Stay Together Chapter 10 by Maira Dawn
Chapter 10
(COPYRIGHT©2024 MAIRA DAWN)
James narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the remnants of the plane through the thick smoke and dust. The explosion had scattered debris in every direction, making it difficult to see. He sat on the hard floor of the airport hallway, straining to see any sign of the planes. His thoughts drifted to those who hadn’t escaped their doomed flight.
He forced the thought away. Sending up a prayer, he thanked God for the safety of his family and begged that he helped those still on the planes. But deep down, he couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease settling over him. Something wasn’t right about this entire situation, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
Inside the once-bustling airport, it is now eerily quiet, with only the occasional murmur from the shocked onlookers.
James jumped up and looked out over the airport runway, taking in the devastation.
The air was thick with the gritty remnants of the explosion, and as the dust settled, James tried to process the destruction that now lay before him.
The outside of the once lively airport now resembled a war zone, with twisted metal and scattered belongings scattered as if a giant hand had swept through and flung them carelessly about.
Despite the shock and horror of the scene, a few people remained, disheveled and dazed, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
The acrid smell of smoke and burning fuel began tainting even the air inside the airport.
His wife stood and moved beside him, holding on to his arm. “ James! How horrible!”
He put his arms around his wife as the calls for help reached them.
Airport emergency personnel hurriedly bustled down the hallway, their urgent footsteps echoing off the walls. James called out, “Do you need any assistance out there?”
One woman paused and answered him, “No offense, but if you don’t have the training, you’d be more trouble than help.”
He shook his head. “I haven’t.”
“Then you’ll help us more by staying in here. Ask around though. There’ll be something you can do.”
“Okay,” James said. “Will do.”
Relief washed over him as the airport employees rushed to the first victims, offering them help.
Ian tipped his head toward James and made his way over. “Did she say where we could help out?” he asked James.
“Not exactly. She said ask around. Someone will need help.”
Ian looked around. “Might not be a bad idea. Looks like they’ll need it. Most of these people look a little, well, shellshocked.”
James agreed. Most of the people near them stared into space or were curled into the smallest ball a person could make themselves into. Only a few seemed to have their wits about them.
“Yeah,” he replied. “Let’s find someone in charge and see if they need help.”
With their wives’ blessings, James and Ian made their way through the crowd, searching for someone in charge. After asking a few people, they finally found a manager who was coordinating passenger assistance efforts.
“Excuse me,” James said, approaching the manager. “My friend and I were wondering if there’s anything we can do to help.”
The man looked at them skeptically before responding, “Do you have any medical or emergency training?”
“No,” James admitted.
“Well then, I’m not sure how much help you would be,” the manager replied.
“But we want to do something,” Ian piped up. “Anything.”
The manager thought for a moment before saying, “Actually, we could use some extra hands handing out water bottles and crackers to everyone. If the guests aren’t already, they’ll soon be hungry or thirsty.”
“We can definitely do that,” James said with a nod.
The manager motioned for them to follow him and led them into a medium-sized storage room filled with supplies. He flipped the light switch, but it had no effect. The room remained in the same gloomy darkness as it had been before he switched it on.
“I keep forgetting about that,” he mumbled.
“Is the electric out in the entire airport?” James asked.
“Yep. It’s how all this happened.” He waved his arm toward the tarmac.
“What about the rest of the area? The town? Is there electric there?” Ian asked.
The manager pulled the tape off a box containing crackers. “I’ve only heard rumors, but some people that came in after the crash said that it’s out everywhere. Musta been a big transformer that’s blown.”
Ian and James exchanged a worried look. “How far is everywhere?” James asked.
“That I didn’t hear.”
Continued . . .
Please remember this is a developing story and in a rawer state than what I publish. As such, it has only been self-edited and you will see some errors.
In addition, some changes may occur between now and publishing, including major storylines. I try to avoid this, but it sometimes happens.
Maira Dawn’s Novel News is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
I welcome your kindly worded feedback. :)