“Well, ladies, it’s time to fly,” Randy announced, as they all took their seats and secured their seat belts.
Maria glanced over at Patti and smiled. Just two more days and I’ll be lying on the beach, she thought to herself as she felt the plane began to pull away from the terminal.
Maria always enjoyed the sensation of a large commercial airplane charging down the runway. It reminded her of the long drop on a roller coaster just before you fly up the next climb. She would find herself pressed against the seat with her heart pounding in her chest, and the air sucked from her lungs. Then as soon as she felt there is no escape; the tires would lift off the ground, and a calm feeling would move over the airplane, as it slowly climbed toward the heavens.
***
“Well, another successful take-off,’ Bill grinned, looking at the massive fog bank ahead of them.
“Yeah, once we get above that fog it will be clear skies all the way to New York,” Jim checked the instruments again.
During the Safety Briefing, Jim had been informed of the fog, but he had hoped it would have cleared by flight time. Unfortunately, it had only thickened, and expanded, ultimately engulfing the entire horizon.
“Damn, that’s some thick fog,” Ron groaned, straining to see through the swirling mist on the windshield.
“It sure is, but I wouldn’t worry because Jim is the best pilot out there,” Bill grinned, glancing over at Jim.
“Thanks, but I’d hold off on the compliments until I get us through this soup.” Of all the different flying conditions, flying through fog had always made Jim nervous. Over the years, he had seen things go wrong in an instant because of not being able to see what was ahead of you.
“Well, if Bill has faith in you, I guess I should too,” Ron chuckled. “I think I’ll try to get some rest. I need to be fresh when I get home.”
Leaning back in his seat, Ron closed his eyes with the vision of his daughter appearing in his mind.
“That’s a good idea. Maybe I should take a nap too?” Bill teased.
Jim shot Bill a playful grin, “Oh, no, if anyone gets to take a nap, it’s me.” Both laughed until…
The blue flash was as bright as the sun, blinding everyone on the plane. Time seemed to stop, pulling everyone into a dream-like state with no escape, as a strange humming filled their ears.
“What the hell just happened?” Bill moaned while rubbing his eyes.
“I don’t know,” Jim groaned, trying to shake the strange feeling coursing through his body.
“Hey Ron, are you alright?” He turned to check on Ron, but to his horror, Ron was gone. “Did you see him leave?”
“No, he was sitting right there, and then there was that strange flash of light. What do you think it was?” Bill suddenly felt uneasy. In all his years of flying, he had never seen anything like that.
“I have no idea, but look, none of the gauges are working,” Jim leaned forward to get a better look. “Why don’t you go see if you can find Ron, and I’ll try and figure out why these gauges don’t seem to be functioning.”
Without saying a word, Bill stood and walked to the cockpit door. He glanced back to Jim then said a silent prayer before opening the cockpit door.
The screams and cries slammed into Bill’s ears with such force that he nearly fell to his knees. “What the hell is going on?”
“Oh, my God, where have they all gone?” Maria cried out.
“I don’t know, but I feel strange, and I think I’m going to throw-up,” Patti cried, struggling to get to her feet. “Where are Randy and Sherry? Where did everyone go?”
“I don’t know, but we better get things calmed down before it gets out of control.” Maria shook her head, fighting the strange feeling building up inside of her.
“Maria, Patti, do you have any idea what happened?” Bill called out. “I just walked through First Class, and I saw only three passengers. I tried to talk to them, but they seemed to be in some sort of trance. Have you seen Ron?”
“No, the last time I saw him was when I brought him to the cockpit. Oh, my God, is he gone too?” Maria felt her knees grow weak. Her head was pounding, as she tried to make sense of what was happening.
Suddenly screams of fear filled the air.
“George, where are you?” Sandi jumped to her feet, frantically trying to find her husband.
“Mommy, Daddy, where are you?” Where moments before Kimi was sitting between her parents, now the two seats were empty.
