Page 31 of Wrecked
Had she fallen from this plane, I would have followed her.
I keep her down low to the floor as everyone around us is ripped from their seats in her place. I feel nothing as I watch them get yanked from the plane while Ellie remains shielded in my arms. I don’t give a shit if that makes me a monster. The only person that matters right now is Ellie.
The man in front of me loses his grip and slides backwards, grasping at everything around him for purchase. He reaches for my hand, begging for help, but letting go means risking Ellie and I won’t do that. I’ll deal with my conscience after we survive. I watch as he gets siphoned toward the back of the plane—what’s left of it. We make eye contact just as the floor runs out beneath him and he drops off the edge of the aircraft, gravity hurtling him toward the ground.
That willnothappen to Ellie. I see her resolve, she’s ready for what comes next. She is going to swim fast and hard, she’s going to make it out of this plane. I will make damn sure of that, even if it means giving my life.
I look to my right and peek through the torn panels. We are getting closer to the beach, but still too far to land. I don’t even know if the plane has landing gear anymore. It doesn’t even have its tail end.
I can see the infinite vastness of seawater from my position on the floor. We must be close. The plane drops, causing a thrill to rise in my chest. I detect an intense fishy odor permeating the air.
Here we go.
I kiss the top of Ellie’s head, holding her even tighter. “I love you, Ellison Grace Hansel. More than anything in this fucking world.” I get the words out right as the plane crashes into the cold, briny ocean.
The force of the water as it enters the small openings on the plane, thrusts me from my position on top of Ellie and propels me across the aisle. I keep my eyes on her as I fight against the impact. The weight of the water drags me down, my arms weakening as I battle against it. I take in the salty liquid, unable to stop it from entering my mouth and nose. I hold my breath as best I can so that I don’t ingest it into my lungs.
My focus is solely on Ellie. I need to see her get out of here,even if it means I don’t. I watch her lose her grip on the bar and slam her head into the seat above her. Then…nothing.
She’s knocked out.
I gather enough strength to rival the Hulk, fueled with my need to protect her. I fight my way through the water, swimming against the force of the current. I would go to war for Ellie, so I am not letting a little fucking water take her from me.
I make my way to where she floats, restrained between the seats as saltwater rushes over her beautiful, motionless body. I wrap my arm around her waist and wrestle the torrent as I plunge us toward the opening in the wall. I adjust my hold on Ellie so that I can position her for a short underwater swim. I thread my arm underneath her arm from behind, my hand coming up over her chest as I fasten her to my side. I place the palm of my hand over her mouth and pinch her nose with my thumb and forefinger. I clutch the rough metal of the broken panel, the sharp edge cutting into my hand as I pull us through the large crater. I struggle against the surge of ocean water rushing into the aircraft. I take a deep breath, preparing to swim like the hounds of hell are behind me.
I push forward, and the rush of the water tries to whip me back. Adjusting my hold on Ellie, I position her beneath me so that I have better use of my legs. I swim hard against the suction, my lungs burning with the need for air.
Finally, we make it past the weight of resistance and emerge on the other side of the vessel. The plane groans behind me as the ocean swallows it into the depths below.
I swim hard, breaking through the surface and ensuring Ellie’s face is out of the water. The suction pulls me back toward the watery grave, but I’m able to wrench us away from the undercurrent.
The intense sunlight temporarily blinds me as I try to adjust to my surroundings. I see the detached wing of the plane in the distance, bobbing in and out of the ocean water.
Holy Fuck.
The sunlight reflects against the bright white paint, announcing its presence like a beacon of hope. I adjust my grip around Ellie’s chest and use my free arm to glide us over toward the wing.
I grab a hold of the make-shift float, catching my breath for the first time since we hit the water. My heart is pounding, the beat hitting me like a high school band before the start of a football game. I squint back toward the plane, looking for possible survivors that may be emerging from the immersed aircraft, but I don’t see any movement. I’m fully aware that what I am hanging on to is temporary salvation. Which means anyone still alive is a possible threat. I won’t hesitate to eliminate anything that poses a risk to Ellie.
I position her back against my chest, cradling her body to mine. I bring my legs up to support her so I can use my hand to check for a pulse.
Slow, but present.
Thank God.
I don’t know how much water she inhaled, but it was not enough to interfere with her breathing. I turn us around and lay her against the wing so that I can use both of my hands to lift her up and place her flat on her back. I lift myself up next, hovering over her as I tilt her head back and give her rescue breaths.
Her watery cough is music to my ears. I lower myself back into the water and turn her to her side, struggling to keep her on top of the submerging wing. She inhales a deep breath and immediately begins to thrash around in a state of panic.
“Ellie! Pip…calm down. You’re okay. Everything is okay!” She calms immediately at the sound of my voice, still gasping for air in her struggle to regain composure.
“Nate! Oh MY GOD! We crashed. Our plane crashed!” Shegasps in horror, still short of breath and dragging in as much air as she can.
“It’s okay, you’re okay. We got out, Ellie.” I try to calm her with my soothing tone, but there is nothing short of absolute horror on her face.
“OH MY GOD,” she cries. “Where is the plane? Where is everyone? Nate, what the hell do we do!?” Her panicked screams break my heart in half. I haven’t let myself fully realize the situation we are in, and I’m not going to until I get her safely on solid ground.
“Ellie, listen. We need to swim toward the beach, okay? We need to get out of the water and onto dry land.”
