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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
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“Oh God!”
She snapped her eyes open just as they all went under, swallowed up by the thick, cool water. Her first instinct was to breathe, but she fought it as she reached for her seatbelt and popped it free. Pushing off with her legs, she swam up and nearly bumped her head on the roof as she resurfaced. Gasping, she tilted her chin up and looked around.
“Broots!” she shouted, seeing him surfacing next to her. She turned her head, looking for the other two. “Broots—get Jarod. I’ll get Sydney!”
Broots made a strangled sound before he took a breath and dove back down. Parker did the same, submerging below and outstretching her hands to feel her way around. It wasn’t long before she felt contact and she fumbled around, trying to find the seatbelt. It came loose with a little persuasion, freeing the older man from its imprisonment. Grabbing his jacket, Parker hauled him up to the surface with all her might, relieved to hear him suck in air greedily.
“Sydney, are you alright?” she asked.
The older man blinked his eyes and looked around, disoriented. “We’re sinking!” His accent was thick, panic evident in his voice.
“Yes, I know!” Parker looked around, searching for Broots and Jarod. “We need to get out of here!”
A second later, Broots head popped back up, his eyes wild. “Jarod! His seatbelt!”
“Shit,” Parker hissed.
Without any hesitation, she dove back down, pushing herself off in the direction of the pretender’s seat. Broots came down with her, helping direct her to his exact location. As she reached Jarod, she was surprised to find him awake, his own hands struggling with the seatbelt latch. Parker pushed his hands away and began working on it, pulling and tugging, but it was stuck tight. Gripping it with both hands and bracing her feet on the arms of the seat, she pulled with all her might, managing to loosen it enough for Jarod to reach in his jeans pocket and withdrawal a knife. Popping it open, he went to work on the belt and cut through it within ten seconds.
Jarod didn’t waste a minute to resurface, coughing violently as he sucked in the little air that was left. Parker and Broots were not far behind him.
“Seatbelts save,” Broots croaked. “Sure!”
“Is everyone alright?” Parker shouted.
“Yes,” Sydney answered, while he struggled with the side door. “But, the door is pressured shut!”
“We need to move through the cockpit!” Jarod replied, gesturing toward the front of the plane. They all had to tilt their head back now, the water rapidly filling the last of the air pockets.
“Alright, let’s move!” Parker shouted, diving back down and swimming toward the front. She pushed her way through the crumbled cabin doors and momentarily paused at the two men that were stuck in there. She instantly knew they were dead, they didn’t have a chance.
It was hard to move in there, the entire front of the plane had taken the blunt of the hit. Everything was crumbled, which was lucky for them, for the front window was cracked and gaping open, giving them enough room to squeeze through.
Once she resurfaced, Parker gasped in air and looked around, feeling a great sense of dread to see the vast open ocean all around her. Next to her, Sydney and Broots popped up, followed by Jarod a few seconds later.
“We’re going to need this,” Jarod said breathlessly, indicating a bright yellow package. He swam a little ways away from the sinking wreckage and pulled a cord, the inflatable boat popping open within seconds.
“Oh, thank God!” Broots gasped.
They all climbed aboard—no easy task—and collapsed with exhaustion against the round, yellow sides. For a moment, no one spoke, each reflecting on the events that had just transpired. It had all happened too fast, none of them knew what to think.
But, slowly the desperation of the situation began to settle in.
“Are we going to die?” Broots voiced.
All three looked at him, their faces pinched with annoyance. Broots looked between them, before he swallowed and added, “What about Debbie? Oh God, what will happen to Debbie?”
“Broots, we aren’t going to die,” Sydney replied, his voice settling to its usual composure, which contradicted his haggard appearance. “We need to remain calm. Someone will be looking for us.”
Jarod moved his eyes up from the disappearing plane to the older man. “We are going to drift a great deal before someone even realizes we’re gone.”
Broots paled, looking between them. “Oh God, we ARE going to die!”
