"Ticket please?" I held my plane ticket up to the security officer he gave me a friendly smile, "Alright step through there, shoes off, electronics, any carry on toiletries, and jewelry in one bin, bag in the other."
I stepped up to the line, picking a bin from the pile, I set my phone in the bin, dug out my makeup bag of toiletries and set them in the bin then picked another bin up and put my backpack. It rolled through the scanner as I followed along behind the line of people.
"OK, arms up just like the picture, don't move."
I faced forward at the diagram as the machine buzzed.
"You're good come on through." The next TSA agent said as he waved me through with a gloved hand, I waited for my bin to reach me and stuck my things back where they belonged, slung my bag over my shoulder, the TSA agent waved me on, and I followed the signs to my terminal. As I looked over the board I found my flight number. Delayed approx. 1 hour
Great…
My phone rang.
"Hey mom."
"Hey honey, you get on your plane okay?"
"No looks like its delayed for some reason." I slumped into a chair in the corner, peering out of the large window beside me. The plane was there, so I shrugged. "Plane is out there, maybe mechanical?"
"Well, do you want me to come get you so you can go get food first?" she asked.
"No, by the time I leave and come back I may miss the flight, I will just grab something from one of the shops in here."
"Okay, well, call me when you land okay?"
"Yes mom."
"Love you, Satine." She said
"Love you too, Mom." With that I hung up the phone, threw my head back and sighed, then stood to wander down the terminal.
As I passed by little shops and food stand, I stopped at one, ordered a burger to go and then continued to wonder about the shops.
My phone dinged.
"You leave yet?"
"I'm in the terminal, plane delayed."
"Are we gonna talk when you get back?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because, I told you I was done with you. That's not a 'maybe we can work it out' it's just done. Should have been done with you years ago. Infect, never should have started dating you. I don't think I ever want to be with you again."
"The fuck does that mean."
"Means you're a shitty boyfriend Reese. Now stop texting me so I can wait for my plane in peace. (Eye roll Emoji)"
I sighed and shook my head. Dick. I turned to wonder back to my terminal waiting area, picked a spot in the corner and sat with my burger, as I ate I scrolled through my phone, changed my relationship status on my social media, posted about my plane being delayed, posted a selfie with a dumb filter, then a picture of the terminal bustling with people.
About half way through my burger I heard a commotion coming from down the hallway. People had begun standing from their seats, trying to get a better look. I put my burger back in the Styrofoam container and slung my bag back over my shoulders, I stood and stepped forward to watch with the others. A few gates down a TSA agent stood slumped over slightly, another TSA agent slowly approached him, calling out his name, asking if he was okay. I stepped the side of another woman, we stared on as the TSA agent tried to calm the other who stumbled around erratically, he seemed to growl instead of talk. The terminal fell quiet, one of the quietest silences I have ever heard, a silence so deafening and terrifying that the memory of it would make me sick for the rest of my life. Then suddenly the growls from the TSA agent. Everyone held their breath watching the man stammer about.
"Eric…" The other man said, "I don't want to have to taz you man." The other agent said as he slowly pulled his stun gun from his belt, held it up to him and paused.
Suddenly the man's head flicked up, his eyes seemed to be glassed over in a white haze, and drool trickled from his mouth. He lunged for the man, grabbing him as they fell to the ground I heard the zap from the stun gun, but he didn't stop. He sank his teeth into the side of the man's face, ripping a chunk from his cheek. The airport erupted into screams and frantic cries. I watched as 2 more TSA agents lumbered through the security area.
Frozen by fear I watched on in horror as they too attacked the nearest person they could. A flood of people rushed passed me, I watched as people rose from the dead and continued on their rampage… I grabbed my backpack and sprinted down the terminal.
I jolted awake in a sweat, even the cold room wasn't enough to stop the heat from rolling through my body. I took a deep breath and gripped at my throat, feeling as though I was gasping for air.
After a moment I felt a hand on my back, gently rubbing against me skin. I looked over to see Emmett, his green eyes shimmered up at me with fear as he shifted.
"You mumble in your sleep…" he said softly, "bad dream?"
"The same one I have almost every night…" I said slumping over my lap, my bare chest began to cool and I shivered at the coldness of the room.
"Tell me about it." He said sitting up, he propped his pillows against the back of the bed and sat up, pulling me back to him. I laid my head on his bare chest, snuggling my cheek against his warm skin. Then I started to recall the dream, but it wasn't truly a dream, 10 weeks ago it was reality, and now it just played in my head over and over again. Last night was the first night I had been without it, but tonight, with Reese showing up, and my anxiety running high, my mind raced with every bad thought I could manage.
"I'm sorry…" he said hugging me tightly. "I am so sorry you had to see that…"
"It's fine…" I said softly, "that's just like… the last moment of peace I had, now it plays over and over again in my head…"
"I get you." He said, he pressed his lips to my forehead, squeezing me tightly to his body. There was a long pause before I could say anything else.
"I'm glad you two found me." I said after the silence.
"Honestly, I'm glad we did too…" he whispered to me.
"I uh… I know you said we don't have to keep this up…" I began, "but if you don't mind… I'd like to…"
"If we do we are going to have to start being careful about sex…"
"The birth control I have is good another 4 years, the only good thing about modern medicine." We chuckled together
"Still let's be careful, better safe than sorry."
"I agree." I said, nuzzling against his chest."
"Do you want to just stay in here with me for now?" He asked, he traced his finger over my shoulder.
"Yeah."
"Let's go get your stuff then." He said shifting out of bed quickly.
"Right now?" I asked, he was pulling in a pair of shorts and his shirt, he nodded.
"Yeah then you don't have to go back to your room for clothes in the morning." He smiled.
"Okay." We walked through the living room quietly, Russell and Emily ignored us as we went to my room and back to his with my bags. Once back in his room we stripped down and climbed back into bed together, our bodies twisted into one another's, I laid my head against his chest and he hugged me to him, as if protecting me from anything on the outside.
Emmett felt like the first safe thing I had come across in this new world, after losing everything, he felt like home. After less than 48 hours together he felt like a lifetime's worth of happiness flooding into me. I didn't want him to let me go, and by the way he held me, it seemed he never wanted to let me go.