"Everyone will betray you eventually. Even the ones you love."
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Her mother's words echoed in Olivia's head as she suddenly felt cold snow under her cheek. She laid motionless, trying to return to reality. Her brain felt like porridge, and she had lost her sense of time and place. However, she saw some fluttering light through her closed eyelids, and decided to focus on it. She gently opened her eyes, and the fluttering light brightened violently. A bright light hurt her eyes, and she had to blink for a moment.
"It's a flame," she thought. "A flame in the dark." She moved a little to correct her posture, but at the same time the blinding pain struck each of her limbs, and she groaned.
"What the…"
Then all of a sudden everything came back to her mind like a tidal wave. Canada, the airplane, the dead air hostess, the dead pilots, Cassidy, the falling plane, Elliot…
Elliot.
Despite the pain, Olivia forced herself to slowly move all of her limbs. First right hand, then left hand… Good. Both hands worked, so did the feet. She moved her head gently, noticing relieved that her neck was also moving. So it wasn't broken, then. Groaning, she got up on her arms and sat on her knees. The whole world spun in her eyes and she pressed her hands to her forehead. Her fingers hit something sticky and she realized there was blood on it. Her body literally felt like she had hit by a truck, but at least she was alive for now.
"How can I be alive?" Olivia thought. She looked around and realized that all the light was coming from the burning parts of the plane. The darkness had descended.
"God, how long have we been here?" She thought, and was frightened at her next thought. "Why hasn't anyone come to the rescue?" What if no one knows? Olivia shook her head. "Of course they know. They may just not have found us yet." Snowflakes swirled around her, and she realized a snowstorm was surrounding her. Then her heart stopped in horror. Were the others alive?
"El…" Olivia whispered and her gaze circled the dimly lit area. The wreck of the plane was everywhere, but she didn't see anyone. "El?" She tried to shout, but there was only a wheeze in her throat. She gingerly got up to her feet and took a groping step. Both feet carried, which was good news. She coughed and shouted again. "Elliot!"
This time her voice was loud, and she stopped to listen to the answer. However, all she heard was the wind howling. Tears clouded her eyes, and suddenly she realized she was freezing. She thanked herself that before the crash she had put a down jacket on her for a nap, but then realized that without shelter they would freeze to death in a moment. The burning parts of the plane had provided heat for a moment, but the flames began to fade due to the thickening snowfall.
"Unless everyone else is already dead…" She stumbled forward in a deep snow. "HEEEEY?!" She shouted in despair. "Does anyone hear me?!" Suddenly a picture of Elliot lying dead in the snow struck her consciousness, and she fell on her knees with a sob.
"Please… Please Elliot, don't be dead."
Then the silence was broken by a shout.
"Liv!"
Olivia's breathing stopped. "El?" She whispered.
"Liv where are you? "
She stood up and realized that it wasn't her partner's voice.
"Fin!" Olivia shouted in the direction of the sound and peered into the snowfall. Then she saw a character approaching and stumbling Fin appeared. When he saw Olivia, a sob escaped his lips and he grabbed her in his arms.
"Oh my God, Liv," he sobbed and her tears watered Olivia's cheeks as well. They stood hugging for a while until Fin let her go and took a couple of steps back. He seemed to fumble for words, but did not get a word out of his mouth.
"We crashed," Olivia blurted and Fin looked around in disbelief.
"And we survived. How?"
"I have no idea," Olivia wrapped her arms around her. "Have you seen the others?"
Fin glanced at her. "No, have you?"
Olivia shook her head. Time was running out. They had to leave soon to seek shelter, and the rest of them had to be found before that. However, the light diminished moment by moment and they had no flashlights.
"The phones are not very helpful at the moment, there is no signal," Fin stated. Olivia automatically felt her pocket, but remembered that she had put her phone on the plane's table. "We have to scatter, can you walk?"
Olivia nodded.
"Good. Stay within an earshot and tell right away if you find someone," he gulped. "Dead or alive."
