charlie parker has the inside scoop (seekandsearch) wrote in ofourowndevice, @ 2013-04-25 22:37:00 |
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All Finley could really find herself thinking was 'Thank God the sun was finally going down.' She wasn't sure how long she had been walking, but she was starting to think that she was going to become a scorched pile on the ground; a permanent fixture in the desert. Not once did she stop walking, though. There were people who were depending on her to call for help. She had no clue what went wrong with the airplane, but out of nowhere the engines started to seize and struggle, forcing the pilot and co-pilot to deliver an emergency landing. It was a rough ride, but no one was hurt as far as Finley could tell. It didn't really matter what position she held as a detective; she was a police officer first and foremost, and that meant that she held some sway in emergency situations. No one's phones, computers, or even the plane's radio was working in order to call for help. So she had volunteered to search for a road or to walk out until she had enough signal to call for help.
The sun was high in the sky whenever she left them. Now, as she drained the last of the water from the plastic bottle one of the flight attendants had given to her, she was starting to regret her role as an authority figure. She pulled her long hair up so that it wasn't sticking to the back of her neck anymore, but sweat still darkened the tank top she wore; the denim over shirt had come off less than an hour into her journey. She was ready to stop for the night, but she knew she couldn't. She wasn't raised anywhere near a desert; she knew nothing of finding shelter in this terrain, or even if she could manage to find more water or something to eat. Turning back was an option, but after this long, Finley was sure she was bound to find something sooner than she would find her way back to the plane. She just hoped everyone else was alright. How was she to know that shortly after nightfall, the radio started working again?
With the sun setting and the sky getting darker around her, Finley was becoming aware of the changes in her environment. The way the wind helped cool her burned skin (because even though she tanned easily, most of the day in the hot sun had baked her thoroughly) now that the sun was gone was refreshing, despite how little wind there really was. She stopped for a moment, knelt to the ground so she could catch her breath. She was only going to sit for ten minutes or so, really. Just long enough so she could cool off and appreciate the subtle breeze. She closed her eyes and found that she was tempted to just lie back onto the ground and sleep, if only for a little while. No. Keep going. There's got to be something close by. She forced herself back up onto her feet, groaning slightly. When she reopened her eyes, she noticed a discoloration to the sky in the distance, almost as if it were -- "Lights?" Wow, her voice was hoarse.
She didn't hesitate. Finley sprinted in the direction of the lights, not knowing where she was running to nor did she care. She was thrilled to know that she was so close to shelter; she wasn't even paying attention to where she was stepping. She slid and stumbled on loose rocks that were sticking out, but she managed to keep her momentum up. The closer she got to the supposed lights, the more she was convinced that there was some kind of building ahead. Clearing the top of a hill, she looked down to see that she was absolutely right; the building, which looked like a ritzy hotel, was beckoning her in the growing darkness. Finley was so overjoyed to see the hotel that she took off running again, this time getting her foot caught on a root or a rock. She proceeded to fall down and roll most of the way down the hill. She felt rocks jab at her shoulders and arms, felt the sting of skin breaking in small places, but her fall was not hard enough to cause any real damage. So she picked herself back up and sprinted the rest of the way into the hotel.
The front lobby was as welcoming as any she had ever seen, or maybe that was just how it seemed after her trek across the desert. She didn't immediately see anyone at the front desk, so she called out for anyone who might have been close by or listening. "Hello? I need to borrow a telephone -- a plane broke down and I need to phone for help!"
"Hello?"