by HJ Lawson
“Yes,” Samuel says, clearly not wanting to share anymore in case he might let something else slip.
Chapter 4
I Love You.
JADA
The lights in the plane flash, and we are plummeting downwards at an alarming speed.
“Gérard!” the pilot calls over the speaker.
Gérard instantly jumps up, grabbing hold of the seats to balance himself as he runs toward the cockpit. He returns a few moments later, his face ashen.
“We were too close to the electromagnetic pulse… we had a voltage surge.”
“What does that mean?” Ali asks.
“It means we have no power … we are going down.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. An eerie silence follows as the reality of our fate sets in.
Snap…! Suddenly the oxygen masks fly down from the cupboards above our seats. The yellow masks dance happily as if they are excited to finally be released.
“Arh!” Kyra screams, startled.
“Everyone, buckle up… This is no joke!” Gérard announces, as he walks over to me. Everything is becoming very real. “Jada, are you fastened in?” he asks, as he takes the seat next to me and secures himself.
I nod. “Is this it? Are we going to crash?” I whimper.
He places his arm around me, like a father would a small child. “The pilots are the best I’ve ever worked with. If anyone can get us down in one piece, they can.”
I'm not sure whether this makes me feel any better.
The plane begins to shake violently, and things begin to fly around inside the cabin.
I can hear Kyra sobbing and Ali trying to keep her calm. Zak is sitting with Hanna in front of them. I want to be with him, but it seems like the right time has come.
“Gérard… I know the truth.”
Gérard looks deeply into my eyes; it’s as though we are looking into a mirror. He squeezes his lips together, making his bristly, unshaved hairs stand at attention.
“Know what truth?”
“I read my mother’s letter.”
A whistling sound fills the plane as we speed up.
“It does seem like she loved you. If it hadn’t been for Abulafia...” I cannot continue. Just the thought of what my mother and father went through upsets me too much.
Mother, I will be back in your arms soon.
Gérard places my breathing mask over my face and then wraps his arms around me again. I inhale deeply as I compose myself.
“The plane is going down… brace yourselves,” the pilot announces over the speaker.
Kyra lets out a blood-curdling shriek.
As I look out the window, we are floating through layers of cloud so fluffy, so pure white, I feel like a bird.
“Gérard, I need you,” Faith screams from her seat in front of us.
“Go sit with her,” I say.
“I’ve just found you. I’m not leaving you.” Gérard places his arm through the seat gap. “I’m right here,” he says, as he takes hold of her hand.
“Kyra, I love you,” I hear Ali saying softly.
I pull my mask down, so Zak can hear me. “Zak, can you hold on to Liquorice for me?” I yell out.
He nods and mouths, “I love you,” as his eyes glaze over, as he places his mask back over his mouth.
I mouth it back. Then I close my eyes as I prepare for the worst.
Chapter 5
Maze of Darkness.
ANNABEL
“Get her!” Big Red yells.
Jesus Christ, why couldn’t he have died? Brandon looks as terrified as I feel, as we pin our bodies against the wall in hopes that they will not see us. But we know that at some point they will.
The shadows begin to move in different directions, frantically searching.
Big Red stands at the edge of the flames with his hands on his hips. He looks like a shadow of the devil, waiting for his slaves to return with his kill.
“Annabel, we have to go,” Brandon whispers.
“I know,” I breathe back, terrified they will hear our voices over the crackling flames.
Brandon takes his arm off my shoulder and tries to stand without my support. I know he aches all over, like I do.
Quickly I pull the map Meemo drew from my pocket and hold it toward the light of the flames. Brandon and I peer down at it, trying to decode her writing.
“I think this is her home, so we need to go this way…” I point to the map, and then toward blackness.
“Jesus, Annabel, we are going to get lost down here. The place is one big maze,” he says.
I let out a sigh. He’s right.
“We need the flashlight,” I whisper.
Brandon nods in agreement. We both slide down the wall and keep ourselves low as we dig around the area.
I just make out the yellow end, and I pull it out from the rubble… I just hope it works.
“Got it,” I whisper quietly. Well, I thought I was quiet.
“Over there!” Big Red yells.
Instantly we spring to our feet… they’ve spotted us, and a group is heading our way. But we have a head start in this race, and we know where the finish line is.
“Run!” Brandon shouts, as he grabs hold of my hand. I squeeze it tightly—I don’t want to lose him down here.
“You better run fast!” one of the prisoners yells.
“Big Red said the winner gets to have fun with you before he kills you,” another voice shouts out.
“Yeah, we are all going to have fun with you two!” an excited voice echoes down the tunnel.
Together, Brandon and I sprint as quickly as we can. I want to throw up at the thought of them catching us. We’d be better off dead.
Instantly we are in darkness. The blazing fire is behind us, and pitch black is in front of us.
“Second tunnel, right?” I ask Brandon as we continue to run.
“Yes,” he confirms.
I quickly slide the button on the flashlight. Damn, it doesn’t work! I bang it against the palm of my hand several times.
