*Chapter 22*
As Clara walked past windows of the boat deck, she saw the boats being lowered, and worried for a moment.
What if the boats were all gone by the time she decided to come out on deck? Oh well.
Clara looked out another window, and looked at the band playing.
She raised an eyebrow.
'Why the hell are they playing while the ship is sinking?'
As Clara neared the elevators, she saw that they were closed. There was no operator in them, and people were standing in them, particularly small children, pretending they were locked in jail.
Clara sighed, and climbed down the main stairwell to C-deck.
There was an array of second and third class passengers swarming about the corridors. She couldn't make her way through, so she headed to the middle end of D-deck, where the water, from the bow end, was slowly reaching the top of the stairs, from E-deck.
Clara had never been to D-deck before.
She walked along Scotland road, the longest and widest passageway, extending the length of the ship.
There weren't many passengers about, mostly stewards checking that nobody was in the staterooms.
When a steward, passing Clara, noticed at she didn't have a lifebelt on, and was in first class, he took her arm, and led her out onto the boat deck.
"Come on, miss, put a lifebelt on, and get in a lifeboat," the steward demanded.
Clara struggled to free herself under the steward's grip.
"Let go of me! NOW!"
The steward showed no sign of releasing Clara.
"You're going the wrong way! LISTEN!" She screamed at him, and kicked his leg. He finally let go and scurried off.
"Bloody stewards!" Clara exclaimed to nearby people, as she straightened up her coat.
But nobody understood what she was saying, as they were all foreigners. They were all staring at her, in astonishment, as she hurried off. It was rather rare to see a rich person on Scotland Road.
In the back of her mind, Clara knew she had to evacuate the sinking ship, but she felt the stupid need to tour around the lower decks first.
Little did she know that she was putting herself in a lot of danger.
Out on the boat deck, Lightoller had nearly finished loading boat number 13, when he came across a second-class lady, who asked him to hold the boat, while she retrieved her luggage from her room.
Lightoller was frustrated at this nonsense, so he literally threw her into the lifeboat, and ordered her to sit down.
"She's the lot," he informed Lowe.
"Uh, sir, you've only filled this boat with 60. Surely you can fit 65? Save more lives!" Lowe commented, and Lightoller agreed.
"Right then."
Men were attempting to pass Lightoller and swamp the boat, but he acted quickly.
He pulled out his empty revolver, and aimed it at the crowd.
"Get back, I say! Or I'll shoot you all like dogs. Keep order here, keep order, I say!" he shouted at the crowd, and managed to keep them under control.
He quickly turned, his back facing them, and ordered Lowe to man the boat. Lowe nodded, and hopped onto the boat.
Lightoller broke open his revolver, and loaded it with bullets.
Lowe was trying to calm the occupants of the boat.
"Right. Is everybody all right? Nobody panic!" he spoke in his Welsh accent.
Lightoller found Murdoch, and got him to lower the boat.
"Where are you going, Mr Lightoller?" Smith asked, as Lightoller passed the officers' quarters.
"Bathroom, sir." Lightoller lied. He really had to get to Clara, to save her from the rapidly flooding ship. He knew he was meant to be doing his job, but in an emergency like this, he just had to get to her.
As Clara walked past windows of the boat deck, she saw the boats being lowered, and worried for a moment.
What if the boats were all gone by the time she decided to come out on deck? Oh well.
Clara looked out another window, and looked at the band playing.
She raised an eyebrow.
'Why the hell are they playing while the ship is sinking?'
As Clara neared the elevators, she saw that they were closed. There was no operator in them, and people were standing in them, particularly small children, pretending they were locked in jail.
Clara sighed, and climbed down the main stairwell to C-deck.
There was an array of second and third class passengers swarming about the corridors. She couldn't make her way through, so she headed to the middle end of D-deck, where the water, from the bow end, was slowly reaching the top of the stairs, from E-deck.
Clara had never been to D-deck before.
She walked along Scotland road, the longest and widest passageway, extending the length of the ship.
There weren't many passengers about, mostly stewards checking that nobody was in the staterooms.
When a steward, passing Clara, noticed at she didn't have a lifebelt on, and was in first class, he took her arm, and led her out onto the boat deck.
"Come on, miss, put a lifebelt on, and get in a lifeboat," the steward demanded.
Clara struggled to free herself under the steward's grip.
"Let go of me! NOW!"
The steward showed no sign of releasing Clara.
"You're going the wrong way! LISTEN!" She screamed at him, and kicked his leg. He finally let go and scurried off.
"Bloody stewards!" Clara exclaimed to nearby people, as she straightened up her coat.
But nobody understood what she was saying, as they were all foreigners. They were all staring at her, in astonishment, as she hurried off. It was rather rare to see a rich person on Scotland Road.
In the back of her mind, Clara knew she had to evacuate the sinking ship, but she felt the stupid need to tour around the lower decks first.
Little did she know that she was putting herself in a lot of danger.
Out on the boat deck, Lightoller had nearly finished loading boat number 13, when he came across a second-class lady, who asked him to hold the boat, while she retrieved her luggage from her room.
Lightoller was frustrated at this nonsense, so he literally threw her into the lifeboat, and ordered her to sit down.
"She's the lot," he informed Lowe.
"Uh, sir, you've only filled this boat with 60. Surely you can fit 65? Save more lives!" Lowe commented, and Lightoller agreed.
"Right then."
Men were attempting to pass Lightoller and swamp the boat, but he acted quickly.
He pulled out his empty revolver, and aimed it at the crowd.
"Get back, I say! Or I'll shoot you all like dogs. Keep order here, keep order, I say!" he shouted at the crowd, and managed to keep them under control.
He quickly turned, his back facing them, and ordered Lowe to man the boat. Lowe nodded, and hopped onto the boat.
Lightoller broke open his revolver, and loaded it with bullets.
Lowe was trying to calm the occupants of the boat.
"Right. Is everybody all right? Nobody panic!" he spoke in his Welsh accent.
Lightoller found Murdoch, and got him to lower the boat.
"Where are you going, Mr Lightoller?" Smith asked, as Lightoller passed the officers' quarters.
"Bathroom, sir." Lightoller lied. He really had to get to Clara, to save her from the rapidly flooding ship. He knew he was meant to be doing his job, but in an emergency like this, he just had to get to her.
