instantly went black. I woke up with my face in the dirt.”
“Where are the rest of them?”
“On the other side of the wreckage. One of them is in a tree, ten feet off the ground. I can’t tell who it is. He still has his helmet on. The colonel… well, you don’t want to know.”
“My name is Hannah.”
“Hi, Hannah. I’m Joel.”
“Will they be coming for us soon, Joel?”
“Yes, ma’am. When we don’t report in they’ll send out a search party based on our flight plan.”
“Will they wait until morning?”
“I don’t know. I hope not. I’m getting cold.”
“So am I.”
He crawled to her, placed his body against hers, and gently put his arm around her waist.
She didn’t mind.
“Thank you. That helps a little.”
“There are some emergency blankets in the first aid kit. But I don’t know where it is. Would you like for me to try to find it?”
“No. It’s dark and I’m cold and afraid. I don’t want to be left alone.”
“Good. I’m glad. I don’t think I’d be able to find it in the dark anyway.”
“Joel, is this what it feels like when you’re dying?”
“I don’t know. What are you feeling?”
“Like I’m in a daze. Like everything is so surreal. And dark. Darker than any night I’ve ever seen. And I don’t feel any pain anymore. I feel tingling in my lower body, and my belly is very warm. But I feel no pain. I find that incredibly odd.”
“I’m no expert on dying, Hannah. I’ve only done it seven, eight times tops. But I’m pretty sure you’re not dying.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Well, number one, you’re much too beautiful to die. And number two, I need someone to talk to while we’re waiting to be rescued. So I refuse to give you permission to die. And number three, you have to live long enough to divorce your husband and marry me.”
He wanted her to smile and stop thinking about dying, but in the darkness he couldn’t tell if it worked.
She drew silent, and for a moment he thought he’d lost her.
But then she found the words she’d been searching for.
“I know he’s frantic. He’s going crazy. I feel bad for him.”
Then, as though Joel didn’t know who she was talking about, she clarified.
“My husband.”
“I figured.”
“And my son. I hope they haven’t told him we crashed. He’s so young and he hurts so easily.”
“Tell me about him. What’s his name?”
“Mark Junior. I call him Little Markie, because he’s just like his dad. And he’s the sweetest kid in the whole world.”
“How old is he?”
“He’ll be seven soon. He’s growing so fast. And there’s so much he’s never experienced.”
“Like what?”
“He’s never been to the city. He’s never been to the beach, or to an amusement park. He’s never even ridden in a car.”
“Cars are way overrated. But at least they’re better than helicopters.”
This time he succeeded. Despite the gravity of their situation, she managed a smile.
It was too bad he couldn’t see it in the darkness.
“How long have you been flying on helicopters?”
“Let’s see. Three years before the freeze. Two years since the thaw.”
“Do they crash very often?”
“Actually almost never. Usually even when they have mechanical problems they can land safely. I’ve flown over eight hundred sorties and this is the first time I’ve been in a crash. And this will be my last flight, too.”
“No. You’ll survive. If I have to, you have to. You’ll fly lots more.”
“No. That’s not what I meant. My Dad once told me, on the day he caught me smoking pot, that if
“Where are the rest of them?”
“On the other side of the wreckage. One of them is in a tree, ten feet off the ground. I can’t tell who it is. He still has his helmet on. The colonel… well, you don’t want to know.”
“My name is Hannah.”
“Hi, Hannah. I’m Joel.”
“Will they be coming for us soon, Joel?”
“Yes, ma’am. When we don’t report in they’ll send out a search party based on our flight plan.”
“Will they wait until morning?”
“I don’t know. I hope not. I’m getting cold.”
“So am I.”
He crawled to her, placed his body against hers, and gently put his arm around her waist.
She didn’t mind.
“Thank you. That helps a little.”
“There are some emergency blankets in the first aid kit. But I don’t know where it is. Would you like for me to try to find it?”
“No. It’s dark and I’m cold and afraid. I don’t want to be left alone.”
“Good. I’m glad. I don’t think I’d be able to find it in the dark anyway.”
“Joel, is this what it feels like when you’re dying?”
“I don’t know. What are you feeling?”
“Like I’m in a daze. Like everything is so surreal. And dark. Darker than any night I’ve ever seen. And I don’t feel any pain anymore. I feel tingling in my lower body, and my belly is very warm. But I feel no pain. I find that incredibly odd.”
“I’m no expert on dying, Hannah. I’ve only done it seven, eight times tops. But I’m pretty sure you’re not dying.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Well, number one, you’re much too beautiful to die. And number two, I need someone to talk to while we’re waiting to be rescued. So I refuse to give you permission to die. And number three, you have to live long enough to divorce your husband and marry me.”
He wanted her to smile and stop thinking about dying, but in the darkness he couldn’t tell if it worked.
She drew silent, and for a moment he thought he’d lost her.
But then she found the words she’d been searching for.
“I know he’s frantic. He’s going crazy. I feel bad for him.”
Then, as though Joel didn’t know who she was talking about, she clarified.
“My husband.”
“I figured.”
“And my son. I hope they haven’t told him we crashed. He’s so young and he hurts so easily.”
“Tell me about him. What’s his name?”
“Mark Junior. I call him Little Markie, because he’s just like his dad. And he’s the sweetest kid in the whole world.”
“How old is he?”
“He’ll be seven soon. He’s growing so fast. And there’s so much he’s never experienced.”
“Like what?”
“He’s never been to the city. He’s never been to the beach, or to an amusement park. He’s never even ridden in a car.”
“Cars are way overrated. But at least they’re better than helicopters.”
This time he succeeded. Despite the gravity of their situation, she managed a smile.
It was too bad he couldn’t see it in the darkness.
“How long have you been flying on helicopters?”
“Let’s see. Three years before the freeze. Two years since the thaw.”
“Do they crash very often?”
“Actually almost never. Usually even when they have mechanical problems they can land safely. I’ve flown over eight hundred sorties and this is the first time I’ve been in a crash. And this will be my last flight, too.”
“No. You’ll survive. If I have to, you have to. You’ll fly lots more.”
“No. That’s not what I meant. My Dad once told me, on the day he caught me smoking pot, that if
Similar Books
