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Reed calls out to us. “You guys are going to need to carry some of this stuff.”
Still doing my best to avoid looking at the dead woman, I turn my attention to Reed. He and Cade have thrown anything of use that they found onto the ground. I’m relieved to see several unopened bottles of water, and even a first aid kit.
“These might come in handy,” Cade says with a grin. He holds up a handful of miniature bottles of booze—whiskey, champagne, vodka and gin.
“Seriously? You’re going to start drinking?” I can’t believe him.
“Alcohol is good for cleaning wounds, little Cuckoo,” he throws back at me.
I’m not so sure champagne would be much use for that, but I keep my thoughts to myself. The last thing we need is for us to fight.
“What about food?” Darius asks.
Cade huffs out a breath. “Not much substantial, bro. We should have crashed before we had breakfast. There’s some snack stuff—olives, nuts, jerky, and crackers—and some cookies and muffins, but not anything that’s going to make a decent meal.”
“It’ll keep us going until we’re found, though,” Reed interjects. “We’ll have to ration it out.”
The three men I’ve ended up stranded with are all well over six feet and have God-knows how many pounds of muscle on them. They’re going to take some feeding, and I don’t think a few miniature packets of honey-roasted peanuts are going to hit the spot.
It won’t matter, as long as we’re rescued soon. A rescue team is bound to be searching for us by now. Someone will have realized we haven’t landed and will be doing whatever checks itis they do on these small, private planes, charting our route or figuring out where our last signal came from.
“We could stay here,” Cade suggests. “We can take the body down and move it away. We can use the tail of the plane for shelter.”
“What about the place Reed saw?” I look to my stepfather. “If it’s a house, someone might be there. They might be able to contact help for us.”
He nods. “I think it’s worth a shot. We’ve come this far.”
“Or we could leave Laney and Dax here,” Cade suggests, “and you and I go for help.”
I fold my arms across my chest. “No way. We’re not separating. Don’t you watch movies? That never ends well.”
Deep down, I’m thinking that I don’t want to be left with a dead body nearby. What if a wild animal smells the blood and decides to take us down with it? And while I’m aware that Darius is perfectly capable and will probably hear danger coming long before either Cade or Reed sees it, I still believe in safety in numbers.
“Laney is right,” Reed says. “We need to stick together. I wouldn’t feel right leaving them with no protection.”
“She has me,” Darius growls.
He drags his hand through his long hair and plants his hands on his hips. I can’t help smiling at him, even though he can’t see me. Cade might hate my guts, but it seems his brother doesn’t dislike me quite so much. I remember that hug and wish I could repeat it.
Cade relents. “Okay, we stick together, then.”
Chapter Thirteen
Reed
I HOPE I HAVEN’T MADEthe wrong choice by not leaving Laney and Darius behind at the tail of the plane.
We’re on the move again, but already our pace has slowed. Cade does his best to clear a pathway for us, but the forest and undergrowth is thick in places. We’re all battered and bruised from the crash. I haven’t mentioned to the others that I believe there’s a good chance I’ve fractured a rib, maybe even two. Every breath is painful, but they’ve all got enough to worry about. Cade’s leg means he’s walking with a limp. Laney has dried blood in her hairline where she must have hit her head, and Darius has a cut lip and grazes down the side of his face. From the way he’s holding his side occasionally, I suspect he’s hurt his ribs as well. It’s incredible that these are the only injuries we’re sporting considering others died in the crash. We’ve been lucky, and I can only hope that luck holds out.
I’m also praying that the place I saw from the hillside is an actual house and not some kind of mirage or trick of the light. What if I’m leading them deeper and deeper into the forest, and we get to this place only for it to turn out to be nothing? What if we can’t find our way back to the plane again?
The responsibility I feel for these three young adults is a heavy weight on my shoulders, and it makes each step harder and harder.
“Are we almost there?” Laney calls out in a singsong voice.
“I hope so,” I reply.
She glances over her shoulder to give me a smile. Good. It’s important we try to keep our spirits as high as we can, given the situation.
