giant solitary mountain and dense forest, it will serve as a perfect haven for the night — complete with beachfront vistas — while they wait for their rescue.
When they near the shoreline, Noah and Jacob, the flight attendant, exit on opposite sides of the raft, and pull each end from the ocean’s grasp. Several others jump out and help to drag the honeycombed raft far away from the waves. When the raft is safely beached and secured, several of the survivors drop to their knees, exhausted, cold, and wet to the bone. The moon spotlights the others, hunched over, breathing heavily, trying to gather their bearings on the narrow inlet. Noah walks toward the center of the huddled mass, allowing a moment of recovery before addressing them.
“Everyone, please, may I have your attention? My name is Noah Lockheart. I am a retired Special Forces Captain in the British Army. I know you are cold and tired and have heavy hearts.” He pauses. “I want to direct your attention to my wristwatch. It is equipped with an emergency distress beacon that I will implement now.”
He unlocks a knob on the side of his watch to reveal a small red button, which he presses, setting off a series of red blinking lights in three sets of three.
“The distress call has now been activated and it will transmit our location to the nearest search and rescue team within 300 kilometers. I expect that we will be rescued before the night is over.”
His words are met with cheers from some and sighs from others. Their heads nod in approval as he continues. “Unfortunately, I can’t tell you where we are exactly as the readings on my watch were apparently damaged in the crash. But it’s a safe bet we’re in New Zealand and, by the looks of it, a remote part. It may be several hours before we are in contact with rescue. In the meantime, we have a seriously injured man among us who needs immediate medical attention. My wife, Evelyn, is a scientist and has extensive medical training. She will be tending to the man, but she will need someone to assist her. Do we have anyone else among us with medical training?”
Noah stares out across the sea of weary faces and from the corner of his eye he spots the Asian woman, still in her raft, slowly raising her hand. “I am a holistic nurse,” she says in a small and delicate voice.
“Outstanding. What is your name ma’am?”
“Luna,” she replies.
“Luna, would you be willing to assist my wife with the injured man?”
“I will.” She makes eye contact with Evelyn, who smiles as she sterilizes her hands with the antiseptic gel packed in her belongings.
“Now, we need to set up camp while we wait for rescue,” Noah says. “We are all cold and wet, so the first thing we must do is get a fire started. I have a flint strike in my pack and the sooner we can gather materials to burn, the better. I also have a tent and some warm clothes I can distribute to some of you. Do I have any volunteers?”
Nearly everyone steps forward to help Noah, who distributes duties among them. He points to various locations, instructing where to set the fire and the tent, as well as where to find certain items. The volunteers disperse and he peers back to Evelyn and Luna who have already set up a makeshift surgery station inside the raft. His wife is in the process of sewing up Jeremy’s wound while Luna holds a windup flashlight overhead.
He notices Luna’s husband, who has walked away from the others, staring into the ocean. He approaches the man cautiously, not wanting to startle him. “I am terribly saddened by your loss.”
The man stands quietly and nods, but makes no eye contact. “Thank you.”
“What is your daughter’s name?”
“Leilu,” he replies softly. “Her name is Leilu, and I am Hiroshi.” He places both hands over his face rubbing his eyes. Noah says nothing for a few moments, letting the man be alone with his grief.
“Leilu is a beautiful name, Hiroshi, and I am sorry we are meeting
When they near the shoreline, Noah and Jacob, the flight attendant, exit on opposite sides of the raft, and pull each end from the ocean’s grasp. Several others jump out and help to drag the honeycombed raft far away from the waves. When the raft is safely beached and secured, several of the survivors drop to their knees, exhausted, cold, and wet to the bone. The moon spotlights the others, hunched over, breathing heavily, trying to gather their bearings on the narrow inlet. Noah walks toward the center of the huddled mass, allowing a moment of recovery before addressing them.
“Everyone, please, may I have your attention? My name is Noah Lockheart. I am a retired Special Forces Captain in the British Army. I know you are cold and tired and have heavy hearts.” He pauses. “I want to direct your attention to my wristwatch. It is equipped with an emergency distress beacon that I will implement now.”
He unlocks a knob on the side of his watch to reveal a small red button, which he presses, setting off a series of red blinking lights in three sets of three.
“The distress call has now been activated and it will transmit our location to the nearest search and rescue team within 300 kilometers. I expect that we will be rescued before the night is over.”
His words are met with cheers from some and sighs from others. Their heads nod in approval as he continues. “Unfortunately, I can’t tell you where we are exactly as the readings on my watch were apparently damaged in the crash. But it’s a safe bet we’re in New Zealand and, by the looks of it, a remote part. It may be several hours before we are in contact with rescue. In the meantime, we have a seriously injured man among us who needs immediate medical attention. My wife, Evelyn, is a scientist and has extensive medical training. She will be tending to the man, but she will need someone to assist her. Do we have anyone else among us with medical training?”
Noah stares out across the sea of weary faces and from the corner of his eye he spots the Asian woman, still in her raft, slowly raising her hand. “I am a holistic nurse,” she says in a small and delicate voice.
“Outstanding. What is your name ma’am?”
“Luna,” she replies.
“Luna, would you be willing to assist my wife with the injured man?”
“I will.” She makes eye contact with Evelyn, who smiles as she sterilizes her hands with the antiseptic gel packed in her belongings.
“Now, we need to set up camp while we wait for rescue,” Noah says. “We are all cold and wet, so the first thing we must do is get a fire started. I have a flint strike in my pack and the sooner we can gather materials to burn, the better. I also have a tent and some warm clothes I can distribute to some of you. Do I have any volunteers?”
Nearly everyone steps forward to help Noah, who distributes duties among them. He points to various locations, instructing where to set the fire and the tent, as well as where to find certain items. The volunteers disperse and he peers back to Evelyn and Luna who have already set up a makeshift surgery station inside the raft. His wife is in the process of sewing up Jeremy’s wound while Luna holds a windup flashlight overhead.
He notices Luna’s husband, who has walked away from the others, staring into the ocean. He approaches the man cautiously, not wanting to startle him. “I am terribly saddened by your loss.”
The man stands quietly and nods, but makes no eye contact. “Thank you.”
“What is your daughter’s name?”
“Leilu,” he replies softly. “Her name is Leilu, and I am Hiroshi.” He places both hands over his face rubbing his eyes. Noah says nothing for a few moments, letting the man be alone with his grief.
“Leilu is a beautiful name, Hiroshi, and I am sorry we are meeting
Similar Books
