Washed Up ≫ A.I

Chapter [2]

[Charlotte Kendall]

The first floor doors slammed open and I was dragged in behind the lifeguard sharply. The sea had quickly grown rapidly with the sky darkening by the minute. One blink of the eye and we were suddenly brought up in the middle of an oceanic storm.

"Now the captain's orders are for you to stay in your room." The lifeguard spun me around to face him directly in the dark eyes. His upper lip was curled and it twitched as both strong hands gripped my forearms, "Under no circumstances are guests allowed to leave their cabins." He was about to release his hold from me but I jumped up to stop him.

"But wait, why is everyone freaking out over this storm?" I call him out, pleading deeply into his eyes again.

He rolls his head to the side before looking behind him through the glass doors. I watched too as fresh droppings of rainwater started spilling from the sky. The entire deck in front of us was now drenched in a downpour of salt water.

"We've lost all communication to the destination point back on land." The boy told me what I'd already heard.

But why?

"C'mon, we need to stay away from the glass."

Again I was jerked away by the arm as the lifeguard ran me back up the plaza steps. I felt limp running up the stairs quickly while brushing past slower runners as crew workers evacuated the area. My eyes were glued to the boy's back, reading the words Croke's Lifeguards 1965. Croke was the cruise we were on and by the status of this boy, he was definitely head of the group.

I stumbled on a step, missing my footing and falling to my knees. "Are you alright?" The lifeguard stopped and pulled me back up to my feet. I reached down and brushed off my knees while flattening my dress. The worse day to wear a short sundress, honestly.

I nodded bashfully looking up to read the name printed on the boy's shirt; Tyson.

"We need to be careful, we might hit some impact while in these waves." He blurted out as we head for the second floor. By now my legs were aching and I was out of breath but I kept the lifeguard close to my side as a barrier.

"Where in the world did this storm come from?" I ask blankly as Tyson ducks me into a corner in order to help an old couple up through the halls.

"Sometime during the night. . ." He talked while assisting people through the halls. "The navigators lost contact with New Zealand and Southern California. Both destinations disappeared from our radars causing the ship to drift off course easily."

"Wait New Zealand?" I question, but Tyson soon became too engrossed in helping two young people pull their luggage up the steps. "Hey, what did you mean by New Zealand?" I called out once the two got to the halls. A younger girl was beside them holding a pink blanket over her head, wrapped around like a shawl. She took one quick look at me, emotionless fear engulfed in her blue eyes while her lips were turned down in a frown.

Tyson was beside me again huffing with his hands rested at his hips, "What do you mean, what do I mean? New Zealand is where we're headed. . . or at least I hope we still are."

But Emma had tickets for Hawaii. . . wait I forgot about Emma!

"Oh my God," I jumped causing the poor boy to trip backward into another guy's shoulder.

I grab his arm and pull him back up to my face, "My friend! I lost her just shortly after you pulled me from the deck, we have to find her!" I was about to jog down the steps back to the plaza when suddenly a large unexpected jolt lifted the stairs up. I grabbed the railing of the stairs beside me, wrapping my arms underneath while tucking into the wall.