Crash

True to the meaning of short story, this flash fiction follows Ryan and Jade, two students who were the sole survivors of a plane crash deep in the forest. Be honest in your critique, please!

Jade and Ryan looked upon the wreckage of what used to be their plane. The forest was dark, the howls of woodland creatures piercing the otherwise silent night. The moonless sky loomed overhead, and the air around the two students seemed eerily still.

            Ryan Malcolm, the taller of the two students, nervously ran a calloused hand through his short brown hair. His amber eyes scanned the area for any immediate danger. On the other hand, Jade Moore was staring at the wreck, her long black hair swaying slightly in the cool breeze.

            “Are there any other survivors?” Ryan asked, his normally calm voice quavering slightly.

            “I don’t think so,” Jade replied, a hint of fear in her words. “We don’t have any supplies. How are we going to survive?”

            “I think we’ll have to stick it out for a few days. Help can’t be far off, right?” Noting the look on her face, he added, “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine. The first response team will be here soon.”

            Slowly nodding, Jade shakily rose to her feet.

            “I’m going to find somewhere that has water,” Jade murmured. Ryan nodded as she walked into the night.

            As he watched her stride away, his mind began to race with thoughts of panic. How were they going to survive? They had no food and a meager water supply. Could they even survive?

            Slowing his breath, he forced himself to calm down. Jade would be back, and they would talk about their situation then. For now he had to take stock. Looking over the supplies they had, he came across a problem. They really did have barely any supplies- about enough to last a day before they ran out. He wouldn’t tell Jade that, of course. That would make her panic more, and the last thing Ryan wanted was his friend freaking out.

            Jade returned, empty handed but smiling all the same. She seemed to be much happier than before, although a sullen look still haunted the corners of her smile.

            “I found a river!” she exclaimed, before Ryan could ask. Rising to his feet, Ryan followed her into the forest, leaving the embers of the dead plane behind. As they walked, Ryan was unsure where they exactly were. Turning around, he realized that the trees behind them had shrouded the burning wreck, plunging them into near darkness. Continuing for a near half hour, he finally turned to his friend.

            “Jade?” he asked.

            “Yes?”
            “Are we lost?”

            “I… might have forgotten where the river is,” Jade replied, her emerald eyes focused on the ground. Before Ryan could reply, however, a piercing howl rang out through the night. Jade immediately yelped and clutched Ryan’s hand.

            “W-what was that?” Jade whispered, definitively shaking.

            “Wolves,” Ryan replied, trying hard to keep his voice calm. “We need to get back to the plane, now.” As they turned to head back, another howl joined the first. Then another. Soon a cacophony of noises had taken to the air, and the pair broke into a run.

            Ryan ran blindly, sprinting through trees and brambles, in a desperate attempt to get away from the wolves. Thorns cut at his sides, but he kept running. After what seemed like an eternity, he broke through a last line of trees and found himself at the dying embers of the wreckage. Sighing with relief, he turned to celebrate their victory with Jade, only to realize that she was gone.

            Screaming her name, Ryan ran back into the woods, his only concern being Jade. All he found was the emptiness responding to his desperate calls. He would have taken any pain if it meant she was still with him. Dropping to his knees, the thought of sleep deprivation entered his mind; it had been a long night, and not sleeping mixed with the run had rendered him exhausted.

            “No, Ryan. You can’t go to sleep until you’ve found Jade,” he told himself. If something had happened to Jade while he was asleep, he could never forgive himself. Sleepily, he stumbled back into the clearing where the plane had fallen, hoping that Jade had made it back. But there was still nothing.

            As sheer exhaustion began to overtake his mind, Ryan struggled to keep his eyes open. His body screamed at him to rest, and yet Ryan would not stop. He searched for hours in vain, thinking to himself that he would find her soon. He yelled at himself for taking moments to rest, but soon exhaustion won out, and Ryan was forced to lie down.

 

            The falling plane bounced more and more as the storm swirled around them. The food cart, having been abandoned long before, was now flying like a missile down the aisle, endangering anyone in its path. Passengers were screaming, praying, and whatever else they could do in the last moments they had.  

            Jade called out to Ryan, scared that he was gone. A hand on her shoulder confirmed that he was still there.

            “Ryan…” she managed to choke out through her terror. “Is this it? Are we going to die?”

            “I don’t know, Jade,” Ryan replied. “But I’ll be with you no matter what happens.” Pulling her into an embrace, he waited for the end.

 

            Ryan awoke a few hours later, cursing himself for falling asleep. He needed the time to find Jade. Slowly he got up, still angry with himself.

            Grabbing a water bottle from their pitiful supplies, he was about to head into the forest to look for her when he heard a soft voice behind him.

            “Ryan…” He whipped his head around to see Jade, pale and shaking, collapse to the ground.

            “Jade!” Ryan yelled, running to her and taking her in his arms. She was badly hurt, and her breathing was slow and ragged.

            “R-Ryan…” she stammered, “the w-wolves, they… I got lost…”

            “Jade, calm down,” Ryan choked out, desperately holding back tears. “You’re going to be fine. Just rest a moment, okay?”

            Jade weakly nodded and closed her eyes.

            “Help me! Someone’s hurt!” Ryan cried, hoping against hope that someone was there. “Someone please help me!”

            “Is someone there?” A tall man burst into the clearing and started running towards Ryan. His badge, emblazoned with the letters SAR, must have meant that he was part of the first response team they had been waiting for.

            “Thank God you’re here,” Ryan exclaimed, sighing and turning to Jade. “My friend’s hurt, and she’s-“

            The words died in his throat and tears freely rolled down his face as he realized that the body of his friend had stilled.

 

Author's Note

I know it's short- it's a modified version of a story I did in my writing class. I'm still looking for any feedback to improve this one, but don't kill me, okay?