Olivia had to force her legs to move, partly because her whole body ached, but also because the thought of possibly dead friends made her feel sick. She waded in the knee-high snow and let her gaze circulate the burning wreck. Then there was Fin's call.
"Liv! I found Cassidy!" Olivia's heart skipped a beat and she started to wade in the direction of the voice. Cassidy laid on the ground, and for a moment she thought he was dead.
"Is he… Dead?" Olivia felt a lump in the back of her throat. Fin's fingers laid on Cassidy's neck, and he sighed in relief.
"I can feel the pulse, I think…" Then Cassidy's moan interrupted him. Olivia knelt beside Cassidy.
"Brian? Brian can you hear me? Brian?" She patted his cheek. Cassidy groaned and slowly opened his eyes.
"Did I get hit by a train?" He croaked. Fin grinned weakly.
"Actually, you were involved in a plane crash."
"Really? Cool," Cassidy looked at Fin and then Olivia in amazement. Noticing the dried blood on Olivia's forehead, he frowned.
"You're hurt." Then he closed his eyes. "Now I remember. I was sure we would die. Brown and Elliot, they saved us," he rubbed his face with his hands. Olivia barely managed to stop the escaping sob by biting her lip and squeezing her hands into a fists. Elliot had saved their lives but what at cost? Olivia couldn't think any further.
"Have you found the others?" Cassidy asked.
"No, we're trying to find them," Fin straightened himself. "Can you stand?"
Cassidy got up to sit with a groan, and, supported by Fin, got up to his feet. However, as he tried to take a step, he cried out and fell back to the ground.
"My leg… It's probably broken."
Fin sighed desperately. "Perfect. Soon we must leave to look for shelter, and we cannot leave you here. Wait here while we look for others for a while."
Olivia and Fin started to look for Elliot, Munch and Brown, and soon they found Munch, who was fine except for the bumps and dried blood.
"What would kill the evil", Fin huffed and shook his head, but was visibly relieved.
"So we must be all evil, then" Munch said, standing up with a groan and looking around. "How about the others?"
"Cassidy is waiting over there, his leg is broken," Fin pointed in Cassidy's direction. "Brown and Elliot are still missing." Then he shivered and pushed his hands deeper into the pockets of his jacket. Olivia's teeth clattered and Munch blew his ice-cold hands.
"We have to find shelter," Munch noted. "Otherwise we will freeze to death."
Fin nodded in agreement. "Let's get Cassidy and leave."
Olivia's heart stopped. "But El…"
"I'm sorry Liv, but we have to leave," Fin's eyes filled with tears as he grabbed Olivia's arm and tried to get her moving. However, Olivia broke away.
"No."
"Olivia," there was Munch's warning voice. "You have to…"
"NO!" Olivia cried out. "You are unbelievable! Elliot saved us, and you're just going to give up and leave him to death!" Her lip started to tremble and tears of rage blinded her eyes.
"Liv, Cassidy can't walk and he only wears a sweater. He doesn't have long."
"You can leave, I'll stay."
"Olivia, you'll die too if you stay here."
"That's how it goes, then. I'm not going to leave El."
Fin sighed and tried to grab Olivia's arm again, but she backed away.
"Just leave," she begged.
"Liv, do you know why Elliot stayed in the cockpit, even though he couldn't fly a plane?"
"At least I know I died trying to save you."
Olivia sobbed but didn't say a word. Fin stepped closer.
"He did it because he wanted to save you. Yes, the rest of us too, but he wanted to save you primarily."
Olivia pressed her face to her hands and Fin gently lowered his hand to her shoulder. "And he succeeded, so let's keep it that way, shall we?"
Tears soaked her cheeks as she slowly started to follow Fin and Munch. They waded to Cassidy and together began to lead him towards the dark forest. Olivia turned to look behind her once more, and she whispered with eyes blurred by tears:
"I'm sorry, El. I'm so sorry."
