Never Not Be Afraid
Waking up on a sinking ship completely alone sucks. Realizing you're stuck in a post-apocalyptic future sucks more. Being chased by a horde of giant Preying Mantis bugs who think you look like a nice vessel to birth their children sucks even more. But having no more Spotify playlists is just the cherry on top of this terrible day. 7seeds Fanfiction with female OC.
Chapter 1
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
Invictus by William Ernest Henley
#-#
I woke up alone.
This itself was unfamiliar. I may not have had a partner but I had six younger siblings who couldn't fall asleep by themselves. However, it's completely different when you're trapped in an unfamiliar room with water quickly rising up and the sound of a terrible thunderstorm right above you.
Quickly sitting up, I tried to stand up but only tripped over my feet and landed in the knee-deep water. I didn't bother turning back when I heard a crash behind me. I was more concerned about getting out of this room as soon as I could. I stood up again with my front drenched in water.
The room I was in was dark with only faint outlines available to me, however, that didn't stop me from seeing my backpack next to the door. I had no time to question why it was there because the room I was in tilted and I crashed into the water once again.
I needed to leave NOW!
Getting up once again, I tried to run to the door in the rapidly increasing water but only managed a speedwalk. Grabbing my backpack, I tried to pry the door open but it was difficult when you were fighting against the weight of a shit ton of water.
When I pried it open a few inches I pushed myself through the door frame and out of the room. The hallway that greeted me had a sickly red glow from the overhead siren lights. When I took a few steps out into the hallway I was greeted by a sloshing noise that was almost silent compared to the noise from the storm.
Looking at the way the ship was tilted I went against the current by rushing up to where I knew there would be an opening and more importantly air.
I passed the bedrooms that were similar to mine before I finally reached a breakthrough and made it up to the deck of the ship. What greeted me outside was dangerous waves crashing against the ship desiring to sink it to the bottom of the ocean.
There were lightning flashes happening outside that lit up my surroundings. There was only one word that could describe my emotions right now.
"Fuck."
I was screwed, as in I was in the middle of the ocean in a thunderstorm on a sinking ship and I couldn't swim screwed. As in I was probably gonna die screwed.
Rain drenched me and obscured my view, my hair was blocking what could be a life-saving object before I brushed it back and saw a small paddle boat tied to the side of the deck. Running to it, I didn't see the wave coming up from behind me. I hit the paddle boat with a crash and a curse before hurriedly untying the knot.
When the rope finally came undone I wasted no time throwing the small boat into the furious ocean below and jumping down after it into the freezing water. I couldn't swim all that well, only doggy paddle, but I was able to twist the boat up and pull myself onto it.
I could only watch as the ship slowly sank under the assault of the crashing waves and rain. I wasn't out of immediate danger, but I was still alive.
With my backpack still strapped to my back, I began the futile effort of trying to empty the boat of water so I wouldn't sink like the ship.
I had no idea how I got here but I needed to stay alive, I had a family to get back to after all.
#-#
Hours later the rain finally stopped and the waves calmed down but I was still soaked to the bone. My body was shivering and I ached all over from the number of times I tripped or crashed into something. There were dark bruises on my outer thighs and my left arm from when a wave crashed me into the paddle boat and I was afraid that if I was somehow dragged underwater I wouldn't have the strength to fight against the pain and save myself.
It was night when I woke up on the ship but dawn was slowly rising and brought some welcomed warmth to my skin. The agony of my injuries was being drowned out by the rising sun and was followed by hope.
Realizing my backpack was still attached to me, I pulled it out and set it down on the damp boat, and unzipped it. What greeted me was my cherished items. My family picture frame had my mother's side of the family in it. It had me, my siblings, mother, aunties, uncles, and cousins crowded together smiling at the camera. There were like fifty of us since my mother's side of the family always had multiple births. My six younger siblings were a set of quadruplets and the youngest two were twins. I was the only one born in a single birth for generations. My mom was born in a triplet set, and my grandmother was a twin herself. As well as my great-grandmother and so on with different kinds of births from twins to one memorable occasion of septuplets. The Childfree Reddit Sub would have hated us and called us breeders.
