Chapter 19: Sunrise

Everyone is left neared deaf upon hearing that explosion. The tunnel resisted the blast and it left a shockwave that rocked the ship to rattle. Tiny impacts of metal from shattered fragments inside the tunnel rang like firecrackers. The engines burst into flames and ultimately destroyed. The survivors covered themselves from the blast, but no harm is done to them. Except…

“Sylvester!" Carolyn shouted.

Jett and Stephanie ran up to the catwalk to check on their father as Ryder, Rico, Killian, and Red were putting out a little fire on the tiger-man's rear, he was lying his body face-down and his tail was near roasted. The siblings made way through the men who saved him as both kneeled to be close him. He was rolled by Ryder and Rico on his back, the tiger was not feeling any pain on his bottom and tail, he must be in full blast of adrenaline. He was grunting through his disorientation with eyes closed.

“Dad, are you okay?" Jett worryingly asked.

“Daddy, please, wake up!" Stephanie pleaded.

Carolyn met up with her kids and hold her husband's head carefully on her lap. “Sylvester, please…," almost about to cry until he grumbled himself and opened his eyes, his blurred vision clears, meeting his wife's face with a goofy and dumb look on his face like the last time he had tried to impress her back in high-school when playing football. “Where have you been all my life?" He responded which Carolyn remembered the time he got knocked unconscious during one of his match games. She reached out to him as school nurse-student which was like love at first sight for Sylvester.

Carolyn was so relieved of her husband, which all she could say was, “Oh, you."

Rycroft grunted and half-rise by himself, he asked, “Did it worked?"

Rico was close that he obeyed to answer his question, he slid his head inside and saw the sky about to receive its sunrise. The propeller pods were busted, and the blades mangled by the blast. He pulled his head back out and confirmed him, “Yep, you did it!"

Carolyn, Stephanie, and Jett hugged their father like old times in their childhood, quite corny but what else they can express their freedom? “Okay, okay, kids, let's go home."

“Come on up!" Ryder shouted the group below, “We're almost home!"

The party took their time to climb up and carefully move one-by-one through the hatch, “Careful, the hatch it's hot!" Rico warmed. Aubrey and Sidney helped Snowdon to stand up on his own feet, injured but still can walk. The two hold onto him side-by-side.

“We did it, Snowdon, we're almost there." Aubrey was smiling than ever she felt in her life, she was going to see her two little boys soon.

Snowdon, in his struggling breath, he said, “Wish you and your children a great year."

“I'll be calling Momma that I'm coming home sooner." Said Sidney Jennings.

Red looked around the escaping party for Gwen, but she went where her father was last seen, holding onto the ladder where he climbed down to. Red separated from the evacuating group and made towards to her. He knows well that he's no longer with them. Gwen Kershaw waited maybe a little more time if he does come back and escape all three together. “Gwen, come on, we gotta go."

Gwen responded with a weep, “Red…"

“Gwen, we gotta go. Come on." Red raised his voice a little louder, he picked her up on her feet without any problems, she didn't refuse nor resisted to fight. She must have mentally accepted her father's sacrificial fate and fared him goodbye. Red braced her close as they walked up to the others waiting.

And so, the nineteen survivors carefully walked through the hot burned tunnel of the bow thruster. The two propellers, one (now on the port side) slowly spins with little effort and the other one (now on the starboard side) that received the blow of the tank suffered the worst and the four blades were mangled or sheared off which the group saw it as their cleared exit, they walked to the now right side of the former portside.

Closed to the edge and meeting the upcoming sunrise, they see nothing but the ocean in front of them. They still heard the whirling of the neighboring propellers trying to turn the ship to starboard. It somehow made everyone a little on edge on what to do next now that they have come this far alive. The party was surrounded by floating debris, but they spotted a flashing white light.

“Look, there's a life raft." Rycroft spotted. The raft was emitting light to attract attention for rescue search, but not only there's one but a few numbers of empty life-rafts are floating around the wreck.

“Let's swim for it!" Ryder said. He grabs Kale's hand. “Do you trust me?" Kale nodded at him.

They were the first to jump, the group looked down and saw the pair splashing simultaneously, they realized is not that high from where they are standing. Ryder and Kale started to swim.

“Let's go," Snowdon's weak but loud voice ordered them, “You heard them, we got to jump."

“Jett, swim with your mother, and Stephanie," he grabs his daughter, “jump with me."

“Wait, I don't think I can." Her father picked her up like a bride and he jumped overboard to conquer her fears of heights like before and screamed along the way until meeting the cold Pacific water. Quite refreshing and liberating.

