Chapter 5

Things happened very quickly following Mauston's ominous announcement, though it felt like they unfolded in slow motion. My chest felt constricted as panic consumed me completely, making even breathing a laborious task. I could see the tops of trees distinctly, and each passing second brought them closer. Mauston cursed vehemently, trying to fight the plane's downward motion.

"Where's a f*****g field or lake when you need one?" He snarled under his breath.

Rocky ridges towered parallel to us, and I could see the jagged peaks of the mountains in distance to our front. The pines below were thick and gave no indication of a clearing or body of water anywhere. It was clear that if we were going to avoid being smashed against the rocks of the mountain, we were going to have to take our chances with the trees.

"Mauston! The trees! Aim for the trees!" I screamed, unable to take my eyes off the rapidly approaching ridge in front of us.

"There's got to be a clearing in front of that ridge! It's our only shot! Those pine's will chew this thing up and spit it out!" His voice thundered over the sound of the dying aircraft.

Metal squealed as the tops of pines began to scrape the underbelly of the plane. Mauston cursed again, giving one last pull to gain some altitude. There was no movement from the plane, and the engine made a choking sound as we lowered even more. I shrieked as the aircraft seemed to shudder around us, and I knew then that the engine had finally failed completely.

"Hold on, here it comes!" Mauston yelled out, his hands still locked on the controls as if he still had hope of saving us from our fate.

My hands rose to cover my face as the first bone-jarring jolt rocked the plane. A wing had caught on a tree, and metal screamed as it tore almost completely free. Branches pounded against the windows, and one shattered the glass right above the seat I'd been in just an hour prior. I screamed as a long bough shattered the windshield, entering the cockpit with deadly force and lodging in the space between Mauston and I. All around me, I could hear metal crumpling, the failed engine droning, and glass shattering.

The front end of the plane caved in as our momentum was stopped by the trunk of a massive pine, the force of the sudden halt jerking me painfully against my restraints. I heard Mauston yell out, his voice laced with pain. Broken glass showered around us as the dashboard of the aircraft crumpled in, the engine being driven towards the cockpit. White-hot pain flared from my right shin, almost dizzying with it's sheer intensity. I didn't have enough air left to scream again--my lungs seemed unable to draw a breath. The edges of my vision wavered and darkened as unconsciousness threatened to consume me. I thought of Maggie, and how sorry I was that she would have to endure yet another loss. With me gone, her entire family would be dead...and I could only pray that Ben could be strong enough to carry her through her grief. The engine of the plane finally fell silent. A crack a loud as a shotgun blast echoed as one of the branches the plant had rested on snapped, and metal squealed as we were thrown to the side as the plane began to tumble. My head connected with the side of the interior, and the world fell to sweet and painless darkness around me.

**********

I was aware of a persistent ache near my temple, and rose my hand to rub it. Opening my eyes, I blinked into the darkness, confusion muddling my mind. The side of my face felt slick, and I pulled down to peer at it. Tacky blood was smeared across my palm, and from the feel of it more was spilling down my face. The horror of the crash came rushing back to me, and I let out a strangled little sound a I realized that it had been no nightmare. My eyes flashed in the darkness, blinking furiously to adjust to the low light from the moon. There was a groaning sound each time the breeze blew, and pieces of glass made soft tinkling noises as they settled.

I looked to my left, afraid of what I would find next to me in the darkness. I couldn't seem to hear Mauston breathing in the pressing darkness...was he dead? I wasn't prepared to witness a gory scene, but I had to know. If he was dead, my situation would surely be grim. The thick bough that had plowed through the cockpit blocked him from my view.

"Mauston?" I tried my voice, which was hoarse from screaming and weak.

There was no response. My heart fell and panic again began to swell. Then, like an answer to a prayer, I heard a cough, then a groan. "Mauston!" I cried.

"You okay, kid?" He said after a moment, his voice rougher than usual in the darkness.

"I'm not sure. I'm bleeding. And there's something wrong with my leg." I was afraid to move it, the ache that had settled in was intensifying with each passing moment. I had no urge to make it worse. "How about you?"

