Paradise

My entire body is groaning in pain before I even open my eyes. My ears are ringing, but I can just barely hear the sounds of birds cawing as they circle above, and feel the sun scorching my skin. The light is blinding as I open my eyes, reflecting off the white sand around me. How did I get here? I lift my head up, shielding my face with my hand to take in my surroundings. My attention is immediately drawn to the large, and mostly in-tact, airplane that’s partially submerged in shallow waters. The waves gently lap against the sides, the emergency slide bobbing as they pass. 

My head is throbbing as I look around to see more people laying in the sand around me, their voices drifting in and out while the ringing in my ears starts to dull. There must be at least fifty people, give or take a few. Some are crying, some are wandering around with their phones held to the sky, some are completely still in the sand. I’m still gazing when a man steps in front of me, and squats down to examine me closer, “You’re awake, good. I was worried I’d have to find some other stranger to talk to.” While I can tell he’s trying to be playful, the intensity of the situation takes precedence. He shifts on his heels, blocking the sun so I’m better able to meet his eyes. His skin is tan and he looks to be around my age, somewhere in his late 20’s or early 30’s, the stubble on his face and crows feet as he squints makes it hard to tell. 

My voice cracks as I respond, “What happened? Where are we?” I push myself up from the sand, and am grateful when he grabs my arm to help me stand. His grip is firm as I steady myself, and I give a nod to signify I’m okay. He looks familiar, but everything is a little fuzzy. “Common, let's get you into the shade first,” he says as he gently navigates us to the thick edge of palm trees and foliage further back from the beach. “There was an issue with the plane engine and we had to make an emergency landing. From what I could see from looking out the window, when I wasn’t vomiting or hyperventilating, we ended up on some sort of island.” 

“Oh, well that sounds wonderful.” Sarcasm is my favorite way to cope, and it even makes him crack a slight smile. I lower myself onto the cooler sand now that we’ve made it to the shade, and my mystery friend does the same. We are both looking out across the beach in front of us, and I glance in his direction. His cheeks are red from the sun, as I imagine mine are as well, and his light brown hair is stiff with salt from the ocean. He turns back to me, “I’m gathering that you don’t seem to remember our time on the plane?” 

I go to take my head no, but my distraught must’ve been apparent as he’s already providing more details, “My name is Sam, and we were sitting next to each other on the plane. Truthfully, we didn’t talk all that much, just your standard introductory stuff. You told me your name was Emily, we shook hands…” His voice trails off and I close my eyes trying to focus. 

First it’s just flashes. My head hitting the seat in front of me, the oxygen masks dropping, me grabbing Sam’s hand as the plane lurched downwards. Then, like a damn breaking, it all came flooding back at once. I remember boarding the flight and how upset I was that I had a middle seat. I remember dreading going back to New York and my dead end receptionist job. I remember when a handsome man slid past me and into the window seat, he had a nice smile and deep brown eyes. I was pretending to look past him and out the window while I checked him out, but he figured me out and laughed as he told me his name. Sam. He made me laugh, we exchanged stories about our mutually miserable jobs, and then we hit turbulence. 

I open my eyes, back in the present, and look up at Sam, “ I remember now,” I pause as another memory of strong arms pulling me from my seat surfaces, “You carried me off the plane. Thank you.” 

It wasn’t long after that, as a group, we decided to explore this island we were trapped on. After an hour of wandering through the brush we found a fairly well-maintained trail. At the lack of overgrowth I could hear people behind us, their voices hopeful that this is an inhabited island, and that we’ll find help further along the way. I almost stumble over a root, but Sam is quick to grab the back of my shirt. I offer a silent thank you. He’s still a stranger, but being weak and dehydrated, I’ll take the friendship and the help. 

The bend of the trail opens to a stunningly beautiful resort. My mouth gapes at the sight of it, and I look over to see Sam’s eyes wide with excitement. The walls are a pristine white amongst the deep green foliage, and there’s a fountain running in front of the building. I whisper to Sam, “Somebody has to keep it running right?” He nods, swallowing as we take tentative steps forward, doing our best not to sprint to redemption. We walk up to the glass doors of the resort, and they slide open the moment we reach them. The inside is even more incredible than the outside. The lobby is round with large decadent pillars and there are white linen tables lined with bowls of fruit and water bottles. It seems impossibly large, and the floors are this shining golden color, as if they’d just been waxed. A chandelier dangles in the very center of it all, the light from the windows twinkling across the walls.  

“Where is everyone?” I turn to Sam, but he and everyone else are already grabbing at the water on the table. I hesitate… This doesn’t make any sense. This resort is pristine, and yet we haven’t seen a single person. I make my way to the front desk, and run my finger along the counter. No dust, not even a speck. I’m making my way back to the tables of fruit when I hear Sam call out, “Hey! Emily, come check this out.” He’s pointing at a perfectly folded note sitting on a small side table, the cloth looks like a delicate lace. He picks it up and I lean over his shoulder as he reads it aloud to the group.  

 

“Hello, and welcome to Paradise. You are welcome to eat as much as you’d like and drink all the water or spirits you so desire. There are enough rooms for each of you, complete with clean sheets and a miniature refrigerator. Please take note of the clocks around the resort, as there is a strict curfew of 11:00pm. All guests will be expected to follow this curfew. You were each brought to Paradise for a reason, and you may choose to stay permanently. You choose whether to stay or leave. Please enjoy the many amenities at your leisure and enjoy your stay.” 

Sam slowly lowers the note back onto the table, the entire room in stunned silence. A short man with a scruffy beard is the first to speak, “What the hell? I’m not doing this. I say we go back to the plane and signal for help.” At least half the group nod their heads with soft murmurs of agreement, before turning and scurrying back out the sliding glass doors. As soon as the last of them makes it out, the doors slam behind them, and an obvious lock clicks into place. A panic sets in my chest as I run towards the door, wedging my fingers in the crevice trying to pry them open. Wind whips around the ones that left, and I can feel the icy chill through the glass. A few of them start pounding on the doors, begging to be let back in, but I can’t get them open. 

I turn to ask Sam for help, only to see him standing in the center of the lobby smiling at the chaos of it all. He sighs and looks at me, “Shame they made such a rash decision, we could have had so much fun.” He extends a hand to me, a pit in my stomach as I take it, knowing there’s no other choice. He lifts my chin up to meet his eyes, and as if he had read my mind, he says, “Oh Emily, there never really was a choice.”