Chapter 6

The floor was crude and rough.  A sign swung above the mantle that read “Home is a Slice of Pie – Cooked to Perfection.”  Jacob’s head was still in a lot of pain, though it had subsided a lot from previously.  He bent forward, examining his aching feet and searching about the room for Erin or any other inhabitant. 

Where in the world am I?

The small one room cabin smelled of dust and a musty stagnant odor of foreboding.  He got to his knees and made his way to a chair nearby.  It was a rudimentary piece of drift wood that someone had carved into a simple and very wobbly 4 legged seat.  The room was no larger than many bathrooms Jacob had seen, with no obvious kitchen and bathroom present.  It was just big enough for a small bed, two chairs, a table and some odd version of a trunk that looked more or less like a rotting suitcase. 

Jacob listened to the sound of the voices.  One was a familiar shrill voice that he could only assume was that of Erin’s, but the other was less conversed and male.  He could not make out many of the words but could tell that they were having an argument.  A fire roared through the open window and the brightness of the flame, he discovered, was the source of the illumination of the small room. 

He slowly made his way to the door, and opened it ever so slightly to peer out into the night.  There was a younger man screaming in coherently at Erin, across an open fire.  He had his arms raised and brought them down hard against her face, knocking her to the ground.  She lay there, motionless.

Jacob felt enraged and finding some last ounce of strength the door of the small cabin was flung from the hinges as he made his way out into the fire-light.  The man ducked under the oncoming attack and braced himself.  As Jacob came into range, the man used Jacob’s own momentum to propel him into the side of a stack of fire wood.  Erin’s faint and quiet moaning was all he could hear as he laid there, blood appearing at his mouth. 

The man approached him, kicking him hard in the stomach as he made his way to his knees.  The boots the man was wearing knocked the air out of Jacob’s lungs.  He rolled over, back onto his back and waited for the second kick to come.  The man was distracted instead with finding some type of weapon and Jacob saw this as his last chance. 

Spitting out the blood and gritting his teeth, he made his way back to his feet and lunged as the man was bent over to pick up some of the burning limbs in the fire.  The man fell into the fire, rolling through to the other side. 

Jacob had fallen in the attack and had landed, his right hand falling into the coals.  The burning feeling roared through his arm like a stampede, causing him more pain than he had the strength to deal with.  His eyes stung with smoke and watered uncontrollably.  The whole scene was a blur behind the smokescreen and tears. 

His mind raced, powered by adrenaline and saturated by pain.   He walked closer to the man, watching him lying on the ground.  He noticed small puffs of smoke rising from the man’s clothing as he lay there, still and quiet. 

Jacob knelt before him, using his uninjured hand to nudge the man.  He lay motionless and breathless.  He rolled him over onto his back and as his face rolled along with it, he noticed burn marks and a large abrasive wound beside his left temple. 

The man was dead.

Jacob found his way to Erin, her breathing slow and calm.  He knew she would be alright, though from the strike she had taken, he assumed she would have a headache worse than his the next day.  His adrenaline now faded, he sat down beside her.  His good hand rested firmly on her shoulder as she slept beside him with a slow and timid snore. 

It seemed like only a short time before the sun had crept its way above the distant hills and brought with it an orchestra of beauty.  The island lit up like a field of diamonds, cascading the distant valleys and jungles in a beauty he had never witnessed before.  The light greens and deep darker greens almost seemed to be nothing more than a painting by some gifted contemporary artist.  The sky was blasted with the beautiful orange and yellow sunrise. 

The majestic nature of the oncoming daylight brought forth a new feeling of restlessness in Jacob.  He sat there motionless, lost deep in thought and allowed his mind to wonder.  He hadn’t the endurance to hold it back or force it to another topic. 

He thought of her. 

He thought of those amazing dreams and how he had felt.  He thought of her beauty and passion.  He thought of how she had taken his primal and most driven sexual urges and made him feel as though he was the only thing that mattered. 

Jacob had always had sexual relationships.  His first coming at the young age of 15, as he desperately tried to live out the numerous fantasies a young boy thinks about.  Sex was a customary past time and one he loved more than anything.  At times he referred to himself as a nymphomaniac, until his job replaced his sexual urges with that of a higher calling. 

Mary Shultz, his first sexual partner, was 3 years his senior.  He had landed a high school senior while a freshman.  He had tried for weeks to win her attention, as she did her best to ignore him in the long hallways of Greenburg High School.  One day, as he walked behind her asking her to the next school dance, he noticed, though he heard her say no that she was smiling behind her blonde hair.  Her eyes were a brilliant brown and her smile is what drew him to her in almost every way. 

Erin’s stirring brought him back from the mental image.  He watched as she looked up at him and smiled, then abruptly looked in all directions for any signs of an oncoming attack or threat.  She sprang at once to her feet and Jacob followed suit.  She looked across the fire and saw the body of the man lying there, unmoving. 

She looked over at Jacob, her eyes wide with confusion and fear. 

“Is he…dead?” she said in a whisper.

“I’m afraid so.  I came out to help you last night, seeing him strike you to the ground and we got into a fight.  The fight didn’t last long as he stumbled through the open fire and…” he motioned for her eyes to once again look at him. 

His face was burnt, now visible in the morning light.  His eyes were shut and the blood from his open wound had collected in a small pool beside his limp body. 

Erin knelt back to the ground, tears flooding her eyes.  She caught site of Jacob’s confused look and nodded slowly. 

“When you passed out yesterday at the beach, I struggled to pull you to the trees before the tide came in.  The tide on this island is very bad and could have easily have taken you out or slammed you against the rocks.  When I finally managed to have you within the tree line, I heard something or someone moving in the trees. 

As I crawled closer, I noticed on the rocks bits and pieces of the ship I had called home for the past two months being dragged along.  Then I saw him…”

She pointed over at the man lying on the ground. 

“I called to him and he came at once.  I would like you to meet Mark.  My boyfriend or rather my ex-bf. His eyes were darker than normal, and I assumed the lack of sleep and exhaustion was starting to get to him.  He helped me bring you here and said he had come across this place already standing, though long since abandoned and had taken up roost.  He claimed he had survived the ship wreck and that he had been here for 2 weeks now.”

Jacob couldn’t believe those words.  “But I thought you said he was dead, died in the storm that left you stranded here?”

“That was my original thoughts.  I mean, I didn’t understand how he could have survived.  I specifically remember seeing him sink to the bottom.  There was a piece of wood floating just able to hold our weight.  We floated for a couple hours and I nodded off to sleep, exhausted from the tiresome attempt at removing the water from the boat’s cabin and hull. 

Mark was gone when I woke up and I could not find him.  I assumed he had perished or sank while I slept and as I awoke, I was near the beach.  Mark was not an angry person.  In fact, the man I saw yesterday looked exactly like him, but I could have sworn it was someone else entirely.  I know that sounds strange and we all have a side of us that we would rather not show others, but last night was different.”

