered against his neck. "Before we rope you to the roof of your vehicle, here , take the keys , so you can drive it on out of the middle of who knows where, you pathetic fool." The flashback lingered on the edges of his psyche , as he flinched at the recollection. His eyes refocused on the sky, and he struggled to hold back another futile scream, his ears ringing from the sound of his own pleas. And as his tears bled into the void atmosphere, he convulsed in reactive horror, the sensation of his captor's breath still travelling across his flesh, draining his insides. Twisting his head away from the rising soda can , another scream wrought itself from his chest, albeit his better instincts . "Help me-" , his own voice echoed against the underpass , surrounding him. As he thrashed against his binds , throwing his head back against the roof of the drowning car, the frigid water bit at his flesh as it rushed over the gleaming surface of the Mustang's roof. The same one he had driven to the side of the highway earlier that day. Now with his hands placed on his chest, and clasped around its keys , his teeth clenched with the irony of control being buried in his own grip. "Those bastards -" he muttered, his energy dying , the stars seeming closer yet further away as water lapped over the car's bonnet. As his eyes slid closed , the silence mocked him. With its clinical , resounding illusion, rushing water creeping closer , he cursed. Poised to spit at how his existence was unheard in the lucidity, he heard the voices of drunken strangers . "Yeah Ryan, I don't understand where this Hennessy came from but , damn I'll take what I get." Laughter followed , and the air was filled by the oncoming revelry. . "Nah , Liam, it was abandoned , which is why I'm thinking these roads aren't so safe-who would leave a bottle of decent-" Victor elicited another scream, his chest encompassed by the unyielding binds. "Please-Oh God-please-" --------- Ryan halted in his tracks, gripping Liam's forearm and steering him toward the overpass , as the wrenching voice curdled through his eardrums. "Bloody hell, Li , I'm sobering up damn quick-" he said, his voice skirting a whisper. Liam dropped the bottle , splinters of glass raining over the pavement , along with the remains of their alcohol ."Ah, shit. Well fun's over Ry-but what the hell was that ?". As Ryan surveyed the scene below ; a dark figure strapped strategically to the roof of a car , he identified the nylon ropes with a hint of distress occupying the rasp in his voice . "It seems like those bastards -namely Valen-are getting into more intricate tactics. I'm guessin' the poor guy is no older than us, and he made the same mistake I did -" Ryan stumbled back into Liam's shoulder , his face consumed with pallor. "I think if that underpass could flood it'd take hours but- cutting through those damn ropes would take just as long- but I can tolerate the cold at least-" Liam was already stripping his shirt as he nodded "Well, it's not as if we can keep walking now, and this place is only bearable after dark anyways-" . Ryan levelled his gaze at Liam as e inspected a rock and other various debris in his hand as he crouched by the roadside. "Are you sure you're alright to -after , well..." Liam, dropping to his knees beside Ryan, scooped up a handful of stones."I'm -lost in the middle of nowhere-I'll deal with it-that poor guy has gotta be freezing-and if I'm honest, after finding Logan's dog..this whole area is just a dumping ground right?" . A low whistle escaped Ryan's teeth as he replied, "seems like the body count will only rise at this rate , but if he survives this, it kinda proves that while these bastards can try-we can't even walk a mile without finding another victim, or the traces of one, and they will fail at this bust. " As Liam hauled himself onto his feet he said, a strain in his words "It's all get-out of hell or die trying right? , let's get down there-" Another of Victor's screams ripped through Ryan's core as he followed Liam down into the underpass and waded through the shallow water , his boots lending him traction . "Hey , buddy , it's alright, we know Valen , you coukd say-" Ryan called out as he reached the roof of the ruined Mustang, and his hazel eyes met Victor's grey stare. "What's your name , I'm Ryan, but just call me Ry'-he does-" . As he gestured towards Liam , who was already hauling himself onto the trunk , offered up a lopsided grin. "Liam also survived a similar set up, he broke out of his own binds , then he severed mine. We're gonna get you out of here. Looks like we've got a few hours to damn