Andrew Hark's Story

Why was it so cold? It shouldn't be this cold. This were the thoughts racing through Andrew's mind, as he sat in his raft in the middle of the ocean. He was wet, and cold. So cold. Andrew looked around for any signs of help, any warmth. That's when his raft popped. "Are you kidding me!? Can I catch a fucking break?!?" The raft sunk, and he reacted on instinct to grab his things. Mostly, the baseball kit and parachute. The raft was no more, popped like a balloon. "Shit. Shit. Shit." Why did his raft blow? There was nothing to bust it. As far as he knew, there was no land for miles. Andrew quickly swam under to check.

Coral. Actual, coral. It had been floating up, and popped his raft. But what did coral mean? "Land." He began swimming in the direction that his raft had been going, hoping to get lucky. Holding his things in one hand and swimming in the other, he was determined to survive. And he would swim across the entire ocean to do it.

After a good bit of swimming, Andrew finally saw a blip in the distance. He looked closer and closer. An island. Swimming closer and looking closer he began to see people. People. "Hey!!! Help!!" He gasped for air, having worn out his energy swimming, but he had to survive. "Help!!" Breath. "Help!!!" Breath "Hel-" That last time Andre tripped and fell face first in the water. But he didn't trip on water. He tripped on land. Sweet sweet land!! Andrew grinned, and began to clamber up to the beach. The first thing he did was get on his hands and knees and vomit. And vomit. And vomit. Combination of seasickness, airsickness and general exhaustion. Of course he would vomit. After Pukefest 2014 was over, Andrew looked over to the group. They appeared to be working on a man. All Andrew could do was try desperately to stand up, but to no avail. He threw his stuff on the ground, and fell on the ground again. Trying to realize what had happened. These people didn't live on the island. They were survivors of the plane crash. Andrew didn't feel to swell. Feeling darkness coming in around him, he admitted the word he knew best now. "Fuuuckk."

No. He wasn't giving up like this. There were a couple people on this dreaded beach who already looked in trouble. Andrew wasn't going to be another liability. He picked himself up, and grabbed his things. Maybe something he had could help. "Do...*cough* you guys need any..." Andrew tried talking between breaths, and it hurt to talk. "Cloth...for the..*cough* wounds?" He held up the parachute.

Doug watched as the woman in front of him came to life and walk off to the big group. He got to his feet and followed. "Yo man, she's awake" He said as he reached the group. He looked at the man who was injured, it looked really bad. He could imagine the pain. "Will these help?" He pulled out the scissors, tweezers and wet wipes he snagged earlier. He held them forward to the group. "They're not much use to me" He added. He turned to see that a new guy had arrived, he didn't know how to answer so he waited for the others to. He kept the items extended for them to take them off him. He took another look at the man, that guy working on him seemed like he knew what he was doing, maybe he was a doctor? He thought to himself. Doug was one of the lucky ones who made it to safety with little to no injury, obviously there was about 2 people who had no such luck, though it seemed they would live.

“Calm down now son, we’ll find your sister,” Walter said, purposely leaving out any mention of the reality of the situation - if his sister wasn’t among those gathered now, she most likely hadn’t survived. “Just let us take care of you.”

He rested his hand on the man’s uninjured shoulder, patting him gently, trying to ease him back down in the other man’s arms.

“What I need is for someone to give these wounds a good clean. It looks like you’ve cleaned it some, but there is still sand and dirt here in the arm, and along the edges. Take the peroxide, soak a cotton ball and wipe them out. Don’t press down, but brush,” he demonstrated with his empty fingers, making short, quick gestures that would flick matter out, rather than grind it further in the wound.

He motioned to the bottle and the cotton wipes for whoever was willing, “Then when you’re done with that, rummage for some dry, clean clothes and apply them to the wound. Light colors would be better so you can see when they need changed.”

He replaced the shelf in his kit, and returned the scissors to their holder, “Now, as for whoever here as the strongest stomach,” he turned and pointed down the beach where the man with the puncture wound still sat, the lucky angel who found Walter’s kit with him, “that man needs surgery if he is going to live. It won’t be hard," he laughed at himself in his mind, surprised how confident his voice sounded when he was actually so unsure, "but it will be bloody. I need to open him up a little more, find what’s bleeding in there, and suture it shut.”