Jacob knew this was the truth.  Erin’s face held contempt and heartbreak and he only wished he had found some way to knock the guy out, rather than kill him.  It was only an accident that it had happened, but he strangely felt little to no remorse when it happened. 

Jacob had heard many people say that the second you kill a man or cause his death, it somehow changes you into a different person.  He felt no different.  His mind did not linger on the event like he thought it should have.  It was pre-occupied by stupid childish thoughts of sexual relationships and he couldn’t begin to fathom the cause for this.  It scared him.

“We should at least bury him,” Erin said, her tears still falling. 

“I agree.” Jacob said. 

He began to dig, oddly, his second grave since awakening on this island.  His hands were still sore from the last time and he wished he had a shovel or spade to help him.  He watched as Erin sat beside Mark’s body, her hand holding his.  He thought that apologizing, but he had seen this man openly strike her down.  He wasn’t sorry.  This bastard deserved it. 

His hands began to dig deeper and his muscles moved faster and faster.  As his thoughts raced on through what had happened and as he replayed the site of this man punching Erin across the side of her face, he felt a renewed strength.  His head rushed with adrenaline and his arms were not getting weaker, but stronger.  The strength was welcomed with such urgency, such raw desire. 

Erin looked over at him, noticing the entire grave was finished in a matter of moments.  Her eyes were no longer filled with tears, but a strange curiosity. 

“Jacob?” was all she managed to squeak out as she suddenly noticed him standing above the freshly dug hole. 

Jacob’s mind lingered on the thoughts and his ears never processed or blocked out her voice and he walked over to a tree and knelt before it.  The adrenaline was not stopping; it was instead increasing its multitude and coursing faster and faster through his body.  He felt like throwing up, but knew his lack of food would only send him into dry heaving convulsions.  As he clasped onto the tree, he was able to calm himself down. 

He felt a familiar and calming hand on his shoulder and he at once hoped to smell that beautiful scent.  That sweet serenity he had dreamed about for so long. 

“Jacob?”

Erin’s inquisitive words blasted through his thoughts and brought him to the surface of his ocean of torment. 

“Jacob, you are starting to worry me.  I do not blame you for Mark’s death, if that is what is causing you so much trouble.  In fact, I should thank you for saving me.  The rage inside of him was not normal, and very unlike him.  He would have killed me, I think.”

Jacob caught her deep brown eyes, and her smile lifted his spirits instantly.  He wanted to hug her.  Like a childish school boy he wanted her attention more than ever. 

She gave him a slight pat on the back and motioned for him to follow her. 

As Jacob stood, he saw what he had done.  In a matter of a few minutes, there was now a hole, 5 feet deep and the length of a man’s body in front of him.  He looked down at his hands and they were splintered and bloody.  His disbelief once again returned, but not in the same manner as before. 

The splinters, as if alive, crawled from his skin and the wounds healed.  His mind was obviously playing tricks on him.  He walked over to Mark’s body and lifted him in his arms like one would cradle a baby.  He brought him over to the hole he had dug, Erin following in close pursuit at his heels.  As he knelt and gently placed the man’s body in the hole, he stood. 

“I should say something,” Erin said, as she stared down at her ex-lover’s body in the hollowed grave.  

Jacob nodded at her and she at once began to cry once again.

“You had promised to take me on an adventure and my heart had leaped at those words like a school girl with a crush.  These past few months have been some of the best of my entire life and I couldn’t have asked for a greater experience.  You had taught me many things and showed me a life of fun and how to live it to the fullest.  Although it all came crashing down these past two weeks, I will always hold you as my closest friend and will cherish the love you have shown me. 

I will remember those times we spent each night, on the bow of the boat, watching the stars dance across the ocean waves.  May God watch over you and you forever see the beauty that you have shown me…”

Erin turned and wrapped herself around Jacob.  Her tears soaked his shirt and he held her as close as he could.  He felt the guilt at last.  Guilt for making her feel this way, though it did not change the fact that he still felt the death of this man was not his fault.

As he covered the hole with the dirt, he watched as Erin gathered herself and began to search the area. 

Jacob followed her and began to help. 

“I do not wish to stay here tonight,” Erin said at length.  “This place is worse than having no shelter or fire.  I say we gather what supplies we think we can use, and get as far away from here as possible.”

“I don’t think that is a bad idea,” Jacob answered, as he found a couple tarps in a pile of miscellaneous items beside the tiny hut.  Erin produced a lighter and small backpack from the shelf inside the cabin and also a second knife which she gave to Jacob. 

Before they set off, she handed Jacob the most beautiful sight he had seen in days. 

“I don’t think he will be in need of these any more, and I think you most definitely do if you plan on keeping up with me.” 

As Jacob strapped on the combat style hiking boots she had given him, they secured their items as best they could and set off through the trees.  As they passed by the edge of the small clearing, Jacob looked over the tree he had leaned against just moments before. 

The tree was about 14 inches in diameter and on its side was a deep and prominent hand print.  The tree itself had been crushed.  He looked down at his hands once more, and as Erin walked off into the dense jungle, the thoughts of Mark distracting her from anything else, the same resonant fear crawled back into Jacob’s mind. 

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The sharp feminine voice instantly brought his eyes open and they focused directly on the owner in disbelief.  There before him sat a younger woman, around his age.  Her soft dark skin was complimented by a red tank top and a pair of olive green cargo pants.  Her hair was pulled back behind both ears, and her face was beautiful, even if it was a bit stern and currently glaring at him with two dark green eyes. 

“Were you planning on sleeping all day?" Her voice sank into Jacob, like a mother scolding a child it carried a pitch of discomforting negativity. 

“I did not mean to…” his voice broke now realizing the throbbing pain his head was still in.  He brought his hands to his temples, rubbing them in a circular motion as some usually did to alleviate the pain of a migraine.  His hands were filthy and although in any normal circumstances he would have been embarrassed by his lack of hygiene.

 Her look of anger at once turned to concern.

“What in the world happened to your chest?” her eyes now staring at his exposed skin. 

He felt at once the claw marks and red lines stretched across his chest.  His eyes stared in disbelief and as he touched them, and he at once could smell her scent on him. 

“It’s just a scratch.  I ran through the woods yesterday following what I can only assume was you.  I must have run through some briars or thorn-covered vines.”  His voice trailed with a sense of dishonesty and he knew all too well how poor he was at lying.  Not even he would have been convinced that thorns raked him in an exact form of fingernails across both sides of his bare chest. 

“Well regardless what you and your “thorns” were doing, I still don’t know who you are or where you came from?” her eyes once again caught his in that glare and her tone changed back to the negative motherly type. 

“My plane crashed in the storm, what I can only assume was a few days ago.  I was pulled from the plane in air and dropped onto this island.  My airplane seat broke the fall by catching on a tree limb and when I awakened I was hanging 20 feet above the ground.  Since then, I have been searching the island for any other survivors and trying to stay alive.” 

