Chapter Text
Some say the moment you stop looking for something, you finally find the thing you were meant to find all along. Grian was tired of waiting for things to happen, so he finally did something to make it happen.
“Welcome aboard all passengers on flight 815 to London Heathrow Airport. Please make sure your seatbelt is fully fastened before liftoff. Thank you for joining us and we hope you enjoy your flight.”
A soft bell rang as the final few passengers came on board. For the first time in a while, Grian felt hopeful. As he loaded up the last of his packages he turned to his sister, Pearl.
“You’d better not forget anything important! It’s gonna be a long ride back if you do,” Grian said with a small smile.
“Hey, aren’t I supposed to be the older sibling?” She said as she dug through her backpack.
They both laughed so loud the person next to them had to shush them impatiently. Eventually, the pair quieted down after a few jabs were thrown at each other. As the plane lifted into the air, all was right in their tiny world. Siblings reunited, they began their new journey.
After an hour or so of flying Grian felt himself get antsy. His fingers began tapping an unfamiliar rhythm with a tempo so fast. His legs began to bounce up and down and sweat started to slowly drip from his hands. The cabin suddenly felt much smaller and he quickly excused himself to the bathroom to take a breather.
“I just have to breathe, like Dr. Cub said,” Staring into the mirror he took a slow breath in and out. Everything was going to be okay. Nobody here was going to hurt him and he was safe with Pearl. Once he had regained his composure he returned back to the seat, not before asking for a Vodka tonic to calm his nerves.
“Hey, Grian. Is everything okay? I saw you panic there.” Pearl looked at him with concern in her eyes.
“Everythings all good! I just really needed to use the bathroom!” Grian tried to fake a laugh but it didn’t come off well. Pearl took it as avoiding the question and she decided not to press further.
After downing his drink, Grian felt himself get drowsy. Sleep hadn’t come easily to the anxious man so he would always take it when he could get it. Pearl watched as he drifted off and she gently poked him on the side to see if he was knocked out. Unsurprisingly to her, he had gotten completely knocked out and she figured she’d do the same. Carefully not to wake her younger brother up, she rested her head on his and tried to get some sleep as well.
He wasn't always this wary of people. Time after time of lies wore on him and he figured it easier to just not let people in in the first place. It's easier to shut everyone out anyway. He couldn’t let himself get hurt again.
It was a lonely life, and day after day he struggled to do everyday tasks. It wasn't until one day that he did something about it.
"Hi, is this Pearl Moon?"
"Yup! Who's this?"
"I'm... Grian."
"Hmm... I don't think I know a Grian? You might have the wrong number there mate!"
She was about to hang up and Grian knew he wouldn't have the courage to go through with this again.
"Wait- Please just wait a second. I don't think I did this right. I'm Grian Xelqua."
There was a pause on the other line. He could practically hear her brain pounding from the other side of the phone line.
"I- I thought you were dead. Mom swore to me- I- this can't be real."
Her cheery voice instantly broke. He could tell she was trying to keep it together but he could hear the strangled sobs.
"I think I'm finally ready to meet you Pearl."
"This is all too much, can we just talk?"
"Of course. I'm sorry for-"
"No need to apologize! I just wish I knew sooner..."
A wave of guilt washed over Grian. He'd only known about her existence for a year. Being the younger sibling he couldn't remember much about his sister. When he finally tracked her down he suddenly realized he didn't even know what to say. She was nearing her mid twenties now and he hardly knew anything about her.
Grian awoke to a surprising amount of turbulence. He saw the light for the seatbelt turn on and before he could turn to Pearl, they hit another bump. Holding on for dear life he saw someone in the aisle get knocked upward out of their seat. People were no longer staying calm and it soon became clear that this wasn’t normal.
He heard a loud crash and then a ringing sound. The back half of the plane had broken off in the explosion. Looking out his window he saw that they were rapidly descending. He looked to Pearl on his left and she was reaching for the oxygen masks.
This can’t be real, right? It’s all just some stupid dream.
They crash.
All he can see is the blinding white sun shining directly into his eyes. He jumps out and immediately rushes to find Pearl. He sees her dragging an orange haired girl out of the water, she doesn’t seem to be breathing. He looks around and the smell of blood is so strong he feels himself get lightheaded.
“Help.. me,”
It’s a faint voice but he follows it and finds a short man whose leg is caught under a huge piece of the wreckage. Working as quickly as he can he uses all of his strength to get the piece up just high enough for the man to get his leg out. When Grian looks at the leg to assess the damage he noticed the man keeps frantically looking around.
