by Alex Just
~ Pacific Ocean ~
She wouldn’t let the waves beat her; there was no way she’d give in. Lightning forked the sky and Julia saw where she was. In the brief second of eerie light she found herself cresting a huge wave that was just another amongst the million others in the storm. She’d lost all track of time since the ship was wrecked, swimming just to keep her head above the surface. There was nothing to grasp, no one to help her. Just like always. She was alone. Something heavy knocked her head under and she felt the tendrils of despair reaching out, dragging her down to be claimed by the sea.
With a last bit of strength she forced her head to breach the stormy surface, gasping in air. She would not die out here. Again something thrust into her. She didn’t let it force her under a second time but instead looked for what it was. Something was flashing nearby. It was a person. Hope lifted her spirits fuelling her swim over to the person. As she neared the man she tried not to let a sob of horror escape.
It was a life jacket alright, belonging to the corpse of a passenger. A huge gash had torn off half his face and he was floating lifelessly, supported by the jacket. She couldn’t believe she was thinking it but before she knew it, she’d slipped the jacket off and put it on herself, shoving the corpse off into the heavy swells without a second thought, just heaving sobs. Her exhaustion was overwhelming; she couldn’t help it and furiously gave in. The sea can have me, if it can beat the life jacket, were her last thoughts, her eyelids fluttering shut.
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