Slowly it flickers on. I shine it over toward the wall to guide us. Then I move the light down to the ground to reveal an uneven path. Great, that’s all we need!
“That’s right, little princess, show us the way,” one of the voices yells.
“Go crawl back into the cell you came from!” I shout back.
“Big Red was right… you’re a feisty one, just like my bitch of a wife. Screw Big Red, I’m gonna kill you like I killed her,” a man calls out. His voice sounds like a demon has taken him over. I shudder as fear washes over my body.
I instantly turn off the light, leaving them no way to find us other than the sounds we make. But it also leaves us blind… it's our only choice.
“Little bitch!” one of them yells.
Brandon and I stumble with each step, pulling each other up as we go. I can hear the men falling behind us, and I try to block out the awful things they want to do to me.
Just focus on getting out of here, I tell myself.
“Brandon, reach the bat out to the wall—it’ll stop once we get to the new tunnel,” I whisper loudly enough for only him to hear.
He lifts up the bat and uses it as a guide while we run… I feel like we should’ve come to the opening already. We’ve run so far…
Brandon’s hand pulls me sideward; it's the new tunnel.
But is it the right one?
Chapter 6
Final Punishment.
JADA
“This is the captain speaking. Brace yourselves for impact,” the pilot’s voice rings out, almost too calmly.
Lord, I’m in your hands now… I think of all heavenly things, harps and everything peaceful, just how Mother told me heaven would be.
I take in a deep breath. I have no fear. Mother, I will be with you soon….
As I peer through the window, I can see a ball of fire engulfing the plane. Is this it, Lord, are you going to make me burn to death? Is this my final pu
nishment?
The plane flips upside down, ripping the top of the vessel off as it scrapes along the ground. Then it flips once more with a thud, revealing our bodies to the setting sun, as an object flies past, blocking the light.
Blood-curdling screams ring out—the sound of the ripping metal makes it impossible to work out who the screams are coming from.
My head crashes against the window, my legs and arms fly up in the air, and it feels like I’m in the middle of a tornado. Faith’s blonde hair whips around in front of me. Gérard wraps his arms around me, trying to protect my body.
The lavatory door is ripped off its hinges and flies over our heads, as blue toilet water dances in the air. A piercing scream comes from the plane as its tail grinds along the ground. Placing my hands over my head, I peek through a gap so I can see if anything is coming.
Somehow the flames have gone away…where did they go?
“Hold on, Jada, we will make it,” Gérard tries to reassure me. Blood is pouring down from his eye from hitting the seat in front of us.
Hold on, I tell myself, as I curl my body up in self-defense.
The plane skids to a halt. And then there is silence….
I’m alive.
“Unbuckle your seat belts and get out!” Gérard shouts to everyone, as he quickly undoes our restraints. He takes my arm as he pulls me from my seat. Only then do I see it—half of the cabin is missing, replaced with broken and jagged metal. Not only did the top of the plane get ripped off—so did the back part.
“Zaakk!” I scream. My head feels like it will explode with the pressure, but I cannot stop yelling for him.
“I… I couldn’t hold him,” Faith cries out. “I couldn’t hold him!”
Ashton is also missing… was he the black shadow drifting through the sky?
“Faith, we have to get you off the plane before it blows up,” Gérard replies in a calm tone.
Remember your training, Jada, my father’s voice rings through my head. I breathe in and out to compose myself, as I have learned to do over the last few years.
“Gérard, I’m going to find the others,” I say.
Gérard nods. “I will join you once I get Faith off here. She's in shock.”
I nod back and jump down from the metal remains of the plane. We landed in a field, in the middle of nowhere.
I scan the horizon… there are a few hours of sunlight left, and there are plane parts spread around the grass field. They could be anywhere.
Running quickly over toward the first part I see, I hear screams for help that get louder the closer I get—It's Kyra. She’s in pain, I can tell by her tone.
“Gérard!” I shout. With all the sharp metal edges, I’m terrified of what I will find when I see her.
The fuselage is lodged into the ground at a tilted angle. Zak's and Kyra’s bodies are suspended a dozen or so feet above the wreckage. Their seat belts are ripping into their flesh, as they are pinned into their seats. Beneath them lie Hanna and Ali… and they are not moving.
Zak’s body just hangs there like a helpless puppet on strings. I step around the metal on the ground until I’m standing beneath him. As I look up, wet droplets land on me. I wipe my hand across my face and glance down at my fingers—it's his blood.
“Zak. Zak, it's me,” I yell to him, trying to wake him up.
“Get me down!” Kyra shouts.
“Zak!” I scream, hoping to wake him from his unconscious state.
“Oh, fuck,” blurts Gérard, as he looks up at Zak.
“Gérard, get him down,” I beg.
Gérard quickly looks around. “Damn. I cannot get up there… Kyra, we need you,” he adds calmly.
Kyra stops her hysterical screams.
“I need you to reach forward and press Zak’s seat belt button,” Gérard explains.
“I… I can’t.” Kyra’s eyes widen in fear.
“You have to. I will talk you through it.”
She shakes her head, refusing to do it. “Kyra. Please,” I beg.
