Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 22:28:58 -0400 (EDT) From: Pear III David Subject: Crash Survivor Chapter 2 CRASH SURVIVOR By Drake Author's Note: To all my readers, I had a lot of encouraging comments from you guys, so I owed you one; I reposted an edited version of the first chapter! It will be a lot easier to read than before, I hired an excellent editor and he will help me for the next chapters too. I hope you will enjoy the continuing of the story with Matt and Greg! Sincerely, Drake General Disclaimer and copyrights: This is just a fantasy work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons or places is a coincidence. If you aren't old enough to read this in your country, don't read. If it's a criminal offence to read this in your country, don't read. If male to male relationships and sexuality offend you, don't read. If you think the story will be lame and boring, don't read it. >From last chapter: For the first time of my life, I started to shake, almost losing control. "Don't... Don't forget to take a deep breath ok buddy?" I told Matt with a little weak voice. "I won't Greg, and if ever we can't make it, it was a pleasure to have met you." I didn't answer, I just lost it and cried. Matt could have been the son I wish I'd have had if I survived the crash. Then I heard a big crushing sound and we were shaken and then another sound of metal sheets tearing apart and... ...and it was dark. Chapter 2 Slowly, I became aware of some things in my dizzy state of unconsciousness. My eyes were closed, but I couldn't open them even when I tried with all my will. Am I in a complete dark void or what? I can hear some voices that I don't recognize, yet one of them is familiar to me, but I can't tell which one it is. I hear some shuffling near me, but I can't tell what it is. I seem to be lying down. I don't know why, but I hear a strange thumping under my mattress that had never been there before. I can't move, my arms and legs are too heavy and - oh God, I'm very thirsty. What a bad dream, wake up Greg! "WAKE UP!" I screamed within my head. Damn it, I couldn't wake up and I feel so very strange, so it's probably not a dream. What's going on? I'm so tired, I feel like having a ton of concrete over me and I can't move. Whoa, there's something wet on my forehead now, I can sense it, and I can smell it, it smells like anchovies! Is someone's playing with a fish on my face or what! What the fuck!? God I hate this dream. "WAKE UP!" I screamed again. Why won't my eyes open? Everything seems to be very quiet around me now, but there's something moving. I can feel it, but it's little, yet I was sure that I was alone. For now, I'll just enjoy the calm. It's starting to get very hot in the room; but in a way, it feels nice; I'll turn the heater off as soon as I get up. I probably drifted off to sleep because now, it's a lot less colder than before. I hear voices, but they're all mumbled, garbled and they seem to be far away. Are we in the evening? I felt the subconscious nightmare lifting. I still couldn't move my arms and legs at all, but I'm able to open my eyes just to a little slit with a great amount of effort; it's just enough to be able to see what's going on. WHERE AM I? The only thing I can see is an orange sheet over my head. I could tell we're outside because I can feel a fresh breeze on my cheeks. It's a little dark, but there's some kind of light that's able to make its way through the orange sheet. I heard some shuffling then a face appeared right in front of me with a glazed expression. "GREG!!!!" yelled the face. How does he know my name? I tried to open my mouth. I tried to move my tongue - I think I did. I tried to force air through my vocal chords. NOTHING! Shit, now I can't talk! "GREG, DO YOU HEAR ME?" Damn it, nothing's working! How can I tell this face that I can hear him, and that he should stop screaming and yelling; I feel a headache starting up. "GREG, IF YOU HEAR ME, BLINK YOUR EYES TWICE, PLEASE!" Aha! I was able to blink my eyes twice. Good sign! "Greg, do you remember me, blink one for yes two for no." I blinked two times. The voice I hear seemed to be familiar, but I couldn't identify it. I could tell it was a small boy's voice. My eyes were still near closed and I couldn't see him properly because of the bright light coming through the orange sheet behind him. "Greg, do you know someone's called Matthew?" Gosh, this one was hard because I remember talking to a Matthew not so long ago, but I couldn't remember when it was and where it was. So, I blinked once to answer yes, which was the only honest answer I could give right now. "Hey guys, he remembers my name!" I heard the voice talking toward another direction. Shit, I really have to drink something, my throat