The Grand Mistress

Hawk didn\'t hesitate to plunge into the river and in just a minute, both him and Simione were already in the river, wet and struggling. The water was chest high and Hawk held onto the rope with all his strength so that current wouldn\'t sweep them away. Thankfully, the rope the old folks set up was a very strong one and Hawk knew he could rely on it.

"Hawk stop this! You don\'t have to do this?" Simione shouted when they were already in the water, her arms tied tight on Haw\'s neck, pleading with him to just go back to the bank and let her do it alone. This was her business after all and was not a privy to the situation at all.

"Don\'t you dare move! Bring me back to the riverbank!" She commanded, almost deafening the man\'s ears but he didn\'t heed her requests. Instead, he slowly advanced, gliding his hand to the rope slowly and dragged his body off with it, together with the girl that was on his back.

"Hawk, listen to me! Do not do this! Go back!" Simione\'s heart raced chaotically when she saw that the man was then determined to cross with her. She panicked and tried to squeeze off back to the riverbank but when she moved a little, she realized that the current was very strong and harsh. Instantly, she feared for their life!

"This is not your duty! Hawk Monsanto! Listen to me now!"

"Hawk go back! Go back please. You\'re making me scared! Hawk please!"

"The river is very dangerous Hawk, let\'s go back already"

"Hawk please…."

"Please…"

"Please…."

"Please don\'t die for me!" 

Simione was crying already while the man seemed to be oblivious of all her pleas. Hawk was clearly risking his life for the girl and Simione at the moment she felt like it was too much for him to do so. He doesn\'t have to, he clearly didn\'t need to. 

Who was she anyway? 

She was just a woman who rejected him, he did not need to sacrifice for her.

Hawk ignored her, not that he intended to do as clearly her cries pained him probably more than she had. However, the deadly water, the heavy current as well as the things and craps that were swept mercilessly  by it—sharp branches, big stones, bulk of leaves, some garbage, —was choking him, drowning him and making it  hard for him to cross. He was trying to kept his head steady but the current was making it hard for him, plus the fact that the  ground beneath him was unstable as once in a while, it was washed away by the current and his body with it. Truth was not if not because of the rope, he would not be able to support himself and Simione.

The duo slowly advanced on but the dangers in the river were so unpredictable that they both went unprepared when a big trunk with sharp branches was swept away by the water and crushed to both of them! 

There was a loud thud at the impact and Hawk was forced to let go of one of his hands on the rope!

"Hawk!" Simione screamed in horror. Good thing she was alert enough to hold onto the rope too and support Hawk while his head and body twisted in pain. The brown water was immediately tainted by red, the impact left Hawk wounded and bruised. 

"Ar-rrrrrr-ggggh!" She heard the man growling in pain and for a moment Simione panicked but abruptly dismissed it off and calmed herself because she knew—if panic will drown her in this very crucial situation—they won\'t make it. Instinctively she looked at the other edge of the river that they were aiming for and pinned her hope into it. They will be able to cross. They\'ll survive this!

"Let go," Hawk commanded when things got complicated already. They were stuck in the middle unable to move while Simione struggled to hold onto the rope and support Hawk\'s body as fought the current that was ready to sweep them off to their deaths. Although Simione was strong, she\'s not as strong as him and so Hawk knew she had to go on by herself so cross safely. She can\'t drag them both.

"I won\'t," Simione refused.

"We will not be able to move with this position," Hawk told her, his voice was going weak and it was obvious that he was struggling with the pain.

"I won\'t let go. I won\'t," Simione refused to do so. Clearly Hawk wanted her to go on and continue moving without him but she cannot leave him that way. Guilt already took over her and the last thing that she would do was to leave him to his death.

"If you won\'t, you\'ll die. I can\'t hold on longer….." Hawk was giving up on it. Simione saw that red in the water was getting darker and she knew the man was bleeding hard. "Let go Cat, let go now!"

"I can drag us both," She hard headedly refused, no matter what she won\'t leave hm.

"Damn you woman!" Hawk was already mad at it. Simione refusing to go safely was only making him upset. "Why do you always choose other people than yourself! Go and save yourself or I promise….."

"If you\'ll die then I\'ll die too. So either you\'ll hold on and continue or I\'ll drag us both. To die together is also an option," She can feel his anger and seriously, it scared  him in any hell possible. She had never seen Hawk Monsanto that mad, nor that frustrated. However, she feared his death more than his anger so she refused to obey his madness.

"Hold on my neck then," Hawk\'s breathing wasn\'t stable anymore. He was short of breath already but since Simione was refusing to let go, he used the last remaining strength that he had to drag them both. However, such a move required great strength and when he did such, the wound in his arms and side chest opened, causing him unbearable pain. "Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

Seeing that he was trying his best despite the injury, Simione trusted and let go of the rope then chose to tie her arms around Hawk\'s neck again. She can hear him screaming in agony but she took it all and trusted him. He had to cross with her, no matter what it takes! Knowing that the chances of surviving were low, Simione closed her eyes and repeatedly apologized.

"I\'m sorry, I\'m sorry, I\'m sorry," Her tears went with  her apologies. She never meant for him to suffer, she only wanted to cross alone. However her actions and words made Hawk Monsanto mad and do such an incredulous thing. She should have not told him his love was shallow, because obviously it\'s not—risking your life for a woman who already rejected you—surely isn\'t a shallow love. It was a deep foolish devotion!

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Hawk spent all his remaining energy and felt his side chest break, like something opened up and gave away. Then he black out. The river was full of craps that crushed into him, beating every part of his body up until at the end, he just fell. He went unconsciously immediately as his clearly weak insides succumbed to darkness.

"Hawk! Hawk!" Simione was crying as he dragged the man to safety to dry ground. Now that they were out of water already, the girl can see his injury now and she was left speechless at it. A sharp branch was struck to his right side chest while his hands and arms bruised in red.

For a moment, the girl was left idled, she gaped in horror in Hawk\'s dreadful circumstance. Because she was at his back, his body took all the things that crushed on them, like a shield that protected her. He protected her, he knew she wouldn\'t make it out alive if she crossed, so he went with her so he could protect her. 

"God! Hawk Monsanto, are you a fool?" Simione screamed at him but the man wasn\'t conscious anymore. The girl checked his pulse immediately as she wiped off all her tears and did some first aid. He was still breathing, thank God! But Simione knew he wouldn\'t last long like that.

"My phone….my phone…" Simione immediately rummaged through her backpack as she remembered her mobile. They were already out of the biggest river and she knew that this part of the mountain, there\'s already a reception and so she hoped to make some calls. Her bag was all wet but she was already expecting it so while she was packing up, she sealed her mobile earlier  in plastic to protect it somehow. And God, it did pay off, because when she unsealed it and took her mobile out, it was working perfectly fine. 

"Calm down SImione, calm down!" She cussed and comforted herself as she was having hard type dialing because she was shaking. She turned her head to Hawk and saw him lying idly on the ground and he couldn\'t do anything about it so she put all her hopes to ask for help.

When the line opened up, Simione gasped with so much relief.

  "Lucy!" She cried. "Help!"