“There’s some kind of metal pole...I think it’s from the table. It’s cut into my calf.”
“Can you get it out?”
He needs to. It’s not like we can just keep sitting here until help arrives. That might never happen, and from the way the fire is getting louder, I suspect we’ll all burn to death if we remain where we are.
“Yeah, I’m going to have to, aren’t I?”
He grunts and then lets out a gasp of pain.
“Here,” Reed says. “Wrap this around it.”
I don’t know what my father has given Cade, but I assume it’s some kind of tourniquet. There’s a rustle, and I can hear Cade grinding his teeth, but then he lets out a breath.
“Okay, done,” he says.
The weight of my father’s hand rests on my shoulder. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
I wonder how we’re going to do that. I don’t know if the emergency exit is working, but then I remember Reed’s description of how the plane has broken into three pieces and realize we don’t need it. If both the front and the back of the aircraft are missing, we’ll just be able to climb through the spaces that have been left.
I don’t often rely on my father to guide me, but I do now. I have no way of knowing if the seats have shifted or if there’s luggage in the way. I take hold of his bicep and follow him. Isense Cade and Laney close by as well, the four of us packed together—safety in numbers.
It feels like forever before we’re out of the plane and stepping onto a dirt ground. I can tell by the change in shadows across what little remains of my vision that it’s still daylight. My senses are overwhelmed by the stench of burning plastic and metal in the air, and the underlying scent of meat roasting. The fire is a roar, a hungry beast that is engulfing everything.
We put some distance between us and the plane, and I hear Cade drop to the ground beside me.
“Where are we?” I ask.
“I have no idea,” Cade says. “All I can see are trees. We crashed right into them.”
My father speaks next. “They probably saved our lives, slowing the velocity of the plane. If we’d gone straight into the ground, we’d be dead right now.”
Laney’s voice shaky. “What about the pilots? Shouldn’t we check to see if they’re still alive?”
Reed exhales a breath. “There’s no way they’re still alive, Laney. That part of the plane is burning up.”
“Is anyone coming to find us?” She sounds panicky.
“I hope so.”
I suddenly think of something. “We should get what we can off the plane, before the fire spreads. We don’t know how long we’re going to be here.”
“Wait. What about our phones?” Laney says. “Is anyone’s working? We can call for help.”
“Mine was on the table in front of me,” I tell her. “I’ve no idea where it is now.”
“We can check inside the plane,” she suggests.
I turn toward my father and brother. “What about yours?”
I sense Reed shake his head. “Mine’s completely smashed, sorry.”
“I have no idea what happened to mine either,” Cade says. “I can try searching inside the plane, but it could be anywhere.”
I clench my teeth. “Shit.”
Reed takes charge. “Let’s search inside the plane while we still can, try to find the missing phones, and grab what supplies we might need.”
“Do you think we’re going to be here for some time?” Laney asks.