Ignition [h.s]

20

ELISE ROSEWOOD

We don't make it to the ship's next stop.

Once we've all reconvened in the cabin, chattering amongst ourselves and getting our bags ready, the ship suddenly tilts harshly to the right. And then harshly to the left. And then to the right again.

In a rocking motion, the ship begins to hit extremely sharp angles, causing all of us to fall into the walls and drop our things. Lampshades crash to the floor and vases full of flowers shatter on impact. And the rocking doesn't stop.

"What the fuck is happening—" Niall shouts, his face growing green with sea sickness as Harry pushes against the laws of physics and somehow makes it across to me, grabbing onto my arm. Louis rolls across the floor in a frenzied blur, Liam clings onto the metal rod of a lamp and Zayn throws himself like a protective blanket over Jess.

Harry and I inch our way across the wall and I grab onto the door handle, opening it so that we both fall out out into the hallway, his chest pressed up against my back.

"Sorry—" He starts to say as he peels backwards, getting cut off by a loud siren followed by a wave of screaming passengers. We try our best to stay upright in horror as the ship relentlessly tosses us against the walls, each cabin door opening one by one and spilling with terrified people clutching onto each other.

"We need to get above deck!" Harry shouts as the rest of the boys and Jess crash out of the room, their faces washed a pale shade of red from the sirens sounding above us. I think briefly to our belongings—how easy it would be to just dip my head back into the room and grab a couple of the duffel bags.

"No—" Harry must be able to read my thoughts though, because he grabs my wrist tightly and drags me behind him before I get the chance. 

I don't know what's happening, whether there was a storm forecast for tonight or if we hit a particularly bad spot of water, but it can't be this severe, right? Surely, we'll be back in the cabin after the false alarm. Except it doesn't really sound like a false alarm at all. My skin prickles all over and I'd let out a scream of my own, if it weren't for the fact there's a massive lump of fear obstructing my airways.

We manage to get above deck, with varying degrees of struggle. To our dismay, the cruise ship workers are deploying a bunch of emergency inflatable rafts, dropping them into the water below.

"Fuck—" Harry curses behind me as the severity of the situation dawns on us like an anchor. "Shit." He mumbles, and I can only hear him because we're pressed so closely together, his lips by my ear.

Louis comes running into us, grabbing onto our arms. His blue eyes are wide with terror, "What are we doing, H? What the fuck do we—"

"Get onto one of those fucking rafts. Go!" Harry barks without a second thought. I start to shake, realising this isn't just a small patch of water turbulence. The ship is fucking sinking, or at the very least needs to be evacuated. When I look at the rafts lined along the edge of the ship, I notice women and children clambering into them first.

I half expect Harry to push me onto one of the rafts but when I turn around, he isn't there. I see his head of hair disappearing through the crowd, in the opposite direction of the way he should be going, and despite my better judgement, I decide to follow him. I elbow my way through the stream of passengers, shouting after him. I realise quickly that I don't want to get onto a raft with Louis, or Liam, or Niall, or Zayn. Hell, even Jess. I want to get onto a raft with Harry.

"Harry!"

He turns when he hears me, an expression of grief crossing his face. Like he had hoped I wasn't going to follow him, but he's inwardly grateful that I did. He grabs onto my hand, yanking me so harshly that my wrist bursts with pain. I crash into his back, my breath completely gone as we both fall into a pit of darkness at the same time.