James Carter sighed loudly, staring at his watch in between whispered curses as he paced in the humid airport terminal. There were few windows and the space seemed well-used and every-so-often he'd look around the narrow waiting area at the others gathered around, occasionally nodding as their mutual wait time increased.
He took a step back and rested his weight against the rough concrete wall behind him and slid his hands into the pockets of his khaki coloured cargo pants while his eyes lost focus, staring at the slowly rotating ceiling fan that did little to quell the stifling heat.
'When is the damn plane going to start boarding?' He mused silently.
Brazil had been a great trip and after almost a month of backpacking, he was ready to go home. Somewhere along the way he had ended up just too far from any main vein out of the country and after a bumpy bus ride, arrived at a private air strip. The tickets were cheap and he could get to Mexico by the following day to connect with his next flight.
'If the damn plane would start boarding.'
There were over a dozen others gathered around and all looked like as much of a tourist as he did. Some had backpacks or carry-alls and others stuck close to small piles of stacked suitcases. James looked over to his beat up hiking pack and shrugged, pushing the thought aside.
A man around James’ age, maybe twenty-five or six had started up a conversation with a woman as she adjusted the short ponytail that wrestled her wavy blond hair and she laughed holding a palm up to his face. “Look Will. You're nice n' all... but no thanks.”
James chuckled softly as he watched and Will turned slowly with a shrug, tucking his thumbs into the front pockets of his jeans defeated. The woman made brief eye contact with him and James shook his head lightly, a faint grin tugging at his cheek.
The dusty double doors that led to the tarmac opened to James’ right and a man in his forties stepped inside dressed in a wrinkled button-up shirt and slacks. He adjusted the sunglasses that sat on his tanned nose and lazily waved everyone outside to the plane without a word.
The gathered passengers sprang to life and snagged their assorted belongings, escorted out into the heat of the day and over to the boarding stairs up to the plane.
James followed suit and slid his own sunglasses from their perch in his short dark hair down to shield his eyes from the almost overwhelming light that washed over him as he approached the staircase with his pack slung over his shoulder.
The plane looked small and James figured the capacity to be around thirty, to forty passengers, probably the smallest jetliner he'd seen. The thought made him uneasy as he struggled to shake the feeling of claustrophobia from spending almost three hours already in the equally small waiting area.
'I wonder if they've ever even had forty passengers at a time?'
He shook his head and stepped inside, met once again by dank humidity and squeezed his way down the isle to a pair of seats on the right side of the cabin. The overhead compartment was equally cramped and after several tries, James was able to force his bag inside then slumped down into the window seat that looked out over the wing of the plane.
'Hopefully there won't be any gremlins tapping on the glass.'
When the man in the wrinkled uniform was convinced that everyone was settled he shut the boarding hatch and turned to the door leading to the cockpit. With a twist of the latch and a firm push he made his way inside and greeted the pilot before closing the door behind him.
A deep voice came over the scratchy loudspeaker instructing everyone to fasten safety belts with a heavy, Portuguese accent, and within minutes the plane started to move along the runway. Not long after that they were in the air and James stole a glance out the window before resting his head back and dozing off.
**
He awoke rudely and was immediately surrounded by chaos as the other passengers were screaming and shouting over each other. He was disoriented, looking around frantically and the plane bucked violently sending something behind him in the plane crashing to the isle.
A mask hung from a thin clear tube in front of him and without so much as a thought, he reached out and took hold of it, stretching the elastic around the back of his head.
James stole a glance out the window and his stomach heaved as he saw the lush green of the Earth race up to catch them with unforgiving hands and in that instant he knew the plane was going down.
He tried to steady his nerves as panic took hold and lowered his head to his knees, tears welling in the corners of his shielded eyes.
The seconds felt like an eternity and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force the screams away and convince himself that it was nothing more than a horrible dream. More and more the cacophony around him invaded his senses and he muttered silent prayers.
The noise rose to crescendo and the plane dipped again suddenly. A new level of terror washed over him as the jungle below rapped loudly against the metal fuselage of the plane in a frenzied beat. There was a sudden series of crashes and he felt small pieces of glass rain over him and he leaned away, his arms over his face as the roar of the outside world forced its way in.
Metal screeched and tore and the cabin dipped to one side sending him forcefully against the wall on his right, knocking the wind out of him and sending his glasses skittering over the carpeted floor beneath his seat. The cabin spun again and the horrible sound of metal ripping apart rattled through his body as his seatbelt pulled on him against gravity and forced a echoed grunt through the ventilation mask.