hurts bad because I'm thirsty. I have to try to talk; I don't know if someone will care that I'm that thirsty! They are babbling a lot^Å and my head's still hurting. "Waa... Waaa.." was all that I could force through the pain in my throat. "Shut up! He's trying to talk!" I heard the boy saying. "Waat.. Waate..." Oh God, it hurt. "Huh?!?" "Waate" "What what?" "Watr" "WATER! HEY JAKE, gimme your water bottle, Greg needs some!" "But it's mine and I don't have too much and if...." Jake said. "Jake, he's almost dying! Give the damn bottle now or I'll shove it up your ass!" Matt exclaimed. Finally, Jake gave the bottle to Matt with a rather guilty look. Matt lifted my head gently and put something underneath so I was at the right level to be able to drink without gagging. He opened my mouth with his little fingers and then poured about a teaspoon of water into it. God that felt so good! My throat pain started to ease until it didn't hurt anymore ^Ö well, probably a little, but nothing I couldn't handle. "Thanks..." I managed to say. I didn't know why, but my body was itching everywhere. I was able to start moving my fingers and my toes. My eyelids started to lose their weight and I was able to open my eyes slightly more. Knowing a little about the human anatomy, I could tell that my blood was starting to circulate normally. Those symptoms meant only one thing, I'd been unconscious for a long time. But why? "How... How long have I been out?" I asked. "Almost a day and a half. I was afraid that you wouldn't make it!" The voice of a little angel sounded so sweet. "Where we are?" "If I remember everything you told me on the plane, we're probably drifting on the Pacific Ocean, inside a lifeboat, between Australia and Honolulu." "Plane? Ocean? Lifeboat?" Damn it, I felt so confused. "You don't remember?" "I remember I took a plane full of kids, but that's it..." "Those kids were my friends..." said a very sad Matt. I started to recover little by little. I concentrated, tried to remember, and bit by bit, I surprised myself that I could do it so well. I wasn't able to move, but I was more coherent and was able to talk without any pain. I closed my eyes and started to talk with Matt. "Were you the little buddy that took my place over by the window?" "Yeah, so you remember me now?" "Yeah, you're Matthew, my little angel!" "Little angel?" "Yeah angel, I'm probably alive because YOU took care of me. Right?" "Hell no!! Duh! Yeah a little, but I wouldn't be alive myself if you hadn't told me what to do just before the plane crashed!" Matt responded quickly. "Oh the plane crashed. Are we in one of those little orange life rafts?" "Yeah, but it's big enough for all of us." He said. "Why's the roof glowing orange?" I asked without thinking. "Because it's full moon tonight." He answered. "Ooh!! I should have thought about that^Å Why am I nearly nude in just my boxers? And so are you." "We removed all of our wet clothes and yours too to put them up to dry. It was very chilly last night and we were freezing in them." "Oh, ok! We aren't alone here then? I heard you talking to a Jack or something..." "You're probably talking about Jake. No, in fact there's five of us. There's me, you, Jake..." he started to say rapidly. "Hey don't' go so fast, I can't follow, it's banging all over in my head!" I said while opening my eyes wider. "Oh, sorry!" "I don't know what your last name is!" "Oh, mine's Morris, Matthew Morris." "Thanks, Mr. Morris, my full name is Greg Murray. Would you give me another sip of that bottle?" "Yeah, sure!" he said. "Thanks!" I told him after I drank just another teaspoon. "So, here we are, Greg Murray and me, Matthew Morris... if you look to your left, it's my best friend Jake, Jacob Campbell that is." "Glad to meet you Mr. Murray," Jake responded. "Hey Jake, stop the mister thing," Matt said with a grin, "'cause he'll spank your butt red hot when he's on his feet again." "Oops, sorry... uh... Greg..." "Happy to meet you too Jake." I replied, ignoring Matt's comment. "This guy at the right is William Paterson, but we just call him Wil. He's a bit shy, but you'll grow to like him just as we do." Matt continued. "Hi Greg," William said as he nearly touched my feet, but removed his hand at the last second. "We've known each other since kindergarten and we live in the same neighbourhood," Matt continued. "We're all twelve years old and we're in the same class at the Sartigan High School." "You're from Sartigan?" I asked with a bit of surprise. "Yeah, why?" "That's where I was born. But now I live in Dixon at 30km from there." "Yeah, I know where that is, my uncle lives there." Jake added. "And who is this man?" I asked. "He's our math teacher's, Mr. Glenn Jackson. We like him a lot, he's very funny normally, but