Rico jumped next without second thoughts after Rycroft and Stephanie cleared away the dropping spot. Then Jett and Carolyn jumped together.

“Come on, girls," Lani spoke to Clover and Pricilla, “give it a go. We'll be safe in those life-rafts."

“But I can't swim." Pricilla cried.

“I'll help you, then." Sidney offered. “Hold my hand tight. Don't let go when we jump." Pricilla nodded and the two walked up to edge. Sidney counted to three rather quick and jumped along with Pricilla. She screamed all the way down until making a splash. Lani offered a partner with Clover and they jumped next.

Joshua holds Sasha in his arms, “Are you ready, Sasha?"

“I'm ready." Joshua counted to three in his mind and leaped from the edge into the water.

Ryder and Kale reached the life-raft and found life-rings and collapsible paddles for rowing. Kale saw the troubling the Pricilla and Sidney, swimming with a complicated and least experienced swimmer. He picked one ring and threw it like a frisbee, it landed on where he wanted and Pricilla is safe from struggling in the water, Sidney thanked him by shouting back.

“Snowdon, can you make it?" Aubrey asked.

“A little help will be appreciated." He said.

“I'll help you swim," said Killian Maxwell, “and there are life-preservers in the water, Zoey will get you one to float on." Snowdon nodded. They leaped out of the edge, Zoey swam for one life-preserver and turned back to meet Snowdon and Killian, it was quickly and continued to head for the orange life-raft. Finally, Aubrey, Red, and Gwen were the last left to jump and met with the cool water.

The octagonal-shaped raft was filling up, but there was more space to spare, it was rather huge to carry up to 50 people. They climbed by the rope handles decorated around it and two specific sides on where to climb up easier. This climbing didn't take too long and everyone is present onboard the raft. Ryder and Kale were setting up the paddles ready, ten were made. Placing a long tube and attached it through the holes of the flippers on it.

“We got to get away from the ship or the suction will pull us under." Snowdon warmed.

“Doesn't look like it'll founder," Carolyn said.

“Oh, it'll will funder, Mrs.," said Rico, “It's only a matter of time."

For the first time after their successful escape, they have a good look of the upturned liner as the morning blue sky slowly lights up. The carmine red painted hull was the most dominant part of the hull they see. The stern section is submerged as the bow remained above, the bulbous bow pointing at an unknown position of the compass and the four-holed bow thrusters still running amok, except one still leaving a little of smoke coming out. In the distance the ship groaned and moaned, roared and snarled. She was about to go under at any moment.

“So, Ryder, how did you make it?" Rico asked. “We thought you were dead."

“Yeah, tell us," Joshua said.

“Oh, yeah," Ryder holds a paddle and placed it back. “Uh, well, I saw Miss Blake getting washed by the current. I did what I thought was right, but… you know, the water took me along, and away from the way out. I lost her – I couldn't reach her, I'm very sorry Aubrey, I lost her…"

“Ryder, it's okay," Kale said.

“I'm fine," Ryder continued, “I found a way around to another deck before water filled up, it was following me, and found some upturned stairs and kept on moving to the bow. I was relying on those maps placed on the walls and found myself in the engine room and…" he paused until giving everyone questionnaire look on his face, “Seriously, what the hell happened? Did the ship just blow-up or something? Well, the next thing I knew I found Sasha trapped in some kind of mechanic warehouse of supplies equipment room – I don't know." He sighed. “And that's how you guys found me."

“Thank you, Wolfson, you saved my boy's life," Parkinson said.

“No, problem." He raised one thumb. “Let's get this raft a little of pushing, Kale."

“Coming," Kale and Ryder stood on both sides of the raft and quietly rowed away with their paddles on both hands. They were taking it slow, so there was no rush. Hearing the quiet sea being rippled by the paddles' flipper was kind of soothing.

The survivors are on the verge of passing out by exhaustion as they haven't gotten any sleep throughout the night. Sylvester opens a supply box that has survival kit supplies, he finds a flare gun and pointed up at the sky. “Ready? Flare!" He pulled the trigger and the morning light of dawn is turned into a red glow of light shining at the raft, their vision is blinded by one solid color by the sky-rocketing flare reaching hundreds of feet in the air. It wasn't like fireworks exploding when reaching its peak, the flaring star opens a little parachute to slow down it's decent.

Another screeching sound of steel torture woke everyone's daze on staring on that shinning red star. They all looked back at the ship. She was leaning closer towards them with spinning propellers. “Guys! Move!" Gwen screamed in horror.

