#(fainted)

Five foot 1 wife, 6 foot tub....

How did Carolanne become submerged? Jeff asked himself, after he lifted her out of the tub, laid her on the tile floor and beheld the limp, sodden lifeless flesh and blood Resusci-Annie doll sprawled before him. Did she faint from prolonged exposure to the hot water? Did she slip and knock herself out?

Fainted / knocked out / “Behind you”

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Caretaker and Whumpee retraced their steps, ducking around corners and trying to move as fast as possible. Still, Whumpee’s injuries were starting to catch up with them. They went from keeping pace with Caretaker to lagging behind, up until Caretaker was basically dragging them along. 

“Come on, we’re almost there. You can make it,” Caretaker tried to cheer them on. 

Whumpee nodded, forcing their feet to move forward. Was it Caretaker’s imagination, or had Whumpee gotten paler since they found them? No matter. The only way to get them help was to get out of here. Caretaker had already lost Whumpee to Whumper once; they weren’t going to let it happen again. 

They had just rounded the last corner before the exit when Whumpee collapsed. The beatdown from Whumper had finally caught up with them, and even adrenaline wasn’t enough to keep them on their feet. 

“No no no,” Caretaker said under their breath, stopping to check on Whumpee. “Not yet. Just a little farther.” 

“Tired. Need rest,” Whumpee mumbled softly. 

They still had a pulse and seemed somewhat coherent, thankfully, but the exertion seemed to have taken its toll. “Screw it,” Caretaker muttered, bending down to pick Whumpee up. 

“And just what do you think you are doing?” 

Caretaker had been so preoccupied with Whumpee’s condition, they hadn’t heard the footsteps sneaking up behind them. They turned around to find Whumper, grocery bags in hand, looking downright murderous. 

“I…” Caretaker stuttered. How could they possibly talk their way out of this situation? 

Whumper dropped their bags, closing the distance to Caretaker. Caretaker found themselves instinctively taking a step back, unintentionally cornering themself against the wall. 

“I asked you a question.” Whumper’s eyes were locked onto Caretaker, like a predator who had finally narrowed in on its prey. “What are you doing?” 

“I…” they stuttered again. One of the bags had tipped over, revealing rolls of duct tape and a coil of thick rope. “I’m leaving.” 

“I see,” Whumper said shortly. “And what makes you think you can do that?” 

Caretaker felt the words stick in their throat, then noticed Whumpee, stirring on the floor, slowly starting to sit up. They felt a twinge of hope in all their fear. But for anything to have a chance of working, they needed Whumper’s complete, undivided attention. 

“W-what makes you think you can tell me what to do?” Caretaker got out. 

Whumper’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?” 

“You don’t control me.” Caretaker stood up a little straighter. “I’m my own person, and I have the right to live my own life, without you trying to take it from me.” 

Whumper’s hand shot out and grabbed Caretaker by the throat. “Do you really want to test me right now?”

“You’re bluffing,” Caretaker said.

Whumper’s grip tightened. “Try me,” they sneered. “I don’t care what you say; you’re mine. You’ve always been mine and you’ll always be mine.” 

Their grip tightened even more, cutting off Caretaker’s air supply. “And if I need to take your life right now to prove it, then so be it.” 

Whumper’s vengeance was suddenly cut short with a loud clang! as Whumpee stood behind them, swaying on their feet, brandishing a rusted pipe from the floor. Whumper swayed for a second before Whumpee hit them again, the second blow sending them crumbling to the floor. 

Caretaker took the moment to catch their breath before delivering another swift kick to Whumper’s head to ensure they would stay knocked out. 

“Did…we do it?” Whumpee still wasn’t completely coherent, but at least they had recognized the danger and how to address it. 

Caretaker nodded. “Yeah,” their voice came out hoarse. “Yeah, we did it. Just, sit down for now. I can take it from here.” 

Whumpee went to nod, then realized that probably wouldn’t be a good idea. Instead they leaned up against a wall and slowly eased themselves down to a sitting position. In the meantime, Caretaker made good use of Whumper’s newly purchased tools, tying up Whumper’s limbs with the duct tape and rope, ensuring there would be no quick escape. In doing so, Caretaker also found the car keys and, best of all, a cell phone. 

Caretaker nearly wept with relief, slumping down next to Whumpee. “We’ve got our way out,” they said. Whumpee made a noise of acknowledgement. “We’re going to be ok,” Caretaker said, mostly to themself, but still. It was a good thing to recognize. 

Whumpee gave a small smile. They weren’t actively bleeding, but still seemed borderline exhausted. “Rest now?” They mumbled. 

“Yeah,” Caretaker leaned over and kissed their forehead. “Rest now. We’re safe.” They dialed 911, taking a deep breath for themself. “We’re safe.”