Chapter 7: Aiden: Dead or Alive?

I hear a faint thump thump, but I don't know if it's hers or mine. I hope it's hers, but as loud as my heart is pounding and with the chaos around me, I can't be sure. I put my trembling hand in front of her mouth and nose, and I feel something, but it could be the breeze.

"Emily?" I gently nudge her shoulder. No response. I try again. "Emily? Can you hear me?" Still no answer. I suck at this. What am I supposed to say? It's not like I took a course in how to wake up an unconscious person. And even if I did get her to wake up, what if she's injured? I won't be able to help her.

"Emily, it's me, Aiden. We met at the airport. Can you hear me?" I roll my eyes at how stupid I sound. "Please wake up." I sit back and stare at her, watching for the slightest movement, and that's when I see her chest rise slightly. I freeze, afraid if I move, she'll somehow stop breathing.

Her arm twitches, and hope swells in my chest. I kneel closer to her. "Emily?" After a long couple of seconds, her eyes pop open, and she gasps for breath. I fall back onto my butt and hang my head, expelling a bent up breath. Relief washes over me in waves.

"What happened? Where am I?" She props herself up on her elbows and looks around. Her eyes widen, and I can see the horror on her face.

"Our plane crashed." The steadiness of my voice surprises me.

She sits up abruptly and winces. "We crashed?" She twists around, taking in more of her surroundings, and her jaw drops. "We crashed," she repeats, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging them. "This isn't real. This isn't real."

"Hey, it's going to be okay." I put my hand on her shoulder, which is stiff and cold.

Emily rocks back and forth, muttering "we crashed" over and over until I start repeating those same words in my mind, too. And then she begins to shiver uncontrollably. I move closer and wrap my arms around her. She's trembling so violently, it causes my body to shake.

"Hey, it's okay. We survived. It's going to be okay." If only I believed what I'm saying.

She buries her face against my shoulder and clings to me. Her tears soak through my shirt, but all I can do is hold her and stroke her back. Is she in shock?

"Theodore," she gasps and jerks away from me.

"Who's Theodore?" I ask.

"The old man who was sitting next to me. Where is he?"

I stare at her for a moment, unsure if she's genuinely concerned or if she has some sort of head injury. Or if she's trying to focus on something other than the carnage around us. Finally, I shrug. "I don't know. I'm sorry."

She narrows her eyes and wipes away her tears. "I have to find him."

My stomach drops. Even if she does find him in this chaos, chances are he didn't make it. But I don't say that because I don't want to upset her any more. "Okay," I say slowly. "I'll help you find him, but let's make sure you're okay first." I get to my feet and wipe the dirt off my pants. "Is anything hurt?"

She stares up at me like I'm crazy. "How are you so calm right now?" Her voice cracks, and a fresh round of tears trickle down her cheeks.

"I'm not." I rub my shaking hands on my jeans and blow out a breath. "I'm just good at faking it."

That earns me a faint smile. Emily slowly gets to her knees and cries out, her face contorting with pain. "Ouch! Oh, that hurts!" She flops back down and clutches her left leg.

I crouch beside her. "What hurts?"

"My leg." She bites down on her lower lip.

I nod. "Okay, lay down."

"Why?"

"Because you're hurt, probably hit your head, and I don't see anyone else running over here to your rescue."

She glares at me, and her bottom lip trembles slightly. "You don't have to be mean about it."

I sigh and rub my forehead. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"No." She shakes her head. "I'm sorry. Thank you for helping me." She lays down, wincing in pain with each movement she makes.

I put my hands on her knee and work my way down her leg. I have no idea what I'm looking for, but I don't feel any bones sticking out, and there isn't any blood. When I get to her ankle, she shouts at me to stop and jerks her leg away.

"That hurts," she says.

"Can you walk on it?" I stand and offer her my hand. She takes it, and I help her up. At first, she puts all her weight on her right foot, and then slowly puts some on her left foot, her hands on my shoulders for support.

"Ow." She furrows her brow. "I think maybe it's just twisted. It hurts, but I can walk on it."

"Good." I force a smile.

She doesn't make any move to let go of me, and I don't mind. Concentrating on her hands on me is better than acknowledging what's happening around us. I've seen enough, and I don't want to see anymore. Although, at some point, I'll have to face the situation.

"How's your head?" I ask.

"Huh?" She looks at me like I've lost my mind.

"Your head." I point to her forehead. "You're bleeding. Does it hurt?" I roll my eyes; of course it hurts.

She reaches up and gingerly touches her head. When she pulls her hand away, her fingertips are coated in blood. "I honestly can't feel anything up there. It doesn't hurt…" She glances around. "I don't think it's my blood." Her face pales.

"We'll get it cleaned off, okay?" I nod as I speak, hoping my words and actions help calm her because focusing on her keeps my mind off everything else right now.

"Where are we?" Emily looks up into my eyes. The severity of things is finally settling over her, and I wish I could take it away.

"I don't know." To my right is an open area, pitch black. To my left, water. "The air marshall said we were landing somewhere in the Aleutian Islands, but I don't know which one."

Nodding, she asks, "Do you know what time it is?"

"I have no idea. It's almost dark, though." Nothing like stating the obvious. As horrible as it is, at least the flames consuming the front of plane gives off enough light to see.

"What're we supposed to do now?" She shivers and wraps her arms around herself.

It's only then I notice how chilly it is, despite the fire. A strong wind whips around us, blowing Emily's hair into her face. She pushes it back, smearing the blood further into her hairline, and shivers again. I suppress a shudder and glance over my shoulder. There's a group of survivors converging a few hundred feet away from the wreckage. "I guess we go join them."

"Yeah, okay. I want to find Theodore first," she says.

I have a gut feeling he probably didn't make it. Not a lot of people did, but knowing he was sitting right beside Emily, there is some hope. "He might actually be over there with the group. We should check there first." I offer the suggestion selfishly, not wanting to walk through the wreckage and step on human remains again.

"That's a good idea." She gives me a grateful smile.

I put my arm around her waist and turn her toward the group of survivors, keeping most of her weight on me and off her bad foot. I keep my gaze straight ahead, refusing to look at the dead bodies littering the ground.