Dying Fire

Chapter 9 - Dinner

By the time they had reached the top deck, Cat had burned up just about every ounce of energy she had left in her body. The girl had lost plenty of blood, and Caleb was pretty much carrying her across the deck towards the life boats. That's where Mike said he would be, and that's how he was going to get her off this thing.

"Where's Mike?" She panted beside him.

"Over here. Somwhere." Caleb kept looking. Together, they scanned the crowd of people from where they were. Of course she recognized some of them- but none of them were Mr. Jimmy or Mike.

Developing a handful of his shirt, Cat dropped her head in frustration. "They aren't here."

"Maybe they already got off."

Cat shook her head. "Jimmy would leave unless everyone else was off. And Mikes dumbass won't leave him."

All of a sudden, a loud snap sounded behind them. Metal was bending, cables were snapping, and the load that the crane above them was starting to cave. Everyone was going to be crushed.

"We gotta move!" Cat yelled pushing Caleb backwards. Everyone did the same, all except one man.

He took charge of the situation. They watched as he climbed the ladder on the side of the crane. He got higher and higher and higher until eventually, he was in the glass cab. Before they knew it, the man was turning the crane to the side and away from the lifeboats. He saved their lives.

Out of nowhere though, the cab of the crane let off sparks before bursting into a ball of flames. The body of the man was launched out of the glass and across the ship onto the pavement below. It landed with a deadly smack, and Cat knew that he was dead.

Caleb sucked in a breath and pulled the woman into his chest. He tried sheltering her from it, but there was nothing he could do. Cat saw it all.

Closing her eyes, she let out a hiss burrying herself into his chest.

None of this was supposed to happen. She was here to make sure it didnt happen.

This was her fault...

Opening her eyes to the flames around them, Cat caught site of the oil spraying around them. It was like fuel to the fire, and in the background the tower to the control room stood high above the disaster.

"Caleb..." She straightened and motioned towards the tower. "That's where they went."

"You're sure?"

"They have to stop the oil, that's where Jimmy can. They're up there, come on."

Immediately, Caleb grabbed onto her holding her in her place. "Are you crazy? Look at you, you're not going up there. "

Standing her ground, Cat held onto him a little harder. "Are You? The crew under federal law cannot shut down a rig unless the person in commands to do so. If Jimmy can't stop the pumps, this entire rig is going to explode before these people can even clear the blast radius. That takes out all the surroundings rigs and crews too."

"What does that have anything to do with you?"

"If Jimmy can't, then I'm the only one who can." Caleb stared at her. "I know these machines inside and out, I'm your best bet to get these people out alive you know that."

"Okay.." He sighed. "But you aren't going alone. Come on."

Without arguing, Cat held onto Caleb and they worked their way through the crowd and towards the staircase to the control room. Each stair was a challenge, but it was easy enough to bear because she had Caleb right at her side practically carrying her over each one.

Reaching the top of the stairs, just before the door, both of the younger crew members stopped taking in the sight of the deck. Everything was orange, the heat hitting them violently in gusts.

"Jesus christ..." She heaved before pulling Caleb up with her.

Together, they pushed through the metal door to the control room and slammed it closed behind them. The temperature change was incredible, and so was the atmosphere.

"Cat!" Mike called out running towards them. Before she had the chance to fully turn around on her own, the man was wrapping her in a hug. "Thank god you're alive."

"I'm fine." She gripped his arm and pushed him back.

"Fine?" He hissed looking down at her stomach. It was covered in blood, her bare skin soaked in red and black. Through the cloth, the blood had soaked the make shift bandage she had on it. "What happened?"

"Shrap, it's fine."

"Stop saying fine." He turned towards the wall grabbing a first aid kit. "Its not fine."

She sat on the table, Caleb right at her side. Meanwhile, in the background, Jimmy and his crew were trying to figure out why the pumps weren't shutting off.

"What do you got Jimmy?" She called back behind her as Mike took off the bandage against her wound.

Mike used Caleb as much as he could. As they laid Cat back, she put her hand against Calebs back pulling him against the table and holding onto his shirt. Meanwhile, Mike started cleaning the sound as best as he could.

First, he wiped away the blood trying to find the clear origin of the bleeding.

"Cat?" Jimmy called out. "Is that you?"

"The one and only old man!"

"I think the lines between here and the engine room are toast. I can't shut off the pumps, not from here." Jimmy didn't have much left in him. The guy was giving everytbing he had left just in talking to her.

As Mike began to pour the disinfectant on her stomach, Cat had a death grip on Caleb before letting out a little cry. Mike held her down as best as he could, but she knew she had to stay still.

As the wound went numb however, she caught her breath again and blinked hard. "We'll have to shut it down manually."

Mike looked up at her. "We'll?"

All she could do was chuckle. "You know damn well you can't figure out an oil pump if your life depended on it. That's why I was brought here in the first place you Jackass."

Wrapping her torso in a bandage, Mike smiled at her and shook his head. "Shut up."

"Well where are these oil pumps?" Caleb now but in.

Cat just sighed looking up at the ceiling, Mike looked at him in regret, and Jimmy was the one to answer. He leaned on the railing, his eyes swollen shut, and let out a long breath. "The engine room."

No. "Like at the-"

"Bottom." Cat nodded. All of their faces looked so defeated, almost as if they knew that it was most likely a one way trip down there. In all honesty though, they did. There was no hiding it. "That's okay. " she sighed leaning into her knees. "I think my dinner is still down there anyway."