To The End
Chapter 5
With Frank's help, we finished the next two graves much faster than we had before. As we stood over the last grave, finishing our last prayer, I saw Zara running up the beach as fast as she could.
"Where is he! What happened!" she cried.
"Punctured lung. He aspirated. Last night. We buried him there," I replied.
"What! Why didn't you wake me up!" she shouted at me. Gerard and I exchanged another look.
"I tried. You were passed out. I did what I could, but I wasn't going to open him up by myself," I replied. Though my tone was calm, the anger was evident.
"Oh my God!" she cried, before sinking to her knees, crying. Frank began to pat her awkwardly on the shoulder. Gerard put an arm around my shoulder, immediately quieting the rage that was beginning to boil in my head.
"Do you wanna get some sleep?" he asked gently.
"No, I don't think I could," I replied. "I'm way too keyed up."
"Wanna start scouting the beach, and look for a good place to set up camp?"
"Yeah," I replied. "Let's get some water, and some food first. Come on, Zara, get up, we have work to do."
We walked back to the bonfire, which was far too warm in the morning sun. Zara immediately collapsed on the yellow rubber mat, still crying, burying her head in her hands. I stripped off my blood and dirt stained shirt and shorts, and picked up my shampoo bottle again. I took off my locket, and placed it carefully in the pocket of my suitcase.
"I'm gonna clean off first," I said. Gerard and Frank exchanged a look, before digging through their suitcases.
"We'll join you, give us two minutes." They disappeared into the tree line, reappearing moments later carrying their clothes, both now in swim trunks. We ran down to the water, none of us stopping until we had been fully submerged. We passed my shampoo bottle around between us, washing in the warm, salty water. When we finished, and returned to the camp site, Charlotte was awake, sitting with Zara, who was no longer crying, merely sniffing and shaking lightly. I dried off, and shared my towel with Frank and Gerard, before pulling on my black board shorts. Everyone else was now beginning to wake up. I pulled my long hair up into a messy ponytail, threw the locket around my neck, and stuffed my Red Sox cap on my head, before pulling out my sunglasses.
"You're gonna burn," Charlotte said, rummaging in her bag, and pulling out a bottle of sun screen, which she tossed to me. I lathered myself up, then knelt in front of her as she did my back. "It's hot already. Do you mind if I take you up on the offer of the bathing suit and board shorts?"
"Not at all," I replied, rummaging through my bag, and tossing her the suit and shorts. She stood up, and headed for the tree line, as I began digging through the flowered suitcase, extracting a bottle of water and two granola bars for everyone. Soon she returned, lathering her pale skin with sunscreen, and I returned the favor of lathering up her back.I then turned to Gerard. "Ready to walk?" I asked.
"Yup," he replied, still in his swim trunks, and now wearing a black Iron Maiden tee shirt as well.
"What are you planning?" Charlotte asked.
"We're gonna scout out the beach, look for a good place to set up some shelter," I replied.
"I'm in," Frank said, taking a large bite out of his granola bar.
"I'll go too," Charlotte said, "I could use a walk." Gerard and I exchanged yet another look, and both nodded.
"We'll go one way, you go the other, and meet back here in an hour?" he said to Frank and Charlotte.
"It's a plan," Frank replied.
"If you find fresh water, head back here, and whistle for us as loud as you can," I added.
"If any of us aren't back in an hour, come looking for us, ok?" Frank said to the group.
"You got it, man," Ray replied. I picked up my bottle of water and granola bars, as the others did the same, and we turned on our heels, walking off down the beach in opposite directions. Gerard and I headed in the direction of the plane, and as we passed it, we looked tentatively inside. It wasn't nearly as frightening now that we had buried the bodies.
"You know," Gerard began slowly. "If we find fresh water, and can move that thing, it would make a pretty good shelter."
"Yeah," I replied. "If we could make sure there's no jet fuel on there. I'd hate to get comfy, and then, BOOM!" Gerard began to laugh. My eyes scanned the tree line. Not too far in the distance, the tree line stopped, and the small mountain in the center of the island ended in a jagged cliff face. I began immediately to pray for a mountain spring.
We were maybe a hundred feet from the first class cabin, when the tree line opened up, exposing the cliff face .And it wasn't just a cliff face, my heart soared as I saw the waterfall cascading down into a small pool set in a clearing, gently running into a stream and out to the ocean. I gasped, it was probably the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and I heard Gerard gasp beside me as well.
"Is it... Is it fresh water?" he asked in a hush.
"Only one way to find out," I replied. I crept forward, and knelt at the edge of the spring, leaning my face down towards the water. Carefully, I took a mouthful, and swallowed. "It's fresh!" I cried. I jumped to my feet, and before I knew it, Gerard wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into a tight hug, before lifting me off my feet and spinning me around, letting out a whoop of happiness.
"We can light the bonfire there," he said, pointing to the beach on the other side of the stream, "and set up a camp here.It's perfect! Look! Bananas!" I turned in the direction he was pointing, and sure enough, it was a grove of fruit trees. Coconuts, mango, and banana trees, as far as the eye could see. I felt tears begin to well up in my eyes.
"It's like the Garden of Eden," I whispered.
"It is," he whispered back. We stood for a few minutes in silence. "We should go tell the others!" he cried. Big smiles on our faces, we turned around, and began to head back down the beach. As we passed the shell of the plane again, he spoke again. "It's only about a hundred feet. What do you think the chances are that we can move that thing?"
"Well, it's round, so it should roll. Depends on how embedded it is in the sand, I guess. We should discuss it with the others," I replied. Suddenly, all smiles, we both broke into a run, Gerard whistling as he ran as loud as he could for Frank and Charlotte.
