Yesterday's Flight

by Martyn Ellington

  The animal took advantage while she was attempting to get back onto her feet. She was on all fours, her short-skirted designer suit stopping her making the quick retreat she needed.

  Its sharp teeth dug deeply into the soft flesh of her back; momentarily picking her up as it pulled its head back.

  She howled in pain, screaming with the absolute agony that now filled her entire body. Waving her arms and kicking her legs, her body weight became too much for the hold it had on her and a large chunk of her abdomen ripped from her body. She fell back to the water’s edge; still alive but running only on instinct. She reached around her back with her left hand, pain streamed around her body; an intense scorching pain but she couldn’t cry for help, she couldn’t cry in pain, no air reached her lungs, her lungs were no longer there. Her hand found its way to the empty space where the right side of her rib cage once was, and shook violently as it entered the cavity.

  She felt the warmth of her own body and the sharp edges of the broken and snapped ribs that now stuck out of the torn flesh. The phone recorded as the animal raised its head to full height and chewed and swallowed what it had ripped from her. Its head came back down past the view of the lens and as it did the phone’s battery died and Vicky with it.

  The second animal now charged again driving into the remaining crowd, knocking as many of them over as it could.

  Tony adjusted his position, but he couldn’t quite understand what happened next. The two animals weren’t killing there and then, they were rounding up some of the group, herding them into a smaller, more manageable group.

  The two animals then started to circle like a great white shark would circle a seal before charging it from the dark murky depths. Then they changed tactics. They now took it in turn to hit them one at a time, snapping and standing on the legs of them, disabling them, stopping them from breaking out of the small herd and running to get to cover or try and escape, and Tony realised with horror what they were doing.

  Once they had immobilized them they stopped and formed a guard around the injured, stopping any rescue or escape attempts, then lowering their heads they bellowed as if to finally warn off anybody or anything foolish enough to try and take their prey away from them. The noise was so loud and menacing it felt as if it was physically pushing the remaining survivors away back into the trees and shrubs that surrounded them. Husbands and wives, forced to leave their loved ones behind, were stopped dead in any rescue attempt by the animals guarding them. Then Tony’s heart sank and tears ran down his cheeks as one by one the animals turned and massacred their disabled prey.

  Sleep didn’t come easy that night for either Tony or his wife; still lying under him. Hiding as best they could, they couldn’t sleep because as well as the usual noises that had surrounded them and kept them awake since they had crash landed here, tonight there was a new noise that kept them from sleeping. It was the sound of flesh being torn and ripped from the bodies of the passengers that hadn’t escaped and they could hear the bones cracking and crunching as the huge jaws clenched down and shook.

  The sounds of soft moaning replaced by screams of pain and agony pierced Tony’s ears; he shielded them as best he could but the noises still came in.

  Eventually the screaming and tearing stopped, he watched as best he could see by the bright moonlight as the two predators left the scene of the carnage. Their stomachs now full they headed back up the trail. Footsteps thundered past him as he lay as flat as he could; terrified that one of them would see or smell him and his wife as they passed only inches in front of them.

  The footsteps eventually faded and the forest returned back to an uneasy truce, the strange sounds of this place now returning to the fore.

  Eventually they both fell into an uneasy sleep. Tony woke the next morning with the sun beating down on the clearing where the slaughter had taken place. He eased himself up and quietly woke his wife. “Sandra, Sandra, wake up! I think it’s safe and we should go.”

  She stirred and sat up next to him. “Have they gone now?” She asked him, her voice full of sadness and fear. Tony could see that her eyes were still red and sore from the tears she had shed the night before and he felt frustrated and angry that he couldn’t do more to protect her from what had happened.

  “Yes, I’m sure it’s safe now, we should make a break for it.”

  They stood up and pushed back through the foliage that had offered them a sanctuary last night onto the trail that ran besides the river.

  As they started to head away from their hiding place they passed the patch of ground, now stained red and strewn with the remainder of clothes and human remains. As they did Tony could see the water bottles and canisters dropped in the confusion by the other group members. He let go of Sandra’s hand and as he did she grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

  “Where are you going?” she whispered.

  “We need that water, stay there!”

  Tony pulled away again and steadily headed over towards the water bottles; his feet stepping over the remains and through the blood-streaked ground.

  The smell hit the back of his throat but he managed to control his gag reflex. The last thing he needed now was to start vomiting because he knew this could attract other predators that could no doubt already smell the rotting corpses.

  He was now walking over towards the water bottles. Flies had already started to mass around the open grave; there seemed to be thousands of them buzzing around him. Tony flapped his arms around his head. “FUCK OFF!” he swore at them, gritting his teeth; of course, it made no difference.

  Slowly he collected all the water bottles he could see and made his was back to Sandra, who was still rooted to the spot where he had left her.

