[IC] The Uknown Island [Blox]

[Blox]

North of Brazil, somewhere over the Pacific, Flight 680 suddenly went off of the radar. The Boeing 777 held 285 passengers and was heading for South America before, for reasons unknown, it could no longer be seen in the sky.

Late morning, an island that very few people know about today, took the hit of the plane when it crashed on to it's sandy grounds. Debris flew everywhere from the impact, fires starting around the plane from the crash, engines exploded and now burning noxious fumes. The impact left smoke billowing from the main portion of the plane that hadn't been torn to pieces. Despite the wreckage, there were a few survivors...

*****************

Benjamin was in his seat still, seat belt fastened across his hips, his bag hanging from his body by the strap wrapped across his shoulder. Blood rushed to his head and soon his unconsciousness was broken. His eyes fluttered open, dazed and disorientated and unsure what exactly had happened. After a moment of grasping reality, he saw he was not upright but at a downward angle and still strapped in to his seat; the main body of the plane still in tact was tilted to it's side with him at the top. If he undid his seat belt he would plummet down on top of shards of debris and horrifyingly what looked to be pieces of other people. Benjamin groaned and closed his eyes, his heart pounding. He grabbed his bag and brought it up to his chest, holding on to it as if it were his life preserver. The noise of the surrounding area was muted as his ears seemed to be clogged from the loud crashed they went through and yet he still heard other voices. He wasn't the only survivor and this alone gave him hope.

He looked around him and saw some people in their seats that were not awake, most of them looked to not even be breathing. He looked down at where he would fall if he un did his seat belt and could see the food cart on it's side, sharp metal twisted from the crash and waiting to slice him once he dropped. Ben looked behind him and surveyed the aisle behind his seat. It looked to be clear. He reached over and grabbed the empty seat belts next to him, wrapping both sides around his wrists twice until he had a firm grip on both, grasping the belts that clung to the seat. Carefully he then raised one hand and undid his seat belt, keeping his legs locked out before him and pressing on the seat in front of him. Gravity wasted no time in pulling on his body once the seat belt was undone. While his feet helped delay his fall his body was quickly dragged downward to the aisle below. His wrapped wrists kept him from falling down below as he felt his wrists jerk his body to a stop, leaving him dangling over the aisle now. He winced and groaned softly, feeling the tight ropes of the belt burning his skin from the pressure and force of the catch. His arms shook, his breath labored as he struggled to keep his grip while he decided his next move. Once he felt he was steadied he slowly began to give himself a small swing in the motion like that of a pendulum, slowly loosening his grip until he was only holding the ends with his hands. Once he had enough to satisfy his leap of faith past the food cart he let go on the swing back behind the cart. His body flung backwards and he landed on his side, rolling over with a cry of pain. He felt a striking pain shoot across his ribcage from the impact but at least he was on solid ground now.

>>>>>

Jack lay unconscious at the back of the plane on his stomach, sprawled over debris on the floor with pieces half covering his body. His blonde hair lay across his face as his pony tail had come loose, hiding his features and giving him another mask to blend in with his surroundings. He battled with consciousness, a stream of blood trickling down from the top corner of his brow, and gave only small murmurs as he fought dreams that held him unconscious and unknown on the floor of the crashed plane.

>>>>>

Shay had been awake for the past 15 minutes, stumbling around the plane in shock, looking around at the wreckage laid out before her. No one was screaming for help and she was so confused and in horror that she could not recall seeing even another living being. She wore her blue jeans and a flowy white tank top with converse shoes. Her shaking hand slowly moved up to her neck where she placed her fingers slowly around the gold necklace that lay around her neck, a small pendant at the end now in her grasp. The personal item still in her possession gave her some comfort amidst what lay before her. When she finally started to feel like she was getting her breath back and comprehending the truth of the reality in front of her, she in haled deeply and looked down at her body. She hadn't even thought to make sure she was ok, the shock giving her such a numb sensation all over her body. She lifted both arms and surveyed them before her, her hands trembling fiercely before her. A large amount of blood was wiped across her left arm but when she moved her fingers across her skin tentatively she discovered it wasn't her blood and her arms only carried minor cuts and burns. A shiver ran down her spine and she whimpered in fear, tears dropping from her eyes. She pulled in a staggered breath and kept looking at her body. It was then that her left ankle started to feel funny. Looking down she could see her jeans at the bottom were dark and blood was dripping over the top of her shoes. Slowly she pulled her pant leg up to reveal her ankle, hoping again she was looking at the blood of someone else, a thought she never would think she would ever have. When her skin was revealed it was wiped in her own fresh blood, a gash above her ankle bone being the source of the leaking blood. Shay closed her eyes, feeling dizzy as her heart pounded even harder. She needed to calm down, slow her heart rate and take control. She looked around the wreckage of debris, luggage, and it was then she saw some people that didn't seem to be moving. She limped forward towards an open luggage bag and grabbed a scarf. She then bent down and wrapped it tightly around her ankle, finishing the wrap with a tight knot to stop the blood from leaking any longer. She limped backwards, tears still silently streaming down her face. She was moving backwards from the wreckage, trying to get away as if she could escape her new found hell. Her back bumped in to a palm tree as she had moved far enough from the wreckage. She turned to see the forest line close behind her. Where were they? She grabbed the trunk of the tree for support and leaned against it, slowly sliding down in to a sitting position. She laid her head down on her knees and finally cried out loud, letting the pent up fear and pain escape her.

[mmidnight]

A person had a bigger chance of being bitten by a shark than dying in a plane crash. Marcus Rhodes just hoped there were no sharks around this island.

Traveling by plane wasn't a new thing to the large man. He had been doing it for nearly twenty years as a Marine, and didn't think this trip to the Sapphire Coast would be all that eventful. He remembered taking off and passing on the headphones for the inflight movie, instead choosing to have a drink and talk to Laura. The alcohol on airlines was always overpriced, but there was little that could bother the Marine as he sat with his new bride, exchanging kisses, laughing quietly and staying still as she fell asleep on his shoulder. At a height of forty-thousand feet, the sun spilled in through the windows of the aircraft, and the orange beams bathed Laura's face in a glow that made her look like an angel. He wasn't a soft man, but damn, Marcus loved her.

