author's note
First of all, I'm not dead. I'm still alive and well, and I'm taking my time in writing more stories for all of you wonderful readers of mine. I'll be working on/publishing two first date stories that will be a two parter, a sensual short story, a sequel to my "Working in Harmony" story and a two-parter that will be discussed more when the time comes over the next two months. Anyways, enjoy! :)
intro
This story features the Sinking of the RMS Titanic. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it. It's a strange premise. Yes, it's a dumb idea and it doesn't usually work to put fictional characters in this kind of setting. But I put a lot of thought into making this. Not everything that happens in this story is connected with the real tragedy, and I have taken some creative liberties in this piece (I will explain what at the end). Some human characters in this piece are inspired by real people from the tragedy, and I'll explain them at the end as well. I thought long and hard about this story and how it would proceed, and how to keep it semi-realistic. The pups' personalities will not change with the time period, to be clear. I am not gonna sugarcoat the events of sinking at all, and keep it all there. Trust me, writing and visualizing the story was super hard. Especially the ending. I usually visualize my ideas in my head and I had a really tough time imagining that scene in particular. I think this story is close to encapsulating the true horror of what happened on that fateful night. I wrote this in advance, and I am publishing it all in one go: no chapters. Because I don't think this story needs them. This story is dedicated to all 1,503 souls who lost their lives in the icy water on April 15, 1912. R.I.P.
My heart will go on and on. -mitch
paw patrol: all grown up #10: we're sinking fast
written March 3rd to 28th, 2021
APRIL 15th, 1912. 2:00 AM
The "unsinkable" has been proven fatally wrong. Just over a mere two hours ago, the largest and greatest ship in the world, the RMS Titanic, struck an iceberg in the middle of the North Atlantic. As the ship's lifeboats were being launched, two men in their mid twenties, John and Harold, were sending distress signals using Morse code to nearby vessels in the ship's wireless room, trying desperately to get help. Several ships responded, including the RMS Carpathia. That ship was the closest one to the stricken vessel. 58 miles away. The Carpathia was going full steam ahead at 16 knots, meaning that she would take 4 hours to reach that location. There was no way that the Titanic would survive that long. The wireless room itself was very innovative and possessed state-of-the art technology for the period. Switchboards, signals, new electrical wires adorned the room, and papers of iceberg warnings scattered about. The wireless room also contained a bedroom for the two men, which they rarely slept in. The ship's electricity was cutting out rapidly, as more and more water made its way into the Titanic's bow. Harold was busy running around the ship, seeing the status of the vessel from the boat decks. The situation was becoming drastic, as the ship was sinking rather quickly, with the bow being underwater and the stern slowly rising out of the sea. He ran back to the wireless room, trying his best to stay calm while a ruckus was clearly heard outside the dwelling.
"John...the boat decks are awash! The bow is completely underwater!" Harold clarified. John was still working the wireless set, tapping messages through the Morse code machine, not even acknowledging his presence. After a few moments, John slammed his desk in frustration.
"Bloody hell...the electricity is failing us. Try the emergency set." John mumbled angrily to his colleague. Harold did just that, flipping the emergency switch. After a few moments, things were back to 'normal' for the duo. John was wearing a headpiece, trying to hear the Morse messages. The morse messages sounded like incessant buzzing, but contained valuable information on the ship's status. All of a sudden, a man with a black suit and white beard entered the room. He commanded authority with every look.
"Captain Smith…" The two men acknowledged quietly.
"You can do no more. You both are relieved from your duty. It's every man for himself." The captain said solemnly. He then walked out of the room with no explanation. John paid no attention to the Captain and continued to send distress messages, even with the ship's emergency wireless set failing.
"John, let's clear out now, we've done our duty. You heard the captain!" Harold pleaded, trying to get into the head of his colleague. John didn't answer. "Come on, we're gonna be fish breakfast!" Harold cried.
"I'm NOT GOING!" John angrily replied, not even looking at his comrade. Harold ran to their personal room, and got a life jacket.
"You're mad." Harold spoke as he forcibly put the life jacket on him. While John kept working like a machine trying to get help, Harold ran back to their personal quarters to retrieve some spare money. While his back was turned, a man entered the room and had his eyes on John. He grabbed him and tried to remove his lifejacket.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Harold shouted. The stranger didn't respond, as he continued to try to remove the white vest from John. John forcibly held him up while Harold punched the intruder square in the jaw, knocking him to the floor. John quickly got up and tied the lifejacket back onto himself.
"Thanks, Harry." John stuttered, almost out of breath.
"No problem, John." Harold replied calmly.
The ship's kennels were not far away from the wireless room. In it were seven dogs, sleeping soundly when the ruckus outside became too much for one of the dogs to keep sleeping under.
"Ugghhhh….where are we?" Rocky asked himself while rubbing his eyes. He realized that he, along with all of his friends, were in separate, metal cages. They were all spread about the room evenly. "Hey guys...wake up!" Rocky said, trying to wake his friends. They all did so within seconds.
"I can't sleep with all this noise outside...can't you think?" Rubble wondered aloud.
"I feel so weird...I mean, you feel it? Down below? It feels like we're tilting for some reason." Chase elaborated. They felt a strange sense underneath them. The ship was tilting at a 15 degree angle.
"Why are locked in separate cages for crying out loud? I mean, are we in some kennel or something?" Marshall asked.
"I think we're in a ship. Speaking of which…" Zuma spoke, pointing to a buoy hanging on the wall that had the ship's namesake.
"Titanic...huh...that's a weird name. I see some keys, too! They have our names on it!" Skye exclaimed, pointing to the seven keys that laid underneath the buoy on a circular keychain, swaying ever so gently. The german shepherd sniffed the air and came to a horrifying realization.
