Prologue
Crash landing
The white light was disorienting as it pierced through my closed eyelids, my body was already humming in pain as I wiggled my fingers. Yup, I thought with a cringe, my pinky was definitely broken or at least popped out of place.
My other hand was perfectly intact as I slowly moved it up to touch on the sore spot above my right eyebrow, feeling the slick sticky surface I pulled my fingers away and squinted at the red liquid that coated them.
So far the injury count was up by two. Wetting my dried cracked lips my hands fumbled for the buckle that held me strapped to the seat, that once was a part of a privet jet, finding purchase on the clasp I pressed the release.
The straps slackened but nothing happened. Blinking in confusion I raised my eyes to look straight ahead, right back to the blinding sunlight that was overhead. I was lying on my back. I realized with a grateful sigh, at least I didn't fall causing more injuries to my throbbing body.
I laid still staring at the clouds as my mind numbed itself to the world. It's quiet. I realized finding the silence odd and rather discomforting. That's when I realized what was wrong with this entire thing, it wasn't just that out airplane had been shot out of the sky. It was the silence.
"M...mom!" I crocked pulling myself out of the seat onto the damp grass, "dad!" I called out again louder this time as I struggled to get onto my hands and knees. My ribs are bruised...if not broken, I realized as each movement caused waves of pain and nausea to shoot through my entire being.
"Kayden!" I called out for my brother as tears freely streamed down my cheeks, the silence was deafening now as my mind when to the worst possible conclusion.
They didn't survive the crash landing...I'm...I'm alone.
It took a lot of trying and failing, as I stumbled through the wreckage gagging on each breath I took. The smell of smoke and gas were slowly suffocating me, bringing the sleeve of my black leather jacket up to cover my nose and mouth I attempted to breathe through it.
Night time was vastly approaching, and there still wasn't a trace of my family or the small crew that had been on board. I had found my luggage and some other useful things like food water and a first aid kit, but other than that there wasn't a trace of any other person, living or dead.
Wrapping my arms around myself I sat on the damp grass with my bag resting against my lag, watching as the sky darkened. Someone has to be looking for me...for us. I thought as my left hand, the one without a broken finger, reached down to pull out my dad's knife from my boot.
Slipping it from its protective case I held it firmly in my hand, the way my father had taught me to, I had never had a reason to use it before, just like outside of the shooting range I'd never had a reason to fire a gun something I now wish I had. Nightfall would bring out any dangerous predators, so I was grateful to have at least a meager weapon at my disposal.
Tomorrow I'll have to move. Try to find some sort of civilization and get help. If my family is out here, I won't be able to find them on my own. I'll need the help. My stomach turns at the thought, normally you're supposed to stay at the site of the wreck and wait for help. But a crash landing on a hill that feels more like a mountain side, it's hard to think anyone is coming.
Wrapping my arms tighter around my knees I sit and wait, because that's all I can do in the darkness of night.