The next thing he remembered was falling out of the sky, the people around him screaming, the flight attendants attempt to make everyone remain calm as the engines on the wings billows black smoke behind them. They hit the beach hard, so much so that the hull had broken in half which sent debris and people scattering all over the beach. Marcus had been knocked unconscious by the impact, but came to when he felt the salty ocean lapping against an open wound on his forehead. He was still buckled into his seat, the belt holding strong as he lay face down in the sand. It was a wonder he hadn't suffocated. Groaning, shaking fingers released the metal clasp and it took a few moments for Marcus to realize what had happened. All of his training told him not to panic, but he couldn't help frantically looking around for his wife. It was then that he saw the plane, and finally registered that Laura was no longer in the seat next to him.

“Laura!” Marcus yelled, and then again, “Laura!?” There was nothing, though, no answer, just the sound of the fires that had sprung up around the plane, and the ocean coming in and moving out. Marcus jogged over to the wreckage, feeling various joints and bones protest with every step, and he had to wipe at the bleeding cut on his head as he approached. Out of the corner of his eye, Marcus saw another survivor, a woman and he changed course, going over to her instead of entering a plane that was bound to explode.

She looked dazed and scared, and the makeshift tourniquet around her ankle said that was she hurt, but not down for the count. If he could help her walk, maybe she could help him look for other survivors. “Can you walk?” he asked, kneeling down by her side at the palm tree. He hadn't bothered surveying the jungle behind them, yet, but the thick trees didn't look promising. “There could be others in the plane. You've gotta help me, ma'am,” he said, extending his hand to the brown-haired woman. They could work together on this.

Inside the plane, Maya Gill lay on her back, eyes focused on the ceiling that had formerly been the aisle-way. Her dark eyes darted around, chest heaving as she struggled to breathe, but no one else seemed to be awake, or rather...alive. The woman closed her eyes, head spinning as she attempted to piece together what had happened. The picture wasn't clear, and all Maya could recall was popping a Xanax and washing it down with a vodka-soda shortly after take off. She wasn't good with flying, but she had to get to her vacation somehow and sleeping until Brazil had seemed like a good idea at the time. Obviously, she had been wrong, very wrong about everything and should have stayed back in Los Angeles.

From her position, Maya did her best to assess the damage to her body. She had been wearing her seatbelt, but it had obviously been torn off upon impact. Wiggling her toes, now free of her five-hundred dollar high heels somehow, the dark-haired woman was relieved to feel that they still moved. She tried her legs legs next, and continued to move upward until she wiggled her fingers. There was pain in her hips, perhaps dislocated from the violent way she had been flung from her seat, and her ribs were tender as well, but Maya didn't think anything was beyond repair. She shifted a little, doing her best to sit up when she saw a man trying to get out of his seat. She watched, seeing him swing his way down and winced when she heard him crash down.

“Are you okay over there?” she asked, her voice far from steady. “Hello?” She didn't know if anyone else was alive, but black smoke was drifting into the cabin and Maya was worried about how much time they had left before they were dead.

From the front of the plane, Matt Nixon heard voices. They were distressed and panicked, apprehensive, but they were there. He was left strapped into his seat, hanging upside down with all of the blood in his body pooling in his head. The pain was intense, and his adrenaline was pumping, but he didn't think there was anything urgently wrong with him. It was strange to think that Matt's lifelong lucky streak had extended to this, a disaster, a tragedy, but the photographer was just thankful to be alive. He didn't care where they had landed, he didn't care about anything as long as he hadn't lost his life. It was selfish, and survivor's guilt was sure to hit him eventually, but it would be long after he was out of this plane, when he was back home and safe.

“Is someone there?” he asked, yelling. “I'm alive.”

Matt had made the choice to sit in the back of first class, right before that curtain separated him from coach. He liked it best there, always glad to have no one kicking the back of his seat and the privacy was nice for a nap. Although now he was regretting it and Matt felt incredibly cut off from anyone else who might have survived. He looked to his left, to the woman who had been sitting next to him and saw that she was unresponsive—more than likely because half of her face had been torn off. Matt thought he was going to be sick, and he felt his breathing quicken, fingers shaking as he called out again, “please help me! I'm up here!”

The clasp on his seat belt was stuck and Matt frantically yanked at the thick, nylon fabric and metal, trying to pull it away from his body. It was no use, though, and bitterly, Matt cursed the TSA in his head. If people were still allowed to bring sharp objects onto planes, maybe he could have gotten out of his seat and left the plane before the thing exploded. Listening still, Matt thought he heard voices coming toward the plane, he couldn't make it out, but the deep voice was coming closer and he thought he heard a second.

“Hey!” he yelled again, voice hoarse and raw, “we're alive! We're in here, help us!” He didn't know who else was there, unable to see behind him, but speaking for them seemed like a good enough idea. Just because he was a little selfish didn't mean he wanted innocent people to die.

[Blox]

“Laura!” Marcus yelled, and then again, “Laura!?”

Shay heard the distant cries of a man and turned her head slowly to see Marcus looking around the wreckage. The man looked as scared as she was, or perhaps that was in her mind. Either way a wave of comfort washed over her as she finally realized she wasn't alone. It didn't matter who he was she just needed to know she wasn't the only survivor. A whimper escaped her tightened throat, fresh tears falling down her cheeks again. When he came up to her she wiped her face slowly, in haling deeply to get composure.

“Can you walk?” he asked, kneeling down by her side at the palm tree.

Shay nodded weekly then finally made herself speak. "Y-yes, I can walk."

“There could be others in the plane. You've gotta help me, ma'am,” he said, extending his hand to the brown-haired woman.

Shay took his hand quickly and without hesitation, using his support as she came along his side to look for others. Her eyes fell upon the plane that still had portions of it burning and a fear crept in to her mind on whether or not the plane was in a position to explode from what it had gone through. She wasn't sure if the plane was unstable or not but they had better make their search and rescue efforts fast.