right now, he's in bad shape and he's unconscious like you were. He bleeds a lot and we don't know how to fix him." Matt said. "Matt! We don't "fix" someone, we heal someone!" Jake said with a `know-it-all' authoritative attitude. "Okay guys behave! As soon as I'm be able to get up, I'll have a good look at your teacher." "Ok, sorry for the fix thing Jake..." Matt said, looking guilty. "Hey buddy, stop being sorry about everything and with everyone, you just made a little mistake, that's all. We really won't spank you^Å until you ask for it!" I said with a smile. "Huh?!?!" "Whatever." "Oh, ok!" Matt giggled with a smile on his face. "Hey Matt, I was just making fun of you. I was just joking okay? But if you want me to spank your little butt^Å" Jake said with a grin of his own. "Just try me!" Matt snapped back with a laugh while moving is butt from side to side near Jake's face. "Ok guys, I said behave, don't try to excite those whales over there!" I said with a good laugh. God it helps the moral to be stupid like that! We chatted a little, continuing to tease Matt with his big desire to satisfy female whale's sexual life... it was really dumb, but it did brighten the mood! Meanwhile, both my arms came to life again, and I was now able to move them. "Could someone tell me why I smell like very bad fish?" "Oh, it's because you have a big cut on your forehead and I cleaned it up with my soaked shirt. It smells like ocean water now, yuck!" "Ok, now I understand why I was out, I probably had a cerebral concussion. Matt, you'll have to verify my vital signs every time you can, because it could've done more damage that what we know." "Oh, like an epileptic crisis?" "Yeah, you know that word?" "Yeah, my cousin is epileptic, so I know what to do if a seizure happens." "It's a good thing because right now, I feel good, but no, we don't know if there's more injury than what appears on the surface. I can't really move yet, so maybe my brain hasn't healed yet." Then I added seriously, "Matt, if I'm becoming incoherent or I'm acting strange, ask me just some simple questions like what's my name, how old I am." "Why?" he asked with concern. "I'm not a specialist about brain damage, but it could tell you that my brain has a problem and it could lead to death and if^Å" "NO! It won't happen! Your brain is not damaged and it won't be!! I don't^Å I don't want you to die! I need you, we all need you, we won't be able to survive if you aren't there!" he said with a tremor in his voice. "Listen Matt^Å Jake, Wil, you should listen too. What you did to get us here in this raft is beyond my expectation. You're really brave young men. I know some grown-ups that wouldn't have been able to go through the half of what you have. Just listen to your heart, and never let go of the will to survive. That's the basic key to stay alive. Water, food, and fire are futile if you don't believe that you can survive by yourself in the most miserable condition. Just use the elements around you, your imagination, and never ever try to fight against nature, use it like it's one of your allies. You can stay in the wilderness for all your life if you learn how to properly use the elements, and if you don't put yourself in a panic mode." "You really mean it?" Jake asked. "Yeah I do, and I'm not the only one. A lot of mountain hikers, sailors, or even miners believe it too^Å" "Thanks Greg^Å You know, I won't let us down, whatever happens." Matt said. "Me too!" added Jake and Wil, one after the other. "Boys, I believe it too, and I believe in each one of you!" I told them. Then, without any word, in a common move we crossed all of our hands together. Something special happened during that small talk. I can't put my finger on it but, for sure, our friendship was taken to a higher level. I knew that now, we'd be able to trust each other in the future and be able to count on everyone. "Now that this is sealed, I'd like to ask something of you guys. Even if it's hard to say because you'd all been through this tragic incident, I'd like you to tell me what happened and how we managed to be where we are now? It'll help to give me a good look at the situation and make the proper decisions for our survival. I'll listen to each of you but for now, I need to conserve my energy because I'm still very weak. So, I'll close my eyes and listen to you. Okay?" "Ok!" They said in unison. So my three "new" friends started to relating to me all the events, beginning when the plane crashed into the ocean. Matt told me that I was knocked into the seat right in front of me as soon as we touched down. The plane stopped immediately but, as I had supposed, the plane was torn apart and the water started to engulf the cabin very quickly. Matt took a deep breath just before the water