well try anyway-" Victor's eyes glassed over as he chuckled darkly, "In a body bag right-coz I'm gonna drown. That asshole knew the tide would flow in here eventually but he planned to kill me soft and slow and all that-" Ryan reached over Victor's body smoothing a finger along the trademark nylon texture of the rope binding his wrists. "Good thing I've done this before , huh? " Victor , waggling a thumb, introduced himself , "Victor, I'd shake your hand but-I'm trying not to jump out if my skin here." Ryan inspected the proximity of the rope against Victor's flesh, cursing at his failure . "Damnit, I can't even slip a finger underneath-" . An ease , amalgamated with caution, laced Liam's response as he dug a stone from his pocket. "Well there's enough assorted debris around here , a damn sight more than what we had at our disposal, I'd imagine these rocks will erode the nylon without cutting his ribcage when when get down close-" Ryan , elevating himself onto the roof of the car, knelt beside Victor's head, and held his concern on Victor's terrified gaze. "Not that we wont use broken glass if we have to, as long as it ain't fatal, it's a variable I'll deal with, but buddy , I need you to work on slowing the breathing down 'cause those binds 'round your chest seem tight. You're gonna need those ribs for drinking when we get some booze onto you later , huh?" . As the levity quelled Victor's panic breaths, the shallow reach of his breaths encompassing depth, he laughed. "Well, if you two escaped Va-that bastard-I'd be buying you the drinks. I won't go into specifics but, I may have committed a serious crime if it weren't for my stubborn resistance-and now, here I am." Ryan's hazel aspect shone with flecks of illumination as he said "you never actually had a choice , so don't beat yourself into insanity-none of us ever had a choice. Liam can tell you for himself . It was an ultimatum, say no ..you get this ..say yes , well..." Liam interjected, his blue irises averted into the distance ,"You wind up in the centre of a different hell. But either way, it felt like agency but-define that. I nearly died." Victor lifted his head to confront Liam's expression . "And I'd take your own advice there. You look like hell talkin'-" . Ryan , angling a stone with meticulous precision, exhaled another low whistle through his teeth. "I've been telling him that myself . But that's Li'" . As Ryan tackled the fibres of rope , with hours of the same repetitive motion staring him in the face he watched Victor in his peripheral vision , noticing the steadying of his respiration. "I gotta admit , I'd be out of my skin by now if I had ropes hugging me-I'll give you kudos for that-" Victor shifted under the hold of his confinement, his eyes weathered and betraying his composure. "This isn't the hardest part. It's -well , I believed I'd escaped , I was driving her, and then-well , I had so much nothing .. I was lost , my face is probably on flyers back home -and here I was picturing my face staring back through a plastic sleeve when they find my drivers licence at the bottom of -" Liam finally opted for a razor edged stone, one that sat in his palm with a smoothness and lent the binds around Victors chest a glance. "Well you better keep that breathing steady for me , I can't stall this any longer. It's gonna hurt but it beats the alternative . I suppose when you think about the realties of being captive , you start dissecting the disturbing shit , but right now we need you clear minded ." Liam's subsequent smile was laced with a sober empathy, as he slithered the sharp edge of the rock into the thick tethers , the motion grinding Victor's chest. "Damn, yeah that hurts but, somehow I don't half mind it-" . Ryan was quick to slap a hand down over Victors forearm, "that's the spirit , cause this ain't exactly easy-but hey we have nowhere else to be. And you're more that a mugshot under plastic. I'm gonna see to that." As Ryan worked on the rope , his fingertips abrading and his sweat intermingling with blood , the cool air skimmed across the rising water . "Hey Liam, at what rate do you figure that's rising? I'm guessin' we've been at this half an hour , and it's only just submerged the bottom rim of the passenger door. It's not rapid , but then , neither are we-my fingers are-" Liam nodded , shaking his fingers and running a hand over his bruised eye sockets, wincing. "Yeah, we have time , but we need it. I'm struggling not to pass out. " Liam's earlier brush with the concrete caused his temples ache with exertion, his expression exposing his effort. "But I can do this for as