Title: The City Between Us
Chapter 4 – The Odds of Survival

Kelly grabbed the flare and rushed outside. He pushed past the dull throb in his head and chest – the only thought on his mind was to make the plane in the sky know they were there. But his efforts were to be in vain. As soon as he burst back outside into the cool morning air he knew the commercial liner was too high up to see them but he had to try – mostly for both their peace of mind.

Erin watched anxiously from the doorframe of the small busted up plane as the flare was fired upward toward the sky; Buddy at her side also in expectation as the speck of red shot upward with hope but as quickly as it went up, it dissipated into the cool air taking along their hope with it.

"DAMN IT!" Kelly cursed as he looked back at Erin in futility. "Can't waste more…it was too high up."

"Okay," she stated somewhat numbly as she watched him slowly trudge toward her.

"The transmitter is also fried…I think it was high by lighting. Not sure when but uh…that means the Maydays! probably didn't get out."

"Wonder when another will fly by…maybe it'll be lower?"

"We need…" he faltered slightly as he neared and she hopped a bit closer; her worried actions causing Buddy to bark as Kelly stumbled a bit.

"Kelly!" Erin exclaimed as she reached out her arms and instantly held onto him. "Hey…you moved to fast earlier…"

"Yeah…I'm just gonna…rest up a bit," he mumbled as he let her help him back into the belly of the small plane. Erin hobbled back as best she could. She wanted to curse her throbbing leg but was thankful, in part, that the cold helped to keep the swelling down but at the same time, her nerves were still frazzled and that didn't help.

"Here just rest up…you can't leave us," she said as he eased himself back down into the small airplane seat and then watched as she eased herself down into the other, Buddy now at her side. "Funny…wasn't much a dog person…until now."

"Yeah…he kinda…grows…" Kelly reached out only to pull his hand back when Buddy growled. "On you," he huffed as Erin offered him a small smile. "You have any pets?"

"No. Figured it would be tough to have one when I'm never home much."

"Ah…you stay at…someone else's home?" Kelly dared to ask with a hint of disappointment in his tone.

"Subtle," she countered with a small grin.

"Well I'd ask Buddy about his personal life…but he's not much of a talker," Kelly retorted with mock seriousness as Erin's hand tenderly stroked Buddy's head.

"Usually working late…hanging with my partner and his wife or…just friends from work. Nothing…serious. You? Any pets?"

"We had a firehouse dog and no…not a Dalmatian."

"That's shocking," she gently teased. "Why a Dalmatian anyways?"

"So this stems back from the good old days when Firetrucks…fire engines were horse-drawn and to clear the path for the horses, Dalmatians would run out of the firehouse barking to let people know that they needed to get out of the way because the firefighters were coming. They were fast runners and because of their color were well seen. And today it usually carries tradition to honor the heroes of the past."

"I…did not know that."

"Useless trivia," Kelly smiled as he looked at her in concern.

"You…okay?"

"Yeah…head is throbbing a bit more than I wanted," he huffed as he rubbed his temple and then leaned forward.

"You…can just rest a bit more," she offered as her hand quickly rested on his and remained there a few moments longer than either expected. "We need to make a plan…to get out of here."

"Yeah…I'll look for a way…just gotta bandage your leg a bit more…"

"Save them…I'll just wait here a bit."

"You sure?"

"Need to walk out of here right? I just need to make sure I can do that."

"I'm not a doctor but here…lemme take a look," Kelly offered as he gently took Erin's leg and rested it on his closed lap. "Is that…okay?"

"It's fine. Just glad it's not a full leg break."

"That would be bad. No sled to use right? And I could carry you but…"

"But what?" She tossed back with a daring glance as he offered her a sheepish smirk.

"Well my leg might break."

"Ahgh!" She giggled as he gently removed the bandages and she could only gasp when the makeshift splint was removed.

"Sorry," he offered softly as she took a deep breath and then shook her head. "It uh…it could be worse? Sorry if that's lame. I'm not a doctor but I have seen worse," Kelly told her as he gently re-wrapped the leg and then let her rest it on his lap a bit longer. "Keeps me warm."

"Me too," Erin stated with a soft whisper. "So…you like winter?" She asked as a nervous giggle just burst forth. "Sorry…this place it just…I'm trying to not freak out but that almost sounded like a near hysterical laugh."

"I doubt you could ever be hysterical," Kelly remarked as she offered him a warm smile. "You seem too practical…too tough."

"Oh I have my moments," she confessed as she leaned back in her chair and gave him a contented gaze. "You?"

