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"If we're lucky -" she sighed after him, wiping her forehead of sweat with the back of her hand. Elena thought about taking the sweater off and tying it around her waist, but the thought of carrying the extra bulkiness didn't sound all too appealing. If only they had crash landed this plane somewhere less tropical...
Elena was used to the busy, bustling lifestyle of the city, so being out here in the jungle like this was completely out of her comfort zone. The sounds of horns beeping and cars whooshing by speedily when the light changed green and the arguments and conversations of passerbyers was what was comforting. She liked knowing that if she walked down a block, she'd find another coffee shop a little ways along from where she'd seen the last once. The city was always alive and full of the most interesting characters, where she'd meet a new stranger at a bar or simply befriend the woman sitting beside her on the morning train. That's what Elena preferred - not this. Nature was never something she liked to interact with all that much - the most that she'd participate in it was sitting in a park on occasion or visiting the beach. But this? Without a sign of civilization, these jungles were not her style. Even with her full repertoire, Elena did not have the experience or passion for entertaining life lived in nature - especially not like this.
But, there was no telling how long they would be stuck on this island and Elena wasn't going to let anyone here know just how out of her element she really was. Instead, she was going to fake it. So far, it seemed to be working. She hiked alongside Carney with minimal conversation because it took so much of her attention and focus to keep breathing at a steady pace while climbing this lengthy incline. But, all too quickly, he'd decided to ruin their comfortable silence with a question that made her heart pound in her chest and very effectively made her lose her focus on her steps. Elena nearly tripped over a thick root, bracing her hand against another tree as she glared at the wet, forest floor, frustrated that this was where she was. "He was on the plane," she huffed, forcing herself to continue walking forward as if she was unfazed by her stumble, "We're not together - but he wanted to come with us to LA."
The thought of her ex flashed through her mind, recalling flickers of their last conversation at the beginning of the plane ride. He'd come along with them to their seats, helping her put all of their things away and talking to Theo a bit before he'd gone off to his own seat. She hadn't even asked what seat he was in - she also hadn't asked about his whereabouts now. Elena nibbled nervously on her lip for a moment as she wondered - was he okay? Maybe he was with Theo. Maybe both of them were safe and they were both looking for her - maybe.
Elena tried to convey that reassurance to herself out loud, "He has to be with Theo. Yeah, yeah - he probably is with him." Of course, yeah, of course.
Michael didn’t miss the little stumble she took when she heard his question. He found the look of frustration that flicked across her face mildly amusing, but resisted the urge to make another provoking comment. After the way she had reacted, he didn’t think she’d actually take the time to respond, assuming she’d rather lapse into silence and ignore him than reveal such personal details. But he got his answer, and his expression morphed into one of vague disinterest as Elena revealed the less than interesting situation she found herself in. Truthfully, he had been hoping for something far more sordid. Affairs, cheating spouses, raging divorce settlements - that sort of thing, but as was often the case, these thing were typically far more mundane. “Sounds cosy,” he drawled, adjusting the strap on his bag to stop it cutting into his chest. His response implied that he was no longer all that interested in the finer points of her life, he was in fact pondering the finer points of his own.
There were several thoughts that he kept coming back to. Say that no one was to come and rescue them and he was to die here, if not that evening, then perhaps the next or maybe even a month from now. Who in his life would actually give a shit? He hadn’t lived his life the way Elena had, hell...he hadn’t lived his life the way anyone had. There was no wife back in Ireland, no children and definitely no legacy. There was his niece he supposed, but if she were to turn out even half as useless as his brother, Thomas, he’d sooner leave his legacy to charity - and that was saying something, because Michael detested charity. He considered how different things might have been had he had settled down the way Thomas had, or to an extent Will. Though his youngest brother was still yet to have children, William Carney was very much enamoured with his wife-to-be. He expected it wouldn't be long before Will too welcomed a child, another niece or nephew who would get under Michael's feet while he tried to work. No, that life wasn't his and probably wouldn't ever be. He was too comfortable in his solitude, too in love with the freedom it provided him.
He wiped the sweat from the back of his neck, and slowed down a little to allow Elena to catch up again. They had been climbing for at least half an hour now, maybe even forty-five minutes, though Michael hadn't been paying too much attention to the hands on his watch. The sun had sunk a little in that time, dipping lower towards the trees in spite of the height they had gained. It did appear brighter here though, the trees were more evenly spaced and a few rays of sunlight filtered down through the canopy, illuminating the forest around them. Their surroundings were beautiful in a way, an untouched wilderness that seemed to stretch for miles in every direction. Michael decided he would have liked it more if everything didn't look exactly the same. They soldiered on in silence again, stopping only occasionally to tie off another piece of red wool, before trudging on through the trees. Michael didn't know how much more time had passed when the incline suddenly became very steep and the trees around them thinned out drastically. The two of them were no longer walking, in fact they were closer to climbing, hauling themselves up the near vertical slope in an effort to reach the top. With his boots slipping on the dry earth, and the nearby trees acting as a hand-holds, Michael finally made it to the top.
