AN: Forgive me for the shortness that is this chapter...I guess it's more like a visual chapter...
Disclaimer: Nothing owned.
Casey woke up. The beautiful bright blue sky hovering over her. Turning her head to the left: trees. Turning her head to the right: trees. She slowly propped upward until she felt a sharp pain her stomach. "Shit." She put her hand over the left side of her stomach and it stung like a, "Bitch!" she groaned aloud. She held her hand over it and tried to get up once more.
The excruciating pain would only worsen as she tried to physically stand on her legs. Her left leg was bleeding profusely, "Motherf—Agh!" She hopped on her right leg for balance. Years of dancing finally came in handy for something. Yeah, that something being one-leg less on an island but still handy.
She limped and tried to look for an exit out of the field of trees. "Where is everyo--" Just then she realized she wasn't on this plane alone. She started to breathe erratically, "Oh my God." She looked around and panicked, "Derek?!" She spun in a circle, "Derek?!" Casey realized that didn't help because she was losing blood and it made her even more dizzy. She stared through the trees to look for a sliver of hope. For an exit. An exit that would lead her to people. To Derek. She finally saw the smoke bristling above. The charcoal grey fog overlapping with the bright blue sky, gave her a direction to follow.
Casey slowly paced through the trees, her hand over her stomach still and her limping left leg. "Derek?!" she called out some more. There still was no answer or sign of other survivors. "Derek?! Anyone?! Derek!!" She knew she wouldn't have an answer, at least not yet because she was still in the trees but she just couldn't help but start to cry. She was terrified. More questions ran through her mind. Was Derek alive? Is anyone else still alive? How would she get home? Would people come for the survivors of the crash? How long would they stay here? She wiped her face with her free hand, "Derek?" she silently cried.
She made it out of the trees and she saw a storm of people there. With the storm of people came the scenery. For a disaster, it was quite the beautiful disaster. There was the plane, the plane that carried all these people to the most opposite of safety. That plane was settled next to the most clear blue ocean one could ever witness. Casey had a quick thought where she sort of just wished Derek and her were there under different circumstances.
The thought quickly subsided as she saw the people around her again. She was able to sigh with relief. Now she had to find him. It didn't help that there were so many people running everywhere. Back and forth, panic ridden. "Derek?!" she looked around as she passed people. It scared her even more that the bodies lying on the sand were officially lifeless as there kneeled down their loved ones; crying their eyes out at the sight of death. It made Casey even more emotional, "DEREK?! DEREK VENTURI?! WHERE ARE YOU?! DEREK!" She cried out as loud as she could.
Casey stood silent and crying; holding her wounds where she realized they didn't hurt as much as losing the person she was close to, or was close enough to. The person that invited her to come on this trip. The person she had grown to actually stand being around.
Casey wiped her tears and called out once more, "Derek?!" Nothing. She started getting light-headed and was forced to sit down on the sand. She stretched her leg out and applied more pressure to her stomach. It was the last thing on her mind. Casey closed her eyes and saw the vivid image of Derek's terrified eyes staring at her. His face half covered with his oxygen mask. His hand holding hers before everything went black.
She wiped her face and was immediately forced to open her eyes as she heard other people yelling, "Johnny?!" Johnny?!" a woman screamed out just as Casey did a minute ago. She approached Casey and cried, "Have you seen my Johnny?!"
Casey shook her head sadly, "No, I'm sorry."
The lady ran off, "Johnny?!"
"Derek?!" she tried once more. Still nothing. She arched her eyebrows in frustration and sadness. She could only hope he was just lost and he wasn't that forbidden "D" word.
A man ran screaming out, "Viv!! Where are you?! Viv!"
He ran past Casey and all she could do is shake her head in sympathy. All the people screaming out for their loved ones only helped Casey mentally slap herself. She knew she shouldn't just sit there and cry about injuries. She had to go look for Derek. She needed that assurance that he was fine and alive. That maybe he was looking for her too. She could only hope that was the case.
Casey slowly got up and continued the search for Derek. "Derek?! Derek?! It's Casey! Please!! If you can hear me?! Derek! Right now would be a great time to hear one of your beloved sarcastic comments!" She sighed. Nothing was working but she wouldn't give up. She went on the other side of the plane and looked there, "Derek?!" All she could think was how ridiculous it would be if she found Derek over on this side of the beach due to the fact that they were next to one another. They held onto one another as well. Then a light bulb went off in Casey's noggin, "The trees!" She realized she didn't look around that area long enough, "Derek, I'm coming back there!"
Casey paced toward the area where she awoke. She tried to go as fast as she could while rummaging through the branches, "Derek?! If you can hear me don't hesitate to let me know you're okay!" Casey was getting frustrated with the hanging leaves on branches that kept smacking her in the face. She only had one free hand to smack them right back and most of the time they would hit her for the second time, "DAMMIT!" She was losing her temper, "DEREK?! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!" she cried out with anger that immediately filled her eyes with tears again.
Casey went farther into the jungle, "Derek?! Please!!" She broke down now; standing there in the middle of a field of green trees, crying. Alone. No Derek. Anywhere. She started to get light-headed. It was no surprise seeing that she was losing a lot of blood in two areas of her body. More on her leg than her stomach. "Dere--" She couldn't even finish the last part. Her eyes immediately closed and everything went white this time around.
--
Casey arose out of bed with her eyes still closed. It was dark and she was too tired to open any lights. She felt around the walls to help guide her to the bathroom. She used it and made her way back to the bed and buried herself in her covers. She scratched her itchy left leg as well as her stomach. "Thank goodness it was just a dream…"
She closed her eyes.
--
"Casey?!" she heard someone calling out to her. "Casey? Wake up! Please?" She felt hands stroking her cheek gently. "Casey, can you hear me?"
She slowly stirred her head to move and fluttered her eyes open. She saw that bright blue sky hover over her once more and she knew she wasn't home. She was still on this island, "It's not a dream." Casey said quietly to herself.
"Casey, are you talking to yourself?"
Casey turned her head slightly to the left and that bright blue sky was covered with a face. A face she was searching everywhere for. She saw him. Finally. "Derek?"
:):
