She released another groan before her eyes fluttered open. “Am I dead?” India’s voice was a hoarse whisper.
“If you are, then so are we,” Rafe answered, moving to her other side.
India tried to sit up, and winced. “My head feels like someone took a sledgehammer and hit me with it.” She attempted to sit up again, but Grant stopped her.
“No. Don’t make any sudden moves. You have a pretty nasty looking lump on your head. Do you feel any pain anywhere other than your head?”
She grimaced. “My side aches a little, but it doesn’t bother me as much as my head.”
Grant frowned with concern. He didn’t like the looks of that lump, but at least she was coherent. He slowly helped her sit up. “Is that better?”
India tucked her hair behind her ears, and touched her head. “A little.” She looked around her. “Where are we? Where are the rest of the passengers?”
Rafe took her hand in his. “There…there’s only four of us left. As for where we are, I’m not sure. From the brief exploration I’ve done, there doesn’t seem to be any inhabitants. I didn’t go very far, so I could be wrong.”
India’s mouth formed an “O” as if she were trying to process what she’d just been told. “Only four survivors?” Her eyes glistened with the suspicious gleam of unshed tears.
Rafe pulled her against him. “It’s okay. We’ll be rescued in no time.”
She pushed Rafe away and struggled to her feet. “No. It’s not okay. How do we know someone will rescue us? Have you ever seen Gilligan’s Island? Lost? Cast Away?” She looked as if she’d go into a full bout of hysterics.
Grant and Rafe stood up at the same time. When Grant reached out to touch her, she flinched away. “No, please don’t.”
Grant sighed. “India, that’s television. This is reality. Someone will come for us.”
She shook her head. “Don’t patronize me. Look, I just need a minute to process this.” India wrapped her arms around her body and walked a few feet away from them, her head hung low.
“Should we go to her?” Rafe asked.
Grant shook his head. “No. Give her a little time. We’ve had longer to get used to the situation than she’s had.”
Rafe snorted his derision. “Not by much. My watch is dead but we couldn’t have been here longer than a half hour. I don’t want to be a pessimist, but how do we know someone will come for us?”
Grant raked his fingers through his still damp hair. “I don’t know much about planes, but don’t they send out some kind of signal when they go down? Besides, when the plane doesn’t arrive at its destination, I’m sure they’ll send out a search party of some sort.”
Rafe still didn’t look completely convinced, but finally, he nodded. “That makes sense. How’s Ralph doing?”
Grant had nearly forgotten him. The only other survivor who had made it to the island had collapsed. He was still breathing, but they couldn’t rouse him. He had dubbed him Ralph because of his uncanny appearance to Ralph Kramden of The Honeymooners.
“I haven’t checked on him in a few minutes.”
Rafe walked over to the man. “Dammit!”
“What?” Grant wanted to know.
“He’s dead.”
Grant closed his eyes. There were now three of them, which meant they’d have to fight that much harder to survive. By some miracle Rafe, Grant and India had made it with minimal injuries.
“What should we do with the body?” Rafe asked.
“I don’t know. We could push it out to the ocean.”
Rafe wrinkled his nose. “That seems a little undignified.”
India chose that moment to rejoin them. “We have to bury him.”
Rafe voiced his agreement, “Yes, that would probably be best, but from the looks of the sky, the sun will be setting shortly and things are going to get chilly pretty soon. I think we should hold off burying him until we find some wood to start a fire. Then we need to figure out how to get something to eat.”
India shook her head with vehemence. There was a stubborn tilt to her chin. “No. We have to bury him now.”
Grant thought Rafe’s suggestion was a sensible one. “We can bury him as soon as we gather some supplies.”
“No! We have to do it now!”
Rafe touched her shoulder. “Be reasonable. He’s not going anywhere, but when it gets dark, there’s not going to be much we can do.”
India pulled away from him. “Fine. Then you two get supplies. I’ll bury him.” She wiped a tear away from her cheek and turned her back to them. Her movements were slow and jerky, making it obvious she still suffered some degree of pain. She bent over and grabbed Ralph’s collar and attempted to pull him away, but she swayed from side to side as if she’d pass out.