Brandon+H

Vulnerability By Brandon Huntington

Drawing by Nicole Peters =**__1.__ __Sudden Realisation__**=

As he lay on the beach, a comber of seawater crashed furiously into the sand banks he lay upon. Although he lay there unmoving, death did not have him in its grasp. Certainly if the unconscious man named Dean remained still, he would soon feel death’s chilled presence. As if by luck, an arm of the ocean arched into the air and reached into his gaping mouth. Dean scrambled awake in a flurry of fits caused by the sudden rush of saltwater. When he finally regained consciousness, he lay resting on his back, aching all over. After a moment of time to realize his situation, he rolled onto his stomach and propped himself up on tattered elbows to get a better look at his surroundings. He stumbled to get to his feet despite the protests given by his brain, eventually lurching upright. The world spun around him, gradually resolving into an blend of deep green forest to his right and vast rolling waves to his left. Staggering across the beach, he spied a glimmer of brilliance in his peripherals, but disregarded it as nothing of importance. //A piece of wreckage from the crash,// he thought half-heartedly. He froze. //The crash.// Coming out of his state, the image of the tragedy that had just befallen him burned vividly in his mind. Frantically, he was compelled to locate the remains of this nightmare to make a connection to the real world. He stumbled in the direction of the glimmer, hoping to find viable evidence tracing back to the crash. As he neared the glimmer, he noticed that it was not what he thought it had been, but rather a little, handheld mirror. In the back of Dean's mind, he knew he had seem this mirror before. But where? ******* Sitting in the dust caked aisle seat of the overcrowded cabin, Dean scrunched his face in stress. He had been seated next to an overweight passenger sleeping and snoring uncontrollably. To make matters worse, there had been a spoiled brat of a child forcefully agitated him by shining a reflective object he thought to have been a mirror in his eyes. Consequently, Dean reclined his seat to avoid the blinding taunt of the child.

Further into the flight, an intercom message from the pilot sounded: "To our valued passengers, please note that we are expecting to undergo a few minutes of turbulence. You should not be concerned. Please remain seated, and make sure that your seatbelts are fastened securely. It will all be over soon."Sighing, Dean followed the pilots orders, and quickly fastened his seatbelt around his waist. Dean walked casually across the beach, despite the recent trauma that had crossed his path. The sun beat down upon him like blankets of oppressing heat, exposing his thirst. He had to unearth an option quench his thirst. While he was weighing the options, Dean heard a shout off in the distance. He came to the conclusion that it was just his imagination, until he heard it again, this time louder. It seemed as though the voice had been getting closer. He shouted back in desperation: "Hello! Can you hear me?!" No answer. He hurried off in search of the owner of the voice while constantly shouting. Shortly after, Dean found the owner of the voice. The owner of the voice was a petite Caucasian woman. She had flowing blonde hair, and wore ragged clothing. "It sure is nice to see another face around here," she exclaimed breathlessly. "Yeah, no kidding. What happened? Do you know?" he queried. "I'm not sure, the last thing I can recall is a crash and the plane going down. According to the pilot, an engine had failed," she said. "What do you remember?" "Not much, the last thing is the plane lurching and my face crashing into the seat in front." "Oh, well that's helpful," she murmured. Dean shrank away in embarrassment. "So who are you?" she asked offhandedly "Dean," he stated shortly, his voice faltering, "Who're you?" "I'm Bailey. Do you think we are the only people on this island?" "I'm not sure, there could be more survivors like us," Dean said, his voice fading. "We should just try to stay positive and go look in case any more washed onto the beach. Let's go," Bailey said finally. Dean was about to start to say how they should build a shelter or look for provision, but decided against it. Bailey and Dean walked solemnly side by side along the beach, both of them looking like a wreck. Deans short brown hair askew from the water, Baileys clothes torn and demolished. The two felt exhausted. It seemed to them as if they had just sprinted a mile, when in reality, they had only walked a short distance along the crescent beach. After what had seemed like ages, Bailey noticed some shadows in the distance along the other curve of the beach, and mentioned it to Dean. He explained to her that it must just be a mirage with all of this heat, because it was quite unlikely. However, as they neared the two shadows, they found out that they were mistaken. Although Dean thought the two shadows were just a mirage, they were in fact two people. Excitedly, Bailey and Dean hurried on with more haste hoping that it was not just an illusion. They had