“I have been here now for two weeks.  I was aboard my boyfriend’s boat sailing around the coastline when we got stuck in some strange and sudden storm.  The boat sank and I can only assume…” her voice trailed off and her eyes appeared glassy and full of emotion, “but I ended up on a beach along the coast of this island.  I have been searching for anyone else as well, though not having any luck until you.”

“I see.  I have been trying to place an island of this sort in my mind as to where we might be, but haven’t had any luck on the matter.  That being said, I have been spending most of my time dehydrated, hungry and in pain, so my thoughts might not be the best place to wonder right now.   How much of the island have you been over since you have been here?”

“I have mainly stayed along the coastline, but from what I can tell, this is a very large island.  I had hoped to see another passing boat or transport ship coming from Hawaii to the United States, but haven’t seen so much as a floating message in a bottle so far.”

“I guess I should have expected that.  What is your name?”

“Ginger, and for the time being, I will just call you Gilligan.” She said, with an obvious smirk.

Jacob reached for his shirt on the rock, noting that it was in fact dry now and although it smelled of wood smoke, it was much better than being wet with rain water. 

“I think I make a much better Mary-Ann,” Jacob added, as he stood to stretch his arms and sore back. 

“My name is Erin.  So am I to call you Mary-Ann, or…?” she said coldly, adding insult to his attempt at humor. 

“Jacob.” 

“Well Jacob, although I typically like to find myself with better company than those who have masochistic relationships with jungle vines, I am afraid we may have to stick together and find some type of suitable shelter.  I think it would be best to travel back down to the shoreline and continue to make our way around the Western side of the island.  The sun should follow us and set in that direction so we would gain some more daylight in doing that.”

Jacob could still hear that negative sharpness to her comments, prodding into him.  He was unsure what he had done wrong that could have offended her, so he assumed this was just her normal personality towards others she had just met, or perhaps it was her attitude towards strange shirtless men she found in the woods. 

“That would be fine.” 

He followed behind her, still wishing he had brought some type of other shoes, as the rags he had made from his sleeves did little to prevent sharp rocks or sticks that littered the floor of the terrain from cutting through the thin fabric.  His feet ached like no other, and the thoughts in the back of his mind were troubled with the possibility of infection. 

Those old war movies he used to be forced to watch at his childhood home courtesy of his step father often depicted the reality of gangrene and he hoped that he was not in route to such a fate.  He knew what would have to be done at that point, but was unable to come to terms with the thought of having to remove your own feet without sterilization, a suitable knife, or sedatives.  

He watched Erin walking ahead of him, her movements fluid and natural in the dense jungle.  Her shoes were perfect, hiking boots with high straps and tough thick soles.  After a couple of hours of walking they cut through the tree line and came upon a rocky shore.  The rocks looked more grim than the jungle floor and in some strange way he had hoped they would come upon a soft and sandy white sand beach like he had witnessed the day before. 

Erin repeatedly looked behind her, as if to observe Jacob’s movements and turned about and stopped him in his tracks by firmly grabbing his shoulders. 

“I didn’t notice before you were not wearing shoes.” She chided, in that same ridiculing manner that made him feel 5 inches tall. 

He thought a moment before answering her, not wanting to admit he had taken off his $300 leather designer shoes back on the beach, and left them to pursue a red blotch through the jungle. 

“They were lost during the plane crash.  I believe they were pulled from my feet when the side of the plane gave way.”

“Well, we have to find something else to wrap your feet than shirt sleeves or else we won’t make it very far and I, for one, do not intend to make camp on a pile of leaves again.  Not that I didn’t enjoy the company of a random shirtless and shoeless man taking up beside me, the desires I may otherwise have had were trumped by my own discomfort.”

Jacob smiled, but noting the sharp and disdaining look he was getting in return, meant that either that joke she made was not a joke, or that she was simply the most dry-humored individual he had ever met. 

Erin searched about and took note of something in the tree line. 

“You can either wait here, or hobble along behind.  I think I may have a solution to your shoe problem.”

As she walked off Jacob followed, watching as she pulled a knife from her pocket.  He noted she was quite resourceful and chided himself silently for not being as prepared for anything as she was.  She began removing bark from a nearby tree and then sliced pieces of vine from the same.  She knelt to one knee and after some careful craftsmanship, had created a rather rudimentary version of a flip flop.  The vines laid across the bark for padding and stretched into a thong to wrap around his feet. 

“They may not be the most comfortable, nor as stylish as you are used too, but they should keep the sharp rocks and such from causing you any additional pain.”  Erin moved closer and handed him the wooden sandals.  “Just remember though, not everyone who wears shoe-bark sandals, can walk on water.  So I would do my best to keep these dry.  If the wood gets wet, your feet will ache and the vines will contract like dried leather.”

Jacob nodded that he understood and put the shoes on his feet.  They were actually quite near his size and although they looked uncomfortable, they truly were not that bad. 

“Where did you learn this stuff?  I have seen many survival shows and watched the guys who drink their own urine and eat bug larvae for meals, but never have I seen one carve a pair of shoes from tree bark in less than 15 minutes time.”

Erin continued to walk back onto the beach, and at first Jacob thought she had ignored her question, but she spoke over her shoulder as she walked on. 

“I was born into a family with 3 brothers.  One of which was a survivalist who to this day spends his time living in a home with no electricity.  I spent some time with him when I graduated high school.  I had planned on backpacking across Europe when I saved up enough money to buy the plane ticket and thought that having some basic survival knowledge would be helpful.  Then I met Mark, and he offered to take me on his boat and travel along the coast line and I took the opportunity to get out of the country quicker than I had planned.”

Jacob noted the stiffness in her voice when she spoke of Mark.  He assumed she had seen something terrible happen to him or feared that he was indeed dead, but he would let her tell him on her own time that part of the story.  For now, he would simply let it go. 

“Well, if nothing else, I am glad I saw your fire yesterday.”

Erin stopped in front of him, turning about to look questioningly at him. 

“My fire?” she said with an obvious curiosity to her tone. 

“Yes.  I noticed your fire by seeing the smoke over the trees.  That is when I came upon your campsite last night.  Had I not found it, I probably wouldn’t have survived the night.  For that, I am glad I saw your fire.”

“I only found you this morning.  I was not the one who started the fire.  In fact, I was hoping it was you as I have no way of starting one myself.  I had tried rubbing sticks, using my cell phone screen as a sun-reflector and even attempted to use a charred tree branch as kindling but came up with nothing.”

“It was not me.  I just found the coals left over.” 

“Then we may not be as alone as we think we are.  I find it strange that someone would have abandoned a campfire and tree cover in the middle of an oncoming storm, though; and left it to smolder out.”

Jacob’s vision was once more drawn to the tree line and a familiar face stared at him through pale eyes.  This time, however; he was not alone.  Standing next to the boy was a woman, unlike any he had ever seen before.  Her body was swollen and bloated like the boys, and her eyes shown in the sunlight with a red tint.  Her gaze drew Jacob’s mouth into a fearful gape. 

