Path of Ranger: Volume 1 (17 page)

People went whispering and mumbling one to another.

“He’s right, we’ve stayed here long enough. It’s time to move on,” a woman in her golden years said. She was twisting a creased photo in her hands over and over. Her look was glued to the trail of smoke ascending from the fading fire camp. And those eyes were lifeless. “They aren’t coming back.”

Everyone realized that she was talking about the dead passengers who stayed in the fuselage. People silently looked back at the pilot.

“What? What about my daughter?” Ellison stepped up. “Mia isn’t with us yet.”

Skyman stepped closer to her, hoping for her trust in him. While he was taking those steps, his mind was searching for the right words. The kind of words that would make a mother leave behind her missing child. Personally for him, the numbers mattered. But he knew that if he said something like that it would kill Ellison’s trust. And the half of the group would follow her. The trust was like a house of cards; all it would take was a slight push.

“Ellison, your daughter is important to us,” he improvised. “And we are going to find her, no matter what. I promise you that. But staying here is pointless. Think about it. The chances of Mia’s survival are going to be much higher if we can call for help. We have to get to the shore.”

“Mia is alone now. She’s lost and scared. What if she comes to the fuselage and we aren’t here?” Ellison insisted desperately.

“If so, we are going to come back and get her,” Josh said confidently. “We will leave her some supplies: food, a first aid kit, some cloth. And we will write a message to her so she will stay put. Then we will come here every day, before dusk, to check if she is around. But it can be possible only if we stay together and if we are safe.”

The words that Skyman was bringing to them made more sense than anyone could imagine. Even if someone doubted him before, now it was clear to everyone that he had become the true leader of that group. They were ready to follow him.

It wasn't the shortest journey ahead of them, about six and a half miles to march. Most of the path lay through straight terrain, it was much better than the rocky ground to the east shore. Yet, they still had to go partially through the jungle. It troubled Skyman. There was too much at stake.

His natural patience, bright mind and leadership instinct made him a perfect candidate for the head of the group. His face didn’t show much emotion, one rarely could tell if Skyman worried or lost. He was skilled at keeping his emotions to himself. But inside of the captain, it was an entirely different story. He did worry a lot, and the most of all he felt guilt for the crash. Of course, none of the passengers would blame him, they all had seen the storm. But Skyman couldn’t accept an excuse to justify the failure. It was impossible for him to make peace with the idea that he just wasn’t strong enough. Now that leadership became a big deal for his redemption, for the failure that was eating him from inside. Occasionally, on the road, one thought flew through his mind. He admitted a possibility that Colonel Wash might be a better man to lead them, but those feelings of guilt and responsibility of his wouldn’t let him even consider giving up the position.

Thirty-three, that was the number of survivors from the flight ‘UA-Air 107,' a small fraction of those who were on board. Most of them were not familiar, it wasn’t a time or place for getting to know each other. All they had in common for the moment was a path down the island, through the wild. They needed one another for that. Josh and Steven were known to everyone already as those who could be relied on. The next person of great use appeared to be Ellison. She was a doctor. Despite her desperation for the loss of her daughter, she made a valuable input by helping people out with their wounds. The woman took any job she could just not to stand by, anything to take her mind off Mia’s disappearance.

There was a diversity of nationalities in the group. Most of them were Americans and Ukrainians. The working language was English, and the students provided assistance in translation to those who didn’t know the common tongue. Being the youngest and most energized, those students felt obligated before the rest of the seniors. They carried the heaviest stuff and did anything that Skyman, Wash or Ellison told them.

In a few hours, the group marched out of the jungle. It was a magnificent view that opened to them from the hill. The beach lay ahead, and the broad horizon stood behind it. It was nothing like an exposition on those travel brochures with the blue crystal clear water, white beach, and bright sun. The shore looked dim and the sky was grayed out, because of the clouds. But, nevertheless, it was a beach with an ocean next to it. Soon as the forest stayed behind, the people felt a bit of relief.

“These clouds,” Nick said with disappointment on his face. “Where is the sun? Man, this sucks.”

“It’s only two p.m. and it feels like it’s the last light.” Stever supported his companion’s expression.

They were walking in front, close to the captain.

“Hey, Captain Skyman, tell us,” Nickolas caught up with the pilot. He was breathing poorly, same as the rest of the people. “What are the chances that the rescue team will come in the first three days?”

The captain looked at the chatty young man to study his face better. What most of all caught Skyman’s attention was a goatee, not a favorite style for him.

“What’s your name again?” Josh asked.

“Nickolas, man,” the guy said proudly. “You can call me Nick.”

“The thing is, Nick. I won’t lie to you. The anomaly that caused the crash is unknown to us. It stopped all of the equipment, even the engines. I suspect that these clouds are connected to it somehow. If so, there is a big risk that a transmitter’s signal can’t break through. So they probably don’t know our coordinates yet. So the rescuers would have to cover a large area along our trajectory. It may take some time.”

Skyman’s words were reflecting one thing, and his hunch - entirely different. Deep inside he doubted that the rescue would come at all.

“So, you think we’re stuck here for good?”

The pilot looked back to see the group. He felt that he had already said too much, they got worried. It had to be fixed right away.

“Oh, of course not. If the search teams don't find us soon, it doesn’t mean that we’re stuck. These flights go along the common commercial paths. Even if this island is deserted, it's most likely well known to the captains. Someone should show up. We just have to wait. There is no land on this planet that not known to the men, after all.”

“Only if we are still on our planet,” Nick said. Suddenly people started glancing at him questioningly. “Just kidding.” He shrugged. “So, you think there is nothing to worry about.”

Partially Skyman wasn’t sure what he was talking about since he didn’t have sailing experience himself. But he justified it as a lie for the greater good. Anything to keep the situation under control.