---------------------------------

Ben groaned softly as he gathered himself from the fall. He was simply glad to be out of his seat and feeling the blood rush back throughout his body. He heard a woman call out. “Are you okay over there?” she asked, her voice far from steady. “Hello?” She called out right after his fell down so he could only assume she was talking to him. He was glad to hear another person. "Hello!" he called back, slowly getting himself to his hands and knees. "Yes, yes I am ok I think, thank you" his French accent evident when he spoke. Ben heard her voice from behind so as he brought himself to his feet he turned around to look for her, his eyes falling upon Maya. "Are you ok?" he asked back, beginning to make his way over to her. He stepped on something soft and slipped, losing his balance. He caught the side of a seat and balanced himself, straightening as he took a hold of his balance. He looked down to see what he tripped on and saw a man clearly not moving, mostly covered in blood. He had stepped on him, in his blood, his shoe covered with the thick, wet liquid. "Oh God" Ben muttered, clasping his hand over his mouth. He looked back up towards Maya. "We need to get out of here" he called out to her.

“Is someone there?” Matt asked, yelling. “I'm alive.“please help me! I'm up here!”

Ben glanced behind him where the sound of Matt's calls for help were coming from. He looked back to Maya, and began making his way over to her, reaching out his hand to help her. "Let's go help him out." Behind Maya a groan issued from the floor and under some debris where Jack lay half awake. Ben looked to the source of the groan. "Can you see if that person is ok? Let's get them out of here as fast as possible. I'm going to help the guy at the front, he sounds like he could be hurt badly." Matt's frantic calls brought Ben forward, his hand held to his bruised side. He tried to look straight ahead, avoiding contact with the floor or the sides where many people lay unmoving and clearly not alive.

“Hey!” Matt yelled again, voice hoarse and raw, “we're alive! We're in here, help us!”

As Shay and Marcus got closer to the plane they began to hear some voices from within. Matt's frantic calls for help were most notable. Shay looked to Marcus then jogged as best she could with him the rest of the way until they entered the part of the plane still in tact. Shay went left while she let Marcus go right or where ever he decided to go. She moved towards the sound of the frantic voice, limping to favor her ankle but quick enough. She came to Matt to see him upside down in his seat, obviously stuck as he was unsuccessfully jerking at his seat belt. His face was red as blood must have been pooling there for awhile. If they weren't fast he might pass out, get brain damage, or worse. "Hey" she called to him, reaching up to touch his arms. "Hey we're here. Just hang on and we'll get you down." She looked around the plane for anything sharp. Her heart pounded in her chest as adrenaline began rushing through her system. After scavenging the floor she came across a piece of the plane that broke and left itself as twisted piece of metal detached from wherever it was originally supposed to be. She carefully grabbed the least sharp side and raised it up to start cutting at his belt. "Hey, you better hang on or uh, make a good jump for it because once I cut this belt gravity is taking over, ok?" She then proceeded to start rubbing the piece of metal against the belt, the choppy edge making a slow but efficient effort in stripping the thick fabric of Matt's belt. When Shay was half way through Ben had come forward, picking up pace when he saw Shay. "Hey!" he called to her, bringing her attention from over her shoulder. "Hey, let me help you." He came to her side and looked to where Matt was sitting and the seat next to him. The woman did not look so good. "Hold on" he instructed Shay. She paused as Ben spoke to Matt. "You're going to hurt yourself badly if you just fall down. Can you un clip that woman's belt and take her straps?" He asked. He knew the request would be hard as she was clearly dead and dripping blood from her massive wounds. Ben looked to Shay "you will need to step aside to let the woman fall before resuming." He looked back to Matt. "If you can grab her seat belts around your wrists it will help alleviate your fall, trust me." He looked to Shay who was staring in horror at the woman bleeding and clearly not alive, then looked back to Matt waiting for his decision and if he would follow his instructions.

[mmidnight]

Lying there, Maya strained herself as she listened for any type of response. The fall from that seat had been quite a way down, and there was no telling whether or not the man had sustained previous injuries beforehand. The dark-haired woman held her breath, and exhaled a sigh of relief when Ben finally answered her, his accent bleeding through his words the way so many were bleeding inside of that plane. She averted her eyes from the bodies around her, staying focused on the thin man coming to her aide. From her position on the floor and her self-assessment moments before, Maya was sure that her hip was dislocated. There was so much adrenaline surging inside of her body, and just as much desire to live, that she was sure she could ignore the pain and limp out of the plane. She just wanted out of the aircraft, even if that meant being stranded on a beach.

“Careful,” she warned softly, concern in her voice after Ben tripped. When he was close enough, she grasped his hand firmly and pulled herself to her feet. The right was much more stable than the left, and the woman leaned most of her weight against an overturned drink cart. There were two other people that needed help and Maya nodded at Ben's request before they went in opposite directions down the aisle of the plane.

The newest survivor was at the back of the plane, and Maya limped and shuffled her way along. She was careful to step over the debris, but still pushed herself to move quickly, wanting to get to the man in time. Upon reaching him, Maya removed some of the smaller obstacles that covered the man's legs, and somehow found the will and strength to crouch down and lift a large chunk of metal from his body. The pain receptors in her brain were going crazy, but Maya continued to kneel and delicately, she brushed Jack's hair away from his face before listening for his breathing. He was alive, and Maya gently set her hand between the man's shoulder blades, giving him a pat in hopes to rouse him. She noticed that he was bleeding from the head, but there was no way to tell whether or not that was his only injury.

The most terrifying thing about hanging there, upside down, after a plane crash was that Matt couldn't see anything that was going on behind him. He could hear people, their shuffling movements, bits and pieces of their conversation, but nothing else. He continued to struggle with his belt, and everything felt as though it had been slowed down before the blond man finally saw another face; two, actually. The girl with the brown hair had come over to him, while the man she had entered the plane with walked deeper into the wreckage. He started to relax when Shay started speaking to him, her voice was soothing and she made an effort to cut him free from his seat. “I will,” he shook his head quickly, although he was unsure of what he was supposed to reach for.

