Chapter 8 - The Betrayal
I spun around just in time to see the heavy steel door of the aircraft slam shut entirely.
The mechanical locks clicked into place with a terrifying, final sound.
We were trapped inside the luxurious cabin with absolutely no way out.
David rushed to the small oval window, banging his fists against the reinforced glass.
Outside on the tarmac, I could see the aunt standing next to the grandmother, both of them smiling widely.
Vance was leaning on a pair of crutches beside them, holding a small bundle wrapped in a pink blanket.
"It was a trap," David whispered, his voice cracking as he realized the magnitude of their deception.
"They just needed us out of the city so Sarah wouldn't have any support."
I stared at the briefcase sitting ominously on the leather seat, the bloody letters dripping onto the pristine upholstery.
My hands shook violently as I unlatched the metal clasps and slowly opened the lid.
Inside the briefcase was a massive brick of C4 plastic explosive, wired to a digital timer.
The red numbers were counting down from exactly three minutes.
"David," I choked out, pointing to the blinking red numbers.
David turned away from the window, his face draining of all color as he saw the bomb.
The jet's engines suddenly roared to life, vibrating the entire cabin as the plane began to slowly roll down the runway.
They weren't just going to blow us up; they were going to make it look like a tragic aviation accident.
"We have to get into the cockpit," David yelled, sprinting toward the front of the cabin.
He kicked the wooden door of the cockpit, but it was heavily reinforced and securely locked from the other side.
"There's no pilot!" I screamed, looking through a small security peephole in the door.
The flight deck was completely empty, the plane being driven entirely by a remote autopilot system.
The timer on the bomb clicked down to two minutes.
I frantically searched the cabin, throwing leather cushions and pulling out storage drawers looking for anything useful.
I found a heavy steel fire extinguisher mounted beneath one of the luxury recliner seats.
"David, move!" I shouted, hauling the heavy red cylinder onto my good shoulder.
I swung the extinguisher with every ounce of strength I had, smashing it directly into the thick glass of the emergency exit window.
The outer pane spider-webbed, but it didn't break completely.
The plane was picking up speed now, bouncing harshly against the uneven concrete of the old runway.
David grabbed the extinguisher from my hands and slammed it into the glass three more times in rapid succession.
With a deafening crack, the reinforced window finally shattered completely, blowing a massive hole in the side of the fuselage.
Wind roared into the cabin, tearing the luxury interior to shreds.
"Jump!" David screamed, grabbing my waist and practically throwing me out of the shattered window.
I hit the grassy shoulder of the runway, tumbling violently as the ground tore at my clothes and skin.
I came to a halting stop in a muddy ditch, gasping for air as pain radiated through my entire body.
Seconds later, the jet reached the end of the runway and lifted into the dark sky.
A massive fireball erupted in the clouds, lighting up the night with a horrific, deafening explosion.
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I looked around frantically in the dark grass, my heart stopping entirely.
David hadn't jumped out with me.