reached him with a swirling sound. He managed to unbuckle is seatbelt then seeing I wasn't moving, he undid mine too. He didn't want to leave me there; he had a strong feeling that he shouldn't leave me. The part of the cabin where we were, started to sink, but remained in a vertical position, floating like a cork for a little time. It gave Matt the time he needed to reach the emergency exit that he remembered was located at the tail of the plane. So he grabbed my arm and drew me out of my seat easily. Thanks to the buoyancy of the water, I wasn't too heavy for him. He took us toward the tail until he saw the emergency exit. There was an air pocket right there, so he took a deep breath and stayed there trying to drag me out of the water. He wasn't able to until Jake and Wil arrived underneath. Those two supported themselves on one of the seats to push me out and to maintain all of our heads out of the water. Each of them said, the air pressure was unbearable. Their ear drums were about to succumb to the pressure! Matt took no chance and managed to open the door as soon as possible. The pressure was so great that the door almost slammed out from its hinges. Since the air was evacuating rapidly with the opening, the plane started to sink again, but they were able to climb out just in time because the water level pushed them up in the cabin. They had no problem to dragging me out at the same time, using the water level to pull me out. At that point, I opened my eyes in surprise, realizing the heroic effort they'd made to ensure my survival. My heart swelled with pride as a few tears formed, but I said nothing and closed my eyes again. Then they spoke of the hardest part of their story. They had a lot of difficulty telling me of the horror they saw at the crash site. They started to sob a lot of time and stopped telling the story when it was too heavy. They told me that we were in our life jackets, floating among the plane's debris. Some crushed bodies were here and there around us, an arm was floating alone, a shoe with a broken foot in it - and there was blood swirling in the water around them. Matt told everyone to go to the nearest inflatable life raft as soon as possible because the blood in the water would probably attract some sharks. It took them less than one minute to crawl to the boat, each giving a hand to pull me into it. Fortunately, the boat was right side up. They climbed aboard and pulled me inside. There were two paddles attached to the boat with a survival kit. Matt told the guys to look for anyone else that may be alive around there, and told them to try to gather anything that could be used to survive, especially luggage, bags, and metallic things. Meanwhile, Matt verified how I was. He said it took less than two minutes from the time we were on our seat to the moment we were on the boat. He told me that my heart was beating very low and that I wasn't breathing at all. Being in a Scout troop, Matt had learned how to do CPR. So he tried it for the first time on me. He gave me the artificial respiration. I started to breath by myself, and then started coughing to remove the little amount of water I'd taken in while I was in the water. From what Matt said, it seems that I opened my eyes for a second at that time and I closed them shut until now. Matt put me in a safe position to keep me from suffocating, then he took my vital signs every minute for more than three hours, until he thought I was out of danger. What a sweetheart, I will always owe him one! On the other side, Wil and Jake managed to get everything they could find by paddling around the plane wreckage. Luckily, they found one of the food carts in a mid flotation position. They emptied the cart and took everything that was edible such as all the sealed meals, fruits, water bottles and soft drinks. They found another lifeboat, this time upside-down with their math teacher, Mr. Jackson, on it. He was hurt badly, a lot of blood was laying on the boat surface. They approached the other boat and figured out how to attach them together with a piece of metal they interwove between the external handles of both boats. They were able to talk to their teacher, but he finally lost it and was unconscious. The boys dragged him inside our boat so Matt could have a look at him. They'd determinate that Matt would be the doctor and in charge of me. Wil would be the food, water and reserve's supplier, and Jake the navigator. Since Jake was near Mr. Jackson, he'd be in charge of him. I liked the way they divided their tasks, each determining where they had the most abilities. They navigated in a north-east direction, following the water's current. Matt taught Jake how to use the sun to navigate and to tell him in which direction we were moving. No