Chapter 1 Go home

Jeff, who was in his rental apartment, celebrated his 18th birthday by himself. He was alone in the room, which was really small and the design was low quality since it was old and worn out.

It was early in the morning, and Jeff was looking at his phone attentively. Suddenly, his most awaited thing came - a call was made, which he clicked the green button on the screen of his phone.

His phone was a Nokia, a touchscreen phone at that. It's got more durability than a cockroach in a nuclear apocalypse. Featuring a titanium back that laughs in the face of bullets, this phone is practically invincible. Spill coffee on it? Drop it in the pool? No worries, this bad boy is water-resistant.

Oh, and did I mention it's heat-resistant? You could roast marshmallows with it, and it would still work like a charm. Talk about a phone that can take a beating and keep on tweeting! 

Of course, he did not try to spill coffee on it or even throw it in the water, since he only bought this in the market for only 1,000 pesos cause he had no money to spare. For the exaggerated description? Well, he only saw this in a commercial, not knowing if it's really true or not.

[For those who are wondering what the green button is, it's a button to accept a call]

"Yes, dad, don't tell me you are missing your only son," Jeff said with a laugh and longing.

Since his family was working abroad to support him, which made him very sad and missed them for a long time.

"Who missed who? Little brat, you've just turned 18 now. Come back now and inherit the family's fortune," a grown man spoke on the other side of the phone.

Jeff was stunned hearing this, "What am I going to inherit? Your old wooden house or your old broken motorcycle? Hahaha, Dad, we're not rich, we're broke," he said with a laugh as tears slid from his eyes, from laughing so much.

"Aiyahh, just go home right now. I booked a flight for you. I'll promise you that you will be surprised," the grown man on the phone call replied with a gleeful tone.

"Yeah, right. When is the flight, you just said just now?" Jeff said as he narrowed his eyes, wondering if he heard that wrong.

"Now, your flight is today. We will be waiting for you at the airport," his father replied on the other end.

"What did you say, today? I haven't even organized my stuff. Why did you put the set day for the flight today?" Jeff said with a shocked face.

"Just leave your stuff in there. You are not going to need that here," his father replied on the other end.

"What are you talking about leaving my things here? We're broke, and I bought this stuff from working day and night, old man. I'll try to gather my stuff first," he said.

"Oh, yeah, what time is the flight?" he asked.

"10:00 am in the morning," his father replied.

"Got it, Dad, I'll be on my way now. Bye, old man," Jeff bid his farewell. He was very excited to see his family again, for 8 years being alone in this place.

He was left behind by a kind aunt who managed a small rental apartment. After organizing the place and taking the clothes that he needed and things, he was a bit emotional as he carried his bag to his door, looking at his room for 8 years.

As he went down the stairs, he saw the kind aunt who had been taking care of him. When she saw him, she smiled.

"Your father just called just now. You can go back now, young mas- I mean young Jeff," she said as she stuttered the word, with a cough.

Jeff had no time to think about what she said since he was very emotional right now, for leaving the kind aunt. He hugged her filled with longing since he would now live with his father and continue his school in the United States.

"Hayss, don't miss your aunt, okay. Just live a good life out there," she said as she caressed his hair.

Even though this aunt Marie of his is not related by blood, she was like his second mother, making him hard to be parted with her.

He just nodded and then left the small rental house. As he was far away, the smile on her face turned serious as she took out a phone.

"Young master training is now complete. Let's go back to headquarters," she said to the phone as she closed the door.

Jeff then took a cab, telling the driver to go to the airport. He currently lived in the Philippines, and both of his parents were also Filipinos. But they currently worked in the US to support his studies. As he was in the cab, he was very excited.

As he arrived at the airport, he lined up in the queue. As a flight attendant asked for his tickets, he just showed the receipt on his phone and his passport. After seeing nothing was wrong, his luggage was left, and he then went to the plane.

He was stunned since he was put in the first-class seat, wondering if the flight attendant made a mistake. But she replied with a shake of her head and insisted that she didn't make any mistake.

He then nodded his head and accepted this, "That old man is now spending money so casually, did he forget, that we are broke?" he cursed inwardly.

As the plane was filled with passengers it was finally time to take off, Jeff looked down on the window and saw how high up the plane are now. He was very astonished seeing this, since this was his first time riding a plane.

He then closed his eyes to enjoy this moment. After a few hours, the pilot who was driving the plane was stunned. The bright and sunny day suddenly turned dark, it seemed like a storm just occurred.

