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As we talk, a noise interrupts our conversation, a distant rumble that echoes across the island.
“What’s that?” she asks.
I jump to my feet, my heart pounding in my chest as I scan the horizon for the source of the noise. I’m on the move, making my way to the shoreline with my eyes on the sky.
"It's a plane," I breathe, my voice filled with hope. “I need the orange box!” I shout.
Paige runs towards me, her eyes wild as she shoves the box at me. “It’s a plane!”
I grab the box and quickly open it. My hands are shaking. I know I’ve got exactly one shot. They’re going to assume we’re dead. They’re not going to waste resources searching for a plane that’s on the ocean floor.
“Hurry!” Paige slaps my arm.
I pull the flare gun and take my shot. I hold my breath and reach for Paige’s hand. The flare arches into the sky with a fiery trail. It soars higher and higher. We both watch it climb, with her hand squeezing mind. My heart is pounding with a strange mix of fear and hope. If the pilot doesn’t see it, I know we’re going to die. A moment later, the flare explodes in a brilliant burst of light.
The plane above circles a couple of times and then drops in altitude. Paige and I both scream and wave our arms like maniacs. I watch the plane rock and back and forth, like the wings are waving to us. I know the signal.
"They saw us," I tell Paige, my voice filled with relief. "Help will be on the way."
“How do you know?” she asks.
The plane turns and flies away from the island. She grabs my arm. “They’re leaving! Where are they going?”
“They’ll send help,” I assure her, feeling relieved.
“How do you know?”
“That move, rocking back and forth, that’s the signal. They saw us. We’re going to be okay. They’ll report back and if it’s not a helicopter, they’ll send a boat.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” I nod. “It was a spotter plane. They couldn’t have landed.”
We collapse onto the sand, our bodies drenched in sweat and adrenaline. Paige's breathing is still ragged, fear still visible in her eyes.
"They're going to send help," I repeat, trying to calm her nerves. "You just have to trust me."
She looks at me, her eyes pleading. "Do you think we'll make it?"
"Absolutely. They’ll be here in an hour, two or three tops.”
“I’m trusting you, Travis. If you’re getting my hopes up for nothing, I’m going to be pissed.”
“I wouldn’t do that to you. I’ll go grab our things. You stay here.”
She looks at me. “Where am I going to go?”
I lean over and give her a quick kiss. I go back to our camp, kicking sand over our little fire ring and grabbing her purse and my bag. I know the plane saw us, but I’m just not sure how long it will take for them to get back to us. I pray it’s before tonight.
I sit down beside her on the beach and hand her the last bottle of water and one of the bags of peanuts. “Let’s celebrate.”
“Should we?” she asks. “What if they don’t come back?”
“They’re coming back.”
Chapter 11
Paige
