The inside of the sub was constantly trembling, and although the crew’s quarters remained dry, Elsie could feel the water flowing on the lower levels. Without a second thought she rushed to the stairwell and saw from above that a foot of water had pooled on the floor of the map room. From there, she splashed through the water – which happened to be gradually rising – and made her way to the kitchen. Between her and the next room was a sealed door with a window, and when she peered through, although there was no sign of Tilly, she saw that, unlike the kitchen, the water in there was waist high. Tilly was in the engine room on the lowest level of the ship; that much Elsie was sure of.
And so, Elsie set her hand on the handle of the sealed door and tried to turn it until her knuckles turned white, but with all her strength it wouldn’t budge. She then bashed her fist against the glass. “No!” she cried. Suddenly she heard Jack’s voice calling from behind, and without a word he rushed in and helped her to open the door. “Tilly is in the engine room,” she said. “I know it!”
When the latch on the door came loose the water on the other side poured in with a powerful torrent. Churning and bubbling, it dragged heavily against their legs, but they used the walls as support and fought their way through. Jack forcefully reminded his little sister that it was only a matter of minutes before the Rosanne sank entirely. “We have to hurry!” he yelled.
Elsie stumbled desperately through the rush of water, and she screamed, “I know! I know.” And then she peered through the door to the engine room, and her heart leapt. Tilly floated, consumed in water, like a beautiful ghost. But her eyes remained opened and very alive, and when she saw Elsie she screamed – releasing nothing but bubbles from her mouth – and she bashed her hands against the inside of the door. Elsie punched on the door and began to pull at the latch. “Hurry Jack! Hurry!”
But Tilly’s attacks on the door became weaker and weaker, until she eventually lost all strength and fell limp, like a ragdoll. In that moment, the door came flying open and the water that had filled the engine room now poured into the rest of the sub. Tilly’s body crashed lifelessly into Jack and Elsie and as soon as they had it Jack took her in his arms and began to carry her back towards the crew’s quarters.
Upon climbing back up the hatch, they saw that the upper platform was on a major slant, so that the black waves engulfed the rail on the right side. Meanwhile, the vast majority of the crew had been unloaded into the lifeboats, and Professor Goodwin merely awaited Jack, Tilly and Elsie. Jack found it remarkably difficult to run on such a slope while Tilly remained unconscious in his arms. In their severity, Elsie did her best to support him, but the Rosanne was now plummeting quickly into the ocean, and was being sucked down by the waves. They increased their pace and Professor Goodwin waved them over to the boat. They suddenly noticed the water splashing around their feet and the lifeboat becoming detached from the giant sinking slate of metal. They climbed in, breathless, just before the VS Rosanne 7 disappeared forever into the depths of the angering sea.
ns 172.70.175.134da2
