by Harley Tate
Danny waited for the copilot to reach the ground before the two of them lifted the air marshal again and carried him a hundred yards from the plane. They set him down on the ground and Midge hurried up with the first aid kit.
“I’m sorry.” The copilot stepped back. “But I need to secure the plane.”
Danny nodded as the man practically ran away. They were alone on the tarmac. A pre-med student, a girl he’d just met, and a man taking his last few breaths. Danny never felt so out of his depth. He wiped at his forehead and glanced up at Midge.
She stood a few steps away, eyes on the airport. She was about to leave him, Danny knew it.
If no paramedics arrived, the marshal would die. Could he face the man’s death alone? If the airport was running on generators and other planes had crashed, what chance did he have of making it back to school? Even getting out of the city? He stared up at Midge. She said Chicago was her stop. That meant she had to know more about the city and how to reach a bus depot or a train station than he did.
He needed Midge and her knowledge. She couldn’t run away. “Don’t go.”
She eyed him, brows bent in concentration. “I need to leave.” Her words said one thing, but her feet said another. They didn’t budge.
Danny tried harder. “Please. Just until he’s stable.”
She looked down at the marshal, something between fear and pity on her face. After a moment, she closed the distance between them and kneeled on the ground opposite Danny.
“Thank you.”
Her head bobbed in a single, jerky motion, and Midge stared at the space in front of her. At first, Danny thought she was intent on their wounded companion, but the shake of her fingers betrayed her. She was staring right through him, seeing nothing.
Shock did that to even the strongest people. Danny couldn’t blame her for barely hanging on and chastised himself for not noticing sooner, but he couldn’t dwell on that now.
He turned to the older man. “All right, let’s take a look at that wound, shall we?” Danny forced a smile on his face, but the marshal shook his head.
“Naw, buddy. I know you aren’t a doctor. As long as you wait around until the EMTs get here, I’ll be all right.”
Danny protested. “I might not be a doctor, but I can at least assess your injuries and tell the paramedics what they need to know.”
“I can tell them all they need to know myself. I tried to diffuse a situation, then some crazy asshole wrestled for my gun and shot me before I could shoot him back. At least he got sucked out the window for his trouble.”
Danny rocked back on his heels. “What did you say?”
The marshal grunted. “You heard me.”
“He got sucked out the window?”
“Damn straight. Probably hit the ground somewhere in Indiana. Hope he didn’t jam up the 69. That thing’s been under construction for years.”
Danny reeled. He couldn’t imagine speaking so nonchalantly about someone’s death, even if the man had shot him. He wanted to believe it was the pain talking, but Danny wasn’t sure.
Midge shuddered across from him and Danny looked up. She was staring at the marshal, teeth digging into her lower lip. They were so far out of their depth, it wasn’t funny.
Where are the paramedics?
The air marshal shifted on the ground. “You still got that first aid kit?”
Danny nodded.
“See if you can find a big dressing or bandage in there. This sweatshirt’s soaked through.”
Danny did as the marshal asked, rooting through the first aid kit before coming across a bandage the size of half a sheet of paper. He ripped it open and motioned to the marshal. “If you move your hand, I can clean you up.”
The marshal removed his hand and Danny lifted the hoodie and ruined shirt.
Midge gasped.
It was so much worse than Danny feared. The round entered the man’s torso just beneath the ribcage. From the pattern of bruising already spreading across his chest, the bullet must have traveled up and into his lung.
There was nothing Danny could do except apply pressure. If he tried to clean it, the man might bleed out. Danny refused to be the reason he died. He placed the dressing on the wound and pressed down. “I think it may have nicked your lung,” he said, his tone unfortunately grim.
“I could have told you that,” the marshal said, before barking out a laugh. “Damned hard to breathe right now, but if those EMTs ever get their lazy butts here, I might have a chance.”
Danny glanced up at Midge. She hadn’t moved from her spot across from him, but the longer they kneeled on the hard asphalt with nothing to do except wait, the more she probably resented the delay. He shouldn’t be so selfish, no matter how hard getting out of the city might be.
He opened his mouth to tell her to go when the sound of a siren wailed in the distance. Midge’s head jerked up and she pointed behind him. Danny twisted around, one hand still firmly pressed against the marshal’s wound.
An ambulance headed their way and Midge stood up, both arms waving. The vehicle stopped and a man wearing a dark uniform with an EMT badge hopped down from the passenger side.
“’Bout time you all showed up. What’s the deal?” The marshal grunted as he harassed the man coming to save his life. “Watchin’ a doubleheader down at the station?”
“Aw, now Len, you know if it were a doubleheader, we’d ’a never left for you.” The EMT knelt beside the man and nodded at Danny to remove his hand.
He did as instructed and watched the tech apply a hemostatic dressing to the bleeding area. When the EMT paused, Danny leaned in. “Do you know what’s going on?”
“Not a clue. We’ve got multiple crash sites all over the airport. Fifteen, twenty planes. There’s no power anywhere.”
“Anywhere?” Midge looked up. It was the first word she’d spoken since he’d asked her to stay.