long I have to-" he muttered, more to himself as his voice trailed into an internalised musing. Victor rolled his head to the side with unease , "if this goes south, I -well-please don't leave me when-y'know-" . Ryan's voice , filled with metallic resolve , stated calmly as he said "It doesn't matter what they made you believe you deserve, to lose your dignity is not one of those things. I told him, and I'll tell you . Ain't nobody getting left behind, now let ol' Ry severe this damn bind-it's getting weaker." He grunted, his muscles gleaming against the moonlight as he edged on Victors wrists, applying a mixture of calculated pressure and measured dexterity. Controlling his own strength left his fingers trembling as the binds neared their limits. And then , with a satisfying snap, the rope sprung from Victor's skin and Ryan uncoiled the rope , freeing Victor's arms . Liam ceased his rhythmic efforts on Victor's torso as he gazed up, his crooked grin beaming in the moonlight. "Hell yeah , Ry, he's able bodied from the waist up". Victor was quick to raise his cramped hands to his face, running his palms over his bloodshot eyes. The jangle of his keys hitting his sternum cut through the air, and he clutched at them, his knuckles shaking. "Thanks-I-" he whispered, and Ryan grabbed his free hand. "It was nothing, that I wouldn't do for ya Victor . Now lie back down , conserve the energy for thanking Liam, he's burning himself out like a candle with no wick" . A laugh replied , as Liam's arms shook with the smattering of his amusement ringing through the air. "Ah Ryan, deflecting gratitude , has its downsides, because I'm basting in it because I'm too exhausted to resist sweet nothings , you'll be down here finishing this off-" Ryan's warm smile , not leaving his worn features , faded as he noticed the keys wedged between Victor's fingers. "Damn, I'm sorry -" Victor diverted his irises in the darkness, laying his head back down and dropping the keys into the water below . "It's not as if I'd drive her again after-" . A silence consumed them , its thickness distilled only by Liam's hacking at the thick rope in his grasp. The splash caught Ryan's broader attention, as he noticed the water was lapping at the handles of the car doors. "Its halfway to the roof Li' , tell me you're halfway through those damn things -" As Victor writhed under the subtle movements against his chest, Liam mouth to Ryan , his fingers covered in blood "I'm not even half-way-" . It was a sinking pull, gnawing at Ryan's instincts , as he leaned forward and grasped Victors hand. "Try to keep still , I know it's gotta hurt like hell but, the sting of cold water on a laceration-I admit I have some medical training, nothin a first aid course couldn't take care of but, I don't want you suffering more than you have to-" . His voice slaved Victirs raging nerves , the short circuiting of his scattered thoughts coming together ." You guys are both-I'm just , so glad you found me-" Ryan ran his tongue his teeth, as he gestured toward Liam, "Well , this guy here , I was trying to get us both a bit of relief from the trauma we escaped ourselves two days ago. We found a pair of boots further up the street. And a malnourished dog. The boots were sock-less , straight and perfect. And the dogs tag -had a phone number . I called it and Logan grey's recorded voice answered me. We're gonna find him, most likely alive and tortured in the usual way. Finding you was no accident , Vic, we're just lucky to have found you alive -" As the moon hit Liam's profile , he turned his face away and rasped a quiet string of words. "The way his boots were , like some sick calling card. Nauseates me. And I don't have to explain why I have a weak stomach after what they-I mean I said yes after all." As Victor nodded with a grave expression he replied. "It's alright. I know the alternative and I couldn't bear it. Why did you?" Liam directed his blue stare at Ryan, answering without a beat. "Thought if ai said yes I'd spare him. But we'll, I'm not so sure that what he had to watch was any better-" . As Liam's breaths grew laboured he threw a glance to the rising water , now covering the car's windows. "Not to alarm ya both-but I'm just halfway on this rope now . . Ryan you'd better get down here and help me. "I should , but/Ive gotta stay close to his neck because if the air irritates his airways he's spasm right into your rock, and secondly, if the water gets to high , he'll need mental preparation-" Liam's face drained of colour, and he nestled the heel of his palm against his temple. "oh God Ry' , I can't -maybe I'm too