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your lives, then get yourself into the first compartment and close the hatch safely and remain safe in there. I will be doing this. We have to protect the remaining crew and if you all are feeling scared then I will alone go ahead with it," I declared.
    I looked back at Prathap and Taan Singh. Prathap remained silent but Taan sing stepped forward saying "Sir, I am with you."
    I knew that whatever I was doing was right, so I just went ahead with my plan. I stood in front of the hatch and as I was just about to open it, Prathap pulled me back. It made me angry. I forced myself not to hit him. But Prathap was adamant in stopping me to open up the hatch. I had no other option but to hit him and push him back.
    Kamal and Taan Singh interfered to stop the fight. They both held Prathap and the fight was stopped midway. I had no intention of punishing Prathap for his foolish behaviour. I realized that it was his fear that was forcing him to do so.
    I still went ahead with my plan; I went to the hatch to open it.
    Before I could open it, suddenly there was a big explosion in the other compartments; we were all thrown back. None of us could figure out the cause behind the explosion. There was a loud sound and the resultant quivers in the compartment threw us up in the air. We found ourselves from a distance of 3 to 4 feet from the hatch.
    Water was flushing from the broken pipes continuously. It was not possible for any of us to stop it. In fact, we were unable to hold ourselves straight against the incoming gush of water. The hatch of the third compartment blew open as the water from the third compartment flooded into the second compartment and subsequently into the first.
    "Get back - Let's close the first compartment hatch before it breaks loose and drowns us," Kamal said.
    It became increasingly difficult for all of us to stand in the gush of water. I tried to attend to Ramana who was lying dormant on that dining table, but was unable to get any closer to him. I pushed myself harder towards him and as I was about to get to him, a metal box hit me on my head and that made me lose consciousness for a second. Bells of our struggle rang loud enough in my brains so that I hung there in resolve to get myself through this. Vision inside the compartment was distorted. Even the intensity of our voices dropped and this I learnt when I couldn’t hear anything being said by Kamal.
    I was chest level deep in the gushing water. The water slowly took over the first compartment too as Taan Singh valiantly made his way in. Kamal held tight onto the latch to let us both us so that the hatch could be closed without further delay.
    We were engulfed in the freezing water. It was so cold that it became difficult for us to breathe. Prathap was struggling in there. Ramana was underwater & he was not breathing. I felt pity for him. I had to let him go, I felt that there was no point in dragging the dead body.
    I looked up at Prathap; he managed to come closer to me. But all of a sudden, he stops and he doesn't move. His eyes were wide open. I realized that something went terribly wrong. Blood started gushing out. A broken pipe had jammed into Prathap’s stomach. Kamal and I stared at him, stunned.
    "Arjun, come back, before it's too late. Come back... Come back..." Kamal implored.
    Kamal was repeatedly saying my name. I just stood there appalled at what happened to Prathap. Kamal pulled me back towards him, into the first compartment and the hatch immediately closed behind me.

LOST IN OBLIVION
    2 hours later
    The water was rising above our chest level imperceptibly. There was still 2 feet of distance between the water level and the compartment’s roof. This was the line that separated us from death.
    I was feeling miserable for Prathap. I couldn't believe that he was no more.
    Kamal sighed, helplessly.
    "Sir, is there a way out now? Can we come out from this? The torpedo tubes are crushed, but we could still fit into them," Taan Singh said.
    "We need