I'll never let go..| A titanic inspired story 🚢

Never let go (chapter 32)

This was the end.. or was it??

The stern of Titanic was sent into a deep plunge into the depths of the North Atlantic. Every second the ocean swallowed more and more of titanic. I shut my eyes, fearing the whole experience until Joel grasped my hand.

"We've got to hold our breath when the ship goes under." He said, out of no where.

"Why?" I asked, staring down into the deep ocean that was waiting to pull us under.

"If not, the ship will sink and it will pull us under. Our best bet is to hold our breath before we go under but you've gotta hold my hand ever so tightly." Joel said, his voice becoming shaky and fearful.

"Okay." Was all I could utter. I was starting to loose my voice and each time we exhaled a cloud of steam polluted the black sky before fading away.

Closer and closer to the Atlantic we got. My hand was starting to become sore from gripping so tightly to Joel's. People were falling from the railing left right and centre and pained shrieks were heard each time they fell into the abyss of the ocean. As the propellers went under, the speed of the sinking grew and the anticipation of it all was enough to make me pass out.

"Ready?" Joel said.

"I am. And I won't let go." Was the last thing I said until the North Atlantic swallowed both Joel and I and pulled us under with the force of a million men. Submerging us entirely, the freezing water suffocated me in freezing embrace. I tried with all my might to kick my legs but the pain was unbearable and I was running out of breath.

My world started to go dark until I felt a sharp tug on my hand that pulled me up to the surface. I gasped, bobbing around in the water, surrounded by horrific screams and cries.

I glanced to my right and there he was, guiding me to what seemed to be a broken off door.

"Joel! It's so c-cold!" I cried.

"Keep moving." He said

He wrapped his hands around my waist and forcefully hauled me onto the broken off door. Dripping with icy water, I shivered in the chilling conditions. Despite there not being much room, I pulled Joel onto the door and we managed to fit quite nicely on it. Shivering, we huddled closely to stay warm. I shut my eyes and tried to pretend I was in my nice warm bed back in England but the biting chill of the winterish night was difficult to forget.

"Just hang on, Isobel. We'll make it." I nodded vigorously as our teeth chattered relentlessly.

"I love you." I said. Swallowing hard.

"Don't you do that. Don't say your goodbyes just yet." He said. His cheeks was ruddy and filled with warmth despite being out in the hypothermic night. He clung to my hand tightly as our fingers practically froze together.

"Well I love you."

"I love you too. And if we don't make it, just know I'll never let go. Never. We are in this together." His ocean eyes glimmered with passion until his slowly closed them. He was likely exhausted.

"I won't let go either."

We laid together on that raft. It couldn't have been more than half an hour but it felt longer than a lifetime waiting for that ship to arrive to save us from this icy nightmare we were living. We held onto the little hope we had and just waited.

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Around 25 minutes had passed and all I could do was trace my fingers along the glowing constellations in the sky. They twinkled along the horizon and created a dimly lit glow on the sapphire waves that sloshed against the door that had a natural buoyancy to it.

My breathing was very shallow and it took strenuous amount of effort to simply breathe. If a boat wouldn't arrive soon I wasn't sure if I could make it.

Up ahead, I spotted a luminous glow slowly approaching. My first thought was, was I entering the glowing gates of heaven? Until I heard the words I would never forget.

"Is anyone alive out there?!" I gasped, realising I was alive. I turned to Joel who's eyes were still closed. I shook him lightly with all the force I had.

"Joel! Someone's here to save us." I kept shaking him but there wasn't a response. I managed to sit up but felt a cool, oozing liquid from under me. Glancing at our legs, I noticed an immediately recognisable substance. Blood. It was red and cold and was flowing out of Joel's bulleted leg. I gasped as I realised. He was dying. I laid by his side and tried to wake him.

"JOEL. Wake up." I shook him harder but he was unresponsive yet again. Sobs begun to choke out of my freezing mouth as I tried to wake Joel up. But he was gone.

I cupped my face in my freezing hands and thought about giving up. Until I remembered what this had all been for. To survive. It wasn't my time to go. And it certainly wasn't my time to just give up. That's not what Joel would want. It wasn't what I wanted.

"I love you. And I'll never let go." I kissed Joel on the cheek and slowly eased his body in the deep water. Where he rightfully belonged. He wasn't suffering anymore and couldn't feel the deadly burn of the freezing water. He slowly sunk into the deep depths of titanic until he was completely out of sight. A river of tears flowed down my eyes and splashed into the ocean below, creating small ripples in the water.

The blinding glow of the light was quickly fading so I knew I had to act quickly.

"Come back!" I hollered in a pained voice. However, I was so weak that I couldn't seize their attention. I knew I mustn't give up. So I mustered up all the strength I had and shouted out.

"Help! I'm alive." Pain hit me like a thousand knives as I clambered into the frightful water and paddles towards the glowing light that would save me from this nightmare. I gasped, and heard echoes of voices coming closer and closer by the second.

I kept fighting. Against the coldness and pain. I was strong and worthy. I was going to survive.. for Joel.

"Someone's out there. Row!"

"IM HERE!" I shouted, waving my arms frantically. They rowed closer to me and a group of 3 people managed to pull me out from the water. It was instant relief as my body was pulled to safety. I was completely dripping from head to toe in icy water so the people on board offered me a warm blanket.

"It's alright, miss. You are safe. You are so brave." A first class woman dried me off with the blanket and snuggled me close. I did not know this woman but her warmth was enough to make me snuggle close to her as if she was my own mother. I cried mournful tears as I remembered broken fractures of Joel's face.

He died for me. I lived for him.