Ryder and Kale were the only ones steadily rowing the raft away at ease, but it seems that two isn't enough. Ryder shouted the group, “Grab a paddle!" There were only ten paddles all setup, Sylvester, Rico, Killian, Aubrey, Sidney, Lani, Red, and Joshua grabbed the remaining eight. They took a side out random and paddled away from danger. Throughout their panic ramble of screaming and shouting to keep paddling the huge raft, on the contrary, the three still active propellers are blowing them away, as they submerged it made a powerful burst of water like fountains. The rolling bow then created some waves and picked the occupied raft further away from the ship. Just in time, the sun has risen behind them, lighting a gigantic reveal.

In the clear, the party was petrified on what they see before their eyes. The ship righted herself, showing her starboard side, flushing out hundreds and thousands of gallons cascading out from shattered windows like a water show spectacle, her entire sharp gray bow and the forward white superstructure and the bridge out of the water, pointing almost up in the air at the morning sky. The once majestic ship is now mangled of steel giantess. Thousands of acres of glass shattered in her structure. The backup external floodlights finally gave up its strength. The ship cried out loud in pain, she slid down under the surface, taking thousands of souls with her. The mighty liner Poseidon, the once queen of the sea, is no more. The tip of the bow was the last to sink, leaving a huge finale splash and a vortex whirling on the spot. Even underwater, they can hear her dying moans and rumble. It all soon quieted down. Nothing but the lapping water surrounding the raft.

They can all finally relax.

The rescue will come soon, and the party had drained every energy they got. Sylvester launched a second flare. Lying a bit comfortable on what they can call their cradle. The Rycroft family are safe and sound, all huddled up together. Same for Joshua and Sasha, the former holds his son in his arms for warmth as he was shivering from swimming. Killian and Zoey, too tired to rest, hold each other closer. Gwen, however, she was sobbing on Red's chest. The lion-man kept his cool and soothe her to sleep. She's mourning her loss of her father; he risked his life for the rest of the group to survive. Kale, on the other hand, he quietly cries on his lover Ryder, so happy that he was okay. He really couldn't live without him by his side. He holds his hand and resting on the wolf's shoulder.

Lani Kawena sat next close to Sidney. She whispered, “I'm so sorry about your colleagues, Sid."

“Thank you, Lani, I'm gonna be okay," said Sidney, “So, what are you gonna do after this?"

“Back to Honolulu as planned, I guess." She shrugged. “And you?"

“Same here, back to Los Angeles with my family." After a pause, he continued, “I could come over and see you if you want."

“That sounds nice, I work at a hotel in Honolulu as a maid, as I'd told you."

“Yeah, now I remembered," he recalled on the first day of departure, Sidney tried to talk the officials to arrange Lani as a stewardess, but there weren't any open position, so the second option as a dancer in the entertainment staff was picked. All thanks to Miss Blake who helped Lani when she needed.

The sunrise was beautiful to watch, the survivors got an idea on where is north now. The raft is drifting aimlessly by the ocean's current. The sea is contaminated of floating debris and wreckage, wooden chairs, tables, drown bodies, lifejackets, some few damaged lifeboats floating upside-down that were ripped from the davits by the rogue wave impact, and Snowdon could have sworn to have seen an unknown officer's cap hat floating by, it could have been his or some of his colleagues. The polar bear-man was keeping a sharp watch, but his right eye is swollen by the blow he received from the hatch door. Relying his left eye to keep on looking for any signs of rescue coming. Sylvester was also looking around now that they can see better the horizon.

They were getting a little concerned regarding rescue until they hear a loud horn. It stunned everybody for a brief second, hearing that long continuous blare. They looked around and saw that they were looking, for a brief, the wrong way and saw a ship with lights turning on at full blast to get attention in a far distance, she was sailing towards them.

“Ship!" Sylvester pointed.

Despite all being exhausted from their ordeal, they made their last cry. Shouting and waving their arms for attention. Emotions of the group cheered and celebrated that rescue has come to them. Sylvester launched another flare in the air, and the upcoming ship was revealed slowly and steady to the point that she stopped and showed her broadside of starboard to reveal she was another cruise ship of some fifty-thousand tons, as the sun was clearing up more, her hull was pearly white with black and red stripes around her hull, and her single aerodynamic and sleek funnel was black and dark red with a golden flying dragon symbol as logo. Snowdon identified the vessel flying a Japanese flag on her forward mast. With curiosity going on, there seem to be people out on deck shouting and waving, they have spotted them, and a searchlight shined at the raft which the whole group responded with exciting waving. The ship blasted her horn again.

“They found us!" Sasha cried. “We're here! We're over here!"

