Just a Normal Flight

Lisa ran across the road, raindrops pouring down, splashing off her black umbrella. She paused, wondering what to do next. She saw the cabbie and sprinted towards it, dragging her suitcase over the uneven pavement. She opened the door, threw her suitcase in, and got in behind it. 

“Where would you like to go?” Asked the driver.

“London City Airport. Make it quick.”Replied Lisa.

As the cabbie sped round the roundabout turning off to the airport terminal, Lisa looked through her travel package and checked to make sure that everything was there. Just a few days ago, she received an anonymous letter, telling her she had won a trip to New York for Christmas. She was unsure at first, thinking it was a scam, but then she looked at the ticket and looked online, and sure enough, everything was legit. 

The flight was a 9-hour flight on British Airways. This was a relatively special flight because the plane was an a318, and the seating was fully business class, with only space for 32 passengers on board. Her flight was leaving in 20 minutes. Lisa paid the cabbie 10 quid and left, ignoring the protest of the driver exclaiming that the fare was 15 pounds. She sprinted through the doors into the warm, cosy terminal. She made for the immigration lane (she only had hand luggage for the short trip). She had little trouble getting through the x-ray machines and the immigration officer. Soon enough, she was at her gate, ready to board. Lisa marvelled at the sight, the a318 was a small plane, but it was one of the most technologically advanced aeroplanes out there. 

Lisa made her way down the narrow lane. Row 8A, the last row. She looked at the woman sat one row in front of her. She felt like she recognized her. Where did she see her from? She could not seem to grasp who she was. Nevermind that, she was going to enjoy this flight. Just as the plane was about to leave the terminal, a large, strange looking man, wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket came on board. He slowly made his way down the aisle and stopped right beside Lisa. He smiled, showing his yellow teeth that looked as though they had not been brushed for a long time, and placed his luggage in the overhead and sat down next to her. The funny thing was that Lisa thought that she knew that guy as well, but just like the other woman, she could not seem to recognise him. 

As the plane began to taxi towards the runway, the sky grew dark. The rain started pouring down even harder. Out in the distance, lightning danced in the clouds. Lisa grew more and more nervous. The captain then made the announcement. “Welcome aboard to flight BA143 from London city airport to New York JFK. I am captain John Jones, and today I will be flying the plane alongside first officer Bob Barnes.” Lisa immediately sat up. John Jones. That man was her ex-boyfriend. He probably knows that she was on the plane as well!

As the plane turned, the pilot’s voice rang through the cabin. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, cabin crew, please be seated for takeoff. As soon as we get to cruising altitude, you will be served food, and drinks and you will be welcome to roam about the cabin.” 

Inside the cockpit, John was ticking off the final steps of the takeoff checklist. He looked down the rather short runway, he knew that this airport was very small, so he immediately pushed the throttle all the way forward. The engines roared to life, the plane lurched forward, John was pushed back into his chair. 

“V1” Bob exclaimed.

“Rotate.” John replied as he pulled the joystick back. 

The plane began to rise.

“Positive rate,” said Bob.

“Gear up” John replied, pulling the lever up, retracting the landing gear.

The visibility was poor. The rain spat onto the windows, the wipers wiping at a furious rate. The plane started to shake; small shakes at first, but then over the next minute, the plane seemed to be bouncing around in the air as though the clouds were trampolines.

The passengers grew anxious, some started whining. Lisa grasped the armrest, squeezing it with all her might. This was wake turbulence, as John would say. The plane would drop suddenly due to the patterns of airflow. But it was nothing to be worried about. She stared out of the window, the sky was grey, it was like night, yet it was only about one in the afternoon. Then Lisa saw it. She screamed. The person next to her spun around staring at Lisa, who was sucking in mouthfuls of air, expelling it just as quickly as she was breathing it in. Her face was white as though she had seen a ghost. But what she saw, was much, much worse. 

Inside the cockpit, things were not going as smoothly. John had Bob in a headlock, then a chokehold. The plane was barely climbing to cruising altitude. Soon, Bob’s body became slack. John pushed Bob’s body aside, making sure not to accidentally turn on the recorder that was supposed to be recording everything. He then turned off communication to the tower. John knew that if everything went smoothly, everyone will be dead in no time. 

As the man beside Lisa tried his best to calm Lisa down. He seemed that it was quite odd that he recognised her. Then it hit him. She was Lisa, and she was John’s ex! Lisa and John were the iconic couple during sixth form college, and he used to bully them. He cringed as he recalled the times when he would torment John, taking his money, and cornering him, and beating him up, just because he was ginger. He looked back at Lisa, who was starting to calm down. He introduced himself as Jake. That was when Lisa got a grasp of who he was, and who everyone else on the plane was. 