  “Ok, let’s get away from here before they come back or worse.” “Or worse?” she replied. Tony didn’t respond, he didn’t need to add to her concerns; instead he lead her away in silence up the trail away from where they were. He knew going back to the plane would be dangerous. Whatever these things were last night they had been following them for a while waiting for their chance to strike and heading back to the plane would take him and Sandra back towards them.

  John had run hard and fast after the attack. He had pushed Vicky hard knowing her falling down would create an easy target for them and that would give him the vital seconds he would need to get away. Her screams and cries had chased him through the thick trees and shrubs as he ran, but eventually, of course, they had stopped as had he.

  He couldn’t run any further. His lungs heaved for what air they could get and a stitch gripped his stomach; doubling him over in a pulsating pain that came in spasms which brought him to the ground.

  Resting against the trunk of a huge tree he sat and regained his breath. Distant screams and cries echoed around him, he listened to the terror that was happening from where he had been. He covered his ears and closed his eyes as tightly as he could, hoping to drown out the sounds that seemed to penetrate his soul and haunt him.

  Finally, silence fell and the forest returned back to its normal state. He had regained his breath by the time night started to fall and the realisation that he was on his own now kicked in.

  In his absolute need to survive the attack he hadn’t followed the pack and stuck with them. He had separated, instinctively knowing that breaking away in stealth was his best chance of not being seen, but now he was regretting it. He was on his own, it was getting dark and he knew from his time on the plane and from last night in his tent that it was at night when the strangest of noises started and he had no desire to see what animals were responsible for them, but out here he had no cover, no protection and now he had no group to hide in and no way of making a fire. Instead, he curled up under the tree and tried to make himself as invisible as he could.

  Darkness fell and the noises soon followed. Things in the dark moving around him only seemed inches away but he could see nothing, not even his hand held in front his face or the finger he touched his nose with; so he would never see
what was out there.

  The daytime predators had long since bedded down for the night. This was the time for the nocturnal feeders to come out and hunt. He pulled his knees up tight against his chest and wrapped his arms around them putting his back firmly against the tree hoping this was the best position to ensure that nothing could sneak up from behind. John didn’t know how long he had been like this. He had no track of time and he didn’t dare illuminate his watch in case it brought unwanted attention, so the night seemed to be unending, the sounds of the forest becoming louder and louder.

  The feeling of panic started to swell up inside him. He could feel his pulse increasing, paranoid feelings began to take control. He imagined that something was standing over him, watching him, studying him and that at any moment it would snap down him and pull him apart, piece by piece.

  His eyes darted in every direction but there was nothing but blackness. He thrust a punch out, then another and another hoping to strike whatever abomination was standing in front of him, but he hit nothing. The cries of the other passengers came again and the noise their two attackers made soon followed. He knew that the sounds were coming from inside him, the people that he had left behind were long dead. He pushed his hands against his ears as tightly as he could but he could not silence them. He wanted to scream, he wanted to tell everything around him to shut up and leave him alone, that was when he heard the twig snap in front of him. His attention was brought back to the present, all the noises that had haunted him now vanished, and all around went deathly quiet. He heard it again, another shuffle of earth directly in front of him but he couldn’t see anything, he was in a pitch black void. Slowly he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Holding the screen tight against his chest he pushed a button on the keypad and instantly the screen illuminated. His breathing had become shallow and his hands wet with the cold sweat that now ran from every pore in his body. He turned his phone to face away from him and held it out at arm’s length.

  The tiny screen sent a beacon of light into the dark that surrounded him, but he saw nothing. He moved it left and right, still nothing, then the screen went dark. “Fucking thing,” he whispered to himself, still holding the screen outwards. His thumb searched for a button and found one, again the screen lit up but this time he saw something.

  There was a shape in the darkness, something there but he couldn’t make it out. His thumb hit the button again making sure the screen would not go dark again. He moved slowly forward, his eyes squinting, trying desperately to make out the shape that was before him. As he got closer he saw something about it he recognised. “A nostril?” he thought to himself, but that’s all he could see or he thought he could see; all around it was still in darkness.

  The light died again and his thumb instantly hit the button, but this time it had moved closer to him and now he could make out a snout, he saw the nostril clearly, he could see scales around it and he could see the thick lips just below it and he froze. The snout pulled slowly away from the light and disappeared back into the black void.

  John started to release the breath he had been holding since it had come into view, but as he thumbed the key pad and relit the phone’s screen, he saw the snout come back into the light, but this time at speed. He had just enough time to see that it was open and now he just made out the huge teeth before the light extinguished again, but the light had not gone out because its time was up on the screen delay. John knew why the light had gone when he felt the excruciating pain that came from his forearm and he realised that his arm and phone were now inside the mouth he had just been able to make out seconds before.

  He let out a cry of sheer pain and then felt himself being pulled up and tossed away from the tree. He felt himself become free from the clenching sensation he had felt around his arm as he flew through the pitch black night, not knowing where he would land or how far he was off the ground.