"Holy shit," he said through a ragged breath, pausing to take in the impressive views of the valley and the shimmering ocean beyond it. Michael lifted a hand to shield his eyes and stared down the ravine towards the coastline at the very bottom. Just how big is this place? He wondered, staring out across the vast jungle. His gaze snagged on something on the horizon and frowning, he beckoned Elena over. "Can you see that?" he asked, pointing to the trail of smoke that seemed to disappear beyond the tree line. It definitely wasn't from their crash site, the distance was too great and it was near enough the opposite direction. Michael rubbed a hand across his jaw. "I might be wrong," he said, "but I'm willing to bet, that over there is where we'll find the rest of our plane." He narrowed his gaze, but there was no way to see past the trees. What lay on the other side could have been anything, but he hoped for Elena's sake that the island curved around that way and that it wasn't just the sea beyond it. Michael took a step away from the edge and pulled his hold-all off his aching shoulders. He set it on the dry earth and sat down beside it, patting down the sides of his trousers as he did so. He was pleased to find his cigarette case and lighter were still intact. Sunlight glinted off the silver case as he pulled it out and flipped it open. There were twenty in there. Under normal circumstances that might have lasted him a week, but based on how he felt right now he would have happily chain-smoked the lot. Placing one between his lips, he shielded his lighter with his hand and lit the cigarette. He took a long drag and proffered the case to Elena.
"I think we should make our way down to the beach," Michael said, exhaling slowly. He couldn't be sure how long it would take them, but he thought that seemed like the most viable option. If they didn't find any sign of life on the way down there they stood a far better chance of being able to flag down a passing ship from the sand than they did up here.
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Her ex occupied her mind for longer than she would have liked for him to. Elena wasn't all that fond of him anymore like she used to be and he was very much aware of it. The two hadn't been getting along for the past year or so because of his reappearance into her and her son's life again after being apart for so many years. She didn't trust him all that much and while Theo loved him, she still was wary of their interactions with one another. If there was one thing that Elena was really nervous about, it was that her ex would really take a place in their lives, become a prominent part of them, become someone that they loved and cared for and relied on, and then he'd disappear again. Well, Elena couldn't quite place the blame on him entirely - he'd only left because she'd drawn away from him so much. But, things were different now. She had Theo and the decisions that she made no longer involved solely herself and her feelings. So, for the past few years, she'd sucked up all the terrible feelings that consumed her whenever she saw her ex just so that her son could have a relationship with his father. If there was anyone that understood wanting to have a good relationship with a father, it was Elena. She certainly didn't want her son to grow up having a terrible or resentful or nonexistent relationship with his father all because of her.
He remained on her mind the further that they hiked through the woods. She getting extremely hot now the more that they climbed, forcing her sweater off of her arms and stuffing it inside of the book bag that she was carrying on her back. The higher that they hiked, the slower they moved, taking far more careful but strenuous steps that created a tense pain in her calves. Elena was an active girl, exercised often and liked to run even, but the incline was getting steeper and steeper here and any experienced athlete would find taking this climb to be difficult for this long of a time. She was exhausted, eyes heavy lidded and stomach cramping, but they had to continue their hike, climbing at jagged angles so that they could further rise higher and higher up to the top of the cliff. At one point, Elena had even picked up a thick branch, using it as a walking stick to help her climb up with more balance. It helped for a while, but when they did finally stop walking, her arms and her legs were throbbing from exertion.
Wiping the sweat from her face, Elena gasped as she joined Carney. The view that surrounded them from the top of the cliff was absolutely breathtaking. She may not be fond of nature all that much - this was beautiful. "Wow..." she breathed out, fishing her hair out of her face as she took it all in. It was getting darker outside now so they couldn't see everything as they might during the day, but in a way, seeing it now was all the more enchanting. The sun was setting on the waves, making them bask in an orange and red glow while the waves crashed on the sandy beach. The greenery was far more beautiful than how it looked to them as they trekked through them. Her eyes strayed towards where he was pointing, catching sight of the trail of smoke that stood out starkly against the beautiful beach, shooting off into an unknown direction - it definitely wasn't where they came from. Hope gleamed in her chest as she tried to twist around and see further of the mess below. But, it wasn't viewable from here. "Yeah, we need to go down there," she nodded her head, chuckling softly as her eyes drooped slightly. Elena quickly reached up to her suddenly watery eyes, wiping at them to prevent any of the tears from falling.
