The women returned from the shore moments later, their damp clothes clinging to their bodies like a living watercolor painting. I couldn't help but stare.
"What are you gawking at, idiot?" Emma snapped, wringing seawater from her designer blouse.
"David, your constant scheming is making everyone nervous," Kate added, crossing her arms.
I scratched my head. "Is it really that bad?"
"Enough chatter. Spit it out," Emma demanded.
I pointed to the massive banyan tree. "I'm climbing up there."
Kate caught on first. "The cockpit?"
"Exactly."
"And leave us down here with Jack roaming around?"
I pulled out the Glock and offered it to Kate. "Take this."
She recoiled. "I can't shoot someone!"
I turned to Emma.
She waved me off. "Don't look at me. I wouldn't know which end to point."
Just as I sighed in frustration, Daisy slowly extended her hand.
"You?" I blinked.
A silent nod.
"You know how to use this?"
Her response was to rack the slide with military precision. We all froze.
Who the hell is this woman?
"Safety stays on," I warned nervously. "No trigger discipline unless Jack shows."
Daisy gave another wordless nod.
"Go on up," Kate said. "I'll keep an eye on her."
I hesitated, glancing between the gun and Daisy's unsettling calm.
Emma shoved me toward the tree. "Get moving, hero."
The climb was treacherous - fractured composite panels shifted underfoot, the stench of jet fuel clinging to everything. Through the shattered windshield, I could see both pilots' bodies still strapped in their seats.
I was searching the instrument panel when—
BANG!
The gunshot nearly sent me through the roof.
"Status report!" I bellowed, scrambling for the emergency axe.
BANG!
No response.
Three brutal swings later, the jammed door burst open, sending me tumbling onto the sand in a shower of debris.
"What happened?" I demanded, axe in hand.
Kate pointed shakily toward the jungle. "Jack... Daisy fired warning shots..."
Emma was hyperventilating. "That bastard was close enough to smell!"
I retrieved the Glock from Daisy's steady hands. "New plan - we're turning this wreck into our fortress."
Kate gagged. "You want us sleeping next to corpses?"
"Prefer swimming in decomposition fluids by sundown?" I countered.
The cleanup was gruesome. Emma vomited over a wing flap. Kate followed suit. Only Daisy worked silently beside me, hauling bodies with eerie efficiency.
While they searched luggage, I returned to the cockpit. The black box was gone, but I found a marine radio and the captain's medical kit.
Then came the scream.
Gun drawn, I slid down the aisle to find Kate elbow-deep in the galley, shoving airline cheesecake into her mouth like a starved animal.
The discovery was staggering - dozens of intact meal trays, sealed water bottles, even fresh fruit in a still-functioning cooler.
We feasted until reason returned. "Rationing starts now," I announced, wiping chocolate mousse off Emma's chin.
Her eyes narrowed. "Says who?"
"Says the only one who knows our coordinates." I tapped the GPS watch from the cockpit. "This island's off all flight paths. Rescue could take weeks."
Emma opened her mouth to protest when Kate suddenly slammed her suitcase shut. "Over my dead body."
The standoff was interrupted by a metallic click.
Daisy stood in the doorway, the Glock's laser sight painting a red dot on Kate's forehead.