She takes a breath in and nods.
“Okay, don’t worry, I’m right here… I will catch you. Slowly loosen your seat belt adjuster,” Gérard instructs.
Kyra squeezes her eyes together, like she’s trying to block everything out. Then she begins to release the seat belt. Slowly, her body falls further away from her seat and is hanging more in the air.
“Good girl. Okay, I need you to swing forward and grab hold of Zak’s chair.”
“Jesus. I can’t…” Tears begin to pour down Kyra’s face.
“You can. I believe in you, you can do it,” I tell her. “Just pretend it's one of those acrobat classes you try to make me do,” I add, trying to put her at ease.
Kyra shakes her head, and then begins to swing gently at first. Then she goes for it, and grabs hold of his chair.
“Do it now. I will catch him. Hold on once you press it.”
Kyra nods, and with her free hand she presses down on Zak’s seat belt button.
His body falls in slow motion toward Gérard.
Gérard’s arms wrap around Zak’s body as he catches him, protecting him from the metal on the ground.
Chapter 7
Hiding In Fear.
ANNABEL
Each time our feet hit the ground, a slopping sound follows, as if we are running in water. They will hear us. I can see tiny claw prints around us; there are dirty, filthy rats in the tunnel, and they are following us.
It's too late… I can hear the sloshing sound from behind us. They are here. I turn around to see a crowd of shadows running toward us, screaming as they sprint closer.
The walls feel like they are closing in on me, as I suffocate in darkness and fear.
“Brandon, we can’t keep running… at some point they are going to catch us,” I say.
“I know,” Brandon says, out of breath. I’m not sure how much longer he can run.
I glance over and see a huge rat scurrying at me, and I kick up some sewer water toward him. The rat shrieks and lifts his claws into the air. I kick some more water and the rat turns and disappears into the darkness.
“Did you see that?” I ask Brandon.
“Yeah, they look so huge down here,” Brandon adds.
As we head toward the end of the tunnel, I can hear a mumbling sound.
Oh God, are they at both sides? We can't stop; if we do, they will catch us. We have to keep running.
I reach for the knife that is tucked into the back of my pants. I can hear Brandon patting the baseball bat into his hand, gearing himself ready for whatever is at the end of this tunnel.
The voices get louder and louder, but it doesn't sound like the prisoners… these voices sound softer, confused.
We make our way from the tunnel and I quickly flick the flashlight on to give us an idea of our bearings.
“Arh!” a voice yells out in surprise. I quickly move the light around. It reveals men, women, and children. What are they doing down here? I click off the light.
“Who's that? Turn your light back on… it’s pitch black in here!” a voice yells out.
Brandon and I remain silent; we stand frozen for a few moments… then we begin edging around the tunnel, using the wall as a guide.
“We will not hurt you,” a deep voice continues.
It's not you we are worried about…
“Annabel, where are you?” one of the prisoners yells from behind us.
“Hush,” someone whispers. Everyone falls silent, as they know something is wrong. A little coughing sound bounces in the silence.
“Did you hear that?” I hear a prisoner asking.
“Do you think Annabel has some friends down here?” another one adds.
“We'll find out soon enough.”
“Who's out there!” a new male voice shouts sternly from a different direction.
“Who the hell are you?” the prisoner yells angrily.
“I’m a police officer… I am with some civilians. Show yourself!”
the man shouts.
Oh, Jesus. That’s all we need, prisoners and cops down here. All hell is going to break loose!
“Did you hear that, boys? There’s a cop down here! Annabel can wait. Time to have our own revenge!” one of the prisoners yells in a low, croaky voice that sounds as though he’s spent years screaming in his cell.
“Arh!!” The blood-curdling sounds of fear from a young female bounce on the tunnel walls.
Brandon and I take a chance and run away, leaving the police and civilians behind.
I feel sick to my stomach that I didn’t warn them. I sprint faster to get away from the sounds of shame.
“Help…” a voice pleads out, as someone runs down our tunnel. Turning to look over my shoulder, I see the silhouette of a girl. I freeze in my tracks... watching the horror unfold, as the girl’s silhouette quickly drops to the ground. A splashing sound follows, and then a bigger silhouette appears over her.
“Not so fast,” a male voice yells.
“Arh… help me!” the young voice pleads. I can see her legs flying around, as she’s being dragged by the man across the wet ground.
“Get off her!” I scream.
“Ha ha… what are you going to do about it? Run to the police? Ha ha… good luck with that. We are the police down here,” he yells back at me.
Jesus, he’s right.
“Ha ha,” he laughs again.
I want to run at him with all my force, but I know it will do nothing other than end in my death.
I grab hold of Brandon’s arm as he begins to move forward. “There is nothing we can do,” I shamefully whisper to him.
“Go on, Annabel, run. Make the hunt more fun,” the prisoner yells, with a playful tone to his voice.
“Screw you!” I yell back.
“Later, my pretty… later.”
Chapter 8
Wake Up!
JADA
Gérard carefully lays Zak’s body onto the ground, leaving me with him as he goes to help Kyra get down.