Titanic

Chapter five

Camila waded back into the office, holding the axe above her head. "Will this work?"

"We'll find out." They are both terrified, but trying to keep panic at bay. Lauren positions the chain connecting the two cuffs, stretching it taut across the steel pipe, the chain is of course very short, and her exposed wrists are on either side of it. "Try a couple practice swings."

Camila raises the axe and thunks it into a wooden cabinet.

"Now try to hit the same mark again." She swings hard and the blade thunks in four inches from the mark.

"Okay, that's enough practice." She winces, bracing herself as Camila raises the axe. Camila has to hit a target about an inch wide with all the foce she can muster, with Lauren's hands on either side.

"You can do it, Camz. Hit it as hard as you can, I trust you." She spoke calmly, closing her eyes. So does Camila.

The axe comes down. Camila gingerly opens her eyes and looks, Lauren grins at her with two separate cuffs. She drops the axe, all the strength going out of her.

"Nice work." She climbs down into the water next to her and she can't breathe for a second. "Shit! Ow ow ow, that is cold! Come on, let's go."

They wade out into the hall and Camila starts toward the stairs going up, but Lauren stops her when she sees there is only about a foot of the stairwell opening visible.

"Too deep. We gotta find another way out."

The wooden doorframe splinters and the door bursts open under the force of Lauren's shoulder. The two stumble through, into the corridor as a steward, who was nearby herding people along, marches over.

"Here you! You'll have to pay for that, you know. That's White Star Line property-"

Camila and Lauren turn to him before they both shout. "Shutup!"

Lauren leads her past the dumbfounded steward. And they join the steerage stragglers going aft. In places the corridor is almost completely blocked by large families carrying all their luggage.

A woman gives Camila a blanket, more for modesty than because she is blue-lipped and shivering. "Here, lass, cover yerself."

Lauren rubs her arms and tries to warm her up as they walk along. The woman's husband offers them a flask of whiskey. "This'll take the chill off."

Camila takes a mighty belt and hands it to Lauren, she grins and follows suit.

It is frantic back on the boat deck as officers and crew members try to work the davits, their previous complacency gone.                                       

Shawn pushes through the crowd, scanning for Camila. Around him is chaos and confusion.

"Will you hold the boat a moment? I have to run back to my room for something-" a woman asks before she is shoved into the boat.

Thomas Andrews rushes up to him just then. "Why are the boats being launched half full?!"

The crew member steps past him, helping a seaman clear a snarled fall. "Not now, Mr. Andrews."

He points down at the water. "There, look, twenty or so in a boat built for sixty five. And I saw one boat with only twelve. Twelve!"

"Well... we were not sure of the weight-"

"Rubbish! They were tested in Belfast with the weight of 70 men. Now fill these boats, Mr. Lightoller. For God's sake, man!"

Shawn sees Matthew hurrying toward him through the aisle connecting the port and starboard sides of the boat deck. "She's not on the starboard side either."