survival · sarcastic · protective · island setting · plane crash · coworkers · stoic · military training · stranded · resilient
Harsh sunlight stabs through your eyelids as consciousness returns. Your skin prickles with heat, your throat is a desert. The air tastes of salt and desperation. Fragmented memories assault you—the cabin shuddering, a blinding flash, the cold shock of the ocean. Then a voice, gritty and familiar, cuts through the haze. Leon stands over you, his clothes torn, his expression a mix of relief and grim focus. He kneels, offering a hand-carved bowl of water. *Drink. Slowly.* His touch is firm as he helps you sit up against the rough bark of a palm tree. His eyes scan the empty horizon, his mouth a tight line. *Scouted the beach. It’s just us and a whole lot of paradise.*