On the morning of May 27th, 2014, a high pitched beeping cut through the silence of Anthony's bedroom. With a groan, he rolls over and slams the snooze button on his alarm clock. Fifteen minutes later, the beeping continues, prompting Anthony to sit up groggily and turn off the alarm. He stands and begins to get dressed when he notices the date on a calender hanging on his wall. "Oh my god," he whispers, then jumps into a motion. He rapidly packs one suitcase with clothes and toiletries and another case with his rifle, ammo, cleaning kit, and hunting knives. He dumps it all in his car and rushes to the docks where he would board the ship that was to take him to Africa. "Lord, please don't let me be too late." he prays as he drives ever faster.

June 3rd-
Anthony had made it to the cruise ship on time, and luckily, isn't pulled over for speeding. After checking in his car at a parking garage and giving his hunting supplies to the correct attendant, he had met his uncle and grandpa just in time for dinner. Now, seven days later, they were nearing yet another dock to pick up more passengers. Although there were reports of a tropical storm brewing, the passengers were assured that the ship wouldn't be affected.

Caitlin rose early on the morning of June 3rd, double checked she had everything, as she commonly did, shrugged on a backpack full of clothes and toiletries (she did most of her traveling by backpacking, and as such had grown accustomed to light travelling) slung a handbag over one shoulder, and what she thought of as her electronics bag, which held her phone, laptop, and while she did have a kindle, a good selection of paperback books as a back up. She was near enough to the docks that she could easily walk to them, so she plugged her ipod in, putting in the earphomes and blasted music.

Caitlin rarely listened to music. She had to be in the mood for it, but today she was going on a well deserved vacation after four years at university. She had taken third and final year of her nursing course oart time, to gain exoerience working part time in an aged care home as a carer. She had saved money to be abke to go on a holiday, and thats what she was doing.

She soon reached the docks, and was just in time to watch the ship she would be boarding arrive. This would be ner first time on a ship, so she hoped it would be pretty good.

Zoe was sitting in an uncomfortable plastic chair flanked by two parental figures. "Okay, you packed everything right?" The maternal figure asked worriedly. "Yes...for the millionth time." Zoe muttered under her breath. "I told you once I told you a billion times! Don't exaggerate your numbers!" The paternal figure responded with a chuckle. "Are you sure you want to do this, its a big responsibility, and South America is a long ways away...You double-checked the bags right?" The Maternal figure mused quietly at no specific individual. "Its June!" Zoe responded who was currently preoccupied with staring at the ceiling nervously. "I'm only going to miss, what? A week of school? And no one does anything on the last week of school anyway." Zoe.looked around the empty waiting room, then at the boat yard, which was deserted all but a small group of dock workers in bright orange vests getting off shift."Why are we here at five in the morning anyway?" Zoe crossed her arms and slouched down in her chair "The boat doesn't leave till nine?" Zoe kicked the two suitcases at her feet, but they stubbornly decided not to tip over, and rolled just out of reach. "Zoeeeee!" Her little sister chose this time to barge in. "Make sure to get gifts okay?" She said, while jumping around the room. " And I'm going to miss you soo much!" She said and "and did you know there were shops upstairs? There are like...a million!" She paused for a minute. "Remember to get gifts okay?" "Okay okay" Zoe said with a smile. "But we still have a couple hours left, so don't try to get rid of me just yet"
She couldn't wait to get on that boat.

Arriving early was the usual ways of Adam. Especially when it was something completely new like this. He'd never been on a ship that was anything this large before. It looked like a floating city. Before they were able to board he sat with everyone else while his nerves were on end. This always happened before something big was about to occur. Or at least big in his mind. Traveling was not a common thing for him to do. But on rare occasion he would get adventurous and plan a trip. Such was the case now.

To ease his nerves he pulled out his phone and began browsing the web. He needed to occupy his mind until he was at the point of no return. Namely, on a moving ship. At his feet was a dufle bag with his clothes with a couple other items mixed in and an average backpack that held his laptop and electronics along with some more random objects such as an old fabric belt, an empty plastic cylindrical container, paper, pens,, and other odds and ends. The extra things were objects he learned to bring along from camping and going to conventions. It never failed when he'd leave something behind and later wish he'd brought it.

