Zoko6

While the ship they were on was sailing enroute to their destination, a sudden storm hit them and a huge wave capsized the ship, but not before most of the crew managed to abandon ship to safety. Lila and Mia however, are still trapped inside the ship as it slowly sinks into the sea. As water rushes in and floods the lower deck, Lila is forced to swim through a completely flooded corridor to reach the storage hold she last remembered Mia was in. She pushed aside floating debris that blocked her way and finally reached the door of the similarly flooded cargo hold and swam inside.  Mia was still waiting inside the cargo hold as the ship sank, afraid to move and waited until the cargo hold was completely flooded before she attempted to swim out in the gloom. That was when she came across Lila who came to find her at the doorway which surprised her briefly. The two girls then briefly hugged one another, glad at least they still have each other. Before they could let each other go however, the ship’s hull groaned all around them as the ship hit the bottom of the sea. The impact jolted loose the many crates and barrels from one side of the hold to sink downwards, forcing the two girls two swim away lest they get buried under them. When silence finally came and the cargo finally settled, Lila and Mia saw to their dismay the doorway Lila came through was now buried under a veritable mountain of fallen cargo. Unafraid still of their predicament, Lila swam and pulled Mia along to the other door on the other side of the hold which was now up above them. When she reached the closed door and grabbed the handle however, Lila remembered too late that the door only swings outward. Tried as she and Mia could push, the door refused to budge without any leverage. Panicking and with their lungs burning, Mia looked around the room for another exit. She motioned to Lila several portholes on the ship’s bulkhead before swimming towards one of them to see if she could pry them open. Lila was about to join her before she noticed a ventilation grate above the door and tried to pry it open without luck. By the second porthole she checked, Mia saw the futility of checking the rest as they were all unopenable. She turned towards Lila who joined her who shook her head. Mia looked around once more in desperation, and when Lila reached up and grab Mia’s arm, Mia saw the look on Lila’s face and noticed the strained grimace on her friend’s face, the look she gave in her eyes, and rhythmic rise and fall of her shoulders as convulsions wracked her chest and stomach. Despair filled her with the reality of their situation. Mia realized too late that Lila, having swam all the way to find her when she was still able to take one last breath earlier, would go first. She looked deep into Lila’s green eyes, and saw the calmness behind them still even though she knew. Lips quivering, Mia somberly pulled Lila close into a tighter embrace, to which Lila returned  as well with an inward thanks for being held by her dearest friend before the end. *I love you, Mia,* Lila thought as she felt a strong convulsion in her chest. And another one stronger than the last… and another… She resisted the deep, deep urge to inhale… Mia felt her friend’s fingers erratically digging and scratching into her back as her chest heaves. Felt it heave again. She heard intermittent blips of air escaping her friend’s lips. She closed her eyes as sadness slowly overwhelmed her. That was when Lila could no longer resist the urge and opened her mouth to exhale the stale air in her lungs in a bloosh, before she gasped and sucked in water into her lungs instead.  Mia winced as she held on to Lila tightly as she spasmed and thrashed wildly in her arms. She dared not open her eyes as she heard her friend’s horrific coughing and gurgling repeatedly in her ears trying to drag air into her lungs. The remaining air in her flooded lungs burbled and dribbled around their heads. Mia tightened her embrace even harder, taking in every jerk and convulsion of her drowning friend as if it was her own. Lila burbled once more, her body shuddered strongly once, and her arms fell away behind Mia’s back as her body went limp. Mia audibly groaned as she is wracked with stunted sobbing. Her lungs ached for relief while her own chest convulsed with increasing rhythm. She held on to Lila’s still warm body, feeling comforted by her stillness.  Another stronger convulsion wracked her, and air finally dribbled past her clenched lips. She pulled her head back while pulling Lila’s away. Looking briefly into her friend’s now lifeless, partly closed eyes. She sees Lila’s parted lips before leaning in to gently kiss them. *I love you, Lila.* Mia then suddenly coughed and gasped as her lungs gave out, and she reluctantly swallowed a mouthful of water down her windpipe and into her desperate lungs. She shuddered and jerked as she coughed and gurgled on water she kept drawing into her throat, her body reacting too late to expel the liquid invader in her respiratory system. The pain of her drowning terrified her. It was only through her sheer willpower she didn’t let go of Lila’s body despite her mind screaming to let go and swim up for air somewhere, choosing to hold Lila in a death grip of her own choice. With every bit of air she sporadically coughed out, together she and Lila sank down to the bottom of the hold. There, Mia felt numbness finally overcome her. Her body shaken by intermittent spasms she could not feel as she settled face down on top of Lila on the bulkhead. Though her arms finally fell limp on her sides, Mia laid still with Lila, together in the end. As her eyes glazed over and her life winked out, Mia felt and saw no more… *** Author Notes: Before the year ends, I thought I'd post three of my random short stories I wrote up in my precious free time in between production works. These three features my two OCs: Lila and Mia in various perils loosely based on some famous films or media. Finally, the last story is loosely themed after The Poseidon Adventure.