"Where is he! What happened!" she cried.
"Punctured lung. He aspirated. Last night. We buried him there," I replied.
"What! Why didn't you wake me up!" she shouted at me. Gerard and I exchanged another look.
"I tried. You were passed out. I did what I could, but I wasn't going to open him up by myself," I replied. Though my tone was calm, the anger was evident.
"Oh my God!" she cried, before sinking to her knees, crying. Frank began to pat her awkwardly on the shoulder. Gerard put an arm around my shoulder, immediately quieting the rage that was beginning to boil in my head.
"Do you wanna get some sleep?" he asked gently.
"No, I don't think I could," I replied. "I'm way too keyed up."
"Wanna start scouting the beach, and look for a good place to set up camp?"
"Yeah," I replied. "Let's get some water, and some food first. Come on, Zara, get up, we have work to do."
We walked back to the bonfire, which was far too warm in the morning sun. Zara immediately collapsed on the yellow rubber mat, still crying, burying her head in her hands. I stripped off my blood and dirt stained shirt and shorts, and picked up my shampoo bottle again. I took off my locket, and placed it carefully in the pocket of my suitcase.
"I'm gonna clean off first," I said. Gerard and Frank exchanged a look, before digging through their suitcases.
"We'll join you, give us two minutes." They disappeared into the tree line, reappearing moments later carrying their clothes, both now in swim trunks. We ran down to the water, none of us stopping until we had been fully submerged. We passed my shampoo bottle around between us, washing in the warm, salty water. When we finished, and returned to the camp site, Charlotte was awake, sitting with Zara, who was no longer crying, merely sniffing and shaking lightly. I dried off, and shared my towel with Frank and Gerard, before pulling on my black board shorts. Everyone else was now beginning to wake up. I pulled my long hair up into a messy ponytail, threw the locket around my neck, and stuffed my Red Sox cap on my head, before pulling out my sunglasses.
"You're gonna burn," Charlotte said, rummaging in her bag, and pulling out a bottle of sun screen, which she tossed to me. I lathered myself up, then knelt in front of her as she did my back. "It's hot already. Do you mind if I take you up on the offer of the bathing suit and board shorts?"
"Not at all," I replied, rummaging through my bag, and tossing her the suit and shorts. She stood up, and headed for the tree line, as I began digging through the flowered suitcase, extracting a bottle of water and two granola bars for everyone. Soon she returned, lathering her pale skin with sunscreen, and I returned the favor of lathering up her back.I then turned to Gerard. "Ready to walk?" I asked.
"Yup," he replied, still in his swim trunks, and now wearing a black Iron Maiden tee shirt as well.
"What are you planning?" Charlotte asked.
"We're gonna scout out the beach, look for a good place to set up some shelter," I replied.
"I'm in," Frank said, taking a large bite out of his granola bar.
"I'll go too," Charlotte said, "I could use a walk." Gerard and I exchanged yet another look, and both nodded.
"We'll go one way, you go the other, and meet back here in an hour?" he said to Frank and Charlotte.
"It's a plan," Frank replied.
"If you find fresh water, head back here, and whistle for us as loud as you can," I added.
"If any of us aren't back in an hour, come looking for us, ok?" Frank said to the group.
"You got it, man," Ray replied. I picked up my bottle of water and granola bars, as the others did the same, and we turned on our heels, walking off down the beach in opposite directions. Gerard and I headed in the direction of the plane, and as we passed it, we looked tentatively inside. It wasn't nearly as frightening now that we had buried the bodies.
"You know," Gerard began slowly. "If we find fresh water, and can move that thing, it would make a pretty good shelter."
"Yeah," I replied. "If we could make sure there's no jet fuel on there. I'd hate to get comfy, and then, BOOM!" Gerard began to laugh. My eyes scanned the tree line. Not too far in the distance, the tree line stopped, and the small mountain in the center of the island ended in a jagged cliff face. I began immediately to pray for a mountain spring.
We were maybe a hundred feet from the first class cabin, when the tree line opened up, exposing the cliff face .And it wasn't just a cliff face, my heart soared as I saw the waterfall cascading down into a small pool set in a clearing, gently running into a stream and out to the ocean. I gasped, it was probably the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and I heard Gerard gasp beside me as well.
"Is it... Is it fresh water?" he asked in a hush.
"Only one way to find out," I replied. I crept forward, and knelt at the edge of the spring, leaning my face down towards the water. Carefully, I took a mouthful, and swallowed. "It's fresh!" I cried. I jumped to my feet, and before I knew it, Gerard wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into a tight hug, before lifting me off my feet and spinning me around, letting out a whoop of happiness.
"We can light the bonfire there," he said, pointing to the beach on the other side of the stream, "and set up a camp here.It's perfect! Look! Bananas!" I turned in the direction he was pointing, and sure enough, it was a grove of fruit trees. Coconuts, mango, and banana trees, as far as the eye could see. I felt tears begin to well up in my eyes.
"It's like the Garden of Eden," I whispered.
"It is," he whispered back. We stood for a few minutes in silence. "We should go tell the others!" he cried. Big smiles on our faces, we turned around, and began to head back down the beach. As we passed the shell of the plane again, he spoke again. "It's only about a hundred feet. What do you think the chances are that we can move that thing?"
"Well, it's round, so it should roll. Depends on how embedded it is in the sand, I guess. We should discuss it with the others," I replied. Suddenly, all smiles, we both broke into a run, Gerard whistling as he ran as loud as he could for Frank and Charlotte.
10/13/13