"You guys smell salt water?" Chase gulped as sweat began to run down his fur. Just then, water silently entered the room underneath the door. They all screamed in panic and realization. This ship was going down. And they were all trapped.
"Quick! We gotta call Ryder! He knows what to do!" Everest stammered. She looked down at her collar and cursed herself in frustration. "Oh SHIT! Our collars! We can't reach him!" Their collars were now just a simple piece of black leather around their necks. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Looks like we're on our own…." Rubble mumbled to himself. The water reached all their kennels and reached their feet, amplifying their sense of panic.
"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" Rocky screamed as water started to fill the room.
"DUDE, WE'RE NOT GONNA DIE! WE JUST GOTTA GET A WAY OUTTA HERE!" Zuma yelled at his best friend.
"There's only one way outta here." Chase spoke bravely. Though the german shepherd was considered the "unofficial leader" of the group by his pals, even he was on edge.
"What's that?" Skye trembled as the water in her cage was creeping up slowly to her stomach.
"Scream, bark, howl, shout, anything to get attention! OUR LIVES ARE AT STAKE!" Chase cried. Within three seconds, all the dogs began to do exactly what he said. They screamed louder than they ever had. They howled desperately, shaking their cages and smacking the walls like mad-dogs. They all shouted for help, barking loudly for any rescuer to hear them. The water was rising slowly but surely, reaching their chests by now. The keyholes that locked the cages were barely above the water. Just a floor beneath the kennels, two men heard their cries of agony.
"John, do you hear that? It sounds like they're in trouble!" Harold proclaimed. The deadly water exploded with life on their floor, rushing down the hallway like a small tsunami. The two men ran up a flight of stairs to the next floor of the vessel. Here, the water was not as high, but it went up to their calves. It wasn't deadly for humans, but it was a perfect scenario for almost-certain death for dogs.
"They sound like dogs to me. You take care of them. I'll go back to the stern. Good luck, Harold. And God bless you." Jack said solemnly, embracing him before he ran off. Harold paid no mind to John, not knowing that it was the last time he would ever see him alive. Harold ran to the room, wading the water with his feet. The room contained the voices that he heard, and they became so clear now. They were going to DIE without anyone's help. He struggled to get the door open, with the water rising to his knees by now. With all the strength that he could muster, he opened the door. Harold's heart broke as he saw the seven dogs, clinging on to life as the water in the cages rose to their necks.
"God almighty!" Harold shouted in worry.
"HELP US, PLEASE!" Marshall cried.
"SIR, THERE'S SEVEN KEYS HANGING FROM A KEYCHAIN RIGHT THERE! THEY ALL LOOK THE SAME!" Chase shouted to the man, pointing to the keychain hanging on the left side of the door. Harold quickly grabbed it, and with all of his determination, he freed every single one of them. Skye was the absolute luckiest of all of the dogs. Being the shortest, the water actually rose to the point that she could barely breathe above the water. The seven dogs and Harold escaped the room and went into the hallway, where water was still flowing.
"Hey, excuse me sir, but do you know the way to the boat deck?" Zuma asked the man, unsure if the heroic stranger knew the way out.
"Y-y-yes. Yes I do. Follow me." Harold replied quickly. The pups all sighed in relief as they began to follow him. Thankfully, the kennels were not far from the boat decks. They all ran past several first class passengers, dressed in fancy tuxedos and the finest dresses of the day. As they all reached the door that accessed the main boat deck, Chase felt like he needed to get something off of his chest.
"Hey, wait. I just wanted to know...what's your name, sir?" The german shepherd asked. The other pups took this as a great opportunity to shake the surprisingly cold water from their fur.
"My name is Harold. It's a pleasure to meet each of you." He spoke calmly, shaking each of the pup's right front paws. Chase introduced each of the pups, including himself.
"Harold, from the bottom my heart, thank you so much for saving us back there. If it wasn't for you, we would have drowned." The german shepherd said, thankful for the man's efforts.
"No problem." Harold replied. He then opened the door to the main boat deck, and what they saw was absolute chaos. There were men and women running in a panic to the back of the ship. There were several men who threw deckchairs, anything that was large overboard as rafts, and then jumped off the doomed vessel. The officers of the Titanic were completely overwhelmed by the ensuing chaos of the situation. There were no lifeboats left on the port side, the left side of the ship where they all escaped to. The ship started to lurch downward at a 25 degree angle. Just 10 feet away, dozens of passengers were flailing about in the icy water, trying to cut a lifeboat free of its ropes, with it being full. The ship's band was playing a harrowing tune, "Nearer My God to Thee" just a few dozen feet away from them. Harold and the pups all watched on in horror as the situation became more dire.
"Ok...you're on your own...Good luck to each of you! And may God be with you tonight!" Harold shouted as he ran off. The pups were shivering with cold and fright as they watched the horror. The screams and shouts of the passengers shook them all. The air was only 30 degrees that night.
"Hey...Skye….can you see any lifeboats out there?" Chase asked, still shivering from the water that drenched his brown fur. The cockapoo focused really hard trying to find a possible boat that could help them. Being that she was a pilot, she was gifted with 20/20 vision that could see things up to 400 feet away. Just then, several small explosions were heard deep within the ship. The pups almost jumped at the noise.
"There's one!" She cried, pointing to a lifeboat that was approximately 385 feet away from them. It looked like a tiny white speck in the distance. Water was coming onto the ship faster and faster, claiming everything in its path. Zuma thought it was enough. He couldn't handle being on the ship anymore.
"I'm gonna jump!" He yelled. He got a great running start and leapt into the cold and icy water. Rubble saw what he did and decided to follow his example.
