Lost at Sea || Shawmila [Completed]

when I got into the accident the sight that flashed before me was your face

It was four in the morning when his alarm rang, but - as had often happened in those last few weeks - its effort was futile. Shawn had not closed his eyes that night, tossing and turning in his empty bed.

He dressed heavily, layering one piece of clothing after another in the hope that all that fabric would keep him warm. The wind had been howling all night, and he knew that his shift on the fishing boat would be particularly tough that day. He left the house, covering himself with his old raincoat, the cold air slashing his face like sharp blades.

When he arrived at the harbor, his mood wasn't the best, and the idea of going offshore in that weather certainly didn't help. The sea was very rough, and the prospect of spending an entire work shift on the boat made his stomach churn; he hoped at least he could keep his breakfast down.

The winter waves crashed violently against the fishing boat, shaking the structure with relentless force. A black sky heavy with clouds projected an atmosphere of an impending storm onto the winter ocean. Shawn boarded the boat with his comrades, and they slowly moved away from the shore, their faces serious and focused.

The captain had given precise orders: that day, the open sea would be too dangerous to face, so they would stick to the near coast in the nearby miles, hoping to find enough schools of fish to cover the day's expenses. It wasn't always easy to make a substantial profit on days like those, so the shared hope was to earn enough to justify the seasickness that would result from that trip.

The crew moved frantically, trying to maintain control as the ship battled the fury of the ocean. Amidst the chaos, Shawn kept his eyes fixed on the stormy horizon. His hands, toughened by work, held onto the boat's railings tightly, while his thoughts roamed as fiercely as the weather surrounding him. It had been almost three weeks since Camila had left him and Harbor Cove, and Shawn hadn't been able to think of anything else. He should have done something to stop her, he should have told her that he loved her and begged her to stay with him. He would have even followed her to New York if she had wanted him to; he would have done anything for her. Ironically, the one thing he hadn't done was to reveal his feelings.

But perhaps it was better that way. If Camila had come back for him, she'd let him know it. Being her friend had been the most logically correct decision he had made, saving him from so much heartache and another painful goodbye.

A scream of wind and the crash of a wave hit the ship so suddenly that it sent him sliding. He struggled to return to the present and push those distracting thoughts from his mind. The cold, salty water, black as pitch before dawn, flooded the fishing boat. Shawn's hands gripped the railing, but the slippery deck betrayed him.

With a choked cry, he was thrown overboard. The frigid water enveloped him, and his voice was lost in the roar of the wind. His breath caught as the cold penetrated his body, wrapping around him like the deadly tentacles of an octopus. The currents carried him away, confusing him and pulling him beneath the ocean's surface, away from the fishing boat that had been thrown against a group of rocks. Shawn struggled to resurface, the biting cold paralyzing him as he tried to stay afloat. But the winter ocean was relentless, and his breath grew more and more labored.

On the deck, the crew had stopped, staring at the storm that swallowed their comrade, lost in the black and tumultuous waters. They tried to throw a lifebuoy, but the force of the waves rendered every effort futile. The fishing boat was at the mercy of the cruel winter, destined to be swallowed just like Shawn, now vanished from their sight.

The vessel emitted a mournful groan as it succumbed to the force of the waves. Time seemed to slow down as the impossible became reality. The fishing boat began to tilt, engulfed by the depths. The crew cried out, desperate to hold onto something, but the ship was doomed. With a somber lament, it began to sink into the icy ocean. The sea embraced it, swallowing it with insatiable hunger. The crew was forced to let go of the wreckage and their friend as the dark water enveloped the ship and its secrets.

And in that place of silence and darkness, the fisherman's body stiffened, the cold seeping into his bones as the water saturated every fiber of his clothes. Before the darkness became eternal, Shawn had one last thought. As the sun begun to rise, he sought comfort in the memory of the woman he had loved, their lips meeting delicately and rosily, the first time they had stood naked before each other, her velvety skin and warm sighs. Her promises of love and that feeling that, with her by his side, everything would be okay. In the cracks of light he dreamt of her.