“Have you seen two guys, one about ye tall with blonde hair and another with blue hair? I need to make sure they made it out okay,” he says with urgency in his voice.
“I can’t say that I have, but I would check with the tall guy with the ripped suit, he seems to be helping a lot of people out of the wreckage,” Grian replies.
“Thanks mate, I owe you one,” he says with a small smile.
Before he runs off Grian tries to catch the man’s name. “What’s your-”
“Joel, and yours?” He says, predicting the question.
“Grian.”
With that, Joel disappeared to go find his friends. Looking around, Grian tried to count up the survivors. There must’ve been around 100 people on the flight and he counted maybe 30 or 40. The back half of the plane was nowhere to be seen.
All around him was carnage and chaos. People were screaming out to their loved ones, hoping that if they shouted loud enough that it would bring them back. Some people had gathered together to pray for rescue. Amidst the cacophony of noise Grian noticed a tall brown-haired man with a cane peacefully looking out at the water. One might assume the man was clueless to the pain and suffering that was happening around him.
”Why aren’t you helping?” Grian said with as much authority as he could muster.
”Oh, they have plenty of hands, so I’m just here to listen to waves. It’s not to often that a man like myself gets to see the ocean,” The strange man smiled and then turned to face Grian. He was wearing a brown jacket with patchwork covering almost every inch of it. He was wearing cargo shorts that were far too small for a man of his stature and he couldn’t help but notice a small utility knife tucked in his pocket.
”You still need to do your part,” Grian retorted.
”How about we make a deal?”
The moment the brunette uttered the word deal he felt the air tense up. The phrase sounded eerily familiar, like lyrics without a melody. Looking back to the beach to their left he could tell people were getting fatigued. With the luggage out in the water, another set of hands would really help him out. He was apprehensive to trust the man, but they needed all the help they could get.
”Ok, fine. I’ll play your little game,” Grian said, curious as to what thoughts lay beyond those emerald eyes.
”It’s really simple you see, I want you to owe me a favor,” he said.
”How do I know I can trust you, I barely even know you?”
The man paused as if deep in thought. He dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a poppy. It was a small little flower, crushed slightly from being in the mans pocket. Grian felt like it was so familiar but he couldn’t pin down why.
“How about this cute little thing to sweeten the deal?” Before he could respond the man brushed some of Grian’s hair from his face and gently placed the flower behind his ear. Grian immediately felt himself blush from the contact and smoothness of the delivery that he almost forgot what he was agreeing to. This man was not one to be messed with.
“Fine. But for the record, it wasn’t the flower that convinced me.”
”Of course it wasn’t,” he said with a playful grin, “By the way I never did catch your name?”
“It’s Grian, and yours?”
”Scar. Now how can I be of service,” he said with a bow.
Despite the intensely stressful circumstances he couldn’t help but smile at the man’s theatrics. Grian felt that there was something dangerous about this man, but for now he would put that thought on hold. After making sure Scar was following him they went to the water to help carry up suitcases to the beach and see what they had to work with.
The night came fast and it soon became time to start a fire. Pearl had set up a makeshift medical tent to care for the injured. Grian looked around for Joel and was relieved to see him talking with the assumed friends he was talking about earlier. A few people were rationing food out for the night and he felt the exhaustion start to kick in.
After the fire was made he grabbed one of the blankets that people had gathered and laid down to rest. It wasn’t long before he started hearing things. He tried to brush it off as the trees rustling but it kept getting louder and louder. He jolted up and noticed that everyone was also looking in the direction of the sound. All he could do was watch.
It seemed like it was so close but then it suddenly came to a halt. Whatever it was had gone off in a different direction. Looking around the fire he saw the raw fear in everyone’s eyes. He looked to his sister and she was just staring out at the woods.
”Okay everyone, it looks like whatever made that noise has gone away. Let’s all get some sleep tonight before the rescue comes tomorrow.” Pearl said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. Whispers echoed through the group before setting down on.a man.
”We should have rotating shifts of people taking watch. Me and Tango here can take the first shift,” the tall man declared.
”Thank you so much, I really appreciate you two,” she said with a small smile, “I’m sure your buddy will be all healed by tomorrow.”
Grian tried to will himself to sleep but after the strange rustling it was challenging to feel safe in such an unknown place. He decided to watch the fire for a bit and he noticed the orange-girl from earlier sitting down next to him.
”The name’s Gem, how about you?”
She had bright blue eyes and curly orange hair and she was wearing a blue vest that had small fish sewn onto the pockets. She must’ve changed after Pearl got her out of the water since her clothes were no longer soaking wet.