"Good luck, guys!" He bellowed, as he jumped in as well. Rocky had never been more scared in his life. This was the perfect scenario for fear. Water was about to claim him, and there was nothing he could do but jump into it. He grabbed a deck chair with his mouth and launched it into the black water below him.
"ABANDON SHIP!" He screamed as he jumped onto the deck chair underneath him. Astonishingly, Rocky barely got his fur wet, only the bottoms of his paws suffering from the freezing water. The two couples were left on the ship alone. They stood still, unsure of what to do next. The vessel provided a very morbid answer. The bottom of the first funnel was already underwater, and the ropes holding it up could take no more. All the ropes holding the first funnel snapped apart and fell into the water. Within seconds, the funnel tipped over and fell into the freezing sea, smushing and killing dozens of passengers. This snapped the two couples out of their stupor.
"Come on, we gotta move!" Chase insisted as he began to run for the stern. The other canines simply started running after him as the ship started sinking even faster.
Being the amazing swimmer that he was, Zuma made it to the lifeboat without breaking much of a sweat. The passengers in the almost half-full lifeboat began to see the chocolate lab swimming in the black water.
"I see a dog! Let's bring him in!" A man insisted. With the approval of the lifeboat's captain, two men lifted Zuma into the lifeboat. The canine's teeth were chattering, with the water being lethally cold. The passengers couldn't do much for the poor dog, being that most of them came into the lifeboat hours earlier with nothing more than pajamas and lifejackets on their skin. They weren't the richest, either, with messy hair and dirty shoes. Less than a minute later, Rubble was spotted by Zuma in the water.
"We have another one!" The chocolate lab proclaimed as his buddy swam closer. The same two men lifted the bulldog into the lifeboat with all of their strength, and the two canines were reunited. The collapse of the first funnel created a giant wave that swept dozens of men further into the ocean. Rocky saw this and tried to get his paws to move the deck chair "raft" faster. Unfortunately, he couldn't escape the wave, lost his balance and slipped into the deadly ocean water. The mix panicked, kicking his feet back up to the surface.
"AAAHHHH! WET! WET! WET! AGGGHHHH! IT'S SO COLD!" Rocky screamed as he flailed in the water. Rubble and Zuma heard their buddy's cries.
"ROCKY! SWIM, DUDE!" Rubble shouted.
"ONE PAW IN FRONT OF THE OTHER!" Zuma instructed loudly as he could. The mix gingerly did as the lab told him. He barely knew how to swim, but he gave it his all and eventually made it to the lifeboat.
"We'll get him this time!" Zuma said, motioning the men who lifted him and the bulldog out of the water off to the side. The two canines teamed up and lifted the poor dog out of the water and into the boat. Poor Rocky's eyes were wide and his teeth chattered. He lied on the wooden floor, shivering like crazy as his two pals watched over him. The lifeboat's captain was starting to get nervous. He was worried that the boat would be swamped if they allowed more people or dogs on the tiny vessel, but he kept quiet. For now.
The dogs that remained on the Titanic were making a beeline to the stern, desperately fighting a rising list on the ship. The vessel was tilting at a 30 degree angle, causing almost anything that could move inside the ship to lurch forward. Beds, furniture, fine china, tables, pianos, and several giant machines inside the ship collapsed, creating a meticulously harsh sound on the canines' ears. They fought through a swarm of hundreds of passengers to overlook a railing on the side of the vessel. The couples were looking to each side, seeing many throw deck chairs, doors, or any other flotation device overboard. Several passengers dropped down into the icy water, hitting it like raindrops on a cold sidewalk. As Marshall looked downward, he felt increasingly uneasy. His fear of heights was coming into great play, as the ship was tilting higher and higher. All the while, his knees buckled under the thought. Should I jump? I don't wanna be on this ship anymore, but I have no choice. I gotta do it. He didn't think twice as he got his hind legs on the railing. Just as he was about to jump off, Everest grabbed his right paw tightly.
"No! You're NOT going without me!" She shouted to him, almost getting emotional. The dalmatian stared at her, unknowing what to say.
"Why? You're safer on here...I can't do this." Marshall whined. The husky took him down the railing and held both of his paws while looking directly in his eyes.
"We've been together for 4 years, Marshall. Wherever you go, I go." Everest choked out, before she embraced him. It didn't last long, as more explosions were heard inside the ship. The four dogs almost completely forgot about the mass of people around them screaming and losing their grip, sliding down the ship into the icy sea below. The dally looked to his best friend in the whole world. His brother.
"Chase...If this is the last time I see you...I love you, bro." Marshall spoke sadly, embracing him.
"Love you too, man. Good luck, Marsh." Chase replied. Skye ran to Everest, giving her the biggest hug she can give.
"You can do this, Eve! I know you can." The pilot said, trying to raise the husky's hopes.
"Thanks. I love you too." Everest softly answered. Marshall and Everest then climbed back onto the top of the railing, overlooking the water below.
"Ok...you ready? On the count to three, we're gonna jump!" Marshall shouted, trying to be heard over the deafening crowd of passengers behind them. Everest simply nodded.
"One...two…." They both said together. All of a sudden, an old man threw a deck chair from behind them. It was flying straight at one of the pups.
"Marshall! WATCH OUT!" Chase screamed. The dalmatian had no time to turn around, and the chair hit him in the back of the neck. Marshall winced loudly in pain, lost his balance and fell head-first into the water. The dogs glared at the old man, and he ran off. Everest simply decided that enough was enough, and she jumped into the ocean. Surprisingly, the water was pretty cold to the husky, and even she was shivering slightly. Zuma, Rubble and Rocky were huddled together, still freezing in the lifeboat when one of them noticed a familiar scent.
"Hey...you smell something?" Rubble shivered.
"No…." Rocky whispered. Just then, the scent of the husky finally made it to them.
