The Rocking Coffin
Darkness dominated every corner of the abandoned yacht. The pervading silence was only interrupted by the splashes of water drops and the groaning of wood. The water was mercilessly claiming every nook and cranny of the room, foreshadowing the inevitable end.
A sudden bright point appeared on the water’s dark surface. Soon it expanded, pushing the gloom away. One energetic splash later, the source of the light surfaced and the sound of violent inhalation soon followed.
Not wasting any time, the swimmer removed his mask and began to carefully observe his environment. His ears, clogged with water, soon registered the ominous sounds of the dying vessel. As the flashlight carried its illumination around the room, it gave the one holding it the morbid image of his surroundings.
The swirling sludge around him carried the shredded pieces of the furniture that had been ripped from the wooden floor, which now served as the ceiling. The size and the room assured Jason that he had resurfaced in the ship’s main saloon, which was usually a yacht’s largest compartment. What struck him was the fact that this room should have been already underwater, or at least that was what he had deduced from the yacht’s hull back on the surface. The boundary between him and the ceiling was decreasing with every passing second.
"Jayhawk-03, this is Jason. I made it inside. No sign of the victims," he reported on the radio. While moving forward he repeatedly pushed aside the debris from his path.
"Roger that." Sam’s voice was somewhat distorted, but still transparent enough. "Our little friend, Baton Rouge, is building up quite a headache right now. Judging by her expression and our fuel reserves, you don’t have much time, so get to work."
"Is she okay?" Jason asked, wondering what Sam was implying.
"Try holding this thousand tons yacht for once and you’ll know for yourself, you jackass!" came Baton Rouge's exasperated yell over the radio.
‘Oh, so that’s what he meant... wait, she’s doing what!?’ The distraction caused him to stumble over some smashed underwater parts of furniture.
The pieces started to fit. Who would have thought that Baton Rouge had such a neat magical trick up her sleeve? Of course, he doubted that she could stop the ship from sinking, but it certainly gave him and the ones trapped inside a chance to survive.
"Um… thanks, Rouge. You just hang in there; I’ll let you guys know when I have something. Over and out."
Besides the helicopter’s fuel issues, he now had Baton Rouge's growing headache that she was probably going to make him regret later.
"ANYBODY HERE?" he shouted, hoping for a response. Beyond the mournful creaking of the yacht, there was nothing.
Not feeling discouraged, he proceeded further ahead as his eyes followed the flashlight’s beam to every corner of the room. This yacht was huge, and although he didn’t know how many cabins remained, there was simply no chance for a full reconnaissance. At least not if he was planning to get out of here alive.
From what the stallion had told him, aside from his daughter, he needed to look out for the yacht’s captain. He stumbled upon the yacht’s bridge. The room, aside from being filled with water, happened to be completely empty, which he considered as a good sign.
"LION HEART? CAPTAIN ROBERTS?" he shouted. Nothing. At that point, he cursed himself for not asking the stallion about his daughter’s mane and fur colour. Such information certainly would come in handy.
Jason could feel the water level constantly closing the distance to the wooden floor above him. At this speed, the room was going to entirely disappear within two minutes.
As he finally got to other end of the room, he found himself before a dark slipway. Its surface was decorated with small frosted glass lamps which went all the way up to a corridor. On both sides of the slipway, he could see the railing still attached. There was a faint flickering light coming from the top which he guessed was the energy supply from an emergency generator.
"Lion Heart! Captain Roberts!"
Suddenly, the yacht tilted as the water level moved slightly to the back side of the room. It was the first sign that Baton Rouge's levitation grip was slowly losing the outmatched battle she had thrown herself in.
He heard a shuffling sound at odds with the environment he was grappling with. His head turned just in time to spot a shadowy object sliding down through the slipway, right in his direction. With his body mostly immersed, Jason only managed to glide backwards before the object fell right where he had stood a moment ago.
After moving closer, he reached out his hand and turned the object around. He immediately noticed something that made him clench his jaw. Shrouded by a mess of black hair, he gazed into a pair of lifeless pupils that seemed to stare into his very soul. The blood that oozed from the deep wound on the human's head slowly coloured the water around them in red.