Her voice prodded into his head and he dropped to his knees. 

“You will not make it off this island.  You will suffer as we have suffered.  When the sunlight drops over the waves, the darkness will come.” 

As she spoke, a maggot crawled from her rotted lips and swam across her face and entered her left nostril.  Jacob felt his stomach churn and nearly lose control.  Her face was covered in boils and pustules that oozed a green liquid.  Her white dress was covered in sea weed and her whole body glowed with a faint blue hue.  At once she and the boy vanished. 

Jacob couldn’t stand and simply stood with his hands holding his head that throbbed and pounded like never before.

Erin stood, staring at him with a look of confusion and concern.  Just as she reached for him, he collapsed into her arms.  

As he lost consciousness and his vision faded once more, he could see a clear image in the distance.  On top of a outcropping of rocks stood a familiar, nude form of the woman in his dreams, wrapped in a white silk sheet, with a smile bent in an angle of pleasure. 

Chapter 4

The skies churned and swirled in a hurricane of winds and hail.  The air all around was a stale and strong mist of ocean spray and natural fragrance.  The trees bent and swayed in the strength of nature's fury and made the surrounding terrain seem to be alive.

As the darkness surrounded Jacob in a blanket of obscurity, he winced at the pain in each of his limbs.  He did his best to lean up to a sitting position, while feeling around in the mud for something to steady himself.  He searched all about for some signs of the boy or anything else that might do him harm, but saw only the island plant life and a small rodent of some sort scurrying away into the brush to avoid the oncoming storm. 

He made it to his knees after a time of trying and failing and moved himself slowly along to a nearby tree.  His wounded feet and burning muscles only proved that what he had witnessed before blacking out was not a dream.  He was still in the small meadow, surrounded by the dense jungle on each side. 

He sat against the tree, shivering and alone. 

More alone than he had ever been in his whole life, which was saying something considering he was never much for socializing.  He folded his knees into his chest and wrapped his arms about them in an attempt to remain as warm as he could.  He knew there was no time to try to find shelter, or build one.  He hadn't the strength or will power at this point to do much of anything.  If this storm was the final storm he witnessed before he died, then that would be the curse he would be forced to bear. 

His eyes filled with tears.  They streamed down his face, burning the tiny cuts and scrapes from the dense jungle clawing at him on his futile pursuit earlier.  He thought of his daughter, Maggie, not yet in school and yet the utmost love of his life.  She was the single ray of sunshine that he could always count on.  His ex-fiance, Sarah, had left him high and dry for a guy she worked with at the local coffee shop. The drive or need that carried her down that path was one he never quite understood.  He often thought about the characteristics he lacked that this other guy, a barista worker, possessed.  He knew it was not an answer he truly wanted to know, but often felt insecure about the piece of his past.

He did not feel any anger towards Sarah.  Strange, considering he had caught them in his bed, while his daughter was in the room down the hall, in pursuit of their own selfish desires.  That day sat in his memory like a plague... 

He had finally finished the assignment at his old employment, completing it in record time and earning a raise.  He ran across the parking lot, more than anxious to get home and surprise his family on his new found success.  He had been working long hours for two months, often weekends included.  He was awarded some time off-time he more than needed.  He had stopped at a florist on the way home, picking up a bouquet of her favorite arrangement and a bottle of wine. 

He noticed the car in the driveway when he got home and thought perhaps she had a friend over, possibly from her book club or the gym where she works out.  He walked into the house, noticing the lights were off.  Strange for 8 o'clock in the evening.  He went down the hall and opened the door.  The sudden impact of anger and rage erupted from him like the thunder and torrential fury now happening above him in his breaking reality.  Visions of his dreams flashed before his eyes, marriage, another child, a bigger house.  They flashed in an instant and caught flame like images being tossed into an open hearth.  He dropped the flowers and the wine and watched them fall to the floor.  The man had rolled off of her and was desperately trying to collect his clothing before exiting through an open window. 

He hadn't the strength to take pursuit.  He could only stare and feel worthless, used and lost in a pool of confusion.  His fiance sat on the bed, wrapped in a blanket, crying uncontrollably.  The bitch had destroyed him and he felt such anger at how she showed this betrayal. She was crying where he was unable.  She was sad where he could only watch a void open up and rip through his chest like a cattle prod.  He turned and went down the hallway to his daughter's room without uttering a word.

He watched as she slept, innocent and quiet in her bed.  She was oblivious to the turmoil of her family and dreamed only of things much happier than reality.  He walked closer to her, knelt before her bed and kissed her on the forehead.  Tears finally flowed freely from his eyes, not for his own pain, but rather for how he was going to tell the true love of his life that daddy was no longer going to be with her every night to kiss her goodnight. 

He went into the room, now noticing the door to the bathroom was closed and the light on, appearing in a thin line just below the bottom.  The shower was running and yet the sound of crying could still be heard over the falling water.  He gathered his clothing, folding them into a bag, and left the house that night never to return. 

The lawyers and judge sided as they usually did, warranting Sarah full custody and Jacob only two weekends a month to visit with his daughter.  He was forced into child support and alimony that he could do nothing but agree too.  She managed to keep the house and undoubtedly her barista stud muffin and Jacob was left with a crushed pride and empty heart.  This drove him to push forward with his career, often working late hours and never sleeping.  The nights were just not the same after that night. 

His thoughts were broken by the sight of smoke.  The trees on the hill across from him had smoke roaring into the air.  At first he feared a lightning bolt may have struck a tree and caused it to ignite.  But as he focused his eyes, blinking through the tears and falling rain, he noticed a small dot of flame that could only be a campfire. 

He ripped parts of his sleeves off and wrapped them around his feet.  The open sores now protected from the elements around him, Jacob made his best attempt to stand and maintain his ever-faltering balance. 

He felt his muscles were renewed more than he previously thought from his rest.  Although his head still pounded relentlessly, he found that the pain and burning had been replaced with a soreness and stiffness.  He walked a few paces, using a fallen branch to steady himself as best he could.  He brushed the hair from his eyes, now slick with grease, sweat and rain from the days adventures.  He caught as much rainwater as he could on his tongue ever so often to try to help replenish some of the lost hydration from running through the jungle and digging a hole for a dead boy who chose not to remain dead. 

He knew deep down that nothing on this island made much sense.  The strange plants he was encountering as he walked by were nothing he had ever seen or heard tell of in any of his studies of the natural sciences.  Distance was also a variable that seemed to not quite fit.  He moved away from the beach earlier into the jungle in pursuit of someone or something, and he felt like he had only managed to make it a mile or so.  Yet the sound of the ocean and the denseness of the jungle terrain was not that accustomed to being so near the shore.  Thoughts that did not seem to matter in truth, but Jacob felt that letting his mind wonder on trivial thoughts seemed to blanket the ever growing fear he held in his heart. 