raw for this after all-" Ryan leaned in closer to Liam, muttering close to his ear "It's not gonna be easy for him to hold his breath , but I have to get him through if he goes -" . Victor, clenching his jaw as he felt the lap of water just below his head stared straight upward . "It's getting higher, it will spill onto the roof soon and then" Ryan held Victors sternum in place as he felt him start to spasm into a cough. "Easy buddy , I really need you to focus on the breathing for me ok. I'm gonna help you practice holding your breath , and controlling those spasms when and if they happen. It might all go out the window in the moment but we can work on it over the next few hours.." Victor twisted his head towards Ryan, fear lacing his voice as it cracked in the cold air. "Oh god-this is really-" . Ryan , quick to disperse his own concern into the atmosphere gave a steady reply ." Not if we can help it. it's more of a worst case scenario, because you're gonna pull the hell through this . And you won't be be alone. I'm right here to help you stay warm alright" Ryan said as he dragged Victors head into his lap, the friction of his jeans heating up the cool skin on Victor's throat. "The air is gonna get abrasive as all hell but we can do what we can to keep you breathing strong and even. Now , tell me Victor , do you have a dog? " Victor shook his head against Ryan's thighs, incredulous at the question . "What on earth does that matter , although hes probably peed on every damn surface he can find , and my neighbors will have broken my front windows to get him out, feed him-ah shit the poor thing won't know what he did to deserve total abandonment-" Ryan maintained his hold over Ryan's sternum as he responded with an insightful tone. "You realise that, now that you have two people , and an animal , that even if you put one foot in the grave , we own your other damn leg-" a wry grin twisted Victors lips "Yeah, I'm beginning to realise that. Oh shit , this hurts though. The air , the binds , It's been hours-" Ryan, not shying away from Victors faltering resolve , wound his fingers through Victirs , "if you do convulse I've got you. At least , while being cold out here, it's not hypothermic or anything. Your have decent color in that mug. But holding water in your mouth while you fight your own urge to inhale won't be easy. And I won't sugarcoat this. All I can do is let you feel that I'm here , and you'll feel Liam, don't worry about that. Remember , you got three lives counting on you to stay strong." Victor cracked his darkest smile yet , "but the likelihood of me lasting long underwater is as slim as finding any actual booze to drink if I were to live-" . Liam interjected , his through hoarse from the lack of use -"actually me and Ry-found Henny earlier. So at this stage I'll bet on you living-" as Liam's comment elicited a chuckle from Victors throat he lamented as he said"Well , it's true, I owe you both my hands , just to have some autonomy as I go under is-and I owe it to you both to fight , even as my lungs are filling up with -oh-g-" . Victors eyes, widening with the realism of the impending fate, albeit interwoven with a newfound empathy and humanity, slapped him cold. "I-I'm not gonna live through this-" Ryan fought to contain his instinct to flinch, countering as he said "Well Victor if we lost you , you know that, you'd die a fucking hero- also , not under my watch. I won't let Liam check out so easy and the same goes for you. You'd better stay with me and that's a threat. " a smirk stole Victors panicked demeanour as he grinned "or what? You'll kill me?." "Ah shut up-"Ryan smirked , jest in his voice before returning to his metal tone. "Block off your nose and give it some run throughs of holding your breath . It's not some skill to be mastered but you'll have the subconscious knowledge that you can do it . Maybe that'll help. We can focus just holding it longer and longer. Or will we just let you do what you gotta if this goes -" Victor held a look of resilience in his eyes as he nodded . "No , I should practice being' calm , embracing my demise is not gonna happen anyhow but I'll do anything to fight it. I mean, I'll probably inhale a lungful of water as soon as I go under but I'll do my best" Ryan held Victors collarbones as Victor ran through holding his breath, lasting a full minute before gasping . "That's one minute you've bought yourself" Victor stared with dread into the distance. "Is that really long enough. One lousy minute." Liam piped up "if I'm still hacking away by then, yeah every minute will count. I'm over halfway through -"