"Shit," Jason cursed loudly after recognizing the familiar black naval sweater with four gold insignia epaulettes on the right shoulder.
"Jayhawk-03, I found Captain Roberts..." He paused for a moment. It seemed that the captain had maintained the age-old tradition to go down with his ship. "…He's dead."
"Roger that. Any other survivors?" The question came rather quickly, its professional tone leaving little hint of any emotions. They did not have that luxury. What was now required was to fight for the ones they could save and leave the rest to the sea.
"Not yet, but there’s still one more deck left. I’m moving there now," Jason announced as he went pass the captain's lifeless body and found himself once more near the railing. He took off his flippers and attached them to his suit's belt.
He knew the risk he was about to take quite well. In this job it usually doesn't take much to go from being a rescuer to becoming a victim. Sometimes the rescue swimmer needs to decide who gets to live and who gets left behind. Right now his body was urging him to simply throw in the towel. It would be so simple to just turn around now and guarantee his safety. But Jason promised that pony that he’d bring his daughter back. Wouldn’t want to be called a liar, now would he?
Jason jumped and grabbed the railing on the side of the stairway, pulling himself up until he could stand on both feet. The ship didn’t seem like giving him any slack, and the rough ocean waves kept shaking the vessel, forcing him to spend precious seconds carefully monitoring his steps lest he fall.
"Alright, I’m halfway to the top. How’s Baton Rouge doing?"
"Not so good… thanks!" Baton’s voice was still furious, though it now contained layers of exhaustion threaded through it.
"You heard the lady, Jason," Sam said. "That extra bonus she gave you is slowly running out. The yacht will go down despite her efforts. Judging by her state, you have five-" he paused when Baton Rouge’s growling scream filled the helicopter’s interior, "-four minutes, so move it."
"Copy that; over and out."
A sudden slip made him lose his grip on the wooden railing, but despite the ominous quaking surrounding him, he persevered until he finally reached the floor to the upper deck. Panting slightly, he took his time to look down, where he noticed the lower level being completely flooded and the dark water’s surface slowly moving upwards in his direction. What instantly caught his attention was the thick pool of the captain’s blood, which was flowing down from this level to the yacht’s saloon. It seemed the poor bastard had only managed to go this far. From here on, Jason needed to start his search anew.
The long and narrow corridor before him was barely visible. The only source of light came from a single working ceiling lamp that was placed on the floor. The creaking sounds of the wooden walls reminded him that there was a flood hiding behind the thin façade, ready to devour him if he lingered.
To maintain his balance in this constantly shifting environment, Jason placed his arms against the corridor’s walls. The crunching sounds under his shoes caused him to gaze at the floor full of broken glass decorations. Among them, there was a large picture frame that piqued his interest. He instantly recognized a pair of well-dressed ponies that smiled back at him—the very same couple they had rescued minutes ago. Between them sat a rather unhappy alabaster filly who seemed slightly younger than the stallion had described. She had her short maroon mane tied in a pink ribbon and wore a yellow dress while she stuck her tongue right towards the camera.
'Cute,' Jason thought sardonically. At least he knew now what she looked like.
He spotted a pair of doors on each side of the corridor, with an additional one at the further end. There was also a vertical stairway that presumably led up into the engine room and down into the navigational bridge, or at least that was his guess from prior experience. There simply wasn’t enough time to search the whole yacht.
"Lion Heart!" Jason shouted, hoping to hear the filly’s voice. If she was alive, she should have given him some sign of her presence. He strained all his senses as hard as he could. "Come on, little one, help me out here." He could feel his anxiety rising. She could be anywhere, trapped, or even unconscious. He needed to speed up his search.
He tried to push the first door on the corridor’s left, which only moved an inch. Something was blocking him on the other end. He charged at the door a few times just to make the crack large enough to look inside. Sadly, it was a wasted effort. He called out the filly’s name and then listened intently for any answer. With no response, he quickly began to move on to the next one.
Jason suddenly froze in the middle of the hallway. At first he wasn’t sure. Perhaps his mind, desperate for answers, had already begun to play tricks on him. Through the ominous creaking and the constant dripping... he actually heard something.
