Chasing Mercury Read online

  “Yeah, it was full. At least a hundred people. Maybe more.” A shadow fell over Nora’s face as she thought about how many people who hadn’t made it.

  “And we’re the only ones?” asked 4B.

  Nora didn’t answer immediately. When she did, her voice was tight.

  “I’ve walked all over this area and I haven’t seen anyone else up here. Down there… down where the wreckage is, I saw a few people who… who didn’t make it.”

  4B was quiet and Nora wondered what she was thinking. Was it about the possibility of her family being worried about her? Nora couldn’t stop thinking about Aunt Mace. The idea of so many people having lost their lives filled her with a cold sense of finality. She searched 4B’s face to determine how she was doing with everything.

  “You said you went down into the ravine and checked things out? How… how was it?”

  Nora was quiet for a moment, staring into the fire, but seeing the blaze of the wreckage.

  “Surreal. It was still on fire when I went down.”

  “You said you saw… were there… are there… bodies?”

  A cold wave of emotion swept through Nora as memories of what she’d seen filled her mind. She didn’t want to talk about it, but at the same time she didn’t want to be alone with her experience.

  “Yes. A few. No one… no one still in the plane could have survived the explosions.” She was aware of 4B studying her face as she processed the memories. “It was awful. It’s hard to think about. The hardest thing, though, is... there was a baby. That’s… that’s what I keep thinking about.”

  4B took her hand.

  “Oh god, Nora.”

  Nora’s eyes moved to 4B.

  “You held her for a minute or two. The baby. She was sitting with the woman next to you.”

  “Were we together? Did I know her?” asked 4B. Nora saw the possibility haunting 4B’s eyes. She was glad 4B didn’t remember. It was probably a blessing.

  “No. I don’t think so. She and the baby boarded the plane after you.”

  4B nodded and wiped away a tear.

  They lapsed into silence, both of them watching the small fire, thinking their own thoughts.

  The next afternoon, thunder rumbled in the distance, and Nora launched an accusing stare up at the low clouds she could see in the narrow swath of sky visible through the thick canopy of pine trees above them. They were sitting near a group of rocks not far from the shelter. 4B was feeling a little stronger, so they had moved out from under the wing to sit in the open for a while. Nora was relieved to get out of the chair she felt like she’d been sitting in and sleeping in for days—which she had. The blue sky, which had been peppered by a few fluffy white clouds since the gray canopy had blown away after the first day, had transitioned to a solid dull gray. Nora expected the rain to arrive any minute now, and she wasn’t surprised when she heard the sporadic tap begin in the foliage above them and then a fat drop hit her cheek. Hope for rescue sank a little further.

  “I knew it wouldn’t last,” she said as she turned off her e-reader. The device was down to a quarter of battery. She didn’t know what she would do when it was dead. It was one thing that kept her from obsessing about their situation.

  “What wouldn’t last?” asked 4B, stretching herself awake from the nap she had slipped into as soon as they had sat down next to the large rocks. The walk there had tired her.

  “Dry weather.”

  “Oh!” exclaimed 4B as a drop hit her nose. She wiped it away and looked around. “Should we make a run for it?”

  “I think we can walk. You shouldn’t overdo it.”

  Nora let 4B lead the way, watching her protectively as they made their way back to the wing. She reached out once when she stumbled, but when 4B picked up a sturdy branch to use as a walking stick, she dropped back again, trying to honor 4B’s need to do it on her own. Nora collected a few pieces of fire wood as they walked. When they passed the plastic section of cabin with the window missing, Nora decided to come back for it once 4B was settled under the wing. The large piece would make a good wind break if the rain picked up. The weather seemed to sense her thoughts and the drops came more frequently.

  They arrived at the camp and were about to crawl into the shelter when 4B paused to study the wing.

  “I haven’t really looked at how this thing is propped up. Do you think it’s secure?” 4B tapped the flat metal structure with her walking stick.

  Nora tossed the wood she’d collected underneath and slapped the rain-splattered metal. “It’s wedged pretty securely. I don’t think it’ll go anywhere.”