It wasn't long after Shay started cutting away that another person became involved. He recognized Ben's voice from before, and trusted what he said because he heard the other man fall. “Watch out,” he said to Shay, agreeing to Ben's plan. With a deep breath, he Matt reached over, the muscles in his abdomen straining as he grasped the seat belt of the woman who had been sitting next to him. It took some fumbling, but he managed to unclasp the buckle. Her body fell to the floor with a sickening sound, and Matt tried not to be sick as he sat back with the belts in his hands. He was still very much upside down, and his head was starting to throb from the pooling blood. “Okay,” he gave the go ahead, “cut me down. I'm ready.”

Marcus had left Shay, knowing that she could help Matt. He hoped there would be no heavy lifting involved for her, because that ankle was going to set her back. His military training helped to keep him calm during the ordeal, but Marcus was worried inside. He had lost Laura, he knew it and he was worried that he would come across her body as he made his way to the back of the plane. There were two more survivors back there, two more people he could help. This was just like the war—the sand, the smoke, the bodies all over the place. Marcus had come to the Sapphire Coast to relax and this was unimaginable.

“Is he breathing?” Marcus asked, coming to Maya's side as she tended to Jack. She nodded at him, and he could tell from the way that she was favoring her left side that she was hurt as well. “Help me turn him over,” he commanded next. Between himself and Maya, they managed to move Jack onto his back. He was a big man, and all of that dead weight was going to be heavy. The Marine moved into position and slid his arms around Jack's chest, hauling him up from the floor. “Get his feet,” he asked of the dark-haired woman and walked backwards toward where he and Shay had come in.

He saw that she and Benjamin had almost gotten Matt free. “Hurry up,” he warned, “we need to get out of here and as far away from the wreckage as we can.” There was more black smoke spilling into the cabin bu then, the noxious fumes causing him and a few of the others to cough and gasp. Marcus kept moving, though, determined to breathe fresh air and keep living.

Still carrying Jack, he and Maya left the plane and helped to carry the blond man over to the tree he had found Shay near. It was a safe enough distance for everyone to meet at and collect their bearings.

[Blox]

Shay glanced to the side to see Marcus with another woman hauling a large man out. She watched as they made their way slowly but surely across the sand to the tree she had been resting at. That seemedbto be their new meeting point. The fumes of the plane were becoming overwhelming and they needed to leave fast. Shay gave a small outward cry of surprise when Matt released the dead woman and she came crashing down with as sickening thud. She hasn't been paying attention but realized now Matt was secure enough for her to continue cutting him free. She continued to slice away at the belt, Ben at her side to help balance Matt when he swung free. With a snap of the last thread gravity yanked hard on Matt's overturned body and he would swiftly fall down from his chair and left dangling. She would imagine that the relief of the blood falling away from his head would be so welcomed. She did gymnastics as a kid and hated the feeling of being upside down with the pressure building around her, her face.Ben moved his satchel to his side and, with an inhale from the pain it brought, he raised his arms to help steady Matt. "There's a spot here on the floor if you can make it. I can help you get the angle for the jump." He offered, hands placed on either sides of Matt's legs now.

Shay took a staggered step, favoring her ankle. "We need to go guys, it isn't safe in this plane." She gave a cough as more fumes seeped in too the plane. "There are a few others on the beach now. They're meeting at a tree by the entrance to the forest line." She wasn't going to leave without them but she was getting anxious rto get ass far from the plane as possible.

Jack's n groans had fallen silent for a moment. Now his groans returned with body movement. He slowly blinked open his eyes, confused and dazed. He moved his legs to try and sit up and cried out as pain shot from his side to the middle of his back and down his leg. He turned and tried lifting part of his shirt, already seeing a map of massive bruises that no doubt covered a large portion of his body from the debris that fell on him. "Lacey?" He called out softly, turning his head the other way for a better look of the area. "Lacey where are you?!" He called again in a louder more frantic tone.

Shay heard a crackling sound at the back of the plane. "Uh guys. We need to go now!" She said urgentally and with fear in her voice. The plane was about to blow.

[mmidnight]

As the smoke continued to fill the interior of the plane, the need to vacate the wreckage became more and more urgent. Up above, Matt was stating to become dizzy, his grip on the seat belts faltering slightly as both Shay and Ben talked him through the process. He had been upside down since the airliner had crashed into the beach, and it was starting to take a toll on his body. He didn't want to die, though, not when he had already made it through the crash and was so close to fresh air that giving up now would have made everything else pointless. Nodding as Ben motioned to the spot on the floor, Matt tightened his grip on the fabric in his hands. “I know,” he replied, trying to keep his cool as Shay urged him on. “Finish cutting me down.”

The heavy metal body of the plane was creaking and popping, and there was a strange sound coming from the back. It was clear that aircraft was about to explode and Matt was ready to get the hell out of there. Soon after, his seat belt was finally sliced apart and the full weight of his body swung free from the seat. It was a hard fall, uncoordinated and far from pleasant. The belt around his wrist had pulled his shoulder uncomfortably close to dislocation, and the blood that had previously been pooling in the top of his skull now swiftly traveled back down. The sensation was nauseating, and Matt reached out to both Ben and Shay to help out of the plane and back onto the beach as quickly as the three of them could move. At the very least, there were other survivors. Someone would be looking for them, help would have to be sent and surely the airline already knew the plane had gone down.

From the safety of the meeting point, Marcus watched with baited breath and waited for Shay and the others to emerge from the plane. He had witnessed scenes such as this countless times before, and he didn't want to see another one play out before his eyes when all of them were so close to safety. The large man took a deep breath, calming himself further as the man he and Maya had pulled from the wreckage began to call out. Marcus was willing to bet that Lacey was a Laura, but he didn't have the heart to break it to the man that the lady in his life was dead.

“You need to lay back down,” Marcus said instead. They would worry about first aid as soon as everyone was safe.

Maya had fallen to the ground as soon as she and Marcus had laid Jack down. The pain in her hip had quickly returned with the realization that she wasn't going to die in the explosion after already enduring the crash. She looked to Jack as he struggled to sit up, and frowned as he fruitlessly called out for a woman. Marcus's response to him wasn't much help and although Maya wasn't sure how to help, she would do her best. “Rest, please,” she asked of the blond man, her hand on his shoulder. She gently pushed him back toward the sandy ground, “you're hurt.” He had no business trying to get up, especially not when it risked more injury.

