CHAPTER 1

  Return Flight

  “Hey Allen? Dude I asked you a question”. Ah right, Reece was talking to me about food we ate before getting on the flight. “I don't know man, it tasted great because of the garlic bread combo they had there”. Hmm… Reece is looking at me with a blank stare, did he ask me something else? “I stopped talking about that like 5 minutes ago, are you okay? What I asked now was, "how long do you think the flight is gonna be?”. Well that's… how'd I even manage to daydream while talking to him? “I don't know Reece, I think Miss Thorne said it's quite long, around like 12 or so hours”. Reece is making an exhausted expression by blowing air out his mouth, “Well looks like we're gonna be here for a while huh? I can't stand sitting this still for so long”. That sentence is redundant, well whatever, it isn't worth the hassle, “Well first of all let's not lie because I've seen you sit in one place for more than this time playing games and secondly even if it's long we only have like 10 hours left, you could probably like I don't know, sleep in that time”.

  He continues staring upwards with a bored and tired expression not once looking down, “Well I guess you are right about that”, clearly my suggestion didn't amuse him. Maybe something on the screen he could keep himself busy with?

  I quickly browse through the screens library of games and movies looking for something he could spend time on since he's definitely not planning to sleep, “Hey, when did this movie come out?” Reece looks over curiously, “Oh shit, it's out already? How did I miss it? I was waiting for this part for so long too”, looks like the fish is hooked.

  “It also says it's 3 hours long, ain't this a perfect way to spend time?”, his expression of slight shock and intrigue didn't change at my words, looks like he already planned to watch it anyway. “Allen you gonna watch with me or what?”I could probably watch it too, but you would bombard me with questions on what's gonna happen next, and frankly I don't have the energy for that, “Nah you go ahead, I'm too tired right now, just tell me what happens later”.

  Without hesitation he quickly goes back to the screen on the seat opposite his and puts the movie on after taking the earphones out from the seat and plugging them in his ears. “I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick”. Reece doesn't seem to hear me as he continues watching the movie without nodding or glancing at me. I unbuckle the belt and stand up when Miss Longford who's sitting just In front of us turns around and looks at me from the side of her seat.

  “Allen, where are you going?”, for some reason the first thing I see when she talks to me is her light brownish silky and wavy hair and I can't figure out why, I mean it's not like it's an odd feature on her, no. She has rather average characteristics when it comes to her eyes or hair, both being brown, yet it feels as if all her features complement each other making what is common to find, somewhat beautiful. “Allen?”, I snap back to reality hearing my name again, “Right, sorry mam I just got lost in thought” she looks at me with a light smile, her eyebrows lowered and eyes slightly squinting, her hair hanging from her tilted head and some from the top most side falling in her eyes.

  “Actually I was just going to the bathroom real quick, that's not a problem is it? I'm pretty sure we were only supposed to stay seated for when we were taking off”, at first listening attentively, she smirks, slightly showing her teeth, did I say something funny? “Ah I see, okay just be back soon” she turns back into her seat signalling that I may go.

  Luckily this time I'm not by the window so I don't have to squeeze my way through, unluckily though I really enjoyed the view I got to see on the way there. I slip out and head to the back where the bathroom is but the door is locked when I check. Should I go back? Or maybe I can wait? No it would just look weird if I stand here and bump into the person coming out. Hmm… I could try opening the door to signal I need to go, then maybe they'll say something back? Well, worth a shot, I go for the handle and push it down while also pushing the door in twice, after which I hear a voice, “it's occupied! Please wait” just after hearing those words I hear the sound of a flush, well more of a vacuum of air being sucked out but all the same, two minutes afterwards I hear the sound of a click and the door opening frantically, “Oh, my bad, I hope I didn't take too long”.

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  …well this is awkward and from the looks of it she doesn't seem to want to continue talking about this as much as I, “no, it's fine” after saying such I walk in and relieve myself. The water here is cold, awfully so, do they cool it or something? While washing my hands all of a sudden the lights flicker and a tremor hits the plane, a tremor strong enough to unbalance me, “what the hell happened there?” I say after grabbing the sink for support. Not a minute later another tremor hits, this one stronger than the previous one knocking me back against the wall making me fall to the floor.