The fire was nearly out when he arrived to the smaller clearing.  Coals glowed faintly within a tiny circle of rocks in the center.  Jacob looked all about the area for any signs of a person.  He had hoped that someone else had survived the plane crash and were able to make it as far as he had.  He saw no gear or luggage.  He felt as though the whole of the area, save the fire, were completely untouched. 

He sat his walking stick aside and began adding the driest wood he could find onto the burning coals.  They sprang to life in an instant.  He felt the soft warmth of the fire wrap him in a blanket of comfort.  The trees around him danced with a magnificent aura as the light from the fire broke the darkness and shadow and filled it with a surreal notion of shelter and safety. He removed his shirt and wrung the water down his throat that welcomed the salty liquid with fierceness.  He lay his shirt on a rock near the fire, hoping that the heat and light would dry up the soaked fabric. 

He was still a little unsure of who had made the fire, but his heart was more than glad they had.  He was still exhausted and although the forced blackout earlier had managed to slightly rejuvenate his aching muscles, he knew he needed more rest if he had any hopes to survive.  He wished he had brought the blanket he had found earlier, but instead decided leaning against a stump a few feet from the flames was his best and only option.  He added some more tender to the fire before wiggling into a position comfortable enough to get some rest.  As his eyelids shut and his consciousness faded, he felt as though there might be a way to survive this catastrophe after all.

His eye lids flickered, then sprang open at once.  He was laying on a soft bed, covered with pillows and satin sheets.  The light fixture above the bed was made of mahogany and represented brilliant designs of tropical trees and fruit, carved by a master craftsman.  He leaned up on his elbows, and followed the trails of rose petals to a door leading out to a balcony.  His thoughts were hazy and his mind silently joked on how corny the whole scene truly was.  He often scoffed at those men desperate in their attempts to win the hearts of women by such meaningless tactics. 

He slid his feet off the side of the bed and noticed movement from the balcony.  Suddenly those same brilliant blue eyes came into view, veiled by a white sheet wrapped just above the breast line.  The soft and expensive sheets wrapped her body in a way that showed each curve exquisitely.  She walked forward, swaying in the tropical wind that poured through the open doors.  The white curtains danced behind her and foreshadowed her dark brown hair like a beautiful painting.  She wore a slight smile behind those beautiful brown curls and Jacob sat motionless and speechless on the edge of the bed.  His thoughts raced with confusion underneath a mountain of raw sexual instincts.  He wanted to speak but found that although his thought process seemed to work fine, that his voice was a stale silence. 

He searched for some strength to move, but his body only remained in a trap, guided by his sexual urges burning deep inside.  The sheet slipped off just as she got close, showing her beautiful and perfect breasts.  Jacob's mind raced between different points, straying always back to that burning, raw lust within himself.  He leaned back on the bed as she climbed on top of him.  She leaned down and gently brought her tongue across his lips.  It was amazing how much everything she did was exactly what he wanted her to do.  He loved being driven insane.  He loved being under her control, diving into his most primal sexual fantasies.  She moved her mouth down his neck line, massaging his collarbone with her tongue.  He could feel her naked pelvis moving across his own, driving him into a sexual rage inside. 

She moved her tongue across his chest, stopping at each nipple for extra care.  He knew she wanted him, just as he wanted her.  She moved down along his stomach and below his waistline.  His erection was begging for release and attention.  His primal instincts told him to take control, but he left that thought alone and allowed her to continue.  She began massaging him with her tongue, ripping through his mind and body like a chainsaw through a sapling.  His eyes were blank with desire and his libido was now on overdrive.  He grabbed at the headboard to steady himself and waited for the opportunity to gain some control.  He was losing it; losing the ability to think and comprehend the situation.   He allowed her to continue, guiding her tongue like a Russian missile.  He wanted her now more than ever.  Her eyes looked up at him, her hand taking over and that same gorgeous smile erupted through those brown waves of hair. 

He found this the only opportunity and grabbed her shoulders throwing her to the bed.  He found his way inside her in seconds and felt powerful as she convulsed underneath of him.  She moved in a way that he knew was desire and longing for him and him alone.  He moved his face closer to hers, not breaking the inward and outward motion and bit her lip.  She moaned in pain and pleasure and he could taste a slight coppery taste of blood on his tongue.  She dug her fingernails deep into his chest and screamed as he went deeper and deeper. 

Her eyes were white balls, having rolled back in her head under the immense pleasure and burning lust. 

He grabbed her waist and flipped her over.  At once she was bent over before him.  He made his way back in and continued, allowing himself to take control finally as he convulsed with raw power.  His whole body coursed with pleasure and filled him with strength and constitution.  He was losing himself in her.  He could feel her in front of him, slowly moving back and forth as he did the same.  He knew it wasn't long before he would eventually let loose of his restraint and give in to the ever growing release building up.  He grabbed at her hair and pulled it back forcefully.  He loved hearing her painful retreats at his power and control and it only served to feed the animal he had within himself.  He made one final thrust and the screams erupted from both their mouths.  Their orgasms coming in unison.  He rolled off of her and fell on the bed beside her.  His eyes closed as he tried to regain his breathing and composure.  As he lay there she slowly made her fingers across his chest and lay her head against his shoulder. 

"It's time to wake up," her soft whisper in his ear at least breaking the silence. 

His eyes struggled to open but they wouldn't under the immense exhaustion he felt. 

"Wake up now," the same voice said, this time a little louder than before.

"Wake up!" 

His eyes opened in an instant, alarmed and his whole body sprang into action.

He felt around for the side of the bed, only to find a fern and decaying leaves.  His mind was confused once more, still in limbo between his waking dreams and his ever-exhausting nightmares.  His eyes darted around, blurry and partially matted from the tears he had cried the day before.  A sudden flash of red brought him to attention and he sprung up at once. 

"It's about time!"

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jacob’s mind was racing with confusion and realization.  His emotions struggled with desire, longing, fear and unknowing. 

As he approached the blanket he knew at once it was in fact the same blanket he had been laying on just before he came to consciousness earlier. 

How could this be?

He took glances in all directions, his eye sight finally content with the ever burning sunlight all about him.  He saw no signs of footprints, save his own across the white sands and nothing that trailed out through the tree line that lined the beach within peripheral sight. 

He knelt down to the blanket and gently folded it into a small bundle.  After watching countless survival shows and not yet knowing what had happened to the plane, his luggage, the other passengers and the stewardess, he felt that leaving the blanket here was probably not the smartest thing to do.  He scanned the beach one more time before he climbed back down the opposite side. 

Knowing that continuing on much longer would be a fight for his life in this heat and finally coming to terms with the fact he was near starving and thirst, he would have to find some place to bed down for the night.  Some place out of the sun that continued to beat down upon him like an anvil. 

There was an overbearing resilience in Jacob’s mind that played on him.  He knew all too well the things that his mind was struggling to get a grip on were simply not possible.  Even if he had found the blanket in which his unusually realistic dream had shown him, it was not necessarily in stone that that event had taken place. 

