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.

Oh no.

The woman held onto the wheelchair with one hand and clasped Larisa's hand with the other. "Please, take my son with you," she begged desperately. Larisa's reddened eyes shot up to mine, and I just gave a hasty nod, wanting to make a move before we all die. Larisa attempted to get the child, but he clung onto his father's shoulder, who grimly kissed his son's forehead, "No! No! Come with me! Don't leave me alone!"

"Larisa, hurry!" I screeched as I see a wave of water flood into the deck from afar.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered in a gravelly voice, before harshly grabbing the kid and hoisting him up onto her athletic back. The mother gave us grateful looks before patting her screaming son's head with loving eyes, "We love you, Torin. Remember, we love you so much, son. Now go!"

Ignoring the heart-wrenching cries of Torin and the sudden image of my own family crossing my mind, I grabbed Larisa's hand while she supported the boy's back with her free hand. We pushed our way up the stairs, shoving people aside as we raced towards safety, not caring about anything anymore.

Escape. We need to escape. All that mattered was escape.

Gasping for air, I finally reached the upper deck and stumbled to my feet, pulling Larisa and Torin with me. Just as I stand up to run, my eyes fell back down to where we came from, only to see the boy's parents hug each other, never letting go of each other, and I watched with horror just as a wave swallowed them up whole, along with some others.

That image will forever be imprinted on my mind.

I was relieved that neither Larisa nor Torin had seen the devastating sight, as she was focused on soothing the struggling child. With a sense of urgency, I hastened to depart from the hazardous situation, realizing only now that it was storming wildly. The storm raged on with increasing intensity, causing the ship to sway dangerously to one side. Meanwhile, to my right, the bridge of the vessel was on fire and the flames had spread to other areas of the ship.

Shit. That means we cannot use the lifeboats over there.

With thunder and lightning crashing above and the wind so strong it almost knocked us down, I ran in the opposite direction, my dress and hair drenched to the skin by the rain. As I hurried along, I saw other individuals scrambling for the few remaining lifeboats. Then, I spotted a group of three people - two men and a woman - who were already lowering an orange boat into the water.

"Please! Wait for us!" I cried out. They responded urgently, gesturing for us to hurry. We made our way toward them, clinging to the railings for support as we approached the davits despite the force of gravity working against us.

Their lifeboat was now fully lowered into the sea, and one of the men assisted the woman in descending the ladder that connected the ship to the side of the boat. "Give me the child," the other man said, and Larisa quickly passed the wailing and thrashing boy into his arms.

"Lari, climb down the ladder, quickly!" I shouted urgently, looking back to see that the remaining crew members were lowering the other lifeboats into the water and helping the rest of the passengers into the vessels.

"W-what about you?" her reddened eyes bores into mine frantically and I clutched her arms, "I'm right behind you! Go now!"

With my hands gripping the railing tightly, I helped Larisa maintain her balance as she descended the ladder with wobbly legs. I peered down through my wet eyes which momentarily blurred my vision, but then I saw that everyone was safely on the lifeboat. One of the men reached out and caught Larisa as she landed on the surface. She looked up at me and yelled something, but the heavy rain muffled her words, making it impossible for me to hear her.

I lifted my leg to start descending the ladder, but a loud strike of thunder made me scream in terror, causing me to grab onto the railing to steady myself.

I looked around frantically and saw only one boat left.

The ship was on fire, and its perilous tilt made it difficult for me to be steady on my feet. I realized I was only holding back those waiting for me. My delay could risk their lives. Anything could happen. At that moment, I caught sight of a rigged knife on the davits and took a deep breath.

With all my strength, I pulled my body up and looked over the railings, down to Larisa's boat. "I have a phone! Call me! I will come back to you!" I shouted out loud, hoping she heard me through the thunder and rain, and all I heard was a heart-wrenching "NO!" from her before I shakily grabbed the knife and cut the ropes connecting the ship to the boat.

I'm sorry, Larisa, knowing you, you would undoubtedly climb back up just to be with me, but I can't risk something happening to you when I have no time to get down there.

Dear God, please, let me meet her again, and keep her safe.

Patting the makeshift pocket on my dress where my phone lies safely, I coughed roughly and fixed my gaze on the remaining lifeboat. But before I could take a step forward, I lost my balance and tumbled down the tilted deck of the ship, screaming for help and desperately grasping for anything to hold onto.

I was certain that I was about to meet my demise when suddenly, a strong hand grabbed my arm and pulled me up. I looked up to see the familiar face of the bartender, Jamie, through the rain pouring down on my face. With a heave, he lifted me and supported my body with his arm. "I've got you, Candace. Hold on tight. I'll get you out of here," he shouted over the roaring wind.

Trembling so much that I couldn't find my voice, I simply nodded my head against Jamie as he guided me toward the remaining lifeboat. With his help, I grabbed onto the railing and urgently began making my way toward it. Finally, we reached the davit and Jamie pulled out a rugged knife, which he used to cut the ropes holding the boat. As he was about to cut the last rope when his attention was suddenly drawn elsewhere.

"Sir, what are you doing? Going back there is dangerous!" Jamie shouted.

My eyes hysterically followed his gaze and I saw a disheveled figure slumped against an overturned crate, shouting back in a deep, enraged voice, "I can't! My family is somewhere! I need to find them!"

"There's no time for that!" I cried out in desperation, seeing the ship nearing collapse. "All the decks are completely flooded. Nobody survived. Save yourself and come here! This is the last boat!"

The ship let out another deafening sound, groaning and wailing as it approached its ultimate destruction. Jamie gripped my shoulder tightly to steady me as the other man drew closer with Jamie's outstretched hand. I could hear him shouting for his family, clinging to his last shred of hope. I couldn't bring myself to tell him to let go and focus on his survival. Instead, I concentrated on helping Jamie lower the lifeboat into the water. "Sir, Candace, you have to descend the ladder now!" The three of us clung to each other as the ship tilted further. "Go! NOW!"

"Jamie! Where are you going?!" I cried when I saw that he was not joining us. Jamie turned to me and his lips turned up into a gentle, but sad smile, "The captain and the crew on the bridge are already dead, the thunder took them by surprise. The rest of the crew has to make sure all the remaining passengers are lowered to safety. There are more lifeboats on the other side, don't worry, but I will not leave until I bring the other remaining guests to safety. It's my job."

"No! It's already too late for that!" I begged, holding on to the arm of the other man as he tried to get us down the ladder. "Come with us! Please!"

Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably as Jamie came closer and cupped my cheek with one hand, his expression filled with sadness and anguish. My body paralysed in shock as Jamie's lips met mine in a fierce kiss that rendered me motionless. Then Jamie was gone, only his words echoing in my ear, "Please keep her safe."

Before I could comprehend it, a strong arm was enclosed around my waist, and then, we were dropping down to the sea, the shipping exploding deafeningly and disappearing beneath the waves before my very eyes, being the last thing I saw.

A reminder that this book will continue until chapter 12! It will continue ahead on another platform due to my contract. Money needn't be spent to access those chapters! Here's the link! The book there is still ongoing

https://www.webnovel.com/book/forget-me_25484065705035005