If Rose Had Jumped.

Survive Now. Cry Later.

After a while of rumaging through the water and contemplating ideas on how to survive this unnecessary disaster, the boy felt as if it was starting to get useless to think that they'd actually survive out there. If it hadn't been for the next thing he saw, then maybe this story wouldn't be being told right this moment...in fact if it wasn't for the sight of one specific bird, Rose and the boy wouldn't even be remembered today.

The boy, still in desperate need, looked up into the black pre-dawn sky just to study where he'd be in the next few hours...him and Rose. Who knows...maybe....maybe it wouldn't be so bad...? Who was he kidding, of course it was going to be bad. Freezing to death as well as drowning wasn't exactly anyone's ideal death.

Pulling him away from his thoughts, was a bird...a pure white segul, swooping over the sea. It seemed to be lost...maybe even scared...alone. Just like they were. He'd never been so interested in this particular species of bird before. He merely found them plain and simple, yet now he couldn't help but notice the actual level of captivity that they held. Birds usually seemed so free-spirited, so careless and yet this one particular bird looked panicked,frightened even. It occasionally let out these deafening shrieks, echoing the open sea air and causing jack to almost drop the girl, when going to cover his ears.

The bird circled them for a few moments before gliding down, which he found slightly unsettling...was this bird trying to end its life as well? He watched in awe as it didn't stop getting further and further away from them. It seemed to be heading towards something, yet the waves blocked his sight of it. The more he watched, the more he realised that the bird was trying to land on something, not dive into the sea. He tried lifting his upper body to get a glance at what it was the bird had landed on and faintly saw something dark...mossy even. He felt his heart skip a beat. The thought that maybe they had a chance was enough to make his determination grow immensely.

He looked at Rose now, who still wasn't in the best condition, which wasn't surprising. Her body was a lot more stiff than his was and her hair, frozen solid. He threw her onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding onto her as he pushed his way past the violent winds and ferocious waves, hoping he could actually reach the object, which he had thought was a large rock however even it wasn't large, it'd still be useful. It wasn't as easy to get there as it was for the animal. Birds could simply fly through any weather and across any dangerous situation possible...humans however had it a lot harder.

The boy could hardly swim and his body was so cold that he could barely feel his lower body, though he knew that in this case, survival was the only option. Despite being pulled every now and then side to side, he managed to see a slight vision of the rocks, getting closer and closer towards him, filling his unloved heart with relief and hope.

Yet, just when he was an arms reach away from it, his bright blue eyes set on something...under the water....some dark shadow, moving around beneath their feet...he started to worry when he saw more and more of the dark, almost black, figures appearing beneath them...he knew what they were.....and he knew what it was that they wanted.