Chapter 1: Flight
"What do you mean you can't come?"
"Sorry bro, but I feel like I got hit by a semi! I would've called earlier, but-"
The man moved his cellphone away from his ear as loud retching suddenly sounded from the speaker.
"Er hey, no problem Alfred," the man said sympathetically once his brother croaked out an 'I'm OK'. "We can go another time. I'll let the guy know and then come by to see you."
"OK Mattie. See you."
"Bye, Al."
Matthew sighed heavily as he hung up his phone. He raked a hand through his hair and stared wistfully at the fishing and camping equipment on the ground beside him. His gaze made its way over to a wooden dock where three men stood beside a large float plane –a beautiful DeHavilland Beaver- that was tied to the dock. He and his step-brother were supposed to be going on a week-long fly-in fishing trip to a remote lake in Northern Ontario; however a few minutes after Matthew had parked and emptied his vehicle of all the equipment, his brother had called to say that he had gotten the flue overnight. Alfred hardly ever fell ill, but of course the one time he did was when he was supposed to be going somewhere.
The blonde sighed again and trudged over to the dock. As his feet hit the wooden planks, the three men turned to look at him.
"Are you one of my fishermen?" the man closest to the plane asked. His voice was deep and rumbling and had a hint of a francophone accent to it.
"Well, I was," Matthew replied. "I just got a call from my brother who was supposed to be coming as well, but he got sick and cancelled on me."
"I take it you're cancelling as well?"
Matthew frowned and nodded. "I guess I am. It wouldn't be much fun fishing alone."
"You can take up the refund with the lady in the main lodge," the man said, nodding to the largest log building in sight. "I take it you know that you only get forty percent back?"
"Yeah."
"As long as you're aware."
Matthew nodded again and turned on his heel. He walked along the grass back to his car to put his equipment away. As he popped the trunk and bent down to retrieve his sleeping bag, he heard someone holler loudly. Matthew straightened and saw one of the other men from the dock jogging across the parking lot.
"Hey, guy!" he called again as he neared Matthew.
"Me?" the blonde asked, point to himself.
The man grinned as he came to a halt and said, "Yeah, sorry, I don't know your name."
"I'm Matthew."
"Alec," the man said, holding out his hand. Matthew smiled and shook, curious as to what Alec wanted to say. "Listen, my brother and I heard your pickle and we were wondering if you wanted to fish with us?"
"What? Really?" Matthew asked in surprise. "I wouldn't want to impose on your family time."
"It's no problem! My brother and I run a business together so we spend every day of the week in each other's company. We're just taking this trip to get out of the city for a while, yanno? You're free to join us if you don't mind two goofball brothers for company." Alec laughed and jabbing his thumb back towards the dock.
"I'm not sure…"
Alec shrugged. "No pressure, bud. We were just thinking since you paid and all; if being alone was the only thing stopping you from going. You're brother's sick though, so we get that."
Matthew remained silent as he mulled over the offer in his head. Of course, being alone was not the only thing keeping him in town. He was worried about his brother and he felt bad leaving him. However, they had already spent two weeks in each other's company, both of them travelling from home to visit their folks. Matthew knew he needed a break; a break from the city, a break from his brother, a break from life. If Alfred needed someone to look after him he would have his mother and step-father to call on.
"Actually… I think I might take you up on that offer," Matthew said finally. "Just let me call Al."
"No problem, we'll wait on the dock!" Alec turned and jogged back to his brother. As Matthew waited for someone on the other end to pick up, he saw Alec talk his brother then exchange a few words with the man near the plane.
"Hello?"
"Hi Papa, it's me."
"Oh, Matthew! Alfred said that he had just called you."
"Yeah, I was going to cancel the trip, but I think I should still go. I met some nice people – they're brothers ironically- and they invited me to fish with them. I feel bad for going without Al, but I really need this break…"
"I am glad you decided to go. You will have lots of fun I am sure."
"Me too. Tell Al I'm sorry and let Marilyn know I'm going, too."
"I will. Have a safe trip, Matthew."
"Thanks Papa. My cell won't have service, but the itinerary said that the pilot has a satellite phone we can use to call out. I'll give you guys a ring on Tuesday."
"All right."
"Talk to you soon."
"Bye Matthew."
The blonde pocketed his phone and closed the trunk of his car, locking it. A smile slowly made its way on his face as he gathered his equipment and headed for the dock. Alec and met him at the embankment and helped him carry his things to the plane.
