“That’s not… is that…? No, it can’t be, can it?” She looks up at me.
“Is it drugs?” I ask softly. “Because it looks like drugs.”
“No…” Tasha shakes her head and squints. “In the wall? That’s… there’s no way!”
“We have to report this.”
“To who?” Tasha’s eyes widen. “It’s not like there’s an air marshal on this flight.”
“Derek?” I suggest as my hands start to warm around the package. Suddenly, touching this feels like a very bad idea, so I throw it down onto my trolley. “We have to tell Derek and George, and they’ll know what to do.”
“Because pilots get trained on what to do if drugs are found inside the plane?” Tasha hisses, clutching at my hands. “What if it’s one of the passengers?”
I scoff lightly despite how my heart starts to race. “There’s no way one of them could have put that there. This stuff is like… in thewall.”
“But if someone’s here to keep an eye on it? What if it is Derek? Or George?”
“Okay, take a breath,” I say, grasping Tasha’s arm as she starts to panic. “There’s no way. We just… we have to tell them, and they’ll know what to do. Maybe not exactly about this, but there’s got to be some kind of protocol to follow that’s similar or something, just… okay, you stay here and make sure no one comes in here, okay?”
Tasha nods quickly and brings her hands together at her chest, staring down at the discarded package. “Okay. Okay. Maybe the company changed the insulation and just chose a really bad design,” she whispers.
“Maybe. Wait here.”
Smoothing my hands down my waistcoat, I plaster that fake smile on my face and step out through the curtain just as amassive rumble tremors through the floor and the entire plane shudders twice.
I grab the back of the nearest seat to steady myself, then I’m suddenly weightless. The plane drops a good few feet out of the air and sends the entire cabin into chaos. Panic spreads like wildfire. Those not obeying the fasten seatbelt light join me in lurching up through the air, only to slam hard back down against the floor as the pilots regain control.
The drugs flee my mind as safety protocols take over. I give myself three seconds to lie there, catching my breath, then I’m on my feet and hurrying down the aisle toward the cockpit.
“What’s happening?”
“We’re going to die!”
“Mama, I’m scared!”
“I didn’t pay for this!”
Passenger screams and yells tumble over one another as the plane violently shudders once more and begins drifting down to one side.
“Put on your seatbelt!” I yell as loudly as I can above the screaming. “Remember the safety procedures at the start of the flight!”
No one does. The plane tilts harder and harder to one side as if something is pulling it down by the wing. I scramble against seats to make it to the safety chair near the cockpit. By some stroke of luck, I make it and throw myself in, bracing one leg against the wall to remain seated while fastening my belt. Then I snatch the phone from the wall and press it to my ear.
“I need your attention, please!” My voice booms across the intercom as masks pop from the ceiling and dangle in front of every passenger. The entire plane rattles violently, jerking up and down through the air like we’re on some kind of rollercoaster.
“Please ensure your seatbelts are firmly locked in place! Masks have jettisoned from their pods in front of you, so please take the one directly in front of you and place the mask firmly over your nose and mouth!” My teeth rattle and clack together with each shudder and suddenly, the taste of copper floods my mouth. “Pull the elastic over your head and secure it in place by pulling tight! Ensure your mask is securely in place before attempting to help your neighbor, and please?—”
Suddenly, we’re free-falling. Every passenger within my view rises slightly from their seats, hair flies upward, unsecured cups and items escape their holders and rattle around in the air. The plane crunches violently, and half the locks on the overhead compartments burst open.
“Please remain calm!” I yell those worthless words as the freefall continues and air rushes past my ears at such speed that I can’t even hear my own heartbeat anymore.
We’re going down.
We’re actually going down.
I was wrong.
It wasn’t just a little turbulence.
