The ship lurched violently, the sudden motion sending glasses and bottles crashing to the floor of the bar. Zack barely had time to steady himself before the intercom crackled again, the captain's voice blaring through the speakers.
"Brace for impact! Everyone, hold on to—"
The intercom cut out mid-sentence, leaving only static in its wake. The bar plunged into darkness as the power across the ship failed, the hum of the engines silenced. Gasps and screams filled the room as passengers scrambled to find something—anything—to hold onto.
"Stay together!" Zack yelled, his voice barely audible over the cacophony of shattering glass and groaning metal.
He grabbed the edge of the bar, his knuckles white as the ship tilted sharply. Eric and Josh were on either side of him, gripping whatever they could, while Tara, Jess, and Mia huddled nearby, their faces pale with fear.
Through the broken windows, the scene outside was nothing short of apocalyptic. The whirlpool dominated the view, its glowing blue edges illuminating the stormy night. The ship was being dragged toward it, pieces of debris already being sucked into the vortex.
The sound of glass shattering was deafening as one of the large windows gave way, the pressure of the storm finally overwhelming it. A rush of freezing water surged into the bar, sweeping away tables, chairs, and anyone not anchored down.
"Hold on!" Josh yelled, his voice strained as he fought against the pull of the water.
Zack tightened his grip, his heart pounding as he watched several passengers get swept through the shattered window, their screams fading into the roar of the ocean.
"This can't be happening," Tara sobbed, her hands clinging to Eric's arm.
But it was happening, and Zack knew they were running out of time. The ship groaned beneath them, the sound of metal twisting and breaking echoing through the darkness.
The whirlpool's pull grew stronger, the ship's massive structure no match for the force of the vortex. Another violent lurch sent Zack and the others sprawling, their hands slipping from their holds.
"Zack!" Jess screamed as she was dragged across the floor, her fingers grasping for something to stop her momentum.
Zack lunged forward, managing to grab her arm just as she was about to be pulled toward the gaping hole where the window once was.
"Got you!" he grunted, pulling her back toward the group.
But the reprieve was short-lived. The ship tilted again, this time at an even steeper angle, and Zack could feel the inevitability of what was coming. The water was everywhere now, rushing in through broken windows and doors, flooding the bar in seconds.
The final moments were a blur. Zack could barely hear anything over the roar of the water and the grinding of the ship's breaking hull. He could feel the suction of the whirlpool pulling at him, stronger now than ever.
And then, the moment came.
The ship's structure gave way entirely, the walls and floors collapsing as the whirlpool claimed its prize. Zack felt his grip falter, and in an instant, he was airborne, sucked out into the freezing ocean.
The water was chaos—cold, relentless, and disorienting. Zack fought to surface, but the whirlpool's pull was absolute.
Through the chaos, just before everything went black, he saw it.
A rift. Deep and glowing, its bluish light cutting through the darkness like a beacon. It wasn't just the whirlpool pulling them in—it was this.
The last thing Zack remembered was the rift's strange, otherworldly glow swallowing everything in its path.