Jack and Rose were lying side by side on the vertical face of the ship's hull, gripping the railing. Rose stared down, terrified at the black Atlantic Ocean that was waiting below, to claim them.
Everything around them felt so surreal.
As if they were inside a nightmare.
Then it happened, the stern section flooded bringing Jack and Rose closer and closer to the freezing water.
"That's it! Rose, take a deep breath and hold it right before we go into the water. The ship will suck us down. Kick for the surface and keep kicking. Don't let go of my hand. We're gonna make it! Trust me".
She nodded staring at the water coming up at them, gripping his hand even harder.
"I-I trust you".
They vanished under the bitterly cold water. There was no vessel anymore.
Only the ocean.
Crowds of people were whirled as the vortex, caused by the ship, sucked them down.
Jack kicked hard for the surface, he was holding tightly to Rose, pulling her up with him. The couple emerged among a roiling chaos of screaming, thrashing people.
A chorus of tormented souls.
"Swim, Rose!".
"I can't, Jack! Jack, I can't swim".
Jack looked at her fear-struck.
"Come on, I'm a good swimmer, I'm gonna help you!".
"Start kicking your legs, I've got you".
She tried but her strokes weren't efficient.
She struggled to stay afloat even if she was wearing a lifejacket.
She panicked, launching herself at Jack.
"I've got you Rose! Calm down, I won't let go".
The water was freezing cold.
"Just keep moving Rose, and look for something floating... some debris... wood... anything!".
His words calmed her somehow, as she regained her confidence, she scanned the water. They were both panting, barely able to draw a breath without their throats burning.
Suddenly, she turned and saw him.
Cal stood in an overloaded and half-flooded boat, with an oar in his hand.
Jack saw him too.
A demon in a tuxedo, yelling and wielding the oar in his hand, like a warrior in a battlefield.
"We must try Jack" she said in a hoarse voice.
"He'll never let us in. Maybe you, definitely not me".
He pushed Rose in front of him.
"It's worth a shot, come on!".
Rose was exhausted and near to her limit.
They approached the boat hoping that Cal would at least let her on.
"Stay back! Keep off !" he yelled at the people clinging to the sides in the water.
Then he saw her, Rose.
She was being pulled towards him by Jack.
"Cal! Let her on, she's exhausted".
Cal laughed at Jack's request, shaking his head.
"I'm sure she'll manage. She's doing just fine".
Jack sighed exasperated.
"We'll find another way, Jack"
she said shivering uncontrollably, her lips blue and her teeth chattering.
"Son of a bitch!"
yelled Jack turning his back to Cal.
"Jack?!"
he turned his head again towards the tender.
"Jack, here. It's me, Tommy"
Tommy was waving his hands from the rowboat, gaining a look of disdain from Cal.
"Let them on, they're gonna freeze. Goddamn!".
But Cal was unmoving.
"Sir, are you out of you mind!? There's a young woman over there, freezing thanks to you!". Everyone was trying their best to put some sense into him.
"They'll pull us right down and we don't have enough space anyway!" Cal roared back.
"I'm telling ya! If you don't shut that hole in yer face, there'll be one less of us in this boat!". Someone shouted at him angrily.
"Lads come on, grab the girl! Let's grab them both!" Tommy and another boy grasped Rose's arms pulling her in.
She stumbled as her legs gave out, someone tossed a blanket over her shivering aching body.
Cal watched the scene in silence, but as the boys tried to pull Jack in, he protested once more.
"Gentlemen, we have no room!" he said
"Oh shut up Cal, I've had enough!" Rose fired back from under her blanket.
"She's obviously delirious" Cal smirked
"I might be, but I can still tell that you are such an unimaginable bastard" all the men in the boat turned to her, clearly amused by their exchange.
Jack was pulled in soon after.
Rose breathing was shallow, she was almost motionless as Jack held her in his lap, trying to warm her up with his own body.
Her lips barely moved as she said:
"I can't feel my body".
"We're okay now, hold on a bit more. Soon a ship will rescue us".
"How do you know that Jack?".
"I just do" a soft smile appeared in his spent face.
He rested his chin on Rose's cherry curls, breathing in their salty smell. His hand was caressing her back in an attempt to keep her awake, but it actually had the opposite effect.
"Rose, don't do that. Stay with me" Jack gently shook her.
"I'm sorry, I'm just very sleepy" she told him, as he sat in a more upright position, pulling her with him.
"Please help us!" Tommy screamed at the dark sky.
Rose's hair was dusted with frost crystals. Her chiffon dress frozen to her body like a second skin.
Jack's face was pale, almost blue. His shoes soaked in salt water, gathered in a puddle at their feet.
They seemed to be sleeping peacefully, lulled by the waves.
But they were not asleep.
Cal looked at the lovers, cursing her name under his breath.
He had lost Rose right before his eyes.
Not to Jack, but to death.
They never saw the Statue of Liberty welcoming them to a new life.
Jack and Rose perished together,
hugging each other, in an eternal embrace.
Two shooting stars flared in the night sky, as their souls entered Heaven.
Fifteen hundred people went into the sea,
when the Titanic sank.
There were twenty boats floating nearby and only one came back.
One.
Six were saved from the water.
Six out of fifteen hundred.
Afterward,
the seven hundred people in the boats had nothing to do but wait...
wait to die,
wait to live,
wait for an absolution which would never come.
A/N:
In memory of those who passed away.
The characters in this story belong to James Cameron ( Titanic 1997 ).
Thank you so much for reading, it would be lovely if you could leave a review and tell me what you think about it.