“We’ve gotta go with them. We can’t leave,” he said.
“Dad is gonna get them Trevor. If we follow him it’s just two more people he has to worry about.”
The ship made another snapping sound and water started to pour down on us from the deck above. It felt like ice and I let out a shrill as it hit my back. I leaned into the stairwell and pulled him behind me.
“Come on!” I shouted.
We raced back up the steps and into the hall of the top deck. There was water covering the floor and people were sloshing through it, falling as they ran for safety. We pushed through the crowd and made our way back to the kitchen to meet Amber and the rest of her group, but it was empty.
“We can’t wait,” I told Trevor. “They’re on their own.”
“We should’ve stayed with dad,” he replied in a grim voice.
I frowned then ran back through the dining hall and headed toward the railing. The ship was rocking wildly and I could hear the water pounding up against the side like a hammer.
“Move quickly and orderly!” the staff shouted as they ushered people forward.
“Where are we going? What do we do?” a man asked. “Where are the lifeboats?”
“Follow the line sir. Life boats are on decks five through seven.”
“Fuck!” I barked.
We’d just made it to the top deck and now we had to go back down. I looked toward the main stairwell near the elevator, but that was a no go. People were crammed together moving down the steps like snails.
I turned and headed back for the kitchen with Trevor reluctantly following behind me. We made our way toward the employee stairwell at the back just as Chase was popping his head out of the door. McKinsey, Amber, Sherry and a few others were behind him.
“Where’s your parents?” he asked.
“My dad went to get my mom and my sister,” I replied. “They said the life boats are on the lower decks.”
We piled into the stairwell and hurried down. Sherry was crying and mumbling to herself, but we didn’t have the time to worry about that. We needed to get off the ship.
I jumped the last step and landed on the seventh deck. Without slowing down, I rushed out of the door. There were so many people in the hall that we could barely squeeze through.
“Let’s go to the sixth,” I yelled.
We crammed back into the stairwell and went down a level. It was still crowded, but a little less hectic if that was possible. Shoving through the herd, we made our way to the line near the edge of the ship.
“Do you see dad?” Trevor asked.
“No. I’ll call his phone.”
I reached into my pocket, but it was empty. I’d left it in our room earlier that night. Huffing, I banged my hands together.
“You can use mine,” Amber said as the sea of people pushed her closer into my side.
I took the pink iPhone and punched in my father’s number. The phone flashed and went back to the home screen. I tried it repeatedly with the same result.
“It’s not working,” I griped.
Amber gave me a worried look, but didn’t say anything as she took the phone and stashed it back into her pocket. Trevor pulled out his phone and desperately dialed our dad then our mom. Neither of the numbers went through and I could see the panic on his face morphing into terror.
“Does anybody’s phone work?” I shouted.
Blank, confused faces answered me back and I felt a sense of helplessness. My entire life, everyone had only been a phone call away, now my family could be anywhere on the ship and I had no way of reaching them.
Scanning the halls, I shuffled forward in a methodical daze. It took a lifetime, but eventually they started loading us into one of the large orange and white lifeboats. I stayed back with Trevor as we helped the girls in, staring down the hall looking for the rest of our family.
“Hurry,” one of the deckhands said and pressed his hand into my back.
I gave him a look then started to step over the railing. Pausing, I looked over my shoulder, but didn’t see a familiar face in the sea of confusion. Deep down, I knew my dad would’ve gotten my mom and sister and he was probably already on a boat, crashing through the water below.
“Quickly now, quickly,” the deckhand said and reached forward for me.
The ship heaved from side to side and the life boat slammed up against the wall. I fell back over the rail and caught myself.
“Come on boy. We have more people behind,” he snapped and grabbed my arm.
Reluctantly, I climbed the railing and stepped into the boat. Panicked voices spun through the air as I shuffled into the first available row. The boat was still rocking as I took a seat next to Trevor and hung my head.
“Anything?” Trevor asked.
“Must be on a different boat,” I replied without an ounce of conviction. “It’s gonna be okay.”
“Daniel!” I suddenly heard my dad’s voice.
I jumped back up and leaned out of the side. I could see him racing down the hallway with my mom and sister. I grabbed the deckhand’s arm as he started to lower the craft. “We have to wait!” I shouted. “My parents…my parents are right there!”
He looked back then pushed me into the boat. Trevor jumped up and shoved him then slung his leg over the side, trying to climb back into the ship.
“Dad!” he yelled.
“Hold the boat, we’re coming!” my dad shouted back as he barreled through the dense crowd of people.
“Get in the boat you fucking brats!” the deckhand roared.
I shoved my shoulder into his chest then the ship tilted to the side again. The life boat swung away and slammed back into the railing. I could hear cables snapping below us then all the lights in the ship shut off.
It was the scariest thing I’d ever experienced. We were suddenly cast into darkness, the only light coming from the moon. There was a rush of eerie silence for a moment then the shouting and screaming started.
“Get this fucking boat in the water!” the deckhand yelled.
The ship rolled back to the side as he reached out to lower the life boat. We swung away again then swung back as the cable snagged. The boat lifted and swung into the deck, pinning the man between the ship and the rail.