“Broots, shut up!” Parker snarled. “Before I make you shark bait.”
“Sharks!” Broots squeaked, looking around.
“Shut up!”
“Hey, look!” Jarod interrupted, pointing. In the water, a bright red box was bobbing among the waves, spewed from the wreckage. “I’m going to get it.”
“Jarod, be careful,” Sydney advised, watching the pretender carefully slip over the side and back into the water.
“Watch out for sharks,” Broots mumbled, darting his eyes around and receiving a heated glare from Miss Parker.
Once he retrieved it, Jarod began to swim back, struggling with the large plastic box. With the help of the others, they got it into the boat and Jarod fought to get his tired body up as well. As soon as he settled, they all crowded around, curious to see what was inside. Matches, a blanket, flares, and a first aid kit were tucked inside.
Miss Parker flopped back against the side of the boat with a huff. “Perfect. We can make a fire in our rubber boat and eat Alcohol Prep Pads.”
“What did you expect to be in here? A cruise liner?” Jarod shot at her and then turned his head back to gaze at the items. “These might save our lives.”
“Right,” Parker sighed, reaching in her soggy suit pocket and pulling out her silver cigarette case. “Oh nice,” she seethed as water dripped out of it. She opened it up and inspected the damage, shaking her head with disgust. “It just keeps getting better.”
“Not having your nicotine is the least of your worries, Miss Parker,” Jarod said evenly.
“Shut up, before I fire a flare up your ass,” she shot back.
“You two, knock it off,” Sydney cut in, looking between them. “Bickering will get us nowhere.”
“Look around you, Syd,” Parker hissed, throwing up her hands. “We ARE nowhere.”
“Let’s just relax, alright? Let’s save our energy.”
They all exchanged looks before they settled down to wait, falling into a silence that would last nearly an hour. As their wet clothes began to dry, the sun overhead became unbearable. They began to get increasingly uncomfortable and slowly began to free themselves of jackets and shirts, until Parker was left in her sleeveless blouse, Sydney in his gray button-down, Broots in his Centre recycling t-shirt and Jarod in his white undershirt. It did little to dwindle the undying heat, but none of them were willing to loose anything else.
Minutes and hours slipped away at a grueling speed, occurring within a silence that was driving them all crazy. Even when they began to shift into a position where everyone could lie down with their knees bent in the middle, no one spoke. Somehow, with a world of things to say to each other, they said noting.
Jarod craned his head back and watched as the sky began to darken. He frowned grimly, concerned for them and the night to come. Thoughts were bouncing around his head like rapid fire—thoughts that were once of escape were now of survival. Not just his, but the three others as well.
Then he thought of what had happened on the plane, the way Parker’s hand had snaked out and grabbed his, the way her eyes had a fleeting look of desperation and panic. She would not let him go into the cockpit, and now both pilot and Sam were dead. How did she know? And why did she save his life?
He turned his head and eyed her, seeing she had her head leaned back and her eyes closed. The top three buttons of her blouse were unbuttoned and her collar bone glimmered in the diminishing light of the sun, and within such a relaxed position, she almost looked natural ... like being stranded at sea was just an everyday thing for her.
His heart swelled at the sight of her and he wasn’t entirely sure why. She had saved his life and probably didn’t even realize it.
With that thought, he lowered his head and closed his eyes, hoping to sleep through the long night to come.
------
“I’m starving.”
“You’re all starving, you idiot,” Parker snarled.
Jarod blinked his eyes open, greeted by intense sunlight overhead. Slowly sitting up, he groaned from aching muscles at having been in the position too long and gave the tech and woman a quick look.
“Morning sunshine,” Parker seethed, narrowing her eyes at Jarod.
Jarod looked down at Sydney next to him, seeing that he was still out, before turning his eyes back to the woman. “Glad to see the night put you in a better mood,” Jarod replied sarcastically.
“Well, you know me, always the optimist.”
“Indeed.”
