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I was a miserable 40 year old teacher in a school in the suburbs, where absolutely nothing happened. I coached the girls soccer team, and was in charge of teaching health class. Every day, I pressed play on another video about more pills and how they can kill you. These girls were talented, but they were losers. I always caught them drunk behind the bleachers before practice, some of them straight up throwing up on the field. I was now on the field with them, and Jackie scored the winning goal. The crowd erupted in cheers and they all ran to hug each other, reminding me of my high school experience, united through victory.
“Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!” They all chanted in a group
***
The plane was Lottie’s father, and it was obvious it was. It was a private jet, the seats were nice leather and I got comfortable in the front row.
“Alright girls, listen up! Thanks to Lottie’s dad, we have this nice plane, but I want all of us on our best behavior! I wanna see us win at nationals this year!”
With that, they all let out a loud cheer and we took off. I closed my eyes to get some rest, and awoke to the smell of smoke. I slowly opened my eyes and saw our plane going down, this wasn’t Seattle.
“Attenion, the engines have given out and we have crashed just north of Seattle, in Canada” The pilots said
We landed with a loud thud and the world went silent for a moment. I looked in fond of me and both of the pilots were dead. I got up from my seat and turned around. These girls were all crying, in need of desperate assistance. I took in this view. These random girls who happened to enjoy soccer, and me coaching them for the extra money, now in a life or death situation. I had to do something- I had to save them. I could sit back down, wait until the fire spreads to me, or maybe I’ll wake up back in my bed. I had to save them, this was my purpose.
I got them all out of the plane, no one having major injuries, just some bleeding here, bruises there. The sight of gore doesn’t gross me out, but this sight was something different. It wasn’t like something from a movie, this was real. People died, and we are stuck in the Canadian Wilderness- alone. And I'm the only adult. Taissa came sprinting back, bringing news to the group.
“Alright guys, I took a walk to clear my head- and I think I saw a cabin for shelter.”
“Are you sure? I think we should stay here, if rescue came” Jackie said
We had a vote, and we were off. For the first time, I didn’t have to speak up for them, they could make their own decisions. The cabin was nice for where we were. There was a bed that the girls let me have, and I taught them how to use a gun. Natalie and Travis came home with food, Shauna butchered it, and Mari made it into a stew every night. The taste wasn’t amazing, but it did warm my body. ***
One night, I woke from my slumber to the sound of two girls yelling. It was Jackie and Shauna, of course. The two best friends who really loathed each other deep down but didn’t want to admit it.
“Maybe you should just sleep outside Jackie” said Shauna
“Fine” Jackie replied, walking out the door
“Girls, it’s too cold, no one’s sleeping outside” But no one listened, Jackie shut the door and I never saw her again. It just so happened to snow that night, and she froze to death. It was horrible seeing Shauna scream and cry over her dead body, I was horrified at the sight of it. The girls decided to cremate the body, not wanting a dead body around, “if rescue came”. That night, the cold became unbearable. Through the smell of wet snow, the smell of a barbeque danced around my nostrils. Was I dreaming? My friends and I loved having barbecues, am I just imagining this? I got up to investigate, and noticed all the girls were gone from the floor on the cabin, their sleeping bags rumpled. The door was open, the girls huddled around something. I focused my hearing just hard enough, I could make out noises of chewing, biting, even slurping. These girls were desperate, were they eating an animal? How did they find one in the middle of winter?
Lottie moved her head over to eat from another area- then I saw it. This was not just any animal- this one had a name, and a consciousness. Her name was Jackie Taylor. The snow plus the cremation must have barbequed her, and here they were, eating their team captain. The “useless” one according to them. I couldn't watch them anymore and turned back around to face the cabin, recollecting my thoughts. I couldn’t shake the biggest one swarming my mind.
Was I next?
While the girls were asleep, I crept out of bed. And I ran, and ran until I couldn't make sense of where I came from. All I had was myself, alone. I found a hiding beneath the trees and reliazed it was a cave. It was shetler inside, and fortunate for me, I had some bats as company. It waan’t gourmet, but that would have to be my dinner every night. I spent every day mostly sleeping, preserving my energy for god knows what. I made sure to collect and filter water that pooled in the cave, and cooked and served myself bat every night. I assumed the girls were curios on where I was, but I had no idea how much time had passed. I didn’t dare go outside, not wanting to face the wilderness. It didn’t want me, or as Lottie said, “The wilderness didn’t choose you”
***
Rustling
Footsteps
Whispers
Breathing
“Coach”
It all happened so fast. They ripped me from my shelter and forced me to walk back to theirs. The cabin, it was gone. It set on fire, and most of them blame me for leaving them alone.
“What if rescue comes and you’re still in your cave?” They reasoned
Now it was summer, I assumed and I was forced to be their prisoner. I was put in a pen with all the animals and was fed a small portion of their dinner every night. There were goats, rabbits, deers, and other animals. They hadn’t eaten anyone else. I searched their camp, everyone was there. Natalie, Shauna, Javi-. Javi wasn’t there. Neither was Robin
“Nat, where is Javi and Robin?” I asked while she gave me dinner
She looked like she was in pain
“T-the wilderness chose” she said, not looking me in the eyes
That night I didn’t eat my dinner, too disgusted to eat. At sunrise, Shauna and Lottie walked out together to the middle of the camp.
“It’s time for another hunt, the wilderness needs another sacrifice”
Is this how Javi and Robin died, a hunt? We all gathered in a circle and Lottie pulled out a deck of cards. Whoever got the queen card was the target. When it got to me, I lifted the card and raised it without looking. The gasps were enough to let me know what I got. The queen. I had 30 seconds before they started hunting. So I ran. It had snowed last night, and I was freezing. These girls, I knew since Freshman year. Sure I hated them, they were losers. But they had strength, together we made a team. I spent my whole life teaching, forcing myself to hate these girls. But they were my family, and I did care for them. I threw Lottie a birthday party once while her parents were away, I helped Nat after her dad died, I helped Shauna with her college essay to Brown.
Heavy panting filled my ears, and my breath was giving out. I ran as the last of the momentum in my limbs left my body. I could hear the girls from a distance nearing in on me.
Run
Run
Run
I fell, I don’t know what it was but it killed me. Spikes impaled my body and the blood filled the bottom of the pit.
“The wilderness has been chosen, thank you coach.” Lottie said Shauna came up behind her with the rest of the girls “Take her out and clean the pit, for when rescue comes.”