He let out a roar of pain. Then the ship rolled back and he tumbled over the bar and splashed into the dark water below.
“Dad hurry!” I yelled.
More terrible sounds filled the night. In the dark, my mind was left to wonder what was really happening. People’s cries of hysteria and horror mixed together with the noises the ship made as it began to break apart. We were sinking and there was nothing anyone could do.
I saw my dad only a few feet away. He was so close, one hand pulling my mom the other gripped around Chloe. Then it sounded like something fell and a sharp whining noise rang out.
My dad sped forward and I reached my hand out. The ship tilted backward then rolled to the left. He fell back into the wall and I lost sight of him.
“Dad!” I screamed.
With a snap the life boat broke loose and as a wave of water crashed over the deck, we fell into the ocean.
CHAPTER 3
OVERBOARD
The life boat slammed into the sea and water splashed up over the bow. I fell back on the ground from the impact and crashed into one of the bench seats.
Jumping to my feet, I rushed to the side and stared up at the ship. “Dad!” I shouted, my voice swallowed by the screams of terrified passengers.
With a rumble, the lifeboat’s engines churned to life and we started to pull away from the sinking cruise liner. The pilot grabbed the intercom and started shouting for people to put on their life vests. We were taking on water. The fall had punctured a hole in the bottom and the ocean was quickly trying to claim us.
“We have to wait!” I yelled. “My parents are back there.”
“Stop the fucking boat!” Trevor roared.
“Sit down and shut up!” the pilot screamed
.
Trevor snapped and rushed him, but was tackled by one of the passengers. A burly man with a red face and a thick beard. He grabbed Trevor in a bearhug and hoisted him off his feet.
“Calm down,” he said. “It’s gonna be alright, just calm down. We’re all scared.”
“Let me go!” Trevor groaned.
I dove at the man and slammed into his back with my shoulder. He stumbled forward and released his grip on Trevor before falling.
More passengers jumped up and tried to restrain us. Trevor grabbed the pilot’s arm, but two men grabbed him and dragged him to the ground.
“Stop the boat!” I yelled again. “Stop the fucking boat!”
I jumped over the clump of bodies and tangled my fingers into the pilot’s shirt. He whirled around and shoved me backward.
“We can’t,” he said. “You’re gonna kill everybody here. I’m sorry, but we just can’t.”
Someone suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders. I tried to wrestle my way free, but as a swarm of arms entangled me, I fell to the ground and broke into tears.
“No!” I screamed. “No, we can’t leave them.”
I was helpless. The boat cut across the water, sailing into the night, away from my family. And I couldn’t do a thing, but stare through my tears as they sank.
“Get off me,” I cried and tried to push myself up from the floor as the cold sea soaked my clothes.
I clambered to my knees and looked back at the ship. Lights flickered on and off as the massive vessel sank deeper and deeper. From the distance, I could see the damage that the wave had caused. The hull of the boat was riddled with cracks and splinters. Parts of it had completely broken off and the remaining lifeboats were still dangling from the side like puppets.
I slowly stood up and took a deep breath. Trevor was a few feet away from me, his face was blank and his mouth scraping the bottom of the boat as we bounced through the waves. I could feel the sting of his pain like a slap in the face.
Chase and the kids from his church group were seated in the row behind us, squeezed in between the other fifty passengers on the boat. They all looked terrified and in various states of shock.
The lifeboat tilted to one side as we took on more water. The waves slapped us around, the bow diving under the swell like a paddle. We’d escaped the sinking ship, but would still share the same fate.
I groaned and knelt on the floor. With my head in my hand, I wiped away tears and tried to find the resolve to keep going. Why, why was this happening?
Suddenly, the motor made a loud clunking noise and started to sputter. It grumbled loudly as the pilot gave it more gas then there was a metallic churn and the engine died. The boat coasted for a little then we bobbed lifelessly in the middle of the dark.
The pilot started tossing life vests around and shouting orders, but I couldn’t hear him. I didn’t want to hear him. The only thing I cared about was back on the cruise ship.
More water poured in from the crack in the bottom and the people started to scream. Everyone was frantically jumping out of their seats and diving into the water outside. I was content to just sit where I was.
Everything happening around me felt like a dream. I was just a spectator, set apart from the madness, watching as the world lost their collective minds.
“Get up man,” Trevor said, blurring my thoughts. “Get up now!” He held out his hand.
I looked up and stared him in the eyes. His were just as red and puffy as mine and his face reflected the misery in my heart, but I knew it was me that had let everyone down.
“I’m so sorry,” I mumbled. “We should’ve gone with dad.”
“Get up,” he said again. “This thing is gonna sink.”
I took a deep breath then grabbed his hand and stood up. People were already pulling the inflatables from under the seats and throwing them into the water. I couldn’t believe we somehow ended up on another sinking boat.
“Make sure you have your life vest fastened,” the pilot called out. “Be calm, everyone is gonna be fine.”
“Come on,” Chase called. “Guys, this way!”
