At the VIP lounge of Usturia Airport, midnight.
"Mr. President, you are cleared for take-off." A man around 178 centimeters tall and with thick black hair entered from the glass door that opened automatically.
"Hmmm," Marx Skylar, the young CEO of the Skylar conglomerate, hummed as he closed his laptop and smoothed his coat. He walked with big strides towards the bay, where a Skylar private jet was waiting.
"Take care of the company, Karl. My business in Lireya will be done in three days, so I'll be back in a week's time. Don't forget to close the deal with Harkes Pharmaceuticals." Marx glanced at Karl before boarding the plane with his assistant and four bodyguards.
"Safe travel, Marx," Karl shouted before turning around to leave the tarmac.
"Good evening, Sir. Welcome." The stewardess greeted Marx in a coquettish voice and smiled at him seductively.
Marx went past her as if she was air. Her smile froze before it contorted into embarrassment. Marx's assistant snickered. He leaned closer to her and whispered into her ear.
"Dear, he is sculpted from thick ice, so you might want to change your target."
The flight stewardess blushed In embarrassment as she stepped back to allow the rest of the men to enter.
Marx was very exhausted. He spent the entire day attending meetings, the last one lasting until 8:00 p.m. On the way to the airport, he and Karl made a few revisions to the Harkes Pharmaceutical proposal.
Once the plane was airborne, Marx reclined his seat and fell into a deep slumber. The plane jolted, and Marx woke with a start. He pulled back his seat in an upright position and fastened his seatbelt.
"The plane is caught in turbulence. I'll try to fly higher." The pilot's worried voice was heard throughout the plane.
Marx checked his watch, and it was only 4:00 am. They were halfway through their destination. Below them should be the vast ocean.
"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. This is flight U-050. I am losing control of the plane," the pilot said in a distress call.
Marx tightened his grasp on the armrest of the chair. He felt raw fear for the first time in his life when the plane descended too fast. He felt dizzy and disoriented. He grabbed the oxygen mask that fell from above him and put it on.
After a grueling few seconds, the plane stopped falling and stabilized. Marx released a deep breath he did not know he was holding. Not long after he relaxed, he heard a loud crashing sound, and everything went black.
Marx felt as if a car had run over his body. He was in so much pain, and his head hurt a lot. He opened his eyes but discovered he could only open them halfway. With difficulty, he lifted his hand and touched his forehead. He felt the wet blood on his fingertips. He took the handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away the blood that trickled down from his eyes. He then folded his handkerchief and tied it around his forehead to put pressure on the wound and stop the bleeding.
He checked his surroundings. The east has started to brighten. He was horrified when he noticed that the plane was split into two. His cabin was located towards the rear of the plane. His assistant and the bodyguards were occupying the seats near the cockpit. He was all alone in this part of the plane.
His cabin was equipped with protective airbags that cushioned him when the plane crashed. The airbags were now deflated after being punctured by the mangled parts of the plane.
Marx released his safety belt. He tried to stand up but felt a sudden pain in his thigh. He discovered a metal was stuck on the flesh of his thigh. Marx gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and pulled out the metal. He almost passed out from the pain.
Blood gushed out from the wound in his thigh. He pressed a button on the side of the cabin and pulled out a small drawer. He took out a bottle of medicine, poured it over his wound, and bandaged it with layers of gauze. He ripped the lower part of his undershirt and reinforced the bandage.
He took the backpack stashed under his chair. It contained emergency supplies. He opened another drawer and took out two phone power banks, a flashlight, and a gun. He needed to find his companions.
When he stepped out of the ruined plane, his heart sank when he noted that he was surrounded by dense vegetation.
"Looking at the bright side, this is much better than the vast ocean." He mumbled to himself.
The plane's crash created a path through dense vegetation. Marx followed the direction that he thought the other part of the plane should go. Unknown to him, the rear part spun when the plane split because of the impact. Marx went in the opposite direction.
Eventually, Marx got lost. He checked his cell phone, but unfortunately, there was no signal. He walked a few kilometers but did not see the other crash site.
He heard the sound of rushing water, and Marx staggered towards it. It was a waterfall cascading from a height of three meters and covering a vast area in a semi-concave shape.
He was about to step into the shallow part of the river when he heard a rustle from the other side, and his eyes popped from their sockets. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.
'Am I hallucinating? Am I dying?' Marx thought. Perhaps he was seeing visions because he was tired and feverish, and his head ached from the contusions he suffered during the crash.
He blinked, but the vision was still there. He saw a beautiful woman, fully naked, standing in the middle of the river, where the river dropped into a waterfall. Her slightly wavy hair, which was copper-colored, cascaded freely down her slim waist.
She raised her arms and dived cleanly into the water. Marx waited but she did not emerge from the water after some time.
Marx chuckled. "How could there be a woman in a jungle in the middle of nowhere? It was indeed a hallucination."
He heard a growl from behind him and before he can reach out for the gun inside his backpack, a big tiger pounced on him and he fell down. The last thing he remembered was seeing four canines closing in and hearing a loud female voice shouting, "Khalil, stop!"