visible earth was in sight, so they went where they thought it felt right, trying to compensate the current by paddling just a little and remembering to preserve their energy. At that point, I smiled and opened my eyes again in wonderment as I realized how well they had adapted to their situation. All of them started to panic when the night finally came up. It was almost a full moon, but there was a lot of cloud, so it was almost dark. It was a very chilly night, so to keep the warm and to cut the wind, they successfully put up the tent top that goes over the boat. It was getting colder, so Matt told them to strip out of their soaking clothes so they wouldn't freeze. They hadn't stripped Glenn because his clothes were full of blood. They said they were afraid they would do more damage to his injured body. Then, before going to sleep, they stripped my clothes off me too. We were just in our briefs and boxers. They managed to stick us one against the other to share body warmth and then put a thermal blanket from the survival kit over us. Matt put his arm around me, his belly against my back and, from what Jake said, he stayed like that all through the night. Wil was too shy to be that close to Jake, Matt, or me. To avoid the situation, he said that it was "so gay" to sleep like that, and he slept some distance from us. Behind my closed eyes, I was bemused by his comment because in a life and death situation, sex has no merit. They had a chilly night, enduring nightmare after nightmare with no one to comfort them. Jake almost peed himself when he woke up in the very early morning, finding that Wil's arms were intertwined with his, and that Wil's left hand was on his groin. At that point, I had to open my eyes and make a comment. "Wil, it's OK to be embarrassed, but never be ashamed. Look at our situation and you'll realize that life is just too short to endure the awkwardness of shame." "I think I'm starting to know that Greg," he whispered. Matt had a slight giggle to his voice as he continued to explain that with the light of morning, they woke up, with a need to go pee really bad. Matt and Jake didn't have a problem doing it together, but Wil asked both guys to turn around and to not look while he was doing his business. They accepted without problem, knowing how shy Wil was. After, they removed the tent top to let the clothes dry and to remove the odour of blood that was starting to reek inside. They ate a little and took some water during the daylight. Surprisingly, with the situation they were in, no arguments came about. They chatted a little, trying to figure out what to do next. They also took some sleep to recover a little and to minimise burning energy. Then, I woke up late in the evening. That was it! To say I was overwhelmed with the survival instincts of these boys is an understatement. The story they told of the crash events awed me to the quick. Somehow, I knew we may have a good chance of surviving this calamity and we'd do it as best friends that would last all our lives. After a brief rest, I was eating with a little help of Jake while Matt and Wil were trying to put the tent top up for the night. I'm started to recover sooner than I expected. It's was a good sign. I was able to move my legs and my arms and able to sit, but the world seems to whirl around each time I do. If Wil's watch is correct, it's two AM now. "Jake, could you help me to get near your teacher? I wanna see how he's before we go to sleep." "Yeah sure Greg, put your arm around my shoulder, I'll drag you over to him." Jake replied. "Wait, I'll help you!" Matt said. So both guys took me from where I was to a spot near their teacher. First off, I wanted to take his vital signs. Matt was studiously watching everything I was doing. "Did someone saw a flashlight or electric torch inside the survival kit bag?" "Yes, wait I'll find it for you." Wil said with a degree of enthusiasm. "Thanks Wil" After some shuffling in the bag, Wil finally found the flashlight and gave it to me. I started to take Mr. Jackson's vital signs. "Shit" I said. "Wh... what?" came from Jake. "I hope it's just... no... shit..." I said as I tried again to get a pulse. "What?" Matt and Wil said together. "I'm really sorry, I don't have good news for you guys..." I could feel the fear they had in their look, although it was almost dark inside the tent. It's never easy when it's time to give bad new to somebody, especially to a child. With the situation I was in, the only thing I could do was to blurt it out. "Sorry kids, your teacher's just died..." To be continued... ____________________________ Stay put on the same channel, next time it won't be a sad ending, I promise! Let me know if you like the story or not. Flames will be ignored. Drake drakanian32@yahoo.ca