“Sam, hey! Sam!”

I had huddled a bit too close to the flames like a fool in my makeshift shelter in the back end of the plane.

“I’m here!”

It was Jacklyn, she was a peach, if peaches were all pit that was.

“I can’t find him.”

I looked around, there was only a handful of us, but we had all met out our own places in the wreckage.

“Who’re you talking ab-“

“Dave, I can’t find him, Sam.”

Dave was one of the three kids that had survived the crash.

“I’m sure he’s not gone far, he-“

“He went looking for his bag.”

I suddenly felt cold, despite being a foot from my roaring fire.

“That’s in the front half of the plane,” I growled, “Why would he go out there? He said there was nothing in it.” I got up and grabbed the coat I had cobbled from found luggage. “You’re the one in charge of keeping the kids safe Lyn, You’re the one who’s actually a parent.”

“Dave is a delinquent, Sam. I have tried to get through to him but-“

She withered back under my glare.

I grabbed a torch and ran past Dahlia, out into the night.

The storm was bad today, winds tearing at me with a fury, so thankfully it didn’t take long to find Dave’s trail.

The front half of the plane was a long walk, made all the harder by the storm, but Dave was at least a smart kid, he was wrapped up warmly, and had somewhere dug up a flashlight.

“Dave?!” I shouted against the wind.

He turned and looked at me, his face all masked.

He waved and gestured, but I couldn’t hear him.

It was too far back to the camp than it was to go on, so I grabbed a carabiner line and snapped it to his belt loop and got him to follow me onward.

We got to the front half and found the door we had fixed to use as a storehouse.

As I closed the door behind me Dave came up tearing his headgear off.

“Sam, I’m sorry,” he actually sounded it, even if he was breaking the rules.

“What are you thinking little man? It’s a rager out today, you ought to be inside.”

“Sam, I-“

“I’m serious Dave, What if you got hurt?”

“Where’s my dad, Sam?”

Dave was taken back by the question, he had hoped he didn’t have to be the adult one in these situations.

“A hundred and seventy-two people on the plane,” Dave whispered, “Including the pilots and crew.”

“How’d you-“

“I heard you and Dahlia talking about it, the crew manifest. But…,” his voice trailed off.

“You and your dad aren’t on the manifest, no, I guessed you two had stowed away?”

Dave nodded.

“I get it, but, what do you mean, where is he?”

“You found out there were extra people, other than us. We aren’t the only ones who were on board not on record.”

Sam nodded, eleven in total.

“I saw them, six guys, and five woman, none of em were my dad.”

“Some of those bodies were-“

“I know what he looked like, Sam.”

Again, all I could do was nod, the kid wasn’t dumb.

“Sam, who are you,” the gun in his hand came up quick and steady. He wasn’t shook, this kid knew what he was doing.

“How’d you get that?”

“My dad’s bag,” he said quietly, “He had this too,” holding up a little picture, “This’s you Sam.”