The heavy mood they had, was lightened up by the miracle of rescue. They have worked so hard to earn their achievement. Ryder Wolfson couldn't help but howl up at the sky. “This was one hell of a way to start the new year." He said.

“You can say that again." Said Rico.

“So, uh, Jett," Clover started, “It was nice meeting you."

“Pleasure is mine, too," said Jett, “Thank you for helping when I needed it."

“The interview thing?"

“Yeah, but, unfortunately, you know what had happened." Jett rubbed the back of his head.

“Yeah…, but what are you gonna do? Even if those articles made it through online, you can still come clean."

“That Malcolm guy saved the day," Jett assured, “so, don't worry about it. I guess I should visit their family."

“And you think Bradley will accept your apology?"

“I think I should apologize in person if he wants to accept it." Jett sighed. “This was some fucked up vacation."

“What's taking them?" Asked Killian. The group kept on their gaze on the cruise liner, floating motionless. From the distance, they heard a public announcement intercom but was very foreign to hear, it must be for the passengers about the current situation.

“They should be – Ah! Look! They're lowering one." Rico pointed.

As they waited, they saw one of the lifeboats being lowered to the water and headed straight towards them. “Should we paddle to them?" Asked Zoey.

“I think we should, but they are moving a little faster." Said Rycroft.

They tried to give it a go to meet them, but they heard a speakerphone. “Oi!" There was a crewman standing out on one side of the tender-type lifeboat, holding a megaphone, speaking in a foreign accent, “We're coming for you!"

Tired, excited, and crying in happiness, there was that wonderful feeling of being rescued. That new-found feeling of second chance to live on their lives. It's an overwhelming feeling. The tender boat slowly arrives at the raft, they threw ropes to pull them up closer to the boat's side. The name, Hokkaido Maru, was written in both romaji and Japanese characters on the boat's bow and starboard. A door slides opened and met with two men holding still from falling, one was a red panda First Officer in a white uniform and the other a human boatswain. Their faces changed slightly by the disturbing sight of the nineteen survivors, still wearing their ruined evening dresses.

“Hello, I'm First Officer Shimamura of the passenger ship Hokkaido Maru. How are many of you?" Said the Officer with a thick Japanese accent.

“Just nineteen of us." Said Sylvester.

“Is that all?" He asked. The party looked at each other, their excited, relieved faces were dropped upon realizing the people they had left behind. “Are there any more?"

“There were, but the ship sunk," Rico stated. “There is nobody but us."

“We'll continue searching." Said the Officer. He and the boatswain leaned down and lend a hand. “Now, come on – ladies first!" They began to help the group to hop onboard the tender boat. Women and children first, then the men followed. Onboard the boat, there was the ship's doctor and two nurses that helped to continue to treat Snowdon's injuries and the other survivors' conditions. They all sat quietly, happy to be alive and let all that weight on their shoulders lighten up. It was all over now. The boat turned its engines and proceeded back to the ship.

“You were all very lucky, if I may so." Said the red panda Officer. “You all are must be from the Poseidon, if I'm correct, a passenger ship." Some of the group nodded. “There was another ship in the area still unreported. They may have gone down with all hands." The officer turned at one of the crew and asked in Japanese. He then turned back at the group, “A cargo ship named the Southern Tropic was also reported missing since midnight. There was confusion about what was going on, the US Coast Guard contacted us that we were close by over a hundred miles from the site. We thought that two ships collided, but that was impossible since both ships were miles apart at the time and both sent out an SOS before they disappeared." He glanced at the polar bear-man, while not wearing his uniform, the Officer sort of identified him by his shoes and button shirt which were similar to his. “You must be an Officer, too, right?"

Officer Snowdon took a breath, “Yes, I'm a First Officer."

“Do you know anything about the Southern Tropic?"

The human doctor had a poor English which he responded to Snowdon, “No talk." He turned at the officer and talking back in Japanese, telling him not to talk to him and he needs rest.

“So," he continued, “then we got signal beacon coming from guys, the other ship's signal was weak which another ship is searching for them and Coast Guard tasked us to find you. And you fellows can already guess where the rest goes."

“Cool!" Sasha said. He was composed and a little cheerful, despite everything he been through that will scar him for life, there was still hope for the little young boy.

The sun shines the new year and survivors looked through the tender boat's windows as the sun fully rises over the horizon. The boat arrives at the ship and docked next to a small marina platform that was opened on the ship's side, they disembarked and stepped onboard their rescue ship where the survivors will be provided with shelter, clothes and medical attention. Much later, the crew of the Hokkaido Maru and other ships coming by will resume on searching for more survivors on the wreck site.

