Chapter 8: A Message, a Goodbye

"We've got to close the gap!" Hiccup yelled over the sound of the rushing water around them. In a sitting position, the water was almost past his chest and up to his neck. They would soon be trapped and drown if they couldn't get out.

Astrid was standing by one of the larger holes. She tried desperately to block it, but they had no resources. "I'm trying! Nothing's working!" she said, lowering her hands in defeat. A thought occurred to her. "Do you have your phone?" she asked.

Before Hiccup could answer, another bang was heard and they were drenched with twice the water as before. "Another pipe went!" he realized. Now they were definitely going to be dead within the hour.

"Oh gods!" Astrid breathed in shock, running a hand through her soaked hair. If this wasn't stressful she didn't know what was.

Hiccup reached to the ledge, next to his camera and pulled his phone down. Unlocking it slowly with shaking fingers. He sighed as he saw that there was still no service. "Can you help me stand?" he asked Astrid.

She nodded slowly and approached him. She kneeled down and placed one arm under his and he placed his arm on top of her shoulders for support. "Ready?" When he nodded she continued. "On three. One, two, three!"

With a groan in pain, Hiccup was finally back on his feet- foot. He, with the help of Astrid, hobbled over to the wall and leaned against it. Breathing heavily, he tried calling his dad. Still no service. "It's still down!" he said.

Astrid looked at her feet, and then at the debris trapping them. "Try the hole! The gap, right there!" she said, pointing to the gap right in front of them.

Leaning forward, Hiccup reached a hand through the gap. He could have jumped in joy when he saw the lone bar appear in the corner of the screen. "Oh gods! There's a bar! There's a bar!" he gasped out, quickly dialing his dad.

"Put it on speaker!" Astrid said, and he did so.

Hiccup was disappointed to hear the sound of his father's voice mail. "You've reached Stoick. Leave a message."

And he did just that. "D-Dad! Dad, please help us! T-the building fell down on top of us and there's water pouring in! I-I don't know how long we've got!" His phone buzzed before showing the logo and shutting down. "Dad!" he cried desperately. But it was done. "It's dead. I-it's dead. I-I'm sorry." he breathed out.

Astrid took a deep breath to calm herself. "D-do you think it went?" she asked, shivering slightly due to the coldness of the water.

Hiccup shook his head. "I don't know." he said, quietly. He leaned back against the wall, helping him rest his one good leg. "I don't know."

At this point, the water was now half way up their waists. It was rising quicker than before. Giving their rescue less time to arrive.

...

Stoick, Tommy and Valka took the van and headed back on their route to Garner. They were only ten to fifteen minutes away by car, and Stoick was getting anxious.

His phone buzzed, and he sighed in relief as he saw that he finally had cell service. And he got even more relaxed as he saw the screen read: 'One New Message: Hiccup.'. "He's sent me a message." He told everyone.

Placing the phone on speaker, he played the message. "D-Dad! Dad, please help us! T-the building fell down on top of us and there's water pouring in! I-I don't kn-w ho- l-ng w-ve -ot!" His relief was once again replaced with worry as the message came to a stop.

"Oh my gods," Valka whispered, reaching her hand across and placing it on her husband's arm, not looking away from the road.

Tommy put his head in his hands from stress. He couldn't help but feel like it was still his fault. He ran his fingers through his hair and tried his best to keep his breathing calm.

...

Hiccup held up his camera, still leaning against the wall, and pointed it at Astrid. The water level was just above the base of her neck, and pretty soon, it would reach her head.

He turned it on, thanking the gods that it was waterproof, and began recording. "O-okay. Go." he told her.

She took a shaky breath, holding back her tears. "U-Uncle Finn..." she started. "I just wanna thank you for everything. I was gonna come down the stairs this morning to say goodbye ...but when I came you were already gone." She sniffled a little, but continued. "You should know I'm not alone. H-Hiccup's here. He's been really sweet. So it's kind of o-okay. I love you so much." She was almost in tears when Hiccup passed her the camera.

(It's kinda long. Like 300 words by itself.)

He took a shaking breath and started. "Guess what? I spent the last week filming time capsules

about people's futures...a-and now it looks like I don't have one. So...if there's no future...w-we should talk about t-the past." He nodded his head, agreeing with himself. The water had gotten higher and almost reached his chin. "Um... some bad shit happened along the way. Y-you know, like it does to everybody, I guess. And... a-and I-I couldn't keep going, Dad. I blamed you. I really gave you shit, and I-I wish I hadn't. So wish I hadn't. No point in wishing now?" he trailed off, looking down at the rising water and his damaged leg. "Um... what do I wanna say? Um... Go easy on Tommy. H-he's gonna tell you that this is all his fault. This was his idea. B-but it wasn't. I-it's just Tommy. His attention-seeking behavior. My idea... m-my fault." He was shaking slightly. Partly because of the cold, and partly because he was holding back tears. But, he pushed forward. "T-Tommy, you should be the person you always were, dude, because y-you're awesome. You're awesome and I'm proud of you...and just live every day like it's your last. B-because, shit, someday i-it will be. And for once, I know what I'm talking about. M-mom, I-I really miss you, when you're away. A-and I wish I would have told you before you left, b-but I didn't. I-I love you. I-I'm sorry this will be the first time you s-see me in months. But j-just know that I love you." He had a few tears running down his face, but he held strong. "And, Dad... Dad, I love y-you. I really love you and I-I'm sorry. Okay, I'm sorry. Okay? Sorry..." He trailed off.

Astrid stopped the camera and put it down on a ledge. She had a few stray tears running down her face as well. They pulled each other into a tight hug, trying to comfort one another. Astrid put her face in his shoulder, breathing in his scent. She then lifted her head to rest it on his shoulder. She decided to strike up a conversation.

"W-what's your real n-name?" she asked, curiously. "I-I never knew it because everybody calls you H-Hiccup."

He took a breath. He hadn't said his real name in a long time. "M-my full name i-is H-Harrison Henry H-Haddock th-the Third." he got out, chuckling at his long name.

Astrid chuckled. "T-the third? There were th-three more?"

He nodded slightly. "W-way back, though. I-If I were j-just Harrison Henry Haddock I'b be a-almost two hundred years old." he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. Then his face got serious. "Um... Astrid?" he asked.

"Mmmhmmm?" she asked, not loosening her hold on him. She was quite content where she was.

"I-I just wanted to tell you t-this. I, um... I-I've kind had a-a crush on you, f-for the longest time, a-actually." He took a breath. He finally got it out. Too bad they were going to die in about five minutes. "I-I just wanted t-to tell you. Since we pr-probably won't make i-it out of here... I-I like you Astrid... a-a lot...s-sorry..." he trailed off. She would probably punch him or be weirded out or something, so he pulled away, only to be pulled back a second later.

Astrid tightened her grip on him, resting her head just under his. "I-It's okay." she whispered. "I-I like you too." she admitted, a small smile on her face. "I-I think I kind of always h-have. I j-just didn't realize u-until now."

Hiccup was frozen. Both from the water, and what Astrid had just said. He must be dreaming, or he's already dead. Because he thought he just heard Astrid say she-. His thoughts were cut off when her lips met his. It took him a moment before he melted into the kiss. Her hands were around his neck and his rested on her back, holding her close. They pulled away for air and just held each other in a tight hug, the water was just past their chins and almost over their lips.

"I-I can't help but feel guilty th-that when I finally realize I like you, we're both gonna di-die." She spat a little bit of water out of her mouth.

He held her close, a small smile played on his lips. "Well, I-I don't know about y-you, but I-I can at least die h-happy..."