"It's Everest! She must have jumped!" Zuma exclaimed.
"Oh god...another one?" The captain of the lifeboat mumbled to himself. The trio of dogs shouted to get her attention, and it worked. As she was lifted into the lifeboat by her three friends, her mind was in a completely different place: her beloved.
"Have you seen Marshall in the water anywhere?" The husky asked, nervous to his fate.
"No, We haven't caught any sight or smell of him." Rubble answered.
"We were supposed to jump off together, but someone threw a deck chair and hit him in the back of the head." Everest muttered with anger. The other pups cringed.
"I hope he's alright…" Zuma pondered aloud. The husky began to feel emotional all of a sudden. Her face tensed up and her legs trembled with fear. She ran to the edge of the lifeboat, tilted her neck and howled in distress. This caught everyone off guard, as they all paid attention to her. The pups, women, and the other passengers in the small craft were all in awe as she continued. Except for the lifeboat captain.
"I didn't expect a wolf in our boat. Hope she doesn't devour us all when we float across the ocean." Robert, the lifeboat captain, quietly mumbled.
As for Marshall, he came back to the surface in a world of suffering. His neck and back hurt like hell. The water was piercing every inch of his white fur, almost making him panic. He began to swim, putting all of his strength into his paws while going past many passengers in life-vests. He then heard howling. Marshall knew those howls more than anyone. It was Everest. She was safe. He began swimming faster than he ever had, gritting his teeth all the while. He stopped for a moment in the water to clear his throat.
"I'M COMING, EVE!" He screamed, as he continued to swim toward the source of his beloved's howls. The pups cheered as they heard the dalmatian.
"THERE HE IS! LET'S BRING HIM IN!" Zuma cried to his canine friends as soon as he saw him. They lifted Marshall in, and as Everest and Marshall embraced, the passengers cheered with vigor.
"Marshy! Thank god you're safe!" Everest cried as she embraced him.
"I thought you were still on the ship!" He responded. As they separated from their embrace, it was clear that Marshall was suffering. The passengers' cheers stopped almost immediately upon seeing his condition. He was shivering violently, his breathing was shallow and his muscles were almost stiff. He screamed loudly in pain as Everest sat him up straight.
"Hey…..g-g-guys….I-i-is there any b-b-blankets?" The dally shivered. Most of the passengers in the lifeboats, being women and children, had nothing on them. Marshall began to panic internally. Oh my god...I'm gonna die...Goddamn this is so much...He then remembered it: Everest's secret weapon. Her double coat. Being that she was a husky, she had a lot of natural body heat. He rested his head on her, gently recovering as they all looked on at the Titanic before them. The ship's first two funnels were gone now, and the vessel was tilting at nearly 45 degrees. Everyone in the lifeboat looked on in shock, mouths agape. One could hear the faint, stifled cries of a woman, wondering if her husband was still onboard the doomed liner. The screams were faint from the ship, but they were still heard. The pups were wondering if Chase and Skye were still stuck on the vessel.
Chase carried Skye on his back all the way to the back of the stern, which was rising very high in the air, almost 250 feet off the water. They both grabbed onto the ship's railings for dear life as they saw many people lose their grip and slide down the sinking liner. Several passengers chose this time to jump off the back of the ship, and judging from the height of which they lept, it was the last thing they ever did. One man was so unlucky that he hit one of the ship's propellers on his descent. Skye took this chance and looked up to the german shepherd.
"Chase...If we don't make it out of this...I love you to death. No matter what." Skye whispered to him.
"Don't say that. I know we can do this." He whispered back confidently, kissing her on the forehead as he held on tightly to her and the railing at the same time. There was no moon that night. The electricity flickered for a moment. The lights then failed on the ship for the last time, and they went out, plunging the scene into almost complete darkness. The Titanic let out an unearthly groan, almost saying that her skeleton couldn't take it anymore. The vessel's tilt was so great that the ship couldn't handle it. Chase felt the incredible stress on the ship, and he started to sweat.
"It's gonna break..." He spoke blatantly. As if right on cue, the ship began to crack. The wooden deck began to split open. Sparks began to fly from the ship as several people fell into the hole that the vessel created. The stern separated itself from the bow in a deafeningly loud screech, and began to fall backwards. The pups in the lifeboat were speechless as they watched on in terror. Chase and Skye, along with the rest of the passengers who were on the stern, held onto the railings for dear life, screaming as the stern picked up speed when it fell back. It finally landed on the water with a thunderous splash with both remaining funnels falling apart and breaking from their ropes. The ship had a giant hole between both sections of the ship and was filling rapidly with water. The bow finally broke off completely from the stern, and the stern started to rise again. The Titanic creaked as it continued to tilt upward. Many more passengers lost their grip and fell into the icy water below. The german shepherd let his instincts take over, as he climbed onto the back of the railing. The ship was tilting higher than ever.
"We have to move! Come on, give me your paw!" Chase shouted. Skye felt her strength leave her faster and faster.
"I can't!" She shouted back. The shepherd grabbed the cockapoo's paw with all of his strength and hoisted her up.
"I got you. Don't let go." He said. The ship was tilting at a nearly impossible list, going almost completely vertical. The Titanic's stern went at nearly 90 degrees, then completely stopped. The ship's propellers were pointing to the stars as the two pups stood on the back railing of the ship, looking down at the deadly water below them. Many people who were right next to them lost their grip and fell onto the stern's architecture, sending them falling into the ocean below. The two couldn't help but look below them. Everyone in each of the lifeboats couldn't help but watch the giant ship's demise. Just weeks ago, the Titanic's engineers bragged that not even God can sink her. Now she was doing the unthinkable: floundering in the North Atlantic after hitting an iceberg of all things. Their eyes were glued to the spectacle.