"Theo could be down there," she sniffed, looking down at the cigarette he was extending out to her. Elena didn't really smoke cigarettes, but - fuck it. She took the cigarette from him, dangling it between her fingers before placing it in between her lips. The butt of the cigarette burned as she took a drag from it, but the taste of the cigarette in her mouth was enough to send a calming sensation through her. There was a new purpose now - the beach. And they'd find Theo there, she knew it. But, they were both exhausted from their hike up here and there was significantly less light here than from before when they'd left. A deep growl in her stomach made her stop as well - "We should rest a bit before we go down. And eat something - I don't know when your last meal was." A swift look around the area showed only more greenery, but there had to be some kind of fruit that was growing on a tropical island like this one. Maybe they'd find some on the way down from the cliff. As she thought of all of this, she took a seat on a mossy rock, pushing her hair out of her face again as she took a sip from the bottle of water that she'd found. Just the refreshing taste of water made her feel better. "Want some?" she extended the bottle to him. They should probably ration how much of their snacks and water they should use in case they didn't find anything else because who knew how long they'd really be on this island before help came.
The familiar scent of tobacco was comforting and for the first time since awaking on the forest floor Michael allowed himself to relax a little. His blue eyes remained fixated on the horizon as he took slow, deliberate draws on the cigarette. If it weren't for the dull ache of his head and the very obvious pain in his spine, he might have actually enjoyed the moment. All he'd need was a glass of wine and a bit of music, and he'd be able to imagine he was anywhere but this wretched place. Their hike so far had already burned through most of the daylight hours and Michael could just make out the first tints of orange and red in the otherwise flawless blue sky. He’d bet the sunsets from up here would be glorious, but he had little interest in staying on the cliff until nightfall. The notion that he might still be trapped on the island when the sun finally set made him uneasy. When they had first set off in the early afternoon Michael had expected they wouldn’t have to go far to find civilisation. But as the hours had ticked by and jungle around them had only become more untamed, that initial hope had begun to die.
Looking down the valley now he was firm in his belief that they were completely alone out here, that the island was uninhabited. There were no tell-tale signs of human life, no little buildings scattered amongst the trees, no smoke rising from chimneys. No. There was nothing but thick, dense jungle that stretched almost as far as the eye could see. Michael exhaled, and stubbed his cigarette out on the dry earth. He had to believe that the beach would be their salvation, that there would at least be a little wooden pier to indicate that someone had been here. The cigarette case was still in his hand, and he turned it over, narrowing his eyes at the initials engraved on the other side. M.C.C. It had belonged his father, and was the one thing Michael had requested after his death. One corner was slightly damaged, the metal blackened and puckered. Michael pressed the pad of this thumb against it. They had found the on his father’s body following the explosion that had taken his life. The man had always kept it on him and Michael couldn’t recall a time when he had seen him without it. That was why he had wanted it, to him the case had seemed important.
Sighing, he returned it to his pocket and clasped his bruised hands together. Elena had sat down nearby, and was methodically puffing away on the cigarette. Michael had to admit she looked good with it. There was the slightest trace of red left on her lips and in spite of her slightly haggard appearance, she possessed the look of a classic screen star. He could see the pain in her expression though, and the slight shimmery glaze her eyes had taken on, for a second he thought she might be about to cry. At least until her stomach rumbled and she became momentarily distracted by the prospect of food. Michael leant back against the mossy earth and propped himself up with elbows. He didn’t feel hungry per say, but if he had to be candid, he wasn’t sure he was feeling anything at all. It had been several hours since his last meal, in fact he hadn’t even eaten on the plane, he’d opted to try and sleep through the flight instead. “We should have something,” he agreed. “It’s going to take us another couple of hours to get down there and I don’t think we should stop again before we reach the beach.” The couldn’t waste any more time taking rest breaks once they set off, night was drawing in fast and he wasn’t sure he wanted to risk walking in the darkness.
