Helicopter
In the helicopter, 7,000 Feet in the Air
"This is so cool!" Josh exclaimed, his voice filled with childlike wonder as he gazed out the window. A wide grin stretched across his face, his eyes sparkling with excitement. It wasn't every day that he and Drake got to experience something as thrilling as a helicopter ride.
"How high are we?" Drake shouted over the roar of the engine, leaning towards Vince, the pilot.
"Oh, 'bout 7,000 feet!" Vince replied, his voice barely audible above the din.
Drake peered out the side of the helicopter, mesmerized by the vast expanse below. The people on the ground looked like ants, their movements barely perceptible from this altitude.
"Wow! Those people look really tiny down there!" Drake exclaimed, his voice filled with awe.
"That's a preschool," Vince corrected, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Drake squinted, his eyes adjusting to the distance. Sure enough, the tiny figures were indeed children playing on a playground outside a preschool.
"Oh..." Drake mumbled, a sheepish grin replacing his earlier excitement.
"I can't believe this view!" Josh marveled, his eyes wide with wonder as he continued to soak in the breathtaking scenery. Suddenly, his gaze darted forward, focusing on a small object in the helicopter's path.
"Hey! Hey, a bird!" he exclaimed, excitedly nudging Drake. Josh jumped up from his seat and rushed towards the front window, eager to get a closer look at the feathered creature.
"I-I think that's a red-breasted flilferwill!" Josh declared, his voice trembling with excitement. "We learned about them at bird camp. They're one of the most intelligent..."
But before Josh could finish his sentence, the bird collided with the helicopter's window with a sickening thud, bouncing off with a high-pitched squeak. Josh froze, his eyes wide with shock and horror.
Vince, the pilot, couldn't help but crack a wry smile. "Oh yeah, that bird was real intelligent," he quipped, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Josh, still reeling from the bird's demise, turned to share his horror with Drake. "Dude, did you just see what happened?"
But the words died in his throat as he noticed Drake fumbling with a parachute.
"Why are you putting on that parachute?" Josh asked, his voice laced with suspicion and a hint of panic.
Drake shrugged nonchalantly, as if the answer were obvious. "To retard my fall," he replied, his tone nonchalant.
Josh's eyes widened in disbelief. "You said you weren't going to jump!" he exclaimed, his voice rising in anger.
Drake simply smirked, unfazed by Josh's outburst. "Yeah, but I'm gonna," he replied, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
Drake crouched, preparing to launch himself into the open air. But Josh, fueled by a mix of fear and anger, lunged forward and grabbed the parachute straps.
"No!" Josh yelled, his voice echoing through the cabin. "You give me that parachute!"
A struggle ensued as Drake tried to wriggle free, the parachute becoming a makeshift tug-of-war rope.
"Hey!" Vince barked from the pilot's seat. "No fightin' on the helicopter! Let it go!"
But his words fell on deaf ears. The boys were too consumed by their squabble to heed his warning.
"Dang it," Vince muttered under his breath, his grip tightening on the controls. This was the last thing he needed – two teenagers fighting like cats at 7,000 feet.
With a frustrated sigh, Vince engaged the autopilot and unbuckled his seatbelt. If words wouldn't stop them, maybe action would.
"I said let it go!" Vince roared, his voice booming through the cabin. "Put the parachute down right now!"
He lunged towards the squabbling brothers, reaching for the parachute straps. But as he moved, his head collided with the fire extinguisher mounted on the wall with a sickening thud. Vince's eyes fluttered, and he crumpled to the floor, unconscious.
The abrupt silence that followed was deafening. Drake and Josh froze, their hands still gripping the parachute, their faces pale with shock. Panic washed over Drake and Josh as they knelt beside the unconscious Vince.
"Hey, wake up! Wake up!" Josh pleaded, shaking the pilot's shoulders gently. "Hello? Helllloooo?"
"Come on, Vince!" Drake chimed in, slapping Vince's cheeks lightly in a desperate attempt to rouse him. However, Vince remained unresponsive, his body limp and his breathing shallow.
"He's out cold!" Josh cried, his voice cracking with fear. "Our pilot's unconscious!"
The realization hit them like a lightning bolt. They were thousands of feet in the air, trapped in a helicopter with no one at the helm.
Adrenaline surged through their veins as they scrambled towards the cockpit. Drake, his heart pounding in his chest, slid into the pilot's seat while Josh hovered anxiously beside him. They frantically scanned the bewildering array of buttons, dials, and levers, desperately searching for a way to regain control of the aircraft.