The stern sat vertically, unmoving for a minute or two before it started its final plunge. It was as if the couple were going down an elevator: it was going down slowly but surely. The inside of the stern imploded as water came roaring in.
"THIS IS IT!" Chase cried as the ship continued its descent into the water. As the water was now just a hundred feet away, Skye started getting nervous.
"Oh god...oh god…" She whimpered. The water was now only 50 feet away from them as the ship's insides continued to burst with water and people continued falling into the ocean.
"The ship is gonna suck us down. Kick to the surface and keep kicking!" Chase shouted. The water was now 25 feet from them. "We can do this, Skye. Trust me!" The german shepherd shouted again. The water was now just 15 feet away.
"I TRUST YOU!" Skye replied with confidence. The water was now 10 feet away, with them staring directly at the giant waves below.
"READY? NOW!" Chase screamed. The two held their breath as the ship finally went under. For a moment, all was quiet. The pups in the lifeboat gazed upon the water where the ship was sitting just seconds ago. It was 2:20 AM.
"I-I-It's gone…" Rocky whispered quietly in shock.
The stern was heading toward the ocean floor as Chase and Skye found themselves face to face deep in the water. They were holding paws tightly, and they began to kick for the surface. All of a sudden, a blast of pressure inside the ocean separated the two. They couldn't find each other's grasp, as they floated about underwater.
The passengers and the pups in the lifeboat began to hear a cry for help. Then another. And another. Dozens more. Eventually, the cries from people in the water reached the hundreds, sounding like a continuous moaning, agonizing and wailing chant. The tragic scene was in complete darkness, as there was no moon that fateful night. The water was LETHALLY cold, at only 28 degrees fahrenheit. The pups were in tremendous shock as hundreds flailed in the water just 400 feet away from them, screaming their guts out, pleading to be rescued. Chase eventually resurfaced, gasping for air and surrounded by hundreds of men and women in white life-jackets. The deadly water pierced every inch of him, gashing at him like a thousand knives.
"SKYE! SKYE! WHERE ARE YOU!" He yelled as loud as he could. He desperately looked around him, as he began to shiver intensely. Unfortunately, to no avail, he couldn't find her. For the first time that night, he panicked. He swam frantically around, trying desperately to find anything he could hold and climb onto to get out of the water. He fought with several men to grab barrels, doors, deck chairs and any other debris that was left behind by the ship. Sadly, they were all either too big for him or the men knocked him off.
Skye resurfaced and found herself in the middle of a mass of humanity, more than 200 feet away from Chase. She looked all around, and her beloved was nowhere to be found.
"CHASE! CHASE! CHASE!" The cockapoo bellowed. Her cries remained unanswered as the screaming around her reached fever pitch. The sounds of their pain were almost unbearable to the cockapoo, as she began to fight for her life in the water. Both dogs began to scream and howl for any help, unknowing that the lifeboats were very far away. The sense of hypothermia began to kick in for the couple hundreds of feet away from each other.
They began to shiver violently, and their heart rate increased to an all time high. Their muscles began to weaken and their mental thinking was starting to lose strength. Their breathing also took a shot. Their rational thought was replaced by an overwhelming sense of fear. Chase tried desperately to call for his love twice more, but it never resulted in any answer. The screams were way too loud for him to hear, as his ears were ringing due to his intensified hearing. He swam around frantically to find a door, and he did so. He climbed onto it, and sadly slipped back into the icy, deadly ocean. The german shepherd tried three more times to get back onto the door, but they were unsuccessful. Skye was much more lucky than her beloved, finding a large piece of wood that was just right in size. When she stood on it, the piece of wood sank into the water, so she simply laid on top of it. Her paws were still in the water, but most of her small body laid above the board and above the surface. She cried emotionally for Chase, but her pleas remained unheeded.
It was now 10 minutes after the Titanic disappeared beneath the waves. The screams from the passengers in the water were going at an all time high, convening every possible emotion of fear, sadness and anger. Their cries of agony pierced the night. The individuals in the water were going through physical hell, starting to suffer slow and painful death through hypothermia in the North Atlantic. Even though the people in the lifeboats were safe physically, they were going through their own version of hell: hearing the horrifying shouts of the helpless. They couldn't see the suffering due to the almost complete darkness, but it was clear. The sound was the most awful, soul-crushing, heartbreaking and damning thing that they ever heard. The women had to cover their children's ears in an attempt to drown out the heartbreaking cries. The pups were suffering beyond anyone, due to their sensitive hearing. The canines swore that they heard Chase and Skye's suffering. They became even more horrified as a terrible thing was developing: nobody was going back to help them.
"We have to go back. We can fit more people in here. There's room for more." Zuma said bluntly to Robert, the lifeboat captain. He glared at him as if he was out of his mind.
"You don't understand. If we go back, they'll swamp the boat, they'll drag us down, I'm telling you!" Robert replied with irritance. The chocolate lab was very knowledgeable in boats, and he spoke up about it.
"Sir, do you know how many people are in this boat? Do you know how many people can fit in here?" Zuma shivered.
"I counted 30 people in this boat when I lowered it. Including 5 of you mutts. These boats can hold up to 65." Robert answered coldly.
"Then why aren't you going back? These people are dying out here!" Zuma shouted at the man.
"Are you out of your bloody mind? We are in the middle of the North Atlantic! Do you people wanna live, or you wanna DIE?!" Robert shouted, trying to assert his domanance. For a certain husky, she couldn't handle the stress anymore. She could've died twice that night, almost lost Marshall in a freak accident and was wondering if her two friends in the water were even alive. She walked up to Robert and took a deep breath.
