Beyond the Sea (7 page)

“
I guess so. Fourteen.”

“
At fourteen I was still sweeping up hair. I did win a local model airplane design contest. My spelling skills were untested since there was no bee in high school.” He took a gulp of water. It hurt to talk, his throat rough and head a cement block on his neck, but it was better than listening to the mystery noises of the jungle in the darkness. “What was the show about?”

“
We played brothers at a boarding school. I started a band with my cool middle-grade friends, and Ty was my genius little brother who skipped a bunch of years and also sang better than anyone else. So of course we had to let him in our band.” He snorted. “It was so dumb. But it paid really well and ran for five years. Oh, and I’m twenty-six, for the record, so not that young. How about you?”

“
Thirty-nine.” The shriek rattled them both again. “It could be a monkey, but I think I read that they’re not native to the South Pacific. Humans introduced them on some islands, but unless they’re
really
good swimmers…”

“
I don’t think it’s a frog either,” Troy whispered. “Doesn’t sound like a ‘ribbit.’ I’m going to go with bird. Must be a bird, and not a…what else lives on these islands?” He tensed, his elbow jerking against Brian’s arm. “Could there be tigers here? We’re not in the right place for that, are we?”

“
No tigers. They’re on Sumatra. Many miles away.”

“
Okay, good. But what else could be here?”

“
Well…” Brian tried to think of the least frightening species that could be surrounding them that very moment. “Birds, obviously. And frogs. Turtles. Fish.”

The mystery shriek vibrated through the humid air. “Loud and angry birds?”

“
Apparently.” He stretched his legs out from under the net, his stiff muscles screaming. His dress socks and leather shoes were sodden, but bare feet in the jungle wasn’t appealing. At least the temperature hadn’t dropped much. “I think there are bats here, but that’s good for us since they eat insects. Maybe there could be wild pigs, but I don’t think so? We’ll have to see how far we can walk around the island. It didn’t look big.”

“
How small?”

Brian tried to imagine it, but all he could see was gray driving rain and the red and yellow of the flashing dashboard. Paula gripping the yoke as he calculated their landing speed. “I’m not sure. Our attention was on the beach. We could barely make out the sand.”

“
Right, of course.” Troy was silent for a few moments, and when he spoke again, his voice was hoarse. “I’m so sorry about the other pilot. Did I say that before? She seemed really nice.”

Flexing his wet toes in his shoes, Brian’s throat was so tight it burned. “Thank you.”

Nice
. A pathetically inadequate word. Paula had made such an effort to be friendly and welcoming. The other pilots hadn’t seemed to know what to make of him. They’d been polite and professional, but he knew they couldn’t understand why he’d only fly as first officer now, and how he could give up a career flying commercial.

And how had Brian thanked her? By turning down her invitations to the pub, or a BBQ on the beach when her parents were in town from Auckland. God, what were their names? He’d met them at the terminal one day. Her dad was…a mechanic?

I should know this.

Troy muttered miserably, “If I’d stayed, she’d be fine. We wouldn’t be stuck here. Fuck. I wanted to fix it, but I made everything a million times worse.”

“
You didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t blame yourself.”

“
Did she… That side of the plane was gone.” Troy swallowed audibly. “Do you think she felt it?”

“
No. It was too fast.” Bile rose in Brian’s throat, prickly and hot. It was true, at least. There would have only been a second or two before oblivion. The rest came out before he could stop it. “It should have been me.”

Troy’s voice rose sharply. “What? But it was an accident.”

He pushed the words past his throat. “Captain usually sits on the left. First officer on the right. But Paula liked it the other way. I never argued. Controls are the same on both sides. Figured it didn’t matter.”

“
It’s not your fault. That was luck. You didn’t know this was going to happen.”

It was true, but Brian still wanted to vomit.

“
If it wasn’t my fault, it wasn’t yours either. I’m sorry. I know she was your friend.”

