Kathleen saw the different emotions flicker across her eyes; from confusion to relief and then surprise.
Despite the intermittent pain she still felt in her stomach and all over her body, Kathleen was very concerned about the woman and hoped they would get help as soon as possible.
"Please calm down, I believe we will be fine. And please try not to move around; it's not good for your body. I'll try and see how we can get help. Ok?"
"Hmmmh," came the lady's reply. She seemed to be trying so hard to come to terms with something on her mind but Kathleen was no mind reader and could only offer her comforting words.
"Don't worry, all will be well," Kathleen reassured her to quieten her obviously taut nerves.
At this point she didn't know if she said that to console herself or the lady.
Eventually, the lady calmed down and asked weakly, "What's your name?"
"I'm Kathleen, Kathleen Crawford."
"Kathleen… " she repeated. "It is a very nice name. Indeed the name suits you perfectly. Ever since we met, you've been so helpful and kind to me. I don't know what I would have done without you. Maybe I would have died by now."
"Don't say that Madam, you look kind yourself, moreover I feel fulfilled being of help to you," Kathleen countered with a smile.
"Madam sounds so cranky and old. I am Elizabeth Gale Harper, and I would love it if you called me Elizabeth or Aunt," the lady requested lovingly. "Whichever one you feel like addressing me by is Okay as long as you don't call me Madam or Ms Harper," She added..
Kathleen was taken aback by the lady's request. Anyway, it's just a form of address and so she decided to call her Aunt, since the lady was her elder. If she guessed correctly, the lady should be in her early fifties.
"Yes Ma, sorry… Aunt," Kathleen quickly corrected after getting a stern look.
"That's better." Her voice was warm and doting, reminding Elizabeth of her adoptive mother.
While she was relishing in those thoughts, an explosive sound went off not far away from where they were, shattering pieces of metals coated with fire all over the place.
Elizabeth's breathing quickened almost immediately and with a trembling voice she cried out… *What's that?"
Kathleen was not feeling any better either, however for Elizabeth's sake she had to put up a bold front and explained calmly, "I think It's the engine from the front part of the plane that was already burning. Don't be scared Aunt, you'll be fine. Ok?" She added.
Elizabeth's grip on Kathleen's arms tightened. She gazed into Kathleen's eyes anxiously and nodded, but there was a pensive look on her face.
"How in the name of God are we going to get out of here? We've been stranded here for over and hour now and no help is in sight, each moment is so terrifying." She mused sadly.
Not long after Elizabeth's complaint, Kathleen felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. It was as if something was gnawing fiercely at the walls of her stomach.
An agonizing moan escaped her mouth and she clutched tightly to her stomach.
"It hurts!" She screamed,
"Kathleen! Kathleen… Kathleen….. Please open your eyes, don't scare me!" Mrs Harper shrieked desperately.
She was confused and didn't know what to do.
She adjusted Kathleen to lie on her side and as she raised her hand from Kathleen's body, she stared with wide eyes at the sight of what was on her palm.
"Blood! No..,..!" she screamed, instantly turning pale with fright.
Elizabeth limped out and started yelling for help, she didn't really expect that she'd get any, but it was better to make an attempt than sit back and do nothing.
....
"Boom!"
Ben and Samantha were scared out of their wits end when they heard the deafening sound about five kilometers from where they were camping.
"What was that?" screamed Samantha.
"I think it's an earthquake," Ben replied
"How can you say that? It's more like a crashing sound," Samantha countered.
"Whatever it is, I have a gut feeling it's not good. Let's go and take a look, maybe…"
"Take a what….!? I don't think it's safe to do so. Let's quickly move away from here before we encounter any imminent danger," Samantha interrupted him almost immediately.
She was already gathering her stuff as she spoke.
"But we can't leave just like that. We need to be sure of what's going on. What If someone needs our help?" Ben still insisted.
"Benneth King!" Samantha shouted. "Why do you always like risking your life especially when it has nothing to do with you? I've told you I'm not going. But if you insist on killing yourself, then go ahead. As for me, count me out!"
Samantha stormed out of the shack in anger with her backpack strapped behind her.
She was exasperated. She couldn't put up with Ben's adventurous behavior any longer.
Ben: "..."
"Why is she always so worked up? I just wanted to see if someone needs our help. Anyway, I'm going with or without her," he decided.
They were medical students who had come for a medical outreach in a village about twenty kilometers from the island. Their school had organized the outreach to help the villagers. After the exercise that afternoon, they were given the rest of the day to unwind before taking off in the morning to the city where their school was located. He had then proposed they visit the island during that time. They hadn't spent up to an hour when they heard the explosion.
He was about heading out when Samantha rushed back into the shack screaming his name.
"Ben! Ben!" Please come out quickly, there's smoke coming out from that direction and it seems big. What do we do?"
When Ben came out, he noticed Samantha was pointing at the direction where they had gotten off the ferry that brought them to the island.
"Come along," he said as he started running towards the smoke.
On getting closer, they could perceive the strong smell of burning metal in the air. He quickened his pace while urging Samantha to run faster.
It took them about twenty five minutes to get there.
He stopped a few meters from the scene of the crash to assess the whole situation.