The shock of the freezing water makes Erik lose consciousness for a few seconds. He kicks out with his legs in a panic, breaks the surface, and fills his lungs with air. Slowly and with a metallic creaking sound, the bus begins to roll and sink beneath the black water. It lurches; he feels a blow to his head and then is underwater once again. Through the window he can see the headlights still shining deep in the lake. His heart is pounding. His face and head feel as if they are being squeezed in a vice. He can see Lydia under the water, clinging to a pole with her back to the rear seats. His ears are filled with a roaring sound, and he is immobilised by the incomprehensible cold. He sees the open hatch and the shattered window; he knows the bus is sinking fast, knows he has to swim out. He has to fight, but his arms won’t work and he has no feeling in his legs. He is almost weightless. He tries to edge forward but finds it difficult to synchronise his movements.
Now Erik sees he is surrounded by a cloud of blood from the cut on his shoulder. Suddenly Lydia meets his gaze, staring calmly into his eyes. They hang there in the icy water, looking at each other. Her hair floats with the movement of the current, and small air bubbles emerge from her nose like a string of pearls.
Erik needs to breathe, his throat tightens, but he is fighting against his lungs as they struggle to take in oxygen. His temples are throbbing and a white light is flashing inside his head. His body temperature is so low he is on the point of losing consciousness. The ringing in his ears gets louder, rising and falling.
Erik thinks about Simone, about the fact that Benjamin is going to make it. It feels like a dream, floating freely in the icy water. With remarkable clarity, he realises that this is the moment of his death, and his stomach contracts with fear.
He has lost all sense of direction, of his own body, of light and darkness. The water feels warm, almost hot. He thinks that soon he will have to open his mouth and simply give in, simply let the end come as his lungs fill with water.
New, strange thoughts run through his mind as something suddenly happens. He feels the rope around his waist tighten. He has forgotten that he knotted the long line attached to the life belt around his body. It seems to be tangled in something. He is being dragged to the side. It is impossible to resist, he has no strength left. His slack body is hauled inexorably around a pillar and then up through the roof hatch. The back of his head thumps against something, one shoe comes off, and then he is out in the black water. He is carried upwards while the bus continues without him into the depths, Lydia inside the glowing cage as it drifts silently to the bottom of the lake.