Sydney stirred at their voices and slowly sat up with great effort. He cleared his throat and looked around the boat, before settling back against the side of it. “What time is it?”
Broots lifted his wrist and shook it, before he sighed. “My watch is out. And it’s supposed to be waterproof.”
Jarod squinted up at the sky, then answered, “Well, my guess would be about 8 or 9, but like I said … that’s just a guess.”
Broots heaved a sigh and sat back, pressing a hand to his head. “I can’t take this constant rocking of the waves. I’m going to be sick again.” He dropped his hands and looked at the others, desperation in his eyes. “Couldn’t we just send up a flare? Maybe someone will see.”
“Oh yes,” Parker replied, “We can alert the seagulls!”
“Seagulls?” Jarod repeated, looking up. His face lit when he spotted one fly by and he sat up with a grin. “Seagulls!” Spinning in his seat, he let out a quick laugh to see in the distance a strip of land. “An island!”
“Oh thank God!” Broots exclaimed, turning around as well. “We’re saved!”
They began to paddle with their hands, the current helping them along as they eagerly headed toward the island. But, as they began to get closer, the large strip of land began to look less and less promising. Wild, green vegetation covered the wooded area just after its sandy shores, tall, jagged rocks behind them—not a sign of civilization anywhere. It was a desert island.
“I’m guessing this place doesn’t have a Starbucks,” Parker griped as the bottom of their boat scraped against land.
Jarod stepped over the edge and into the shin-deep water, wading up to the sandy beach as he drifted his eyes around the area. The others soon followed him and after a moment, he turned his head to exchange looks with his three hunters.
“Well, our chances of survival have just tripled,” Jarod replied.
“And what about our chances of being found?” Parker asked.
Jarod chewed on his lip as he looked around, deep in thought. “We should build a fire. One large enough a passing boat or plane will see. Then, we should look around, find some food and shelter.”
“Oh man,” Broots gulped. “We’re going to be here for a while, aren’t we?”
His only response was three heated looks.
----
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“Oh God!”
She snapped her eyes open just as they all went under, swallowed up by the thick, cool water. Her first instinct was to breathe, but she fought it as she reached for her seatbelt and popped it free. Pushing off with her legs, she swam up and nearly bumped her head on the roof as she resurfaced. Gasping, she tilted her chin up and looked around.
“Broots!” she shouted, seeing him surfacing next to her. She turned her head, looking for the other two. “Broots—get Jarod. I’ll get Sydney!”
Broots made a strangled sound before he took a breath and dove back down. Parker did the same, submerging below and outstretching her hands to feel her way around. It wasn’t long before she felt contact and she fumbled around, trying to find the seatbelt. It came loose with a little persuasion, freeing the older man from its imprisonment. Grabbing his jacket, Parker hauled him up to the surface with all her might, relieved to hear him suck in air greedily.
“Sydney, are you alright?” she asked.
The older man blinked his eyes and looked around, disoriented. “We’re sinking!” His accent was thick, panic evident in his voice.
“Yes, I know!” Parker looked around, searching for Broots and Jarod. “We need to get out of here!”
A second later, Broots head popped back up, his eyes wild. “Jarod! His seatbelt!”
“Shit,” Parker hissed.
Without any hesitation, she dove back down, pushing herself off in the direction of the pretender’s seat. Broots came down with her, helping direct her to his exact location. As she reached Jarod, she was surprised to find him awake, his own hands struggling with the seatbelt latch. Parker pushed his hands away and began working on it, pulling and tugging, but it was stuck tight. Gripping it with both hands and bracing her feet on the arms of the seat, she pulled with all her might, managing to loosen it enough for Jarod to reach in his jeans pocket and withdrawal a knife. Popping it open, he went to work on the belt and cut through it within ten seconds.
Jarod didn’t waste a minute to resurface, coughing violently as he sucked in the little air that was left. Parker and Broots were not far behind him.
“Seatbelts save,” Broots croaked. “Sure!”