As the plane levelled out at the cruising altitude a few moments later, the cabin crew started handing out glasses of champagne to the passengers. Lisa snatched 2 glasses off the air hostess, finishing it in a mere couple of seconds, leaving the hostess rather shocked, and annoyed. Then began the foodservice. Caviar and toast for starters, then premium rib-eye steak for the main course, followed by blueberry cheesecake for dessert. 

Inside the cockpit, John kept the plane at a steady altitude, keeping the door locked, and ignoring the cabin crew who were asking if he wanted anything to eat. They were ⅕ of the way across the Atlantic. He leaned forward and set the altitude to 0ft. He made sure that the descent was not going to be noticed by anyone by setting the vertical descent rate to 250 feet per minute. Not much longer now.

Lisa wolfed down her food. The dizzying feeling was starting to get to her. She got out of her seat and made her way to the bathroom. She opened the door and got in. She ran the tap, splashing water onto her face, slapping her cheeks, trying to get her mind to focus. The horror. She and everyone on this plane is going to die. The person who sat next to her, he bullied John. She broke his heart. The woman that she couldn’t recognise at first, that was his sister. She was the nastiest person on the planet. She framed John for a murder that she did, but after years of trials, and court cases, John was found innocent due to the insufficient evidence. The case, set aside as another mystery that would never be solved. 

Lisa opened the door. She bumped into an older couple. The parents. John never had a great childhood. Every day was a living hell, multiple beatings, verbal abuse, starvation, all because he was a mistake that was never supposed to happen. Further down. There sat her former Math teacher, Mrs Henderson. She was responsible for the limp that John has when he walks. She often picked on him, asking him to solve impossible questions. The punishment of failure was a beating from the headmaster with an ivory cane. All 32 passengers onboard, as well as the cabin crew,  had wronged John. And he was going to get his revenge. Just like the message written on the window. “Enjoy the last few hours of your life.” 

John had been planning his revenge for many years now. He spent most of his spare time doing research on what everyone who hurt him has been doing. He found their addresses and spent every last penny he had booking tickets for the flight, expensive hotel rooms, vouchers, cars. Luring all of them onto the same plane. He checked the flight controls. 5000ft the automatic callout chimed. John pushed the throttle all the way forward. The speed rose drastically. Soon the plane began to rattle. “Overspeed …Overspeed…” Chimed the alarms. As the final touch. He pushed a button, and in the back of the plane. A spark was created. He laughed maniacally, as the cabin crew banged on the locked, bulletproof door to no avail.

Inside the cabin, the flames grew larger, the cabin crew did all they could to stop the fire. They poured water all over the base of the fire, but it was no use. Then out of nowhere, Jake decides to pee into the fire. The fire starts to die down. All the men decide to go and line up and take a whizz into the fire. The added water from the cabin crew then extinguishes the last of the fire. Everyone, filled with adrenaline, started celebrating. Then Lisa looked out the window. It looked as though the plane was going to crash! Everyone then started screaming again.

Inside the cockpit. John watched as the dial slowly moved counterclockwise. He turned off the autopilot and pitched the plane into a nosedive. 1500ft… 1400… 1300. The alarms were sounding. “Terrain, terrain” chimed the voice. “Terrain, terrain”. 

Lisa screamed, she held Jakes hand. John’s parents snuggled together one last time, grief-stricken, and filled with guilt that they had created a monster. Out of nowhere, Mrs Henderson started to sing. 

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound”

“That saved a wretch like me” started Jake

“I once was lost, but now I’m found” cried, Lisa

“Was blind, but now I see” sang the rest of the audience. 

At 15:30 GMT. BA flight 143 made contact with the ocean. Everyone died on impact. 

Epilogue:

“AHHHHH!” Screamed Lisa. 

Lisa opened her eyes and looked around. They had just landed at JFK International Airport yet the whole experience seemed so real.When did she even fall asleep?? Tears were streaming down her face. The a318 was in one piece, and everyone on board was still alive. She looked to her side, and saw the familiar face of Jake, and realised that maybe it was just a random coincidence after all. She heard the voice of John welcoming the passengers to New York. It’s a small world.

Upon arriving at her hotel room, Lisa threw her jacket and luggage aside. She noticed the complimentary Dom Perignon champagne. She poured herself a glass, drank and then leapt onto the king-sized bed. 

“Ahh, this is the life” she exclaimed, sinking into the bed.

She felt a sharp pain in her abdomen, a burning sensation. Her eyes grew wide as she gasped “The champagne!” 

It was no coincidence. The champagne, the plane, the passengers. John had his revenge on everyone.