[Blox]

Jack heard the voices of Marcus and Maya as they told him not to move and to stay calm. Maya's voice was calming and he found himself laying his head back down, everything spinning. He closed his eyes and felt her reassuring hand rest gently on his shoulder. Next thing he knew he was back in the darkness.

---

Ben and Shay watched carefully, ready to help as Matt swung free from his seat. As soon as Matt had caught his breath and was balanced they rushed outside of the plane. Shay pointed towards the tree she had been at before where the others stood and began moving with Ben and Matt to join them. Matt and Ben followed Shay's pace as she limped as quickly as she could away from the plane. When they reached the other three Shay looked behind her at the plane, now billowing plenty of smoke. A loud crack resounded from the back of the plane and a burst of flame erupted upwards settling to lap at the side of the structure. Moments after the plane finally exploded. The blast was loud and smoke pummeled upwards and around the plane. Shay and Ben, no doubt with the others, turned their heads away as the explosion took place, protecting themselves. Their spot by the tree was far enough to protect them, as the closest debris fell just a few feet near them, the rest scattering across the beach or falling from the sky after being missiled upwards. The result left the plane pretty much demolished, a soft fire now burning around what was left of the plane, leaving a lot of scorched parts and possible bodies, all one big indistinguishable charred mess. If there were any survivors left in the plane, they were gone. It was just the 6 of them.

---

Ben reached out a hand against the tree and reached his hand up to his head, touching his ear. There was a loud ringing sound reverberating in his ear drum, distorting any voices he heard around him in to strange muffled sounds. He grimaced and leaned forward, feeling slightly nauseous. He shook his head slightly then straightened back up, looking at the others around him. Slowly his hearing came back as he heard everyone clearly now and how they reacted to what just happened. It was a terrifying yet sobering moment that reminded them they were alone. It was clear that they were the only survivors. Ben looked down and placed his hand on his satchel, making sure his bag was still attached to him. He would most certainly write about this. He couldn't imagine them not being saved and saw this as a great opportunity to write a compelling survivors' story.

Ben looked to Maya, the woman he saw when he fist had been able to free himself from the plane. She was injured as well but hid her injury well. He stepped closer to her and reached out his hand to her shoulder. "Are you ok miss?" he asked with concern. Now would be a good time to evaluate their injuries before scavenging for any leftover medical supplies that could hopefully be found among the mess left by the plane.

---

Shay lifted her pant leg to survey her injury for a moment. The bleeding was stopped and it didn't seem any worse than before. She then looked back towards Marcus and Matt. "What do we do now?" she asked out loud to them, unsure what they should do. "Do they know we've landed here?" she looked around and out towards the beach. The island, which she did not know was an island yet, gave her a view of nothing but beach and trees and whatever laid past the forest line. She was aching for adventure in her life and had begun acquiring her desires from her past travels, but she didn't want anything this intense. And yet it was in moments like these that a person's strength and confidence were tested. She looked between Matt and Marcus. "I'm Shay by the way" she said, wanting to get to know the people she was now stuck with for the time being.

---

Jack was dreaming back to when he and Lacey were talking about their plans in the plane. They had everything laid out, all of the fun excursions and activities they would enjoy on their vacation. Jack's mind played Lacey close up, tilting her head back and laughing at something he said before looking back to him with a soft smile and reaching out to him to brush some hair away from his face. Jack woke up again. He laid on his stomach, his face pressed in to the sand beneath him. He grimaced and turned himself over to lay on his back, wincing softly from the pain his movement brought. He saw the smoke in the sky and could smell the fire burning. Jack forced himself up and in to a sitting position. He looked forward at the wreckage and exhaled deeply. There was nothing left.

Jack looked around him and saw Marcus and Maya closest to him. Maya must have been the voice of the woman he had heard earlier. He looked around at the others around him then set his eyes back to Maya. "It's just us, isn't it?" he asked, more as a confirmation for himself rather than a question for her to answer. Lacey was gone. He closed his eyes for a moment, a throbbing sensation developing at his temples. He raised his hand to his head then brushed back some stray hairs from his face. "Someone's got to have seen us." He wondered how long it would take for someone to come and rescue them...if they ever came. Jack heard Shay introduce herself across the way and he decided to join. They would need to get to know each other enough to work out a plan for survival until someone would come for them. "I'm Jack" he said, loud enough for the group to hear.

Ben looked to Jack, the once still man now moving and talking. "Ben" he reciprocated. He looked to the others to hear their names, after which he said "We should scout the wreckage for supplies, don't you think?" His eyes fell on Marcus for approval. He didn't know his background but Marcus had a presence of leadership that naturally made Ben turn to him for guidance.

[mmidnight]

Everything was spinning. Wisps of color blended together into one dizzying picture, and Matt struggled to stand on his own two feet. Beside him, he could hear Ben and Shay but the creaking sound of the plane was louder than anything else, and the black smoke was leeching into the plane faster than ever. Somehow, Matt managed to make it out, his expensive boots sinking into the soft sand and then uneven sensation almost caused him to fall. The spinning wasn't getting any better, and Matt was starting to worry that it would never stop, that he had done some kind of damage to himself by hanging upside down for so long. The fresh air was a relief, though, a welcomed change from the toxic fumes that had been seeping into the plane and slowly killing him and the rest of the survivors.

In front of him, Matt's hands managed to find a tree and he hung on and tried to steady himself when the plane finally exploded. There was a loud banging sound, and the residual heat came at them in one big wave. Debris was spread out all over the beach, drink carts, luggage, seats, body parts, and the inner mechanical workings of the plane itself would soon be washed away by the sea. There was a ringing sound in his ears now, and combined with the dizziness, Matt needed to sit down. He sunk to the bottom of the tree and focused on breathing and praying that he wasn't now deaf.

The tree was a little more than the length of a football field away from the plane, and Marcus knew that he and the others would be safe, but the explosion was still damaging and he too had the ringing sound in his ears. This wasn't the first time that something like this had happened to him, and the former soldier was just glad that all of the survivors had made it out of the plane on time. The same couldn't be said for Laura, and Marcus was heartbroken. In the heat of the moment, he had been able to act, but now that the knowledge of being the only survivors was starting to sink in, he felt hollow and empty, and almost wished that the crash had killed him too.

