FORGET ME

CHAPTER 03

The ship was sinking.

As I felt the ship begin to sink, chaos erupted throughout the dining hall. The chandeliers crashed to the ground one by one, plunging us into darkness. Panic-stricken guests screamed and scrambled towards the fire exit that led to the lifeboats on the upper deck.

Amid the chaos, only those who remained level-headed remembered the safety precautions taught on the first day of the cruise. And luckily for Larisa who was screaming for mercy, I was one of those few, and I knew that our survival depended on quickly reaching the lifeboats. I knew we had little time to escape.

Some guests were frozen in shock, while others frantically ran to their cabins to gather their belongings and some people blankly stared at the chaos, seeming to have accepted their fate.

Larisa, who was on the brink of hysteria, clung to me, crying out in terror about her career and her life's work. "WE ARE GOING TO DIE! I CAN'T DIE!! MY ICE HOCKEY! I CAN'T LEAVE WHAT I WORKED FOR MY WHOLE LIFE!"

With my own heart racing, I took hold of her tear-streaked face and gave her a hard slap to snap her out of it. "Listen to me!" I yelled, my voice trembling with fear. "We need to get to the lifeboats on the upper deck!"

"O-okay," she sobbed hard as her hand tightened around mine and we try to push past the screaming hubbub of the guests who were trying to escape onto the top floor. As we struggled against the panicked crowd, our ship tilted dangerously to one side. We fought to maintain our balance and avoid falling, as the blaring warning horns only added to the panicked chaos and confusion.

Never.

Never had I thought that there would be a time when I would face a real-life, Titanic-like experience.

Amid the pandemonium, we were huddled together with a panicked mob, all trying to make their way to the top of the ship. Voices rang out in desperation, urging the people obstructing the way to hurry before it was too late.

"Hurry the f*ck up before we all die!"

"The lower decks are already flooded!"

"Speed up before I push you!"

Reports were spreading that the lower decks were already flooded, sending shivers down our spines. I clutched Larisa's hand with my trembling one, afraid to let go.

The ship was sinking. If I don't escape, I am going to die. I will die- "Please! Please hurry up!!" I screamed above the noise, trying to squeeze my way out of the crowd with a wailing Larisa in tow.

The atmosphere was frenzied, with people clambering over one another, tripping and falling on the tilting floor in their desperate attempts to reach the stairs.

As we fought our way toward the top, the chaos was suddenly drowned out by a deafening explosion, causing everyone to lose their balance and feel the ship's bow sinking even further.

"There is another exit!" rang a shrill voice in the air, and people further away from the staircase, including us, frantically turned and sprinted in the direction of the voice, Larisa shouting and sobbing in my ear all over again.

I was still wearing my evening dress from before, but Larisa was hindering our escape with her elaborate gown. I pulled her along as we jostled through the frantic crowd.

Suddenly, a raspy voice cried out, "Stop! Somebody, please!"

Despite my apprehension, I spun around to locate the source of the sound. There, a woman with tears streaming down her face clung tightly to the hand of a man seated in a wheelchair. On the man's lap sat a little sobbing boy, his small fingers gripping the man's shirt in desperation.