”I’m Grian.”
”I think your sister saved my life,” she said, as if it was something she had just processed, “I must’ve been unconscious for a while because I woke up on the beach and I felt like I had swallowed a gallon of seawater. She helped me cough it all up and I’m somehow still alive and kicking.”
“We’re lucky she’s such a skilled doctor,” Grian said, looking over at the tent where his sister laid, “I wish there was more that I could do.”
Ever since he was a teenager Grian desperately wanted to find out what he was meant to do. He finally settled on becoming an architect, but it was long too late. He was broke and had no money to go to school for it so he was stuck freelancing his art and working a retail job.
A part of Grian was jealous once he knew more about Pearl. She was this successful doctor who saved so many lives. She did everything right with her life, while he felt as though he did the opposite. Seeing her help so many people today made him feel useless. He was never gonna be as good as her and she was bound to leave him for better opportunities.
I’m never gonna be good enough.
”Hey man, you good there? You kinda spaced out on me there,” Gem looked at him with genuine concern.
”Oh yeah, I’m fine, just tired and ready to go home,” he said with a sigh.
”I hear you. Since I have a feeling we’re gonna be up for a while, what do you do?” She said curiously.
”I’m not really sure to be honest. I was mostly selling my art and working retail. I want to be an architect but I think its a little too late for that,” he tried to laugh it off but she didn’t seem to think it was funny.
”Who says its too late for anything! When we get back to London maybe your career in architecture can begin.”
”I doubt it,” he shook his head, “Enough about me, what about you?”
”Classic redirection, I see you,” she said with a giggle, “I’m a marine biologist. I was in Australia on a research expedition to look at aquatic life in Sydney. It might’ve been all for nothing though since I can’t find my luggage anywhere.” Her smile faded as she said it.
They talked until Gem began to yawn from exhaustion. After regaling each other with their adventures the fell asleep to the sounds of the waves crashing against the beachy shore.
The next morning Grian awoke to see a small gray cat hiding in a bush near his tent. It was rather small and it had these striking green eyes that seemed familiar. For a second he wondered if it had belonged to anyone in the surviving group. He quietly got up, hoping to not scare the small creature, and went over to pet it. However, before he could get the chance to pet it, a loud voice shouted, scaring away the poor thing into the jungle.
“EVERYONE! Please gather around the fuselage, me and Skizz need some help,” the voice shouted.
Grian looked in the direction that the cat had fled but he saw no sign of it. Hoping that wasn’t someone’s pet he walked over to the loud voices.
He before him stood the tall man who volunteered to take the first shift, who he assumed to be Skizz. The other man was slightly shorter with bright flamey red hair and aviator goggles.
”I hope everyone slept okay last night because we have a tough day ahead of us. In case you didn’t already know, I’m Tango, and this is Skizz. I used to fly planes back when I was in the navy and I know that this plane has got to have a black box that will help send rescue to us. If we can find it and power it up, hopefully rescue can come sooner and we can all get back home before the night falls,” he said.
Looking around him everyone looked nervous. Fortunately, there weren’t any kids, but everyone was sleep deprived and scared.
”I’m gonna lead a team into the jungle to try and find the black box, so I’m gonna need around 4 other people to come with me. Is anyone willing to join me?”
As Skizz said it the mood changed. Nobody stepped forward. They all heard the growls of last night’s monster and nobody wanted to risk their life on a possibility of finding it. Grian felt bad for not being able to help as much so he reluctantly stepped forward.
“I’ll go,” he tried to sound strong, but his voice faltered when he said it.
”We’re going too,” Grian looked to his left and saw Joel with his two friends from earlier step forward.
”Perfect, I think that does it for numbers,” he said sighing with relief, “Tango can you and Pearl make sure all the injured are taken care of?”
”I’m on it,” his friend said with a smile, “Does anyone work in tech? When we get it back we might need someone to get it up and running again.”
Nobody came forward for a bit, but their was a sigh before a masked man came forward. He had white hair and wore a strange utility vest.
“I worked as an IT guy back in Canada. I’ll try my best I guess,” the man was soft spoken despite his intimidating aura.
”Excellent, I think me and the team will head out before it gets dark,” Skizz said, gathering his team and making sure everyone has a water bottle and some snacks for the trek up.
”Be careful okay? Go find our buddy.”
Grian saw Tango whisper something to Skizz before patting him on the back to disguise the request as a farewell. Since the plane split in two, many others might have family or friends somewhere else on the island. He was lucky that Pearl had chosen the seat right next to him or else he’d be truly alone.