"Do you know how to fly a helicopter?!" Drake's voice cracked, his fear palpable.
Josh's eyes welled up with tears. "Not really! You?!" he choked out.
"No..." Drake's voice trailed off, a sense of dread settling over them.
The reality of their situation crashed down upon them. They were trapped in a metal bird, likely to plummet towards the earth with no way to stop it. A chorus of panicked screams filled the cabin as the boys grappled with the terrifying realization of their impending doom.
Josh bolted from his seat and rushed to the window, his heart pounding against his ribs like a trapped bird. The ground seemed to be rushing up to meet them, the once picturesque landscape now a terrifying blur.
"We're gonna die! We're gonna die! We're gonna die!" Josh chanted, his voice rising in a crescendo of panic with each repetition.
"WE'RE NOT GONNA DIE!" Drake snapped, his own fear momentarily overshadowed by his frustration with Josh's negativity.
"WE'RE GONNA DIIIIIEEEEE!!!!!!" Josh wailed, tears streaming down his face. "Our pilot's unconscious!"
Drake's resolve hardened. "If we just keep it together, I think we can figure a way out of this," he said, his voice surprisingly calm amidst the chaos.
Josh's sobs subsided as he looked at Drake, a glimmer of hope flickering in his eyes. "Ok! Ok!" he choked out, taking a deep, shuddering breath. He knew that panicking and crying wouldn't help; they needed to focus and find a solution.
Drake's eyes scanned the control panel, desperately searching for a glimmer of hope. Suddenly, a flashing button labeled "autopilot" caught his attention.
"Okay, this button says 'autopilot'," Drake announced, his voice laced with a newfound sense of optimism. "And it's lit up. That means the helicopter is flying itself."
"Right," Josh echoed, his breathing slowing slightly. "Automatically."
"Yeah, so we should be safe for a little while," Drake said, a wave of relief washing over him.
"Okay. Good," Josh repeated, his shoulders finally relaxing. "Safe is good. Safe is good."
"Now we just gotta find a way to wake up the pilot before we plunge to our deaths," Drake said, his gaze falling on the unconscious Vince.
"Yes, yes, yes, before our deaths," Josh echoed, his voice rising with urgency.
Drake clambered out of the pilot's seat and hurried back to the cabin. "Come on!" he urged, beckoning Josh to follow.
The boys crouched beside Vince, their brows furrowed in concentration.
"Okay, now what?" Josh asked, his voice laced with desperation.
"Here, let's lift him up," Drake suggested, his tone determined.
"Right," Josh agreed, nodding vigorously.
With a concerted effort, the boys each grabbed one of Vince's shoulders and carefully hoisted him onto the passenger seat. "Come on, Vinny," Josh pleaded, gently patting the pilot's cheek.
"There we go," Drake said, adjusting Vince's position so he was sitting upright.
The boys exchanged a worried glance, their minds racing as they tried to devise a plan to revive the unconscious pilot.
"What do we do?" Josh asked, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and desperation.
"We could try throwing some water on him," Drake suggested, his eyes scanning the cabin for any potential source. But the helicopter was bone dry, their hopes dashed.
"Maybe we could... slap him awake?" Josh offered tentatively, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Go for it!" Drake urged, gesturing Josh towards the unconscious pilot.
Josh hesitated, his hand hovering over Vince's face. Then, with a deep breath, he began to gently pat Vince's cheeks.
"Uh... Vin? Come on, wake up," Josh pleaded, his voice filled with desperation. "Time to fly the helicopter! Please wake up BEFORE WE DIE!"
Drake rolled his eyes, exasperated by Josh's timid approach. "Oh, move!" he exclaimed, shoving Josh aside. "You're not doing it right. Get outta the way."
Drake leaned in close to Vince, his voice laced with urgency. "Hey, hey, Vince?" he called out, gently tapping the unconscious pilot's cheek. Then, without warning, he delivered a sharp slap across Vince's face.
The unexpected impact triggered an involuntary muscle spasm, Vince's arm lashing out and striking Drake across the chest.
"Oh snap!" Drake yelped, stumbling backward towards the open window.
Josh, ever vigilant, reacted instantly. He lunged forward, grabbing Drake's arm just as he teetered on the edge of the abyss.
