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“Oh, good,” I drawled with a smirk. “You can tell I’m joking. I wasn’t sure since you’re not even cracking a smile.”
“You expect me tolaughright now?”
No, I didn’t, but I could tell this conversation was serving its purpose. It distracted both of us temporarily from what was about to occur.
But when the plane touched down on the island, there was nothing that could keep the two of us from being completely aware of what was happening. We were violently jostled as the tires made contact with the ground with a horrific screeching sound, and I looked out the window just in time to see us rushing toward some trees.
One of the wings made contact with them and was ripped right off. Some of the windows shattered, but not the one directly beside us. The plane spun then, and my head whipped from side to side. I grabbed Rylee’s hand and held on, seriously wondering if this was the end for me.
Was I going to die today?
That would destroy my family.Shit.
Then, everything suddenly stopped. The noise, the movement, all of it. My heart was pounding in my chest and I was panting as my mind tried to catch up with what just happened, interpreting an onslaught of information that was all a blur.
“You can let go of my hand now.”
Rylee’s words brought my attention to the fact that I was squeezing her hand so tight. Jesus, I was way too close to the edge of hysteria, but remembering that she was here with me, that we both survived, helped pull me back from it.
“Sorry,” I murmured, and released her hand.
I unbuckled my seatbelt, eager to get the hell out of this plane. Rylee headed for the cockpit to check on the pilots while I went to the emergency exit, following the directions printed on the door to get it open. The second the door was out of the sill, a gray inflatable slide popped out from a hidden compartment underneath it, reaching the ground below. It flapped around in the harsh wind a little, but didn’t disconnect from the plane.
I took a moment to glance around, seeing that the plane had stopped on a beach, just where a line of trees began. The ocean was directly ahead, but when I looked to the left, a flash of lightning lit up a structure not far away.
I turned to see Rylee coming my way with the pilots right behind her.
“Come on,” I said, waving them over. “We need to get to shelter. I can see that there’s a building nearby.”
Thunder clapped above us, as if Mother Nature herself was agreeing with me. The pilots went first, sliding down to the sand below. I turned to Rylee and held out my hand to help her.
“I need to grab my bag,” she said, glancing back at the overhead bin.
I glanced down to see that one of the pilots had a backpack on, but before Rylee had the chance to retrieve her own baggage, there was a deafening cracking sound that rumbled overhead. I turned just in time to see a nearby tree coming down, succumbing to the force of the wind and landing right on top of the front of the plane. The force of its impact rocked the plane and knocked us both off our feet.
I gritted my teeth as I looked into Rylee’s big, wide, frightened eyes. I struggled to get back on my feet while she did the same.
“We need to get the hell out of here,” I said, urgency making my tone harsh.
Rylee didn’t argue. Taking my hand, she allowed me to pull her to the edge of the slide. Then, we jumped, going down together.
Immediately, we were soaking wet. The torrential downpour made my shirt and slacks cling to me and made the building I’d spotted barely visible, even though I knew it was close.
“This way,” I said, leading the others in that direction at a run.
I wanted to get to shelter as soon as possible, especially after watching that tree fall. Someone could get seriously hurt in weather like this.
We left the sand and hurried across tall grass. As we made our way closer to the building, I realized it was a house. But not just any house. It was familiar, and when I realized why, I stopped in my tracks, laughter escaping me.
“What’s so funny?” Rylee asked with a frown.
“I know this place,” I said, feeling a sense of relief. “Iownit.”
I started forward again, eager to reach the house. Rylee and the pilots hurried to catch up.
“What are you talking about?” Rylee asked.
She practically had to shout to be heard over the rain and wind, but she also sounded annoyed with me. I figured it was because I wasn’t being forthcoming.