"Yeah…I uh…I lost my best friend a few years ago to a fire…warehouse collapse and that was tough."

"Sorry."

"Me too," Kelly answered with a small sniff before he looked back up with a tight lipped smile. "That was tough. But this…" he paused as he looked around. "This is a new one. But…I'm glad I'm not facing this alone."

"Me too," she told him in truth. "Okay so…what do we do now?"

"I think we should pack up what we can from this wreck and start out."

"Is your phone working? I know we are way too high up or out in the boonies to call but I was thinking maybe a compass or something."

"My phone has limited battery. Yours?"

"I'll check…but wish we had a clear heading," she commented somewhat glumly.

"Okay…to save your leg some painful travel…I'm going to go and do a bit more of a walk around out there…just to see if I can see more trees or a path or a cabin or something that we can try to get toward."

"Just don't go too far on your own," Erin mentioned in concern as her hand automatically reached out and rested on his forearm. "Don't want to be end up here…on my own," she managed with a stiff swallow.

"I promise I'll be back," he assured her as his hand rested on hers and held it against his forearm and reveled in the few moments of heat that started to grow between them once again. "Pack as much of the food and supplies into our two bags and then wait for me. I won't be long. Just want to see the easiest way down with…"

"My bad leg. Kelly…if you see a chance to go and get help just…go."

"What? But I thought you said…"

"I'm only going to slow you down. Buddy and I will wait…here."

"I know this sucks right now…" Kelly started as he took a few steps back toward her and then put both his hands on her forearms and gave them a comforting squeeze. "I can't just leave you here. I can't. I'm just gonna take a look around and then I'll be back. I promise," he told her as he pulled her close and gave her a hug.

The strength of his arms as they held her close instantly calmed her rapidly beating heart and as much as she wanted him to just make a run for it and get help and she'd only slow him down. But she didn't want to remain behind in a desolate wilderness with only thoughts of death and despair and a scared dog to keep her company.

"I'll wait…"

"Erin…"

"For you to scope out the area and then…come back for us," she concluded softly as she looked up with a small smile. "I don't want to put much more pressure on my leg but I know I can't wait here. Nothing can land around us you said and…check out the area and find a safe way down or out or…I don't know but but I know I can't stay here longer than maybe another day or two."

"I will come back for you," Kelly said one more time before he did something that surprised them both. With his hands still around her arms he leaned in closer, closed his eyes for a few seconds and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. The warmth of his lips instantly made her heart stop and skip a beat at the same time and her entire being flood with contented bliss for a few happy seconds. But as soon as she felt a coolness against her face and Buddy by her leg, the moment was snapped and she was slammed back into reality.

That tender moment, would however, be cemented inside her heart and mind.

"Just be safe," she whispered as her hand reached down and gave his a squeeze. "We'll be here."

"Okay. Won't be long."

Erin watched Kelly turn and disappear back outside and then turned and looked down at buddy before she slowly eased herself into the chair and started to scratch Buddy's neck. "I'm just gonnna relax a bit before I get the bags packed up. You ready for some new scenery?" Erin asked Buddy as his dark, soulful eyes looked up with uncertainty. "Yeah…I'm kinda nervous too…especially with this banged up leg but Kelly's a Firefighter and he does dangerous stuff for a living so I know he'll get us the safest path down. Right?"

Of course she knew the beloved dog couldn't talk but it helped her to hear her voice out loud instead of just in her head. The silence would be deafening and the only sounds that came from outside were little howls every time the wind would pick up and bounce off a side of the busted fuselage.

"Hope you like…trail mix. Yeah…oh wait…you have some kibble here…" Erin continued to talk to herself as she pulled a small bag of dog treats from one of the side pouches. "Not much here…for any of us," she huffed as she leaned back in her chair and pulled her phone. "Course it doesn't work…" she groaned as she took a selfie of her and Buddy and then shook her head as she powered her phone down.

She cast a long glance outside the cracked window into the early morning sky and already missed Kelly's company. Part of it was he was the only other human around and she just needed to hear another human voice. But that aside, she actually enjoyed his company and couldn't deny the spark that was rekindled every time he held her or they touched.

"Kelly…" she whispered softly as her head started to slightly throb. "Hurry back."

XXXXXXXX

Kelly in the meantime decided to give the plane a wider circle and then see if he could find a piece of land that was more elevated than the rest and possibly look down and around to see where they were and how they could get down without Erin hurting herself even more.

