Chapter Text
I hadn’t felt the boat crash when I was sleeping. But I also didn’t hear the storm roll in when I was awake. I only noticed something was unusual when I woke up face-first on the carpeted floor in my cabin. I groaned and pushed myself off when I noticed my legs were wet. My face was dripping. My hands slipped on the floor when I moved to fast.
My cabin had partially flooded while I slept. I took a moment to breathe and clumsily stood up. My tichel was soaking in the water that was at least an inch deep. I glanced around my room, and I noted my door was still closed, the occasional rock of the ship sending a tiny flood under the crack. I took a glance at my tichel before I decided against putting the wet cloth on my head, it would be better to investigate what was wrong.
I reached for the handle and took a deep breath. I’ll be fine. I can’t die. And as soon as I turned the knob a rush of water roared passed me and brought me to the ground. I closed my eyes to keep the water out, and I held my breath. Holding your breath doesn’t do anything. I heard a voice in my head explain, but even if I haven’t been human for 2500 years, I am still going to hold my breath underwater, or at least try to. It’s not like water getting into my lungs will kill me again but it is a really unpleasant feeling. Like something constantly swimming in your body.
When the water didn’t subside or lower, I opened one eye and then the second. The water was murky and dark as I stared out into the hall. Doors had already been thrown open and personal belongs floated where they may. They may have left hours ago, or minutes, I couldn’t tell. I glanced around the room to see if there was anything I would need before swimming away. I had a gut feeling I wouldn’t be coming back to this room or this ship.
I glanced over my snow globe souvenirs that had shattered on the floor long before I released the door. I weighed how usefully my tichels and scarfs would be but I figured they were easy enough to carry around it wouldn’t hurt. I took the tichel on the floor and the two in my bag and tied them around my wrists. I winced as the waterlogged books I had packed for the cruise floated page by old page out of the cover. I kicked up to the top of the room for a fresh breath of air before going back down. A multi-tool I had found on the ground a couple of years ago that was still kicking around in my back was slide into my pocket.
I debated if I could carry anything else, but unless I changed into something that had deep pockets or somehow thought to pack a small back before my cruise, I doubted I could have much else. I hadn’t expected to evacuate when planning for this trip, I had nothing “survival” worthy with me. But I was one step ahead of everyone else with the inability to die and my...required dietary plan. I had “snacked” the day before the cruise started...four days ago I believe. But if I exert too much energy before my next meal, I might just be floating in the ocean aimlessly until I’m rescued. Very much alive. But I would have no control over myself, I hate if I let myself go primal like that.
I bit my lip and decided, there was no use lingering in a soggy cabin. I pushed my feet off the ground and into the hall, keeping my eyes peeled for anyone either worth rescuing or mourning for. The rooms were just as dark as mine, and a bit darker than the passageway. But no one was there. I felt a sigh of relief by the time I made it to the stairwell, I might be able to assume that all the humans made it out safely. I debated for a second if it would be easier to walk up the stairs or to swim. Shrugging, I made up my mind to crawl like a demon in a horror movie. My inner thoughts intruded and I opened my mouth to laugh before I swallowed a lung’s worth of water and swam to the surface to cough it all up.
My coughing fit lasted more than two minutes, but when I glanced out to the horizon, I was astounded and horrified. Filling the water was more than twenty liferafts, filled with dead humans. Even more, humans, dead, littered the water. Lone Survivor. I… didn’t want to face this. This is not what I wanted when I thought I might be escaping too. I am only escaping alone. The ashen faces seemed to be gazing at the sun one final time as they died. No one bleed, they all probably choked or froze. But I couldn’t see anything over the orange life vests, boats, and limp bodies.
Choking back a sob, I went to leap over the edge of the boat. I just needed to escape this scene. So much death. No one to heal. No one but a reject among my own kind to mourn them. I surfaced again, glancing in any direction that would take me away. No direction immediately pointed toward the land, so I followed the sun. I figured at the very least I would know where the west was. Even if that didn’t actually help me find land.
All I could feel were my arms move, they moved whether I told them to or not at this point. My only goal was to keep moving. If I kept moving I could potentially find land sooner. I prefer not blindly drifting, anything I could do at this moment to control myself or my immediate future was preferred. Even if I already knew I wasn’t going to die. So I swam. I could feel my consciousness drifting. I could feel a primal urge, a piece of myself I always kept under wraps, try to surge to life with so much energy lost. But I shoved it aside, I wouldn’t be able much longer.
Hours must have passed. I have swum miles. But then I could see something, maybe a hallucination but in the distance, I could make out a thin strip that reminded me of land. With every stroke, it got closer and more detailed. After ten minutes I could make out a coastline on a beach. Another ten minutes later I could spot trees further back. I laughed to myself and didn’t care as much when I accidentally swallowed water. Finally.
I couldn’t tell how long I had to swim to finally reach the island but as soon as the coast turned shallow enough for my hand to touch the sand. I screamed for joy. I rolled around on the sandy bottom and dug my hands in. I furiously crawled the rest of the way up the minor incline. Marveling only at the feeling my arms gave me, partially numb in the sand. I didn’t want to sleep on the sand, but I would find a place to rest as soon as I could feel my arms again. But at the moment, I wanted nothing more than to gaze at the stars.