𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬𝗗𝗔𝗬, 𝟮𝟰/𝟳

Chapter 22

 "Wake up! Wake up!" Someone was shouting in my ear.

I jolted awake, and sprung to my feet blinking rapidly. "What? What? Where's the fire?!"

Pope was panting, like he'd sprinted time miles. The other Pogues were beginning to wake up, confused but awake. "There's," he gasped out, clutching a stitch in his side, "a plane."

"Oh my fucking god!" I broke out into a run. "Hurry up!" I yelled back at the others. We ran up the rocky hill, to the tallest ridge of the island. There was a massive pyramid of green wood piled, and I pulled out the lighter from my pocket.

"C'mon ... c'mon," I flicked it several times, till a flame grew. The kindling caught instantly, and in a few seconds the fire was roaring, smoke billowing up in a steady but tall shape of smoke.

By then, the other's had caught up, and we were jumping up and down, waving to the plane that was slowly but surely flying across the sky.

"Help! Help!" Sarah jumped up and down waving at the plane.

"Over here!" John B shouted, waving his arms.

"C'mon ... please ..." I whispered, staring as the plane continued past the island. Come on! See the fire, see us.

We all started screaming when the plane did a U–turn, turning around, and started back towards the island.

"They see us! They see us!" Kiara jumped up and down.

"Holy crap," I said, wiping a couple of tears from my eyes.

The plane landed a little unsteadily, and it definitely looked a little patched up. The door creaked open with some difficulty, and out stepped a dude. He looked like one of those guys that could be twenty five or fifty at the same time. He had a full face of a beard, and looked a bit sketchy.

He introduced himself as "Jimmy" and had a slight Texas twang of an accent. "Y'all coming aboard or what?"

JJ and I exchanged doubtful looks, but this was our best option.

Take off was as rough as it sounded, and my ear drums nearly burst. Once we were in the air, it wasn't too bad though. Jimmy told us he was headed to [place], and would drop us "kids" off at the pier, no questions asked.

It was absolutely sketchy. He wasn't even curious why a bunch of teens had been stranded on an island. We looked like shit, hadn't showered in weeks, and definitely did not smell any better. Jimmy, to be fair, looked the same. A little roughed up, and could use a shave.

... Working for my father, maybe? Sarah mouthed to us as John B distracted Jimmy in some really interesting conversation like the model of the crappy plane.

Look around, I mouthed back to everyone.

We all started subtly picking up small items in the cramped plane. A picture here and there, bits of old papers. JJ actually found something useful—a postcard of the ship we had just been on, the one that was transporting the cross. That made it official. He was most likely involved with Ward, and knew about the gold cross.

"Go for his bag!" I hissed at JJ, motioning to the leather man–satchel hanging from the back of Jimmy's pilot chair.

JJ slowly but surely inched his arm into Jimmy's man–purse, while Jimmy yapped on and on to John B.

Suddenly, Jimmy spun around. "Ey!" He cried in outrage, throwing a weak blow at JJ.

JJ snapped back, clutching a bloody nose.

"Gimmie 'er back, it's mine, I say, it's mine—!" He yelled, grappling back and forth as I tugged on the man–purse and he tugged it another way.

We all screamed as the plane went haywire, swooping in a dangerous motion towards the ground. The ocean kept coming closer and closer as the unattended and piloted plane fell rapidly towards the water.