The EMT nodded. “Power’s out over the whole city. It’s chaos. If we hadn’t been at the airport already, there’s no way we’d have gotten here. Police are over capacity. Fire, too. The radios never quit squawking.”
He leaned toward Len. “We’ve got to move you now. There’s a field tent set up for the bad attitudes like you.”
The air marshal tried to laugh, but it came out as a gargled cough. Danny waited for the EMT to ready a stretcher before helping him lift Len onto the fabric. Together, they carted him to the waiting ambulance.
Danny stepped back from the ambulance, ready to thank Midge and ask for her help in finding a way to Colorado when he stopped. Where was she? He scanned the airport, hand up to block the sun, when he spotted her. She ducked behind a luggage cart, heading straight for the closest terminal. Danny tore after her, panic rising in his chest. She couldn’t leave him alone.
As he rounded the cart, he spotted her black shape blending into the shadows of the building. He jogged over and fell into step next to her, holding his breath in an effort to conceal his all-out sprint. “Hey, where are you off to?”
She didn’t break her stride as she held up her hands. “To get cleaned up.”
He looked at her, and then at himself. Dried blood coated their fingers, hands, and wrists. In his panic, he hadn’t noticed. Danny shrugged and fell back on his charm. “We’re quite the pair, aren’t we?”
Midge didn’t respond, but she didn’t bolt, either. Score a point for him. The longer he stayed by her side, the greater chance he had of finding out what spooked her so bad on the plane and figuring out a way out of town. If the power was out at the airport, he couldn’t rely on the standard means of transportation. Everything would be overrun. He needed Midge even if she didn’t want to help.
Danny plastered on a brave smile when she glanced his way, but he couldn’t swallow the sour taste in his throat. Things were going to get a lot worse before they got better.
Chapter Four
MIDGE
Friday 5:30 pm CST
Chicago O’Hare International Airport
It didn’t matter how many times she said the words. All-consuming, adrenaline-pumping, fight-or-flight panic pumped through her veins. Every muscle screamed run. But where could she run to escape all of this?
The airport building loomed ahead and Midge squinted to see inside. Passengers lined the windows, all staring and pointing at something in the distance. She spun around and almost collided with Danny. I should have run faster. Then he wouldn’t be attached to her hip like a lost puppy, complicating her escape out of the airport.
As much as she appreciated his knowledge, the horrors of nuclear war wouldn’t help her get out of the city and find her mom. She exhaled and forced a small smile. “Sorry.”
He held up his hands. “No worries.”
She spun back around and he matched her step-for-step. “So…after the bathroom, where are you headed?”
Midge had been thinking about what to do ever since the plane crashed into the tarmac and she didn’t turn into a charred cinder. She could only come up with one viable solution. “To the rental cars. If I hurry, I might be able to snag one before they sell out.”
“I thought public transit was huge in Chicago. Why do you need a car?”
Because I have to get the hell out of the city. But Midge wasn’t about to tell him that. “My mom’s up Lake Michigan at a friend’s house this weekend. I’m meeting her there.”
The answer seemed to satisfy Danny and he stopped questioning. Besides, it wasn’t a lie. Not exactly, anyway.
A moment later, she reached what appeared to be a service door on the floor below the main terminal. She grabbed the handle.
“I don’t think we’re supposed to be going in this way.”
Midge shot Danny a look. “Then you can go mingle with all the lemmings marching toward the stairs over there. But I’m trying to find a bathroom I can actually get in that doesn’t have a line for days.” She jabbed her finger in the direction the rest of the passengers had headed and hoped he’d take the hint.
He didn’t. Instead, he reached for the door and held it open. “Ladies, first, then.”
Midge almost snapped at him but held her tongue. Why was she being so hostile? Because he was being nice and trying to help? She should stop being such a jerk and thank him, but that would only encourage him.
Do I really want him tagging along? She ducked beneath his arm as he held the door and reminded herself to be nicer. As the door shut behind them, she blinked, trying to make sense of the darkness. Without any lights, the airport might as well have been the depths of space.
A moment later, a small light flicked on, illuminating a circle at Midge’s feet. Danny’s phone. He held it up and panned the area. They were in a storage room filled with luggage racks and cones. No bathroom.
She cursed beneath her breath and let Danny lead the way with his light. They passed through what appeared to be employee lockers and out into a hallway. Midge fell a few steps behind and when Danny walked through a pair of swinging doors, they swung back and cut off his light. Midge hurried to catch up, but before she reached the doors, hands palmed her back and shoved.
Midge careened into the tiled wall and pain arced across her shoulder. Hands pawed at her laptop bag. She shouted into the dark. “Get off me!” She kicked out, her boot colliding with something solid.
A man let out a grunt, but it didn’t stop him. He reached for her again and grabbed a fistful of hair, yanking her head to the side. “Danny! Danny, help!” Midge screamed as loud as she could as she flailed and kicked.
The man had one hand wrapped around her hair and the other on her bag, yanking with a force Midge couldn’t overcome. She threw an elbow and made contact with his throat. He gurgled and loosened his grip on her hair enough for her to tear away. The man stumbled back just as the double doors pushed open.
