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LOS 90
Red warning lights flashed intermittently, illuminating the space above their heads. I couldn't believe my ears. The ship is sinking? Are they serious?
But now was not the time for jokes. Especially not in a place gathered with people who didn't exactly enjoy them.
Since things had come to this, I couldn't just stand still. We didn't have as much time as I had thought. I suddenly shouted.
“Do you all plan to just stay here and drown? I’ll get you out. We either have to swim for it or seize the lifeboats. Of course, we might fail. But giving up out of fear before even trying is the stupidest thing imaginable. I can guarantee that. I am the proof.”
“What proof?”
“If I were a coward, I wouldn't be here right now. I would have died and been buried in the ground years ago. This isn't the first time I've been beaten nearly to death. Since I was a child, my father beat me mercilessly. I'm not speaking metaphorically. He truly wanted me dead. He locked me away and neglected me where no one could see.
But I survived. I struggled however I could just to stay alive. I knew I'd be beaten again the next day, but I didn't care. In the end, I was the only one who survived. That's when I realized. I must never give up on my own life.”
I aimed the pistol Giles had given me at the lock of the cage.
“Are you going to give up, or are you going to make one last attempt?”
“Even if we break that door, our hands aren't even free. How are we supposed to deal with the crew?”
“We push through with numbers.”
“You're reckless.”
I shrugged.
“That's how I've lived my life until now.”
Bang! With the sound of the gunshot, the lock shattered. The recoil knocked me backward. Regardless, I stood up again and destroyed the lock on the opposite side.
Now they were free. The people stepped out of the cage with hesitant strides.
I shouted at them once more.
“The ship might tilt any moment! If the lifeboats are taken, we all die. Keep in mind, only those who seize them first will survive!”
At that, the people seemed to find their resolve. Those with handcuffs on their wrists ran down the corridor with whatever freedom their legs allowed. I blended in with them, heading outside with the pistol in one hand.
The crew members were preparing to lower the lifeboats. In an instant, a fight broke out between the two factions. Even those who managed to draw pistols late couldn't handle the people pushing forward with their bodies.
I had to find Giles first. I scanned the chaotic deck, but it was hard to find even a silhouette that resembled him.
“Giles!”
It happened the moment I screamed. With a sickening metallic screech, the ground I was standing on tilted sharply. Many people, including myself, lost their balance and tumbled across the floor.
As I gripped the surface with my fingertips, struggling not to slide further down, I suddenly realized I had lost the gun. I looked around, but the pistol I'd dropped had long since disappeared.
Amidst the carnage—people fighting, those collapsed and bleeding, and crew members being pushed overboard by prisoners—I had to find him somehow.
I tried to stand up but fell several times. My legs wouldn't hold my weight; it was as if they were made of paper. Barely managing to stand, I wandered through the crowd, shouting blindly.
“Giles!”
Then, a familiar voice pierced through the noise and reached my ears.
“Anna!”
Like a lost child, I called his name and tried to keep my balance. I had the illusion of spotting his face among the crowd.
In that moment, I grew desperate. I tried to run toward where Giles's voice had come from, reaching out my hand.
Just then, I felt my body lift into the air. The ship had begun to tilt uncontrollably. To make matters worse, several people standing in front of me fell toward me, pushing me down onto the deck.
The screams were deafening. I rolled frantically across the deck before my head slammed directly into a cold piece of metal.
My vision faded into black.
Anna.
Please open your eyes, Anna!
Someone was speaking to me. It was a man's voice. As soon as I realized this, the fog began to clear. By the time I remembered the name of the man pleading with me, I was able to open my eyes again.
It felt as though the area had been filled with the glow of the sunset just a moment ago, but the surroundings were already being swallowed by darkness. I lifted my head. Giles was holding onto me desperately, while his other hand gripped a protruding structure to hold us steady.
By the time I regained consciousness, half of the ship had sunk into the pitch-black seawater. The moment he let go, we would both slide off the deck and plunge into the ocean.
Blinking my eyes open, I asked.
“Giles, are you okay?”
“I'm fine. How about you? Can you hold onto me?”
“I...”
At that moment, I realized I was wearing a vest I had never seen before. It was a life jacket. I remembered it vaguely; I had never seen one in person, but I recalled seeing one in a book once.
Had Giles put it on me? I looked around. On the deck that had been so chaotic, now only Giles and I remained.
“The other people...”
“Everyone who didn't die has escaped. There are no lifeboats left. The only way to leave this ship now is to swim.”
“Did you miss the boat because of me?”
What if that were true? However, Giles gave a faint smile and shook his head.
“There weren't enough boats for the number of people. Everyone was fighting to get on. I can't say you're the reason I didn't make it.”
“I'm sorry, Giles. I tried to find you...”
“No, Anna. You did well. There's no need to blame yourself.”
Now, the important thing was how to survive this situation.
We were in the deep ocean, barely clinging to a slowly sinking ship. I had absolutely no idea what to do.
It felt as if this ship were our destiny.
Giles held Anna with one arm and thought: How can we leave this ship without a lifeboat? It didn't seem like Anna could swim. She was someone far removed from the sea.
Even if she knew how to swim, Anna's body was far too weakened.
Another way was desperately needed.
If there was any good news, it was that Anna had fully regained consciousness. Giles hoped she could hold on just a little longer.
“We have to send a signal,” he said.
“If someone just discovers this ship, we'll be able to get out somehow.”
“The Beldam soldiers might come looking for us.”
“The priority is getting off the ship. Everything else comes after. We escaped once; surely we can do it a second time, right, Anna?”
The moonlight was becoming clearer. The deeper the night grew, the worse it was for them. The temperature would drop, and all Anna had on was her thin cloth clothing and the life jacket.
“Anna, can you hold onto this?”
“You're not planning on going anywhere, are you?”
“I have to find something. There might be things we need in the cabins.”
“But then you'll have to go into the water!”
“I have no choice. We have to hurry before it gets any darker.”
He took Anna's hand and helped her grip the structure he had been holding.
Anna looked terrified. She seemed worried that he might be sucked into that black water and never return.
“Anna, hold on tight.”
“Giles...”
“I'll be fine. I'll be back soon, because you're waiting for me.”
Giles gave her the widest smile he could to reassure her, then slowly let go. In an instant, his body slid off the deck and plunged into the sea with a splash.
No matter how close summer was, the sea late at night was still like ice. Giles took a deep breath and swam into the water.
Due to the descending darkness, visibility was almost non-existent. He had to feel along the walls to barely locate a cabin.
Various pieces of furniture and objects were floating inside the submerged cabin. Relying on the faint moonlight filtering in, Giles desperately tried to distinguish the item he was looking for.
It has to be here somewhere.
Even if it was a ship destined to be discarded, it made no sense for it not to be equipped.
There was a limit to how long he could hold his breath underwater. Giles soon felt the sensation of air running out. Please... he prayed repeatedly in his mind.
He couldn't just sink like this. He couldn't go back up without achieving anything.
If only I can find it.
A familiar shape caught his eye. Giles immediately reached out to grab the object he had been searching for. His vision began to blur, and his entire body stiffened with tension.
Even underwater, he widened his eyes and reached for the emergency item painted bright red.
Finally, the flare gun was in his hand.
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