Suddenly he remembered. A wave of panic swept over him. He struggled to his feet, feeling his knees shake and the pain throbbing in his temples. Going to the door, Chris gingerly touched the broken lock.
Chris looked out into the yard and squinted against the bright light. It was a sunny day, birds chirping in the distance, a light breeze ruffling the leaves of the trees.
Chris closed the door and headed for the sink. He turned on the faucet, and cold water came in a thin trickle. He leaned over and greedily clung to the faucet, feeling the water fill his parched throat. The taste was surprisingly pleasant, as if he'd never drunk anything like it before.
Chris washed his face with his shirt sleeve and looked at himself in the mirror. His reflection was pale and haggard, with dark circles under his eyes. He remembered again what had happened. The plane crash, the impact, the pain, the loss of consciousness.
On the second floor was the small radio room he and Ted used for hunting. Chris walked up the creaky steps, feeling his heart beating faster with each step.
– I hope the solar panels are working," Chris said to himself.
Stepping into the room, Chris flicked a switch and the lights came on.
– They're still working," Chris thought with relief.
Chris was an expert in the field installation of solar powered LED lighting fixtures. His professional activities involved frequent business trips.
Chris turned on the radio and twisted the tuning knob, but all he heard was hissing. "This thing only has a five kilometer radius," he thought. – "Only Ted lives within that zone. It won't reach the city." He frowned and tried once more to catch a signal, but to no avail. Chris sighed irritably and tried again. But the silence was so thick that it seemed to fill the entire space around him.
– What the hell is this? – he muttered, looking at the radio. – Come on, honey, come on.
He spoke to the station as if it could hear him. But there was no answer. Only hissing and crackling.
He was about to leave when suddenly he heard a voice:
– Come in, this is Ted. Has anyone tried to make contact?
Chris froze. His heart hammered harder. He turned around and ran to the radio.
– Yeah, yeah, it's me, Ted, your neighbor. Chris, can you hear me?
– Hey, how are you doing, did you finally decide to renovate? – Ted's voice sounded cheerful, but Chris could sense the tension in it. – I wasn't listening to what you said on the radio, I was outside. All I heard was someone talking. Okay, the window was open.
Chris took a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts.
– Ted, listen to me carefully," he said, trying to speak as quickly as possible. – I was in an accident with a plane that crashed right into the road. My car was flipped over, and I'm lucky I wasn't hurt badly. It took me 24 hours to get here. You need to contact the local authorities immediately and report the crash. The plane is about 10 kilometers from here. Over.
– Are you serious? – Ted's voice sounded surprised. – It's-it's not a joke, is it?
– Yeah, Ted, this is no joke. We need to report it immediately. Come in.
– But there's no communication here," Ted said. – My radio station doesn't reach the nearest village either. You know that, don't you?
– Then you'll have to drive there," Chris replied. – Is your car running?
– Yes," said Ted. – But it's going to take time – There's someone alive in there, he asked.