He reached for the water bottle in her outstretched hand and their fingers brushed slightly as he took it from her. “Thanks,” he said gruffly. The water was still pleasantly cool, and it took much of his restraint not to gulp down the entire bottle. He passed it back to her after he’d taken a couple of mouthfuls and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. A strong wind blew through the valley and ruffled his shirt and hair, Michael took a deep breath and closed his eyes to the breeze. It was peaceful he supposed, and as the cool air soothed his aching bones, Michael realised just how how exhausted he was. How easy it would have been for him to sleep there in that moment, with the sun on his face and the gentle breeze cooling then sweat on his skin. But he knew he shouldn't sleep, not while they were still surrounded by trees on all sides, and not while Elena was still frantic about her son. In her mind it probably seemed as though they’d barely tried at all.
Michael opened one eye and looked at her. She had surprised him more often than he could count over the course of that day. When he’d first seen her sat dazedly across from him at the crash site he had expected to have his hands full with some prissy, holier-than-thou, drama queen. But no, Elena had completed exceeded his expectations. By the time they reached the coast that evening he feared he might actually be in danger of enjoying her company. Part of him wanted to get to know her, but when you asked questions people had a tendency to start asking them back and he wasn't sure he’d be capable of giving her an honest answer. His integrity wasn't the problem, but rather Elena’s perceptiveness, something told him she’d been around enough liars to know when someone was being creative with the truth. Prying both his eyes open, he met her gaze. Ah fuck it, what the hell... ”Why were you on the plane?” he asked curiously. “And why were you taking your son to LA of all places?“
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Once they had actually stopped, Elena realized how exhausted she really was. Before, she hadn't quite let them stop too many times to catch their breath just because there was so much distance that they still had to cover. Whereas now that they were at the top, they both needed to stop and rest. The beating in her chest hadn't calmed down yet, her heart racing from all of the exertion. And once she had passed the cigarette and the water bottle back over to Carney, Elena was jittery again. She pressed her hands against her shoulders, rubbing them slightly with her thin fingers while looking off the top of the cliff towards their surroundings. Their crash site was hardly visible from where they were situated, a bit of gray smoke rising in the air where the trees were flattened from the impact. They know wanted to go in the opposite direction towards the much larger cloud of smoke, pooling in the air from the other side of the island. This was good, right? They had a lot of new territory to cover and hopefully, they'd discover a lot more survivors as well.
She rest her head in her hands, the exhaustion very quickly washing over her. The day's events were far more strenuous than anything in her entire life. Elena's head was still throbbing from her injury and she only really remembered it when her fingers brushed against the cut. When the wind passed them by, making her hair tumble over her shoulder and help them cool off from all their sweat, Elena wished that she too could be carried by the wind. For a moment, she wanted to temporarily dislocated her soul from her body and be taken out of this life equation for just a short while, just so she could rest and be at ease. The stress of the last few days and naturally of today was catching up to her and if she was feeling especially unhinged, she would blame this all on some cosmic power for giving her the worst luck of all. But, even so, her body needed to rest yet her mind needed it to move, to burn the anxiety right out.
Elena finally looked up when he spoke, blinking back at him. He had been trying to make conversation with her every so often, asking her questions and she didn't mind - but she still knew next to nothing about him. Her previous assumptions about his coming from a lavish lifestyle was proven by the shoes he'd left behind, but every behavior that had followed supported the idea. He even talked with the elegance of a man with power. She had been around enough men who believed they had power to know what kind of background they might have. Even so, Carney didn't seem dangerous. Rather, he'd been quite formidable in helping her in her injury and she had yet to see him complain of any of his own. Elena stared at him for a second, eyes flickering across of his face and then his body for any sign of blood or physical injury, but she couldn't quite seek one out - if he had one, he was concealing it. Slowly, she responded, "Things weren't working out in Australia. Thought I'd see what the big deal the land of the free was all about." Of course, it was a vague explanation, but she wasn't trying to talk about childhood trauma with this stranger.
The thought of her arrival in LA made her feel all the more jittery. Her parents were likely at the airport now - maybe they'd heard about the crash somehow or maybe they hadn't. They'd be wondering where she and Theo were. Elena had only promised to stay with them in LA for a week before she left the city to head towards eastern North America. The firm she worked for at home had other offices in the US and they'd been fully willing to let her transfer to the office in Chicago which might be the only good luck she was having lately. Her reasons for fleeing home were plenty, but thinking about them only made her anxious. So, she quickly turned the question on him, not willing to take no for an answer, "What about you? Visiting family? Clandestine affair? Job?"