”Alright team! Let’s head into the jungle,” he declared with a smile.
They walked for hours trying to scope the place out and Grian noticed one of Joel’s friends with a notebook, sketching out the path they had taken from the beach.
“I don’t think I caught everyone’s name, I’m Grian,” he said to the blue haired man.
”Oh my goodness I don’t think I’ve introduced myself yet either! I’m Scott, and this is my fiance, Jimmy.”
Jimmy didn’t appear to be listening, but at the sound of his name he swiveled around quickly to face Grian. Scott laughed and just smiled at Jimmy with a look of pure adoration in his eyes. Jimmy must’ve quickly realized that Scott was just introducing them and he just turned around and went over to talk to Joel.
”Ugh, you two are disgusting,” Grian gave his best fake vomit reaction to the pair, even though he had to admit he was a bit jealous of the pair.
Scott grinned again, “Oh, we get that all the time. We are actually gonna get married when we get to London since we’ve been engaged for a bit now. We were in Australia to visit some friends and were heading back for the wedding.”
Jimmy suddenly appeared next to Grian and began speaking, “The wedding’s only a week away so hopefully rescue will come in the next couple days so we don’t have to reschedule.”
Grian couldn’t imagine having so much trust in someone that they would get married. They always leave you in the end, right? What’s the point of spending all that time and trust in someone who’s eventually going to disappear?
A slightly taller boy with jet black hair stood before him. He wore a distinctive pair of headphones everywhere and he was somehow on good terms with everyone in the class.
”Hey! What’s your name?”
”Um, I’m Grian,” he said shyly.
“Cool! I’m Taurtis!” He said it as if Grian had never heard it before, despite him being voted as the coolest person in the class.
Little did he know that would be the start of a painful friendship that would permanently leave a mark on him. It always starts the same and ends the same. Grian couldn’t figure out why he kept trying. No point in dwelling on the past…
The trees were getting thicker ahead and Skizz called for a water break. Everyone was sweaty from the tropical temperatures and Joel was looking worse for the wear. Pearl had given him some stitches on his leg, but it was clearly taking a toll on his walking speed. In the last couple miles he was lagging behind, having to stop frequently to sit down.
Skizz had clearly noticed this and Grian could tell he was thinking about turning back. They had been walking for nearly 3 hours now, and they hadn’t seen anything. Dark clouds were forming in the horizon so rain was bound to come soon.
”Joel, you doing okay there buddy?”
“Imfffine,” he said through uneven breaths.
“Hey team, since there are clouds in the distance, I think we should head back. We haven’t seen any sign of the cockpit and Joel clearly needs some rest. We’ll search again tommorow,” he was clearly disappointed, but he knew he needed to take Joel back.
”We can’t,” Scott said, “I know we’re close, I can feel it. Skizz, how about you take Joel back and me, Jimmy and Grian will go further.”
”I don’t think splitting the group is a good idea,” Skizz frowned at the man.
”We have to find the black box, or we’re not getting out of this place,” Jimmy added on.
With that Scott picked up his pack and grabbed Jimmy’s hand and they began walking further.
Grian was torn. The weather was clearly getting worse and it would probably be safer to go back with Joel and Skizz. However, Grian was a stubborn man so he decided to stick with Scott and Jimmy. They needed to get that black box and without it, there would be no shot at getting home.
The party split ways and they walked further. It was another half an hour of navigating through trees and overgrown grass before Jimmy shouted.
”I found it!”
The three were overjoyed and rushed over to the upside down plane. One of the emergency doors was smashed from the impact, but it looked like a big enough entrance for them to crawl inside.
“We’ve got to go inside. Jimmy, you come with me to the cockpit, and Grian you look for supplies and lookout for us. Everyone, be careful okay?” Scott led the group carefully going underneath all of the broken glass.
The plane smelled rancid. It reeked of blood and it was hard to see inside the lightless plane. Grian carefully stepped over the wreckage and he looked around for suitcases, anything that would help them survive. Towards the back of the cabin he found a stash of mini pretzels that the attendants had passed out earlier.
He dug through suitcases to find some ibuprofen and other painkillers. In one bag he found a singular knife that he figured would come in handy so he pocketed it for himself. As he walked the plane continued to creak with every step they took. He couldn’t help but feel nervous about the precarious situation he was in.
“GRIAN! Hurry, we found someone who’s alive!” Jimmy shouted at the top of his lungs and Grian started his trek towards the cockpit. Since the plane was tilted sideways it was difficult to grab hold of thing so he carefully grabbed on the seats for support. He felt a hand, and quickly realized the person was no longer alive. He needed to get out of here as soon as possible.
