Stay Together Chapter 9 by Maira Dawn
Chapter 9
(COPYRIGHT©2024 MAIRA DAWN)
Emily’s heart pounded as she helped some children off the slide. Around her, confused and frightened passengers lingered so wrapped up in their initial problem they neglected to see the one right above their head.
Emily picked up a brown-eyed little girl who wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry over her unexpected slide to the ground and handed her to her mother.
“Go into the building. Hurry!” she told the woman as she pointed to the drifting plane in the sky. “And tell others, please!”
The mother’s eyes grew rounder, and she hugged her little girl tighter. She nodded and took off for the closest airport entrance, waving at others to follow her.
Emily turned back to the slide, her gaze flicking between the descending aircraft and the anxious passengers waiting at the top of the emergency chute. She waved the next person down.
A trembling elderly woman navigated the slide expertly, her husband right behind her. As Emily helped them onto solid ground, a deafening roar split the air.
Wind blew her hair about and plastered her clothes to her body. She looked up. The failing plane had picked up speed and was heading right for them.
Emily’s heart lurched.
Panic rippled through the crowd, cries of terror mixed with the whistling of the wind as the plane plummeted toward them.
Several people at the top of the slide jumped, tumbling into one another on the ride down. At the bottom, they hopped off, ignoring the hands that Emily and her family held out. Once their feet were on the ground, they raced for the building.
“We need to go now!” James’s voice cut through the chaos, alarm covering his face as he gestured for his family to follow him into the airport. “There’s nothing more we can do.”
“Get back! Get back!” Ian said as he ran toward James. He held the hand of a scared young boy until they met up with his mother, who whisked him away. Then, the older man and his wife, Nancy, raced for safety.
Emily’s heart ached for the few people left on their plane. They had helped most people off, but attendants ushered the remaining ones back into the plane to shelter as best they could.
She glanced over her shoulder only the see the crashing plane was close enough for its gigantic shadow to darken the tarmac below it.
Dread gripped Emily’s chest over what was about to happen. “Dad!” she said, knowing even as she called for him, there was nothing he could do.
Still running, he moved beside her. “I know, baby girl. I know.”
Emily spotted the moisture in her father’s eyes, even as she wiped the tears from her own. He grabbed her hand, holding it until they reached the relative safety of the airport.
Behind them, the faltering plane hit the ground with a deafening crash, sending shudders through the tarmac.
Passengers frantically tried to find their footing, but many stumbled, losing their balance and falling to their knees. Beside her, a woman in a business suit lost her footing and fell hard, her briefcase spilling open. It was chaos and confusion as people scrambled to safety.
Something flew past her, sounding much like an angry bee. Heart pounding, she threw her arm up to defend against any other flying debris, only to have something nick her shoulder.
The sharp scent of fuel filled the air.
Emily spun around to see the Jet, now lying in a crumpled heap on top of the one she had just been in. The wreckage seemed almost fused together, with parts of the cabin and wings tangled in a chaotic mess.
A flame licked up through the middle of the wreckage.
Her father shouted something that was drowned out by the cries of the people and the blaring sirens.
Sirens?
Flying down the tarmac, one lone fire engine flew. A line of firefighters followed it on foot. Emily felt a sense of relief wash over her. They could do more than she and her family could.
Her father grabbed her arm, pulling her into the building and pushing the glass doors closed as quickly as he could. Passengers from their plane, as well as others watching the crash, filled the lobby.
James glanced at the crowd. “Get away from the windows!” he said as he waved the people away. “Into the hallway.”
The urgency in his voice made Emily’s heart race.
A sound somewhat like a thunderclap startled Emily. Behind them, debris peppered the glass doors and windows, causing cracks in some.
James rushed his family down the crowded corridor away from the danger. Ian waved them to a spot beside him and his wife, Nancy. “The tail blew off the crashed plane,” Ian said, shaking his head.
Around them, hushed voices whispered their worries, reinforcing Emily’s concern over what the next twenty-four hours held for them. The immediate danger may have passed, but tension still hung heavy in the air.
As emergency responders swarmed the crash site, their family settled in beside Ian for the time being. Her mother trembly slightly and slipped her hand into her father’s, gripping it tight. Her gaze fixed on the wreckage they could still see outside the window. Michael clung to his Emily, his eyes wide as he took in the grisly scene before him.
Emily looked up as her parents moved closer, wrapping both her and Mike in a protective embrace. Their expressions were a mixture of disbelief and gratitude that everyone had made it out unscathed.
“It’ll be okay,” James murmured, his voice steady despite the surrounding turmoil. “We’re safe now.”
But Emily’s mind reeled with everything that had happened, and everything that made no sense. She had to wonder—were they, really? Were they really safe?
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.
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