"Bashed my damn head on the edge of this pine, and I think I got a rib or two that's snapped." His breath sounded shallow, as if he was trying to avoid breathing too deeply. I could hear pain in his voice. "Where are you bleeding?

"From where I hit my head. I think it's slowing down." I blinked into the darkness, realizing that shapes were beginning to materialize now that my eyes were adjusting to the dimness. "Mauston, are we in a tree?" I asked with mounting horror.

"I think so..why?" His eyes must have followed the path mine had taken at that moment. "Oh, f**k."

We were being supported in the air by a group of pines, the nose of the pain angled towards the ground. A great ravine yawned before us, at least a 40 foot drop to reach the tops of the pines that swayed in it's depth. Who knew how far it was the the actual ground, with the trees blocking our view! If the plane were to fall in there...we would be lucky to even be recognizable when they finally found our bodies.

"Mauston, what do we do? How do we get out?" I gasped, afraid to even speak too loudly lest the boughs we depended on snap.

He was quiet for a moment and I almost repeated myself before his graveled voice broke the silence. "Listen to me, Kelsey, and don't question a thing I tell you. Just do it." I heard the click of his belt, and knew he'd freed himself. "Take your belt off. Get up slowly...no sudden movements. Get as far in the back of the plane as you can, and strap in. Grab anything you can find to cover yourself with and put it over you." The wind screamed around us and I felt the plane teeter towards the ravine.

"You think our only chance is to fall? In there?" I hissed at him, wondering just how hard he'd hit his head after all.

"I know it' our only chance. If we try to get out of here, this plane's going to fall. It won't take much. It's better if we're protected. Besides, we'd never be able to get down from these trees." He sounded impatient. "Now goddamn it Kelsey, move!"

I unbelted myself, and tried to rise slowly to my feet as instructed. My leg screamed in agony, and I became aware the jeans surrounding my shin were wet and sticky with blood. I cried out and sat back down quick, though the blazing fingers of pain did not let up.

"What's the matter?"

"I think my leg's broken." I whispered, praying it wasn't true but knowing deep down that it was.

Mauston cursed colorfully. I think we both knew that in a situation like this, a broken appendage is one of the worst injuries you can sustain. It slows you down and renders you all but useless. I tried to peer around the bough, wanting to read the look on Mauston's face. I still couldn't see him.

"Okay. Change of plan." From the location of his voice, I realized Mauston was standing. "I'm going to carry you." I could already hear him slipping over the bough as the plane teetered and leaned even more in the wind.

"No! If it goes over, we'll both die!" It was better that one of us make it out of this horror than have both of us become pulverized by the whatever was on the ground. "Just go back, Mauston. Maybe...maybe I'll be okay!"

"Shut up, Kels." I suddenly felt his fingers dig into my upper arms as he pulled me from my seat. I screamed as my broken leg hit the bough, but Mauston didn't slow down. There was a groan as the battered shell of the plane shuddered around us, and I realized that our time had become very short. One we had cleared the bough, Mauston threw me over his shoulder, grunting a his ribs protested taking on the additional weight. He moved swiftly as the plane careened precariously towards the ravine, setting me in the furthest seat back and belting me in. He paused, scanning the back of the plane for anything to cover ourselves with.

A snap of a branch made the plane slide closer to the ravine, throwing Mauston forward. I yelled out, reaching for him as he clawed his way back to the seat. He strapped himself in, and I could see by the look on his face that whatever was going to happen was going to come soon. "Lean down, head between your knees. Compact yourself as much as possible." He hissed, and I obeyed without question, putting my hands above my head. I felt warm weight on my back, and realized that Mauston was using his body to cover mine as well. I was about to protest, to tell him to protect himself, when finally the last of the branches broke and the plane slid free.

We we thrown like toys into the ravine, the plane tumbling end over end. If I had thought the sound of the initial crash had been terrifying, this was ten times worse. When we connected with the trees, I was thrown forward with enough force to take my breath away. As we tumbled, my leg was jarred viciously, and the pain mounted to levels I had never thought possible. There was a thunderous crash and I immediately succumbed to darkness, the weight of Mauston's body still pressed to my back.