Epilogue

On January 1st, 2021, minutes past after midnight. The luxury liner MS Poseidon was wrecked off the Hawaiian coast in calmed sea weather. It sank within seven hours after capsizing due to an extremely large rogue wave. The passenger ship Hokkaido Maru found 19 survivors and rescued them. The remaining 3,800 passengers and crew all perished. It was the worst peacetime maritime disaster in history. Among the names of the rescued are as follows.

Russell Westwood…

…Gwendolyn Kershaw…

…Sylvester Rycroft…

…Carolyn Rycroft…

…Jett Rycroft…

…Stephanie Rycroft…

…Ricardo Marrero…

…Ryder Wolfson…

...Kale Summers...

…Joshua Parkinson…

…Sasha Parkinson…

…Aubrey Quinlivan…

…Sidney Jennings…

…Lani Kawena…

…Clover Forrest…

…Pricilla Forrest…

…Zoey Maxwell…

…Killian Maxwell…

…and Oscar Snowdon.

Months went by after events, the dark past is fading on people's minds. The survivors went in their separate ways. Heading home to see their loved ones again.

The Rycroft family came back home in Miami to settle down and to move on, but the family decided to fund money for charity to help the families of the victims. Jett and Stephanie remained in touch with Clover and Pricilla in Newport. Jett gathered his former bandmates for the charity and together wrote a song to pay homage for the lost. Alas, Stephanie meets back with her boyfriend Kent and introduced her father. Kent was a great match for her.

Oscar Snowdon lived up to tell the tale and to never let this tragedy to ever happen again. He was awarded as a hero in Canada and the United Kingdom. He saw memorials and funerals of his crewmen; he was the only high-ranking officer to survive and the only person who was so close to them. He was decommissioned for some time until he was capable to work back again. He is now a cruise ship captain of Royal Trident Lines.

Aubrey came back home with her two children in London. She also decided to help fund some money for charity for the family victims. Same as The Feline Boys, she wrote a song based on her feelings of the tragedy.

Ricardo came back home to Puerto Rico on time in Día de Los Reyes with his family and his young cousin. He had to endure his personal issues with the press until it all quieted down. He became some kind of a local celebrity in his home country. He didn't want attention, so he later left for New York after the holidays. Clara, of course, heard the news and wanted to help him, but Rico wanted some space until he's settled for a new chapter of his life.

The San Francisco Fire Department paid homage to Lionel Kershaw. Russell and Gwen later got married two years later, they hoped that their first future child will be named Lionel. They live peacefully in their home country. The Westwood family welcomed Gwen to be part of the newest family member. She won't be alone anymore.

For the Parkinson family, they've welcomed their newest family member; Charlotte “Charlie" Parkinson. She'll grow up to see her father and brother for years to come. Sasha's parents were worried if he'll suffer PTSD in the future which he was sent to therapy regularly until college, he was doing well, and his best medicine is his family and love and comfort they gave him in the good and bad times.

Clover and Pricilla reconciled together and made amends to each other. They had faced five funerals of their friends, Megan Swift, Christine McCarty, Royce Wakeman, Spencer Stevens, and Isaac Coates. They both quietly assisted the memorials without the remains, their bodies were never found. All Pricilla had was Megan's bracelet which she gave to her families.

Lani and Sidney, they will always be in touch. Sidney continued working at sea without letting the dark past hunting him. He gave Kameron Foxley's watch to his families and so as Kacy Fullerton's necklace. He had completed his task as he had wanted. Lani will continue to live in Honolulu, but she occasionally visits the stone memorial that was made to honor the victims of the disaster in Hilo.

The Maxwells made it to their second honeymoon to Hawaii. They, too, got the chance to visit the Poseidon Memorial in Hilo. The names of the victims engraved on the memorial stone with beautiful decorated Hawaiian leis flowers all over it. They quietly watched the sun setting the horizon.

Ryder and Kale remained inseparable, and keeping in touch with Rico, they live in the same neighborhood. Kale saw a different look in life than ever before and make it better in living in helping people suffering PTSD disorder. Ryder might have to wait in the future until it's the right proper time for his lover to lend him a hand for marriage. Rico had been encouraging him for some time.

And so, time passes like the wind, I'll never forget the bravery, the sorrow, the madness and the courage that existed that fateful night.

On January 1st, 2022. Off the coast of Hawaii. The Japanese passenger ship, Hokkaido Maru, revisited the site to hold a ceremony for the grieved families of their lost loved ones, including all 19 survivors reunited once again. These bouquets of white roses represent for the souls of the departed… Rest in peace…

Salute!

The End.