His thoughts swam in an ocean of contempt and although it seemed answers to his questions were close, he knew they were also miles away.  He tucked them away for the time being and concentrated more so on the tree line for a suitable place to call home.  The storm clouds were still roaring in the distance, though now they were moving far away and nearly disappearing over the distant horizon. 

He walked slowly between some tall palm trees, which crisscrossed in a fashion that looked inviting.  As if by some miracle, he began to notice a wave crashing the shoreline nearby, with a bright blue haze of fabric taking hold of a rock sitting in the sand.  He laid the blanket down and approached the hue, coming closer to the water’s edge.  The water was crystal clear, and the scent of fish misting off the setting tides was over-bearing. 

He knelt beside the rock and removed the piece of blue nylon.  It was a rope that had somehow wedged itself into the sand.  He pulled, producing a long trail of rope heading into the surf.  He walked slowly into the water still holding onto the rope as he did so in an attempt to keep his balance.  He went about twenty feet into the water, the waves now crashing against his upper thighs and eventually came to a bundle afloat. 

The smell of rotting meat hit him in an instant.  He knew what was attached to the rope at that point as the incoming tide was turning the body over and over as they made their way to the sandy shore. 

The child was not more than 10 years old.  His face was twisted in an expression of horror and fear, as his pale bluish-purple skin was bloated in the heat.  Jacob’s heart skipped a beat and he froze, unable to determine mentally what he should do.  Although his primal instincts told him to turn and get the hell out of here as fast as possible, he felt compelled to move the body out of the salty ocean. 

He felt a familiarity with the boy, like he had seen him somewhere before but he couldn’t quite place the image in his mind and his memory, although usually spot on, was clouded and full of fear.  He pulled on the rope, slowly pulling the body into shore until finally he and the young boy were both lying on the white sands. 

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked back into the trees.  He searched for a suitable place and dropped to his knees.  He began to dig, using only his hands in the sand and mossy earth he dug for hours it seemed.  The sun’s heat was getting stronger and he felt like he would faint at any moment if he were to continue. 

His mouth was dry and his tongue was a sticky, slimy mass that made him cough and choke when he took in a breath.  He climbed out of the small hole and made his way back to the beach.  Clearing the tree-line he searched once more for the boy who he had pulled out of the ocean and onto the beach but saw no signs of him. 

He ran as fast as his aching limbs could carry him, into the waves and searched maniacally in all directions for any signs.  He saw none.  He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes and he knew it wasn’t long before he had a complete mental breakdown.  The boy was gone. 

He walked, feet dragging the sand, back to the blanket and sat down next to one of the palm trunks. 

He couldn’t continue.  His feet stung with blisters and he began to slowly remove each of his shoes.  His feet were bloody and covered in tiny cuts and sores.  The sand had acted as sandpaper in his shoes.  Rough abrasions lined both the tops and sides of his feet.

He leaned back against the tree, and felt the heat finally taking hold of him.  His vision was beginning to blur and the headache that ever pounded he knew was due to dehydration.  He was forced to die, in the most beautiful place he had ever seen, in the oddest and most unusual of circumstances.  Coming to terms with that notion had him feeling like he was losing out on so many things in life.  His life was headed down a path of greatness and now…

His thoughts were broken by the sound of something moving in the forest.  He turned his head but saw nothing.  He scanned the darkness beyond the vines and undergrowth and caught the slight hint of red, but it was soon covered by trees.  Something or someone had been there.

He managed to get to his feet and walked slowly through the small paths that lead through the dense jungle.  It was a slight slope upward and his ever aching muscles occasionally would buckle under the pain and he would nearly lose his balance and fall.  He moved as quickly as he could, trying to listen ever so often for sounds of movement in the trees in front of him.  He continued on, up and down small hills and inclines and would often catch a small hint of red moving through the trees in front of him.  He had left his shoes back at the beach, knowing that he could move better and faster without them as they only hindered him greatly in this type of climate.  Occasionally, though, he would step on some type of thorn bush or thistle and his feet would sting and although he forced and willed himself to keep moving, his teeth were gritted the whole time. 

Suddenly up ahead of him, a small clearing appeared.  When he entered the clearing, he was standing at the edge of a small meadow.  Tropical flora surrounded him on all sides and he searched in all directions for signs of the figure he was following.  He saw no one. 

Am I losing my mind?

He felt nauseous, and knelt down to the ground and began to dry heave.  His body convulsed and he coughed and spit up only mucous as no solid or liquid remained in his body.  He stood and steadied himself, his blood not catching up to his abrupt vertical change had caused him to grow dizzy and his vision to disappear suddenly for a brief moment before returning. 

When he opened his eyes once more, there before him stood the boy, still bloated and purple-skinned.  His eyes were now fixed in an evil and menacing expression as he only stared directly at Jacob as if to study him.  Not knowing what to do, Jacob stood frozen, unable to speak or move.  The boy moved his lips but no words came out.  Suddenly Jacob’s headache began to pulse even more and he dropped to his knees due to the pain. 

A voice rang out in his mind, dripping with anger and pain, “you should not have survived.  We all suffered in the end and you survived.  You will know our pain and feel our anguish.  You will die and join us.”  Jacob’s vision blurred and he could not bear to open his mouth to speak.  He saw the boy walk towards him and as the boy’s hand was nearly to his throat, he passed out.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As the ocean poured over the nearby rocky shore, Jacob noticed that he was now lying partially awake on a blanket, and completely without clothing.  His eyes stung in the sunlight that was crashing through his partially opened lids like a 10 lb. hammer.  His head pulsed with an ache unlike any he had witnessed in the past. 

As he began to sit up, a familiar and alarming hand lay on his shoulder.  He turned his head slightly to the right and noticed those same blue eyes, and brown wavy hair laying just above the gentle slope of her female form, now naked as well in the summer heat. 

The whole scene was straight out of a romance novel, her lips playing to his gentle arousal and longing for her comforting touch once more.  He couldn’t bear the thought of that moment ending, and moved his hands slowly across her face and down her whimpering and ever-bearing chin.  Her eyes danced with a tiny flame of passion.  Her soft and heated breathing answered the call of his touch. 

He wanted her. 

His whole body, inside and out churned for that moment, wanting those feelings of strength and alarming passion to never end.  Her heartbeat was so loud it almost drowned out the sound of the waves crashing against a shore not more than 12 feet away. 

His hands worked their way slowly across her neck and along her collarbone.  He worked them slowly as to not ruin the moment.  It was surreal, a dreamlike moment in his life unlike any he had ever experienced.  His mind did not linger or bounce to any other topic, but instead stayed fixated on her soft skin and exposed breasts now placated by the tropical setting. 

She was all he could have ever wanted.

He moved his hands slowly down her chest, caressing her in a gentle and abrupt way as to show her he wanted her in only the most willing way.  She lay down, waiting for him.  Savoring the moment as one would savor a memory they wanted the rest of their life.  He worked his fingers like an artist, weaving the masterpiece that was answered by the sound of a chorus of moans and hard breathing. 

