Chapter 17: Changing Tides
Emma parts with Rose in an attempt to find a way out. The water is frigid, and it makes everything slippery to walk through. The lights flicker constantly, struggling to keep a path for Emma lit, but it is getting harder to do so.
The entire time she searches for an alternate escape route, she thinks of Peter and Sybil, somewhere out on the Atlantic, cold but safe. She's worried about Peter's leg and whether he might bleed out before the night ended and then Sybil would be left more an orphan than ever before. Had the ship called for help at all? Would anyone see the white rockets that had been fired earlier? Emma couldn't tell, and she becomes more and more frightened with every passing moment she's in the flooding hallways.
She makes her way down the hall, searching for a staircase or something that could allow them all to escape. She pushes by an open cabinet door which had probably been opened by the force of the water. Most of the contents are floating at her waist, she is about to take another step when she hears Rose's voice.
"Emma!"
Before she can answer, the ship shifts violently and sends Emma underwater. A current rush of water begins pushing her further and further from where she had heard Rose's voice. She grabs frantically for something along the hallway for support, but the shock of the cold and the suddenness of the jolt left her floating helplessly. The lights are dimming, leaving her in more darkness. The water is forcing her deeper into the ship and even though she is a strong swimmer, it's hard to go against the current. Bubbles are flying out of her nose and mouth as she tries to push for the surface, her heart pumping as much blood as she can to give her body the strength it needs to fight. However, with the lack of oxygen, she cannot concentrate and she's very afraid. At one point she's turned completely upside down, away from the surface. She kicks upwards, but by now it is hard to know which way is up. Emma puts her hand up at what she thinks is the surface and manages to grab a hold of something. She pulls, knowing her air supply is extremely low and makes one more desperate attempt to breathe.
When her head breaks the surface, she lets out a large gasp of air. The cold water stings her lungs badly, it felt like tiny icicles were forming on them. She expels the salty liquid from her mouth through coughing and forces water out of her nose, which burns too. Panting, she catches her breath before talking.
"Rose!" she calls, but there is nothing now. She's too far into the ship to reach her friend or for Rose to hear her. She tries to take in her surroundings, but all she can see is water. The lights are dim, and the water now seems black and threatening. This is her worst nightmare; the one from a few nights ago of being trapped in these tiny hallways with water slowly filling before she drowns.
She feels herself panicking, tears fighting their way to the surface against the cold water. Her head is almost against the pipes above and she will run out of air soon. This is how she is going to die, just like her nightmare told her so.
Then Sybil's face comes into her mind. The happy and joyous face with cute little dimples and lively blue eyes; a face she would never see again unless she did something about it. And Peter, her beloved husband who would die sad and alone. His also lively blue eyes and blonde hair, the smile that drew her to him, she would never see it again, unless she tries to escape this coffin the Titanic was trying to bury her in.
Finding what strength, she has, Emma pushes herself, fighting against the water to swim back from whence she came. She takes a deep breath and dives under, the salt and ice-cold water stinging her eyes and the deep pressure makes her ears pop, but she keeps the images of the family in her mind, the family waiting for her on the surface. She uses the wall to push herself, to give her an advantage and she kicks at whatever is behind her to propel forward.
She comes up once for air and then dives down again.
She finally finds a stronger ledge and pulls herself forward. The water level decreases at a slight tilt, enough that she can stand more securely, and Emma finally comes up for air again. There is more light for her to see her surroundings better and to her amazement, there's a large iron gate at the end of the hallway. She assumes that it is what separates areas for the crew and the passengers. She pushes herself forwards and makes her way to the gate.
The water level decreases again so it's only up to her waist. She can see the water leaking through the bars of the gate and filling in the next room. She rattles the metal. The gate is locked and Emma's heart sinks. She is once again trapped on the ship.
"Hello!" she calls out. "Is anyone there?!" She bangs on the bars, hoping to make some noise.
The water is getting higher and Emma sighs. She knows she will have to save herself again.
Emma pulls her hair up to keep it out of her eyes when she feels the family heirloom clinging to the back of her head, hanging on for dear life. She takes it out and looks at the metal teeth of the comb. She looks at the lock on the other side. Again, tears come to her eyes.
