Zach+W

= __ Per Aspera Ad Astra __ =

__Vos Fragosus Quod Exuro __ Untouched. The sun shone bright in the sky, illuminating the white mist beneath. A view like no other, a place above the earth where endless clouds sway and breathe like the ocean. It seemed as though angels wisped out of the floor of white, bathing in the daylight. The sound of the engine roaring broke my moment of nirvana. Suddenly, the world became small again. I looked around the aircraft at all the people. A woman reading a paperback __Lord of the Flies__ novel, her child peering out the thick glass window in wonder. It reminded me of my childhood, so innocent. Everyday a new adventure, blanket forts, backyard campouts and star gazing. So unfortunate how unconscious children are to their simple and perfect lives. Seldom seeing the face of anger or despair. But that was all about to change. Unexpectedly, the plane trembled aggressively. I grabbed my seat belt and struggled to latch it down. It snapped into place, and I held onto the armrests with all my strength. Once again the fuselage shuddered and the crowd let out an uneasy cry. I peered at the child who had been so peaceful moments ago, and was now frightened beyond belief, her mother singing to her. “Hush-a-by baby on the tree top, when the wind blows the cradle will rock. When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall. And down will fall baby, cradle and all.” Her voice quivered as she struggled to comfort her child. And with that, we plummeted. I couldn’t breathe. My chest felt weighed down by some invisible force, pressing harder and harder as we sank lower and lower. Sharp and unwelcoming pain pierced my ears. The crowd wept and whispered quiet prayer, holding family tight. Waiting. With that sight, her face flashed in front of mine. Before darkness encompassed my mind. ** … ** When I became conscious again, my arm ached straight to the bone. I brought myself to open my eyes. The blue sky smiled back at me, but when my hearing came to, it was not as welcoming. Screaming and yelling pattered at my head from all angles. Using whatever strength I could, I hoisted my torso up and peered at what surrounded me. The first thing that shocked my mind was the empty sea. Much like the clouds outside the airplane window, untouched, and endless. The second was the people. Still screaming. //What the hell for?// I thought. //No ship is going to hear your cry from hundreds of miles away, so why waste your breath?// But then again I wasn’t always as optimistic as some of the people I’d encountered in my years. But neither optimism, nor pessimism, would save you from the struggle for survival. For a moment, I remembered the woman on the plane, whispering to her child. I quickly scoured the beach, and just as I was about to fall back into the hot sand and let the sun envelop my face, I spotted her. Quickly I rose to my feet and my arm cried of agony. But I pushed past the pain and hiked toward her. With a feeling of shock, I stared down at her. The magnificent white sand had tiny blotches of crimson splattered near her rib cage. With haste, I pulled off my tie and placed it near the wound. She winced, opening her eyelids slowly. “Thank you,” she murmured, smiling ever so slightly. “What’s your name?” I questioned as softly as possible, knowing her ears had probably taken just as much of a beating as mine. “Lucy… My daughter, Anna, went to get water,” her voice cracked. “Lay your head back,” I instructed. “I’m sure she’ll be back soon.” Suddenly she clutched my arm; I cringed with pain and shot my eyes to her. Her innocent smile lingered at me. “If I don’t wake up,” she struggled to speak. “Let Anna know that I love her.” “Don’t you worry. We’ll get you back to health,” I lied, knowing her wound would have no chance of healing. “Don’t humor me… Just tell her that, please?” “Okay.” And with that, Lucy’s eyes shut, and the colors of the evening sun concealed her face.