  Well something's clearly wrong and I don't think it's a good idea to spend anymore time here, I should return to my seat and buckle up. I quickly get out and enter the row filled with sudden chaos, students panicking, some even crying. The teachers are up and about comforting students, Mr Drayton is standing up in the front and addressing the students, “Everyone let's calm down!, it's a little bit of turbulence, okay? This happens sometimes during flights there's nothing to worry about, just buckle up in case it happens again”. Another tremor hits us right after his words making the aeroplane shake a bit, as I regain my balance, I look up to see Mr Drayton glaring at me. “Hey kid! Didn't you hear what I said? Go sit down!”.

  I without saying a word follow his order and start heading to my seat, not three steps taken and the aeroplane gets hit with another tremor but this time it's worse, it feels as if the aeroplane itself just crashed into a wall I instantly get sent flying hitting against a wall then landing on the floor. I try catching my breath grabbing the back of my hip, I think I hit the door handle when I slammed against the wall. I need to get up and head to my seat. When I come to again I look around and realise that the deck has descended into utter chaos, students screaming, some crying and some praying even the teachers have begun to panic as I see Mr Drayton with a face of dread, the plane has begun trembling constantly, i hear Reece screaming at me “Allen! Come sit down!”

  Easy for you to say, I struggle to move forward in a straight line falling into seats with students in them, I grab seat to seat moving forward step by step. Did I really have to pick the second damn row? All of a sudden I hear the loudest scream I've heard from a girl behind me. “Sh-she was sitting right next to me, where did she go?” a girl sitting in one of the last rows is staring at the seat next to her, it's empty, however I swear there were enough of us to fill up this entire deck.

  “Rolland is gone too! And I was just talking to him!” Another student further up ahead says so, and now another right behind me, “that can't be I swear he was sitting right here”, the girl with black hair seated in the seat I'm standing right next to says. “Well you're right because I just bumped into him, maybe he went to the bathroom?” I say back to her, but the girl didn't reply back. I look over to her seat only to see it empty. My heart drops as a feeling of dread falls over me, I feel a heaviness in my stomach as if something isn't right. More students are screaming and panicking because their fellow classmates are beginning to vanish into thin air. Even the teachers are now scared and confused. After stumbling and falling I finally make it to my seat where a panicked Reece is glancing at me. “W-what's going on?”, “I don't know dude, I swear she was talking to me and then I looked over and she was just… gone man, like she vanished into the air”. The intercom crackles, the pilot begins talking. “Passengers, this is an emergency, please buckle your belts and stay seated as we are experiencing great turbulence, I also request that you don't panic as everything is under contr-... What is that?” sounds like something's caught his attention “H-hey isn't it coming this way? Lift up-”

  Just after hearing that we get hit with a crash, it feels as if we hit a speed bump at a couple hundred kilometres, in the side of my eye I see someone fly up slamming straight into the ceiling and then drop like a ragdoll.

  The plane plummets. Luggage starts flying out the compartments, I'm shoved against my seat, barely able to move before something-a bag? A briefcase? Slams into my forehead, all I feel, well, hear is a sudden whack followed by static in my skull. I feel hazy, numb. I stop hearing anything and I close my eyes trying to recover not even knowing what I'm recovering from.

  When I come to I realise that there is far less screaming and noise then earlier, I look over and see that most seats have gone empty, not a sign of the students in them, just gone, vanished, without having the chance to process my thoughts all of a sudden a loud screeching sound is heard, as if someone scratched their bail across a pane of glass but, louder and abrupt as if it's a cry from something, it's so loud its painful hearing it, I grab my ears, covering them, the screeching sound is so loud that the windows burst, I feel a piece of glass scrape my arm as I cover my face from getting cut by the glass.

  “Reece! Keep your head down and cover yourself!” I look over to him and only then do I realise, he's not there, gone, just like the others.

  While looking in that direction I glance out the window where I see something fly by. It's so fast I'm unable to tell what is, all of a sudden it appears again, this time charging towards and crashing into the plane, hurling me sideways in my own damn seat.

  Hey hold on a sec, aren't we getting too close to the water?

  I hear a clunking sound that grabs my attention, it sounds like something heavy hitting obstacles on its way down, or up.

  I look away from the window facing forwards where the sound came from when something comes flying towards me- fast and from the looks of it

  unavoidable.

  “Oh shit!”

  BANG.