Chp 18. Saving Zack.

Zack could see his life flashing by him. From the first days of playing pranks on Cody, filling his pants with paint, blaming him for breaking the fridge. The time their dad took them to the cinema and only paid for one of them as he tricked the usher into thinking there was only one child. The time their mom cried when she took them to school for the first day. He saw Maddie standing at her counter, smiling as she did. He could see the proud look on his mom's face when he got a good grade in Woodshop. He saw the day he met Tony Hawk, the time Cody dressed as a girl. He could see Mr Moseby yelling at him and Cody for something. He snapped back to reality and realised Moseby was still yelling at him. He looked up and saw the anxious faces of the group above him. He looked to his only hand that was holding onto the ladder. The shake of the ship had caused Zack to lose a hand hold and a foot hold. He found himself dangling over a never ending elevator shaft. His legs were shaking and his heart was racing so fast he imagined it running off and leaving him there. He tried to reach up again but was tired and couldn't find the energy. His fingers reached the wrung of the ladder but slipped again. He tried not to look below him, he knew it was a long drop and he wasn't going to go out like that. He tried to reach up again, he still couldn't gain the strength.

"Zack!!" Cody was yelling as he watched his brother dangling. Zack looked to his brother and saw the fear and the tears in his eyes.

"Reach for my hand Zack." Moseby was yelling. Bailey was watching, her hands over her mouth in shock. The ship shuddered again and Zack tried to hold on tightly, his sweaty hands making it impossible. He looked up to the group again. The movement of the ship had caused some rubble to come loose. It had fallen near the group. Moseby had tried to push Cody back but he was determined to get his brother back.

"Come on Zack, reach." Cody said.

"Get him out of here." Zack yelled up. "Get to safety."

"Not a chance, we all go together." Cody said.

"Don't argue with me........." Zack said.

"No, we are all going together." Moseby said.

Zack looked at his brother and gathered strength. He reached up with all his strength. He stretched as far as he could and got closer to Moseby's out stretched hand. Zack's shaking legs seemed to get stronger and he moved his legs, his foot found the ladder again and he steadied himself.

"Reach." Moseby called. Zack stepped up and his hand connected with Moseby's. Moseby pulled him up and in seconds the teen was pulled through the door. Cody and Bailey pulled him clear and he flopped tired on the ground. Cody embraced him as he the brothers united.

"Are you trying to shock me to death?" Cody asked.

"Nah, just fancied playing around." Zack said.

"Are you hurt?" Moseby asked him as he knelt beside him. Cody and Moseby were checking Zack over.

"No, just tired." Zack said.

"Rest then." Bailey said. The ship made more sounds and the group looked at each other.

"No, I am okay. We should go." Zack said.

"We are nearly to deck 2." Moseby said.

"He nearly fell down an elevator shaft, we should rest." Bailey said.

"I wish we could, but it is my responsibility to get you all out safely and the only way to do that is to keep going before the ship throws more surprises at us." Moseby said.

The group helped each other to stand and headed to the stairwell at the end of the corridor. The decks seemed clearer then the lower ones and it took them no time to reach deck 2. They found the door that led to the outside of the ship. Moseby pulled it open.

"Time to go guys." He said.

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Once again, London found herself pacing. No one had appeared at the door yet and no one was letting her or Kirby onto the plank. Minutes ticked by and they couldn't see anyone. The ship seemed to be tilting and a few nearby trawlers and boats were trying to help save the ship.

"Where are they?" She said.

"They will be here. They will." Kirby kept saying over and over again. "They have to be, I have spent too much time and effort stopping them boys getting into heaps of trouble, to let them get hurt now." All of a sudden the door they were watching opened and a figure appeared at the door. It was Mr Moseby.

"Kirby, we need help." He called. Kirby pushed past the crew who were stood waiting and ran down the dodgy gang plank that was running from their ship to the Tipton. He got to the door and was relieved to see all the group alive and nearly well.

"Is everyone alright?" Kirby asked scanning the tired and dirty faces of the group.

"All here and all safe is about as much as we can say." Mr Moseby said. Moseby led Bailey to the waiting Kirby while he walked through with Woody. They headed over to the Eternal carefully along the gang plank. Behind them Zack was helping Cody to walk along the plank, holding onto the rope supports. Cody looked up and saw the rescue ship and the faces of the passengers and friends from the Tipton. They watched in relief as the group walked over.

"Guys, you are alive." London called as they reached the safety of the SS Eternal. The crew helped the tired group aboard. They helped them to nearby deckchairs and put blankets around them. The medics swarmed around Cody and Woody.

"Thank goodness you are all safe." Kirby said.

"Is everyone on board?" Moseby asked. When Kirby confirmed they were Moseby let out a sigh of relief. He turned to look at the stricken SS Tipton. London, Kirby, Zack and Bailey all looked as well. They walked over to the edge of the boat. Boats and trawlers were all around it, drawn by the calls for help from the Tipton's radio operators.

"Is it sinking?" London asked in fear.

"No, just in a lot of trouble. It will be towed back to a harbour. The trawlers are anchoring it so it doesn't sink." A crew man said.

"There are fire's all over the place." Moseby said.

"As soon as it's safe, fireman will board it and fight the fire's." The crew man replied.

"What is daddy going to say?" London wondered.

"All he will care about is that you and everyone else is safe." Moseby said.

"He loved that ship." London said

"Well at least it is safe, as well as everyone else." Moseby said.

"Let's get you all cleaned up." Kirby said. The group were led away to refresh themselves.