  “It looks like it could just slip down the trees it’s leaning against,” said 4B with a doubtful look.

  “Nah. The trees on the other side are propping it up. It’s not going anywhere. Hold on. I’ll show you.”

  Nora ran around to the far side of the wing and walked up the slopping metal like she had done on the first day when she’d tested it herself. With a smile she looked down at her and jumped up and down to show 4B it wasn’t going to move.

  “See? It’s—as—stur—dy—as—a—” Nora’s words came in cadence with her jumps—until her feet decided to slip out from under her on the rain-speckled metal surface. She lost sight of 4B’s surprised face as she fell forward, and slid down the slick surface, landing unhurt, but in an awkward pile in the pine needles and damp earth next to the wing.

  “Are you okay?” asked 4B, running around the wing to help her stand up. 4B’s shoulders shook and Nora could tell she was trying to hold back laughter.

  “Just a bruised ego,” replied Nora, laughing at herself and brushing off the mud and pine needles stuck to her knees and backside.

  “You’ve got something in your…” said 4B, not finishing her sentence as laughter bubbled out of her and she reached up and plucked some foliage from Nora’s devastated ponytail. “I’m sorry. You should have seen your face!” 4B’s words gave way to uncontrollable laughter and she wiped tears from her eyes.

  “Aunt Mace says, “If someone ain’t broke, bleeding, or dyin’, it’s fair to laugh.”

  “Sounds good to me,” laughed 4B.

  Nora forgot about her pride and laughed with her as she stood obediently while 4B circled her, brushing pine needles and dirt from her back. It felt good to laugh, even if it was at her own expense.

  The rain started to pick up, and their laughter faded, but the smiles remained.

  “I’m a lost cause,” conceded Nora, indicating her dirty clothes. “Why don’t you get under cover? I’ll go find more firewood. There’s no telling how long this rain will last.”

  “I saw some sort of plastic thing back there we can put up against the opening to block some of the wind,” suggested 4B, giving voice to Nora’s earlier thought. “I thought I’d go back to get it.”

  “You stay here. I’ll get it.”

  “I’m fine. Let me help.”

  “You were unconscious for two days,” reasoned Nora. “Please let me do this? It won’t take long. If it’s too heavy, I’ll come back for you.” A stubborn look molded itself to 4B’s features and Nora could tell she was about to object again, even though she looked wiped out from the brief walk back to the shelter. “I’m already dirty and there’s no reason for us both to get all wet. Why don’t you get the fire started again?”

  The task seemed to do the trick. 4B grudgingly crawled under the wing and let Nora retrieve the panel. But when Nora returned, dragging the piece of plastic on which she had also stacked a large pile of wood, she found 4B had been busy. Not only had she rekindled the fire they had extinguished before going on their excursion, she had widened the indention Nora had created for 4B’s bed and redistributed the pine needles so it was now wide enough for two. She had also stood the fabric-covered panel Nora had used as 4B’s stretcher against the open side, making a partial wall. Between that and the plastic piece she had retrieved, they could block several feet of opening from what had become a constant wind.

 
4B caught her assessing her handy work.

  “It’s colder now the rain has started. We’re going to have to share the blankets tonight. There isn’t enough room for both of us on your throne,” teased 4B, gesturing toward Nora’s airplane seat when she saw Nora’s skeptical look. “I was cold last night. You must have been freezing.”

  Nora had to admit she’d been cold the night before, but what had really kept her up was worry. It had been 4 days, now. The supply of crackers and peanuts wouldn’t last forever. During the days, the worry was manageable, but at night it messed with her mind.

  “I was a little cold,” mumbled Nora, kneeling beside the fire and stacking the load of wood she’d just gathered in the lowest angle of the shelter. She tried to keep her worry from showing. 4B looked pale, which added to her burden. It was probably just from the exertion of tidying the tiny camp, but she knew telling her to relax would be fruitless. So, she let her help stack the wood and made several more trips for more, which was plentiful in the old forest. Despite her hope that rescue was on its way, she only stopped when she thought she had several days’ worth of fuel. By then her clothes were filthy and soaking wet from the rain that had steadily increased since she’d started her chore.

