Option 3: Jason and Sarah
-- Ok. Thank you so much! Have a nice day! Bye!
Jason closed his phone and went out on the balcony. He stared at the clouds and felt goose bumps all over his body. He had never felt like this before.
Winning two tickets for 7-night Mediterranean Cruise from Civitavecchia was his most desired dream. It was the beginning of year and until yesterday he was struggling to choose the best gift for his girlfriend’s birthday on January 13.
Jason was a 22 year-old student studying Business Analytics at the University of Bologna, Italy. He was in love with his girlfriend Sarah for the last 6 months.
It was January 8 and they had to show at Cruise Terminal in the morning January 12.
She was the happiest girl when he surprised her with the pleasant news later that night. They both enjoyed looking at the itinerary that included visiting Tuskany’s Isola del Giglio and Savona.
Four days later they arrived at Terminal A of the Cruise Terminal complex. It was 8.55 a.m. and they still had 40 minutes before boarding on their cruise Costa Concordia.
“Oh wow” gasped Sarah, “It’s so big!”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that before” said Jason, smugly. He could never resist those jokes when the opportunity came.
Sarah scoffed but her eyes were still huge, taking in the grandeur of the ship. Neither of them had been on anything like it!
“Let’s board the gangplank!” said Jason, grabbing Sarah’s hand and pulling her towards the boarding ramp.
“Actually that’s a gangway” said Sarah. “It's a lot bigger than a plank!"
“Ok!” said Jason faux-enthusiastically. He had forgotten how annoying Sarah could be sometimes. Leave him to his ignorance once in awhile! But hey, they were on the boat for 7 nights, no need to start nitpicking now.
“Up the gangway we go!”
....
After checking in they hurriedly dropped their bags off in their rooms. They both wanted to watch the departure. Sarah shivered and Jason put his arm around her.
“Kind of eerie isn’t it? Just watching the land disappear, not knowing if we’ll ever see it again....”
“Where did that come from?” asked Jason “Of course we’ll see it again!”
“Yeah, I know” said Sarah “but there have been plenty of people who didn’t...”
Jason rolled his eyes. “Let’s go grab a drink then check out one of pools!”
“Ok” said Sarah with one last look at the vanishing land.
....
They woke up the next morning, nasty sweaty. No shower the night before despite pounding alcohol and dancing close with strangers.
“It would be interesting to take a culture to see how many different kinds of DNA we have on us” said Sarah while lathering herself up in the huge shower. Jason was just standing in the stream. He was irritated this morning, hung over. Sarah said that he couldn’t complain though - he had refused her offerings of water all night. He opted to say nothing lest something nasty came out.
“I am so excited for the spa! Couples massage, good food!” said Sarah.
Jason stepped slowly out of the shower.
“I’m glad” he said, then he lurched towards the toilet bowl. He emptied his stomach again while Sarah cooed over him.
“I thought it was all up” he said in between stomach spasms. When he was done Sarah helped him to the room. She set a glass of water on his bedside table.
“Can I get you anything else? You want a snack or something?” asked Sarah
“No....no....I don’t think I can do the spa thing today, babe. You go” he said.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure, just go and enjoy. I’m going to sleep some more”
“Ok, love you” she bent down and kissed his forehead. Then she grabbed her bag and left.
He rolled over and closed his eyes.
....
Sarah came back sometime later and they went to dinner. It was just OK in Jason’s opinion but then again, not much appealed to him at the moment. They agreed on an early night and started snuggling in bed. Sarah catching up on her TV dramas while Jason stared at the ceiling. Pretty boring way to spend a luxury cruise.
Suddenly, a long scraping sound reverberated through the entire ship. It was like nails on a chalk board. Like that one weird kid who decided to grow one fingernails long and decided to make himself a superhero over the fact that the sound didn’t bother him. Didn’t grate into his eardrums and make his teeth ache. It seemed to go on forever and Jason could hear it moving. Starting below and to his right then moving dreadfully slow like a lightly salted snail - enough motivation to move but too much to keep it from wondering if it was better off succumbing to its bubbly death.