He knew all this might be too much for people whose minds and bodies were still overwrought from the crash, but it was necessary. He was also conscious of the blonde woman and her camera, darting back and forth between faces. It made him scowl, but he said nothing.

“I’m going to need someone to hold equipment for me, to hold the wound open so I can work, and someone to use rags, or I guess” he glanced at the suitcases washing up on the sore, “more clothes, to soak up the blood.”

Ray smiled at her joke, "I'm Ray, Ray Simmons." He shaking her hand. "Fox news though, that's still pretty cool." Ray was sincerely impressed but other matters needed his attention at the moment. He looked to the man who was fixing up the tattooed guy. "I can help, I can help you do the surgery....."


FOUR DAYS LATER

Ray looked around at the crash site now turned into a small campsite. He had found his luggage with his jeans, shorts and shirts. They hadn't eaten anything except a few mangos here and there along the treeline. people had built campfires and were huddled around them as they waited to see what other terrors would enter their lives. He had learned a few names, though. The tattooed guy he initially had helped was Davin, Then there was Doug, another fortunate one who survived with little injuries, Walter was the nice man who had helped Davin and performed surgery on Shawn. Ray had assisted Walter through the ordeal. It was one of the single most disgusting moments of his life and the blood officially finished off the suit that Ray was wearing.He was now wearing an old Led Zepplin shirt and some khaki cargo shorts. Then there was Kat, who was one of the first people Ray had met after the crash, she was interesting because she didn't seem to bothered by the crash at all. Andrew, was a man who had apparently swam to shore because he landed in the water. Ray had met them personally yet but there was also Kalena, Wren, Samantha, and Rebecca. There were several other survivors here and there but he didn't know everyone yet. Shawn survived the surgery and as far as Ray knew,was recovering, Davin seemed to be doing okay as well. I guess They could all be thankful for that.

He approached a fire where a lot of people were sitting. "Hey you know, we've been here for Four days and we don't even know what this island has to offer. For all we know there could be civillization on the other side. I'm gonna go on a hike into the island, explore a little bit and see what it has to offer. Some of us should stay here and see what we can do with the wreckage would anyone like to go with me?" he said to whoever was listening.

If she wasn't stranded on a - what all signs strongly indicated to be - a desert island, Kat could very well be in heaven. There was sun, sea, sand. Okay, the food wasn't great but at least there was food! They weren't eating bugs or anything, so it wasn't all bad. She was growing to like the taste of mango. When the other option was starve or eat leaves, mango's were like dining at the Ritz.

Kat lay there on an expensive beach towel. The one from the expensive Louis Vuitton suitcase she had almost drowned saving two days ago. It wasn't hers. It was better then hers! It had been so worth drowning for. Kat had saw it bobbing there on the tide for over an hour when she had decided to go out there and see what it was. It had been further away then she estimated, and there was an incident with the waves and tides deciding to rise just then. All's well that ends well. Kat told herself as she and the suitcase had been swept up to the shore coughing and sputtering Salt Water. Nose and throat burning like hell.

But totally worth it when she cracked it open and found the goodies inside. Designer goodies. And not the off the rack kind. Kat had bathed and changed into a fancy black dress, much like the ones she was used to wearing for work but just more expensive. She lay there on her back on the towel, by the camp fire with the other survivors going over the things she had filmed over the past four days. Making a face of disgust at a particularly gruesome part of the operation Walter had preformed with Ray's help. She hadn't been able to get much of a good shot because as much as she wanted one, she didn't want to be accused of being in the way and as a result being the cause of Shawn - the guy who had a beard even before he landed on the island's - death. She grinned at the thought. Wouldn't have been the first time she was accused of anything though. Reporters were blamed for everything. Even natural disasters or the Lord's wrath.

Kat closed the camera screen as Ray came into view and started talking. She shot to her feet at his offer. "Me! I'll go!" Because as much as this was an Island Paradise, a person could get a little cuckoo being stuck in one place for too long. "I'm so ready to film new scenery. Maybe we'll come across a Lion or a Tiger." She smirked as she stuffed the Louis Vuitton backpack she had found inside the suitcase with spare batteries for her camera and basically dumping the content of her own handbag into the backpack. So basically, wet wipes, lipstick and alcohol. Good packing. Finally, tying the the string's around her ankles of the ballet flats from the luggage that would be more comfortable to walk in then her heels.

