Джордан Шор - The Search

A few hours later, after the rain had stopped, Jack stood in the lake with water almost up to his knees. He’d pulled his black suit pants above his kneecaps and was holding a long branch with both his hands. He’d tied his shoelaces together, and used them as a fishing line with a small rock at the end and then something that resembled a fishing hook with a worm attached to it. Kevin and Andrew stood by the lakeside, and both of them shook their heads while they focused on Jack. Julie sat by Nancy’s side under the Chanterelle tree; Nancy was still asleep.

“Check if the worm is still there!” Andrew yelled.

Jack checked his line. The hook was still there, but the tempting bait had vanished; he replaced it with another worm from his pocket.

“It’s not going to work, Jack!” Andrew yelled.

Just then, Nancy woke up, and she looked just as disorientated as before. “Look.” She pointed at Jack. “He’s in the water now.”

“I know,” Julie responded. “He’s fishing.”

“He doesn’t have his shoes on, see…” Nancy pointed at a pair of black dress shoes by the lakeside. “He can’t run fast enough if he’s barefoot.”

“Why would he run?” Julie asked.

“And the short one is squinting, see…” Nancy pointed at Andrew. “He can’t see, and the fat one can’t run that fast. We can break free now.”

“What on earth are you talking about, Nancy? Those men are helping us.”

“No, they’re not. They’re dangerous,” Nancy said. “You’re not thinking straight.”

“No, you’re not thinking straight, Nancy. You’re confusing yourself.”

“No, you’re the one that’s confused,” Nancy argued. “You think they’re your friends, because you’re scared of them. That’s what happens when you’re scared. You have that disease … Your mind is fooling you.”

Andrew turned around, and squinted as he looked at Julie and Nancy.

“We have to run.” Nancy grabbed Julie’s arm.

“I can’t walk, Nancy. I broke my ankle. Remember?”

“They broke your ankle,” Nancy said and looked at Julie with wide eyes.

“Is everything all right, back there?” Andrew asked.

“Yes, we’re fine,” Nancy immediately replied.

Andrew turned his attention toward the lake, and shook his head once more. “That man is too optimistic.”

“I think he’s religious,” Kevin said. “Perhaps he thinks God is on his side.”

“You mean because of that amen remark?” Andrew asked. “I don’t think that’s what he meant.”

“I think I saw him praying the other day,” Kevin claimed. “That’s why I reacted to the amen remark. Christian people usually don’t use that word except when praying.”

Andrew lifted his left eyebrow. “Well, it would explain his annoying optimism.”

Then Andrew glanced back at Julie and Nancy by the tree before he leaned in closer to Kevin with a cunning smile on his face.

“I know a secret too.”

Kevin didn’t react to Andrew’s claim.

“Let’s just say I know one of us isn’t exactly who they claim to be.” Andrew winked his left eye as he looked at Kevin.

Kevin, suddenly looking furious, grabbed Andrew by the neck and squished his throat with his right arm.

“You shut your mouth! You hear me? This doesn’t concern you.”

Kevin pushed Andrew by the neck, and Andrew lost his footage and fell to the ground. Andrew stared back at Kevin with a startled and confused expression.

“They’re fighting,” Nancy said. “I’ll get help. I promise.”

Then Nancy jumped to her feet and ran toward the woods.

“Nancy’s running!” Julie shouted.

Andrew was still on the ground, and squinted toward the woods. Kevin stood still and looked confused, before he eventually began to walk at a fast pace toward the woods. Then Andrew rose and ran past Kevin. Jack ran quickly to shore, trudging in water, and still holding onto his fishing pole. He put on his black dress shoes, only to lose them as soon as he started to run. His hands shook as he bent and attached his shoelaces.

Eventually, Jack ran fast and with determination into the surrounding forest, screaming Nancy’s name, pleading with her to stop running.

Evening

The men and Nancy had been gone for hours. Julie was all alone, her eyes tracking back and forth across the shore. Occasionally, she yelled their names. She’d spent most of her time trying to get the branches hot enough by rubbing them against each other, but her effort seemed hopeless. Julie showed a sense of resignation as her eyes wandered between the empty sky and the distress signal written across the shoreline. The sun was about to set, and the woods grew darker as each minute passed.

Eventually, three men emerged from the shadows of the woods. Jack carried Nancy in his arms, her head tilted backward, and her left arm hanging down.

The three men seemed exhausted, and were breathing heavily. Nancy, however, wasn’t moving at all.

“Is she dead?” Julie asked, a shiver in her voice.

“No, she’s just sleeping,” Jack said, and took another deep breath. “I found her curled up underneath a tree. She begged me to take her home. We all need to keep a better eye on her from now on.”

“I’m sorry. It all happened so fast. I couldn’t get hold of her.”

“It’s not your fault, Julie,” Jack said. “We all need to keep a better eye on her.”

Andrew nodded. “I’ll stay closer from now on.”

“Why aren’t they coming for us?” Julie’s voice quavered.

“I don’t think the black box is transmitting a signal. If it was, they’d be here by now,” Andrew said. “Something’s wrong.”

“They can locate planes at the bottom of the ocean,” Jack said. “Finding a plane in a shallow lake shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Perhaps, that is the problem,” Andrew responded. “The bottom of the ocean is hard, and the water’s deep. However, the bottom of a shallow lake could be remarkably soft. Perhaps the transmitter’s buried in mud.”

“Is the transmitter located at the front or the back of the plane?” Julie asked and looked at Jack.

“How would I know?” Jack frowned.

“Well, you seem to know a lot about airplanes,” Julie responded.

“I only know what’s in the news,” Jack claimed. “But I’m certain there’s a transmitter on the plane.”

“Something’s wrong.” Andrew shook his head. “They’re not coming.”

“You think we should leave?” Jack asked. “Is that what you’re saying?”

“I’m just saying. If we’re going to walk out of here, then we can’t wait too long,” Andrew said. “If it’s this cold in late August, then imagine how cold it must be in October.”

Jack looked across the shore. “Either way, they are looking for us. And if they fly over here, they’re bound to see the sign.”

“If they fly over here,” Andrew replied. “But we’re not where we’re supposed to be. I don’t think we’re anywhere close to the ocean.”

“Satellites are everywhere these days. Someone’s always watching.”

“Have you looked at a map recently, Jack? That sign is fifty feet wide, and the Canadian wilderness is half a continent.”

“It’s only been two days, Andrew.”

“I’m not saying we should leave tomorrow, but we should at least get a better view of the surroundings,” Andrew said. “A road could be within close proximity. Cars could be passing by us as we speak.”

“That’s true.” Jack nodded.

“We should get a good view from the top of that mountain over there.”

Andrew pointed at the dark silhouette of a mountain, slowly fading away in the sunset. Jack looked in the same direction.