Horizons Read Online Free PDF Page A

depends largely on where we’ve landed,” the steward put in. “If we’re lucky enough to have crashed on a populated island, it could be anywhere from minutes to hours, I suppose.”
    “I take it you’ve flown this route before,” Zach said. “Do you have any idea where we might be?”
    The man shook his head. “About halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii, somewhere in the Polynesian chain. But I have to tell you, there are thousands of atolls and islands dotting this part of the Pacific, and as far as I know, less than a third of them are inhabited. Trying to predict which one we’re on would be like hitting the lotto twice in a row.”
    The man on the ground groaned again. Zach frowned. “Off hand, I’d say our best bet would be to get ourselves to lower ground. Maybe we’ll meet an emergency unit coming from below. At any rate, it won’t do us any good to stay here.”
    The corporal disagreed. “If they send out a search team, or a plane to look for survivors, wouldn’t it be better if we stayed here, where we can be spotted right away?”
    “That’s assuming anyone knows we’ve gone down,” Zach pointed out. He nodded toward the three most severely injured of their group, those lying unconscious at their feet. “I’m not a doctor, but I’d guess the sooner these folks get some medical attention, the better their chances of survival. If we head down now, we can reach the shore by sunset. Maybe find a village there, and some help. Besides, none of us will last long up here without food and fresh water.”
    “Again, assuming there is any on this isle,” the steward added. At Kelly’s questioning look, he added wryly, “Why do you think so many of these islands haven’t been settled? They’re nothing but a pile of lava, coral, and tropical jungle.”
    Any way they looked at it, their situation appeared bleak.; “I vote we go down, while we can see where we’re goin’,” the big American proposed. “I ain’t hankerin’ to get tangled up with no wild critters or snakes in the dark.”
    “Snakes?” Alita screeched. Her naturally tan complexion paled even more as she eyed the dense foliage mere yards away.
    “Or worse,” someone muttered.
    “I’m with Zach and the big guy,” Alita decided posthaste. “Get me out of this jungle and onto a nice, safe beach. I want a phone, room service, and a margarita … and I want them as soon as possible.”
    “That’s right, Alita,” Kelly commented derisively, getting shakily to her feet. “Stay true to form. Think of yourself first and foremost. Don’t bother to consider that there are others in worse straits than you. Even if you do look as if you’ve been dragged backward through a knothole.”
    Alita’s dark eyes narrowed spitefully. “I’d wouldn’t talk if I were you. Your hair is a fright, and your clothes look as if you’ve crawled through the gutter in them.”
    “At least I wasn’t caught in the john with my pantyhose around my ankles,” Kelly retorted. “You must have looked real cute, bouncing around in there like a marble in a pinball machine.”
    Alita sprang at her, claws bared. Kelly lunged from the opposite direction. Zach stepped hastily between them. With one arm, he held Alita at bay until the soldier could corral her. His other arm coiled around Kelly’s waist, pulling her back.
    “Hey! Stop it right now! We haven’t got time for your petty female squabbling.”
    Kelly squirmed, resisting his hold on her. He gave her a rough shake. “I’m serious, Spike. Simmer down and can the attitude!”
    “Spike?” Kelly exclaimed irately. “Who are you calling Spike?”
    “You, babe.” Zach twisted her in his arms until they were eye to eye, his lit with something akin to wry amusement, despite their dire circumstances. “If that bump on your head rises any higher, you’ll look like a blasted unicorn.”
    Her immediate response was to search for a smart comeback, but her beleaguered brain failed her. Her anger