noticed that the other two people had seen them as well because they too were moving at a slow jog. When the two groups of two came near, Dean noticed that the two of them were both women. They looked to be in their early twenties. "Hello!" Bailey shouted suddenly. "Hi!" Dean heard one of the shorter girls reply, "We're so glad we found more people! We were beginning to think we were the only ones on this island." By this time, the two groups were faced to face. "So did we at first," Bailey said, clearly not fazed by doing the communicating, "I'm Bailey, and this here is Dean. What're your names?" This time, the taller one spoke. "I'm Jane, and this is Jen," she said motioning towards the shorter girl. "Have you seen anyone else on this island?" Asked Dean. "Sadly, no. You're the first people we've seen since the plane... You know," Jen said as her voice trailed off. A spell of silence fell over the weary group as Jen mentioned their fate, but was broken when Jane suggested they make a shelter as it was getting dark. No one in the group had seemed to notice the glowing sun slither down on the horizon because they had all looked longingly at it. Since they had not the desire to talk about the recent events anymore, they set off in search of building materials for their shelter. The Sun was just a faint luminous half sphere on the horizon now. The group of four had gathered a fair supply of building materials and began to work on their shelter. As they neared completion of the shelter, the sun was just a faint orange line on the horizon. As the darkness began to engulf the island in its chilling grasp, they did not have a clue as to what would come. //"As he neared the glimmer, he noticed that it was not what he thought it had been, but rather a little, handheld mirror. In the back of Dean's mind, he knew he had seem this mirror before. But where?"// =**__2.__ __U__**__**p High**__=

As the dusky sky gave way to daybreak, the vibrant sun rose to chase away the darkness the night had brought. The air was still, and thin waves climbed casually onto the shore. In the depths of the lagoon, the coral reef shone spectacularly through the crystal clear water and, despite the recent events, they were in paradise. The rugged shelter the four survivors had built, a mound of branches and twigs, had sufficed in keeping them protected for the night. However, it would most likely fail to protect them against the harsh winds when the sun set once again. When Dean had finally awoken, the sun had just barely arched its mane over the horizon, and he felt horrible. Throughout the night he had roused multiple times due to severe fits caused by nightmares of the crash. He kept reliving the destruction over and over again hoping for a different, more positive outcome, but could not seem to get it out of his head. Although the three girls next to him had been burdened with nightmares as well, they did not seem to be as intense as his had been. Dean just wanted it to be over, and to get off of this damned island. As Dean sat rubbing his eyes, hoping to be rid of this ordeal, he began to look around at the unconscious strangers who lay about him. The girls looked relatively peaceful in their deep slumber. “We are the few people who survived,” he muttered solemnly to himself. “We are the lucky ones.” Dean sat there for a few moments before his stomach grumbled in agony, and he realized that he was famished. He cautiously woke up Bailey, whom he felt the most comfortable with, and mentioned that he was going to look for something edible. She agreed that they ought not to waste their day lying around, and went to wake up the others. Jen and Jane got up, with the same look of despair that was showing on the faces of Bailey and Dean. He could tell that they were hoping it had all just been some horrid nightmare. Feeling slightly rejuvenated for some reason, Dean turned away from the others to set off into the mysterious forest up the shore, leaving them to themselves. As he took a couple of steps into the lush forest he heard someone calling his name. When the bearer of the voice neared, Dean noticed that it was Jane, the taller of the two he and Bailey had met on the beach. "Hey! Can I join you? The others are still gathering their bearings," she said. "I don't see why not," he replied, feeling slightly more insecure and wary about his actions with Jane around. Jane and Dean were walking in silence together across the forest floor searching for a source of food, when Jane excitedly shouted: “Up there! I can see some coconuts in the tree!” Hurrying, Dean rushed to her side and peered up at the looming palm tree that rose over them. “Climb up and grab them!” Jane exclaimed suddenly. Dean followed her gaze as he peered up into the canopy above and hesitated. “Up there?” Dean asked stupidly. “All the way up there?” “Of course, how else are we gonna get them down?” she quipped. “You ain’t afraid of heights are you?” “Oh no, of course not,” he said, flustered. “It just looks a little dangerous to go climbing in the trees.” “If you ain’t afraid of heights, then go up and grab the coconuts,” she said edgily. Dean