There were no words to describe how relieved Maya was to see that the others had made it out, and even though the situation was still tense, she could relax a little. The sand beneath her was soft, and the man that she and Marcus had carried out of the plane was finally calming down. It was her hip that required attention now, the pain was intense and came in waves, rolling through her leg and up her side every handful of seconds. In the back of her mind, she knew it could be days before they were rescued, and she didn't want to be useless to everyone else in the mean time. There was no choice, the bone would have to be put back into the socket manually.

“I think it's dislocated,” she answered Ben, and shared Shay's sentiments of being at a loss for what to do. “I'm Maya,” she added, cringing from the pain. “Why wouldn't they know? We crashed here, planes have radar...” she reasoned, although nothing was guaranteed and Maya was also worried that they would be stuck there and forced to fend for themselves.

After getting sick in the bushes, Matt had finally come back to reality. The spinning had finally stopped, and the ringing in his ears had died down slightly, at least enough to hear the names of the people he was currently stranded with. “I'm Matt,” he offered. “I don't think there's anything left, I mean,” he nodded toward the smoldering wreckage, one fire still blazing by the tail, “look at it.” The plane was a lost cause, and Matt couldn't think of anything that could be useful when it was all burned up and blasted into little pieces.

“I'm Marcus,” said the large man, getting to his feet once more. “We're going to have to wait until the fire goes out to get back into the plane, but there's plenty to salvage from the beach.” They would have to build a fire, something for the rescue crew to see no matter what time they came, and the lush greenness of the jungle behind them provided excellent foliage for creating lots of smoke. “We can start a fire after we fix your hip,” he said, nodding to Maya. “And we'll need shelter. Do any of you know anything about survival, or medicine? Any doctors or nurses with me?” He chuckled in vain.

Maya paused, “I'm an interior designer...” She didn't know the first thing about being outdoors, or camping, or making a shelter out of whatever the hell they could find on the beach after a plane crash and unless someone had a lighter, she didn't know how to make a fire. She looked to Ben, and then to Jack and Shay, wondering if they knew anything about what Marcus wanted.

“I don't know anything about that,” Matt shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. “I'm a photographer. What about you?” he asked, looking to Shay. She looked sort of like a nurse to him, or at least someone who knew what she was doing when it came to their various injuries. Maybe that was a stupid assumption. “Is this guy the only one who knows what he's doing?” The question was rhetorical, but it was obvious that Marcus couldn't do everything for them.

Marcus had already assumed his position as their leader and it felt natural to him. “Jack? Ben?” he asked. Even if Jack didn't have any kind of experience, he was a big guy who could still be useful. He didn't know what he was supposed to do with an interior designer and a photographer out in the wild.

[Blox]

Ben watched Maya carefully, hands slightly raised and ready if she needed help. "Perhaps you should sit down? I'm afraid I'm not a doctor so I'm not quite sure how I can help. If it's dislocated though, it should be fairly easy to pop back in to place, no?" His offered help was meager and not backed by much confidence. But his concern on his face was evident as he barely took his eyes off of her while the group began to settle and share introductions.

Shay looked to Matt as he staggered back to the group. He didn't seem to be such an optimistic guy. "Well there's, uh, stuff across the beach still, some luggage over there. I'm sure we could find some things." Shay tried to sound optimistic but she knew she probably sounded as dismal as Matt. Thankfully Marcus spoke up and began collaborating ideas to get them on a path for safety and communication for air control. He seemed to have been in a situation like this before. She wasn't sure what sort of experience he had but, whatever it was, she was grateful to have him here now.

Ben stepped to the side as Marcus began to take control. He seemed to know how to help Maya and that gave him comfort. Ben glanced around as he asked the group if they had any knowledge that could help them until they get rescued. There was a silence for a moment, the beach waves crashing against the sand, the fire burning across the way around what plane wreckage was left. Then, breaking the dispspirited silence, Jack spoke up. He had been quietly listening, gathering his wits about him. He knew he had lost Lacey, knew in reality she had not survived the explosion, but was still holding on to some form of hope that she had crawled away from the wreckage. It was the hope that kept his sanity flowing at this moment. He waited for everyone to share their professions before speaking up.

Shay turned to Matt though spoke loud enough for the group "I'm a student. A traveler. I unfortunately don't have any medical knowledge" she admitted.
She lowered her voice to speak just to Matt. She was actually quite fascinated by his profession as a photographer. She wondered how many places he must have been to capture the best shot. Unless of course he was simply a local photographer. Shay giggled at Matt's last retort. "Yeah, it sure sounds like it. I wonder what he does. But, you're a photographer? What sort of photos do you take?"

Ben shared himself saying "I'm a writer" keeping his reply simple. He was hesitant to begin revealing himself fully to these strangers. He turned to look to Jack, the last one of the group to say anything, or much at all. Before Jack could say anything Ben pointed towards him. "You're Jack Brand, no? Famous unstable baseball player?" He grinned, remembering as he had contributed to the writings that covered his meltdowns a few years back. It was entertaining and great reader content. "You're clean now, no? Clean and stable and..." he trailed off, realizing he had a fiance and the woman was not with the group. His smile dropped as he cleared his throat and glanced the other way. Thankfully the awkward silence didn't last as Ben's brazen approach didn't phase Jack very much; he had become used to these sort of reactions from people who knew who he was.

Jack confirmed for the group what Ben knew to be true. "Yes, I'm Jack Brand, famed baseball player and most popular advertised train wreck. Yeah, I'm fine now, thanks for your concern." His voice rang clear with sarcasm. He turned to Marcus. "I have some medical training from my team. We got hurt a lot out on the field. I'll help where I can" he offered. His voice was low and soft, a melancholy sound that would come across as comforting and in control of his thoughts while for him it was an echo of his loss coming to understanding and surrender. Wanting to stay busy he brought himself carefully to his feet, holding his hand to his bruised side. He looked to Marcus and said "so where do we start? Should we get a fire going?"

Ben folded his arms across his chest. "I think miss Maya here needs to be tended to first" he said curtly.