"Ready to go." She swung the backpack across one shoulder, flipping open the screen on the camera once more and started filming. "So the journey into the wild begins." She stated as commentary for her documentary to be. "How do you feel Ray? Looking forward to getting lost in the jungle?" She smiled, jesting.

Doug had found pretty much nothing else but he had sharpened a stick into a spear type object. Doug was sat at a fire with some others, he was silent, he only knew 3 people, Ray, Walter and that irritating newswoman, Kat, he hated the way she joked about everything. 'This could be good for my documentary' 'Picking up a Tokyo bride?' He didn't like her at all. Ray came over and disturbed his thoughts, he offered a place to join him on his exploration. Doug took the offer. "I'll go too" Great now he had to go with the loud newswoman. Fox news, terrible. He held his makeshift spear and put his carry-on over his back. He looked at the woman's camera. Wanting to film the expedition probably, he sharpened his spear with a rock quickly, while waiting to embark. "If we come across a tiger you'll probably just run, screaming with that big mouth of yours." He said with a scowl to Kat. He continued to sharpen the spear. Wishing he had a better weapon, at least he could throw this if he had to. He known that this comment may not of won him any points with Kat, but he didn't really care. He finished sharpening and held the sharpened stick, he pulled a protein bar from his pack and started munching while waiting. He hadn't eaten much since the crash, trying to preserve food, plus watching so many people die didn't help. His cuts had stabbed over and most of his bruises now gone, his tank top had a slight rip but he was wearing the water-proof anyway.

Andrew poked at the fire with his baseball bat. Every time it looked like it was about to go out, he poked it with his bat. And it was possibly the most boring job he had done. Poke poke poke, all the live long day. For two days. Poking. The. Fire. It could drive someone insane. Andrew didn't really know too many people on this island yet, he hadn't really talked much. Probably because he was so tired from swimming for so long. At least he had made some bandages out of that old parachute. Of course his Babe Ruth signed baseballs were completely useless, and they stayed in his bag. Andrew poked the fire again and sighed.

That was when Ray walked up, asking if anybody wanted to join him on his journey. Andrew perked up at the thought of not poking the fire anymore, and quickly replied. "It sounds better then sitting here and poking this fire. I'm in." Andrew adjusted his cap that he found inside his bag. He was ready at any moment of notice. Anything to get away from that damn fire.

Kalena stood in a shallow cove fishing. It's been four days and she thought they could use some more food. She stood very still as she waited for a fish to pass by. Splash She caught a fish! Kalena put the slimy, floppy thing into a bag she had found. Splash Another fish! She put it into the bag with the other. She caught four fish over the course of half an hour. She walked back to shore carrying her four fish.

"Hi guys. I've caught some fish." She said as she approached the small campsite. Kalena emptied the contents of her bad onto a large leaf next to the fire. "Sorry. Did I interrupt something?" She said as she sat down across from where Doug and Andrew were sitting. They got up when she sat down and formed a small group. 'They must be going somewhere.' Kalena thought.

Andrew stood up from the fire. He held his baseball bat in one hand, and stuffed some soggy trail mix in his pocket with the other. He walked on over to the small group that had formed. The one guy, Doug, asked them all if they had anything to protect themselves with. "I'm not sure this rusty ol' bat will do, but it's something." Andrew tightened his grip on the bat. If there was anything out there, he could do some damage with his .312 batting average.

In this search party of sort's were Kat, who Andrew believed worked on Fox News, Doug, who was a fairly nice guy so far, and Ray, who was their best bet for survival. "Will we need medical supplies?" Andrew said. "If so, I could go ask Walter for a couple strips of the parachute. Just in case."

Once Kalena finally knew what was going on she decided that she wanted to be a part of the journey. If she got off of this island alive she could write about what they went through. She would need to go on these journeys and explorations so that she would have the experience in her own way, rather than having one of them tell the rest of the survivors what they saw or anything that happened. Of course Kat would make a new story about it, but people will definitely what more than one side of the incident. Maybe this story would be a big hit, and she would make lots of money from selling it too!

