All Too Well

♚ Chapter Twenty Three ♚

"Ryan Stoker!" Smile yelled.

"It's wrong!" Ryan cried. "It was an incomplete complete salvation-I didn't plan on reviving them in this unhealthy state. Besides for them to eat other-ack!"

Black had walked up to Ryan and twisted his arm behind his back, holding him still. "No need to be hasty," He smirked. "There is a plenty of time until we reach New York, so we'll listen to your story leisurely."

"Wait a second!"

"What is it? I already cleaned them up, so—"

"It's not that!"

"Huh?"

"This ship has the latest gigantic boiler with a steam engine, which is installed in the center. The place is divided in two sections, and the boulder separates them."

"What's about it?" Smile asked.

"In other words," Ryan gasped. "There is another cargo room on this ship. And over there we have stored ten times as much samples as in here."

"Ten times?" Smile stuttered. All of our eyes widened at the realization. There were more?

"Well then, basically this ship is—" Elizabeth started.

"Most likely infested by a horde of them at this time," Smile interrupted her.

"No way!" She gasped.

"Sebastian. Go ahead and take my aunt and the others to a safe place," Smile ordered.

"And Young Master?" Black asked.

"We'd just be a burden," Smile replied. "Violet and I have guns. We will be fine for a while. Come back as soon as you have ensured that they are safe."

"Understood," Black nodded as he left. Snake wrapped one of his snakes around Ryan so he couldn't escape, forcing him onto the ground.

"So, then," Smile pointed his pistol at Ryan. "How about telling us everything? First of all, how should we deal with them? There is no way you decided to transport something so dangerous, without any kind of insurance. Isn't there another way to stop them, besides smashing in their heads?"

"Well, there is one," Ryan stated. "In my room, there is a device that allows you to render patients subjected to complete salvation again."

Smile pressed the pistol onto Ryan's hand. "Lead me there," he spat.

Ryan stood up slowly but Freckles shouted, "Hold on!" We all turned as she set me down onto some boxes nearby. "You all can't be bloody serious?" She cried. "We're goin' to track some bloody thing that is supposed to stop these corpses while Violet is bleeding from the ankle?"

Everyone started to notice the puddle of blood at my foot. "Wait, Violet, let me look at that," Smile stated as he came over and knelt down, reaching out to my injured foot.

I smacked his hand away. "Don't touch me," I snapped as I grabbed the trim of my tattered dress, and seeing I had nothing else to lose, I ripped off a piece of it and wrapped it tightly around the bite, securing it with a double knot. "There," I sighed. "Should be able to hold out until we stop these blasted creatures."

I stood up, wobbling as Freckles reached out to help me but I held my hand out, standing my ground as I began to walk. "Let's go," I said, reaching inside my ruffle pocket and reloading my pistol.

*~*~*~*~*~

Ryan lead us to a boulder room where we saw massive machines with pressure gauges on them. It was so hot in here, and we were all sweating like pigs. The men who were loading coal into the machine stopped what they were doing when there was a sudden tremor that only lasted for a few seconds. "Ah, it finally stopped," Ryan sighed.

"What was that shock just now?" Smile asked.

The tremor began again as water burst through from above, flooding the boiler room and sweeping us to the side. I cried out as I was knocked back along with Elizabeth, banging my head against one of the machines as I began to fade in and out of consciousness. Around us, the sea water began to rise from the gaps and I heard an alarm ring. Shouts were heard all around me but I ignored them as I tried to pull myself back together.

"Lizzy! Violet!" I heard Smile's yelled echo in the distance.

That was enough to snap me awake as I yanked Elizabeth up and we ran towards the shutting metals doors. "It's too late, boy!" One of the workers shouted as they restrained Smile.

"Lizzy! Violet!" Smile cried out desperately.

"Ciel!" Elizabeth shrieked as she tried to navigate through the rushing waters in her heavy dress as the gate began to close.

I was losing hope, so I brought Elizabeth closer to me. "Hold your breath," I warned her.

"What—" she started but I slide her underwater, using the flowing current to push Elizabeth through the shutting metal doors as they closed.

As soon as I reached it, I pounded the metal doors in hopes of getting it back open. The water was past my knees and rising up to my thighs. "Freckles! Snake!" I screamed.

"Violet!" I heard them both shriek from behind the metal doors as they pounded it as well.

"You...you saved Lizzy..." a voice spoke from behind me.

I turned to see Smile standing a few feet away from me as the water rose up to our chests. "It's my job to protect Lizzy at all costs!" He shouted.

"What the hell!" I cried, sweeping my wet hair from my face. "You should be thankin' me for savin' your fiancée's life!"

That shut Smile up as he had a guilty look on his face and I glared at him. "It's Smile with you?" Freckles asked.

"Yeah!" I replied through the closed gate.

"Violet...oh, Violet, how could I every repay you!" Elizabeth sniffled.

"Lady Elizabeth, now is not the time!" I replied. "Snake, Freckles, you guys go on ahead!"

"'I can't you leave behind!' ...Says Emily," Snake cried as he pounded harder on the gate.

"I'm never leavin' you behind!" Freckles shouted as she pounded on the gate as well. I heard her voice crack, meaning she was on the verge of tears. "I ain't goin' let 'cha go out like that!"

I glanced back at Smile as he looked around and spotted a ladder, leading us to higher ground. Up there, I could see a duct, which we could use to escape further up the ship. "Don't worry!" I reassured my two best friends. "Smile and I will escape through the duct. Snake, your snakes can't be soaked in cold water for too long. You should know that! Remember the rainy days back in East End?"

A memory flooded my mind as Freckles, Snake and I were huddled underneath the broken shingles of an apartment as we tried to keep Snake's snakes warm on the cold weather. "'Violet! Smile! Keats will guide you through the duct! We'll meet up later!' ...Says Emily," Snake shouted.

"Yeah, we'll see you later," I nodded. I was about to leave until someone pounded on the gate once again.

"No, I'm still not leavin'!" Freckles cried.

"Freckles," I placed a gentle hand on the door and closed my eyes, picturing that I holding her hand in mine or ruffling her hair. I opened them and smiled, even though Freckles couldn't see it. "I'll be alright," I assured her like a mother to her child.

I turned and backed slowly from the gate as the water continued to rise, still smiling. "Violet!" Smile yelled, snapping me from my fantasy.

Seeing how high the water was, I did my best to move as fast as I could through it as Smile and I headed over to the ladder and began to climb.