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The thought of a rescue team makes me wonder if they would even send one. Am I even worth it to someone like Lucas? God, I hope so.
All my worries and fears compile. I’m going to die out here. I’m going to die, and no one is going to know or care. My thoughts warp and twist. Will they even tell my parents? I can’t help but think how right they were. I should’ve stayed at Corium, but how could I have known this accident would happen?
I tremble and have to force myself to calm down so I can keep going. Sucking deep breaths into my lungs, I focus on pushing myself one crawl at a time. My muscles burn with exhaustion, but I continue forward even as the pain in my leg intensifies.
My eyes scan the ground, and when they land on a white box with the word ‘emergency’ on it, I almost scream with joy. I try not to get my hopes up that there might be something in the box I can use, but I can’t help it. This is a beacon of light in my eyes.
The box is about fifteen feet away, with sharp metal pieces from the aircraft surrounding it. I’ll have to drag myself over the metal, but if that box contains anything important that might help get me rescued, I’d be stupid to pass it up.
Before I can think any longer, I’m crawling toward the box, focusing all my attention on it. Pieces of metal slide across my injured leg, and blood smears my hands as metal and glass slide over my palms. I’m not sure how I do it, but I shut down any feelings. The pain is nothing more than a dull ache in the back of my mind.
It takes me a little while to reach the box, but once I do, I sigh with profound relief. A loud pop meets my ears, and then I see flames.
I press my face to the cold ground as something on the side of the helicopter explodes. The burning smell of plastic makes my nose wrinkle, and I move toward a set of trees, my grip on the emergency box tight while I struggle to get away from the fire.
I’m not really sure how much time passes. At this point, it could be minutes or hours, but I finally make it to the tree line, far enough away from the crash site but close enough in case there was anyone who saw us go down. I rest my back against the tree, the bark digging into my back. The tree might be uncomfortable, but nothing hurts more than my leg, which I straighten out slowly, the pain only receding once I stop moving.
Now that I’m somewhat safe, I have a moment to think, to breathe, but how I’m going to get back to Corium consumes my thoughts. Silence surrounds me, minus the crackling fire from the plane. Strange enough, the sound is almost comforting.
It’s a peaceful silence, but also a silence that tells me how alone I really am. Dread festers in my gut, and my thoughts become my own worst enemy.
What if no one comes for me?
What if this was the plan all along?
No!I can’t think that way. There is always hope. My eyes drift to my hands, where I still hold a death grip on the metal emergency box.
The chilly breeze whips through my hair, and I shiver. The night is only going to get worse when the temperature drops further, and the animals come out to play. I shake away the subconscious thoughts and focus my attention back on the box. My fingers tremble as I undo the metal tabs and flip the top of the box open. I stare at the contents for a whole second, wondering if I’m seeing the two flares sitting inside or if I’m imagining them being there.
There’s hope. There’s still a chance someone could save me.
I grab the orange flare gun and hold it to my chest. My heart thunders against my ribcage, the beat filling my ears.
I’ll have to wait until it gets closer to dark to use it if I want the best chance of someone seeing it and coming to my rescue. That’s if anyone cares enough to.No. I have to stop thinking like that. I’m still a student at Corium; surely, they’ll send a search party out. Except no one knows I’m gone, only Ren.
Leaning back against the tree, I stare up at the blue sky and try not to think about the way he smiled at me right before we took off.
Did he do something to the helicopter?
My stomach churns at the thought. He wouldn’t, would he? The doubt grows in my mind like ivy, snaking through each thought. I don’t know the answer to that question, but I can only hope he wouldn’t set me up like that.
The minutes tick by so slowly it’s almost paralyzing. The throbbing in my leg turns to numbness after sitting for a while. I shiver, the cold breeze seeping into my bones. As the day passes, my fear of being left out here alone mounts.
I stare at the flare, wanting to fire it off. I contemplate doing so but decide to wait a little longer. I only have two, so I have to make the use of them count.
The sky grows darker, and I swallow thickly. I’m thirsty, hungry, and while my leg isn’t hurting now, it needs medical attention. I look down at my bloody hands and pick some of the small metal pieces out of my skin.
After a while, the shock I’m in subsides. My body aches again, then real pain sets in, accompanied by the cold. As the sun sets, the temperature drops, and I shake. Fuck, if these injuries don’t kill me, the cold will.
The weight of it all presses down on me, and I pull the flare gun away, pointing it toward the sky, making sure I’m in the clear and not going to hit any trees. My finger shakes as I wrap it around the trigger. It might be a long shot, but I have to try. At least if I die out here, I’ll die knowing I attempted to save myself. Saying a silent prayer, I pull the trigger and watch as the flare goes up, sending a bright orange distress signal into the sky.
The signal lasts as long as a firework before it dissipates, the smoke drifting off in the wind. It’s just another drop in the bucket. All I can do is hope someone saw it and that whoever that person is gives half a shit about me because God knows, no one in Corium cares about me.
No one but Brittney… and maybe Quinton, or so I thought.