“I don’t know what’s going on here, but this isn’t good.” Bill stared, unbelieving at the empty seats. Just moments before, they were filled with happy passengers.
“Oh crap, my head is pounding,” Greg moaned, sitting up in his seat. “Are you okay, Tara?”
“Yeah, but I feel strange. What happened?”
“I don’t know, but did you see that bright, blue light? I wonder what that was.”
Tara rubbed her eyes, “I don’t know, but I don’t think that was normal. It was almost like a flash from a welder.”
Greg grabbed the back of the seat in front of him and pulled himself up. “Damn, where is everyone? Sweetheart, I think we’re the only ones on the plane.”
Chapter 4
“Oh, my head,” Renee moaned, trying to ignore the strange humming in her ears.
“Albeo, are you alright? Albeo, where are you?” Renee forced herself to her feet and looked at the empty first class seats. “Oh, my God, where is everyone?”
“We’re here,” Greg cried out. “Is anyone else with you?”
“No, he’s gone. What happened? Where is everyone?” Renee cried.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. What’s your name?”
“Renee, but where did Albeo go? He was right here, and now he’s gone!”
Gregg looked at Tara, “Sweetheart, why don’t you go sit with Renee, while I try to figure out what is going on.”
“Please don’t leave me, I’m scared,” Tara’s eyes filled with tears.
“I know you are, but I need you to be strong. Renee is afraid, too, and I’m sure she would like someone to sit with her until we can figure out what happened.”
Greg took Tara by the hand and walked over to Renee who sat crying with her face buried in her hands.
“Renee, I’m Tara, and I want you to know that you’re not alone,” she sat, putting her arm around Renee, who was crying uncontrollably.
Tara looked up at Greg with a forced smile, “We’ll be fine.”
Greg reached out and touched Tara on the check.
“I love you,” then he turned and walked toward the voices now coming from the back of the airplane.
“Sir, are you alright?” Maria called out when she noticed Greg walk past the galley.
He turned, surprised to see the Flight Attendant standing there and wondered why he hadn’t noticed her. “Yeah, I'm all right. What’s going on?”
“We’re not sure, but you really need to remain in your seat for now,” Maria hoped he could not tell how frightened she was.
“I’m not going to just sit in my seat. I want to know what the hell is going on! First class was almost entirely full, and now there are only three of us left. How can people just disappear off an airplane like that, and what’s that damn humming sound?” Greg shook his head, trying to stop the noise from invading his ears.
Maria glanced at Patti, not sure of what to say.
“Sir, please, you need to return to your seat. I promise that we are doing everything we can to solve this mystery,” Patti hoped this would calm him.
Bill walked back to the galley. “I counted everyone, and there are only ten passengers, and four crew members left on board.”
“What are you saying?” Greg felt his fear replaced with anger. “How is that even possible?”
“Sir, where were you sitting?” Bill asked.
“My wife and I are in first class. She’s waiting for me with anothe
r woman. Please, you have to know what’s going on!”
“He’s one of the three from First Class I saw earlier. Sir, we are doing everything we can to figure out what has happened. Please, go back and wait with your wife.” Bill felt the same nauseous feeling wash over him again.
“Bill, are you alright?” Patti struggled to control the overwhelming fear churning up inside of her.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I want the two of you to have everyone from the back come up to first class. That way we can keep a better eye on them until we figure all this out.”
Maria knew she must control her own emotions at seeing the fear and doubt burning in Bill’s eyes. “That’s a good idea. Come on, Patti.”
***
An eerie fog swirled against the windshield as Jim sat in stunned silence, waiting for Bill to return. He had flown commercial airplanes for many years, and he had never seen anything quite like this. He decided to go through another check of the instruments when the cockpit door opened.
“Did you find him?” Jim was relieved to see Bill return.
“No, and I don’t know how, but most of the passengers are gone, too.”
Jim turned to face Bill, not convinced if he had heard him correctly. “What did you say?”
