As Catalina desperately searched for the cabin door, her lungs burned for air. Her hands desperately searched for the handle, frantically searching for any crevice, ridge, or bump. She was running out of air. She opened her eyes momentarily, but it was too murky for her eyes to make out anything. Everything blurred together, and it was impossible to make out anything in the water. She wildly searched the water for any signs of her friends, but no one was to be seen. All she could see through the cloudy water were pieces of debris. The darkness of the cabin and surrounding boat made it impossible to see anything, and Catalina worried that whatever had brought the boat down was lurking dangerously nearby. With her lungs burning, she quickly swam up for air, finally reaching what little space of the cabin that wasn't filled with water.
Catalina opened her eyes as she gasped for air to see she was utterly alone in the flooded cabin. Only a foot or so remained of open space between the water and the top of the cabin, and Catalina knew she had only minutes before the cabin completely flooded, and she would drown. Thrashing her arms, she frantically swam in circles, scanning the waters for any sign of her lost friends. Catalina could see the giant gaping hole in the glass near the steering wheel as the tiny space of the unfilled cabin got smaller and smaller. Water surged in through the hole, and she realized she had a minute, maybe two, before there would be no space left in the cabin, and it would be completely submerged in water. She wanted to think her friends had somehow made it out, but she doubted that was possible. Maybe there is a hole in the cabin somewhere, she thought quickly. Holding her breath, she swam underwater and began feeling around furiously for any sign of a hole or opening. Opening her eyes periodically, she went from wall to wall in the cabin, feeling as much of the wall as she could and using what limited vision she had to search the area for any openings.
Catalina desperately swam from corner to corner, looking for an escape route. Maybe I could break open the glass near the hole, Catalina thought. She swam over to the windshield and, using her hands to brace herself against the cabin roof, began kicking the windshield near the hole. Small pieces of glass splintered off the spot, but with the speed at which the water poured in, Catalina had no chance of breaking the windshield in time. With only inches left of open space, and the constant flow of salty seawater flowing into her nose and mouth, fear began to paralyze Catalina. She couldn't believe this was how her life was going to end. She was only twenty-six. She had spent the last few years working full-time and had barely begun to explore the world. She had never found love and had never made love. Frantically treading water, she lifted her head up, gasping for air as she tried desperately to stay above the water.
"Help!!!" She screamed as saltwater poured into her mouth. Gargling and spitting, she quickly decided to scream was against her best interest and instead swam to a corner of the cabin and closed her eyes. It would be moments now before the entire cabin was underwater, and her fate would be sealed. Tears filled her eyes, and she began to curse herself silently for agreeing to come along on this dreaded boat ride. She had known Roy was incompetent. But maybe this wasn't entirely Roy's fault. Whatever had kept banging into the boat had been big enough to sink a cabin cruiser. And whatever it was could still be out there.
Just as the water reached the top, Catalina heard the glass of the windshield shatter. A surge of water pulled Catalina underwater, and she decided quickly to swim towards the gaping space where the windshield had once been. Catalina tried to close her eyes, but the sight of a dark, human-shaped figure caught her attention. It floated lifelessly, and fear swept through her body. Using every ounce of energy she possessed, she forced her body through the space of the broken windshield and up towards the surface. Debris from the boat was everywhere, and Catalina looked up to see the grey-blue sky above the water. If she could hold her breath for a little bit longer, she could make it to the surface and possibly hold onto a piece of debris until rescue came. Swimming frantically, Catalina used all of the last bit of air in her lungs to push her legs and arms in unison. Thankfully, she was an avid swimmer, and Catalina was desperate not to drown. Keeping her eyes open just barely, she swam as quickly as she could through the murky seawater, pushing past boat debris, seaweed, and long trailing pieces of kelp. She reached the surface just as she ran out of air. As she gasped for air, she kicked her legs to stay afloat in the dark, deep water.
Catalina had a new problem at hand. Staying afloat in the frigid water was going to be a new challenge. As she swam deliriously in a circle, she couldn't believe there wasn't a single piece of debris floating near her. Her legs would eventually grow tired, and she began to shudder, thinking about what would happen if they did.
"Help!!" Catalina searched for any sight of humanity. There was no shoreline in the distance, and she had come to the realization that her friends had most likely drowned. She couldn't see any land insight, and when she looked up into the gray sky, she didn't see any signs of a plane or rescue anywhere. She doubted that anyone had sent for rescue just yet, and it could be hours before anyone did. Most likely, it would be Roy's dad looking for his boat, or maybe Maya's overprotective mom. Either way that could take hours, possibly days, and Catalina did not have the strength to keep swimming for that long.
She gritted her teeth, which had begun to chatter. She was cold now, and she knew it wouldn't be long before the hypothermia would set in. Catalina quickly decided that the best shot she had for survival would be to tread water lightly and conserve energy. She would have swum towards the shore, but she didn't know which direction that was. Instead, she focused on staying afloat and using as little energy as possible. Any fears of what took the boat down, she pushed aside. She had to focus on her survival. I can do this, thought Catalina; I will stay alive. I must stay focused. And that's when something bit her on the leg, forcibly dragging her underwater.