muttered a counter-argument, but Jane was stubborn, so he complied with her wishes and started off toward the menacing tree. Although he did not want to seem like a coward in front of Jane, he was frightened. He had never been good with heights after falling off of the playground as a child, and now he was faced with climbing a tree to provide the group with sustenance. When he reached the base of the tree, he could tell that he was going to have a difficult time. He wasn’t going to have a difficult time just because of the fact that he was somewhat afraid of heights, but because the tree did not look as if it had much grip. Much to his relief, it didn't appear as though it would be too difficult of an endeavor. The base of the tree started off straight but then curved like a snake’s neck as it wound its way to the peak, where the coconuts were. Taking a couple of deep breaths to calm his nerves, Dean started up the base of the tree. His knees and arms still ached, feeling as though they were going to shatter as he pulled himself up the coiling tree. After a mind-numbing enterprise of pain, he finally reached the peak of the perilous palm tree in a fit of sweating and gasping. As he was hanging there grappling the trunk of that tree, he couldn’t help but feel proud of himself - he had conquered his lifelong fear of heights. Despite the pride that was swelling in his chest, he still had two problems. The first was that the coconuts sat a couple of feet from him hanging over the daunting ground, and the second was that he still had to make his way down safely. Realizing this made Dean queasy once again, but was not fazed too much, and reached for the coconuts. While he was leaning across, with legs wrapped around the trunk of the tree like a monkey, he felt his grip falter and begin to loosen. In a flurry of limbs, he managed to grasp the trunk again and in the process knock down a few of the coconuts. Breathing hard and grateful that he found the trunk again, Dean yelled down that he was okay, and began his agonizing descent to the ground. When Dean made it onto the earth again, he was welcomed by a radiant grin across Jane’s face, congratulating him on his accomplishment. Looking embarrassed and blushing a bit, he thanked her and suggested they grab their prize and head back to the others, to which she agreed. Walking back through the jungle, the sun streaking through the trees and onto their skin. Dean felt very confident and proud of himself for gathering the coconuts and Jane was satisfied that she had forced him to get over his fear. While they were strolling across the path they had trampled on their way in, something caught Dean’s eye. On the edge of the forest, hidden behind a bush and out of sight, a vision of dark blue prodded daintily above the underbrush. When Dean and Jane walked over, they discovered that it was a wrapped up tarp. Unravelling it, they found a whistle inside of a bucket. Excitedly, Jane gathered it up, while Dean pondered all of the ideas for what they could do with the newly found supplies. They made their way back to the shelter, extremely pleased. With the midday sun beating down on the island the four inhabit, despite all of their misfortune, they are quite pleased. With their uncovered treasures they have so many more possibilities and ways to make life on the island easier. As time continues on, they will too. Working on their shelter, gathering supplies, and wondering what else life would throw their way, they just keep on trying to survive. //"The base of the tree started off straight but then curved like a snake’s neck as it wound its way to the peak, where the coconuts were."// = __3.__ __Salvation__ =

The crash of the magnificent waves released ripples which rolled swiftly onto the sandy banks. As Dean sat on the shore unmoving, his gaze entranced by the falling sun signaling another day without rescue, he did not take notice to the rise of the water to his calves. Only when Bailey called his name did he become aware of the real world, and the sudden realization that he was freezing dawned on him. The four survivors were seated quietly in a half-circle. The crackling fire caused looming shadows to dance wildly against the shelter behind them. Jane sat with her back against a fallen log and legs crossed, as she poked lazily at the fire and sent luminous sparks to rise quickly and fade swiftly into the night. Jen, who was perched on top of the fallen log, saw what Jane was doing, and looked about for a stick to partake in the fire-poking. When she finally found a suitable stick, she began to prod the fire as well, which caused even more movement within the flames. As if like dominoes, Dean and Bailey followed suit. Eventually, the four of them were laughing and smiling for the first time in what felt like forever. The fire's entertainment ended abruptly when Dean accidently pushed too hard, knocking the fire over and causing the logs to spread. The rest of the girls shrugged it off. Dean hastily kicked sand over the fire so it would not spread to the jungle, and the others joined in for something to do, now that their entertainment