Stranded Read online

  “That’s good,” Joss encouraged, “leave it on the seat and we will use those two chairs to pile whatever else we find. Let’s look through our things and share whatever we find. Agreed?”

  At Joss’s instructions, the four men piled everything together. Joss even placed her small handful of chips into the mix, despite objections from Charles. He said it was only fair she should eat them, since they’d all eaten their share, that she needed to keep up her strength. She just shook her head and waved him off, knowing that ultimately she would require fewer calories than they would.

  Their inventory was measly, just as Joss suspected. She calculated what they had and figured that, between the six of them (including the captain), they had enough food and water to last about three days. They would need to be rescued or find a way to shore, and she had no clue how far they were from land. Due to the storm they couldn’t see five feet past the windows.

  Joss wrote in her journal, making a list of everything they found:

  20-500 ml bottles of Fiji brand water

  2 stainless steel water bottles, approximately half full (24 oz?) Can of coke unopened

  Apple juice (16 oz glass bottle)

  Reese’s pieces, family size, unopened (48 oz bag)

  Handful of Pringles (16 chips)

  Hickory flavored almonds, opened tin (approximately 8 oz?) Bag of jujubes (35 pieces)

  Trident gum (6 pieces)

  Orange flavored Tic Tacs (1/2 full)

  Thermos of black coffee (full)

  It wasn’t much but it was something. They could work with that. She carefully did the math to ensure that everyone would have a fair share, including the captain when he woke up. She eyed the coffee longingly, wishing she could enjoy a cup, in spite of it being lukewarm.

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Charles teased, slipping in beside her.

  “What?” Joss replied, turning around.

  “The coffee. God, I want some. I smelled it as soon as you opened the lid.”

  She looked him over carefully, really looked at him for the first time since getting on the plane the night before. He was extraordinary, in spite of appearing sleepless and disheveled. His eyes were the brightest blue she’d ever seen, the color of topaz, with lashes that any woman would envy. He was probably in his forties, but he didn’t look it, with the kindest face. What’s more, he seemed to be looking out for her. She was inappropriately attracted to him, given their predicament.

  “I know, but we really need to be cautious,” she urged, touching him gently. He looked down at her hand, as though considering the effect of her touch. She felt it too. She meant it to provide comfort, but couldn’t deny their chemistry. He smiled warmly at her, caressing the top of her hand.

  “I understand,” he agreed. “What now?”

  “I guess we try to make it last as long as we can. Once the storm subsides, someone will come for us. I’m sure of it,” she said confidently. “And we need to conserve the batteries on our cell phones. We aren’t getting a signal anyway and we never know when they might come in handy.”

  “You guys hear that?” Charles cautioned gently, addressing everyone at once. Joss looked up and noticed Ryan turning off his iPhone.

  “I was playing solitaire,” he chuckled, slipping it into his pocket.

  She knew everyone needed to keep their spirits up until their rescue. It was imperative to remain as calm and focused as possible. The only thing that really worried her was their pilot. She needed to watch him carefully. If he didn’t wake up soon, things might turn ugly for him. For now they were ok, and she needed to hold on to that.

  Chapter 9

  It was Sunday morning, very early, and they were fucking miserable. Miserable and nauseous, and the tiny plane had taken on a stench that no one should ever have to endure. Six grown adults perspiring in an itty bitty space, relieving themselves in the same place they lived, ate, and slept. Even though they had tried to keep the area clean, it was unbearable. The rain refused to give up and they were officially in the morning of the third day, floating and rolling through unbearable waves. They were all claustrophobic and going stir crazy, including Joss. She was desperate to be outside, to stretch her legs, and breathe in some fresh air. They had opened the door on a few occasions, to dump their ‘waste’ and let in some fresh air, but it was not safe. The plane was leaning to one side and jerking around too much, and sea water was dangerously close to surging through the opening. Even a few minutes of fresh air was better than nothing.