James forced his eyes open and watched in horror as the world hung upside down, some of the passengers tumbling like dolls.
He closed his eyes once more and the deafening roar of the jungle started to fade, allowing the screams to be heard with clarity. The cabin spun again and James was sent crashing back against the bulkhead, jarring his shoulder and coaxing a muffled grunt. He could feel the plane slowing, could feel the wet jungle heat reach its way in.
Expecting a final crash at any moment, the man's heart raced – but that final crash never came.
When he was certain that the plane had come to a stop he opened his eyes once again and took a steadying breath through the mask over his nose and mouth. The cabin filled with sobs, as some hadn't been as lucky as him, suffering little more than scratches and bruises.
Beams of sunlight pierced through the canopy beyond the windows now above him, silhouetting a still form tethered to their seat with limp arms dangling loosely. Something warm and wet slapped against James’ cheek and he wiped at it, cringing at the crimson smear on his palm. His stomach heaved and he scrambled at the release of his seatbelt and tore the mask away from his face. He shot a glance a moment later through the broken window now below him.
The feeling of sickness was suddenly replaced by a sense of calm as his mind processed what he saw through the narrow portal.
'We're not touching the ground.'
The realization hit him suddenly that they were suspended between the trees and James carefully stood as his body ached in protest. The plane shuddered beneath his feet and a woman spoke up over the crowd, softly breaking the tension. “We have to get out.”
James absentmindedly nodded and started to carefully clamber over the seats to the hatch only two rows away. Two men knelt around the cabin door struggling to force the release.
The older of the two dark-skinned men met the James’ worried gaze and motioned to the hatch. “I can't seem to get it.”
James nodded and knelt next to the boy who was with him and took hold of the access way's release lever, trying to brace himself against a bulkhead. Slowly it moved as he pressed his weight against it and the hatch gave way, swinging wildly below them with a short screech.
He sighed. “We need to find a way to get down.”
The older man nodded and stood and called out over the stuffy cabin. “Listen, do we got any rope... or anything we can tie together to make a rope?”
James looked up and noted that there were around ten others who began to rummage through the remnants of the plane and the blond from the airport suddenly piped up. “I stowed my climbing gear in the overhead. I can't reach it.” Will had already started helping her and James turned his attention back to the hatch.
He was starting to sweat and with a shrug, stood. “We're gonna need water as well. Food maybe.”
A gruff voice edged over the whispers of the others and a stern-looking man around fifty crept up to where James and the others sat. “There's got to be a radio we can use as well.”
James gave him a quick nod and turned to a woman near the galley who was holding a towel to a younger man's forehead and he cleared his throat softly. “Why don't you see what we have back there that we can use. Fill up a backpack if you can.” The woman bobbed her head slowly and carefully navigated into the food prep area while the younger man passed her an empty satchel, keeping the compress held in place.
He turned back to the stern-looking older man and watched as he moved slowly to the front of the plane, stopping only to calm his wife with a steadying hand. He reached slowly for the knob to the cockpit and gave it a forceful twist.
The door opened inward and a body fell into view, broken and bleeding. Screams once again filled the narrow space and the dark-skinned man urged the crowd to be calm.
Unshaken the stern-looking man peered past the corpse and shook his head. “It's no good. There's nothing left in there.”
Another of the passengers; a man in shorts and a t-shirt shot back at him. “What do you mean there's nothing left?”
The stern man shrugged. “I mean that the radio's probably scattered over the jungle right now, along with the other pilot.”
Silence filled the cabin and James fought back the urge to throw up. He motioned to the rock climber with a light, uneasy wave. “How's that rope coming?”
She was standing on Will's shoulders and fumbling with the overhead. Suddenly it opened and her bag as well as a couple others' tumbled out. Slowly she climbed down and retrieved it, digging through it a moment later and tossing a tightly wound bundle at James. “There.”
He unbound it and tied off one end to a support strut securely, testing the strength with a couple of short tugs. The woman returned from the galley and brought the satchel over with a shrug. “There wasn't much...”
James nodded and took the bag, tying the other end of the rope to the handle and slowly lowered it to the ground below. The blond approached him slowly and knelt, testing the rope herself before nodding silently as she looked to the ground below. “We'll need gloves or something to cover our hands or we'll rip 'em up pretty bad.”
James nodded and spoke to the cabin after clearing his throat softly. “Find something to wrap your hands with... gloves, a t-shirt... something.” He looked down at the kid next to him, already winding a ripped shirt around his palms and pointed to the rope, reassuring the dark-skinned man with a nod. He patted his son on the shoulder and slowly the boy inched to the edge of the hatch.