had been ruined. Only when the fire was completely out and all that was left was a pile of smoldering ashes buried in the sand, did they realize just how late it had become. "It's getting pretty late; we should go to bed," Bailey suggested as she gazed at the moon steadily climbing over the sea. The others muttered in agreement as they too turned to stare at the luminescent orb in the sky. The light shone down upon the simple shelter from the magnificent moon high above as Dean sat thinking of everything. He considered for the hundredth time that if he had not taken that vacation, he would have been at home, only having to worry about work the next day, instead of worrying about how he was going to find food, and if they were ever going to be saved and get off of this damn island. After the others had fallen asleep, Dean had concluded his session of depressing thoughts, and fell into slumber as well. As the waves rolled silently onto the sandy beach, the entire island became silent. The people inside of the shelter were sleeping soundlessly and peacefully, until a loud shriek rang throughout the forest, followed by cussing and calls for assistance by use of a whistle. Dean awoke suddenly to the disturbance and looked about him at the two other women, who had also been woken by the scream. In the darkness he could make out the women's faces. They belonged to Bailey and Jen. Dean knew that it must have been Jane who had blown the whistle, so the three of them leaped up and rushed into the forest toward the sounds of Jane calling. As Dean and the others entered the jungle, they continued to go toward the source of the noise, while being careful not to trip in the brush they could not see. The calling was getting louder, and Dean started to yell words of encouragement back, in hopes that she was not too horribly injured. It was not long before Bailey had found her, and in the dim moonlight, Dean noticed a figure on the ground, and rushed to her side. "What happened? Are you alright?" Dean asked worriedly. "I fell and it hurts when I touch my ankle," Jane said as she pointed toward a large tree trunk. "I think I tripped over the roots of that tree. Is my ankle broken?" "I don't think so," Dean said. "Can you put some pressure on it?" Jane struggled to shrug, and then as Dean gave her his hand to help her up, she took it. As she placed her foot on the ground, she winced in pain, yet managed to put a fair amount of pressure on the damaged ankle. "I don't think it's broken, I think it's just badly sprained. Either way, we need to get you back somewhere you can rest, and so I can fully examine it." As they went to lift Jane off of the ground, Jen noticed something shiny on the ground beside her, and picked it up. It turned out to be a small hunting knife, and when she questioned Jane about how she had got this Jane said that on her way to relieve herself, she had found it by the base of a tree. The others skeptically accepted her story, saving more questions for later, and carried her back to the shelter. The night was giving way to daybreak by the time they were safely back in their shelter, and they were thankful for it. Upon further examination of Jane's ankle, Dean came to the conclusion that the joint was not broken, but just badly sprained. Coincidentally, upon hearing the news and feeling thankful toward Dean, Jane told them the truth about the knife. She explained that a couple of days ago, she had found it in the sand that looked discarded, and had been using it to collect firewood, and to fortify their shelter. Jane also explained how she was sorry, and that she had meant to tell them about it, but did not know a way without sounding like a criminal, like how she felt right now. Dean listened to her alibi and started to tell Jane that he knew how she felt, and to tell her that it was all right when suddenly Bailey pointed toward the ocean and shouted: "In the distance! What's that? Is it a ship?" The other three heads all quickly turned their heads to look out across the ocean to see if Bailey was telling the truth or not, and saw what she saw. "I think it is! It looks like it's coming this way!" Jen exclaimed as the dot on the horizon grew bigger faster and faster. "We're going to be saved!" Jane cried, wincing as she accidentally banged her ankle. It was true. The dot had grown to the size of Dean's hand on the horizon and kept on growing as it came near. The ship acknowledged that they had seen them by blasting their deafening horn. It was the loudest sound they had heard apart from the time of the crash, but they did not care. The thrumming resonance was beautiful to them. After the crash, searching for each other, finding provisions so that they could survive, and finding out that Jane had been withholding something that would have made it easier to survive, this moment made it all worth it. It was a moment that they would remember for the rest of their lives as their salvation neared the island to bring them home. //"The other three heads all quickly turned their heads to look out across the ocean to see if Bailey was telling the truth or not, and saw what she saw."//