There was a shout. It was faint and barely noticeable, but no doubt it was real. It seemed to come from… somewhere ahead of him.
Jason sprinted forward, renewed hope granting him an extra spring in his step. The shouting grew louder with every inch he crossed. In just a few seconds, Jason closed the gap that separated him from the door. She was definitely inside there. He spotted the inlaid plate to the side of the door that said ‘Owner’ and barged in.
The darkness inside gave way to the flashlight, allowing him to witness another devastating picture. With the yacht being overturned, the room’s ceiling, as within the saloon, was cluttered with the remains of wooden drawers, couches, and lockers. Their bases were still firmly attached to the floor. In one of the corners, he noticed a gaping hole. Something substantially heavy must have been ripped out.
On the top of the huge furniture pile right in the cabin’s centre layed… a four-foot-tall iron safe. The question was who, in his or her right mind, would take something like that aboard a luxury yacht? A rich lunatic, who else?
From among this pile of debris came a sudden sob. This time it was much more audible. Between several broken tables and chairs, Jason noticed a navy blue and white tablecloth, with something shifting underneath it.
Jason quickly pushed aside all the loose junk that he could and sat himself right before the quivering tablecloth before he pulled it away. With a wave of relief flooding his body, he pushed the button on his radio transmitter.
"Jayhawk-03, I found her," he announced, hearing the triumph in his own voice. "She’s alive."
"Well it’s about time," replied Sam.
All Jason’s attention now focused on the little soul in front of him. A pair of small blue eyes kept staring at him from under the short burgundy mane, full of tears and hope. The filly’s lower body was hidden under the junk pile, which was pinning her down to the ground. The only thing that kept her from becoming a bloody pulp was the remains of a table acting as a wedge that kept the rest of the debris at bay. Given the situation, he would call her lucky.
"I'm the Coast Guard rescue swimmer. I’ll get you out of here. Are you hurt?"
"I-" Lion Heart began to struggle anew. "-I’m stuck."
From the sounds coming from outside the cabin, the water had already begun to flood the corridor. In addition, the floor beneath them began to slightly tilt as the ship’s aft was flooded. If they didn’t escape soon, everything in the cabin’s interior would begin to slide and crash against the walls, themselves included.
"Do you feel any pain?" he asked. Fighting the ship's constant movements, he began tossing aside all the loose parts from the pile that covered the filly.
"N-No," she replied briefly which was a good sign. Those who were physically able tended to be more cooperative as long as their psyche didn’t go down the drain. She seemed to be taking it a lot better than most he had come across so far. "My parents…?"
"They’re safely waiting outside. Give me a moment and—"
They both froze at the ominous creaking sound that pervaded the room. The floor shook and tilted once more, causing the cabin’s door to slam shot. At the same time, the iron safe began to slide down right towards them.
"Oh SHIT!" In one fluid moment, he sprinted forward. He quickly pushed his right side against the iron furniture, trying his best to stop it from crushing Lion Heart’s head.
Lion Heart merely stared at him, her eyes wide with fear. Besides Jason’s heavy panting came some hard swearing that no filly her age should hear.
"Shiiit… okay, Lion Heart..." Jason sucked in some air desperately. "Listen carefully, okay? When I give you the signal… you’re gonna jump forward as hard as you can. Got it?"
Despite the fact that her body started to tremble at the near escape, along with the reality she had found herself in, his voice seemed to reach her. She gave him a hesitant nod, which would have to suffice.
"Okay, on three. One... two... three!"
It didn’t take Jason long to realize how heavy the unnecessary piece of furniture really was. Putting his entire back into it, the safe didn’t even budge, mostly because the debris was blocking the way. The worst part was that his feet kept sliding backwards, forcing him to suppress yet another swear.
Taking a second to see how the filly was doing, he noticed her desperate attempt to break herself free, her hooves scratching the floor like a raging cat. As her effort remained unrewarded, she looked at him with a mixture of disappointment and despair.
"Again, get ready," he gasped through his clenched teeth. "One... two... THREE!"
