San Francisco Survivors

• Clare Inslay, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2015

I woke with a start, something was wrong, I quickly opened my window blind to see what was disturbing me. "Ahhhhh!!!" I screamed, my hand clenched the black velvet seat. My knuckles, blood strained, went white as a feather of snow. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" I screamed again, this time for my life.

Buildings were flying past just missing the plane wings. I leapt from the chair only to flop against it again, hitting my ankle furiously against the metal beneath it. Instant pain shot up my leg... I was still wearing my seat belt. I flicked the belt away and limping, crawling, dragging my leg down the aisle towards the drawn curtains that hid the experienced pilots, well they'll have a piece of me, I inwardly fumed! I fiercely tore the curtains off their flimsy rods exposing the relaxed bodies. "They are sleeping ... snoring like contented babies!" I gnawed at the curtains with frustration. "What careless pilots, 500 people aboard this aeroplane and they aren't even taking it seriously." And so saying I grabbed them by their smart looking red ties hidden beneath their grey and white striped jackets and yanked them to the carpet lining the planes floor. Still snoring, they flopped to the floor, not even waking up.

That's when I smelt it, a sweet scent intoxicating the air. I started to feel drowsy, my legs weakened, my heart was beating so fast in my chest, my arms went cold and stiff. All I could hear was blood pumping in my ears, louder, Louder and LOUDER until I thought my ear drums would burst. "No," I demanded, be strong, "You will cease to control me, I am stronger than I look." I turned to run(completely forgetting the agony still in my leg), glancing over my shoulder to see a plane wing smashing into the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco, why am I here? What's the answer...

My last thought as I was thrown unconscious against the plane window was my mother and father waiting for me at the air port in Los Angeles. My sweet 16th was to be a big event and I was so excited about finally coming home. 3, 2, 1, I was gone...

I awoke to the scuffling and jostling of my stretcher. I struggled to suck in a difficult breath of air. To my surprise their was my mother giving me one last kiss before I sped off at a rapid rate into embracing doors. I had no idea where I was going or what was going to happen to me but I no longer cared, my mother was here, everything would be alright. Fussy stares and blackness engulfed me and there was no more...