Island Rush (Sample)

Chapter 6

The morning of the crash came back to me with a squeeze in my chest. I had put my phone in my pocket and never turned it off. I guess I was too anxious to really hear the announcement to shut them off before takeoff. But what I couldn't understand was how it still worked!

That wasn't something I was willing to ponder over at the moment. Mr. Rush's eyes grew and flashed down to my black shorts. I let out a gasp as I retrieved the device and saw it worked. The beeping noise was a warning. My phone was close to dying and needed charging.

"Call somebody!" he practically yelled.

Who could I call? I couldn't even think! I felt the phone being snatched from my fingers. His own flew over the buttons, dialing with rapid speed and determination. His eyes were bright with excitement when he put the phone to his ear. There was such hope reclaimed at that moment that we both thought was nearly lost before.

He pulled it away and looked at the screen after a minute. The hope dimmed as he saw that there was no service. He didn't – and couldn't afford to – care, though. There was so much determination in his face to reach somebody. Stretching his arm into the air, he held the phone up to get a signal as he slowly walked in circles.

It turned into a long process those few minutes. Of our hopes rising and falling with every movement he made. It was torture when we knew that phone would die any second. That's why he didn't waste time when we had no service in that area. He moved with purpose towards the waterfall.

I followed behind him as he took swift steps, going up the bank of rocks by the falling and rushing water. The man decided to move cautiously up those rocks on the side of the hill. He moved parallel but in the opposite direction of the gushing waterfall. Mr. Rush stopped every few seconds, bringing his outstretched hand down to check the screen. That was until his features changed when he stared at the phone's screen the next time he did that.

"Did you get a signal?" I asked loudly up to him over the slight roar of the falls.

He looked the few yards down to where I was. "It's ringing!" A bright smile grew on his face. It was such a relieving sight... only to be taken away.

His expression was that of a child on Christmas morning, only to be instantly crushed. Every color and emotion were drained from his features as he rapidly moved his hand away from his ear, staring at the phone.

I knew it wasn't dead yet. He suddenly moved back down the rocks. The man's eyes continued darting to the screen as he climbed down, except he was more frantic and less cautious. He needed that signal, and his conclusion was he needed to try a different spot.

Reaching the bottom, he staggered back around to where we were before. He kept going until he reached the split in the lake that started a flowing river down to the ocean. He stepped into the shallow water there, walking to the center of the creek and stood, ankle deep. There was no need for him to wait long this time. The expression on his face looked insane when he pulled the phone back down to his ear and waited. "I have service again," he said to me.

I studied the small stream, the sun hitting the water and making it shimmer under the rays. And in the shadows along the banks, there were overgrown tree branches and vines that spilled out over the water. Shades of red, brown, and green of the stones glowed from under the wet surface. In the middle of it all... was a desperate and worrying man.

I stepped from the bank and walked out to him, my feet hitting those small colorful rocks as the current washed past me. I reached the middle and stood next to him as he still held the phone to his ear. I leaned into him, putting my ear as close as I could to hear the slight ring. It seemed to go on forever and with still no answer.