Chapter 42
Below, people were having trouble reading directions and finding the correct stairways to reach the launching rescue boats. It appeared as if many of the boats were sent out into the Atlantic only partially filled, yet another fact that made absolutely no sense to him. The boat had more than enough people to fill each of them to capacity, yet the lifeboats were far from full.
A flare was fired into the night sky, leaving some gasping, others cheering, more still running for their lives. It was then that Aaron spied a familiar head of gray hair huddled in a crowd toward the starboard side of the ship where the next set of lifeboats would launch.
Certain it was Williams, he handed off the lifebelt to another passenger and slid his way through the crowd, a feat in itself considering how tightly packed the people waiting to get on the boat were. “Going somewhere, doctor?” he asked, placing his hand on the Vampire’s shoulder and pressing the stake against his back.
Dr. Williams released a soft chuckle. “Surely you can’t think to terminate me right here in front of all of these people?”
“If I did, it wouldn’t be the most unusual sight this crowd witnesses this morning. No, I won’t end you right here, but I will drag you over to that corner behind those benches and dispatch you there.”
“The hell you will,” Williams growled.
“You and I know this is all over,” Aaron stated, hoping he would just come quietly, though he knew in his heart he wouldn’t; they never did.
“No, you see, I’m about to get on this lifeboat and haul it out into the Atlantic where I can have my way with all of those aboard.”
The thought made Aaron not only sick but also quite angry. There was no way Williams was getting on that lifeboat.
As if the crew member at the front of the crowd had read their minds, he began to fill the boat, taking only women and children first. That cleared up some space, but as the boat began to fill up, those still standing on the deck began to grow anxious and push their ways forward. Just as the officer began to shout, “Anyone else then!” a flood of people poured up the stairs to their left, pressing into the small space, and providing several dozen more women and children to take those coveted spots on the lifeboat, including the one Dr. Williams had hoped to occupy.
Aaron saw Catherine trailing the crowd and realized she’d let all of those people up from the decks below, who had likely been trapped behind a gate. He smiled at her, and then, taking advantage of the rush, he grabbed Williams and dragged him toward the railing.
The Vampire struggled against him, but Aaron was not only stronger, he knew precisely where they were going. At this angle, he estimated Titanic would flounder in a half hour, and if that was the case, he would be in the cold water soon enough anyway. May as well get on with it.
“Help! Someone help me!” Williams shouted, hoping to draw attention from the crowd, but the other panicked shouts drowned him out, and Aaron had him pressed up against the railing, though he was struggling to get him off balance enough to tip him over.
Out of nowhere, a force slammed into them, sending them both tumbling over the railing, and as Aaron found himself falling into cold water—once again—he realized Catherine had hurled herself into them, forcing them both over the railing.
The doctor hit the water first, followed by Aaron and Catherine. They heard screams from onlookers, those who had yet to realize thousands of people would be in the water soon enough, but they did not let that distract them. Realizing decapitation was now the best method, Aaron let go of the stake he’d still managed to clutch in his hand and began to wrestle the gyrating doctor who was doing his best to shake his enemies off.
“You hold him still! I got it!” Catherine shouted, as she fought to get a grip on the Vampire’s head.
Aaron used the same method he’d used on the Ripper, only this time it was much easier with Catherine’s help, and a few seconds later, she had his head off. Rather than draw attention to what she had done to anyone who might still be watching from the boat, she plunged beneath the surface of the water, and Aaron followed, waiting for Dr. Williams to dissolve before the two resurfaced, so that it might look as if the third party had simply drowned.
Once they resurfaced, Aaron looked up at the Titanic. It wouldn’t be long now. Nearly all of the lifeboats had launched, and there were still hundreds of people on the ship.
Catherine turned to look at the ship as well. “What can we do?” she asked as she treaded water.
“I don’t know,” Aaron replied. “At least we won’t need to take up seats on the lifeboats, but I don’t even see another vessel.”
“They are out of time.”
“We should swim out of the way. Once they realize the boat is going down, some of them will start to jump,” Aaron said, and he and Catherine swam away from Titanic, praying for a miracle that would allow all of the lives on board to survive.
The water was just above freezing, and while it wasn’t comfortable for them, it wasn’t deadly. For the humans, however, it would only be a matter of minutes before they would perish. The lifeboats were off in the distance. Aaron was hopeful that they planned to come back once people were in the water and collect as many survivors as possible.
That was not the case, and once Titanic floundered at approximately 2:00 in the morning, the water was full of screams and shouts for help. For nearly four minutes, Aaron and Catherine waited and prayed, hoping the lifeboats would come back. Only two did, and by the time they did so, it was too late; the screams had stopped. Once they were certain they wouldn’t be taking up seats others could use, they boarded one of the lifeboats that had been sent back.
Unfortunately, there was plenty of room.
When the Carpathian appeared on the horizon a few hours later, the lifeboats made their way over, and dozens of people were reunited with loved ones. However, many more began a frantic search for faces they would never see again, a search that would haunt them the rest of their lives.
Christian was reunited with his teammates, having also been plucked from the ocean by the lifeboats that went back to find survivors. He had little to say, and Aaron could only wonder what horrors he had witnessed to keep a Revolutionary War hero silent.
The Statue of Liberty greeted them a few days later as the pulled into New York Harbor in a light rain. Aaron knew that, despite the unbelievable sights and experiences he’d gone through in his eighty-three years, Titanic would stay with him for the rest of his days.
