Chapter 9 - The Hard Landing
The metal frame of the jet groaned in absolute agony as I pulled the nose up at the very last possible second.
The belly of the plane skipped violently across the top of a massive ocean wave like a skipped stone.
The impact shattered the remaining glass in the cockpit, sending freezing saltwater blasting into my face.
I fought the controls, keeping the wings perfectly level as we violently skimmed across the surface of the water.
The massive engines finally choked on the saltwater and died completely, plunging us into eerie silence.
The jet rapidly lost speed, crashing down into a relatively calm trough between two large swells.
We hit hard, tossing me violently against the dashboard despite my tight shoulder harness.
My head spun, and a warm trail of blood tricked down my forehead, but I was miraculously still alive.
The emergency flotation devices under the wings automatically deployed, keeping the battered fuselage afloat in the dark water.
I unbuckled myself and stumbled back into the flooded main cabin.
The freezing ocean water was already waist-deep and rising quickly through the open emergency exit door.
I waded over to Adrian, who was slumped unconsciously in his seat with his head resting on his chest.
I quickly checked his pulse, finding it weak but remarkably steady.
Using a piece of broken glass, I cut the zip-ties binding his wrists and dragged his heavy body toward the emergency raft compartment.
I didn't save him out of love or mercy; I saved him because he needed to rot in a federal prison for the rest of his life.
I found Vanessa's lifeless body partially submerged under the water.
I checked her pulse out of obligation, but she was already gone, having succumbed to her gunshot wound and the violent crash.
I pulled the bright yellow emergency raft through the open door and pulled the inflation cord.
It inflated instantly with a loud hiss, bobbing safely on the dark waves outside.
I hauled Adrian's dead weight over the edge and into the raft, collapsing exhausted beside him.
I fired a single red flare high into the stormy sky, hoping the Coast Guard was already tracking our crash trajectory.
For twenty agonizing minutes, we floated in silence on the dark, freezing ocean.
Finally, the blinding beam of a searchlight swept across the water, locking onto our yellow raft.
A massive Coast Guard cutter approached, sirens wailing as rescue swimmers dove into the water.
They hoisted us onto the deck, wrapping me in thermal blankets and immediately placing Adrian in handcuffs.
An officer handed me a satellite phone, saying Agent Miller had been frantically trying to reach me.
I held the phone to my ear with a trembling, freezing hand.
Agent Miller's voice crackled through the speaker, breathless and filled with relief.
He told me Marcus had successfully raided the abandoned brewery just in time.
My sister, Lily, was safe, unharmed, and currently drinking hot chocolate at the local precinct.
A massive weight completely lifted off my shoulders, and I finally allowed myself to cry.
The nightmare was finally over, and I had successfully protected the only family I actually cared about.
As the medics carried Adrian away on a stretcher, he briefly regained consciousness.
He looked at me with a bruised, pathetic face and muttered that I had ruined everything.
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I walked over to him, leaned down close to his ear, and whispered my final response.
"I didn't ruin anything, Adrian; I just finished the job."