Jason’s muscles flexed to their limits, the ambitious thrust causing the shoulder he leaned against the safe to burn in white-hot agony. With his eyes shut, he couldn’t tell if his efforts had gained any reward. All he could hear besides the ship’s dying convulsions and his erratic breath were Lion Heart’s desperate attempts for liberation.
He then heard Lion Heart’s sudden squeal as her lower body found a small pocket of wriggle room. Her tiny body blasted forward, making her land on her back with a thud. After asking her to quickly move away, Jason shifted his body to the side, allowing the iron safe to hit the floor. Panting deeply, he helped Lion Heart to get on her hooves. "Okay, kiddo, let's get out of here." He walked towards the cabin’s exit.
"No, wait! Mister Twinkles?"
Jason halted. "What?"
"Mister Twinkles, my pet. He’s trapped inside," she pleaded and started to dig around in the same pile of debris that had held her captive.
"Your pet, huh?" Jason unwillingly joined the search, even as his ears told him that their time was up.
With the iron safe out of the way, dismantling the pile went much easier. Thanks to her small size, Lion Heart vigorously wiggled back into the same opening until Jason could only see her tail and hind legs.
"I found him!" Lion Heart’s heavily suppressed shout came from inside.
Backing up slowly, she finally emerged with a small black and white backpack stuffed in her muzzle. Confused, Jason watched her unzip the bag to reveal its contents. He noticed a fluffy white fabric being taken out and hugged tightly. Mister Twinkles, a lifelike plush seal pup, had been reunited with his owner once more.
Jason strove to keep his temper at bay as anger surged in his veins. They had wasted so much time. And for what?
"A toy?" he asked as calmly as he could.
"My best friend," Lion Heart replied quietly as she placed Mister Twinkles back inside her backpack. "My mamma gave him to me."
Rocked by what was likely the impact of another wave, Jason lost his balance and fell back on the iron safe. The pair quickly ran back to the door, Jason flinging it open and flashing his light into the quaking corridor. The last working lamp had already died out. On the end of the dark tunnel, he noticed the water level had already reached halfway up. It seemed that diving was the only option left. Without wasting any time, he rapidly pushed his flippers back on.
In the meantime, Lion Heart watched in horror at the only possible escape route. The swirling mass of water made her tremble as she began to back away, her rump soon pressing against Jason’s legs. As their eyes met, it was obvious what message lay within. She did not like this, not one bit.
"It’ll be fine, trust me," Jason comforted her as best he possibly could. He grabbed the filly gently around her waist and picked her up to chest level. Sadly, Lion Heart seemed to have other plans. With her cooperativeness on strike, she kicked all her legs vigorously while trying to escape from Jason’s grasp.
Before he got to say anything to the troublesome filly, he felt the ship shifting once more. Now the floor underneath them was constantly becoming steeper, and a rumble sounded from behind them. A quick peek revealed the entirety of the cabin’s interior sliding down towards them. The deadly iron safe, which they both had struggled so hard with, was rushing now at them like a carnivorous beast.
His grip on the filly’s chest tightening, and with his left hand on the cabin’s door handle, he jumped forward and slammed the door shut. The heavy bang from the other side echoed in the corridor. The shock from the impact vibrated through Jason’s left arm, almost making him release the handle. What felt like thousands of heated needles pierced his skull, and Lion Heart’s panicked screams only made it worse.
Jason’s squeezed his eyes open to survey the new situation they were in. The flashlight on his chest swayed along with him while illuminating the dark walls. The churning of the water down below sounded deadly enough even without Lion Heart’s panicked yelling and her wriggling once she had gotten a glimpse as well. His arm burned as he struggled to keep a hold on her. What more could he ask for?
"Jason? JASON! Can you hear me!?" Sam’s shouting into his ear was the icing on the cake when it came to adding to his pain. Trying to keep a hold on the filly, he moved his right arm higher enough to reach the radio.
"Yeah, Sam… I can hear you. Please don’t shout… you’re scaring the filly."
"Jesus Christ, Jason." The relief in his voice was palpable. "What the hell are you still doing out there?"
"Oh nothing, we’re just … hanging around." Judging by the corridor, the yacht was now slowly sinking in a vertical position, though surprisingly slower than it should. Guess Baton Rouge's magic was still in the game. God, he loved that mare. "Just keep the rotors running. We’ll be right there."