Michael wasn't sure he liked the way Elena's dark eyes swept over him, as though she were trying to see beneath his carefully orchestrated exterior. He squared his shoulders a little, affixing her with his own deep blue gaze. The reason she gave for travelling was vague, scarcely more than a few words. Michael thought she might be keeping something back, he couldn't blame her, though they'd spent much of the afternoon in each other's company they were still strangers. He didn't even know what part of Australia she hailed from, and she knew very little about him. "That's no small feat," he said, with a slight shake of his head. "Uprooting your life like that, you weren't happy in Australia?" Of everyone Michael knew who had emigrated to the southern continent, not one of them had any intention of returning. The lifestyle out there was one that he himself had considered taking up from time to time, and were it not for the family business back home he almost certainly would have done by now. He didn't think there was much that could beat the almost year round sunshine, stunning views and beach side housing. If they made it out of this alive, he might just retire out there.
The slightest hint of smile appeared on his face as she turned the question around, rapid-firing possible answers at him. "Visiting an old friend," he replied simply. Michael had been to Los Angeles twice before on his so-called business trips, meeting with buyers in the back rooms of clubs and on the floors of casinos. This trip was different though, he'd be lying low, keeping his business to himself. With all the trouble going on back home he'd been travelling to avoid the scrutiny of the police. Thus far nobody had tried to question him or get in contact with him, save his brother. They'd shared a brief ten minute phone call before Michael had boarded the plane. Someone was going down for their crimes back home, but it wasn't anyone they were associated with. He'd got lucky this time. Los Angeles would have been little more than a pitstop, and he expected his contacts there didn't care enough about him to notice the fact that he hadn't even arrived. The thought almost made him chuckle, you sorry old bastard Carney, he thought bitterly.
Michael was hungry he realised, a gnawing ache has started up in his stomach and he definitely needed to eat. Groaning, he got to his feet and stretched out his limbs. They'd only been sat a short while but already a stiffness had settled into his joints. What he wouldn't have given for a massage or a long hot shower. He grimaced and stared into the trees, maybe there would be something to eat amongst them. Michael didn't know much about tropical island plants, but he figured he'd be able to identify something edible, papaya or guava maybe. There were of course the packets of peanuts and pretzels they'd salvaged from the wreckage, he pulled those from the outside pocket of his holdall and frowned at them. Not exactly the five star food he had been expecting upon landing in L.A, but at least it was something. Holding one in each hand he glanced across at Elena. "I've got peanuts and I've got pretzels, or we could maybe try in the trees?" He didn't think the nearby treeline looked promising. Having already walked through much of it, he didn't expect to find anything particularly appetising in the little copse that was closest to them.
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She might have believed him more if he said that he was going to LA to meet a woman that he was having an affair with. Carney definitely seemed to be the type to have a secret life behind the one that he showed all of his close family and friends and fellow employees. But, one look at his hand told her that he wasn't wearing a ring on his left hand, so he wasn't married. He didn't have a woman that was waiting for his arrival, nor was there one on this flight with him. He must have been traveling alone for if he wasn't, he would have likely been more concerned about whoever he was traveling with and wondering where they were on this island. But, then again, it was possible that he simply had a more self preserving mindset and didn't wish or care to try and find whoever he was with.
However, Elena could refute that as well considering he had taken time aside to take care of her own injury and from what she had seen - he hadn't treated any injury of his own if he had one. Carney winced occasionally, so she supposed he must be sore from the impact, but there was not much that could be done about that. So, for some reason, he'd decided that she was worth his time, aiding her in helping her son and taking care of her instead of wandering off on his own to search for a way out of here. It seemed too good to be true - he must have some other motive for all this behavior.
"I'll take the peanuts," she reached out to his hand, their fingers brushing against one another as she took the packet from him. Her stomach rumbled as she opened the package and immediately smelled the slight seasoning that covered all of the peanuts inside. Elena didn't know how hungry she actually was until she'd caught a whiff of the snack in her hands. Even if it was something small she could eat now, it would not appease her stomach. She placed one or two in her mouth, chewing on it slowly before swallowing. No, it definitely wouldn't stop the hungry growling in her stomach.
Carney's suggestion to look around in the trees made her look up again, standing slowly so that she could glance at their surroundings better. They were surrounded by a lot of greenery still and she thought she would have noticed if they had passed some fruit hanging from them on their way up. But, perhaps there was hope of finding some on their descent down from the top of the cliff and towards the beach. Elena suggested, "Let's keep looking then. I think I'm good to start moving back down now."
She began to lead the way again, the peanuts balanced in one hand while she pressed her palms against the trunks of trees to slowly let herself down on the rocky cliff towards the beach. The descent was daunting and if she made one wrong step or slipped, it was likely she'd get a worse head injury than she already had. To keep her mind off of the impending doom she might face should she fall, Elena continued to make conversation casually, "So, tell me about yourself. Where are you from? Where do you work? Girlfriend, boyfriend?"