His heart pounded in his chest, asking for more.  Her body convulsed and her muscles tightened in a way to release the passion she had ever bearing to him finally reaching his destination.  He was finally where her whole body wanted him to be.  He could feel the desires pouring from her.

She twisted and mounted him in a slight maneuver that showed her gracefulness and elegance.  His eyes rolled back in his head, as he took in the burning and raging animalistic side of himself that he knew would eventually escape and he only allowed her to continue for a moment before he had her on her back. 

She clawed at his back, skin taking in the sensual pain of lust.  He kissed her softly, making sure to savor every inch of her body as he did so.  He took in the full thrust, inch by inch until the whole of him was inside her.  She screamed, though in lust and desire and dug her nails deep into his shoulders. 

He weaved her into his own web of desires, watching as those beautiful blue eyes disappeared into her head as she convulsed under his strength.  Raw power erupted and at once he had fulfilled both their desires, losing all of his adrenaline in one quick thrust.  He had released all of the stress and pain and desires into her, allowing her to take him in, in entirety. 

He collapsed on top of her.  Not wanting to move or speak and she only released her grip on his shoulders and moved her hands slowly down his back, caring for him like no other had in the past.  He was hers; he wanted that feeling to stay forever.  He knew it would not.

Once again he opened his eyes, and noticed he was no longer along the shoreline, nor on top of a blanket.  Instead he was strapped to his airplane seat, suspending off the ground in a lofty tree, nearly 20 feet above the sand.

His eyes darted from side to side, search for some way to reduce the risk of falling.  He noticed only a branch, at a distance of about 5 feet to his right.  He tried his best to reach for the extended limb, only coming up short by a few inches. 

Jacob tested the strength of his seat belt, which he now noticed was only securing him by a single section attached 5 feet above his head to another branch.  It appeared secure and he felt the only way to keep himself from falling was to swing in a manner to allow himself to reach the nearby branch.  Slowly he inched himself away and back, swaying and pivoting himself to gain the most momentum.  He could hear the branch above him straining under the pressure and he knew it was only moments before he once again was headed for his death. 

At last he had begun to gain some ground, swinging both himself and the seat was proving to be an arduous task.  He had reached the branch in time to hear the one above him crack and break, swinging down below him, adding weight to the his own and the seat.  He used one arm to secure himself as he desperately tried to release the seatbelt from the airplane seat. 

His eyes stung with sweat and tears, his anguish coming in slow breaths as he was finally able to release the buckle and watch as the seat plummeted to the ground.  He slowly began to inch himself along the branch until he was near the base of the large tree trunk.  Luckily, the tree has similar branches in an almost ladder style formation and he was able to make it successfully to the ground before collapsing in a heap of exhaustion. 

What had happened? 

The only question he could begin to fathom as to where he was or what had happened to the rest of the plane and crew.  He could hear the ocean in the distance, slapping its massive waves against a rocky shore.  He instantly began to think of his dream, and wanted nothing more than to return to her. 

He made his way to his feet once more, rested now and finally able to relax slightly from the events that had just transpired.  He felt the beach or shore was the best option at this point and made his way towards the crashing waves in the distance. 

Was he really dreaming that whole thing?

His dream was so realistic that he still felt the desires and could almost smell her scent on the air around him.  He wanted—no NEEDED to find her.  It was all he could think about.

As the trees began to thin out, and he noticed the sandy soil began to be littered with shells and debris, he knew that he was getting close to the beach.  Within minutes he could see the distant waves of the Pacific, falling gently on a coastline unlike any he had ever seen or heard of.  It was a magic sight, long sloping beaches, white and brilliant in the mid-day sun.  The coast stretched for as far as his eyes could see and he knew no island in this part of the world with this kind of beach or coast. 

The strangest of all was that there was no one there.  No families camped out with beach towels and cheap umbrellas, no houses or small huts of islanders, not even the signs of boats in the ocean surrounding him.  He was, for all he knew and could tell, completely alone. 

He strained his tired eyes, fighting the throbbing headache and squinted in the bright sunshine to look to each direction for any signs of humanity.  As he strained his eyes, he could almost make out the silhouette of a person standing on top of a rocky outcropping nearly a quarter mile away.  He assumed it was a person, but the strain on his eyes could be playing tricks.  

Jacob began to walk in that direction, his feet now aching with the stress of the sand and his lack of dressing appropriately for an adventure in the heat of a tropical island.  His shoes, leather and shined to perfection before leaving for his trip, were now soggy, sandy and scuffed beyond repair.  They hurt his feet and made his entire lower legs ache from the stress of walking in them.   

He looked up once more and saw no signs of the figure he had just moments before seen standing on top of the rocks in the distance.  He began to climb the gentle slope, taking each step carefully.  As he pushed himself to the brink of exhaustion once more he made it to the top of the rocky outcrop and noticed a blanket laid out perfectly, not more than 20 feet away from the crashing waves.

Chapter 1

As the skies over the distant ocean opened up in a brilliant display of purples and oranges, with a slight mixture of blues and dark grey, the sweet smell of the ocean was evident on the winds.  The beach was small, unlike many that Jacob had visited in the past, whether on vacation or near his former home while he attended college; however, this was not the circumstances in which he wanted to see such a beautiful sight. 

His thoughts drifted back to the day this whole event began, traveling through each situation as if it was important.  He had thought of the past as guidance to future events and closed his eyes attempting to return to the time in which everything seemed to take a downward spiral...

Jacob was a businessman of sorts, an entrepreneur and exasperated account executive that had been working for the past few months developing a business application model for a new software company in Central California.  Just south of Sacramento to be exact.  Successful in his attempts to maneuver and outsmart his competitor, he was soon promoted to the head of innovative development. 

He was assigned a new client, one in Japan with a new and vastly growing success in military software and was almost instantly on a plane with his briefcase, laptop, and ever-ringing cell phone.  He had packed light this trip, as the whole purpose of the meeting was simply to meet and greet. 

The plane was not the newer types with first class seating and large and luxurious cabins for the passengers, but rather the old beater kinds developed in the 1970s for quick passage with little comfort.  The jostling take off only added to the alarm Jacob always felt when he was in the air in one of the tin cans with wings.

“May I assist you with anything sir?” came the voice from the one and only stewardess. 

She had a pleasant face, warming smile and a very welcoming sound to her voice which in most cases would have left Jacob with the sense of sexual attractiveness, had he not been overly terrified at the idea of being 5000 feet in the air. 

He knew it was evident to her that he was terrified, which made him feel shameful and more than embarrassed.  He was rarely embarrassed and never liked to show any sort of weakness or signs of being anything less than a man. 

“I’m fine.  Thank you for asking though,” his voice pouring out in slight bursts of weakened attempts at faking his emotions. 

“Please feel free to let me know if there is anything I can do for you,” came her reply, in a more sensual way than Jacob would have thought a stewardess would usually speak. 