(And yes, I do pack this way)

At midnight of the same night, thick, ominous clouds darken the evening sky. As the ocean waves become ever stronger, rocking the ship, they wake Anthony. He sits up unsteadily as he starts to feel nauseous. He heads for the bathroom of the room he and his relatives are in, but it's occupied. Unsure of what else to do, he races to the deck of the ship and throws up his dinner over the guard rail. He rests his head on the rail and waits for the nausea to pass.

Andrea was facing much the same problems as Anthony. Except, the person in the bathroom was a college freshmen, and her best friend Stephanie, more commonly known as Steph. Though, they think themselves a lot as sisters more then friends. They were just that close. Andrea raced out to the guardrail, hurling up the delicious food that she just ate today. For some reason, fish doesn't taste as good coming up as it did going down. She took a deep breath, gazing down at the sea. That just made her feel sick. She dry heaved, everything in her stomach already on the side of the ship or in the water. She looked up at the sky, an uneasy look forming on her face. If she knew anything from living in tornado country, those clouds looked very... Dangerous. Certainly not tornado, but easily signified a storm. She said," this... Cannot be good." She swallowed and wiped her mouth, closing her eyes tightly, silently saying a quick prayer for safety.

Caitlin was laying in her bed, her eyes closed, biting her lip. She had seen a lot of things that had made her want to hurl, and had developed a resistance, but this was challenging her. She finally stood, thinking cool air would be good. She slung on her hand bag, then out her jacket over the too, heading out and leaning against the rail. It didn't help. If anything it made it worse

She gripped the rail right, feeling like this was a bad idea

With the storm raging outside Adam stayed inside on the upper deck watching the wind and waves. He had stayed up late like usual so the fact that he was still up wasn't a big deal. He hadn't gone back to his room when the storm hit. Didn't seem like it would make a difference. He could sleep just about anywhere. Glancing at the deck he could see a few people outside. Were they crazy being out there? He couldn't see that they were losing it out there. Standing up he went to the door. He was high enough away from the waves to be safe. Stepping out he yelled to the people below. "Hey! Get back inside!" Realistically it was unlikely they heard him over the storm, but he figured he should at least try.

Zoe was lying on her bunk watching as the light swung from side to side. She had spent a fair amount of her life on boats, planes, impossibly long road trips, so she didn't get motion sickness very easily, but the fact that a boat of this size was rocking from side to side worried her. Zoe got up and looked out the small porthole that was in her cabin. The waves were big and choppy, and sheets of rain were hitting the boat. "Ugh...first day and this already?" She complained to one in particular. Well it wasn't everyday you got to see a tropical storm, Zoe pulled on a sweater before slipping on a waterproof coat and some boots. She was also worried if she stayed cooped up in this cabin any longer, vertigo would kick in, and she preferred her dinner in her stomach. Zoe stuffed her phone into her pocket before heading towards the upper decks.

John crossed his arms over his chest, watching the waves crash onto the deck. His aunt had often told him about tropical storms but he never imagined them like this. John looked at the ocean and was suddenly nervous. What if the ship wrecked? That's stupid. Bad things just didn't happen to him. At least not like that. His parents had been divorced but no one in his family had died or been kidnapped. No. Bad things just didn't happen to him. Yet he just couldn't shake a feeling in his gut that this was different. It was just jitters. He had always been somewhat afraid of the water. There was so much down there that no one knew about. John sighed and continued watching the waves crash onto the lower deck.

As the waves grow higher and higher, lightning streaks down from the sky and hits one of the flood lights that keep the deck lit. Within a split second, the lightning arcs from the first flood light to every other one, cloaking the ship in darkness. Anthony pulls out his phone to use the flashlight on it, and the edge of the beam illuminates a monstrous wave racing toward the ship. Anthony's eyes widen and he opens his mouth to call to the other passengers, but is reward with a mouth full of sea water. The one hundred and fifty foot waves crashes into the side of the ship, flipping it over as if it was made of mere paper. Anthony is thrown overboard and loses all sense of up and down as he's tossed by the raging storm. As his vision goes dim from the lack of oxygen, he can just make out the outline of a lifeboat. Drawing on energy reserves he hadn't known he possessed, Anthony makes his way to the boiling surface of the ocean and struggles to climb onto the life boat. As he climbs over the edge, a wave knocks him in, slamming his head against the floor. The last thing he sees before passing out are a few others fighting their way into lifeboats as well.

