Page 12 of If They Knew

“Wait…watch out, Greg!” He turns to face me, and someone staggers into him, knocking the satellite phone overboard.

I fall to my knees, utterly stunned. People are dying all around me, but I can’t think straight. I don't know what to do. Lightning flashes like a strobe, thunder rumbles, and people scream. Rain pelts my head and streams down my face. A loud banging sound startles me. I look around, but there's no sign of anything that would have caused the sound.

BANG!

The sound reverberates again, and this time I hear it coming from the side of the ship. I hurry to the balcony and look down, seeing hundreds of people struggling in the water. Multiple passengers wear bright orange life jackets with flashing lights, while others have nothing. They all struggle to stay afloat in the rough waves.

Passengers wearing life jackets are being attacked and pulled underwater by others trying to steal them.

BANG!

What the fuck is that? I look around again and notice a lifeboat swinging back and forth, crashing against the side of the ship. The rough seas make the ship tilt repeatedly, causing the hanging lifeboat to sway.

BANG!

A large section of railing breaks off the 4th floor, slamming into the ocean. All the other lifeboats are being lowered. More railing breaks off, sending more passengers overboard. As another lifeboat is lowered, its securing wires snap, and it plummets into the ocean, crashing down on several passengers below. Most of the lifeboats have been lowered improperly, causing them to fall several stories into the water. The impact shatters their fiberglass shells, causing them to take on water and sink.

I watch as one lifeboat crashes into the water. The moment it contacts the ocean, chaos breaks out in an instant, water splashing everywhere. Fights erupt on the lifeboat as people scramble to escape the rough waters. It looks like a pack of piranhas attacking their prey. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of something glowing. Looking over, I see a flare flying through the air, its red glow lighting up the dark sky before plummeting into the ocean seconds later. The flames from the explosion are dying down as rain pours onto the ship. I look around, searching for the blast site, and see one of the smokestacks, with metal rods protruding like needles in a pincushion. Where the hell did those rods come from? I look back at the bridge, completely destroyed. Next to it is the deck that houses the ship's communication gear and radar systems.

The massive white sphere housing the radar system is missing. The antennas are bent and probably useless now. The steel railing surrounding the equipment is also destroyed, with missing sections. I look back and forth between the smokestack and the destroyed upper deck and…holy shit. Those aren’t rods, they are deck rails. The explosion must have happened on the upper deck beside the bridge, which explains why the impact was so intense inside the bridge. My mind races with questions. How the hell could this happen?

A bolt of lightning illuminates the sky followed by the sound of popping that startles me, bringing me to my knees. Turning towards the noise, I notice the lights around the pool have all blown. Standing up, I look back at the rails pierced into the smokestack and realize everyone will likely assume the explosion was caused by lightning striking the ship. Even after witnessing a strike hit the ship I know it’s nearly impossible for lightning to cause such a massive blast in that particular area. I run through every possible scenario that could explain the explosion. The only thing that makes sense is that the explosion wasn’t an accident—it was intentional. Someone must have set off a… bomb beside the bridge, maybe? To take out whoever was inside or to take out all communications. But why? Thinking about that will have to wait until things calm down.

Scanning the deck, I assess what's missing: the lifeboats have either been deployed or damaged beyond repair, and the radar and communication equipment have been destroyed. The ship has lost all engine power; the electricity is out and only the generators are still working. Without power, the internal radios can't connect, and there's no cell service. This means we’re cut off from communicating with anyone on the ship or on land.

As I consider this, my family flashes in my mind, and I decide my top priority is to find Julie and Tyler, then develop a plan to survive. I take a deep breath and start looking more critically at things. The ship doesn’t seem to be sinking. The explosion happened on the top deck, not below, so likely there’s no major damage to the hull of the ship. At least not enough that it’ll sink right away. This is good, but how do I get everyone to calm down? Think…think, Theo.

Staring at the bridge, I recall the checklist Logan had me run through. One by one, I think through each item. “The megaphone,” I say out loud as soon as the thought enters my mind. I start running toward the bridge, hoping the equipment cabinet hasn’t been damaged. I'm halfway there when, out of nowhere, someone grabs my arm and yanks me backward.

9

JULIE

As the ship continues to tilt violently, furniture from the upper floors crashes down into the atrium. Everyone rushes to find cover. I look up just in time to see a solid white marble table flip over the 6th floor balcony and smash into the frosted glass stairwell, shattering at least ten steps. Those standing on the stairs are knocked down, and the glass shards slice several people as they descend. I watch, horrified, as crimson blood sprays, painting the frosted glass. The ship tilts again in the opposite direction, sending more furniture crashing down and crushing passengers along the way. Another massive marble table hits the stairs, this time smashing into the railing. The wooden railing splinters, leaving one side jutting toward the ceiling like a spike.

Behind me, Tyler vomits again as he watches the chaos unfold. He wipes his mouth, points toward the front of the ship, and shouts for us to keep moving. To my right, round portholes line the hallway. Outside, the rain pelts the window with such force that it looks like a fire hose spraying. A moment later, the night sky illuminates, causing the hallway to suddenly glow bright orange, followed by a loud explosion.

“What the hell was that?” Tyler asks, his voice shaking and with fear in his eyes. I stay silent, my gaze fixed on the stairs at the end of the hallway as I crawl forward. My body trembles with fear. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of movement. As I turn to my right, I gasp, then cover my mouth.

“What's wrong?” Tyler asks, his eyes still fixed on me.

“Look out the window,” I whisper.

Unable to look away, I see hundreds of people struggling to lower a lifeboat. Amid the chaos, the cables break free, and the lifeboat crashes into the railing, crushing a group of passengers below. Blood splatters across the face of an elderly woman standing nearby, and she lets out a piercing scream, almost loud enough to shatter glass. The sound is so intense that I hear it through the window as if I were standing beside her. Behind her, several other people grasp the broken railing, desperately trying to pull themselves up to prevent falling to their deaths.

As the ship rocks violently, the lifeboat swings back and forth off the edge, destroying anything in its path and pushing passengers overboard into the water.

“We've got to keep moving, the stairwell isn’t far. Stay close to the wall so you don’t get trampled,” Tyler yells in a commanding voice. I follow his instructions, keeping my head down and my shoulder pressed against the wall to avoid putting pressure on my injured left hand. I crawl until I find an opening to the stairwell. As we enter, we navigate around people who have fallen or been trampled, their lifeless bodies scattered all around us.

Most have twisted limbs and all are drenched in blood. I glance back to check that Tyler is still with me, only to notice my own dress and legs are stained with blood. Suddenly I feel my heart start to race and I begin breathing rapidly, I roll over and pull up my dress, rubbing at the blood on my legs frantically, searching for the source.

Tyler grips me tightly, holding my shoulders to get my attention.

“Julie, you're okay! Breathe with me.” Our eyes meet and I take a deep breath. I look down at my hands, now covered with blood.

“I don’t know whose blood this is. Is it mine?” I ask, my voice nearly cracking and my hands trembling.

“No, look around; people are bleeding all over. Does anything hurt?” he asks, scanning me for signs of injury.