She was, and he’d been too shut off and stuck in his own world to be any kind of real friend back. Brian’s eyes burned. That he could never thank her or tell her he was sorry was one more regret to lock away.

After a few minutes of silence, Troy asked, “Are there snakes here?”

Brian was grateful for the change of topic, even if thinking about snakes while sitting in a pitch-black jungle made him shiver restlessly. “Probably.”

“
Poisonous ones?”

“
In all likelihood. And maybe pythons, I imagine. I think we should just assume that all snakes and spiders and various insects are dangerous and to be avoided.”

Troy shuddered. “Ugh, spiders.” Brian could hear Troy’s nails scratch over his skin. “I don’t like creepy crawly things.”

“
I confess I’m not a huge fan myself. Let’s hope we can set up camp on the beach and avoid them. Although we’ll have to be careful in the ocean. Sea snakes are deadly.”

“
Sea
snakes? Jesus.”

“
Not to mention eels and jellyfish and God knows what.”

“
Okay, so the jungle and ocean are a shitshow. But the beach should be okay?”

“
Definitely.” He didn’t mention that insects surely lived in the sand as well.

Leaves rustled nearby, and they both froze. Troy hissed, “Maybe we should go out there now.”

“
We could get turned around,” Brian whispered. “Even with the flashlight, it’s damn dark.”

“
Right. Okay. I’m sure that was nothing.”

“
Whatever that was, we scared them off.” Brian didn’t know if that was true, but it’s the kind of thing his grandfather would have said. He smiled in the darkness at the thought, then winced. Shit, his head hurt. The headache sent tendrils of pain and tension down his neck and spine. He was pretty sure it was only a mild concussion, but Advil wasn’t cutting it.

He shifted, no spot on his ass now that wasn’t numb. Anxiety flapped as he blinked in the blackness, and he stretched his hands out as if to make sure the crevasse hadn’t magically closed around them. Maybe they should try for the beach after all.

But no, there was no sense in getting lost. The tide had to be out, because he couldn’t hear any waves. Best to wait for dawn. Here in their mini cave, they had shelter and were reasonably sure there were no dangerous insects or animals with them in the crevasse.

Of course for all he knew, a python was stalking them from the treetops, waiting to drop down and strangle them. Or a tarantula was scuttling across the jungle floor, about to crawl right across them. He yanked his legs back in and tugged the net tighter.

Troy spoke hoarsely. “So. Um, are you married? Kids?”

“
No. Was married out of college, but it didn’t last.”

“
What was her name?”

“
Alicia.” Brian wondered how she’d feel when she heard the news. Last he knew, she was living in Seattle with a daughter from her second failed marriage. He hoped she knew he’d truly loved her once. God, it was all so long ago. Another life.

There had been Alicia and later Rebecca. The guys from his dorm in university, the other pilots and crew he’d been so close with back in the States. They were all from...before. He wondered if they’d mourn him.

An intense pang of yearning hollowed out Brian’s chest. He wanted another chance. He wanted to tell them he was sorry. How strange to think he hadn’t spoken to his friends in years now.

But he’d stopped answering texts and messages, and eventually they’d stopped trying. Not that he blamed them. When he thought about it—which he usually avoided at all costs—it was hard to believe how easy it had been to exit so many lives. To just…fade away.

Troy said, “I dumped my girlfriend right before I left. Fuck, I was an asshole. Now she’ll think I’m dead, and I can’t say sorry. Not that I’m sorry we broke up. But…I’m still sorry in general. You know what I mean? I dunno. I’m rambling.”

He could feel Troy shivering where their shoulders touched. It was humid and mild, and they had the emergency blanket, but their clothes were still damp. God, they just needed this night to end. “We should really try and sleep.”

“
Right. Sorry. I’m just—” The shriek rattled through the trees. “Just feeling wired now. Go ahead and rest. How’s your head?”

“
It’s okay.” He checked his watch, which was fortunately waterproof and had a light.

“
What time is it?” Troy gazed at him anxiously in the faint glow of the watch.

