Captain Smith was present on the boat deck all the time, doing everything in his power to prevent panic and help as many women and children as he could. He was there to supervise that the lifeboats were lowered properly, but as the last moments were approaching, he began to grasp the enormity of what was about to happen, that his last command will, indeed, founder. He found himself paralyzed, twirling indecisively, looking at the mess around him. Water was rising more and more, and Titanic was sinking faster and faster.
"Capitén?" a woman, carrying a child in her arms, approached him. "Capitén, where should I go? Please." she was obviously a foreigner, considering her thick accent.
Edward John Smith couldn't find himself to help her. He himself didn't even know what he should do anymore. Even if he did, he was aware of the fact that he could not save all of them. But one thing was certain. He will go down with his ship.
In his 40 years of experience at sea, including 27 years in command, this was the first crisis of his career. From that moment on, he failed to order his officers and crew. Instead, he went on releasing them from their duties, carrying out his final tour of the deck.
"Now it's every man for himself!" he yelled.
Steward Edward Brown saw him approach with a megaphone in his hand.
"Well boys, do your best for the women and children, and look out for yourselves!" then the Captain headed for the bridge alone.
"Captain!" one of his crew members shouted after him. "Captain. Sir." he offered him a lifebelt, but Captain just sympathetically smiled at him.
He took one last glance behind him and shouted "Be British boys, be British!" before he sank from everyone's sight.
The musicians of the RMS Titanic were still outside playing as the ship settled quietly lower and lower in the sea. After finishing their last piece, they decided to call it quits, seeing that the situation is soon coming to an end.
"Right. That's it, then." the violinist said.
"Goodbye, Wally. Good luck." his mate said before parting with him.
"Goodbye, Wallace."
"So long, old chap."
They said their farewells, leaving Wallace Hartley to start playing Nearer My God to Thee alone. Hearing the first tunes, his fellow band mates returned to their previous spots, supporting him in what will be the last piece they have played together.
Water was over the bridge and was coming more and more. Titanic was taking her final plunge.
"There's no time!" shouted officer Wilde. "Cut those falls! Cut them! Cut them if you have to!"
"I need a knife!" someone shouted.
"Cut the falls now!" water was already around the boat and they needed to release it immediately. "Cut them loose!"
"Cut those bloody falls!" Wilde desperately shouted, now being completely into the water.
Everyone was screaming, fighting. Fighting each other, fighting to survive. Situation was chaotic.
"Gentlemen," Wallace said. "it has been a privilege playing with you tonight."
Bursting out on the boat deck, Elaine and Philip saw the chaos that unfolded. It was a stampede of people, running towards the only safe place that was left of the ship, the stern. And they saw why. All the lifeboats were gone and the bow was completely under water. Elaine turned desperately towards her brother.
"We have to stay on the ship as long as possible." he said, seeing Elaine's look in her eyes. "Come on!" he grabbed her hand and pulled her forward, pushing their way through.
"This way. Through the rail." he was the first one to go over it, helping his sister to do the same. "Come on, El. Jump." he said, holding onto her.
They jumped together, but Elaine slipped and fell.
"Philip!" she shouted, losing a sight of him for a moment.
"I've got you. Come on." he was quick to pick her up. "Give me your hand. Let's go, we have to move."
That's when the firs funnel fell. Elaine gripped on his arm tighter. He turned to look at her. That's when the lights started going on and off.
"Come on." he hissed, but she knew he was thinking the same.
Where are Estella and Edward? Did he even find her? What about their father? They didn't see neither of them in a while. They feared it was only the two of them and the end was near, but they could not possibly be sure they will make it.
"Come on, up the stairs." he pushed her forward, since it gotten even more crowded, not to lose the sight of her.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death—" someone was praying.
"You better walk a little faster through that valley there." Philip was on the verge of patience.
Titanic rose 30 degrees above water. Passengers was falling of the stern, some of them purposely jumped, some of them were pushed. However, they no longer had power to hold on. Some of them even went rolling down the deck into the water.
"Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace…" father had a group of people holding onto him and recited his prayers.
"This way." Philip pulled Elaine. "Come on. Come on!" the reached the railing of the stern. They had nowhere else to go now.
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and there was no more sea." Elaine could still hear the father preaching.
She screamed, feeling suddenly overwhelmed by the people. She was holding onto her big brother while he was holding onto the railing. She looked around, distressed herself, at the distressed passengers.
"It'll be over soon. It'll be over soon." she saw a mother, chanting to her baby boy. She would probably be hysterically crying if it wasn't for her child she was trying to comfort.
"And He shall dwell with them. And they shall be His people and God Himself shall be with them and be their God." she caught a bit more of preaching.
Turning around, she saw a girl her age or so shivering beside her. She gave her a sympathetic, encouraging smile. It was the best she could do in this moment.
"I love you, Philip. I'm so sorry I don't show it too often, but I feel like I might not get the chance to—" she said shakily, grabbing his attention.
"Shut up, Elaine!" he cut her off. "We are going to make it. We are going to live to tell the tale to our children. And everyone will be fine. Mother is waiting for us in the life boat, father probably got into one as well. Our sister is here somewhere, and Edward. Or they were just quicker than us and got into the last lifeboat. Everyone is fine, Elaine. I need you to believe this." he was creating a story both him and her wanted to believe. But what were the actual chances of it to be a reality?
"And God shall wipe away all the tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death. Neither shall there be sorrow or crying. Neither shall there be any more pain for the former world has passed away."
"Do you believe me, Elaine, do you?" he was desperate for her to believe him in order for him to believe it himself.
"I believe you."
Back in her lifeboat, Elizabeth was watching the scenery before her in disbelief. Hot tears were dried by the cold night air on her cheeks.
"God Almighty." Margaret Brown said. "This is something you don't see every day."
Elizabeth thought the last part was unnecessary. They shouldn't be even seeing it tonight. But it happened. Although, she now admired Mrs. Brown for she was persistent to go back and help others, but Robert Hitchens told her off, and she didn't want to intervene herself.
She couldn't help, but wonder what happened to her husband, to her children? Are they in one of the lifeboats around? What if they were still on that ship? God forbids! She closed her eyes and started praying under her breath.