[mmidnight]

The situation didn't look promising. No one else on the island had any sort of medical training, besides Jack, and the other man seemed to distraught to do much of anything. He wasn't the only one who had lost someone, and Marcus was still thinking about Laura, and how she must have suffered before her untimely death. There was an ache in the Marine's chest that would never go away, and later, he would find time to grieve. For now, there were survivors to take care of, and Marcus was more than likely the only one who could keep them alive until help came for them. It was still early enough, and the plan had to have sent out some kind of distress signal, and at the very least, someone must have noticed that it had dropped off the radar, that it had never made it to its scheduled destination.

Although, Marcus had a worrying thought in the back of his mind, something that said they were truly on their own. It wasn't often that planes fell out of the sky, and they were more safe than cars, but equipment malfunctioned all the time, and there was no guarantee that anyone was coming for them. It was best to try and find some good in the situation, to focus on the small things; minimal injuries in spite of the violent crash and explosion, the abundance of stray luggage on the beach and the fair, comfortable weather. They could have crashed anywhere else, even in the ocean, but the fact that they were on a beautiful beach should have lightened spirits a little.

“She does,” Marcus nodded, looking to the woman had finally sat down. Her hip was jutting out from her side, and that injury was probably the most serious next to Shay's open leg wound. “You might want to find something to bite down on,” he added, breaking the news that this was going to hurt. Most of the time, people were sedated for procedures like this, and a hip was much more difficult to pop back into the socket in the field as opposed to a shoulder, which Marcus had dealt with many times. Maya looked frightened, probably worried that she couldn't handle the pain but it would have to be done. He wasn't the best at comforting people, but he offered her a reassuring smile.

There was no part of Matt that wanted to be around for a hip being put back into place. He was squeamish about things like that, and didn't even like the sight of blood, let alone the sound of bone moving against bone. “Good luck with that,” he said, not meaning to be so callous. He stood and looked to Shay, motioning for her to come with him. “We'll bring back some firewood when you're done with...” he swallowed, “that.” Even though it was the middle of the afternoon, they would have to eat at some point, and then night would be falling upon them, and staying warm was a priority. The blond man didn't think they would be rescued that quickly, and letting go of that hope now was better than being anxious about listening for helicopters.

“Animals, by the way,” Matt finally answered Shay, “I work for National Geographic.” The job brought him to many beautiful places, and Matt had gotten the privilege of seeing and experiencing amazing things, but he never thought that he would be involved in a plane crash because of it. All he had wanted to do was take pictures of the parrots, go home and get paid. “What do you study?” He picked up a few sticks at the edge of the dense jungle, not wanting to step inside yet. He knew how easily people could go missing, and after surviving the afternoon's ordeal, Matt would rather not jinx himself.

As Matt and Shay walked away, Maya was left with Marcus, Jack and Ben. The adrenaline from earlier was starting to wear off, and the pain was beginning to return to her side, shooting down her leg and all the way into her toes. Maya had never even broken a bone, and she wasn't used to this type of injury. Although, Marcus seemed confident and Maya trusted that she was in capable hands. She did her best not to worry, and looked from one man to the other, hoping that one of them would find her something to bite down on so that she didn't have to go without. “Is it really going to be that bad?” she asked, perhaps coming off as a little naive, maybe even dumb.

“It's not going to be easy on you,” Marcus replied. There was no sense in lying to her. He turned to Ben and Jack, hoping that they would be more inclined to help than Matt was. “If one of you can hold her still, I'll get her hip back in place.”

Biting her lip in worry, Maya looked from Jack to Ben. She didn't want to go through this and it was often that she took the easy way out. After all, she had dosed herself for the flight, not wanting to be scared and now she didn't have the same combination to take the edge of off this suddenly jungle triage.

[Blox]

Shay bit her lower lip, watching Marcus prep Maya for what seemed to be a painful situation. Her eyes moved to the woman's side where the disfigurement was visable, an odd shape that was clearly showing something out of place. A shudder fell down Shay's spine and yet she watched transfixed with fascinated horror. Her eyes hadn't blinked until Matt caught her attention and motioned her away. He seemed to be as distressed by the sight as well as her, though she found it too interesting to look away. She knew it wouldn't be healthy to see or hear what would happen so she followed Matt's lead and limped towards his side. She gave a small wince, her ankle throbbing, but kept his pace. When he answered she beamed with bright curiosity and showed how much she loved that he shot pictures of animals. "Oh how cool! No wonder you were on your way to South America! I bet you get to travel a lot with your job too" she grinned, loving the wonderment of traveling as well, though she was traveling for different reasons. At Matt's question Shay blushed with embarrassment. "I don't have a job nearly as cool as yours. In fact, I'm unemployed right now. I finished college looking in to the field of Psychology but I wasn't sure if that was really what I wanted to do, you know? I've just been so confused as to who I am, or want to be and what my next step in life will be. I just come from traveling Europe for about a month and was on my way to South America to experience other cultures and spend time on finding out more about myself. So far I feel just as lost and confused as when I first graduated college." She paused, still walking but silent for a moment, a slight frown on her face. "It sounds so childish, I know. I'm just not sure what else to do. I've been so couped up my entire life that I needed some excitement, something new, experience different world's. And this is what I get" she glanced to their right to see the burning debris across the beach.

Jack stood by Marcus side as he prepared Maya for what he was going to do. She seemed completely unaware of how severe her injury was and how much pain she would be put in after Marcus set her back straight. Jack had re-set shoulders for his team mates before and it was never easy. He couldn't imagine the hip and was glad Marcus would be handling the re-setting. He moved to Maya and reached his hands down towards her waist. Gently he clasped both sides for support, keeping his hand on the side where Marcus would set clear so he could maneuver her properly. He was very close to her as he held her still. He met her gaze and gave her a small smile. "Just try and be still, it's going to hurt pretty bad, not going to lie." Ben was fidgeting by the men's side as they readied to set Maya's hip. He twisted his lips in concern, unsure what to do at first but not too squeamish to have to look away. He reached in to his bag and pulled out one of his thickest writing pencils, once h often used to sketch drawings. He handed it towards Maya. "Here, bite down on this" he offered. He then reached out his hand for her to take. "If it helps you can squeeze my hand" he offered her as well. He glanced to Jack, who was looking to Marcus, then also turned his gaze on Marcus; they were ready when he was.

