Scott wakes to ringing in his ears and a sharp pain in his left arm. He's disoriented, unsure of where he is or what he had been doing before now. He looks up and sees pillars of smoke ascending into the sky. Scott's eyes follow the smoke to the ground.
Now he remembers.
He was on a plane to see his mom. It was an hour in. They were passing out drinks and little packages of nuts and dried fruits. Scott was chatting with the old man next to him, as he reminisced of the days of his youth; Scott listened, hiding his amusement. Then the plane began to shake. Drinks spilled. The seatbelts sign came on. Worried murmurs spread throughout the plane. The plane abruptly dropped, people screamed. Oxygen masks fell from the ceiling. The plane shook as it descended, objects flying through the air.
The plane crashed. And now, Scott looks to the pain in his arm. He knows he's screaming, even though he can barely hear it. The majority of his arm is missing, leaving a charred stump. The pain grows stronger by the second. Scott goes to stand, but realizes his lower half is trapped under rubble.
He's survived.
But he's going to die here.
***
Scott wakes to the sound of running water and moonlight shining through leaves. He glances around, realizing his legs have been freed, and the pain in his arms has begun to fade, the stump now wrapped in fabric. The moon is full, light falling through the branches, scattering light across Scott and his surroundings. He's near a stream, water trickling around rocks, creating a calming music.
It's now Scott notices the other man, crouching by the mouth of the stream, filling a salvaged water bottle. His eyes meet Scott's.
"You're up," he says, smiling. "I wasn't sure if you'd make it."
Scott is lost for words.
"I'm Isaac."
"Thank you." Scott says, "For saving me."
Isaac nods.
"You were the only alive one I could find." Isaac says. "All the others were..." Isaac trails off. "You hungry? I found some berries nearby, and you should probably have some water." He says, handing Scott the water-filled bottle. Scott moves to sit up, but forgetting his maimed arm, looses balance and falls backward. His back hits the hard ground, and he winces at the painful reminder of his life-changing injury.
"Sorry," Isaac says, hastily extending his hand. Scott takes it.
Scott is brought to his feet and he nearly topples over, his legs still uncoordinated after being trapped under the wreckage. He stumbles into Isaac, who catches him.
"Sorry," Scott says.
"It's alright," Isaac says, "It's a good thing your legs still work."
Isaac leads Scott over to the stream, where he washes his face. The cold water is shocking, but refreshing, sinking into his pores.
"We should probably get some sleep," Isaac says. "A rescue team should be here tomorrow, but we should still get some rest. You especially, after all your... injuries."
Scott knows Isaac is right. After several gulps of water, and a handful of the berries Isaac found, he once again lies down on the hard ground, lit only by the moonlight and stars. It's only now Scott thinks of his mom, how she was expecting his plane to come in about now. She must be so worried. Unlike the other parents, friends, family, lovers waiting, worrying, he will be reunited with his mom. Scott knows he is lucky, to be one of two survivors, to not leave his mom alone.
He wonders who's waiting for Isaac.
***
When he wakes Isaac is gone.