Smiling, I stroked the picture before gently putting it back and pulling out my childhood teddy bear. Well, not really a bear since it was a T-Rex plushie but it was still a teddy. The brand new green of the cloth had faded into a worn-out but cherished look. The green wasn't as bright as it used to be. I used to call it Floofy and bring it everywhere with me since I was afraid of everything when I was a kid. It always gave me courage and even now I could feel my lips twisting up into a smile.
There were a few things that my siblings collected and gave to me, shiny collectible rocks in a baggy that came from when my youngest sisters Hinata and Himawari collected. The shiny and bright colors reminding me of my cheerful family.
My volleyball jersey was in the backpack, the number 12 on the black and orange jersey stood out the most. Compared to the other objects in the bag, it didn't have the sentimental value they had.
There was a crocheted blanket my mother made me in the bag, it was green, brown, and grey and I used to complain about how ugly it looked but I was glad it was somehow with me now. There was also a deck of playing cards my siblings and I used to pass the time and play jelly bean poker with.
Besides that, there were just a few shirts, underwear, some leggings, a jacket, and shorts that I liked to wear for comfort and practicality when I practiced volleyball outside.
It was nice supplies but I would have appreciated a bag of chips and a water bottle even more. But it did make me smile a little more.
Mustering my strength, I stood up to try and scan my surroundings, which as far as I could see was just flat water all around. I couldn't see land in any direction. Despite being surrounded by all of this water, I was extremely thirsty and I was starting to feel hunger pangs stabbing me in the gut. Sighing, I looked down into the water and at my reflection.
Who would believe I was the famed Volleyball player, Mizuki Momo when I looked like a half-drowned rat now. My normally chaotic curly strawberry blonde hair was a mess of frizz at the top and was knotted in a bun at the back of my head. My hundreds of freckles looked sickly against my unhealthily pale skin that should've been its usual tan. My light green eyes looked tortured under my eye bags.
I looked nothing like I usually do when in sports magazines. But somehow, I was able to find humor in that because I supposed that I look better than most ship-wrecked victims.
I tried to remember how I got onto the ship but there was nothing even remotely similar to that. All I could remember was my mother, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins all meeting together at my mother's behest for a family reunion. There were a lot of my favorite foods and my mother was constantly holding me or was near me. It was strange that she hugged me seven times in an hour but I just assumed she was being clingy and wanted some cuddles.
Why was she acting so strange then? Did she know something about the ship? No, that's not possible since she would have never allowed me to miss school and my upcoming Volleyball game to send me on an impromptu cruise without my knowledge.
Speaking of a cruise, why was I the only one on that ship? Was I the only one to escape or was I the last one to escape? I should've seen at least a few people since the room doors were opened. But for the first time since I could remember, I was alone.
#-#
It was now Midday and I was stuck under the scorching sun in the middle of the ocean. My clothes were uncomfortably stiff against my skin because of how they dried. I was considering going into the water to cool off but I decided not to since I heard horror stories about sea monsters coming up and eating people. Plus, I could only doggy paddle which isn't really comforting to think about when you're stranded at sea.
Groaning, I started to bitch about my current situation in my head. The heat and my thirst was enough to make me want to drink the sea water but I only stopped myself because I heard it would only make me more thirsty.
Why did I have to be stranded at sea? Like, come on, put me in the jungle instead. At least then I could walk around and improve my situation!
It was at that very moment, in my rant, that I saw something shiny catch my eye. Right at the corner of my eye, I saw land! Sweet beautiful land that was begging me to climb ashore. Or paddle. Same thing.
It was exhausting using my hands to direct and steer the boat towards the direction of the land but I did. As I got closer to the island I could already feel my muscles tense when I saw that I would have to scale a large rock wall. |
Now usually, I wouldn't shy away from some physical exercise, after all, I was a representative under Japan for the Youth World Championship for Volleyball. Wordy, but I was extremely proud of this achievement. And it needed training and exercise everyday in order to keep it. So, I actually like physical work.
But it's a completely different story after being shipwrecked with a shit ton of bruises and aches along with a terrible sunburn. I could already feel my pulse quickening in dread and my throat getting even stuffier.
This was going to be hell to climb.
#-#
So here's chapter one and a preview of my 7seeds fanfiction. The reason Momo isn't with the rest of Team Summer B was because I thought about having her wake up maybe forty minutes after they left. She still believes that her family is alive and will be heartbroken when she finds out the truth.
Let me know what you think through the review section.