  He braced himself for the inevitable impact that would follow and it came hard and it came fast. He landed on his stomach, face down. He felt the damp ground against his face but he could not feel his right arm and realised with horror that his attacker had not released him, but that his arm had been torn off.

  Crying and whimpering, John felt the inevitable feeling of acceptance and defeat wash over him.

  He could not see anything; he had no idea where his attacker was. He could not run; he could not defend himself, all he could do was lie there and wait for death to come and as that thought passed through his mind the jaws came down again and snapped his neck.

  Chapter Eight

  William was woken up by Amy. “William,” she whispered. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, yawning at the same time, but he took a few seconds to come around. “What?” Was the only word he could muster. He looked up into her face; she was smiling softly at him. “Come on, sleepy we need to go get some stuff.”

  “Yeah, I’ll be up in a minute.” He yawned again and stretched out. She moved away giving him enough room to climb out of the seat.

  He followed her over to the galley where Marcus and Nick were waiting for them.

  “Morning,” said Marcus. “Good sleep?”

  “Not really,” William replied. “I still can’t get over them leaving like that and following John.”

  “I wouldn’t worry, in times like these people will follow anyone who says or promises what they want,” Nick said.

  William nodded, he knew he was right and he knew there was little point in going over it again and again. They had gone, they had made their decision and he had to concentrate on himself and those who remained on the plane.

  “I’ll go check on Holly,” he said.

  “Don’t be long, William, we need water!” Marcus said. “We’ll meet you in the hold.”

  William watched as Marcus, Nick and Amy headed down the ladder. After they had disappeared he went over to see Sarah and Holly. When he got there Sarah was laid back in the large reclining seat reading a book.

  “What’s the book?”

  She looked up and smiled. “I brought it with me, girly romance you, know?”

  William smiled, “How is she?”

  “Not good,” Sarah replied. “She’s sleeping all the time now and her arm is really bad, and God, it stinks.”

  “Ok, we’re off out for water can you close the door behind us?”

  Sarah put down her book and climbed out of her seat.

  “I could do with the exercise, it’s not much fun sitting here all the time. I haven’t been outside yet.”

  “There’s not much to see, Sarah,” William replied. “Besides, we need you here for Holly and the door. Once we’re out we can’t leave it open.”

  Sarah didn’t reply; her face had a resigned look of agreement across it as well as a little disappointment.

  William and Sarah joined the others in the hold. They were waiting by the already open cargo door. The breeze from outside pushed against Sarah’s hair; the air smelt sweet and warm and she could feel the sun on her face, but Marcus snapped her attention back and the enjoyment of the fresh air was short lived.

  “Ok, Sarah, when we’ve gone, close the door then make your way to the flight deck. When you see us coming back head down and open it again.”

  William looked puzzled.

  “The flight deck? We going a different way today, Marcus?”

  Marcus turned to William, “If we keep heading out and coming back the same way we’ll leave a trail, so we need to keep alternating.”

  William didn’t reply, he gestured in agreement and moved towards the door with the makeshift water containers they had made from what luggage was left.

  After they had climbed down and Sarah had secured the net and the door, she made for the flight deck as she had been asked to do. Making her way into the cramped cabin she settled into the pilot’s seat. The view from here was very different from the seat she had occupied next to Holly since they had landed here. From the front-facing windows she could see right down the clearing a
s far as the trees on the other side, and the mountains in the distance. From the side windows the clearing seemed to go on endlessly in both directions.

  She leaned back and as she did she could see them coming from under the nose of the aircraft. She watched them as they turned a sharp right and disappeared from view. She made herself as comfortable as she could and started to read her book; taking sips from her last remaining water bottle. She could feel the morning sun streaming in through the small windows. Leaning over she slid open the pilot’s side window and once again the breeze she had briefly enjoyed in the cargo hold came in surrounding her and wrapping itself around her. She smiled to herself and continued to read.

  William was walking next to Amy with Nick and Marcus leading the way a few yards in front of them. They had been walking for around an hour when they came to the clearing that would take them down to the river and the water they so desperately needed.

  Stopping dead, the four of them took almost a centurion stance. Checking the horizon in every direction making sure that it was clear, William turned to Amy, “Stay behind me!”

  Amy nodded.

  “Ok, William, this is your show now, you’ve been here before, where do we go?” asked Marcus.

  William turned to him and Nick, “Ok, follow me but stay in single line against the tree row. When it attacked it ambushed us. We didn’t know it was there even with its size, it stayed quiet.”

  William bit his bottom lip, then continued, “If we see it again, dart into the thickest part of the trees. We can meet back up after it’s gone.” With that William started to lead them down the trail, constantly scanning in every direction as he did, his ears on full alert for any clues or smells that it might be near.

  Eventually they reached the river and William brought their little convoy to a halt.

  “Ok, two on look-out, two fill the bottles.”