Bill took his seat before speaking again. “Jim, we only have ten passengers left on board and two flight attendants. Everyone else is gone.”
Stunned by this news, Jim sat quietly for a moment, staring out at the swirling fog. “How is that possible?”
“I don’t know. I told Maria and Patti to bring all the passengers up to First Class so that we can keep an eye on them while we try to figure out what the hell happened. You should have seen them. The looks of confusion on their faces as if they are in some sort of trance. I’ve never seen anything like it. I walked by a couple of them, and I don’t think they even noticed me there,” Bill shook his head, trying to stop the constant humming in his ears. “Have you figured out what is wrong with the instruments yet?”
“No, and look at what they’re doing now,” Jim pointed to the dash, where all the dials were spinning wildly. “And look at my wrist watch. It’s doing the same thing. Do you remember what happened before the blue flash of light?”
Bill sat silent for a moment, trying to remember everything that had happened. “We took off like normal, nothing out of the ordinary other than the thick fog, and then that bright, blue flash of light. What do you think it was?”
“I’ve been thinking about that, and for the life of me I can’t figure out what it was. At first, I thought there was some sort of electrical surge caused by a lightning strike, but that doesn’t explain why we are still flying. I’ve heard about strange things like this happening before, but I never thought…”
“Strange things, what kind of strange things?” Bill was unsure if he really wanted the answer.
Jim rubbed his temples, trying to clear his mind. “I’m sure you’ve heard of aircraft vanishing without a trace over certain parts of the Atlantic, right? Well, there have also been reports of strange lights, and equipment failures,” he looked at Bill, hoping to make sense of everything that had happened.
“But that can’t be it. We weren’t over the ocean yet, right?” Bill stared at Jim, unsure of himself.
“I don’t believe so, but I can’t seem to remember how long we were flying before…” he leaned forward, as intense pain slammed into his head.
“Are you, okay?” Bill reached for Jim. “You don’t look so good.”
“Yeah, I’m okay. I just seem to have one heck of a headache, that’s all.” Jim forced a smile, not wanting to worry Bill.
“So, what are we going to do? We can’t fly this big bird blind, and we can’t just turn around without knowing where we are,” Bill’s voice quivered with fear.
“I know. I’ve tried the radio several times, but it’s as if no one is there. There’s not even any static. How strange is that?” Jim forced himself to sit up, and look at the gauges again. “I wish I knew how long we were unconscious so that I could estimate how far we’ve flown and where we might be.”
“Jim, all this still doesn’t explain where everyone went. How could most of the people on this airplane just vanish into thin air? We are missing one hundred and seventy-nine passengers, two crew members, and one guy, who was hitching a ride home. People just don’t disappear like that,” the fear was now evident on Bill’s face. “Shit, it’s like they were never even on the airplane.”
Jim looked at Bill, seeing the pleading expression in his eyes. “I wish I had an answer for you, but I don’t. None of this makes any sense, but we need to stay level-headed and try to find a way to land this thing safely.”
Bill looked out of the windshield, “How are we going to do that without our instruments? Besides, the fog looks as though it’s getting thicker.”
BANG…BANG…BANG…the cabin door flew open.
“Bill, you need to come out here, NOW!” The urgency in Maria’s voice filled the cabin.
“Let me out of here! I’m not supposed to be here!”
“Hurry, he’s out of control!” Maria pointed to the crazed man pacing up and down the aisle. “I was worried about him earlier when he requested a drink before take-off.”
Bill slowly walked toward the distraught man. “Sir, you need to calm down before you hurt yourself.”
“Stay away from me! I want to get off this airplane, NOW!” The man seemed to look through Bill with madness clearly in his eyes.
“I know you do, but I need you to calm down a bit, okay? What’s your name?” Bill slowly moved closer.
“My name is Mike. Please, let me get off the plane. I hate to fly!” He stopped and stared directly at Bill.