He’d popped one of the panels off near the back of the boat and had a yellow inflatable clenched in his arms. Pulling the string, he tossed it into the water and it blew up into an octagon-shaped raft. He gripped the rope on the side of the raft to hold it steady then waved us on with his free hand.
Passengers were swarming the openings like bees. Trevor shoved them away as Amber and the others pushed forward. Then he turned and clamped onto my arm and dragged me through the water.
“Hurry up,” he said and pushed me toward the raft.
One by one, we climbed inside and pushed away from the sinking lifeboat. No one spoke as we drifted into the shadows, watching more people spill out into the ocean. It felt unreal, like a scene from a movie.
Other life boats cut through the water around us, speeding to unknown locations. Over the droning engines, I could hear people crying in the dark, the unlucky that had fallen into the water. I shivered from fear and regret as I blankly gazed at the wreckage.
The cruise ship stuck into the air like an iceberg. The lights continued to flash on and off and I prayed my father had found another boat. I couldn’t accept a reality where they didn’t make it.
“We’re gonna die out here,” Sherry suddenly mumbled.
She was huddled on the floor of the raft. Her hair was wet and frazzled, and her makeup was running down her face.
“Shut up Sherry!” Amber snapped.
“You shut up!”
“You both shut up!” Chase growled.
I shivered as the wind blew and whistled past our little rubber island. I looked out at the blinking lights from the other boats and wondered if my family was on any of them. They had to be out there somewhere.
“We’re gonna be okay, right?” Trevor nudged me and asked.
“I think so,” I replied.
“They made it off. I know they did.”
I smiled then turned to face the water. I wanted to believe Trevor, I wanted to believe myself, but a tiny voice in the back of my head kept whispering doubts.
“What happens now?” Amber asked.
“They’ll send a search party…the coast guard or something,” Conner said. “They have to know where we are.”
“What if they don’t send anyone?” Sherry moaned.
There was a collective grumble and she fell silent. Conner scooted next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
“It’s gonna be alright sis. I got you,” he whispered.
It was the first time I’d seen them act like siblings. Sherry leaned into him and sobbed quietly. For a moment, she had found comfort.
Sherry may have been the outspoken one, but we were all harboring the same fears. We’d been thrust into uncertainty, a group of strangers lost in the night without a clue where we were. It was a miracle we all hadn’t fallen apart.
As the night wore on it grew quiet. The screaming and cries for help from the water died down and the only noise came from the waves bobbing up against the side of the raft.
The night was eerie. The moon beamed down on the water like a spotlight, illuminating the vast, empty space. We were somewhere in the Caribbean, but we may as well have been on the dark side of the moon.
“Please be okay,” I whispered.
Yawning, I crossed my arms and closed my eyes. I couldn’t stop shivering and I felt exhausted, but not physically, more like my mind had run a marathon. I leaned my head against the side of the raft and eventually the lull of the ocean rocked me to sleep.
CHAPTER 4
LOST AND ADRIFT
I awoke sometime in the early morning. My body felt like a rusted fence as I sat up and rolled my shoulders. The sun was just starting to rise and a warm breeze was blowing across my face that brought with it the scents of salty fish and sweaty sand.
There was a thin fog floating across the surface of the water. We calmly pushed through it like
a silent ghost, floating through clouds into an endless abyss. The ocean was everything and at the same time it was nothing.
Everyone else was still asleep. Most of them had huddled together during the night, using piece of the raft’s tarp as a blanket. I felt like a stranger, an intruder simply hitching a ride to the next stop that was obscured by the foggy horizon.
My throat was dry and the gash on my head burned. I licked my cracked lips and winced. Yawning, I stretched my arms and rolled my head around. I’d lost, and I felt like it.
“We’re still alive,” Trevor said as he sat up next to me.
“I was hoping this was all a dream, but here we are.”
“So, what now?”
“I don’t know. Those damn lifeboats didn’t wait for anyone else. We’re out here alone.”
Trevor stared around for a moment. “They didn’t even stop to get the people that didn’t make it into rafts.”
I looked out over the gentle waves as the fog thinned. I could see the morbid surface of the ocean. The sun cast more rays across the water, my stomach twisted itself into knots and I felt sick.
“They were all so close,” I mumbled.
Dozens of empty life vests floated in clumps about fifty yards away. Several lifeless bodies wafted beside them, the sea dragging them into an endless abyss. Some looked like they had drowned while trying to put the vests on, others simply never made it.
The night was confusing and I couldn’t imagine the fear of being cast into that dark water. They must have panicked, or even worse, been run over by the life boats as they sped away. Fucking cowards.
“They left us,” I mumbled.
“What?”
“The life boats, they just left.”
In the distance, the cruise ship was still partially sticking up from the water. The bow pointed straight up, the rest of it claimed by the ocean. I wondered just how many people the boat had taken down with it.
“They got off,” Trevor said as I turned back to the raft.
“I’m sure they did.”
I sat down and leaned back. Everything felt surreal, like at any moment an alarm clock would go off and I’d wake up back in my bed. I couldn’t accept what my eyes were telling me, I needed to wake up from the nightmare.
Deconstruction- The Complete series Box Set Page 53