She placed her hand on his shoulder as she passed by, which almost instantly allowed a comfort to shoot through his mind, covering the distilled terror hidden within.  Jacob looked about the plane, taking note of the 20-some passengers that lined both sides of the 2-seater positions.  One family obviously headed on vacation, with two younger children—a boy and girl sat near the front cabin.  Two seats behind them sat an elderly couple and directly across from them a young couple, which Jacob assumed was both their daughter and her husband noting the resemblance between the older and younger woman. 

His interest peaked at analyzing; he looked behind him and noticed a rather robust man sitting two seats behind him, wearing overly large headphones that covered his pudgy ears and cheap aviator sunglasses.  He wore a typical Hawaiian-style button up shirt, and short cargo shorts.  He gave a nod, noticing Jacob’s stare and Jacob tried his best to smile back in a friendly way. 
Beside him sat another young couple, probably in their late twenties he assumed, with no children evident.  Behind them, 4 seats back sat a man by himself and across from him 4 women who were dressed in the latest fashion and style and exhibited the typical giggler manor of Southern Californian’s finest. 

Jacob turned about in his seat and began to finally calm down, with everything on his mind, including work.  He decided closing his eyes and imagining the trip ahead and how it would help to shape his ever-growing career in the nearing future was much more comforting than allowing himself to dwindle on the finite details of the flight ahead.  He was finally nearing the top of his career path and he knew that it was only a matter of time before senior management had an opening and he would become vice-president.   This client and maybe a couple more would land him the position, he was certain.

He slipped slowly into a soft slumber, not fully asleep, but not awake either.  His thoughts rolled through his mind, never once slipping to any particular topic.  He thought of ex-girlfriends, his daughter who was now 4 years old and living with her mother, his life at the age of 28 and where it was headed, and his mind continued to play on the sensual touch of the stewardess and how he would probably ask for her number for this trip was through. 

The turbulence jarred his thoughts from his mind as a sudden shake began to erupt through the plane like an earthquake.  He opened his eyes and through the milky glass window he could see the brilliant dancing of lightning from the nearby clouds.  Their dark color was brilliant and full of anger only Mother Nature could develop.  He knew the full fury of her wrath, growing up in an area where tornadoes were all too common. 

The lightning flashed and illuminated a face in the darkened window.  Behind him was the stewardess, her somber smile illuminated in a way that made her almost appear to be enjoying the display of terror just inches on the other side of the glass exterior.  He turned and no one appeared to be around him, no stewardess, no passengers, not even the chubby man in the cheap button up shirt.  He was suddenly alone, terrified, and without reason for what was happening. 

His mind raced with thoughts of carelessness and the possibility that he was simply having a nightmare, but he had never had a nightmare so real and so vivid.  He tried his best to buckle the straps around his chest tighter and almost at once had begun to recite the few prayers he remembered from church as a child.  They came out in short whispers, never making much sense and probably missing more than a couple verses. 

When he opened his eyes, the cabin was once again full of passengers, all looking towards him in a display of both fear and also concern.  He was dreaming, although it didn’t feel like it.  It was the only viable excuse for what had transpired. 

The stewardess came up beside him, once again with the hand on his shoulder and whispered in her soft and alluring voice, “Sir, you were making some noise in your sleep.  I am not meaning to pry, but I just wanted to check that you are ok?”

She sounded sincere, but he could not misplace that grin he had seen just moments before in his state of confusion. 

“It was a nightmare I think.  I am not very fond of flying.  I did not mean to cause alarm.”  His words came out much more truthful than he thought possible, with little to no trembling to his voice. 

“If you need anything sir,” her hand traveling down his arm and resting gently on his left thigh, “please let me know.  I am here to ensure you have a pleasant flight.” 

Her smile was both intimidating and sexual.  Her eyes were a shutter of blue fury that erupted in a passionate guidance to her almost perfect complexion.  She appeared to be becoming more beautiful the more he stared at her.

“I will be sure to do that,” Jacob said, returning a smile.

She walked off, back towards the front of the plane and closed the curtain, but not before meeting Jacob’s stare and giving a slight wink.

Suddenly the lights went out once again, but this time the passengers also became aware of what was happening.  As before he noticed that outside the window a storm brewed readily in the distance and the wind was whipping the ocean below in a torrent of fury and rage.  The water appeared to boil and rage, with waves reaching up for the plane in an attempt to bring it down into his depths.

The front of the plane began its violent shake, that Jacob almost knew for sure was coming.  The passengers began to tighten their seatbelts in a silent and alarming unison and the children in the front began to sit with a perfect posture. 

“Please remain seated and buckle your seat belts.  We are now experiencing some rough turbulence due to weather conditions.  Please remain calm and do not be alarmed.  We will be through the storm in a matter of minutes.  Please consult your safety manual located on the back of the seat in front of you in case of emergency.  Thank you.”  The voice that spoke was strange and unfamiliar.  It was coming from behind the curtain where the stewardess had only moments ago went, but yet this woman who spoke had a much different tone to her voice.  It was older, slightly crisp and all in all lethargic.  Jacob began to feel slightly confused and sweat beaded down his forehead and his back was now a wet and sticky mass with his thick fabric dress-shirt which allowed little to no air to pass through when buttoned.

The battering rain outside was as sudden as the violent shaking, and the rear of the plane seemed to dive back and forth, twisting the plane in an oblong spiral.  The lightning crashed and stirred outside, seeming to miss the plane by inches.  The uptake of the winds lifted the plane and dropped it, as if the plane itself were made of nothing more than paper. 

The air in the cabin of the plane became thin almost immediately.  The oxygen masks deployed and were hanging by thin cords just above the seats.  The passengers began strapping the masks on in an attempt to breathe in the still and thin atmosphere and a violent burst of grinding steel could be heard outside the plane. 

Jacob tried frantically to put on his mask, but even with following the instructions and hitting the button to allow the oxygen to fill his lungs, he noticed that there was none coming out.  His body was starving for air and he could only watch and with each gasp, struggle to remain sane and not out-right panic. 

Feeling the urge to black out from the lack of oxygen, Jacob noticed the left wing of the plane; opposite his seat disappear in a blazing instant, most of the side of the plane disappearing with it.  The air pulled at his lungs and stung his eyes with the salty mist.  He could feel his seat giving in to the pull of the outside air like a vacuum cleaner.  He felt powerless and avoided the urge to look towards the gaping hole of doom just feet from his position. 

Death was sure to follow, he knew it.  He closed his eyes and said the remnants of prayers he thought would do something to comfort him, but they came in short breaths before his eyes rolled back in his head and his mind released a chemical he only knew to be some sort of defense mechanism and Jacob went blank.  His mind unwilling to accept the fate, or continue to hear the screams of the other passengers meeting the same dreary fate, as it continued to slowly shut out pieces of reality.  His life was no longer headed in the direction it was before, but was now on a different path altogether.  This path was much shorter and lead to only one destination.