"I don't understand you. What is wrong with you? WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU?! These people are DYING in the freezing water and YOU DON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!" She exploded with rage. Everest looked back at her friends and the rest of the occupants of the lifeboat with tears in her eyes. "My FRIENDS are dying! Your HUSBANDS are drowning! That's your MEN out there! We have to help them!" She cried with conviction. She then looked to Robert again and was filled with raw anger. "What if your WIFE was in there? What if your MOM was in there? You just DON'T CARE!" She finished. She started breathing normally as her canine friends walked over to her for support. Several women started crying softly at the harrowing thought of their spouses dying in the North Atlantic. Robert looked at the husky and got mad.
"There will be one less mutt on this boat if you don't shut that hole in your face!" Robert scowled menacingly. This shook the pups and the passengers of the lifeboat to the core. But one of the pups got mad. Marshall stood up and growled angrily. He walked up to him like a lion about to pounce on his prey. The dally grabbed him by his jacket collar and stared at him with fire in his eyes. Robert remained unmoved by this.
"Sir, I don't know who you are or where you came from. But you can't let these people drown. DO YOURSELF SOME GOOD, GO OVER THERE AND HELP THEM. What she said was right. If I was you, I would do exactly as she said. You mess with her, you mess with me. I'll throw YOU overboard if you don't go back. Clearly, you weren't meant to be in charge of this boat." Marshall fumed.
"You will do exactly as I say and sit down this instant! Or else." Robert angrily replied, reaching into his pocket.
"Or else what?" Marshall retorted with ignorance. Robert did not like being told what to do, and he was tired of the pups complaining to him. He grabbed Marshall by the collar violently. In blind rage, Robert took out his secret weapon. Everyone in the lifeboat gasped the man pulled out a pistol and held it right to the dally's head, cocking it back. The dally's eyes widened and he shuddered with fear. All the pups backed up in fear, knowing he was serious.
"I WILL BLAST ALL OF YOU BLOODY HOUNDS AND THROW YOU OVERBOARD TO DIE IF YOU DO NOT CLAM UP! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!" Robert screamed to all the pups. He then threw Marshall to the floor of the boat. He stood back up almost instantly. Everest started crying on the dally's shoulder while the rest of the pups and even the passengers glared at the man with vicious eyes.
"You're a monster." A woman shuddered quietly.
It was now 30 minutes after the Titanic had gone under. The cries have greatly diminished to only a few shouts of agony. Most of the people who were in the water were long gone, dead from the hypothermia that they suffered. Not even Chase or Skye were heard in those instances. Robert slowly had a change of heart as he heard their voices slowly die out.
"We can go back. I say we row back to the site of the sinking." The lifeboat captain said calmly. The men in the boat took control of the oars and began to row back to the site of the sinking. After 5 minutes, they finally made it back to the site of where the ship sank. Robert had only emergency lanterns to light the scene, and what they all saw was absolute carnage. They saw hundreds of floating, frozen, stiff and mangled up corpses as they floated by. Deck chairs and other objects floated alongside them as they stayed afloat, thanks to their lifejackets. They all looked like they were in a deep slumber. One corpse that broke everyone's hearts was a frozen woman, holding a dead child in her arms.
"We waited too long…" Rocky whimpered.
"IS THERE ANYONE ALIVE OUT THERE? CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?!" Robert shouted, for anyone to respond.
"CHASE! SKYE! CAN YOU HEAR US?" Rubble screamed, fearing the worst. The four other canines began to shout for their best friends and anyone else around them, only to hear absolutely nothing. The lifeboat was floating among the dead when one of the pups saw a dog floating face down in the water.
"Oh my god, it's Chase! Bring him in!" Rocky shouted urgently. This grabbed all the pups' attention, as they lifted him out of the water. They lied him on his back, and were absolutely terrified by what they saw. Chase was completely frostbitten, fur frozen to the touch and showing no signs of life. His eyes were shut, seemingly accepting his fate. They all realized it then and there. Tears were welling up in all the pups' eyes and falling down their fur at a rapid rate.
Chase was dead.
Marshall, with his tears falling faster than anyone, looked up and started to howl in sorrow for his fallen best friend. The other pups joined him, creating a depressing melody. The other passengers felt downcast by this. Even Robert started to feel a deep sense of regret. After a minute, they all stopped howling and focused on the other dog who was in the water.
"Skye should be out there somewhere…" Zuma spoke, worried.
"Well, let's start looking, then." Robert said in a gentle tone. He began to shout for her specifically, along with her friends. Skye was still sitting on the board, fighting to stay awake as she heard her name over and over again. She tried to stand on the wooden board with every ounce of strength in her, but it was impossible. Her paws simply gave out, sending her back down to the wooden board. The pups heard this noise.
"SKYE! ARE YOU THERE?" Rocky cried out. Robert used the small emergency light to shine the area. Within seconds, they found the cockapoo floating on the wood, staring at them intently without saying a word.
"Oh my god, SHE'S STILL ALIVE! BRING HER IN!" Everest exclaimed in surprise. A man gently lifted Skye into the boat. She immediately collapsed onto the floor in a resounding thud, and she felt no pain at all.
"OH MY GOD!" All the pups shouted in fear. They sat her back up with no hesitation. Robert shined the emergency light in front of the canine. Everyone in the lifeboat saw what she looked like and were absolutely devastated. She looked like a complete shell of her former self, broken beyond hope. Her ears were frozen. Her paws were compromised of their strength, barely moving at all. Her fur was extremely cold. She felt no more physical pain at all and was not shivering any longer. Her once radiant light brown fur was replaced with a slightly more grey coat. Her lips were blue, and her pupils were extremely dilated. All of her paws were frostbitten beyond recognition, sporting an almost black tone. She tried to speak, but it was slurred at times.