After scrambling to the top he saw the pilot. He had a giant piece of what assumed to be part of the plane wedged in his abdomen. Breaths were shaky as he told Scott where to find the black box.
As he began to talk, it suddenly began to pour. Grian had never seen this much rain, and he’d lived in London almost his whole life. It was hard to make out what the pilot was saying, but Scott must’ve figured it out and noticed it was wedged underneath one of the seats.
Scott tried to pull it out with all of his might, but it wouldn’t budge a bit. Jimmy joined in to help and right as they got it out they heard it again.
The monster. From the night prior.
”Everyone, get down!” Grian tried his best to whisper, but the thunder was too loud so he resorted to shouting it once again.
The plane creaked.
The sounds of the creature got louder and louder and all they could do was hide and wait. Out of nowhere the glass in the cockpit shattered. Grian watched the creature grasp the pilot by his neck and violently twist it. Closing his eyes in fear, he heard a snap and it was quiet. The rain had stopped.
Unfortunately, their peace wouldn’t last for long because the plane was beginning to give out. It began shaking uncontrollably and Scott shouted at him and Jimmy to jump out. Grian was the last to go and the moment his leg left the top of the cockpit the front half collapsed into the dirt below them.
There was a period of silence and Jimmy decided to be the one to break it, “Is everyone okay?”
He was clutching on to his fiancé with pure fear in his eyes. Grian couldn’t blame the man after what had happened to the pilot. No one could find the body, and as a group they weren’t even sure they wanted to find it based on what they heard.
Grian tried to look around for where the monster might have gone, but he didn’t find any tracks or evidence that it was even here. All that remained was the collapsed cockpit and shards of glass. Night was approaching fast and they needed to return back to the beach.
”Scott, did you get the black box?” Grian asked.
“Somehow,” Scott shook his head in disbelief before coming back to reality.
”We’d better catch up to Skizz and Joel, it's getting dark,” Jimmy looked around to check where they came from and led the way back into the depths of the jungle.
They trio walked in silence for much of the walk back. After what they had just witnessed they weren’t sure what there was to say. Something terrible was inhabiting this island and they needed to get far away from this place as soon as possible.
After a mostly uneventful walk back they found their way back to the beach. For the first time in 24 hours they felt at ease seeing the familiar faces of Joel and Skizz sitting by a fire, laughing together. That ease would not last long.
Once the beach was in sight Grian noticed a shiny piece of metal in the dirt slightly off the path they had taken. Jimmy and Scott clearly hadn’t noticed that he stopped so he walked over to pick it up. He was alarmed at what he found.
Brushing off the dirt from the metal he realized they were a pair of handcuffs. From what he could tell, this hadn’t been here for very long and someone very clearly tried to hide it. He knew if he showed this to anyone there would be panic and finger pointing. Pocketing them he ran up to catch up with Scott and Jimmy who were talking about what they had found to Skizz and Joel.
How could they let their guard down so easily? This information could be dangerous if it got into the wrong hands. Who could possibly have come on this plane in handcuffs?
Making up his mind he knew he had to go to Pearl to figure this out. He barely knew any of these people and if there was going to be someone he would trust, it would be her.
”Pearl, I have something to tell you!” It wasn’t until he ran over to her tent that he realized how tired he was from hiking all day. His legs were throbbing, his neck stinging from the sweat of the late afternoon trek back to the beach.
”What is it?” Turning to face her brother, she had bags under her eyes. Her hands were dyed red with blood. He saw a needle and thread resting on a tattered book. She had clearly not slept the night before and she was once again overworking herself. She looked to be in the middle of doing stitches on a blonde woman who was unconscious.
“It’s- nothing. Just be careful who you trust. I have this uneasy feeling like there are people here we have to be wary of.”
Grian wanted to tell her, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Pearl had so much on her plate. He didn’t want to add another thing to an already stressful time. He’d have to save this for another time. In the meantime, he would figure this out on his own.
“Oh, you silly. You don’t have to worry about me, ok? I’m fine, just a bit tired is all,” she said with a strained laugh.
“Don’t forget to take care of yourself too, okay? I’m sure someone else can help in the meantime,” Grian said.
She didn’t reply, and instead simply went back to humming a tune while resuming her stitches. Grian knew he couldn’t get her to take a break so he settled on giving her a hug before heading back to the other tents.
As he walked over he was startled when he heard shouting all of a sudden.
”You selfish piece of shit, what the hell do you think you’re doing with that?”