“Is everyone alright?” Parker shouted.
“Yes,” Sydney answered, while he struggled with the side door. “But, the door is pressured shut!”
“We need to move through the cockpit!” Jarod replied, gesturing toward the front of the plane. They all had to tilt their head back now, the water rapidly filling the last of the air pockets.
“Alright, let’s move!” Parker shouted, diving back down and swimming toward the front. She pushed her way through the crumbled cabin doors and momentarily paused at the two men that were stuck in there. She instantly knew they were dead, they didn’t have a chance.
It was hard to move in there, the entire front of the plane had taken the blunt of the hit. Everything was crumbled, which was lucky for them, for the front window was cracked and gaping open, giving them enough room to squeeze through.
Once she resurfaced, Parker gasped in air and looked around, feeling a great sense of dread to see the vast open ocean all around her. Next to her, Sydney and Broots popped up, followed by Jarod a few seconds later.
“We’re going to need this,” Jarod said breathlessly, indicating a bright yellow package. He swam a little ways away from the sinking wreckage and pulled a cord, the inflatable boat popping open within seconds.
“Oh, thank God!” Broots gasped.
They all climbed aboard—no easy task—and collapsed with exhaustion against the round, yellow sides. For a moment, no one spoke, each reflecting on the events that had just transpired. It had all happened too fast, none of them knew what to think.
But, slowly the desperation of the situation began to settle in.
“Are we going to die?” Broots voiced.
All three looked at him, their faces pinched with annoyance. Broots looked between them, before he swallowed and added, “What about Debbie? Oh God, what will happen to Debbie?”
“Broots, we aren’t going to die,” Sydney replied, his voice settling to its usual composure, which contradicted his haggard appearance. “We need to remain calm. Someone will be looking for us.”
Jarod moved his eyes up from the disappearing plane to the older man. “We are going to drift a great deal before someone even realizes we’re gone.”
Broots paled, looking between them. “Oh God, we ARE going to die!”
“Broots, shut up!” Parker snarled. “Before I make you shark bait.”
“Sharks!” Broots squeaked, looking around.
“Shut up!”
“Hey, look!” Jarod interrupted, pointing. In the water, a bright red box was bobbing among the waves, spewed from the wreckage. “I’m going to get it.”
“Jarod, be careful,” Sydney advised, watching the pretender carefully slip over the side and back into the water.
“Watch out for sharks,” Broots mumbled, darting his eyes around and receiving a heated glare from Miss Parker.
Once he retrieved it, Jarod began to swim back, struggling with the large plastic box. With the help of the others, they got it into the boat and Jarod fought to get his tired body up as well. As soon as he settled, they all crowded around, curious to see what was inside. Matches, a blanket, flares, and a first aid kit were tucked inside.
Miss Parker flopped back against the side of the boat with a huff. “Perfect. We can make a fire in our rubber boat and eat Alcohol Prep Pads.”
“What did you expect to be in here? A cruise liner?” Jarod shot at her and then turned his head back to gaze at the items. “These might save our lives.”
“Right,” Parker sighed, reaching in her soggy suit pocket and pulling out her silver cigarette case. “Oh nice,” she seethed as water dripped out of it. She opened it up and inspected the damage, shaking her head with disgust. “It just keeps getting better.”
“Not having your nicotine is the least of your worries, Miss Parker,” Jarod said evenly.
“Shut up, before I fire a flare up your ass,” she shot back.
“You two, knock it off,” Sydney cut in, looking between them. “Bickering will get us nowhere.”
“Look around you, Syd,” Parker hissed, throwing up her hands. “We ARE nowhere.”
“Let’s just relax, alright? Let’s save our energy.”
They all exchanged looks before they settled down to wait, falling into a silence that would last nearly an hour. As their wet clothes began to dry, the sun overhead became unbearable. They began to get increasingly uncomfortable and slowly began to free themselves of jackets and shirts, until Parker was left in her sleeveless blouse, Sydney in his gray button-down, Broots in his Centre recycling t-shirt and Jarod in his white undershirt. It did little to dwindle the undying heat, but none of them were willing to loose anything else.
