Page 20 of Aviator
“Maybe,” he says. “I just thought I saw. . .”
“Saw what?”
Another lengthy silence follows before Jamie pushes to his feet. “Never mind, dude. You’re right. I probably just need some sleep. You go back to bed. Everything’s fine.”
Before I can stop him and get him to explain what the hell is going on in that brain of his, he’s out of my tent, his footsteps fading into the distance.
I try to write it off as Jamie being Jamie, but I’m not able to sleep until the sun starts to rise. When I wake from a troubled sleep, I find Jamie’s handprints on my shirt with what must be stains of Tate’s blood.
* * *
“Dean? What—?” comes Kenna’s frantic voice. When I come back to the present, I glance over, and her face is devoid of its usual pink blush. The urge to touch her, to reassure her, is so strong it makes my gut twist. But I can’t lose focus, not if I want to ensure our survival. I silence the alarm so she can hear me.
“I need you to stay as calm as possible for me. Can you do that?” I ask over the din, my voice filled with urgency. I grip the controls with renewed strength, my fingers trembling but determined. The helicopter lurches, its once smooth flight giving way to erratic movements. I fight to maintain control, to keep us in the air just a little longer. She doesn’t answer for a minute, and I bark, “Kenna.”
“Yes, I can do that,” she finally answers. Her voice is shaky, but I don’t blame her.
The scent of smoke fills my nose, but the relief at her words is blinding. “That’s my girl. Everything is going to be okay.” I attempt to call out a mayday and radio our location—the north face of Thunderhead Mountain—and I can only hope it gets through to someone.
“What—” She pauses to take a deep, hiccupping breath. “What’s wrong?”
“We’re losing power.”
“Because they shot the helicopter?” she whispers.
“No, bullets couldn’t do that. This is something else. I’m going to try to land at the next available clearing. Make sure your seatbelt is fastened securely. Securely, Kenna. God himself shouldn’t be able to get you out of that seat. You hear me?”
“I hear you.” Movement out of the corner of my eyes confirms she’s doing as she’s told. “Done. Now what?”
The storm is intensifying, wind is lashing against the windshield, and the dark, forbidding silhouette of the trees below is growing closer. With the engine failing, we're losing altitude fast.
“Just hold on.”
I pull up on the collective, attempting to slow our descent, and simultaneously adjust the cyclic to aim for a small clearing between the trees. Autorotating down to a landing is our only chance.
Kenna grips her seat, her knuckles turning white as she stares at me, eyes wide with fear. I shoot her a reassuring glance, though my own adrenaline is pumping and every fiber of my being is focused on executing the autorotation perfectly.
As the ground rushes up to meet us, I time the flare just right, pulling the collective hard while pushing the cyclic forward. The helicopter responds, and for a moment, it feels like we might make it.
But then, the impossible happens.
A massive gust of wind from the storm buffets us, sending the helicopter veering off course. I fight back, desperately trying to regain control, but it’s too late. The tail rotor clips a tree branch and sends us into a violent spin.
The world outside blurs into a chaotic whirlwind of green and white as we crash through the treetops. The sound of splintering branches and twisting metal is deafening. Kenna’s screams mix with the cacophony of destruction.
And then, with a bone-jarring impact, the helicopter crashes to the ground. I feel something in my leg snap. My vision goes white with pain, my head collides with something, and everything goes black.
CHAPTER NINE
KENNA
When I come to,it’s difficult to tell how much time has passed. There’s a cold blanket of white all around me, and snowflakes are still descending from the sky, dusting my skin and clothes. For a moment, I’m disoriented and unsure of where I am or what has happened. Why is it snowing in my room? I ponder this for a moment as snow melts on my skin.
But then it all comes back to me in a rush.
The cabin.
The gunfire.