Yes, yes it IS all about the money, but only because she needed it to help her family in the Philippines. Her father was sick, and they couldn't afford to get him the medical stuff they needed to take care of him. They were barely able to send her to college in the States, too. Kalena told her family that if she became an author, she would give 50% of her profit to them.

The girl started to tear up, but she held the tears back. What good would it be to just start randomly crying? Kalena stood up and brushed the sand from her shorts. "Is it too late for me go with you?" She walked over to the small group. "I don't have any supplies except this bag. If we find somethings we can keep it in here." Kalena adjusted the light bag's thick strap across her shoulder.

Doug allowed a smirk as Ray said this. He nodded then followed as Ray lead them into the Jungle, he held his 'spear' tightly, not knowing whether he would need it or not. Of course there had to be something dangerous on the island, and he wanted to be prepared for when it decided to strike. In their small group it was Ray, him, Andrew, Kelena and Kat. He didn't think much of anyone, all he knew was that Ray was probably a good guy and Kat was an annoying big mouthed bitch. He made sure everyone was following, looking around at all the tree's and plants, I hope someone knows what to do with these. He thought to himself. The only noise was the quiet snapping of twigs as they continued on their way.

Andrew trudged along the pathway, pushing past leaves and limbs, and bugs. Was that a scorpion? He just shrugged it off and kept walking. He had no idea who these people were. He had been here for four days, and he hadn't really talked to too many people. Maybe he could try and talk now. It would probably be a life-saver to have some friends in this island.
"So, uh, I guess while we're walking, we could talk about something. Like, what did you guys do before we crashed. Or, in some cases, still doing."
Yaaayy. Small talk.
Andrew had been wondering why he hadn't seen any animals yet. Not that he wanted to, they were likely deadly. He just wished he could be back home. He began to have regrets over his selfish decision to head to Tokyo. More money, he had thought, even though he had already had enough playing for the Bears. Look where that got him.
Andrew sighed and just waited for the others to say something.

Ray watched as Kalena joined up with them. He then continued into the jungle. It was a lot more humid now that there was a tree canopy above them and and the sound of their walking and trees were the only thing to be heard. They were quite the rag tag group of people. They walked for what seemed to be about 2 hours, when the came across a small clearing. A small rock formation came out of center and a small stream of water came trickling out of the side and back towards the trees. " I guess we can take a break here, he said looking back to his companions. He panned his eyes around the area. "we'll take a ten min-" His words stopped when his eyes spotted the skeleton that was sitting against a nearby rock. A very old looking spear was lodged through the ribs and into the ground beneath the corpse.

Ray approached it to get a better look. Judging by the clothing, and the spear, The skeleton was from long time ago, a few hundred years at least. He looked back at the others and signaled them over to him.

Andrew replied back to Doug. "Baseball player for the Bears. I made some pretty good money." Andrew was stopped in his tracks at the speared skeleton Ray had shown. "Gah, what the fuck?!" He stepped back away from the completely rotted corpse, and began to frantically look around. "You'd think if there was any civilization that this'd be gone. Looks pretty old." The skeletal system stared upwards with it's cold and soulless eyes. Andrew knelt down beside of the corpse and studied it a little bit. The clothes on it were old, and the spear looked old too. "I am not liking this. Not one fucking bit."
Andrew looked at Doug with his offer of a protein bar, but refused. "I don't really want a protein bar at the moment. Or any food at all." He stood up and tightly clutched his bat.

Kalena was going to answer Doug's question, but she was interrupted by his and Andrew's curses. "Well, we are on an isolated island. There probably was some tribe that live here many many many years ago, so this could be what's left of one of them." Kalena observes the skeleton. "It could also have been the skeleton of a pirate who found the tribe. Maybe he was attacked by them. The spear looks hand made out of maybe one of these trees. I don't think that there is anything on this island to worry about. Well, unless the people have sacred temple thing which might be guarded with traps and stuff. She knew they probably didn't want a history lesson. "Sorry about that. I worked at a library back in San Diego, and in my spare time I would read books about pirates and stuff. I just thought that to be very fascinating." She looks at the ground a bit embarrassed.