Bonnie stood up, covering her mouth, and hurried to the cockpit door, knocking forcefully.
The door opened, and Jack could faintly hear the conversation inside.
"What's the situation?" Bonnie asked the pilot and co-pilot.
"The avionics are offline, Bonnie. Things are getting very bad," replied the captain.
"Radar failure, navigation failure, antenna failure, attitude indicator failure."
"MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY, this is Pioneer 119, please respond."
Hearing the string of bad news and the co-pilot's distress call on the radio, Jack felt oddly calm. Seeing the familiar faces of the characters made him suspect they were inside a TV show scenario, and surely, they wouldn't crash and burn right away.
Whether it was a movie or a series, it didn't seem like the fantasy show "LOST," so it shouldn't be anything too serious. As long as they landed, he would be fine. Even if it came to surviving on a deserted island, his skills would make it manageable, and having a beautiful girl by his side was a lot better than being alone like Robinson Crusoe.
Of course, he could only comfort himself with these thoughts. After all, there was no guarantee that the plane would land on solid ground; if it ditched in the sea, survival would become a desperate struggle, no matter how many skills he had.
"I'm sorry, Jack," Jennie said beside him.
Jack turned to her, puzzled by her apology at this moment.
"I shouldn't have treated you that way these past few days. I really like you, but I don't want to become—"
Jack gently touched her cheek, smiling as he reassured her, "Don't worry, we won't die. Just don't let go of my hand, okay?"
Although Jennie didn't fully understand what he meant, she nodded firmly. She tightened her grip on his hand and leaned closer, clutching his arm as if ready to face whatever came together.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing severe weather conditions that have caused electrical failures on board. Please remain calm, stay in your seats, and fasten your seatbelts. The captain is navigating us through the storm," came the loud announcement from the purser, Bonnie.
"Are we going to die?"
"I'm so scared!"
The cabin filled with cries and shouts, adding to the tension.
The plane suddenly began to shake violently and rapidly descend again. Jack overheard a conversation between a police officer and a prisoner beside him.
The prisoner, Louis Gaspare, loudly pleaded, "Can you take off my handcuffs? I can't swim."
The international police officer, Karam, still shaken and nursing an injured arm from Jack's earlier intervention, snapped back, "Don't even think about it."
"Help him unlock them. We're less than 500 feet above the ocean," Jack said calmly.
He could already see the turbulent waves through the window.
The plane eventually leveled out, seemingly out of the storm. Bonnie re-entered the cockpit, spoke briefly with the captain, and returned to her seat, looking distressed. She quickly composed herself, picked up the intercom, and made an announcement.
"Attention, everyone. We are preparing for an emergency landing. Please brace for impact. Life vests are located under your seats. After landing, follow the flight attendants' instructions."
"Brace for impact! Brace for impact!" the other two flight attendants echoed loudly, silencing the panicked cries and questions from the passengers.
"Hold my hand," Jack instructed Jennie loudly.
Their arms intertwined tightly, hands clasped together, eyes watching out the window. As a patch of green appeared, Jack felt a brief relief, immediately replaced by anxiety. It looked like a small island, but it was densely forested, with no apparent place to land.
Without a view from the cockpit, Jack couldn't see what lay ahead, but he could feel the plane adjusting its direction and slowly descending. Everything depended on the captain's skill now.
As the plane approached the ground, the view outside the window grew clearer, revealing a vast expanse of rainforest. The captain seemed to find a clearing, as trees rushed past, seemingly close enough to touch but not hitting the wings.
A thud marked the plane's touchdown, throwing passengers forward, tightening seatbelts instantly. The engines whined loudly as the captain engaged the reverse thrust.
Jack buried his head between his knees, still clutching Jennie's hand, casting a delayed healing spell every few seconds like a game cheat, hoping to instantly heal them if something went wrong.
The captain's skill and perhaps some luck held the plane together as it slowed, gradually reaching a speed akin to a car. Just as everyone thought they had landed safely, the nose of the plane suddenly dipped. The front landing gear collapsed, causing the plane to slide and a wing to dig into the ground, snapping off and throwing mud and debris everywhere.
A tree trunk, sheared off by the wing, shot through the window on Jack and Jennie's side, narrowly missing them and pinning the international officer Karam to the wall.
The prisoner, Louis Gaspare, looked pale and terrified, sweat pouring down his face as he stared at the tree trunk that had missed him by mere inches.
After a final shudder, the plane came to a complete stop. Jack, shaken, realized how close they had come to being skewered. The cabin was in chaos, filled with cries and groans.
The cockpit door was kicked open, and the bloodied captain emerged, shouting for everyone to gather at the front and evacuate.
"Stay calm, move to the front of the plane. Bonnie, open the door and deploy the emergency slides. Everyone else, check for injured passengers and help them out."
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Read Ahead
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