John struggled to the surface of the water, or at least what he thought was the surface. Yes it was. He came up and gasped for air, shivering. One word went through his head. Lifeboat. There were a few scattered about. He saw other passengers going towards them. One floated by him and he snatched it, hauling himself in. He knew it! But at least he was alive. He held onto the lifeboat for dear life, as the water churned. Hopefully this was over soon.

When the water swallowed Csitlin, she had no sense of direction. She paniced, kicking out. Perhaps caitlins greatest fear was drowning, based on a traumatic experience as a child. Her fear took over, and she lost all sense of anything. Her handbag pulled her down somewhat, but she had no strength to shrug her jacket off, and then her handbag.

she foolishly opened her mouth, and seawater poured in, finding its way down her throat. Some how, her lungs burning, sje broke the surface, gasping in air and than coughing violently. She didn't know if she had the strength to reach a lifeboat bobbing along. She kicked out, aiming for one.

she reached one after a long struggle, but found she had no energy to pull herself into it. "He-help" she cried out weakly, jer throat sore, coughing once again

John looked over at another lifeboat and saw someone. She looked about 22 and extremely disheveled. Like more disheveled then he probably did. He saw her say something. John was ok at lip reading but he was gonna just take a guess here and say she said help. He paddled his life boat over to her and extended his hand towards her. "Come on! Grab on!"

The boy that was helping her was just that, a boy. What was he doing here? Didn't he have parents? You are in the middle of a storm, thrown over board, and you are worrying zbout that?

She accepted his hand, managing to pull herself in. She let go, leaned pack panting, which caused her to cough some more, her lungs and body wanting to expell the water she had ingested. She turned away, continuimg to cough.

"Thank you" she managed

Andrea screamed in fear as she was thrown overboard, all air thrusted out of her once she hit the water. She was tossed violently around in the water, barely catching her breath once before she was thrown down again. She spotted something above her and quickly swam towards it. She broke the water and swiftly grasped the life boat. She dragged her body ontop of it, gasping for air, grasping for something to hold on to. Her body hurt. She gazed out to the side, panting. Suddenly, a choked sob escaped her lips. She stared at the body of another person. She closed her eyes tightly. This had to be a nightmare. But she hadn't died yet so it couldn't be done yet... Please be a nightmare.

"No problem. I'm John by the way" John shouted over the storm. Was he introducing himself in the middle of a storm. God thats what he was worrying about? He must be going insane.

"Caitlin" caitin said, and thats all she managed to get out, as she leaned over a sighed of a boat, and was voilently ill, seawater rushing back out, what food she had with dinner exiting as well.

She moaned, leaning back, wrapping ner arms around herself, shaking fro fear, cold, exhaustion. Get it together! You are on a lifeboat with a kid that looks like he has just started secondary school! You need to be an adult!

She grimaced, forcing herself to sit up straight, "are you okay? Not injured?"

Watching from the upper deck Adam saw the lights go out from the lightning. After a few seconds a much smaller one blinks on before it gets engulfed by the wave. He didn't have time to think about what just occurred because the lurched and rolled. Thrown off his feet he slid and tumbled off the ship into the rolling seas. He sucked in as much air he could before plunging into the depths. The waves turned him over and over until he couldn't tell which way was up. A flash of lightning was all that told him which way to go.

Breaking the surface he gasped for air. He did his best to keep above water and looked around for anything he could climb onto. After a few more flashes of lightning he spotted one of the life boats bobbing around in the water. He started for it, taking several minutes trying to get over the current. Finally reaching it he grabbed hold and rested. He would need a little bit before he would have the strength to pull himself in. But at the very least he didn't have to swim any longer.

"Yeah I'm fine. A little shaken up but I'll make it." John said. The lady, Caitlin, probably thought he was just some kid. "I guess I am," John thought to himself. "What about you?" John asked Caitlin. She looked a little worse for wear, and vomiting over the boat was not making him confident in her well being.