"I got ya!" Josh exclaimed, his heart pounding in his chest. He pulled Drake back into the cabin, relief washing over him as he realized how close they had come to disaster.
Fortunately, Drake's slap had the desired effect. Vince stirred, his eyes fluttering open, much to the relief of the terrified boys.
"He's awake!" Drake exclaimed, his voice filled with a mixture of joy and disbelief. He gently placed his hands on Vince's shoulders, steadying him.
"You're awake!" Josh echoed, his face beaming with relief.
Vince blinked, his vision slowly coming into focus. "Oh, what happened?" he mumbled, rubbing his sore cheek. "How long I been out?"
"About ten minutes," Drake replied, his voice still tinged with adrenaline.
As Vince's memory returned, he spotted the discarded parachute on the floor. A wave of annoyance washed over him.
"Oh, I remember now," he grumbled, picking up the parachute and shaking it at the boys. "You clowns were fightin' over this parachute!"
A sharp pain pierced Vince's head, causing him to wince and groan. "Ohhhh..." he moaned, clutching his temple with a grimace. "What'd I hit my head on?"
"This fire extinguisher," Josh replied, pointing towards the bright red cylinder mounted on the wall.
Vince's gaze followed Josh's finger, landing on the offending object. "Oh..." he groaned again, the mere sight of the heavy extinguisher intensifying the throbbing in his head.
"Listen, Vince," Drake said urgently, his hands gripping the pilot's shoulders. "We need you to get back to flying this helicopter!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Josh chimed in, his voice trembling. "We don't know how to operate it! Please get back in the pilot's seat and fly us safely!"
A wave of realization washed over Vince. The autopilot! He had left the helicopter on autopilot before the chaos ensued. He had to regain control, and fast.
"Oh! Right!" Vince exclaimed, adrenaline coursing through his veins. "Hang on, boys!"
With newfound urgency, he leaped back into the cockpit, his hands swiftly navigating the controls. The autopilot disengaged, and Vince took back the reins of the aircraft, his heart pounding in his chest.
Seeing Vince back in control brought an immediate sense of calm to Drake and Josh. Their fear began to dissipate, replaced by a wave of relief.
"See, Josh?" Drake smirked, a triumphant glint in his eyes. "I told you we weren't gonna die."
Josh let out a shaky laugh, his tension finally easing. "Yeah," he agreed, a genuine smile returning to his face. "We're gonna be just fine."
Vince's eyes flicked to the fuel gauge, his brow furrowing in concern. The needle was hovering dangerously close to empty.
"We're headin' back to the heliport, boys," Vince announced, his voice firm. "We're runnin' low on fuel!"
"Roger that!" Josh responded, a hint of anxiety creeping back into his voice.
Without hesitation, Vince executed a smooth turn, redirecting the helicopter towards the safety of the heliport.
The moment the helicopter touched down, Drake and Josh practically leaped out of their seats, their feet hitting the solid ground with a sense of profound relief. The fear that had gripped them just moments earlier evaporated, replaced by a wave of gratitude for their newfound safety.
"We made it out alive," Josh breathed, his hand clutching his chest as his heart rate slowly returned to normal.
"Thank God for that," Drake echoed, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. Any lingering desire he had for skydiving had vanished entirely. After that harrowing near-death experience, the last thing he wanted was to set foot in that helicopter again. All he craved was the comfort and familiarity of home.
Slowly, the boys exited the heliport, eager to put the harrowing experience behind them. The sun beat down on their backs, a stark contrast to the cool air of the helicopter cabin.
"So, what do you want to do now?" Josh asked, his voice tentative as he gauged Drake's mood.
Drake, his head hung low, looked up to meet Josh's concerned gaze. "Can we just go home?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
A mischievous grin spread across Josh's face. "Or... we could go to the water park and have some real fun."
Drake's eyes widened, a spark of excitement reigniting within him. "Oh, right," he mumbled, remembering the lie he had told their parents. If they actually went to the water park, his deception would become a reality, and his guilt would be absolved.
"Okay, brotha," Drake said, a newfound energy coursing through him. "Let's go to the water park!"
"Right behind you," Josh replied, matching Drake's enthusiasm.
"Last one there is a rotten egg!" Drake shouted, taking off in a sprint.
"Not on my watch!" Josh yelled back, playfully accepting the challenge.
The boys raced towards the water park, their laughter echoing through the warm afternoon air. The weight of their near-death experience lifted, replaced by the carefree joy of childhood.
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