The Perfect Combination

2 - Lost

I awoke in a standing position next to my brother. For a moment I stood dazed wondering where I was and how I got there only to remember the destruction of the airplane as it was torn and caught fire. I tried my best to understand what seemed just out of my reach. My brother turned slowly almost calculating or measuring; he started on the right and slowly turned towards the left to linger on my face, a tear escaped his eye. He looked so distraught but I could do nothing to help him. Then it hit me, what had seemed so far out of my reach came close in mere seconds; my father, his brutal death and then... Darkness. I could remember nothing after seeing my father.

Looking up I finally noticed the strangeness of the place in which I stood, the debris of the plane fanned out from our position almost as if we were the center, or the cause. Charred wood was the most dominant feature second to the large amount of smoldered metal. The plane had evidently caused a bush fire; many of the trees had burnt down and others had large black marks running up the trunks from the ground to the sky. Small fires still raged in parts of the wreckage along with many still burning trees. As expected the tail was nowhere within sight. What needed the most consideration though was the fact that my brother nor I had a single scratch, our clothes were in perfect condition and there was a circle of green grass surrounding our feet. No amounts of metal or fire came within a meter of our bodies.

I began to move forward only to have my brother yank me back into place. "what the hell was that for?" I questioned rubbing my arm. I followed my brother's finger towards a large piece of the plane with a long sharp piece of metal pointing towards me. Had I moved one step further I would have impaled myself.

I looked carefully this time and exited in the opposite direction. I held my head high trying to make it seem like my pride was not hurt but I knew my brother could see right through it.

I moved around carefully and had made it all of three meters before I noticed my brother wasn't following me. "What are you waiting for " I called out to him "We can't exactly stay here forever". I moved further hoping that he would follow in order not to be left behind.

I was wrong instead my brother looked up at me once, stared at me and motioned for me to come back. There was no way I was going to walk all the way back there. As if hearing my thoughts my brother then said in a barely audible voice, "if you continue that way you'll sprain your foot whereas if you walk back here we can go this way towards the river".
I looked up confused what river? how do you know I'll sprain my foot? I didn't have time to ask my questions however because my brother immediately started walking down his route. "Hey wait up!" I shouted. I retraced my steps in no time and was on his heels.

We walked silently for around 20 minutes until I got fed up. "What freaking river we've been walking for ages and I don't see a river!". My brother continued to walk seemingly unfazed. My anger boiled beneath my skin is he giving me the silent treatment. Ughhh! "Dan..."

I was cut off abruptly by my brother's reply, "I know you need answers, and no I don't know how I always know things. You know where we are going" he seemed to answer my exact question. I wonder if he learnt to read thoughts. I had meant to say 'daniel I need answers, how do you always seem to know everything? Dad always told you things too. Where are we even going?'

"how'd you know what I was going to ask?" I said annoyed, he hadn't even let me finish my question! My brother continued on, saying nothing in reply to my outrage.

Where are we even going.? How am I trusting someone with directions when they couldn't possibly know where we are? It was quite annoying to find that as soon as I thought it, I could hear the faint sounds of a river ahead. Really? A freaking river? What the heck is going on here?