each of them knew. Maybe that's why the kid won't sleep in the plane, McChesney thought. He crawled to the back of the shelter, curled up on the ground and slept. His last thought was trying not to think about what happened to the front of the plane. He dreamed, fearful things.
Three hours later, the storm still pounding the forest, Alvin woke. He was tired, even so he smiled with satisfaction. He'd always been able to wake whenever he wanted just by putting the time he wanted to wake in his thoughts before he slept.
The fire had burned down to coals and it was getting cold in the shelter again. He looked at Sherry and Tony. She had snuggled up to Tony's side and both of them were sleeping easily. He ignored McChesney.
Alvin did not know how to forgive easily.
He stoked up the fire as quietly as he could keeping an eye on the others. He needn't have worried, they were out for the rest of the night. He got a note book and pencil from his pack and began listing the things he should do.
Plan, son, his father said. When your leg's busted and the bear's ready to eat you, plan. Plan for the moment, then plan for the next and the next until the leg heals and the bear goes off to eat the guy who didn't plan. Don't be one of those guys who says, I wish I'd thought of that, be the guy who did think of it.
His handwriting wasn't that good so he printed, large square letters.
"Supplies: Food and water; stay warm, stay calm. Check plane. Get everything useful off plane.
"Where are we? Spruce and Douglas fir, nothing like the Sawtooth Range. Must be over five thousand feet. Canada? Rescue? Dad says, don't wait, make it happen.
"The Pilot and Copilot: What do I do?"
Alvin put his tool kit in his pocket, strapped his axe and a large multi-purpose hunting knife around his waist.
I will get all the luggage first, then...still he sat by the fire. He didn't want to go back. What he wanted was to go back to sleep.
C'mon, Al, don't be a lazy bones, get moving.
He put the note book back in the pack and headed out into the rain. The thunder and lightning weren't nearly as bad. Through the trees he saw one of his light sticks and smiled with satisfaction. He followed the lights back to the plane.
At the door he saw where Tony had cut up the escape chute. There was still plenty left. He remembered the luggage handlers opening a door on the other side of the plane and made his way around to where he thought the door should be.
The door had burst open and the few bags had broken lose from their restraints and scattered over the ground. Sections of the skin of the plane had been peeled back and torn. One piece about five feet long and three feet wide had wedged in the crook of a smaller tree. He stared at it thinking hard.
Yeah, I can make a sled.
He pulled it down and began beating the sharp edges with the back of his ax. It was thin and easy to work. He wondered how anything so thin could hold a plane in the air. In the cargo bay there were straps.
Yes, I can cut those and make a handle to pull the sled. Neat!
When he had it shaped the way he wanted he attached the straps and loaded all the luggage on board. The trees around the plane were thick and it took a while to pull the sled around to the other side of the plane, but he didn't think about time, only the task.
Alvin spent another hour removing all the luggage that had been on the plane and emptying out the kitchen area in the rear. He found a large combination survival/first aid kit. There was even a fire ax. From the galley he removed every container, plastic dishes, a package of sandwiches, fruit and a box containing small bottles of liquor.
Every time he went to the front of the plane he looked toward the door to the cockpit. Mercifully it had remained closed, but he knew there was something awful behind it. He knew he had to open that door.
Not yet, he thought, I don't need to do that yet. First I'll get this stuff to the camp.
Outside, he pulled on his make-shift handle. The load was almost too heavy to move and he grunted with effort. It seemed to take forever to haul the makeshift sled through the forest to their shelter. There was no way he could move in a straight line, the forest was too dense.
At the shelter he sat heavily too tired to move. Tony came out and helped him inside.
"Sit down, Alvin, take a break. I'll make you a cup of tea." He had the fire up heating a pot of water. "Did you leave anything in the plane? Looks like you got it all."
Alvin tried to catch his breath. "We'll need it. Can you help me get it inside?"
"Sure...you just sit and catch your breath. I'll have tea made in a minute. You don't have to do it all, you know."
He looked out the makeshift door at the forest. He thought it was getting lighter on his trip back from the plane.
Alvin looked at his watch: 6:15 in the morning. It was the neatest watch in the whole world. His father had given it to him for his last birthday. It told the phases of the moon, the world's time zones, it even had a built in compass, and attached to the strap was a miniature calculator. He had studied the manual for it until he'd memorized every function.
He drank the tea and got a dried food bar from his pack. He gave one to Tony who was bringing the luggage into the shelter.
"What do you think we should do, Alvin? Do you think any one knows where we are?" Tony asked.
"I don't know, I think we're pretty far north. When I was in the plane I saw a compartment full of electronic equipment, it had all burned up. You remember when we got hit by lightning, it might have happened then. Somebody might know we're down but I doubt they know we're this far north."
Alvin drank the rest of the tea and finished off the fruit bar. "My father says don't count on being found if you're lost. It might happen, but don't count on it. We have to wait out the storm then get clear of this forest...look around. Anyway, we could be here a long time so we better start figuring how to survive. Four people need a lot of food."
"Not me. I used to love to eat when I was a young fella, now I don't like the taste of things so good...besides it wouldn't hurt me to lose a few pounds."
"I'm going back to the plane, Tony. There's a lot of things we might need and I don't want to leave here until I'm sure I've got everything useful. Did you take your medicine?"
"Jeez, what a nag. You're worse than my son. I don't need to take one for another couple hours, anyway I need to make them last until you find us a Denny's and a drugstore."
Alvin laughed. "Which one do you want me to find first?"
"The Denny's. I want a cup of coffee and some sweet rolls."
"We've got plenty of stuff for coffee, I found it in the galley."
Sherry sat up, groaned and held her head.
Tony moved to her side and took her hand. "Are you okay, Miss?"
"I have an awful headache...otherwise not too bad. I was dreaming and I thought I heard someone say doughnuts."
"That was me. Sorry we woke you. You go back to sleep if you like, we'll be quiet."
"No, that's all right."
Alvin brought her aspirin and a cup of tea. "Here, you take these, I'll give you some more in a little while. Are you dizzy at all?"
"No, just a little headache."
"How's your eyesight, is your vision blurred?" He tapped his fingers against his side nervously as he tried to remember everything he learned in first aid class.
"He's such a nag. I'm glad he's got you to worry about, maybe he'll lay off me for a while," Tony laughed.
Sherry reached out and touched Alvin's arm gently. "I can see fine, Al, and what I see is a tired Alvin Thomas who ought to take a rest and let us help for a while."
"Oh, I'm alright. I don't think you