The whole plane shook, making Jeff wake up from his slumber. He just saw that there was a girl beside him, thinking that this must be his companion on the seat since. He also saw that the girl also woke up from the strong shaking of the plane.

Looking at the window, he could see that the clouds were so dark, and the thunder roared like crazy. The girl was very scared and hugged Jeff on his shoulders, which made him stunned and frozen. But seeing her so scared, he just let her.

Even Jeff was also scared since he doesn't know if this is normal when riding a plane.

The pilot turned on the speaker, his voice calm but with a hint of urgency. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are currently experiencing an unexpected turbulence due to a sudden storm. Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened."

In the cockpit, the pilot tried to contact the headquarters, "Tower, this is Flight 243, do you copy? We're encountering severe weather conditions. Requesting guidance."

Static crackled through the radio, but no response came, "Tower, this is Flight 243. Do you read me?" the pilot repeated, his concern is growing.

His co-pilot, eyes narrowed, checking the instruments. "Captain, our communications seem to be down. I'm not getting any signal."

The pilot frowned, trying again. "Tower, this is Flight 243. Please respond."

The static persisted, and a strange interference signal buzzed through the headset. The pilot's grip tightened on the controls.

"Something's not right. We should be getting a response."

The co-pilot nodded. "It could be the storm interfering with our signal, or... something else."

"Keep trying to establish contact," the pilot instructed. "We'll need to navigate this carefully. Inform the passengers to stay calm and secure."

Back in the cabin, the intercom crackled to life once more, "Ladies and gentlemen, due to the storm, our communication systems are facing some issues. Please remain seated and follow the instructions of the flight attendants. While we are handling this situation."

Jeff feeling the anxiety in the air, tried to reassure the girl beside him, "It's going to be okay. Just stay calm."

The girl nodded, clutching his arm tightly, her eyes were wide with fear. The plane continued to shudder as it flew through the turbulent skies, the storm outside raging with an uncanny intensity. The unsettling feeling that something was amiss lingered in the air.

The plane continued to shudder as it flew through the turbulent skies, the storm outside raging with an uncanny intensity. Suddenly, a blinding flash of light illuminated the cabin, followed by a deafening crack of thunder. The plane jolted violently as if struck by a giant's hand.

Jeff's heart raced as he looked out the window, seeing a bolt of lightning strike the wing of the plane. The entire aircraft shuddered, and the lights flickered ominously. The girl beside him clung to his arm, her eyes wide with fear.

"Are we going to die" the girl sobbed in his arms, gripping it so hard. Jeff was quiet not hearing his words at all.

In the cockpit, alarms blared as the pilot struggled to regain control, "We've been hit by lightning! Systems are failing!" he shouted to his co-pilot, who frantically tried to stabilize the plane.

"Mayday, mayday! This is Flight 243. We've been struck by lightning and are losing control. Requesting immediate assistance!" the pilot called out, but the radio only responded with static and intermittent crackles.

The plane began to tilt and sway uncontrollably, the instruments going haywire. The passengers screamed as the aircraft lurched, dropping altitude rapidly. Jeff gripped the armrests, his knuckles white, as he tried to stay calm.

The pilot's voice came over the intercom, strained but steady. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have experienced a lightning strike and are currently working to regain control. Please remain seated and keep your seatbelts fastened."

Despite the pilot's efforts, the plane continued to descend, the storm outside showing no mercy. The turbulence grew worse, and the aircraft shook violently. Jeff could feel the fear in the air, the uncertainty of what would happen next.

The girl beside him buried her face in his shoulder, trembling. Jeff wrapped an arm around her, trying to offer some comfort despite his own fear. The plane's descent continued, the ground growing closer with each passing second.

In the cockpit, the pilot and co-pilot fought desperately to stabilize the plane. "We're losing altitude too fast! We need to find a place to land!" the co-pilot shouted.

"Keep trying to reach the tower! We need guidance!" the pilot replied, his hands gripping the controls tightly.

The storm raged on, the lightning illuminating the dark clouds around them. The plane's engines sputtered, and the situation grew more dire by the moment. The passengers held their breath, praying for a miracle as the aircraft hurtled towards the ground.

Without any signals from the tower, the plane was split in half from the fall. The tail of the plane landed in the sea, while the other part of the plane landed on the island that was big and massive.

Jeff was plunged into the sea, and because of the impact, he lost consciousness and passed out with eyes wide open.