The Start of Everything After

The crash

Delilah

"Is anyone alive?" Someone calls out. It's Lucas. I try to call his name, but I can't because my throat is too dry from the smoke. There's so much smoke.

"Luuc-" is all I manage, but it's feeble and quiet and he doesn't hear me. He keeps walking, scanning the isles for any sign of life. He's moving away from me!

"Lucas." I try to yell but it only comes out as a horse whisper. My head is swimming, I know I'm about to pass out.

"Luc-" I try one last time before coughing. It's a loud and raspy cough. Thank god he hears it and turns around. He's coming back, he's coming back!! He's looking around for where it came from but he doesn't see me.

"Lucas!" It's still not loud, but it's just enough, and he looks in my direction.

"Help!" I whisper and his panicked eyes find me as I lose consciousness. 

After

I'm vaguely aware of being carried. The arms that are carrying me are sturdy, but gentle. It's getting colder, the air easier to breathe. I'm being carried away from the heat, the fire, the smoke, the crashed plane. I am set down on hard earth. I hear myself whimper at the loss of contact; I don't know much because my mind is mostly gone but I do know one thing; the last thing I want is to be alone.

"It's okay, I'm not going." I hear him say, answering my thoughts. His voice sounds far away even though I know he's not.

"I was just putting you down" he says and I feel myself losing consciousness again.

"Hey there, Delilah, you okay?" Someone's talking to me.

"Lilah you okay? Delilah, Delilah?" I feel really bad for them because whoever they are because they sound really concerned. Somewhere a dog barks. A dog?

"How you doing there, Persimmon?" I wish they would stop talking. The noise is hurting my head. I want it all to go away. I just wanna go to sleep.

"No, don't close your eyes. No Lil, don't you fucking close your eyes!" but I do just that and drift away from his voice, away from the pain, the heat, and again into inky black bliss.

Ow. Everything hurts. "Shit." I breathe out through clenched teeth.

"Delilah!" Luke exhales, like he had been holding his breath a really long time.

"How long was I out this time?" I ask, feeling quite disoriented.

"Five hours"

"Wow." I was honestly not expecting that. The events start slowly coming back to me, the car ride to the airport this morning, getting through security, boarding the plane, there are bits and pieces  here and there of the plane ride and that is where it stops. I cannot remember past that. Kacie. Where is Kacie?

"What about Kacie?" I ask in a hoarse whisper, my throat scratchy from the smoke. From the horrid look on Luke's face I know the answer immediately.

"Is she d.." I trail off not even near ready to say the word. It doesn't seem real. All of it. I feel like I'm going to wake up at any moment and it would just be some horrific nightmare. Unfortunately I know better. I blink away the tears that don't come.

"I'm so incredibly sorry." He says and lowers his head solemnly. He does look incredibly sorry.

"They're the only other survivors" he says pointing to a girl and two guys that look to be around our age.

"That's what we are," I ask, "aren't we? Survivors."

"I'm so sorry Delilah. I'm so sorry." and he does look genuinely sorry. I close my eyes but surprisingly the tears don't come, my mind is too stunned to react, but my body does and I stand up and run to a tree and I feel like I'm going to puke but I just dry heave. Even my stomach has nothing in it left.

"Are you-"

"Ok?" I cut him off. "Seriously?" I ask, furious at him, though it's not his fault.

"What do you think?" I ask seriously.

"You're right; I shouldn't have- I'll give you some space."

A black lab comes up to me all wiggly and excited. It wears a service animal vest. I take it off and read its collar. Mrs. Lady it says.

I look around the wreck, we crashed in a bald spot in the forest so that's the miracle to how we survived. I need to get away from the horrific scene so I head for the trees. I don't go far, I'm not stupid enough to get lost. I just kind of wander for five minutes or so and then I come upon a lake. If it was under any other situation I would appreciate the gorgeous scene before me but I don't, I just numbly wade into it. It's cold but I don't care. I swim out to the middle and just float on my back. I stay like this for probably twenty minutes or so. Too stunned to think, too numb to cry. I eventually make my way back to the shore. When I get back Luke notices me.

"You're wet." he says, dumbly.

"Found a lake." I answer flatly, "I'll dry."

A few hours later Luke comes up to me and says "I've already introduced myself to the others but I'll come with you as you do if you want, don't know how long we'll be stuck here." I agree and we walk over together to where they're sitting on a log. They all look up.

"Umm.. I'm Delilah" I feel like I should be some sort of nice but I'm not feeling like that's possible right now. I'm feeling like that will be possible for a long painful while. So I don't want to smile. I don't want to have to worry about making a good impression on three people I might literally starve to death with. So no, I'm not feeling too social.

Just numb.

Too numb to process anything. So I smile hoping at worst I look nervous. But I just lost my best friend along with any shot at normality in my entire life. So when I force the corners of my mouth up I'm actually dying deep in the caverns of my chest.

"I'm Tanya," says the only other girl, with a strong french accent. The first thing I notice are her catlike red-brown eyes.

"Hi" says the blonde boy and smiles at me briefly but then looks at his shoes and shifts his weight. "My name's Tommy."

Tommy has side swept golden blonde hair and soft blue eyes. His ears stick out a little bit but in an adorable way that makes him kinda cute. I look to the next guy but I don't need introduction to know who he is. I wince and suddenly feel nauseous like I did the night of our brief... interaction. He looks exactly like he did in what now feels like eons ago at that party... including that same smug smile but this time the only difference is he's not sporting the smoky eyeliner. I decide in this moment that it didn't suit him the way his creepy smile does,

"I'm Jack," he says.

"So your name's actually Jack?" I ask in disbelief that he is standing again before me; half mad half curious, I feel somehow cheated as if I were the butt of some joke that only involved the two of us.

"Surprise" he says in a far too frightening way and smiles like the Cheshire cat, too wide to be kind and I know too well to write it off as anything but cruel.

His eyes rake me up and down while biting his lip, then he grins. I want to punch that smug smile off his repulsive face but one I'm not for violence and two I cant let me think that he can get to me. So I smile through my teeth and hope it doesn't look like a wince. Hope it doesn't seem that I've been cheated in many ways today. I just lost my best friend in the entire world.

And this is only the start of the hardships to come.

The many hardships to come.

Sorry this segment is super short!

So we made it to the crash! More drama!!!! I hope you enjoy this small part and that everyone is having a fabulous weekend! as always... comments and votes are super appreciated but i totally dont mind if all you do is read :)

Love ya!

Oh and on a good note... I can't believe this story reached 200 reads! I know to most that isn't a lot but to me I'm so excited!!!