"I'm sorry Mom and Grandma," she whispers. She hopes her mother would forgive her for ruining the heirloom if it is used to save her life.
She thrusts her hands and the heirloom through the bars and into the lock. She bends the metal teeth through the hole and begins to pick at it. She begins praying under her breath as she picks carefully at the lock, trying to unlock it. She also uses her other hand to guide the metal teeth through the cylindrical mechanism inside.
"Forever and always," she whispers through her tears. The water now reaching her neck. "Forever and always."
There is a subtle clunk and Emma's heart drops in happiness! She tries the gate and it moves apart. She pushes with all her strength against the water to make a gap between the bars large enough for her to fit through. She takes another deep breath, clinging to the heirloom and squeezes through!
She swims towards a set of stairs leading upwards. She pulls on the handrails and climbs the steps, water flowing off her dress like a waterfall, but the entire time, she is keeping the heirloom close. She pulls herself onto the upper deck, where the water has not reached. Once she is completely free of the icy liquid, she starts to stand up to push on. She's shaky and cold, but she knows that she won't be safe until she reaches the upper decks and hopefully the lifeboats.
She moves along the corridor until she finds another staircase. She climbs as many as she can to get higher up, putting as much distance between her and a watery grave.
Suddenly, she feels a hand on her shoulder. She screams.
An officer in uniform turns her around.
"What are you doing here Miss? This is a restricted area for officers only," he asks. "You should be up at the lifeboats."
"I got trapped below decks," Emma says, not really in the mood for dealing with him.
"I can see that."
"Can you please help me get to the boats?" she asks.
"Certainly, but first..." he takes off his blue jacket, decorated with shiny medals and badges and puts it around her.
"Thank you," Emma says, surprised at how calm this man is despite the disaster occurring around him. She is also shocked by the act of kindness of this man. Often in disasters, it's every man for himself. Emma realizes that this man is doing his duty to help those in need, putting her life over his. Absent-mindedly she puts the heirloom in the pocket of the coat.
"Follow me," he says, taking her hand.
The two make their way down a series of hallways, making sharp turns and weaving around any fallen obstacles such as suitcases or even fire extinguishers. Emma occasionally slips in her shoes and the weight of her wet clothes slows her down, but despite everything, the officer holds onto her and keeps them moving forward.
"That is an awfully nice dress," the officer says. "Too bad about the water." Surprised by his comment Emma realizes that he is trying to distract her from the tragedy occurring around them.
"It was my mother's wedding dress, you see I just got married today."
"Congratulations," he says. "The man who married you is very lucky."
"Thank you," Emma says.
It is then that they reach another iron gate. The officer fumbles with his keys and opens it in plenty of time. The two of them climb the stairs again. As they go, Emma hears more voices and more movement above them. She breathes a little sigh of relief, glad to be back with other people.
Her mind suddenly goes back to Rose and Jack.
Did they get out okay? Were they affected by the jolt from the ship? Are the trapped too?
She does her best to keep her feet moving, fighting the urge to go back and find her friends. She has played the hero enough for now and she needs to focus on herself...for now.
They're okay, she says to herself. They might be at the boats already.
The officer finally pulls her up to a door that opens into the cold night air.
They are met by a crowd of people, either dressed in night clothes or evening wear. Emma assumes from the fanciness of the clothes that they are on the upper decks with the first-class people. The two of them try their best to weave through the throngs of people making their way to the lifeboats. Emma can hear music playing nearby, but the atmosphere is more rushed and frantic. Her heart beats anxiously as the officer does his best to stay with her.
"Women and children first please!" A voice over a megaphone yells. "Women and children first."
There are some people who are crying and others who are pushing forward towards the boats, taking Emma and the officer with them. More rockets fly up into the sky, trying desperately to attract the attention of passing vessels.
Emma suddenly trips and falls forward, crashing into other people and letting go of the officer's hand. She cries out, but her call for distress is lost in the thousands of others like it. She can feel the frantic feet of people forcing their way forward. She does her best to fight her way up to stop them from trampling her.
When she stands up, all she can see are people and the water slowly creeping its way up the deck.
The officer has vanished into the crowd and she is alone.
Knowing that the others around her would not help in any way, Emma knows what she had to do. She would have to save herself… again.