Part 11
"Light!" someone shouted. Hunter opened his eyes and sat up. They had all drifted off to sleep. He sat up slowly and looked around and saw that small young man pointing at a light in the distance. A light that could only come from one thing… a ship. It was not the sun. It was impossible and they could see it move closer.
"Carpathia", a man from the crew said. "It has to be her!"
"Do you think she'll see us", someone asked.
"We wait till she gets closer", the crewman said. "Then we'll light the flare…"
"What flare", Sebastian asked and the crewman dug around inside his jacket and pulled out a flare. He had been sending off rockets from Titanic's deck when she sank. He had managed to grab a flare before she sank. But as they sat there and waited they heard movement in the water.
"Hello", a voice yelled. "Can anybody hear me?"
"A lifeboat is returning", Hunter croaked and they all saw the light.
"Call for it", a young man said and the whole group started calling and soon the life boat came up to them. The man who held the flashlight sighed almost happily. It must've been because he saw this big group being safe.
"Everybody okay", he asked.
"As good as we can be", an older man said. "Go on, we're safe here. Go look for people in the water." The group watched the life boat disappear in the dark. Hearing them call for survivors. But… they heard no calls in reply. Not at first. It took them a while but soon they heard a few calls.
"They waited too long", Sebastian whispered and Hunter hugged him tightly.
"They waited too long", he echoed and closed his eyes again, too tired to stay awake.
The next time he woke up he felt someone pulling on him. He opened his eyes and looked around. Crewmen from Carpathia were carrying him aboard, wrapped up in blankets and coats.
"Sebastian", he whispered.
"He's just behind us", the strong man that carried Hunter said warmly. "Don't worry boy. You're safe now."
Hunter blacked out again.
Sebastian had been holding Hunter when Carpathia arrived. The other boy had been out cold. Someone said he was dead and that they should throw him overboard. But Sebastian had refused. So when the life boats from Carpathia came to get them off that overturned life boat Sebastian made sure he and Hunter were the last. A strong crewman held his hand out to Sebastian.
"He's gone boy", he said.
"No", Sebastian said and shook his head. "I can feel his heart beat and his breath on my neck. Please help him."
"Son-"
"Please!"
The man sighed and gently took Hunter and picked him up. He felt it, Hunter's breath and heartbeat. Another man helped Sebastian aboard the life boat and then they headed for Carpathia. Everyone who had been on that life boat felt too weak to get onto the deck of Carpathia on their own. Sebastian found a blanket wrapped around him and he noticed Hunter being lifted off the life boat.
"Sebastian", he heard him ask. Sebastian wanted to go to him but he was too weak. He reached out for him, croaking:
"Hunter, Hunter."
The crew understood they were together, but they guessed they were either friends or brothers. Everyone that was saved was getting a blanket and some food. But those that had been in the ocean got their own rooms, well shared rooms. Hunter was put in one room and Sebastian was going to be put with him but the crew realized there was no room in the room so they took him to another. Big mistake.
Hunter woke up 8 am and got fed and realized he was in a warm bed. By now Carpathia had been heading for New York for a while. Carpathia had arrived on the scene of the sinking 4:10 am the 18th of April and now it was 8 am. Sebastian and Hunter had been among the last to be rescued and it had gone smoothly. It took the crew of Carpathia less than an hour to save everyone from the boats. All 712 of them plus the 20 survivors on the boat that was upside down and Hunter was told 7 people were saved directly from the sea. Hunter wrapped the blanket tightly around him after eating and he closed his eyes to fall asleep again. That's when he realized it.
"Sebastian!" he screamed and sat up again. A crewman hurried up to him.
"Sir what is it?" he asked.
"Sebastian", Hunter said and gripped the man. "Where is he?!"
"Who?"
"T-the boy I was with", Hunter said. "Brown hair, green eyes and he was beside me on the life boat."
"Sir… everyone sitting beside you were dead", the crewman said gently.
"N-no", Hunter said in terror and let go of the man. Tears streaming down his cheeks. "No! No it can't be true! No!" Hunter started to cry hysterically and the crew man didn't know what to do. He was just a young man himself. An older crew member, a man around 50, walked over and pulled Hunter into his arms and started to try an sooth him. But Hunter kept crying, clinging to the man that smelt of sea and tobacco. Hunter cried himself to sleep again.
Sebastian was walking around among the survivors on deck, dried tear marks on his cheeks. He had been told that Hunter was dead as well. No one had been beside him when he woke up and the crew man taking care of him and the others in that room said that Sebastian was brought in alone and that would only happen if there was no one with him when he was found. Sebastian objected wildly. He had seen Hunter being taken aboard. He knew Hunter was there somewhere!
