{"id":15148,"date":"2019-07-30T07:25:52","date_gmt":"2019-07-30T13:25:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/riwaslibrary.com\/story\/?p=15148"},"modified":"2019-07-30T07:25:52","modified_gmt":"2019-07-30T13:25:52","slug":"bucket-of-air","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/riwaslibrary.com\/story\/?p=15148","title":{"rendered":"Bucket of Air"},"content":{"rendered":"

A bonus story for a month with 31 days. A repost of a re-edited story.<\/em><\/p>\n

Bucket of Air<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cIf you promise not to scream, I\u2019ll remove the gag. If you cry out, I\u2019ll just put a bullet in your brain and be done with you. Understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

Renee nodded fearfully. At least she\u2019d get the taste of the cloth out of her mouth. The fact it was dark outside frightened her even more.<\/p>\n

She stiffened in alarm when Nick shut the engine down. \u201cWe\u2019re here,\u201d he told Tony matter-of-factly. The cabin cruiser glided to a halt where it bobbed up and down in the warm waters of the gulf.<\/p>\n

They weren\u2019t that far offshore. They were stopped in a shallow spot near the marked channel between the islands that stretched along the tip of Florida, commonly referred to as the Keys. It was their dumping ground.<\/p>\n

Renee whimpered fearfully. She was in deep shit and she knew it. They had found the briefcase with all the stolen files in her vehicle. From there it had been a simple matter to track her down and take her straight to the head of the crime family.<\/p>\n

The Don had glanced briefly at the stolen files. Then he\u2019d looked at his former secretary, sadly shaken his head and then declared her fate with two words… \u201cDump her!\u201d<\/p>\n

…and that was that. She\u2019d been tried, convicted and sentenced to death in less than a minute.<\/p>\n

From there it had been a simple matter of transferring her to the boat. Someone had gone to her house to fetch her pink bikini that she always wore at the Family pool parties. This was supposed to look like a nice little pleasure cruise out in the gulf.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, Tony,\u201d the red-haired woman begged as he brought a fifty pound concrete block to the back of the boat. It was hooked to a two-foot length of chain that ended in a shackle. As she begged for her life he calmly attached the free end to the terrified woman\u2019s ankle.<\/p>\n

Her heart pounded inside her chest. She was going to be dead in a matter of minutes. \u201cNick, I\u2019ll do anything! I\u2019ll make it up to you both! Please…!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry babe,\u201d he said with a shake of his head. \u201cOrders are orders. You should have known better.\u201d Then he turned on the big searchlight and pointed it down into the water. Anyone who saw it would simply think they were doing a little night fishing.<\/p>\n

\u201cTony…?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were a good secretary and a great lay, Renee. But you should never have betrayed The Family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Tony! God, I\u2019m so sorry! I\u2019ll do anything to make it up to you!\u201d Her voice cracked as she pleaded for her life.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what you have to do to make it up to The Family, Renee. You know that. You, of all people, should know that. Now stand up.\u201d<\/p>\n

He picked up the weight and carried it to the opening in the side of the boat, forcing the woman to walk right behind him because of the short chain. She was sobbing now. \u201cPlease, Tony… oh gawd… I don\u2019t wanna die… please!\u201d<\/p>\n

He tossed the block over the side. It jerked on Renee\u2019s ankle, nearly pulling her into the water. He grabbed her just in time as she let out a yelp of terror.<\/p>\n

\u201cNick! Please help me, Nick!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t, Renee. You know I can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh gawd… no…\u201d<\/p>\n

Tony smiled at her. \u201cTo show you what a good sport I am, I\u2019m going to give you a couple of seconds to get a good breath if you want it. But you should just let it all out and drown. Otherwise you\u2019ll only be prolonging the inevitable. Three\u2026 two\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Renee gasped, blurting out \u201cNO!\u201d as she fearfully shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026one… zero. Bye, Renee!\u201d Then he pushed her off the boat.<\/p>\n

She started to scream and then changed her mind to hold her breath. Every second of life was now precious to her. She splashed into the water where she sank right to the sandy bottom, pulled down by the block of concrete..<\/p>\n

She instinctively began pulling for the surface with her arms. But it was getting nowhere. The weight held her firmly in place. Air bubbled out of her lips and nose as she reached down, trying to free herankle.<\/p>\n

