Was he a fool for putting himself at risk? Regis didn’t think that. He wanted to find his brother and find him alive. Even if Mark was on his last dying breath, then Regis would be with him.
He could see the shadowy outline of the back end of the plane and the closer he got the more
bodies he came across.
The plane didn’t break up mid air or explode, so the bodies were still intact. Just in bad shape. Seats were scattered along with bags, and Regis made it to the tail end.
It was upside down and wires were strewn across. Two bodies were still in seats, but there was no one else in the plane.
Eight rows, twenty four seats, twenty-four people and he had counted nine so far.
Where was his brother?
“Mark!” Regis cried out. “Mark!”
Please hear me, answer me, or let me see you, Regis thought.
He would search a little more then he would head back to the plane to put the suit on. He was running out of time.
There were so many items that scattered around that piece of wreckage. The light of the beam moved about them. A purse, phone, a coffee pot and then… the book.
His flashlight beam caught it and Regis heart sunk to his stomach as he dropped to his knees.
Alas, Babylon.
The book was intact but covered in blood. He lifted it into his hands and felt the dampness of it.
“No. No.” Regis crumbled, he clutched that book. Red Sweater woman was there, the book, others, where was his brother. In one final emotional cry, he screamed. “Mark!”
His head lowered.
“Rege!”
Regis lifted his eyes and they widened. He hurriedly and clumsily stood. “Mark!” Suddenly filling with enthusiasm, he moved the flashlight around.
“Rege! I can’t see anything where are you?”
“By the tail! Where are you?”
“I don’t know!”
Rege, still holding the book began to move his flashlight around. “Can you see the spotlight?”
“No.”
“Are you hurt?”
“I don’t think. I feel like I’m in a black pit.”
“Stay put. Don’t move. Just let me know when you see my flashlight.” Regis took a second to think. He knew that the spotlight was already fading for him, so for Mark not to see it or his own flashlight, he had to be behind the tail end.
Hand against the plane, Regis moved toward the back.
“I see your flashlight!”
Regis moved only a few more feet, then lifted it up some. “Can you still see it?”
“Yes. I’m coming that way. Don’t move.”
Regis’ heart raced, he lifted his head to the heavens and said, ‘Thank you’ as he moved the flashlight left and right as a guide for Mark. Within a minute the beam caught a figure and reflected off of something yellow.
Then Mark emerged from the darkness.
Regis screamed. “Oh my God, you’re alive. You’re alive.” He grabbed on to his brother and felt Mark’s arms wrap around him.
“I was knocked out,” Mark said. “I woke up and it was just black. I thought I was dead. Then I heard you.”
Regis pulled from the embrace and shone the flashlight on his brother. His face was scraped and cut and hair matted with blood. “Why are you wearing a life jacket?”
“I don’t know. I put it on as protection.”
Regis extended his hand behind Mark’s neck and pulled him forward, kissing him on the head. “We gotta get out of here. I mean fast. Can you walk?”
“Yeah. My leg hurts, but I’ll manage. Please don’t tell me we’re the only two survivors.”
“No.” Regis took his arm and moved him along, Mark limped some. “Kit’s injured, but fine. Zeke is fine, too. They went with the rescue crews.”
“Why didn’t the crews wait?” Mark asked.
“I’ll fill you in.” Regis guided him along. “See that light, that’s the plane. We need to get there, follow the road.”
“Jesus,” Mark stopped and looked down. “That’s the lady next to me.”
“Mark, we have to hurry.”
“I watched her die you know.”
“Mark… please.”
“Why are you dragging me?” Mark stopped. “I’m trying, it’s hard to move. My legs hurt. Rege, if everyone left… why are you here?”
Regis exhaled and pursed his lips. “I couldn’t leave you behind. What would I say to Mom?”
Mark embraced him. “Thank you.”
“Now can we please get going?”
“Where to? They left us.”
“They didn’t leave us. They had to get to safety. Mark… something happened that caused our plane to crash.” Regis tugged his arm to get them moving again.
“What?” Mark asked. “Was there a bomb on the…” he paused, then fluttered is lips. “What the hell?” He kept fluttering his lips as if something was stuck to them. “Fuck, this burns.”
Hurriedly, Regis swung the light to shine on Mark. “Oh my God.”
“What is this?” Mark held out his hand. “It feels like sandy ash.”
“We don’t have time. We have to hunker in the plane. That’s fall out.” Regis pulled mark once again, only this time he nearly ran.
“Fall out? From?” A beat. “Oh shit.”
“Yeah,” Regis said. “Now do you see why we have to get to the plane and why everyone left?”
“Not everyone.” Mark pointed. “Look.”
Hating to do so, Regis stopped, He could feel the flakes hitting against his body, causing a tingling burning sensation as it touched any exposed area. He thought maybe his brother saw someone. If that was the case, if another survivor of the crash was left behind, then Regis had to help them as well. That wasn’t what Mark saw.
Beyond the spotlight pole, coming closer were two lights.
Headlights.
The rescue party returned, Regis believed, and it couldn’t have been better timing.
The deadly radiation had arrived and the fall out was evidence of that.
Regis waved his flashlight as a signal as he and Mark hurriedly made their way to the vehicle.
The vehicle drove closer then stopped.
“Thank God,” Regis said. He lifted his arm high, waving the flash light.
The door to the military humvee opened and the drive stepped out. “Hurry!”
Injured or not, Regis pulled Mark into a mad dash to the vehicle.
“Dust off!” the driver order then got back in.
Mark and Regis arrived.
“Just take off everything you can. Down to your drawers,” Regis told Mark.
Mark nodded and lifted off his shirt. He slipped out of his pants and jumped in the back seat.
After removing his shirt and pants, Regis got in and breathed out. He was winded and adrenaline caused his heart to race out of control. “Thank…” he shut the door and paused when he saw the driver.
Dalton, the young soldier from the plane, the one who sat next to Regis, he nodded, put the vehicle in gear, turned the wheel and accelerated. The ass end of the humvee swing outward as they made it to the highway.
“Thank you,” Regis said.
“When I looked for you and they said you stayed behind to search for you brother, I came back to help,” Dalton said. “You were good to me on the plane. I’m glad you found him. Why is he wearing a life jacket?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it saved him.” Regis said. “You are in the nick of time, too.”
“That’s an understatement.”
Mark leaned between the seats. “Where are we going?”
“To base. We’ll all have to be decontaminated. We’ve been exposed. Hopefully not much,” Dalton said. “Then again it may not matter.”
“What do you mean?” Regis asked.
“They may have hit NORAD, but they didn’t take out our systems.” Dalton shifted gears and picked up speed. “They just tracked seven hundred and thirty-two incoming missiles.