A Sickly Sweet Reverie (Leon Kennedy X OC) [BOOK 3]

Chapter 21: M.L.H. down over China

Leon yanked my jacket away from my face, his features twisted in anger. "Don't ever do that again," He snarled, eyes burning like cold steel as he looked from me to the oozing slash on my arm. I pulled out of his grip.

"I'll do that a million times if the situation calls for it," I bit back, meeting his furious tone with one of my own. The plane jumped, throwing the cabin into a frenzy as I slammed into the wall and slid to the ground. Pain lanced through my arm as the collision bit at my fresh injury.

"Son of a bitch," I cried, crawling on my hands and knees to the flight console as the plane thrashed in the air. Several buttons flashed on the huge console, blinking a crimson red heralding danger.

"Get Hunnigan," I yelled, trying to read the few small labels on the flashing buttons. Some of the slime from the cocoon had splattered across the panel, coating a few of the mechanisms and making it even harder to read the fine print. Leon shot forward, hanging onto the copilot's chair for dear life as Hunnigan's voice came through the speaker.

"Show me the control panel," She beckoned. He flipped the camera around, letting her get a view of the flashing buttons and screens. She spewed out a chorus of words and jargon that I couldn't possibly decipher as her voice mixed with the alarms coming from all around us.

"English, Hunnigan. Which button?" I spat, not caring if my tone was rough as more blood trickled from my arm.

"Left side, red button third from the bottom, then the green switch on the center console," I followed her instructions, repeating the words as I worked to wipe away the bits of goo that was seeping into the small cracks between buttons. As soon as I flipped the green switch, the airplane seemed to hit a more even glide. It certainly wasn't a smooth ride, but it was a vast improvement from the psychotic spin-o-rama we'd been forced to ride.

"There's something wrong with the pressure bulkhead, get to the back of the plane now," She urged, her voice thick with urgency. We all turned, running back down the stairs two at a time and toppling back into the cabin. People we strapped into their seats, many with terror gleaming in their eyes and a few who were bawling while muttering a slew of prayers.

"Everyone, just stay in your seats!" I called, darting down the aisle as I slung my jacket back on. A few scared gazes shot at me, a few of them showing an ounce of relief as the three of us moved into the next cabin.

We entered the most occupied cabin, laptops and papers littering the floors along with what looked like throw up. More sobs and panicked cries flooded my ears.

"Stay in your seats, we're handling it," I announced, my eyes locking on Margaret who was clutching the armrests of her seat like they were the only thing anchoring her to the planet. I planted an arm on her shoulder as we passed, her own aged hand warmed mine in the few moments they were interlocked. That warmth slipped away as I rushed towards my duty at the end of the plane, leaving her hand hanging limply in the aisle.

More grim faces watched us as we exited the cabin in the service area at the back. I rounded the corner, following the metal stairwell that led into the lowest level of the plane. A few metal crates had fallen from their shelves at the bottom, the plastic cups and lifejackets littering the steel paneled floors. I stepped over the debris, entering the storage space beyond. Black and silver crates were stacked along the walls, secured by netting and bungee cords and marked with large BSAA stamps. I went straight to the door into the bulkhead, gripping the red wheel in the center. Leon reached over my shoulder before I could start working at it, his own hands engulfing mine as he twisted the handle.

"Why do you insist on executing the most batshit crazy plans I've ever seen?" He asked, the wheel squealing at it slowly began to unravel.

"Because the sensible and logical ones never work," I answered, wrapping my hands around the opposite points and twisting with him.