“That’s three women, one kid and two men,” Tiger said.
“All alive?” I asked.
“Yup. A lot of dead out there,” Drake lowered his voice, seeing Amy look over.
“Titanic of the Skies,” Amy suddenly spoke. “They named it well.”
I nodded, unsure how to respond.
“Natasha and I shouldn’t have been on it. A friend won tickets and decided she had no desire to go. Said she had a bad feeling about it. Shit, Kristal wasn’t wrong. Who’d have thought it would explode?”
“Nobody, honey,” I replied, uncertain what to say.
Amy’s gaze focused on the blaze that engines were trying to tackle. “How many died inside that thing? How many didn’t even have a chance once the explosion happened?”
Behind us, an ambulance wailed and pulled away. No doubt on board was a critical survivor. Amy’s eyes became unfocused, and I guessed she was shutting down.
“What do you do, Amy?” I asked, and the paramedic nodded in approval as he continued taking her blood pressure.
“I worked in a kindergarten and also arranged child-friendly events. I was an assistant teacher and earned my teaching degree a year ago. Guess what’s ironic? I’m looking for a job local to Rapid City. Funny how I crash-landed here. Almost as if I’m meant to be here,” Amy bit out and laughed. There was a tinge of mild hysteria in it.
“Don’t flake out on me now, brave girl,” I ordered.
Amy glanced at me in surprise and nodded. She gritted her teeth together and clung to me.
“Fuckin’ strong woman,” Tiger added in approval.
Amy acknowledged, but her grip tightened on my hand. I let her; it was the least I could do.
Chapter Two.
Amy – An hour before the crash.
“Amy, can you believe this is happening?” Natasha demanded for the one hundredth time.
“Yes, because we’re actually standing on the deck of this monster,” I replied with a teasing lilt.
“Oh, come on, Amy, it’s not as if you and I would ever have done this. The tickets cost a damn fortune,” Natasha argued as we headed down to the restaurant.
“Tash, I’m well aware.” A mutual friend had won two tickets in a competition but was frightened of heights. Plus, Kristal had a bad feeling and had decided not to come. Natasha and I were you-only-live-once kind of people, and this was the trip of a lifetime.
We boarded the Titanic of the Skies at Stanley, North Dakota, and would fly to Rio Grande City, Texas. Right at the far southern tip of the state. The company that owned the zeppelins had created many jobs in those several small towns. Once we reached Grande City, we’d head up the east coast to Forks, Washington. From there, we’d fly along the USA border toHolton in Maine and follow the coastline back down to Grande City before returning across the country to Stanley.
This was a two-week trip with sightseeing stops planned, and I’d been looking forward to it. Luckily, meals and drinks were included because it was expensive as hell on board. The entire zeppelin smelled of sheer luxury, and only the rich would ever travel on this. It wasn’t for the everyday Joe.
There was another route that went from Williamsburg, Virginia, across the states to Crescent City, California. The journey continued along the US border until reaching Crescent City again. Then it flew across country back to Williamsburg. That was a longer trip, three weeks in total. However, you could embark at any of the airstrip stations and make a shorter vacation. But even for a short trip, the ticket price was through the roof.
Being aware of this, Tash and I planned to take full advantage of the facilities on board. It was shocking how big the zeppelin was. The passenger areas were spread over three levels. The top level contained a modest gym, a fifty-seat cinema, a spa and sauna, alongside a music bar and a games room. As a game lover myself, I spent a lot of time there while Natasha hit the spa. There was even a shopping area, with small stalls selling high-end goods.
The new mixture that floated the airship was meant to be safer and able to carry more weight. I’d read reports; I certainly hadn’t wanted to be in a Hindenburg disaster.
“Come on, we’re going to try that seafood restaurant,” Natasha interrupted my thoughts. A pensive feeling had settled over me, and I didn’t understand why. Was it because I’d thought of the Hindenburg? We moved down the miniature grand staircase and into the gondola area of the zeppelin, where the restaurants were situated.
There were four in total: Asian, a steakhouse, seafood, and finally an upper-crust gourmet restaurant. So far, we’ve tried the gourmet and Asian. Tonight, it was Natasha’s choice; I just hoped they had crab legs. We headed towards it and gave the hostess our names, and she showed us to a table. Despite the hour, the establishment was rather full. Time had a different meaning on the huge zeppelin. You slept late and stayed up later.
Without a second thought, we dived into the menu, and I felt spoiled for choice. I chose the seafood taster starter, while Tash had scallops. We both ordered the crab legs and a chocolate fudge cake with whipped cream.
I was sitting back with a groan and patting my full-up belly when we heard a faint bang. Natasha looked around and then shrugged. I reached for my glass of wine when a louder second detonation boomed, and screams began ringing out. The airship shuddered intensely, and we stared at each other with wide eyes. Shrieks groaned from stressed metal, and we covered our ears.