Minutes and hours slipped away at a grueling speed, occurring within a silence that was driving them all crazy. Even when they began to shift into a position where everyone could lie down with their knees bent in the middle, no one spoke. Somehow, with a world of things to say to each other, they said noting.
Jarod craned his head back and watched as the sky began to darken. He frowned grimly, concerned for them and the night to come. Thoughts were bouncing around his head like rapid fire—thoughts that were once of escape were now of survival. Not just his, but the three others as well.
Then he thought of what had happened on the plane, the way Parker’s hand had snaked out and grabbed his, the way her eyes had a fleeting look of desperation and panic. She would not let him go into the cockpit, and now both pilot and Sam were dead. How did she know? And why did she save his life?
He turned his head and eyed her, seeing she had her head leaned back and her eyes closed. The top three buttons of her blouse were unbuttoned and her collar bone glimmered in the diminishing light of the sun, and within such a relaxed position, she almost looked natural ... like being stranded at sea was just an everyday thing for her.
His heart swelled at the sight of her and he wasn’t entirely sure why. She had saved his life and probably didn’t even realize it.
With that thought, he lowered his head and closed his eyes, hoping to sleep through the long night to come.
------
“I’m starving.”
“You’re all starving, you idiot,” Parker snarled.
Jarod blinked his eyes open, greeted by intense sunlight overhead. Slowly sitting up, he groaned from aching muscles at having been in the position too long and gave the tech and woman a quick look.
“Morning sunshine,” Parker seethed, narrowing her eyes at Jarod.
Jarod looked down at Sydney next to him, seeing that he was still out, before turning his eyes back to the woman. “Glad to see the night put you in a better mood,” Jarod replied sarcastically.
“Well, you know me, always the optimist.”
“Indeed.”
Sydney stirred at their voices and slowly sat up with great effort. He cleared his throat and looked around the boat, before settling back against the side of it. “What time is it?”
Broots lifted his wrist and shook it, before he sighed. “My watch is out. And it’s supposed to be waterproof.”
Jarod squinted up at the sky, then answered, “Well, my guess would be about 8 or 9, but like I said … that’s just a guess.”
Broots heaved a sigh and sat back, pressing a hand to his head. “I can’t take this constant rocking of the waves. I’m going to be sick again.” He dropped his hands and looked at the others, desperation in his eyes. “Couldn’t we just send up a flare? Maybe someone will see.”
“Oh yes,” Parker replied, “We can alert the seagulls!”
“Seagulls?” Jarod repeated, looking up. His face lit when he spotted one fly by and he sat up with a grin. “Seagulls!” Spinning in his seat, he let out a quick laugh to see in the distance a strip of land. “An island!”
“Oh thank God!” Broots exclaimed, turning around as well. “We’re saved!”
They began to paddle with their hands, the current helping them along as they eagerly headed toward the island. But, as they began to get closer, the large strip of land began to look less and less promising. Wild, green vegetation covered the wooded area just after its sandy shores, tall, jagged rocks behind them—not a sign of civilization anywhere. It was a desert island.
“I’m guessing this place doesn’t have a Starbucks,” Parker griped as the bottom of their boat scraped against land.
Jarod stepped over the edge and into the shin-deep water, wading up to the sandy beach as he drifted his eyes around the area. The others soon followed him and after a moment, he turned his head to exchange looks with his three hunters.
“Well, our chances of survival have just tripled,” Jarod replied.
“And what about our chances of being found?” Parker asked.
Jarod chewed on his lip as he looked around, deep in thought. “We should build a fire. One large enough a passing boat or plane will see. Then, we should look around, find some food and shelter.”
“Oh man,” Broots gulped. “We’re going to be here for a while, aren’t we?”
His only response was three heated looks.
----
Feedback is my fuel. FEED ME! :)