“Well…” he shook the head uncertainly. “The primary task here is to stay together,” he summarized.

The sky wouldn’t change, it was still gray and coated in clouds. It was getting darker and darker every minute. The twilight was gradually shifting to night. The further the group moved the heavier the air was. It was hard to breathe from the very start of the journey, but no one would say anything because there was enough trouble overall. And now, after several miles behind, it grew into a real problem. Firstly, it felt like light vertigo that came from one person to another. And was bearable before one of the women fell down unconscious. That was the same old lady who supported the captain in his initiative to go to the shore. Vova and Vitaliy rushed to pick her up, Ellison instructed them to put her on her back and lift her head up. When Skyman heard the fuss behind, they, along with Nick and Steve, returned to others.

“What’s wrong?” Josh asked on the run. “Is she okay?”

Ellison checked the woman’s heart.

“It doesn’t look like it. An oxygen deficit,” she commented when turned back to the pilot.

“We need a break. We’re all tired,” Josh said, looking at others.

“Bring me some water,” Ellison told the guys.

Meanwhile, Wash walked around checking the area. He looked concerned about something.

“Captain, I don’t think that we should stop now,” he joined the conversation.

“What? Why?”

“The rain is coming. We don’t have much time to find cover. And we surely can’t stay here.”

“But, Steve, I don’t think that…” just as Skyman started a line, Ellison interrupted him.

“He’s right, Josh. The air is too thick here. We all can feel it. Perhaps it’s the plants that intoxicate the atmosphere. It has to be better on the beach.”

Josh looked at his dependents once again, they were exhausted, indeed. But doctor’s arguments were sound.

“We need to carry this lady.”

“I’m alright, Captain,” her quiet, uncertain voice sounded.

Skyman looked down where she lay, he lowered himself to her and Ellison.

“Can you walk, Beatrice?”

“I think,” she tried to get up. After the first unsuccessful try, she continued, “I think so.”

The captain helped her up, making sure that she was okay to go.

“Well, let’s move then. But we take it slower.”

The group gathered up and kept on walking. Ellison and Steven stayed along with Beatrice in case of emergency. The rest of the path had to be finished by night. It wasn’t far. Now another question arose for the leader. If Steven appeared to be right about the upcoming rain, they would need a shelter. This one seemed much harder than just walking a few miles down the hill.

As a traveler, Skyman had seen a tropical rainstorm. Such an element was not pretty, it might be a slow death for the ones who were not prepared for it. That new problem was all over the pilot’s head. Despite what he said earlier, the pace hadn’t decreased. If it were for him, he would even go faster. But each time he looked back at poor Beatrice, such thoughts vanished away.

Skyman looked far ahead, he saw a coastal forest belt there, which divided the beach from the hills. The view pleased him. Those palm trees seemed just what they needed for a cover. A bit of adjustment and they could have a shelter there.

The closer they were getting to the coast the lighter the air was. Sunlight had gone. The group had a few flashlights on them, which they used. They were almost there, just a little bit more to walk, less than a mile.

It was entirely different on the beach than it was in the jungle. The air felt easy and fresh. The vegetation looked familiar, simple coco palm trees, some tropical shrubs and so on. Everyone was relieved on arrival, especially Josh.

“Can you feel it?” Wash said. “The humidity has increased. The rain is almost here.”

“Hey, Steve,” Nick called for him. “How do you know so much about the weather?”

“I grew up on Honolulu Island.”

“Oh, Hawaii… I thought it’s just your ‘boy scout thing.’”

After a few minutes’ rest, Skyman had some water and got up from the ground to carry on with his duty.

“We have to gather some firewood. Also, we need to build a shelter.”

“But, Captain, there is nothing here to build a shelter with.”

“All we need is to hide from the rain, something temporary, just for a while…” Josh kept saying. Meanwhile, his eyes were scanning around with the flashlight in search for a solution.

“We have this!” Alex stepped up. He had a folded inflatable raft that they had taken from the plane.

“A raft? So what? We can’t sail away on this,” Nick objected.

“It wide enough to carry fifteen men. If we cut it in two pieces, the material would be sufficient for two tents,” Alex explained ignoring Nick’s objection. “We also have a fire chopper; it can be used for making pillars.”

Josh didn’t rush to say anything, he just was standing there, switching the focus point of the flashlight between the boys and the trees. He took a good think about their suggestion.

“Sounds good. Do it.”

“Wait!” Tina interrupted. “We have a brand new raft here. Isn’t it supposed to have that thing to send a signal or something? We can use it to leave the island.”

“To sail away on that? Straight into an open ocean? You gotta be kidding, sister,” Nick grinned.

“You have better ideas?!” Tina lost her temper.

“Better than using a rubber raft to go across the ocean? You bet – Don’t... It is the best idea ever.”

“Hey-hey. Stop it, both of you,” Skyman went between them.

When the arguing was resolved, he returned to another issue.

“I need a few volunteers to gather firewood.”

“Hey, chief. What’s the point of building a fire if our soldier here says that the rain is coming? It will put it out anyway.”

“So we use it while we can!” the captain yelled.

As soon as his temper was lost, everyone stared at him. The next second he stepped back, looking aside, to show that he was sorry for shouting. But it wasn’t groundless. Nick got on everyone’s nerves by that time. Not that Skyman wouldn’t listen to constructive criticism, only the objections from that ‘kid’ were not constructive at all.

Soon everyone who was able got to work. Alex and Vladimir went back to the other end of the forest belt where they had seen bamboo plants. It was a perfect material for the pillars. The rest of the students were gathering dry wood, leaves and algae for the fire. When all the supplies were provided, they built two tents, large enough to cover all the passengers from the rain. And the fire materials were put into one big stock in front of the tents.