  Captain Grant had stirred for a few minutes earlier that morning, when it was still dark. He was disoriented and semi-conscious, but Joss was able to offer him a little water before he drifted off again. That made her feel a little better, although she was still concerned for him. She wished she could draw on his experience and ask him questions about the aircraft, their flight plan, and typical search and rescue operations in the South Pacific. Surely he would know the protocol.

  “Joss, do you want something to eat?” Daniel whispered, gently touching her shoulder. He pulled her out of her thoughts offering her his beautiful smile. She stared at him thoughtfully for a moment. Daniel was a real sweetheart. Quiet and reserved, and very respectful. She had come to know the others quite well over the past few days, Charles, Ryan and Willie. They were talkative and playful, true extroverts. But Daniel was introverted, thoughtful and observant. They had a lot in common. She knew it would take more of an effort to pull him out of his shell, but she had a feeling it would be worth it. He intrigued her.

  She shook her head and waved him off, still nursing her nausea. She knew she was dehydrated, and that didn’t help.

  “At least sip a little water,” he urged, uncapping a fresh bottle and offering it to her.

  She nodded and took the bottle from him, sipping down a few ounces then handed it back to him. They were down to their last ten bottles and she was getting worried.

  “Good,” he praised, crouching down beside her, “you need to keep your strength up too. I was wondering, is it just me or does the sea seem to be calming down?”

  She focused intently for a moment on the sway and motion of the plane. He might have been right. She shifted across the seats to look out the window. For the first time since the crash she was able to see their surroundings. The sky was clearing up in the distance and it was much brighter. The waves were still pitching against them, but it was definitely calming down. She was certain it was no longer raining.

  She took in her surroundings, hoping to see proof of civilization. Another boat, a cargo ship, even a canoe would have made her feel better, but there was nothing. She slipped across the aisle to the opposite side of the plane, mindful not to disrupt Charles sleeping in the chair behind her. At first she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her and she blinked rapidly, shocked by what she saw.

  “What the fuck?” she breathed, wiping the condensation off the window. In front of her, not a hundred yards away, was a beach. A fucking beach, with palm trees and everything! It looked like a fucking post card! She knew they’d been floating on the current for the past three days, but was certain they were somewhere out in the middle of the frigging Pacific Ocean. At one point they had talked about dropping the anchor but none of them knew if the water was shallow enough, or even how to safely do it. If they didn’t consider the tide or the wind conditions, they could easily be pulled under the sea. None of them had enough nautical training to risk it.

  “I’ll be damned,” she whispered, feeling positive for the first time since the crash. Getting safely on land would give them a fighting chance to survive. She could make that work! “Daniel, look at this!”

  Daniel leaned in, placing a hand against her back to support himself, looking in the direction she gestured. She pulled in her breath and quickly glanced at his profile, surprised by her reaction to his touch. After three days she could still smell traces of his cologne. It was pleasant. He turned back and smiled, a look of relief on his handsome, unshaven face
.

  “Well that’s the first stroke of luck we’ve had!” he blurted, offering her a quick hug.

  “Actually, I think surviving the crash was probably our first stroke of luck,” she quipped, brushing a stray hair out of her eyes,” but this is definitely a close second!”

  “What is it?” Ryan asked, gently patting Willie on the back to wake him up. Charles began to stir as well.

  “We seem to have drifted to some land, boys,” Joss said, her mind racing as she formulated a safe exit strategy. They needed to get themselves and their provisions to the island while they had a break in the weather. They couldn’t afford to delay.

  “Are you boys up for a swim?”

  * * *

  It was heavily raining once again but Joss didn’t mind. It was easier to collect rain water on land than it ever would have been tossing around in the ocean and she wisely set out several vessels to catch it, including some bamboo she had carefully notched out. She knew that you never took anything for granted and while it had been raining for days, it could stop at anytime and be absent for weeks. She wasn’t taking any chances. She had six souls to keep hydrated, six mouths to feed. Even though the island appeared deserted, she felt relaxed and more at ease than she had in days. They had a much better chance of survival on land than they would have had in the middle of the ocean, and maybe a better chance of rescue.