  “I think this’ll do it,” she said, as she ducked under the wing. Drops of water fell from the bill of her ball cap and slid down her face. She wiped her cheek on her sleeve with an exhausted arm, realizing the sleeve was just as wet as her face. Tired and sodden as she was, the activity had been a welcome distraction from the relentless waiting of the last few days.

  4B had her back to Nora, tending to the blaze she was managing, but she looked over her shoulder and smiled. Nora smiled back and was taken by how beautiful 4B looked in the firelight flickering against the waning light of the rainy afternoon. Nora cleared her throat and looked around, impressed with the neat campsite. Whoever 4B was, she was a resilient and capable woman.

  “You must be a Girl Scout in your secret real life,” joked Nora as she piled the last batch of wood beside the rest. She then tilted the long piece of plastic up and wedged it between the ground and a bent wing flap to keep it secure next to the heavier panel 4B had already leaned up. Immediately, the wind was diminished. The mismatched wall made the makeshift shelter feel almost cozy, blocked on three sides with the fire casting dancing light into the shadows.

  4B finished arranging the fire and moved to kneel next to Nora to admire the ragtag wall. Nora barely stopped herself from reaching over to rub away a smudge of black ash on 4B’s cheek. Even covered in dirt and soot, 4B was pretty. Nora was aware she was staring, so she scooted away, over to her chair, next to the fire.

  “I was just about to move that,” said 4B, as Nora dropped onto the seat.

  “This? Move it where?” she asked, holding onto the single armrest. Her attachment to the chair flared and she hoped 4B attributed the squeak in her voice to the cold. The temperature really was dropping fast and her clothes were soaking wet, but all she cared about in that moment was the possibility 4B might want to throw her chair out into the rain. She immediately felt foolish.

  4B studied her for a couple of seconds. Nora had the impression 4B was looking right into her, seeing her foolish concern and maybe some of her unspoken fears and thoughts. She squirmed. And then 4B smiled that smile.

  “I’d like to move it for just a minute so I can do something.”

  “Sure. No problem,” said Nora. Relieved but curious, she got up and helped 4B move the seat to the side so the newly erected wall was more accessible. Then 4B motioned for her to sit on a log next to the fire to get warm, which Nora gladly obliged. Shivering, she watched 4B unwind a swath of large plastic garbage bags from a roll they had found in the beverage cart. She unfolded the strand of attached bags to make a wide sheet of plastic, and then she wrapped it around the two pieces to seal out even more of the wind. She then tucked the top edges into and around the bent flaps to close the gaps at the top edge and in between the two pieces to block the rest of the wind. She leaned back on her heels again and studied the barrier. The area beneath the wing quickly became warmer.

  “You’re a genius. You totally just earned your fort building badge,” said Nora, shrugging out of her wet flannel shirt. The t-shirt she wore beneath it was just as wet.

  “Now we can move your chair back.”

  “I’m sort of attached to it,” admitted Nora, draping her wet flannel over the back of the chair before she dragged it back to its original place near the fire and wiped bits of bark from the seat. She shivered in her remaining wet clothes. “Maybe a little too attached.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to it,” said 4B with another one of those smiles. Nora didn’t get the impression 4B was mocking her and something in her stirred. She didn’t know what to make of it, so she leaned toward the fire and rubbed her hands together.

  “How much does it suck that I have to go pee now?” asked Nora a moment later, peering outside of the enclosure. The rain had really picked up and was pouring down in sheets.

  “I’m glad I took care of that when it was just drizzling,” said 4B moving over to where she’d piled most of their things in her tidying activity. “And I just used all of the plastic bags. I should have saved one for a poncho. Wait. There’s the bag those pillows are in.”

  Nora laughed and shook her head as she watched 4B dump the dozen or so little pillows out of the plastic bag they came in. “I think I’m right about you and the Girl Scout hypothesis. But, no need, I’m still soaked, so a little more rain’s not a big deal.”