So Sebastian was looking around for him. But there were over 700 people on the boat and he couldn't find Hunter. Sebastian stumbled up to the rail, watching the waters rush by. He was alone again. He had always been alone. He had never had anyone. Blaine Anderson was just a kid wanting to go over to the states and Sebastian needed a travel companion so he gave him a ticket. Sebastian sniffled. He had been so confused when he had entered that room on Titanic and hadn't seen Blaine at all. He had seen this big guy and the smallest guy he had ever seen in his life. But as soon as he had seen Thad he had fallen for him. Sebastian had felt a warm feeling spread throughout his body and he had known right then and there that this boy… this boy was meant to be his love.
It had taken some work to get him though… and a lot of confusion. But they had gotten together… but now… now Sebastian was alone. Thad, his Thad, his love, his partner, his Thad… had let go of Sebastian and Hunter's hands so that the bigger boys would survive. Thad had let go to save them and he had gone down with that floating casket. And Wes who had fight so hard to get them off the ship had gone down with her too.
That hurt so much too. He had just known Wes for a little bit and that upper class lord had done everything in his might to get three third class boys he had only met earlier off the ship. Sebastian sniffled. He had no idea of what had happened to Wes either. The last time Sebastian had seen him or heard him was when the older boy had yelled at them to run to the stern. After he had called those words… he had been gone. Something told Sebastian that their friend from first class, their first class friend, had stayed where he was… letting others run by him. Letting others survive.
And not long after losing Wes to the crowd… they had lost Thad s well and now… now it seemed Sebastian had lost Hunter as well. Sebastian looked at the dark ocean and started to cry.
After he had cried for what felt like forever he looked around the place and saw lots of crying or sleeping people. Women, men… some children. He sighed and looked back at the ocean and then the sky. He felt so angry. All this was God's fault! God had always been out there to ruin Sebastian's life. God had never been there for him. Never. He had prayed and begged to God many times before but when life seemed to finally look brighter for Sebastian, when he had finally started to think God cared about him… God knocked him down again by killing someone he cared about. He had nothing left in the UK and now he had nothing left in this world at all. He had always put his faith in God, remember that Sebastian lived during very religious times after all. He had always turned to God for help but had never gotten it. Could it be… because there was no God? He looked up at the sky and sang:
You have banished me
From the land where I was born
Here upon a foreign shore, forsaken,
I have followed You and gone Thy way
He turned away from the railing and started to walk among the people on the deck. Huddled together for warmth and comfort. Nothing like a disaster to get people together.
Sebastian: Should I kneel to you?
When I rise You strike me down
He walked past a woman crying about her baby girl dying.
Once again a little one you've taken
Everywhere I turn it's darker still
He walked to the front of the ship and stopped there. He sighed and looked at the horizon.
What is it, Lord, that you want
And that I am not seeing?
What, in my innocent prayers,
Am I failing to say?
Never before have I questioned
The truth of your being
Never once have I dared
Never until today
He turned his back to the ocean and looked at the people on the deck. Everyone with the same kind of grey blankets around them. He sighed and hugged the blanket closer to around his shoulders. What should he do now? He looked down at the dark waters.
All of a tremble I stand
On the edge of confusion
Who is to save me
If into the darkness I fall?
Now that I need more than ever
My God to be near me
Do you hear when I call?
Are you there, after all?
He looked up at the sky.
You have to be there, you have to
My life I have placed in Thy keep
And without you I am drifting
On a dark and rising sea
You have to be there, you have to
Without you I drown in the deep
Too far, too far from land
The waters drag me down
I reach for your hand
He fell to his knees and looked through the bars onto the water.
Who, when I die, will throw open
His arms to receive me?
Who will believe me and take me
Into his embrace?
When I have gone to my rest
Will you watch me and wake me?
When my time comes at last
Will you grant me your grace?
He pushed away from the front and started to walk among the people again. He felt so little amongst all these hundreds of people.
I am so small in this earth
I am nothing without you
Daring to doubt you at all
Turns a knife in my heart
Little by little I'm losing my way
In the shadows
I am losing my hold
And the world falls apart
You have to be there, you have to
My life I have placed in Thy keep
And without you I am drifting
On a dark and rising sea
You have to be there, you have to
Without you I drown in the deep
Too far, too far from land
The waters drag me down
I reach for your hand
And without you I am drifting
On a vast and rising sea
You have to be there, you have to
Without you I drown in the deep
Too far, too far from land
The waters drag me down
I reach for your hand
He sat down on a flight of steps and sighed.
"Why do you need his hand when you got mine", a voice suddenly asked and he looked up. A big smile broke out on his face and he flew up screaming:
TBC *innocent whistling*