“Mike, I know you’re scared, but I need you to calm down before you hurt yourself or someone else. Can you do that for me?”
“I don’t understand what happened. I was trying to relax, but when I opened my eyes, they were all gone. Where did they all go? How can people just disappear like that?” Tears flowed down Mike’s cheeks.
“I don’t know, but we need to stay calm. Why don’t you come over here, and we’ll get you something to drink, okay?” Bill glanced at Maria, who nodded her understanding.
“I don’t want anything to drink. I want off this damn airplane!” Mike slowly backed away.
“Come on, Mike. You need to calm down.” Bill glanced around the cabin, trying to assess the situation.
Mike’s head was spinning, and the humming in his ears was growing to an unbearable pitch. “No, I want out…NOW!” He turned and ran to the nearest door, and frantically began pulling on the latch.
Before Bill could reach him, Greg had tackled Mike to the floor. “Damn it, are you trying to kill us all? Quit acting like a damn fool, and behave yourself,” Greg growled, as he held Mike on the floor.
Mike knew there was no sense in fighting because he was trapped on this flight with everyone else and there was nothing he could do about it. “Okay, I’m sorry. I’m better now.”
“Don’t try anything foolish because I’ll lay your ass out.” Greg released his hold on Mike, and then slowly stood to the sound of cheers and applause.
“My hero!” Tara cried out, as she threw her arms around Greg’s neck. “You saved us!”
Bill reached down and helped Mike to his feet. “Come on, Maria has a cold soda for you.” Then Bill led the shaken and disheveled Mike to a seat so that he could relax and compose himself.
After settling into a seat, Mike took the offered beverage from Maria. “Thank you, I’m sorry for losing it. I never meant to harm anyone.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’re all a bit shaken up about this situation.” In fact, Maria thought a drink with everything going on was an excellent idea.
“Excuse me, do you mind if I join you? My name is Pastor Jacob Newton, and you look like you might need someone to talk to,” Jacob offered his
hand to Mike.
Hesitating a moment, Mike finally accepted the offered hand and returned the handshake. “Thank you, I’d love the company.”
Seeing things were under control for the moment, Bill turned to Greg, “Thank you for acting so quickly.”
“Hey, I couldn’t let him get that door open. We’re facing enough crap as it is.”
Bill nodded his agreement, “Very true. I need to go check in with the captain, so can I count on you to keep an eye on our friend in case he decides to act up again?”
“We’ll all watch him,” Mark chimed in. “Besides, it looks like the preacher is keeping him occupied for now anyway.”
“Miss, may I have something to drink. My husband needs to take his medicine,” Brigitte spoke up with a shaken voice.
“Now, stop fretting about me. I’m fine, really,” Charles patted Brigitte on the arm.
“You know you need to stay on your schedule.” Brigitte knew this whole thing would be stressful on him, so she did not want to take the chance of him having another heart attack.
“Here you go.” Maria sat the cup and bottle of water on the table in front of Charles. “Is there anything else I can get for you?”
“No, this is fine, thank you.”
Reaching for the bottle, he paused when Brigitte pushed his hand away. “Here let me do that for you.”
With a shaky hand, Charles took the pills and put them in his mouth. “You take such good care of me.”
“Well, I want you to stay with me for a long time because I’m not finished with you yet,” Brigitte teased, trying to conceal the fear churning inside of her.
“Well, it looks like I’ve taken you on one heck of a trip this time, doesn’t it?” He hoped to ease her nerves, but he found himself worried as well.
“Charles, what do you think is going on? Where did everyone go? People just don’t vanish like that, right?” Tears streamed down her cheeks and onto her blouse.
Charles sat in silence, trying to choose his words carefully. “I don’t know. At first, I thought I was dreaming, but if this is a dream, it’s the most detailed one I’ve ever had. I wish I knew what to tell you, but I don’t. I remember sitting back in my seat as the plane took off, and once we were in the air I remember a bright, blue flash of light, and then…”