"Matthew, this is my baby brother, Rob. He may look big and scary, but he's really just a big softy."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Matthew said, shaking the bigger man's hand.
"Likewise," Rob said. "Also, don't listen to Alec. Half of what comes out of his mouth his bull."
Alec laughed.
"I'm only the baby by a few minutes. We're identical twins if you haven't already noticed."
"Maybe, but I'm the better looking one," Alec said, winking as Rob just rolled his eyes.
Matthew laughed at the two brothers, reminded of him and Alfred. The twins were good-looking men with large builds and handsome faces; probably somewhere in their mid to late twenties like he was. Indeed, Rob looked like he could rip someone in two with all the muscle he had, but Alec seemed to be on the lean side; more of a runner than a bodybuilder perhaps. They had dark hair which Alec wore down to his ears and Rob had his trimmed and gelled into a neat fohawk.
"You boys ready to start packing?"
The men directed their attention to the man beside the plane.
"Yeah, man!"
The man nodded and stepped forward. "Name's Matt. I'll be your 'chauffer' this week."
"No way, you're name's 'Matthew' too?" Alec said.
"It's my middle name. I'm guessing one of you's is called 'Matt' as well?"
"'Matt' or 'Mattie'," Matthew said with a smile.
"Well, you can be Mattie then-" the pilot stated. "-because I just go by 'Matt'."
Matthew laughed and nodded in agreement. "Sounds good me, Matt."
"Good. Let's get her loaded up, boys. You's guys got fish to catch and we've got a four hour flight into the middle of nowhere ahead of us."
As the four men packed their belongings into the back of the plane, Matthew took particular interest in their pilot. If he were to be completely honest, he got the feeling the man was a bit of a stick in the mud. He was a nice enough guy from what Matthew could tell, but he got the feeling Matt was an all business and no nonsense sort of guy. He was sporting a plaid button down with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and faded, ripped jeans tucked in dirty work boots. His chin was covered in stubble and his dark, strawberry-blonde hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. If Alfred were to see him, Matthew guessed that the man's appearance would draw the comment, 'dusty' from his step-brother's lips. A pair of aviator sunglasses covered his eyes, but from what Matthew could see, he gathered that the man was in his thirties perhaps and actually quite attractive despite his messy, bush-man look.
Once the equipment was pack, Matt ushered the men into the plane. Alec and Rob took the back seats while Matthew sat in the cockpit with Matt. The plane was quite spacious on the inside, being able to fit eight people including the pilot. Matthew laughed a bit when he saw Rob and Alec try to awkwardly get settled. The back seats were a bit cramped due to the broad size of Rob's torso.
"You sure you got enough room back there?" Matt asked once he had pushed the plane from the dock and settled into his seat.
"We're good!" Alec said as he wiggled a bit to get comfortable.
Matt glanced at Rob. "I got a seatbelt extension if you need one, big guy."
"Ha ha, very funny," Rob grunted sarcastically, Alec snickering beside him. "I think I'm good."
"Suit yourself."
Matthew watched in fascination as the man beside him worked to start the plane, flicking switches, pulling cables, checking gages, and pushing buttons. The next thing he knew, the engine had started and they were gliding across the water. Matthew, along with the twins, put on their headsets, blocking some of the sound of the loud engine and allowing them to tune into the chatter from the nearby tower to the planes and catching the tail-end of Matt's departure request.
"So Matthew, this your first time in a float plane?" Alec's voiced crackled over the headset.
Matthew gave up trying to follow the conversation between Matt and the controller and turned his head to look at the twins. "It's been awhile. I went up in an Otter on one of those aerial tours of Vancouver when I was seven. I loved it, but my brother got air sick and puked just after we took off."
Alec and Rob got a kick out of the story as Matthew chuckled at the memory.
"What about you two?" the blonde asked.
"Nah, we've had our fair share of bush plane flights," Alec replied.
"I used to be obsessed with small planes when I was younger," Rob added. "Any chance I got I was behind the yoke of a plane."
Alec grinned and said, "Luckily for our parents we chose a bit of a cheaper profession to pursue."
"Oh?"
"We own a gym."
Matthew laughed. "I think I might have been able to guess that actually."
"Really? What gives us away-"
"Brace for takeoff, boys," Matt's voice interrupted.
"Right-o, captain!" Alec said as he and Rob settled back into their seats.
