Chapter 42 - Gage
I place the last stone over the shallow grave I’ve dug for my fellow passenger, hoping it will be enough to keep the animals away until the rescue team comes.
After ten minutes of CPR I had to give up and let him go.
Without major medical help, the poor man wasn’t going to make it, no matter how many times I pumped at his chest. I turn away from the grave and move back to the emergency blanket and sink down on it.
I need to make a decision. Do I stay here and wait to be found, taking a chance that anyone is even looking?
Or do I try and find my own way back to civilization?
It doesn’t take me long to decide. With all the other guys away and Luna alone at home, I’m not going to wait around and waste time.
I need to get back to her, the sooner the better.
I fish my cell phone out of my pocket and am not surprised to see no service.
I open the maps app anyway and then put it back into my pocket.
Hopefully it will pick up a signal at some point and update my location to give me some idea of where I am and how far I have to go to find help.
I start going through all the bags that I pulled from the plane and sort out what to take and what to leave.
The little bit of snack food I found, water bottles, a first aid kit, a couple flares, a lighter, and the big prize - a scoped rifle, all make the cut.
My guess is one of the suits brought the rifle to go hunting while he was based at camp.
Something a few of the corporate guys have done in the past. It works in my favor to have a weapon if I’m going to be hiking out through the bush.
I’ve done plenty of hunting with my grandfather, so I’m confident in using it.
There are a lot of animals out here in the bush that can be dangerous and they might be pretty agitated with everything that is going on. I mean, a permanent full moon?
I get everything packed in a backpack and sling it onto my back, taking care with my sore ribs. I take a last look around the crash site and mutter a short prayer for Chuck before starting down a game trail leading out of this small clearing that looks to be going south.
I’ve only been walking for twenty minutes when something whistles sharply as it flies overhead, causing me to flinch and duck.
Whatever it is, it’s moving too fast to track but seconds later, I hear the crash of trees back the way I came.
I have no idea what it was but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a good thing.
Time to pick up the pace, Gage. I have one goal, to get back to Luna, and nothing will stop me.
I come to a rise in the forest and use branches and bushes to pull myself up until I can scramble to the top, panting and sweating, heaving in deep breaths of air and realize that I can smell smoke.
From my new vantage point, I spin around, and my eyes widen when I see what’s behind me in the distance.
A blanket of smoke lines the horizon. Well, fuck.
That's not good. I lift my face to the light wind that’s blowing and curse again when it flows straight into my face.
Even that light wind will push the fire this way.
I have no way of judging exactly how far away it is from here but I do know it will catch up to me eventually so I do the only thing I can. I turn away and start running.