"Gaghhhh—!"
Fritz gasped as his eyes snapped open. The faint light from the sky burned as his eyes readjusted.
He coughed up the seawater that was still lodged inside before fully turning his body upward.
The beam was still there, high in the sky, snapping him out of his stupor. With a trembling hand, he managed to push himself up to one knee.
Water was still everywhere, dripping down from his blonde hair, and lodged into each and every joint inside his armor
I'm…back?
Fritz remained still for several seconds, staring at his gloved hand as water continued to drip from the seams of his armor. He flexed his fingers slowly, watching the way the joints responded.
And, I'm alive…?
But that wasn't what bothered him most. It was the memory that still clung to him like salt that refused to be washed away.
The blurred shapes of his parents, the storm, the book that he clutched with his small, trembling hands.