[mmidnight]

There was no doubt that the island they had crashed on was a beautiful place. If it weren't for the trauma, the death and panic that was currently making its way through the group, Matt wouldn't have minded the possibility of being stranded. After all, he presumed the little slice of paradise to be uninhabited, and the water surrounding them was a crystal blue, almost unnatural looking and clear as glass. The air was warm, and the jungle behind them, however daunting, was lush and green. The scene would have made for a perfect picture, something that Matt would have shot with his camera and turned in to be published. It was a shame that his camera was long gone, the expensive equipment blown away by the plane's explosion.

Being employed by National Geographic seemed to impress Shay, and Matt smiled at her enthusiastic intrigue. He hoped that they would be rescued soon because Matt wanted to get back to his job and if they got off of the island soon enough, he would still be able to make his deadline. The parrot project was really important to him. As Shay spoke about herself, and traveling, Matt continued to gather wood for a fire. He understood where she was coming from, having run away to Europe himself, although he hadn't actually graduated himself. “Nothing wrong with that,” he shrugged, his eyes following hers to the burning wreckage in the distance. “Traveling, I mean. College is...” he shook his head, laughing curtly, “I hated it. I dropped out and went to Paris instead of finishing. At least you got your degree.”

Reaching for a few more large sticks, Matt handed a few to Shay. He wanted to stay away from the others while they were fixing Maya's hip and having more wood than necessary seemed like a good thing. “South America, though,” he went on, still milling about the trees close to the edge of the jungle. “Have you ever been before or is this your first time?” Matt had been all over South America for both work and pleasure and so many of the countries were beautiful, so much more appealing than anything that could be found back in the states—except for maybe the Grand Canyon.

It was hard to be still when Maya was about to experience an unfathomable amount of pain. She was nervous, and wanted to get up and stumble away as Jack held her down, pressed into the firmer soil by the treeline of the jungle. Her breathing was quick, and she looked from Jack, to Marcus and finally to Ben as he offered her something to bite down on. That offer was generous, but it did little to comfort the woman. She took it from him anyway and placed the pencil between her teeth, the body of it was thick and sturdy, but she hoped she wouldn't crack it in half when Marcus got started. With a deep breath, she took Ben's hand, already squeezing his fingers before she nodded, signaling that she was ready for whatever was to come.

At Maya's signal, Marcus firmly and quickly pushed the slipped bone back into the socket. There was a loud pop followed by the sound of the woman screaming out in pain, but Marcus kept a grip on her, making sure that she wasn't going to do any more damage to herself. The process was a quick one, but she would need time to heal and rest and the island wasn't exactly an ideal place to recuperate from such a traumatic injury. “It's over,” he told her, noticing the death-grip she had on Ben's hand. “We're done. It's back in place.”

Maya was left panting and removed the pencil from her mouth, which was now dented with teeth marks. “Thanks...” she said, and finally let go of Ben's hand. “I can help with the fire now,” she mentioned, although she was feeling a little light-headed.

Marcus disagreed. “Take your time. We don't want to have to reset it if you push yourself too hard.”

The commotion over Maya seemed to have died down, and Matt was ready to return to the group. “I think it's safe now,” he said to Shay and began to make his way back over to everyone, arms full of wood for the fire.

[Blox]

Shay chuckled, gingerly reaching for small branches she could easily hold while maintaining her balance. "I have yet to see what good my degree has done for me yet." She took more sticks handed by Matt, listening to him as he continued. "First time" she responded, disappointment in her voice for not even getting to officially explore the continent. She paused from gathering wood to lean against a tree, looking back to the waters. "Where do you think we are?" she asked curiously and with a cit of concern. The island seemed not to be inhabited and while she was a geography buff she couldn't think of an island known by South America to be so rural yet beautiful. It was just an odd place for them to have crash landed, almost too perfect in the scenery. If they found food and shelter to sustain them until help arrived it didn't seem to be such a bad predicament to be in.

Ben took Maya's hand, feeling her grip tighten already as she anticipated the pain to follow Marcus' actions. He looked to Marcus, his accent thickening in his evident fear. "I hope you know what you're doing man" he said softly, waiting for his move. When Marcus made his move the loud resounding pop made a shudder fall down Ben's spine and he turned his head away with a grimace, Maya's scream of pain echoing across the beach. Ben gritted his teeth together as his hand began to throb with pain from Maya's death grip. As soon as she let go he took his hand back, gingerly holding in his other hand; it would be bruised tomorrow for sure but he was glad to help her and knew her pain was much deeper. Ben nodded to Marcus "I think you'd better rest for now" he said in agreement.

Jack let go of Maya once she was stable and rose to his feet, watching her carefully for a moment to ensure she was stable for the moment. "Nice job" he murmured to Marcus as he began to walk away from the group. "I'll be back" he said offhandedly, making his way towards the forest. Ben watched him begin to walk away then shouted to him "Hey man, where are you going?" but Jack ignored him and continued to walk away. He needed solitude and was frankly curious to go further past the forest line. Staying on the open beach was not the safest place to be in his opinion. The crashed plane would be their visible target and they didn't need to risk themselves to exposure just to keep sight for help. Ben shook his head in frustration as Jack ignored him. "We need to stick together" he mumbled, more to himself.

Shay followed Matt back to the group. Jack walked past them as they came forward. "Hey, where are you going? We have enough wood" he said to him. Jack kept his eyes down, hand resting on his ribcage, and continued to walk forward without acknowledging either Shay or Matt. "Nice guy" she said with a look to Matt and a small shrug. She limped next to him back to the group and set her gathered wood down on the sandy dirt floor. She looked to Maya "Are you ok? Did it hurt? I heard you cry in pain" she said empathetically. Ben pocketed the bitten pencil in his bag, turned his bag to his side and walked up to the wood, looking at the good size pile. He glanced to Marcus "Since you seem to know everything, how do we start a fire?"

In the distance, dark clouds were slowly forming and a colder wind was beginning to slowly blow through.