AN: Feb 27 Prompt is "Lost."
Summary: Tifa finds herself lost at sea.
Tags: AU, suspense, tragedy
They think they are lost until…
"Land, ho!"
Then the first streak of lightning rips through the sky.
The storm felt like it had been coming on all afternoon, dark clouds rolling in languidly. The waves crashed against the ship with more intensity as the hours crept by.
But Tifa was hopeful it would stay off for just a few more. At least until they got closer to the shore. They had debated about waiting one more day, but she had insisted.
Stupid! Stupid!
The ship is in a tizzy now, the crew running back and forth to secure as many things as possible. Rain is falling suddenly and in sheets. She covers her head and runs inside to the main cabin.
"Papa!"
He's bent over a table with a map pinned in all the corners. The table is sliding to and fro along with everything else in the room.
"Tifa!" He looks up at her, his eyes wide as he tries to gain control of his balance. "You need to hang onto something!"
She is currently clutching the threshold into the room.
"But what about the necklace?"
Brian shakes his head. "It's not important now!"
The ship rolls. Her nails dig into the wood, her knees threatening to buckle.
"It is important! Papa, if we lose it, all of this is for not—"
A sickening groan thunders in her ears over the blaring sirens. Things begin to go sideways. Tifa loses her balance and slides down the hallway.
"Tifa!" she hears her father scream, but she can no longer see him.
Water is rushing in now. She gulps down the panic rising in her chest and starts to crawl her way back toward the room with her father.
"Papa!" she shouts over the cacophony. The sea is up to her knees now.
The ship is sinking fast.
When she finally reaches the room, she sees her father pinned between the table and the wall. She swallows again – hard – and makes her way to him.
"Honey, get out of here!" His own voice is frantic. He's struggling against the lopsided furniture.
"No!" She leverages herself against an overturned chair and looks him in the eye. "You're more important than that necklace." She begins pushing against the table to help him get it off.
The room is getting darker. Tifa looks up to see blackness seeping around the windows. Her heart thuds, pulsating in her ears, but she bites down her fear.
The table is barely moving.
One of the windows starts to crack.
Her father puts a hand on hers. She looks up, her eyes stinging.
"Get out of here Tifa."
She gulps, shaking her head furiously. "No, Papa, please, we can—"
The crack extends. Brian manages to free something from his pocket and hands it to her, pushing her away.
"Now!"
Tifa lets out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, but it comes out a choked sob.
"Papa… please."
"You are the most important thing on this ship. You must survive. Now go!"
She looks up. Several windows are cracked, water seeping through. Tifa takes one more look at her father, squeezes his hand, and begins to quickly wade out of the room. As she crosses the threshold, she puts on the necklace.
Glass breaks. Tifa turns back and sees the room flooding rapidly. Her father doesn't take his eyes off of her, pleading with her to keep going.
The water in the hallway is up to her waist now, but she still makes her way for the stairs that lead up to higher ground. Just as she reaches them, a torrent washes her out and through the ship. She only has a couple of seconds to take a deep breath. She bangs against a few things she can't even see, and something thumps her on the side of her head.
The water is murky and black, but she can still tell darkness is seeping in the corners of her vision. Her chest is tight, her body screaming for air, but she can't open her mouth.
Tifa can barely see the moon through the water. It's the only thing telling her which way is up, but her limbs feel too heavy to move. She's drifting, getting further and further away from it.
Nothing…
The moon fades away.