"I-i-is C-c-Chase here?" She asked quietly. The pups all looked at each other, then back to the cockapoo with fresh tears running down their fur.
"Skye….Chase is...dead…" Marshall cried softly.
"W-w-what?" She moaned sadly. The pups gently lifted her to Chase's frozen corpse. She saw him and tears instantly flooded her eyes. The love of her life was dead, and she never got a chance to say goodbye. She couldn't believe it, and felt her whole world collapse in on itself. "No...Chase...why…" She whimpered. She hugged him tightly and started crying. It was the most heartbreaking sight any of them had ever seen. The pups and others in the lifeboat couldn't help but watch as she grieved. Skye's cries turned into loud, uncontrollable sobs of agony as she continued to hold onto her dead boyfriend dearly. After a few minutes, she stopped and slowly turned her neck to gaze at Marshall and Everest. The couple were just as depressed as she was, tears running hard down their faces.
"M-m-Marshall? Everest? I-I-I need you to p-p-promise me s-something." She croaked, as she desperately tried to get her words out.
"Yeah?" They both asked gently, trying their best to console her. The cockapoo looked at both of them with her wide, dilated eyes as she tried to speak.
"P-p-promise me that you both will stay together. Y-y-you both will get married….have lots of puppies...a-a-and watch them grow...t-t-travel the world together...and d-d-die together old and grey. Promise me that...because...I'll n-never experience any of that with him…" She stuttered as tears started running down her face again. The cockapoo then turned to the three other male pups.
"What is it?" Rubble asked, on the verge of tears once again.
"Rubble...Rocky...Zuma...I w-want you guys to stay s-s-strong….because t-t-that's what Chase w-w-would have wanted...For I-I'm so weak…" She sobbed. The pups all walked up to her and tried to comfort her, but they knew it was next to impossible. She was inconsolable. For the first time in her life, Skye felt completely hopeless. When the pilot saw Chase's corpse, it felt as if a part of her died as well. Skye sat next to her dead boyfriend and stared at her dejected friends with depressed, dilated eyes. "T-t-thank you for everything...I love e-e-every one of you...I'm so tired…" She yawned. The pilot looked down to the dead german shepherd, face blank of emotion as he continued his eternal slumber. She drowsily laid next to him and snuggled herself in his paws. His fur was completely frozen. Skye knew she was going to die if she did this, but she didn't care. Skye kissed him on the forehead before she touched her nose with his. "I love you, Chase…" She whispered. She felt a strange sense of warmth in her heart as her eyes became heavy. They closed and she drifted off to sleep. Unbeknownst to the rest of the pups and everyone else on the lifeboat, Skye's body began to shut down.
Her friends and all of the passengers looked at each other with deep, agonizing stares of silence. They all knew that this was a night that they would never forget, no matter they tried. Robert and the pups also saved three men from the freezing sea, and it was a miracle that they were all still alive. Despite the fact that it was a moonless night, stars lit up the sky over the ocean. Nobody cared, though, as they were all in a deep state of mental shock. Robert looked to the pups and felt an incredible amount of remorse. He cleared his throat and got their attention.
"Listen...I'm terribly sorry with what I put you through during the last few hours. There are simply no excuses I can make for any of these actions I made, and I deeply regret it all. I wasn't even thinking when I said those horrible words, especially to the husky and the dalmatian. I have been through a lot lately, but I don't know if it matters in the grand scheme of things. My mother is in Indiana, and she caught a terrible case of tuberculosis. My sister is taking care of her, and it is clear that my mother is not going to survive. My sister asked for me to come at once. I signed up as a member of the Titanic's crew, and essentially got a free ticket home. I just feel an immense sense of pain and sorrow, and tonight has just added to it tenfold. I'm sorry for your loss of Chase...and it feels like Skye will pass too. I feel that it is my responsibility that those two died...they seemed like they loved each other...I just feel so bad for them. I feel horrible that all of those men died in the water. I actually knew some of them...I don't ever expect you pups to forgive me, and I accept that." He finished solemnly. He unceremoniously tossed his pistol into the ocean to prove that he wasn't lying. The pups all nodded in understanding, not saying a word. For several hours, everyone in every single lifeboat had nothing to do but wait. Wait to be rescued or wait to die under starvation. The sun was starting to rise around 5 AM, painting an almost pink skyline. Icebergs aplenty floated around, reminding Robert constantly of the tragic fate that the Titanic endured. The pups looked down to Skye and felt an overwhelming sense of worry.
"Skye...they're gonna rescue us...we'll be ok...Skye...can you hear me?! Skye?!" Everest desperately asked the cockapoo. After 10 seconds of no answer, the husky finally put it together. Tears began forming on her face, knowing that there was no hope for the pilot. Her best friend. She was still embracing Chase in the same position as she had been for several hours. Her body was as stiff as a rock, and she had no expression painted on her face, looking like she was sleeping as well. But this was permanent.
Skye was dead.
The husky howled in agony as she realized her best friend died. The pups started crying and howling as well. After a minute, the howls died down to a few choked-out sobs. At approximately 6 AM, the passengers in the lifeboat finally made it to the RMS Carpathia, where hundreds of other survivors were already on board. The officers of the rescue ship hoisted the pups and their dead friends' bodies on board the ship with mail bags, and they all made their way to the boat deck. The pups sat together in silence as many of the officers and other passengers tended to their needs. The Carpathia's officers gave them hot and warm water. The children of the Carpathia's passengers gave them all of their blankets, which they all greatly appreciated. But that didn't matter, as the scene unfolding before them was a great emotional release of grief. Only a third of the passengers survived, mostly being women and children. As the last few lifeboats came onto the rescue ship, more and more of these women and children finally realized that their husbands, fathers and loved ones died. Few families were completely reunited, and their choked-out cries pierced the cold 32 degree air around them. The blankets covered nearly every part of the pups except their faces. The pups were waiting for a room to be furnished just for them-something that Robert told to the Carpathia's crew. Many children saw the canines and petted them. They paid no mind, as they always enjoyed the presence of kids. They were innocent, and that was why they were drawn to them. They didn't know, but many of the kids that they saw were going through their own loss and grief at the thought of never seeing their father again. At 9:00 AM, the Carpathia set course for New York: the Titanic's original destination. The pups sat in silence for hours, and none of them spoke. Finally, a familiar face limped by them and stopped.
