Route 50 |Chanlix

-18-

Song for this chapter: if I died last night-Jessie Murph

"Good evening, I'm Sarah Redgs, and we have some tragic news to report tonight. A devastating plane crash has occurred, leaving a community in shock and mourning."

The woman looked down. The camera cut to a news reporter outside.

"Thank you, Sarah. I'm Zach Nelson, reporting live from the scene of the crash. The tragedy unfolded earlier today when Flight 021, en route from Memphis International Airport to Sydney, went down in the area near the coast."

"Authorities have confirmed that the plane, carrying 325 passengers and 21 crew members, crashed at approximately 4p.m. local time. Eyewitnesses reported seeing the aircraft experiencing severe turbulence before losing altitude rapidly."

"Emergency services were quick to respond, but the difficult terrain and the stormy sea have hampered rescue efforts. Officials have confirmed all passengers aboard dead. The victims' identities are being withheld until their families are notified."

"Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are on their way to the site to determine the cause of the crash. The black box recorders have been recovered and will be analyzed to provide crucial information."

"Our hearts go out to the families affected by this tragedy. We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation to uncover the circumstances leading to this crash."

The camera cut back into the news studio.
"Meanwhile, the airline has expressed deep condolences and is cooperating fully with the investigation. Support teams have been deployed to assist the families of the victims during this difficult time."

Chan just stood there. Eyes wide open, eyebrows raised. Trying to comprehend what just happened. He was still at the airport, waiting for his flight back to Korea.
"No." He whispered, eyes twitching back and forth between Felix's gate and the Tv.
Slowly, people near him froze, looking at the news. An older woman sank to her knees.
A young man started shouting.

Chan ran over to the gate. Somewhere in his brain there was still the sick thought of Felix's plane standing there.
Chan pushed the door open, stepping out. But obviously there was no one there. Just the wet, gray asphalt Underneath his feet and the cloudy sky above him.

He grabbed the metal railing with his hands.
This couldn't be real.
But as he stood there the realisation slowly overcame him.
Felix was dead.
He died in the plane crash. Chan sank onto the asphalt, rocking back and forth. He could hear people's screams from the inside of the building. "MY SON! MY SON!" A woman was panically screaming, tears streaming down her face. A group of people tried to calm her down.
Chan continued to rock back and forth.
Back.
Forth.
Back.
Forth.
He felt nothing. No pain, no sadness. Just nothing.
——
How much time was passed? He didn't know.
But the screaming people calmed down a long time ago. Now the sky above him was pitch black, no stars on it. Chan slowly stood Up, stumbling over his own feet.

The runway was silent. Chan sank to his knees, looking at the sky. And that's where he broke down.

He was ripping his own hair, shivering, tears were streaming down his face. The pain in his heart was too strong.
Chan started screaming. It sounded like his vocal cords were being ripped to shreds, the sound was not human anymore.

After an hour he laid down, gripping onto himself.
"Felix. Lix. Where are you?"