“What the—?” Danny stopped in the hall, phone illuminating an airport employee clad in a yellow vest. He held up his free hand to shield his eyes from the light as he reached again for Midge’s bag.
It only took Danny a moment to process the scene before his fist flew out and hit the man square on the left cheek. He let go of her bag and fell against the wall.
Danny puffed out his chest. “You want more? Or do you give up?”
The man held up hands covered in engine grease as he sucked in a labored breath. Danny stared him down, inhaling through his nose like a bull ready to charge. When the man did nothing, Danny turned to Midge. He wrapped an arm around her and ushered her through the doors.
Neither spoke until they exited the maintenance area and found themselves in the lower level of the main terminal where passengers could pick up oversized luggage and file claims for lost bags. Emergency lights lit the space with a blue-tinged glow and Midge looked up at Danny, almost seeing him for the first time.
Maybe sticking together wasn’t a bad idea. She leaned closer. “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry I charged on ahead. I forget how much faster I walk than everyone else.” He ran a hand down his face. “I didn’t expect something like that. I mean, it’s just a power outage, right?”
Midge didn’t say anything, and Danny turned to survey the room. He motioned to the far wall. “Look, there’s a bathroom.”
The sign outside the door read “WOMEN,” with the typical silhouette of a skirt-clad figure. Midge pulled the door open and turned back to Danny. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’m coming with you.”
Midge paused. She had wanted to go inside the bathroom alone. It would give her a chance to call her sister and ensure she was far away from the threat of a bomb. Last time she talked to Lainey, she didn’t believe Midge’s discovery. If the power outage was widespread, she might take Midge more seriously. Anything to get her out of downtown Los Angeles.
She tried again. “It’s okay, I can wash my hands without a bodyguard.”
“That guy came out of nowhere.” Danny took a step closer. “You shouldn’t be on your own.”
“I can handle the women’s restroom.” She hated using her gender to get what she wanted, but she forced the words out. “I’d like a little privacy.”
Danny hesitated, but after a moment, shook his head. “No. I’m coming in to check it out. Besides, I need to wash off this blood, too, and I don’t see a men’s bathroom anywhere.”
Midge exhaled through clenched teeth. He had a point. She opened the door and headed to a stall. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
Midge locked the stall door and fished her phone from her bag before powering it on. She always flew with it powered off to prevent someone from gaining access. Airports were notorious hangouts for people like her. With so many viable targets, even a two-bit hacker could download everything from bank account info to nude selfies while sipping a latte at the Starbucks in the terminal.
While she waited for the phone to find a signal, she used the restroom. She could hear Danny yanking paper towels from the dispenser and she knew she needed to hurry. The phone read Searching…. She tapped her foot in annoyance. Finally, it changed—to No Service. Midge let out a frustrated sigh.
“You okay in there?”
She shoved her phone in her pocket, slung her bag over her shoulder, and opened the door. “Yeah. I should have washed up first. You try buttoning your pants with someone else’s blood on your hands.”
From somewhere near the end of the bathroom, a whimper sounded. Midge froze. Was someone else inside? She looked up at Danny. He put a finger to his lips.
Together, they eased toward the noise, trying to stay as quiet as possible. The last stall was shut. In the dim emergency lighting, neither Midge nor Danny had noticed. Midge forced a dry swallow. Was it a woman, terrified and hiding? A kid?
Someone dangerous?
The man in the hallway came out of nowhere. Whoever was hiding might be
waiting for the right time to attack.
Danny reached out and pressed on the door. It didn’t open. Midge unslung her laptop bag and handed it to Danny before easing down to the floor. She pulled her phone from her pocket and when she’d inched close enough to the stall, she hit the button to light it up.
From her vantage point on the floor, she couldn’t see much, but it was enough. She clambered up and knocked on the door. “Ma’am? You can come out. We aren’t going to hurt you.”
A terrified voice responded. “N-No. You could be murderers.”
What? Midge turned to Danny, confused, but he pointed at her hands.
“The blood, remember?”
Midge laughed out loud, exasperated and out of patience. She strode to the sink and turned the water on while Danny spoke to the woman.
“We survived a plane crash, ma’am. A man was hurt and we helped him until the paramedics showed up.”
While Midge finally cleaned the blood from her hands, Danny kept talking to the stall door, making jokes and calming the woman down until the door lock clicked at last.
A woman a bit smaller than Midge stepped out. One look would have confirmed she’d been crying, but Midge wasn’t looking at her face. An infant no older than six months was strapped to her chest in a baby carrier, sucking on a fist and kicking its legs.
Midge hadn’t seen the child from the floor. “Why are you hiding down here?” The words came out short and clipped and Danny cut her a glance.
The woman wrapped an arm around her child. “Haven’t you been upstairs? It’s chaos. People are screaming and shouting. There are lines at every gate. I watched a man punch someone because he said he was taking too long to talk to customer service.”
“So why come down here? You could have left.”
“I…I don’t know. I…” The woman looked to Danny like he’d come to her rescue. “I guess I panicked.”