Up at the surface Tony looked down as the ship\u2019s big spotlight illuminated her struggle. He watched as she she flailed for the surface. Then he smiled sadly as a few trickles of air came up from her position.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a crying shame,\u201d he sighed with a shake of his head. \u201cShe was a great lay, too. Wish there was something more I could do for her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick reached under one of the seats and pulled out a pail. \u201cYou could always give her a bucket of air,\u201d he chuckled.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery funny.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not, Tony?\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiled as he thought it over. Why not, indeed. So he took it from Nick\u2019s outstretched hand, laid himself out on the floor of the vessel with his head and arms through the opening of the boat, turned the bucket over and then pushed it down into the water as far as he could.<\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t very deep. Drowning them out here was to send a message whenever they were found. \u201cOne last present for you, babe,\u201d he muttered as he pushed down on the pail. \u201cDon\u2019t say I never gave you anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the bottom of the ocean Renee\u2019s heart was beating furiously in her chest. The surface was right there; it was so horrifying! She clawed with her arms, knowing she was never going to make it. But her body instinctively made the attempt nonetheless.<\/p>\n

She felt her lungs begin to burn. They were still there; the light was shining down on her! Maybe they would change their minds and bring her back up. It was a vain hope considering she was chained to the cement block.<\/p>\n

The light illuminated something being pushed down into the water. She felt a surge of hope despite all the evidence to the contrary. Someone was pushing something down toward her. Were they going to pull her back up?<\/p>\n

Her heart sank when she saw that it was only a cleaning bucket turned upside down. Instinctively she reached up and grabbed for the handle. Then she tried to pull herself back up to the surface.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s got it,\u201d Tony chuckled. \u201cDamn bitch looks hot in that bikini. I sure wish she would never have betrayed The Family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s she doing with it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLooks like she\u2019s trying to pull herself up to the surface.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Renee held onto the bucket with both hands as another burst of air burbled out past her lips. She tried to pull it down to her, but air trapped inside made it difficult. The weight attached to her ankle was just too much.<\/p>\n

She bubbled as her lungs began to heave. She pulled the bucket lower. It occurred to her there was air inside. If only she could get her head up into it!<\/p>\n

She strained to pull it down. It tipped, causing bubbles to escape. She struggled to pull it down until she just barely managed to get her head inside.<\/p>\n

She inhaled, causing the water level to rise and cover her lips. Then she lost her grip. It shot up to the surface and tipped over before it filled with water and sank to the bottom.<\/p>\n

In the boat Tony rose to his feet. \u201cDid she get it?\u201d Nick asked curiously.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah; she got it. She might have gotten a breath out of it. Why; you want it back? It\u2019s on the bottom of the ocean now. She lost her grip.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNaw… she can keep it. Consider it my little present to her. I gave her the bucket and you gave her the air inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re cruel, Nick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou gotta be if you\u2019re gonna be in this business, man.\u201d<\/p>\n

—–<\/p>\n

Renee held her breath as long as she could. But she was panicked, flailing hard for the surface. The light was right on her, illuminating her struggle.<\/p>\n

She felt a convulsion in her chest as her lungs demanded oxygen. At the last moment she began to thrash about as her lungs heaved. Then she gulped water down her throat.<\/p>\n

She coughed, snorted, inhaled again. Then she started swallowing water. Her body went into violent spasms as she hitched and gurgled.<\/p>\n

She jerked and convulsed painfully, opening and closing her mouth in an effort to pull air into her lungs. Her arms flailed wildly, her unshackled leg kicking helplessly. She tipped her head back, coughing up water and bubbles.<\/p>\n

Her struggles lessened as her oxygen-deprived body began to shut down. Her arms and leg waved feebly, her mouth opening and closing as she kept inhaling water. Then she settled down into little muscle spasms and convulsions.<\/p>\n

Renee\u2019s arms rose upward as though she was mimicking some great bird with its wings outstretched. She swayed gently in the ship\u2019s spotlight from the current that flowed into the gulf. A few solitary bubbles slipped out through her open mouth.<\/p>\n

The spotlight suddenly winked out. The boat engine came to life. A moment later Renee was alone in the dark among the fishes, her body losing buoyancy as she started to sink to the bottom still tethered to the cement block.<\/p>\n

2006; 2018 (written Oct 28 \u201906; ed. Dec 2 \u201918 by riwa)<\/p>\n

(Inspired by the accompanying picture by ThralLord)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mob secretary Renee gets caught with some files and is taken out to swim with the fishes, being cruelly given only a bucket of air to satisfy her breathing needs. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-drowningstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/riwaslibrary.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/riwaslibrary.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/riwaslibrary.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riwaslibrary.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riwaslibrary.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15148"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/riwaslibrary.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15150,"href":"https:\/\/riwaslibrary.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15148\/revisions\/15150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/riwaslibrary.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riwaslibrary.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riwaslibrary.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}