"So, is this your first flight?" The man in front of Julian asked, his voice beginning to get on Julian's nerves.
"I already told you yes, like an hour ago," Julian replied, trying to keep his annoyance in check. "Do you have to keep asking?" He attempted to return to his reading.
"You know… it's also my first flight. Why are we being sent by plane? Wouldn't it be faster by train?" The young adult named Charlie just turning nineteen said with a quivering voice.
Julian sighed and put on his earphones. He hadn't had a moment of quiet to get through the first three pages without the man incessantly talking. He scrolled through songs on his phone, but the signal was too weak, and the small aircraft lacked Wi-Fi. With only four passengers on board, food and drinks wouldn't be served.
Julian sighed again, his thumb hesitating over the gallery button. It was hard not to look at the photos of his ex, especially after the forced breakup caused by the situation that made him have to be on this plane. He finally decided to press play on a song.
The turmoil in his mind made it impossible to concentrate on the book. He wondered why he had chosen to bring it instead of something more distracting. His games were in the bag stored at the back of the plane, so they were of no help.
"Bro, can you hear me out?" The yell beside him pulled Julian from his thoughts.
"What is it… can't you…" Julian suddenly understood why he was being called out.
"You feel that too, right? It's not just me, right? I knew it, we are going to die, I knew it!" the young man cried out.
"Can you just shut up? Maybe it's just a little turbulence. Now let me see what's happening." Julian tried to unfasten his seatbelt to check on the situation, but a pilot emerged from the front.
"Boys, we have bad news. One of the engines is malfunctioning. We don't know how we're still airborne when we should be plunging down, but it gives us enough time to prepare. Get a parachute ready, both of you. There are enough for everyone. Also, put on a lifejacket just in case. We should still be over the Atlantic, so we will be landing in the water. Now hurry!" The pilot pointed to a section of the plane containing emergency items.
Julian didn't need to be told twice. He got up, feeling the plane slowly descending but giving him enough time to gather what he needed.
"Here, take yours!" Julian tossed what he could to Charlie before clumsily putting on his lifejacket and then the parachute over it. He didn't have time to check if everything was placed correctly as the pilot opened the door. The other pilot, already geared up, suddenly emerged and yelled.
"Hurry, we have less than a few seconds before this turns ugly!" He pulled Charlie up and threw him outside.
"Now you, boy, get going! We don't have time for your stuff—it's as good as gone!" The pilot jumped out.
Julian saw the first pilot who had warned them waiting for him to jump. He decided to take the leap.
"Remember, try to land together!" he heard the warning before jumping. The roar of the airplane intensified as it nosedived into the sea as another parachute opened behind him.
Luckily, Julian saw all three parachutes around him as one led them in a certain direction. He followed suit, feeling the force of the wind pull him up before stabilizing as he began to descend.
He strained his eyes to look around; the air made it difficult to see. He had never skydived before, and the feeling in his stomach told him he never wanted to do it again.
Soon, he saw the plane hit the water with a force that caused it to crack in two. A massive splash of water rose, making him want to cry. His games and laptop were gone, and the rest of his belongings were likely destroyed.
Unsure of what to do next, he looked around for a landing spot. He knew they only had a few minutes before the four of them would land. He noticed one of the pilots pointing to a certain area, and to his relief, there was land nearby.
Julian knew nothing about steering a parachute, but he understood that one of the pilots was trying to show him and Charlie how to do so. The pilot pointed to the two toggles within arm's reach and then towards his legs and feet, prompting Julian to mimic the movements.
Soon, Julian felt that they were all heading in the same direction. The island they were aiming for was just close enough for them to land without having to swim much.
It wasn't until they spotted a huge creature under the water that Julian made himself even smaller, trying to get more mileage out of his parachute.
"What the hell is that?" he called out, knowing the others wouldn't hear him. It was an instinctual reaction.
He hoped that whatever was down there was just a large whale, although he had never heard of a whale that looked like a great white shark, especially one that seemed to be over fifteen meters long.
Just as they were about to land, Julian spotted the huge creature turning back, unable to swim near the shore.
Not wanting to stay in the water, Julian unbuckled his parachute and jumped in, swimming towards the shore. He knew the parachute could be useful for creating some sort of cover and didn't want to waste any resources.
He turned to the side and saw the pilots following suit.
Charlie, on the other hand, was already swimming to the shore in desperation, leaving his parachute behind.
"Damn idiot, you'll need it!" Julian called out, but instead of wasting time, he went to fetch Charlie's parachute before swimming to shore.