__Finientem Orbis Persequens __ As the sunset slowly over the flat horizon, I lay staring at the pale face of a woman I barely knew. The more I looked, the more it began to dawn upon me what was going on beyond the barriers of my own skin. A world built across survival. I tilted my head and looked at the ocean, realizing how small and insignificant we are, just a tiny island in an infinite sea. A voice cut the silence, and my attention was directed to a figure jogging toward me. “We got another!” he turned and yelled. His face a mere silhouette, but quickly his features began to illuminate. His dirty blonde hair was glowing in front of the sun. “What’s your name,” he called out. “Zack,” I half called back, suddenly realizing how quenched I was. “Well it’s a pleasure,” the man spoke confidently. “I’m Kenton, and as of now, you’re one of the three survivors of flight 255.” “Three? What happened to the others? I saw them before?” I pegged him with questions. “Yes, three, sorry to say that many who survived the initial crash, died of their wounds last night.” He stopped speaking for a moment, his eyes igniting as he stared off at the sunset. He looked back, “Sadly it’s just you, Emily, and I, so far.” “Emily?” I asked curiously. “Yes, she’s another survivor,” he turned and pointed his finger at another figure, moving in the distance by a group of palm trees. “There she is, over there. We’ve been searching for other survivors and trying to build shelter all day. And I don’t mean to be blunt, but if you wouldn’t mind getting up and helping, we could get done much faster.” With that command I pressed my feet into the sand and pushed with my good arm to pull myself up. By the time I had reached my feet, Kenton had already begun jogging his way back. I sped up to meet his pace and realized just how fatigued I was. I snapped back and focused on making in to the shelters. As we approached the small wooden structures, I saw a figure half hidden by a tattered piece of sheet metal. Scrawled across the side of was what seemed to be the remainder of the flights designation “ght 25”. “Hey Emily! Come out here, I found another!” Kenton shouted. “Just a second!” Emily hollered back. The figure then moved from behind the sheet and smiled as she looked over to Kenton and I. She wiped her hand against her already dirtier shorts and jabbed her hand toward my chest. “Name’s Emily,” she said with smile. “But I’m sure Kenton told you that.” “He did. I’m Zack by the way.” I tried my hardest to speak in a friendly manner. However, manners didn’t seem to be of the highest importance, considering the current situation the three of us found ourselves in. “Well, if you wouldn’t mind, we could use some help with the shelters,” she commanded gently. With that the three of us worked until the sun fell before the moon. Stars speckled throughout the sky, like the tiny grains of sand, which lay still across the shore. With luck, and a great deal of maneuvering, we were able to sculpt the basics of what would be our shelter over this period of survival. The more I got to know the two other survivors, the more I became aware of just how odd and confusing the current situation was. The struggle to survive on a heap of rock like this with two people I barely knew, grew in my mind like a tumor. As Kenton, Emily, and I lay in the makeshift shelter, a scream pieced the thin walls. Shocked, the three of us looked at each other with the same expression of confusion. Quickly, we all stumbled to our feet to investigate. The sand had cooled in the night air, feeling pleasant against the agitated soles of my feet. I gazed across the horizon and all up along the beach before I heard Kenton call us over. Even being of strong stomach, the woman Kenton was kneeling over, was wounded so badly it brought quite a shock. Knotted and tumbling, I clasped my torso and fought an awkward expression. Her leg seemed to have been caught on one of the seats in the crash, slicing it open and obviously, causing an extreme amount of pain. “What’s your name?” Kenton asked, pronouncing every syllable slowly, in case her hearing had been damaged. “Keira,” she mumbled between her gritted teeth. “Hi Keira, I’m Kenton. This is Emily,” he motioned with his finger to her. “And Zack.” I tried to force a smile of comfort; however, I’m sure it was as transparent as glass. After that uncomfortable introduction, we brought Keira back to the shelter.

__ Lux Ultima __ “I think we should explore the rest of the island,” Kenton said, breaking the silent atmosphere of our poorly built shelter. “And how do you think we’ll manage that? Keira’s in no condition to go for a walk about the entire island!” Emily lashed, rubbing her eyes to the point where they tinted red. “Well, what do you think we’re supposed to do? Sit under a piece of newsprint and wait for the tide to drown us in our sleep?” I joined in, hoping to do some exploring myself. Keira shuddered in her sleep, before opening her eyes and sitting up straight. “What’s going on?” she mumbled rubbing her hand through her hair. “Great, now look what you’ve done!” Emily shouted at both of us. Kenton and I shared an awkward glace, before shrugging it off and looking back at Emily and Keira. “How are you feeling?” Emily questioned in a hushed voice. “Alright,” Keira responded groggily. “What are you three on about?” “Nothing,” Emily replied whilst glaring over to the two of us. “The two guys just thought we should go exploring! Can you believe that?” “Actually, that doesn’t sound like such a terrible idea.” Kenton and I couldn’t help but crack a smile at Keira’s response. After a long argument with Emily, the four of us finally came to a conclusion that we would investigate. However, if Keira’s leg ever became a problem, we would stop and rest for as long as needed. The silence was deafening as we walked slowly across the beaches. Emily stayed nearest Keira to help her walk if need be, whilst Kenton and I led. Occasionally, one of us would point out an object of interest; however, we we’re not too keen on conversation. After two days and one night of travelling, we eventually hit the point where Keira could not handle anymore. We stopped at a small inlet in the forest’s flesh to build a fire for the night. As we salvaged for whatever wood we could find, Kenton came running over in haste, holding a single twig. “Geez Kenton, you think you could carry a little more than that!” I shouted to him as he kept sprinting towards us. But as he approached, we all clued in that something was wrong. The closer we got, the more detailed the twig he carried became, charred black, and nearly crumbling in his hands. He dropped it on the ground, and we all gathered round. For a moment, nobody spoke, taking in the foreignness of the single piece of wood lying so innocently in front of us. “But how is that possible?” I finally said, exaggerating what everyone else was obviously thinking. “Isn’t this an island?” Kenton questioned. “It must be!” Keira chimed in. “Did anyone actually see it when we were in the air?” Emily said with the same curiosity as all of us. Suddenly we all went quiet. The wind whistled through the trees and the birds chattered to each other, staring over at the four humans surrounding a piece of driftwood. After sharing a moment of stillness, Kenton spoke. “I think the two girls should stay back, and Zack and I should try and figure out just what is going on here.” “I guess that sounds all right,” Emily said, making sure Keira was in agreement. Kenton glanced at me and I shot him a quick nod, before wishing the girls luck, and walking onward. The ocean tide grew closer and closer to our feet as we walked toward a goal neither of us knew was even feasible. We rarely spoke, spare the occasional instruction on which way we should head toward. However, that all changed as we made our way around the corner of a vast cliff. As we took in just exactly what we were seeing we looked at each other simply to make sure that we were not mentally delusional. The lights of a beautiful village filled the beachfront and in the distance we could see the villagers dancing, laughing, and eating. It was a moment I knew the four of us would never forget, and without a thought or expression, Kenton and I darted back from where we came.