The plane shook again and he almost lost his footing. James looked up at the rest and beckoned them to slowly get closer. His voice was almost a whisper. “We have to go.”
The boy had already started to descend and the woman and her injured son crept up next. The rock climber followed as well, then the stern man and his wife. The man in shorts went down the rope shortly after and in the end all that remained were James, the dark-skinned man and Will.
James removed the button up shirt that hung loosely over his t-shirted frame and tore against the seam and wrapped his hands with the strips of fabric. The dark-skinned man had done the same and gave him a quick nod before inching forward to the rope and taking hold of it with trembling hands. After a deep breath he lowered himself through the hatch and disappeared from view.
Will was still covering his hands and after James made sure that the dark-skinned man had nearly reached the ground he crept into position and took hold of the rope. The plane shuddered again as he let it take all his weight and he forced himself to descend. Once he was a comfortable height from the ground he loosened his grip and slid the rest of the way, the fabric covering his hands almost hot to the touch.
His knees bent when he touched the ground and he backed off with shaky legs as he watched the hatch for Will to appear.
The other man came into view and started to lower himself, the rope below him swaying as the plane shook once more.
James’ heart pounded in his chest and there was a sudden crack in the branches around the fuselage. Almost in slow motion the weight of the plane rushed violently downward, making the rope go slack and sending Will falling to the ground below. The gathered onlookers screamed and James tried to look away but felt frozen, staring at Will's body hitting the jungle floor, crushed a second later by the falling wreckage of the plane with a thundering clatter and a cloud of dirt and debris.
**
James wove through the trees and took a seat on a rock not far from where the others had gathered and dropped his head to his hands. He felt sick, lost and alone and even though they had survived a plane crash it did little to change the fact that they were lost in the jungle. Sunlight barely pierced through the many layers above, casting a dim light over the area.
Movement in his field of vision caused him to look up and the woman with the injured son greeted him. She reached out and held a bottle of water for the younger man and with a faint smile he took hold of it. “Thanks,” He said, his voice sounding defeated.
She ran a hand through her shoulder length dark hair and nodded back. “What's your name?”
The younger man struggled for the words a moment, taking a sip of the lukewarm liquid and finally answered. “James. James Carter”
The woman nodded and pointed over to the younger man with a compress held to his brow. “That's my son Josh. We were going... “ She paused and shook her head briefly. “Well, my name's Kelly.”
The stern-looking man stood from where he sat with his wife and addressed the group, his tone as stern as his appearance. “We need to stay put. When there isn't word from our flight a search and rescue team will be sent for us.”
The man in shorts stood and pointed above, addressing the older man. “We can't even see the sky! How do you think they're gonna see us down here?”
The argument was suddenly pierced by a loud, gurgled howl and the group fell silent. The blond interjected quietly. “What the fuck was that?”
Before anyone could answer the howl pierced through the dank jungle and this time it was obvious that it was much closer.
Everyone started shuffling nervously, looking around as the tension increased. The stern-looking man countered what everyone was thinking. “We can't leave. This is where the rescue team will be looking for us.”
A putrid stench filled the air and James covered his mouth with his bare arm. “What is that?”
Something crashed in the underbrush and the group froze, all turning toward the sound and staring through the dense surroundings for any sign of movement but there was none.
The dark-skinned man had his arm wrapped protectively around his son. “I don't wanna be here when whatever that thing was, shows up.
The man in shorts seemed eerily calm when he spoke. “He's right... whatever it is it's circling us.”
There was another crash on the other side of the group and again everyone spun to face the new noise. Kelly started to inch back from the ominous sound and suddenly cried out as another howl rumbled through the group. James turned quickly and saw as something was dragging her off, her screams reverberating through the panicking crowd.
James rushed forward but before he could reach her, she disappeared from view and the crashing subsided. Josh screamed out to her and tried to run after, met by the forceful grip of the older dark-skinned man. “Don't be stupid.” Josh pleaded and James nodded to the younger man. “A few of us should go after her.”
The blond nodded and approached the group and the man in shorts quipped spitefully. “Yeah, that's smart. Chase the thing.”
James eased Josh from the dark-skinned man's grip and pressed forward into the jungle, tightly gripping the water bottle and with the younger man and the rock-climber close behind. Josh took off ahead of the other two at a sprint and James swore as the woman rushed past to catch up to him, before dashing off in pursuit.