  The men were busy collecting palm leaves, bamboo and tree limbs so they could start building a shelter. It sucked working in the rain, but at least it was warm. They were all strong guys, and many hands made light work. Joss glanced over at the captain. He was resting under a small lean-to they slapped together, somewhat protected from the rain, his head propped up with a life jacket. He was no worse than he had been, but not a whole lot better either. He’d stirred a little during the transport from the plane to the island, and again when she tucked him under the shelter. He even took a little water from her. She hoped that he would regain complete consciousness soon so that she could finally breathe a little easier. The gash on his head was healing and she was now confident he had not sustained internal injuries. If he had, she was sure he would have been in worse shape than he was. Instead, he seemed to be holding his own.

  It had taken them several hours to unload the plane and take everything to the beach. They had to make several trips. Thankfully the water was not deep and they were able to wade easily to shore. Once she realized they were not in water over their heads, Joss suggested that they tie together all the life jackets, assembling a make-shift raft to help them easily transport the captain to shore. It worked perfectly and once he was safely on the beach, they used the raft to transport the rest of their provisions. They were even able to access the cargo hold and collect their suitcases, despite the fact that one of the plane’s floats was destroyed. It made sense now, why the plane had been sitting at such a weird angle.

  Joss looked out, just past the lagoon, to where the plane was bobbing in the surf. No longer worried about their safety, Charles had dropped the anchor. They didn’t want the little plane to float back out to sea, in case it could somehow aid in their rescue. She was hopeful that Captain Grant, when he was stronger, would be able to tinker with the radio and get it working. They’d all tried at one point or another over the past few days, but the electronics seemed to be fried. Maybe he would know what to do.

  “Joss, everything ok?”

  She turned around to find Willie standing behind her, shirtless, his dark skin glistening from the rain. She looked him up and down, nodding her reply. He casually offered her his hand.

  “Come on back, we’re ready to assemble the shelter. We thought you might want to offer us guidance on where it should go, and maybe show us how to assemble it so it doesn’t come crashing down on our heads,” he urged, chuckling softly.

  Joss held his hand and allowed him to lead her. His hand was surprisingly soft, dwarfing her own, but it felt good. Safe. He turned back and smiled at her, and for a moment, she lost her breath. He was truly beautiful. Tall, dark, strong, a perfect specimen of man. He shook his head softly, as though wondering why she hesitated. Embarrassed, she laughed off her attraction and gave him a little nudge, urging him to keep moving. It had been a long time since she found herself that physically attracted to a man, and it completely caught her by surprise.

  It suddenly occurred to her what it could mean, being the only woman on the island.

  Chapter 10

  “This morning we’ll go through our luggage and sort through what we have that can be used for survival. You might be surprised by the multitude of uses for every day items,” Joss offered, mindlessly stoking the fire, “and then we can do a little exploring, maybe find a sustainable water source and some food.”

  She’d not slept well, but as exhausted as she felt, she knew she needed to keep pushing. It had been much better sleeping on the ground than it had been on the plane, but she still felt like she was rocking in the waves, her body suffering from disembarkation sickness. She wished she had some Dramamine, but there was none in the first aid kit. She planned to go for a long walk later, certain it would help recondition her to land.

  No matter how lousy she felt, she wouldn’t let on. There was still much to do to make their camp and shelter secure. The men were looking just as weary. They were disheveled and dirty from a hard day’s labor, each of them sporting several day’s stubble on their tired, smudged faces. She was sure she looked just as rough as they did. There was soap in her toiletry bag and as soon as they were done sorting through their things, she planned to take an ocean bath. She’d not smelled fresh for days.