"Hi, Harold." All the pups said blankly, acknowledging his presence.
"Hello there...what happened to the two other pups? I thought there were seven?" Harold asked, while sitting on a deck chair facing the canines.
"They're dead...Chase died in the water. We found Skye in the water but she died before she could be saved…" Zuma explained sadly. Harold nodded in understanding.
"Pardon me, but what's with the crutches?" Marshall asked, pointing to the man's two legs. Both were heavily bandaged up and it was nearly impossible for him to walk.
"It's a long story. You see, just after I left you guys, I ran to the other side of the ship. We came out on the starboard side, which is the left side, and I ran to the port side. On one of the roofs, the officers were lowering an emergency boat. I was right under it, and it fell on top of me upside down. The water came underneath the boat, and I was right under it as it swept out into the sea upside down. I swam underneath it, and I got onto the bottom of the boat, where at least 30 other men were standing alongside me. I was so nervous, because the boat slowly began to sink. Thankfully, other lifeboats came to our assistance. I was standing for almost 2 or 3 hours, and that resulted in heavy frostbite for my legs." Harold finished. The pups were in complete awe of his story.
"Wow...you're so lucky.." Rubble acknowledged.
"Seriously, remember that you're a hero. You saved us back there." Rocky said.
"Thanks. You pups are wonderful, don't you know?" Harold smiled. His happy mood came to a brutal halt when a crew member gave him a paper showing the latest statistics of people who lived and who died that night.
"Oh my goodness...this is going to be all over the papers...Dear lord, I've never seen anything like this…" The man said as he looked over the paper with despair.
"What is it?" Everest asked curiously, seeing the dread on his face.
"Only 705 people made it out alive. Over 1,500 souls went into the sea and drowned." Harold slowly replied. This shook all the pups greatly, as they gasped in horror.
"Dear god…it's all making sense….there were so many dead people floating around…" Marshall said quietly.
"Now, if you excuse me, I have to send telegrams to the survivors' families. I'm a wireless operator...I'm saddened and sorry for your deep loss. And I hope that we can meet each other again someday." Harold spoke as he got on his crutches and limped away. The pups all began to gaze at the bodies of Chase and Skye, who were now wrapped in white body bags.
"Chase...Skye...I promise that you two will get the best burial ever…" Rubble quietly sobbed. The five pups threw off their blankets and embraced one another, knowing now that their lives were no longer gonna be the same.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Rocky screamed, as his body jolted upwards. He was breathing heavily, and realized that his pup bed was soaked in sweat. It was only a dream. The scariest nightmare the mix ever had. He sighed deeply as he walked up to his pup house's door that lied the entrance to the outside world.
I'm never watching that movie ever again… He thought to himself.
THE END
CONCLUSION
Anyway, the story I wrote closely plays out like the actual disaster in real life. The ship sinking is the same. The passengers screaming in the water are the same. Two characters, John and Harold, heavily resemble Jack Phillips and Harold Bride, two wireless operators from the tragedy. They did stay working until almost the very end, when they had to make their escape. The man who tried to steal the life jacket from "John" was a real life account from Harold Bride himself. The story that "Harold" tells the pups at the end is close to how he actually survived the disaster. Jack Phillips died before he could be saved by the Carpathia, which was the Titanic's rescue ship. The "Robert" in this story is based on a crew member named Robert Hitchens, a man who refused to go back to the site of the sinking after the ship sank. The instance of when he pulled a gun is not accurate at all and was there just to spice up drama. Another officer of the Titanic, Harold Lowe, led the only known lifeboats back to the sinking. Everest's actions in the lifeboat before they row back to rescue people in the water closely resemble Molly Brown, a passenger who was hailed as a heroine after the disaster. She argued with Hitchens all night about the ordeal, but was unsuccessful in actually getting her lifeboat back to help other passengers. It is a fact that 12 dogs were recorded as travelers on the Titanic. Unfortunately, only three survived, and all were in first class. One dog was abandoned in a first class cabin, much to her owner's dismay. Another woman refused to part with her dog and days later, ships recovering bodies found the same woman, holding what appeared to be a large, shaggy dog in her arms. In real life, as the ship was nearing the end, an unknown passenger freed dogs from the kennels, and none of those dogs survived. I decided to make "Harold" free the dogs in my story to portray him as a kind-hearted hero.
Lastly, I chose to kill off Chase and Skye in this story mainly to drive home how horrific the tragedy was. I could have killed off Everest and Marshall instead, but that would have been way too similar to the movie, and it would have been way too easy to write. And I chose to write it in a "dream" setting, so the two characters didn't die for real. So, I settled with them. Trust me, I will NOT do a story where the main characters die a horrific death again. Death is such a touchy subject, and I wanted to portray it with respect and dignity. I also wrote this story to commemorate the 109th anniversary of the sinking, and that is why I published it on this day. What happened on April 15, 1912 will never be forgotten by humanity, and the stories from that night will live on forever and ever. Once again, this story is dedicated to the souls whose lives were ripped away from them in the unforgiving waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
I thank you very much for reading this story and I hope you have an awesome day. -mitch