I don't own Flight 29 Down

Jackson headed to the nearest shelter and stepped up onto the platform.

"Jackson, wait, what if there's someone living in it?" Melissa asked, slightly afraid that there would be a dead body laying in one of the beds.

"There's not," Jackson said pulling on a piece of rope that served as a door handle. The piece of medal that served as a door opened noiselessly. Nervously Melissa followed him in.

"See," He said looking around the hut. Two army cots were set up on opposite sides of the room with a crudely made table between them, other than that there was nothing in the hut.

"But what if some of the soldiers are sill alive and they come in the middle of the night?" Melissa asked, staying near the door. "I mean didn't the letter say there was like 25 guys or something like that?"

"There were 23," Jackson said, turning to face her. "21 are in that cemetery, and the other two are skeletons…" Jackson stopped

Melissa put a hand over her mouth, "No, where?"

"Down the beach a little bit." Jackson said sitting down on one of the bunks, glad to take the weight off his ankle.

"Jackson what if that happens to us?" Melissa asked, tears running down her face.

"It won't," Jackson said confidently, looking directly at her for the first time.

"How do you know?" Melissa asked, sitting on the other cot, tears now poring down her face. "How can you not be scared that it might?"

Jackson didn't say anything.

"How can you just sit there?" Melissa asked, the tears had stopped flowing, and she was getting angry. "How can you not feel anything for any of us? We care about you don't you realize that?" Melissa was screaming by now. "You just sit there not giving us any kind of sign! No wonder all the kids said stuff about you at school!"

"You didn't."

"That's because I didn't know you yet." Melissa said, no longer screaming, but still talking fairly loudly. "Now I do, you're just a coward; you run away from problems and don't let people near you because you're afraid of being hurt!" Melissa sat back down on the cot; she didn't even remember standing up.

Jackson looked at her, his eyes still bank and sighed. "I promised I'd tell you and now look's like it's the time." Jackson was quiet, thinking where to start. "Despite what everyone thinks I did have a decent life when I was younger. Up until I was bout seven everything was fine, dad had a good job and mom wasn't umm… having issues yet. Then that summer everything changed. My sister was killed in a car accident." Melissa gasped, fresh tears coming to her eyes. "She was coming home from kindergarten with a friend, a drunk driver crossed the median and hit the van, she died instantly."

"What was her name?" Melissa asked quietly.

"Anna," Jackson said even quieter, "That's when everything went down the drain. Dad got angry and well, he started going to the bars more often. Mom started getting depressed and taking "happy pills" all the teachers in school thought something was wrong with me so they started sending me to the counselor, she referred me to a physiologist. They pry into everything, that's when I started just not caring. By the time I was ten dad was an alcoholic."

Jackson stopped and shook his head. "Funny a drunk driver killed Anna, now he's one. Mom was out of it more often than not, I was hanging out with some shady kids. By the time I was twelve, dad was hitting mom, mom didn't care if she lived or not, and I was about an inch away from juvie. Then dad just up and left, just like that he was gone."

"Where'd he go?" Melissa asked.

"Donno, don't care, he never cared about me. I was pretty much living on my own, mom made money with drugs; looking back I can't even believe it. I was thirteen when she got caught. The Department of Social Services sent me to a foster home. But I was labeled as a "problem child" so no one ever wanted me long. I wound up at Mrs. Schaffer's and Hartwell, and here I am now."

"Jackson I'm sorry," Melissa said sitting next to him. "I didn't know, I shouldn't have said those things."

"Doesn't matter, it's done." Jackson said, he looked out the door, the sun was gone and stars were out. "I'm gonna get some rest."

"Good idea," Melissa said bending down to take off her shoes. "Hey do you think we should move here, I mean there's already shelter and stuff."

"We'd have to find water." Jackson said unlacing his boot.

"We'll bring everyone tomorrow when we get back." Melissa said, "Hey it's like sleeping in a real bed!"

Jackson nodded.

"Night, Jackson."

"Night Mel."