Oh, hell.
“Not quite midnight.”

Troy groaned. “Morning is never going to come.”

It really, really wasn’t. As much as he didn’t want to get lost in the jungle, he needed to stretch out and sleep, and so did Troy. To hell with it. He groped in the pack for the flashlight. “You went back to the beach earlier. You know the general direction?”

“
To our right. I think if we stick close to the cliff, we’ll be fine.”

Brian hadn’t thought of that, and the risks of tripping or getting lost in the darkness now seemed insignificant compared to the need to reach the open expanse of the beach. “Okay, I’ll take the pack.” He turned on the flashlight and handed it to Troy before carefully folding their blanket and mosquito net, blinking in the glare. “Can you manage the suitcase?”

The light shone up at Troy’s face, illuminating the cleft in his chin and a bruise darkening his cheek. “Uh-huh. Let’s do this. Can’t stay here.”

Brian took the light and scanned the trees and around the jungle. The beam hardly penetrated the dense foliage, but at least he didn’t see any eyes reflecting back at them. He had no idea which snakes actually lived on this particular island, and he didn’t want to find out. Ever.

Troy was already on his feet, and Brian pushed himself up, leaning on the cliff face. Everything spun, and he stood still, clutching the flashlight as his stomach rebelled.

“
You okay, man?” Troy squeezed Brian’s shoulder, his hand firm and grounding.

“
Yep. Just need to get the pack on.”

“
It’s cool. I got it.” Troy shouldered it.

Brian wanted to argue that Troy shouldn’t have to carry the pack and drag the heavy suitcase, but just standing and walking was enough of a challenge. He led the way, keeping his right hand on the cliff wall where the jungle abruptly ended. But for the odd vine, it was just rock, worn smooth in some places and jagged in others. He swept the light over the ground in front and then behind so Troy could see where he was walking too. “Get out of our way, poisonous things,” Brian muttered.

“
I second that motion,” Troy whispered.

It was odd, feeling like they had to keep their voices down. They were surely the only humans on the island, so they could have shouted. But even though the light only picked up leaves and greenery, sweat prickled the back of Brian’s neck, his hair standing up on end as though dozens of unseen eyes tracked their progress.

The salt in the humid breeze intensified and the jungle disappeared, the flashlight now cutting a swath through open air. When they both had sand under their feet, Brian switched off the light. For a few moments, they stood there. Clouds still obscured the stars, but without the jungle’s umbrella, there was enough ambient light reflecting off the sand to see their way.

The tide was indeed out, and aside from the steady hum of chirping from the jungle behind them, the night was silent. “Let’s keep away from the trees. There are probably coconuts up there, and we don’t want any falling on our heads,” Brian said.
Please let there be coconuts.
Even though food was the last thing he wanted at the moment, he knew the protein bars wouldn’t get them far.

“
Good plan.”

Troy dropped their baggage far enough away from the tree line, and Brian spread the silver blanket on the sand, keeping his head up as a wave of dizziness washed over him. “Should be another one.” He fumbled in the pack. “Here you go.”

Troy exhaled loudly as he unfolded the blanket, his teeth flashing as he smiled. “Feels good to be out of there.”

“
Definitely.” Brian gingerly stretched out on one half of his blanket before wrapping the other side over him. The sand was a featherbed compared to the stone crevasse. His head hammered like a drum, and every muscle and tendon ached. “My kingdom for a hot tub. Or a Swedish massage. Or a massage of any nationality.”

“
For real.”

A cool breeze sailed over the sand, and the mosquitoes didn’t seem as prevalent. He had no idea if mosquitoes carrying malaria or other diseases could be this far from civilization, but there was no sense in risking it. At the very least, bites were itchy and annoying. “You ready? We should…let me get the net out.”

Troy shifted closer on the sand, stopping a few inches away. His white tee looked bright against his tan skin as he removed the flip-flops and peeled off his wet socks. He wrapped himself loosely in his blanket and wiped a hand across his sweaty brow. “This good?”