𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 828 || 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒

𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 || 𝐳𝐞𝐤𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧

you were driving back to the city from upstate new york. this time, with one more passenger than you had started with. you had gone up searching desperately for your nephew cal who had gone missing.

you found him alone in a cabin. he begged to wait for a mystery man he said needed our help. not even seconds later, a man wearing a big red winter coat walked through the door and fainted. he was on the verge of hypothermia. it was below freezing out there.

cal, ben, and grace got back into their own car and began driving home, and you couldn't just leave the man. like cal said, he needed your help.

you unlocked the doors to your ford bronco. "ready to see the city again?" you asked, smiling. the man, who's name was zeke, had been stuck in the same phenomenon as flight 828. instead of a plane, he was stuck in a cave. instead of 5 1/2 years of your life being lost, he lost 1 year.

"more than ever." he said, giving you a warm smile. he climbed his way into the passenger seat, immeadiately reaching to turn the seat warmers on.

it was a cold december, colder than usual. perfect weather to blast your favorite songs, you thought. you shuffled through the playlist, skipping songs until you found one you liked. the opening beat of paper rings by taylor swift hummed over the radios.

you began singing along, one hand on the wheel, the other dancing and pretending to be a microphone. zeke watched you in a mixture of awe and amusement. "are you always this theatrical for your guests?" he asked, laughing at your performance.

"only the ones i like." you said, giving the man a light wink. he was attractive, you couldn't lie. cal said he needed your help, and you knew the kid. he was able to pick up on stuff a lot of other people couldn't. he knew you needed help too. you had a feeling he knew that zeke was the right person, the perfect fit for you. you both needed eachother.