Titanic: Zarry Stylik

16-The diamond in the coat

The bottom of the grand staircase is flooded several feet deep. Zayn and Harry come down the stairs two at a time and run straight into the water, fording across the room to where the floor slopes up, until they reach dry footing at the entrance to the dining saloon.
Hadid reels down the stairs in time to see Zayn and Harry splashing through the water toward the dining saloon. He fires twice. Big gouts of spray near them, but he's lacking a great shot. The water boils up around his feet and he retreats up the
stairs a couple of steps. Around him, the woodward groans and creaks.

"I hope you enjoy your time together!!" He shouts. Lovejoy arrives next to him. Moe suddenly remembers something and starts to laugh.

"What could possible be funny?" Lovejoy looks at him like he's crazy.

"I put the diamond in my coat pocket. I put my coat... on him." He turns to Lovejoy with a sickly expression, his eyes glittering. "I'll give it to you... if you can get it." He hands Lovejoy the pistol and goes back up the stairs. Lovejoy thinks about it... then slogs into the water. The
icewater is up to his waist as he crosses the pool into the dining saloon.

Lovejoy moves among the tables and ornate columns, searching... listening... his eyes tracking rapidly. It is a sea of tables, and they could be anywhere. A silver serving tolley rolls downhill, bumping into tables and pillars.

He glances behind him. The water is following him into the room, advancing in a hundred foot wide tide. The reception room is now a roiling lake, and the grand staircase is submerged past the first landing. Monstrous groans echo through the ship.

Zayn and Harry are crouched behind a table, somewhere in the middle. They see the water advancing toward them, swirling over the floor. They crawl ahead of it to the next row of tables.

"Stay here." Zayn whispers.

He moves off as Lovejoy moves over one row and looks along the tables. Nothing.

The ship groans and creaks. He moves another row.

A metal cart five feet tall and full of stacks of china dishes starts to roll down the aisle between tables. The cart rolls toward Harry. It hits a table and the stacks of dishes topple out, exploding across the floor and showering him. He scrambles out of the way and Lovejoy spins, seeing him. He moves rapidly toward him, keeping the gun aimed.

That's when Zayn tackles him from the side.

They slam together into a table, crashing over it, and toppling to the floor. They land in the water which is flowing rapidly between the tables.

Zayn and Lovejoy grapple in the icy water. Zayn jams his knee down on Lovejoy's hand, breaking his grip on the

pistol, and kicks it away. Lovejoy scrambles up and lunges at him, but Zayn gutpunches him right in the solar plexus, doubling him over.

"Compliments of the Chippewa Falls Maliks. He grabs Lovejoy and slams him into an ornate columb. Lovejoy drops to the floor with a splash, stunned.

"Let's go." Zayn says. Zayn and Harry run uphill... entering the kitchen. Behind them the tables have become islands in a lake and the far end of the room is flooded up to the ceiling.

Lovejoy gets up and looks around for his gun. He pulls it up out of the water and wades after them.

They run throught the kitchen and Harry spots the stairs. He starts up and Zayn grabs his hand. He leads him. They crouch together on the landing as Lovejoy runs to the stairs. Assuming they have gone up (who wouldn't?) he climbs up them two at a time.

They wait for the footstep to recede. A long creaking groan. Then they hear it... a crying child. Below them. They go down a few steps to look along the next deck.

The corridor is flooded, about a foot deep. Standing against the wall, about 50 feet away, is a little boy, about 3. The water swirls around his legs and he is wailing.

"We can't leave him." Harry says. Zayn nods and they leave the promise of escape up the stairwell to run to the child. Zayn scoops up the kid and they run back to the stairs but A torrent of water comes pouring down the stairs like rapids. In seconds it is too powerful for them to go against.

"Come on." says Zayn. Charging the other way down the flooding corridor, they blast up spray with each footstep. At the end of the hall are heavy double doors. As Zayn approaches them he sees water spraying through the gap between the doors right up to the ceiling. The doors groan and start to crack under the tons of pressure.

"Back! Go back!!" Zayn shouts. Harry pivots and runs back the way they came, taking a turnvinto a cross-corridor. A man is coming the other way. He sees the boy in Zayn's arms and cries out, grabbing him away from Zayn. He starts cursing him in Russian. He runs on with

the boy.

"No! Not that way! Come back!" Harry yells.

The double doors blast open. A wall of water thunders into the corridor. The father and child disappear instantly.

Zayn and Harry run as a wave blasts around the corner, foaming from floor to ceiling. It gains on them like a train. They make it to a stairway going up.

Zayn and Harry pound up the steps as white water swirls up behind them. A steel gate blocks the top of the stairs. Zayn slams against the gate, gripping the bars.

A terrified steward standing guard on the landing above turns to run at the sight of the water thundering up the

stairs.

"Wait! Wait! Help us! Unlock the gate." Zayn yells. The steward runs on. The water wells up around Zayn and Harry, pouring through the gate and slamming them against it. In seconds it is up to their waist.

"Help us! Please!" Harry yells. The steward stops and looks back. He sees Zayn and Harry at the gate, their arms raching through, and sees the water pouring through the gate onto the landing.

"Fucking 'ell!" He runs back, slogging against the current. He pulls a key ring from his belt and struggles to unlock the padlock as the water fountains up around them. The lights short out and the landing is plunged into darkness. The water rises over the lock and he's doing it by feel.

"Come on! Come on!" Zayn shouts. Zayn and Harry are right up against the ceiling... Suddenly the gate gives and swings open. They are pushing through by the force of the water. They make it to stairs on the other side of the landing and follow the steward up to the next deck.

It won't update for some reason but I'm trying x.