Doggy Style Island: Survival

Prologue

My life didn’t quite turn out as I expected. Actually, that’s not entirely true. My life is nothing like I imagined it. It all started when I graduated college. Once upon a time, all you needed to succeed in life was a college diploma. But no more. Given the state of our economy, you have better odds of winning the lottery than landing a job in your area of expertise. It’s a depressing thought, but it’s true. It’s also true that I was part of this unlucky group of people. So, although I had spent year furthering my education, I ended up working a crap job for minimum wage.

Like most, I quickly settled into my routine of mediocrity. I worked long hours for very little pay. But I needed a job to repay my student loans. And from the looks of it, I would continue to do so for many years to come. I held out as long as I could, but my optimism eventually gave out and I fell into a deep depression. Digging my way out was a painstakingly slow process, but I eventually managed to reach the top of this hill. From there, I had a complete view of my life. Realizing how pathetic my existence was should have sent me tumbling into another depression, but it actually ignited the fires of passion within me. I didn’t know what I wanted to so with the rest of my life, but it definitely wasn’t working a dead-end job in the hopes of one day paying back my student loans. That was the day I created my “figure out what the hell I want to do with my life” fund. I’ll admit it’s not the best name, but who cares? All that mattered was that I was working toward betting my life.

It took almost a year before I had enough saved up. By then, I’d decided what to do with it. I could have blown it all by putting a minor dent in my debt, but I instead chose to do something far more drastic. I quit my job and bought a plane ticket. The plan was to get as far away from my life as possible for a few weeks. In my case, that meant going to Australia. I didn’t know what I would find there, but I hoped this time away from my pitiful existence would allow me to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. Hopefully, it would also bring a little excitement into my life. Little did I know, I was about to get way more excitement than I bargained for.

Survival

I was startled awake by a powerful tremor. My first thought when I emerged from my slumber was “Where the hell am I?” One quick glance at my surroundings told me I was on a plane bound for Australia. My second thought was “Is the plane going down?” But none of the other passengers were freaking out. A few looked worried, but no one was panicking.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” came a voice from all directions. “This is your captain speaking. I would ask that you please fasten your seatbelts as we’ve hit a little turbulence. Thank you for you cooperation, and please enjoy the rest of your flight.”

That answered my question. The plane was still in the air. At least for now. I fumbled for my seatbelt and fastened it around my waist. In the seconds that followed, I heard dozens of clicks coming from all around. It came from the other passengers affixing their own seatbelts. Within moments, we were all safely tucked in. And not a second too soon.

We hit a pocket of air. The entire plane dropped. Gravity seemed to vanish. We floated in the air for a second before the plane levelled off and we were slammed into our seats. We were still in the air, but my heart was now pounding madly in my chest. A quick look at my surroundings told me I wasn’t the only one freaking out. But the few experienced fliers that were scattered throughout the rest of us sporadic fliers didn’t seem bothered in the least. One man was actually sleeping. Can you believe it?

We hit another few pockets of air, but none were as frightening as the first. I’m not sure if it’s because they were smaller or simply because I was now accustomed to the rocking of the plane. Did I say accustomed? I meant not as freaked out as I once was. Truth be told, I was terrified. I kept picturing the plane going down, which only made things worse. I tried to chase the thought away, but it refused to leave.

Things eventually calmed down, but the reprieve was only temporary. Just when I was starting to relax, a bolt of lightning lit up the sky right outside my window. It was so close I was actually blinded. A split second later, I heard a powerful rumbling. My first thought was that it was thunder. Then my vision returned and I realized the truth was far worse.

My seat was located right next to the right wing engine. At least it used to be. Now all I could see were twisted pieces of metal. Flames and smoke erupted from what used to be the engine. No one else seemed to have noticed. I knew I should probably have told someone about what I was witnessing, but I was frozen in shock. I just sat there and stared at the flames in disbelief.

I’m not sure how long I remained petrified. I only know it was the panicked shouts of my fellow passengers that dragged me back to reality. Everyone was staring at the engine in disbelief. A few screamed in terror. Others whimpered. But most just sat there, stunned. This shocked stupor persisted until the plane started dipping to the right. Screams filled the air as the plane’s balance was compromised. I’m pretty sure I was yelling too, but I can’t be certain. I was too freaked out to care.

The plane continued to twist in the air. The angle soon got so pronounced I felt myself slide in my seat. If not for my seatbelt, I would have slammed into the outer shell of the plane. Actually, that may have been preferable, because I soon found myself hanging from my seatbelt. We were now completely sideways. I had the brief thought that I was about to die. But then the plane started to right itself. It took a while, but we eventually regained our original position.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps my time hadn’t come after all.

“I apologize for the scare,” said the captain, “but we just lost one of our engines.” He was trying to sound calm, but I could tell he was worried. “Not to worry tough, our remaining engine will see us to safety. As a safety precaution, we will be rerouting to the nearest landing field for an emergency landing.