  “Yes, food would be good. I’m famished,” Ryan grinned, “I’m jonesing for some bacon and eggs right about now.”

  “Well, I’m not sure we can hook you up with that, but maybe we’ll find some edibles and some small critters to cook up,” Joss shrugged, appreciating his unwavering enthusiasm. Even after everything that happened, he still seemed relaxed, chill even.

  “That’ll do,” he winked, sipping back his tiny ration of coffee. They were drinking the last of it, and Joss was going to miss it when it was gone, in spite of having had only a few mouthfuls over several days. She popped a jujube in her mouth, savoring the sweet flavor on her tongue. Their food was almost gone too, but she was confident the island would nourish them. Heck, once they explored, it was possible they might even find civilization, although she didn’t hold out much hope for that. If this island was inhabited, she thought, the beach they landed on would have been occupied. It was spectacular, and certainly valuable real-estate.

  “I’d like to try catching some fish today,” Willie announced quietly, his feet casually digging a trench in the sand in front of him, as though lost in thought.

  “Yeah, I’ll join you,” Daniel offered with a weak smile, “if that’s alright with you?”

  “Sure, man. We can sharpen some sticks and make spears,” Willie agreed, holding his fist out for a bump. Daniel looked at him strangely, as though not sure how to receive the gesture. Willie snickered and dropped his fist, “Dude, don’t leave a brother hanging. Next time bump that fist.”

  They both chuckled easily, still feeling each other out. They were all still assessing one another.

  Daniel shrugged awkwardly, “Sorry, mate. My bad.”

  “No, no. We’ll get there, bro,” Willie assured kindly. Joss regarded him warmly, enjoying his sweet nature. He seemed like a decent guy. They both did.

  “I have an idea,” Joss said, standing up. She shook the sand off her bum and walked towards her luggage. After unlatching the case she carefully pulled out a garment bag, allowing the suitcase to close with a thump. She brought it over to the fire and unzipped the bag in front of them, pulling out a tacky pink gown.

  Daniel raised his eyebrow, “a dress?”

  “Uh, as pretty as that is, I think it might be a little formal for the island,” Ryan teased, “besides, we left our tuxes on the mainland. Well, except for Cha
rles. He might have one.”

  He tossed Charles a cheeky wink, a young pup teasing the old dog.

  “Very funny, kid,” Charles said back, unfazed by the good-natured ribbing.

  “No, no. I was thinking that we could use the tulle crinoline to make a fishing net. See?” Joss lifted the material on the dress to show them the fabric underneath. “We could somehow remove the layers and then stitch them together!”

  She grinned widely, thrilled with the idea. Of course it would work.

  “Stitch it with what?”

  Following his breathy words, they all collectively looked over to where Captain Grant was resting, completely in sync with each other, as though they were one person. He’d turned on his side and was looking at them curiously, as though confused.

  “Oh, hey Captain,” Joss dropped the dress into the sand and made her way over to his lean-to. She gently placed a hand on his forehead but he quickly brushed her away, like one might shoo a mosquito. It was a gesture she had not anticipated and it completely caught her off guard. She inhaled sharply, surprised by his abruptness.

  “Where the hell are we?” he asked gruffly, his Aussie accent cutting sharply through her concern. She sat back on her calves, and placed her hands in her lap, unsure what else to do with them.

  “Well, we’re not sure. We drifted on the ocean for several days and ended up in a lagoon. Your plane is anchored about a hundred yards off shore,” she explained, watching him carefully.

  “Can I offer you some water?”

  She picked up the water bottle she’d left by his side, enticingly rocking it back and forth.

  He gestured sharply for her to give it to him. Joss wasn’t impressed with his manners, but uncapped the bottle anyway, placing it in his hand. She would cut him a little slack and dismiss his rudeness, considering he’d just regained consciousness. He was allowed to be tense, she surmised. The captain snatched the bottle from her and chugged down half of it before taking a breath.