Six

Chapter Two

I still remember when Mark Simmons punched me in the stomach for stepping on his toy train. We were both only seven, and he was in the same foster home as me. The pain of getting the wind knocked out of you is one of the worst kinds there are; the feeling of no escape. You’re forced to regain your breathing, and as a kid, you just assume you’re dying.

That feeling doesn’t feel any better at fifteen. My vision grows blurrier by the second, my eyes rolling around uncontrollably as I attempt to catch my breath once more. Only this time, I wasn’t punched; I was in a plane crash, my body thrown violently across the plane and into the front row, where my torso hit the back of a chair directly.

Dark red blood continues to pool the floor below me, the smell overwhelmingly strong. It can’t just be mine; I’d be dead if it was. Maybe I am dead, and this is just Hell? I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, considering the fact that I remember nothing.

Where am I?

My body drops to the ground with a thud, several shards of broken glass tearing through my clothing and cutting skin. I don’t even take the time to inspect the wounds, my mind racing a mile a minute as I begin scrambling away on shaky feet. I know I’m going to pass out any second now, my body growing weaker and weaker with each step, a skinny trail of red following me everywhere I go.

That’s when I spot it; a crack of light shines through a hole in the side of the plane. This is my escape, only a few feet away. I can almost feel the hot sun beating down on me already as I move closer to the exit.

So close.

Just as I’m about to make a dive for it, an ear-piercing scream suddenly explodes across the entire plane, my heart stopping instantly.

“HELP! PLEASE, HELP!” I hear a girl scream, her voice struggling to be heard.

Without a second thought, I’m tearing through the debris of my surroundings, desperately searching for the trapped girl.

“Where are you?!” I yell back, my surroundings blurring by as I continue to search.

My tired hands tear through everything in their way, my heart pounding faster.

Metal. Blood. Chairs. No sign of the girl, who is the only other person I’m even sure was on this plane when it crashed. I’ve never flown in a plane my entire life; why now? What reason would I have?

Just as I’m on the verge of giving up hope, I spot a hand dangling lifelessly from a pile of broken glass and an overturned seat.

Without a second to process what I may see, adrenaline shoots through my body with intense power, every bit of energy remaining inside me bringing me to face the unknown person. With careless hands, I pull desperately at the debris, tossing them behind me with struggle, my breathing growing heavier.

“Hello?!” I choke, my eyes scrambling to finally see a face.

The hand, once lifeless, is now wrapped tightly around my neck, their meaty fingers digging deep into my skin. I’m sent into a flailing fit, the air literally sucked out of me.

“Stop! I’m trying to help you!” I struggle to whisper, my head getting lighter.

It’s not the girl that so desperately needed me – a boy, his face caked in a blood, lifts himself out of the rubble with fast reflexes, his hand instantly releasing me.

“Who are you?! What’s going on?” He croaks at me, his blue eyes wandering uncontrollably as he begins to grope his surroundings with shaky hands.

Choking on my words, I spit out all of the jumbled up thoughts flooding my mind. “I don’t know, okay?! I’m just as scared as you. Please, just help me find the others. I-“

Before I can finish, his glare shoots back up at me in anger. “What others?! What do you know?”

I throw up my hands in defense, hot sweat drenching the back of my neck in fear. “Nothing, I know nothing. I woke up in this mess just like you. Please, let’s just find them. A girl was screaming for help a few minutes ago. I need to find her.”

Ignoring me, the boy begins pacing around anxiously in a circle, his bloody hands running through his messy brown hair over and over again.

Before I can stop him, he suddenly sprints to the tail of the plane in a burst of energy, acting as if someone just called his name.

I’m on my feet once more, chasing the blur of his red t-shirt and blue jeans only feet ahead of me.

“I found them!” He screams, his voice breaking in between words. A chilling laugh escapes his quivering lips, the sound echoing around us.

Stopping dead in my tracks, my eyes wander wildly in the direction he’s pointing to. I don’t see a single person.

“Where?” I yell back, my vision struggling to refocus, my head growing heavier.

Ignoring me once more, the large boy begins tearing through the nearby pile of airplane seats, his shaky hands now drenched in the thick blood oozing from the gashes that cover him.

“Ha! See!” The boy proclaims excitedly, his blue eyes piercing me with intensity as he watches for my reaction.

Stepping closer, I still struggle to see anyone. Just as I step up one more inch, I’m brought down again, the boy’s knee knocking me to the ground with one jab. His hands locked around my neck, I’m pinned under his weight with absolutely no air entering my lungs.

I thrash around with every bit of energy remaining inside of me, my hands flailing about wildly in the direction of his face. No more being polite for the ‘poor boy.’ He’s an enemy now.

With messy formation, I nail him crookedly in the nose, blood instantly spraying onto the floor below. His hands immediately grabbing at it in pain, I wiggle my way out of his reach, a rush of adrenaline shooting through my veins as survival mode kicks in.

Before I even take the time to think about what I’m doing, I dive for the hole in the side of the plane, my body skidding across the dirt with a loud boom. With all the pain I’ve endured in the past few minutes, the fall is almost numb to me. I glance back one more time at the mangle of plane parts and blood, nothing left for me to do but run. I can’t worry about the girl anymore. I can’t trust anybody. I just need to escape.