Matthew turned to the front and sat with anticipation as the plane reached the far side of the lake and did a U-turn. The water shone brightly under the summer sun, a light wind causing small ripples on the surface. It was a clear day perfect for flying.
"Charlie-Zulu-Echo, cleared for takeoff."
Matthew had to smile in amusement as he watched Matt nod in confirmation even though the woman on the other end of the line couldn't see him. It seemed the pilot was an expressive talker.
"Cleared takeoff, Charlie-Zulu-Echo," Matt replied.
Matthew and the twins looked out and watched the scenery whizz past as the plane began to speed across the water. The plane soon lifted off the water effortlessly and took to the sky, clearing the main lodge and quickly gaining altitude.
"Charlie-Zulu-Echo off the water," Matt announced.
"Here we go, boys!" Alec whooped from the back.
"Charlie-Zulu-Echo off. See you next Saturday, Matt."
Matt switched the radio to one-way communication so he could still hear the chatter and banked the plane around, heading north. As the flight progressed, Matthew and the twins continued to converse about trivial subject, enjoying the scenery below them; although it was mostly just dense forest and water. Matt remained quiet, not one to initiate a conversation or continue one for very long. Despite not talking much, he was content to listen to others. He was the kind of person who needed some kind of background noise. Matt listened as his passengers talked about their lives; he listened as they predicted what the fishing would be like; he listened as Matthew and Alec snickered and snorted at the sound of Rob's snores tearing through the headset.
For two hours the flight was uneventful. Alec had eventually dozed off as well and Matt watched out of the corner of his eye as the blonde beside him began to give in to the pull of sleep. Soon the buzz of the engine was the only thing keeping the pilot company. Nearing the two and a half hour mark, grey clouds began to take up the blue sky. At the forty-five minute mark the entire sky was covered in a low ceiling of dark clouds, forcing Matt drop altitude.
By the time three hours had passed since takeoff, the air had become turbulent, the clouds had blocked out the sun, and rain was beginning to splatter against the windshield. A particularly violent gust of wind buffeted the Beaver, jerking awake the sleeping passengers.
Alec was the first one to comment on the new environment. "Damn, are we still where we're supposed to be going? The weather went to shit."
"Seems like we've hit a microburst or something," Rob said, peering warily out the window.
Another blast of wind hit the plane, causing the men to try find purchase on any edge they could find. Matthew's stomach did flips as they were tossed around in the air current eddies. Rain began to pound against the metallic machine as a flash of lighting lit up the sky. The booming sound of answering thunder milliseconds later nearly caused all three passengers to shit themselves.
"What the hell is this?!" Rob exclaimed, bracing himself against the walls of the plane. "The forecast called for sun not storms!"
"Can't count on those idiots for anything," Alec grunted as the seat belt pressed heavily into his chest and stomach. He looked out the window and spotted the dark forms of trees closer than he had expected. Turning to Matt he asked, "Shouldn't we be a bit higher? The treetops are getting a little close for comfort."
Matt grunted something, but it was lost in another roar of thunder. Matthew looked over at the pilot and bit his lip in unease. The man was definitely not radiating confidence as he fought to keep control of the plane. His teeth were clenched shut and his brow was furrowed in concentration, a layer of sweat forming on his forehead. The yoke of the aircraft shook violently in the man's white-knuckle grip as the plane was battered by the wind like a leaf.
"Matt…!" Alec warned, his voice shaking with fear. "We're getting close to the ground!"
"I know!" Matt snapped. "The wind is pushing us down. I can't gain any altitude!"
A bright flash of light lit up the plane and the sky around them, blinding all four men inside the aircraft. The deafening rumble of thunder sounded as the plane's control panel went haywire. The engine gasped pathetically as it fought to stay working. The headsets cut-off a second later.
Matthew sat wide-eyed as everything after seemed to happen in slow motion. He watched as the propeller stuttered and slowed. He could hear the muted screams from the twins in the back and the hoarse yells of the man beside him, telling them to brace themselves. Without anything to keep it in the air, the plane suddenly drop, sending his stomach to his throat. Matthew didn't need to hear himself to know he was screaming along with the others. The last thing he saw was the trees smashing into the plane; the last thing he heard was the screech of warping metal; the last thing he felt was the breath being knocked out of him and a sharp pain in his arm before his head knocked against the passenger side window and everything went black.
Chapter 1 of about 8 or so. Hope you enjoy~