No reply came. Sam, contrary to what he was witnessing outside, must have held a sliver of belief in Jason’s words. As for Jason and Lion Heart, this had become the moment of truth. They had to leave the ship now or go down with it.
As Lion Heart’s screaming subsided to sobbing, Jason could tell that she had reached her breaking point. It didn’t surprise him—she was just a kid after all. Sadly, there was no time for a comforting speech. It was just the two of them, and nobody was coming to save them. If they were to ever see the next morning’s sunlight ... they would have to work together.
"Lion Heart... Lion Heart, Look at me!" Jason raised his voice, making her ears perk in response. Sluggishly, she raised her head enough so their eyes met. Her eyes were rimmed red as tears leaked out.
"We'll get out of here," he assured her as convincingly as he could. "I'll take you to your parents, but you have to help me… okay?"
He kept his eye contact with her, willing for her to trust him. Hesitantly, she nodded, wiping her tears away with a hoof. It was just in time as well, as the water had already devoured Jason’s legs all way up to his knees. They were about to go underwater any second now.
"Now listen, we’re going for a little swim. When I give you the signal, you’ll take as much air as possible, got it?" Although she still did not look thrilled at the prospect, she did not try to escape again, instead merely nodding. "I’ll be with you all the time, so just hold on tight and keep your breath as long as you can."
Their eye contact broke the moment Lion Heart felt the cold water on her hind legs, the water level up to Jason’s waist. He lifted her as high as he could so that her head was now almost even with his. His arm trembled with exhaustion, but he continued to hold out until they were prepared.
"Okay, now do what I do. Ready?"
She nodded, and together they performed a series of two short inhales. With the third one, they inhaled deeply, filling their lungs to capacity. The cold water closed in above their heads shortly after, causing the pair and the entire corridor to disappear into the dark abyss.
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Awesome chapter, just the fact that it's inspired by The Guardian (one of my favourite movies, with Top Gun on the top of the list) is good enough for me, and I'm looking forward for more.
The whole chapter shares a lot with one part of the movie (not a complaint, as I said before I loved the chapter) Also... Who the heck sails around carrying a big heavy safe on a yatch?
Keep the good work up, this story goes straight from my "read later" to my "fav" and "tracking" bookshelves
this is great keep it up
7860900
Thanks man, glad to know that despite reader's low frequency someone actually appreciates my work
And you're into Top Gun too I see. Kudos to your great taste :]
So far so good. Although I believe a rescue swimmer (as would all the rest of a chopper crew) would be carrying a HEED (Helicopter Emergency Egress Device) bottle as part of his normal gear. The HEED gives someone in a sinking or rolled aircraft 2-5 minutes of 'spare air' to allow them to free themselves and get to the surface.
7865630
Yes, I believe it's also worth mentioning. Thank you. I also have a question, are you a Coast Guardian, or perhaps a topic enthusiast?
Amending from my main comment on the last chapter: No tank? Or just the HEED mentioned in the other comments (didn't know about those)? I'd think that would be a TERRIBLE idea, if only because air keeps someone you are trying to pull out much calmer and it doesn't hurt to NOT have to use only a few minutes of air for that.
Well, that confirms one of my (mutually exclusive) guesses from last chapter.
Took me until this point to realize that either he made an error or you have a plot hole: If he wants to know Lion Heart's colors, he just needs to have the co-pilot or someone relay the question to the father./
So... if this is an TERRAN pet this seems the wrong call. If it is an EQUESTRIAN pet (or influenced by Equestrian magic?) it probably qualifies as a life equal to their own. In other words if it was some dumb rabbit, forget it (probably), better to have her alive to hate him. If it is a descendant of Angel Bunny who kicks her in the ankle and gives her dirty looks when she doesn't do her homework then he is justified in allowing delay.
Right... definitely no big tank on him... seems weird. I mean it would make maneuvering in the corridors harder, but firefighters manage... of course, they probably have wider hallways to work with... although a wetsuit is probably less bulky than the helmet and turn-out coat(?) of a fire-fighter.