  “Good luck out there,” said 4B, shrugging at her and kneeling among the little white pillows.

  Nora sighed and pulled the damp flannel shirt back on and ducked out into the rain. She quickly did her business and ran back to the shelter. Just feet away from the wing, she tripped on a root and found herself splayed out, face down on the soaking ground. She let out a mirthful laugh at her own clumsiness, grateful 4B hadn’t witnessed her wiping out a second time. She pushed herself up and brushed at the dirt. Most of the pine needles fell away, but muddy smears replaced the dirt. Some had even made its way down the front of her pants. She tried to shake it out down her pant legs but it was no use.

  She couldn’t get much wetter or dirtier, so she decided to get their food while she was already out. She took a detour to the tree in which she’d hung their food bags, retrieved both backpacks, and ran back to the shelter. When she ducked back in, she found 4B arranging the airline pillows on the bed they’d dug out. It almost looked cozy.

  4B didn’t seem to sit still for any amount of time. Nora wondered if she was always like that, or if she was making up for all of the hours she’d been unconscious. At least she seemed to feel better, which indicated she was recovering from the head wound. Nora hadn’t realized how much 4B’s health had affected her until the worry began to ease.

  Cold rain dripped down the center of Nora’s back, reminding her she was sopping wet. She stayed near the edge of the shelter to avoid getting everything wet.

  “It’s really coming down out there.”

  “Yeah. I was beginning to worry you’d been swept away,” said 4B, pausing in her bed making activities to look at Nora. “You’re soaked through! What took so long?”

  “I brought back our food,” said Nora, slipping out of the straps of the backpack she wore and dropped both bags onto the ground in front of her. They were getting lighter and she thought about consolidating their supplies into one bag. She wiped the rain from her face. “We can’t leave the food in here overnight, but I thought I’d save at least one trip in the rain.”

  “You’re smart and good-looking. It doesn’t seem fair,” 4B quipped as she continued to smooth out the pillows. Nora blushed, and she was grateful for the dim lighting.

  “I don’t know about that. I think my growling stomach pretty much made the decision for me.”

  “What scrumptious morsels do our bountiful bear bags have in store for us this evening?�
�� asked 4B, rubbing her belly. Her good-natured response almost made Nora forget her embarrassment and how much she was starting to loathe peanuts.

  “Much to my disappointment, no steak dinners mysteriously appeared in the bags, I’m afraid,” Nora shrugged.

  “Dang,” replied 4B. “How about some shrimp scampi or chicken cordon blu? Got any of that?”

  “Unfortunately, we’re all out,” said Nora, genuinely sad to disappoint 4B. She pushed the bag with her foot. “We do have super scrumptious peanuts, though. The best you’ll find for miles around.”

  “You sold me. It’ll be peanuts for me, then.” 4B rested her butt on her heels and reached forward to run her fingers over a place on the front of one of the backpacks. “Carly,” she said, reading aloud, fingers tracing the embroidered name written across the front pocket.

  Nora could see 4B imagining the owner of the bag and before she could brace herself for it, she was back at the bottom of the ravine, remembering when she had first found it.

  The brightly patterned backpack had been the first item she had come across following the shock of seeing the first two bodies near the wreckage. It had rested against a rock several feet from the smoldering airplane, looking inconspicuous, like its owner had casually dropped it there during a break between classes to kick around a soccer ball or chat with friends. After seeing the bodies, she’d abandoned any hope of finding survivors, and in her desperation, she’d grabbed the bag and dumped it out before she could feel uneasy about rifling through someone else’s belongings. But as the items tumbled out, she couldn’t help it, visions of the faces that had filed by her seat before takeoff streamed through her mind. It occurred to her that she had barely acknowledged most of them. That’s how it is in airports, where too many people in too close of quarters wander among one another without really seeing each other, lives transecting for less than a couple hours, before everyone was supposed to have moved on with their individual and anonymous lives. But even though she hadn’t really seen them, there they were, just inside her head, as real as the bag now resting at her feet.