Jason and Sarah had thrown their hands over their ears and stared at each other in wide eyed horror. That constant self awareness had Jason thinking “This is how it happens, this is how it happens” referring to his death, of course.
After the horrific scraping there was a pregnant silence. Like the mother knew the baby would be still born but was forced to carry it to term lest she be imprisoned for abortion. Then the lights flickered...and went out. “Just like a horror movie” Jason thought his mouth twitching, trying to let out a hysterical laugh that had no place here. Not with death so so imminent.
“Jason!” Sarah screamed. This jarred him out of his trance. Awake to the situation that they still had time. “Get out now!” his instincts told him. They may survive even if the ship went down if they were on the deck. This room would be a watery tomb if they stayed and with the electric out....
He swore and groped for the door. Thank god! It had automatically unlocked when the power went out. He didn’t want to imagine beating his shoulder into a bruised and pulpy mess trying to break the door down.
In the meantime Sarah had gotten out her phone light and was shoving a few belongings into a backpack. Passports, money, fresh panties - very important.
“You ready?” He asked, hastily giving her a few items to stuff into the bag before taking it from her and slinging it across his back.
He felt her stiffen, rigid.
“Jason,” she said, breathlessly like she had just awakened from an orgasmic dream “the ship is tilting.”
.....
The way to the deck was chaotic. Families screaming at each other groping around in the dark. The tilt was more severe now. It was so disconcerting to have their world turned sideways. Jason kept reminding himself that sideways was better than in the water. Better then at the bottom of the ocean. The ship was still moving, drifting. He hoped to god the pilots had some way to steer. Some sort of emergency manual override. He doubted this in his heart though.
The crew had encouraged them to stay just below decks on the side of the ship highest out of the water. The port side.
The ship slowed its drift - must have run aground - but was still tilting. Rolling onto her starboard side. Bodies crushing too close together. The stench of vomit and the cries of those unlucky enough to sample it first hand filled the air. People reoriented themselves, sliding down the floor to stand against walls. Terrible groaning of the ship and sounds of air escaping. It reminded him of the groaning of his dog who had disappeared into the forest to die alone. He had just watched, still, he didn’t know what to do for her. His mother had sat him down after he told her what happened: “Sometimes doing nothing is the best answer.” she had told him gently, stroking his hair.
....
There were thousands of them. Passengers and crew. How was this evacuation going to work in the pitch dark? They weren’t ants! Tunneling into the deep depths of the earth where light didn’t permeate, still finding their way though smells and instincts. They were humans. They were supposed to sleep in the dark! Would anyone find them? Let alone save them all?
Word came that the ship was in a steady position. Evacuation would be happening soon. Sarah was clutching his hand, refusing to let the crush of people separate them.
It felt like hours passed. They had stopped checking their phones to save the battery. It was better if their eyes were adjusted in the dark in case the worst happened and they had to kick and scratch through all of these people for a chance at life. Jason was tense, ready to tear through as many people as he had to to save Sarah and himself. Lights shone on them.
“Ok, folks, it’s your turn. We will get everyone. Please remain calm!”
....
Jason woke up in a cold sweat. The cold black water had gotten into his lungs, choking out his life. He had seen Sarah struggling next to him and with horror he had realized that in his attempts to keep his head above the surface - impossible in a locked and water filled room - he had sped her demise. He had clutched her twitching and cold body to him as the water invaded him and stopped his life.
“Jason, it’s ok”
Sarah was holding him, soothing him. They took turns. They both had bad days. Especially after the death toll came in - 32. Once they got ashore Sarah had comforted an older lady who was frantically questioning everyone who was getting off the lifeboats. Begging the rescuers to just go back and check.
“No ma’am” they had said more than once. “We just have to wait”
The woman's husband was one of the bodies that they found later. Bloated like an old lucky charm in forgotten milk.