She was amazing to him and he had only known her less than a day. Sure she was scared and rightfully so; they had just survived a horrific plane crash where someone died, her leg was partially broken but she remained calm and didn't turn hysterical; something he wasn't sure he could have handled. Being a cop told him that she could handle herself and so he didn't feel as nervous about leaving her alone as he would if she didn't have a job where danger was second nature.

But at the same time, he found that he missed her flinty voice filling his head with conversation about anything. She had tried to assure him and he knew that if he needed a helping hand in an emergency situation and she was able; he'd be in good hands. However, their situation wasn't going to get better due to lack of supplies and the fact that the busted fuselage let him a lot of cold air and so staying with the plane longer than another day wasn't a good idea.

"Okay…so…what do we have here…" Kelly talked to himself, same reasoning as Erin – to hear the sound of his own voice and not sound so alone. He could imagine Matt or one of the guys making jokes and that seemed to ease his agitation a bit more.

"Nothing that way but…oh wait…" he continued to mumble to himself as he sprinted toward what looked like a peak and headed for it. If it was the highest elevation around them, he could possibly use it to look down below for a path that would lead them back to a camping area or even a logging road or something that they could use to flag down some help.

He neared the edge and noticed that he neared the edge of the mountain they were on and told himself that had to be a bit more careful as he neared the edge so as not to go over and break his promise to Erin and leave he stranded up here all alone with the now orphaned dog.

Kelly reached the smallish ledge and then started to climb. It didn't take too long until he felt another dull thud in his chest and had to rest a few seconds and just look around the stark landscape a few seconds to regain a bit of extra strength. He pulled his gloves off and started to feel his chest once more as he took a few more deep breaths, wanting to confirm if he had indeed broken some ribs or they were just cracked. "Don't…want to worry Erin…" he gently panted as he took another deep breath and then exhaled. "Not broken…just cracked," he tried to convince himself as he pulled his gloves back on and then pushed himself a bit more up the ledge.

Once at the top he was able to get a good look of what was below them and instantly his heart sunk. It was just as barren and desolate as the area he was in right now. "Damn it!" He cursed as he pushed himself a bit further up the ledge. His head started to pound a bit more from being up so high and the air being thinner than he was used to and so he paused in his actions; his weight bearing down on the ledge which he thought was secure.

"Hafta go…that way…" he muttered as he looked back at the plane and then let his gaze rest on the smallish speck. "We'll go…together…"

But before he could take another step, he knew instantly something was wrong. His right foot thought it had a strong foothold on solid rock, but as soon as he heard something crack he knew he was in trouble. His left foot tried to find another sure place to step next but it too gave way and suddenly he found himself sliding toward the edge of the ledge. If he fell over that, he'd go over the side of the mountain…plummet several hundred meters to solid rock below and certain death.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kelly shouted as the earth started to give way beneath him.

XXXXXXXX

Erin, who had slightly drifted off into a slightly sleepy stupor heard the faint cry and instantly snapped awake. "Kelly?" She asked in a soft mumble as she looked around and then down at Buddy who looked up in wonder.

"Did you hear…that…" Erin paused as she tried to listen once more. "Kelly…" she whispered as she quickly pushed herself up out of the small seat and quickly looked outside the cracked window and didn't see him anywhere within view. She had seen him head toward the front of the plane but now he was gone. "Kelly…where are you…" Erin offered in a worried tone as her eyes darted from one side of the window to the next. "You can't….leave me… can't…" she muttered nervously as she waited for him to appear.

"Okay…I'm going out…" she started and then stopped when she heard Buddy start to offer a low growl. "It's just…Kel…" Erin started once more as something flashed past the window and then was gone. "What the hell…was that…"

She quickly rushed for her gun only to find that it was busted and after an angry curse a desperate plea for Kelly to return was uttered. "Where…Buddy…just…wait here."

But the dog rightfully sensed something was wrong…something outside the plane…didn't belong and the dog's instincts knew it.

"What…are you hearing…a bear?" She dared to ask as Buddy started to near the front of the plane. "Buddy…you stay with me…you can't fight a bear…you can't…can't lose you…"

However, just as she said that the current object of her terror appeared and fear instantly flooded her heart. "A cougar! Oh no…oh NO!" She shouted. But her agitation only stirred up Buddy and as the large cat made a move toward the door the dog charged – she was his only priority even if it meant him dying to keep her alive.

"BUDDY! NOOOOOOOOOO! COME BACK!"

A/N: oh dear! Alice what have you done! yikes both our couple in trouble! Will they all escape this unscathed? Please do review before you go and thanks so much!