ATLAS 776

23

There wasn't really much time for anything. Afraid, confused, Victoria knew she needed to move. The flight stewardesses or whatever horrors that might become would come for her soon. Yet, she knew very well that she was on an airplane. It was the frightening reality of being on a cramped metal hull thousands of meters in the air with nowhere to go or hide. Still, she had to try. She was definitely not going back into the vents again.

This might very well be just another nightmare like the one with Aiden she had experienced before. Victoria mustered her courage, and sprinted down the empty cabin as fast as her tired legs could carry her. Rows after rows of empty seats pass her by, an endless array of connecting rooms and identical cabins. 

Running.

Running.

Running.

RUNNING.

RUNNING.

It seemed like she ran for a long time, but everything was the same. Victoria looked at her wristwatch, and the time was still 11:59.

Victoria stopped to catch her breath. She felt the hopelessness settling in, the breathing becoming almost impossible to regulate, the thought that she would be stuck in this eternal loop forever, and the confusion of her situation just getting worse by the minute. Victoria turned back, and crossed the connector room behind her. She saw the same exact scene of violence. The frightening sight of monsters feasting on monsters that once seemed like passengers, the horrifying sounds of the evil that was happening.

Then it dawned on her. She had never moved. She was seemingly stuck. Victoria felt herself losing control as the panicked worsened. 

"VIC!" a familiar voice came on again. It felt soothing, like a  sudden burst of hope in a desperate situation. Victoria felt her eyes open, her heart racing, and sweat trickling down her neck. She felt the stiffness of her skin, the goosebumps. Here she was, back in her seat. Victoria looked around frantically, and the scene looked all too familiar. Kate was beside her, giving a concerned look. This time, Darryl and Aiden were peeking over form beside Kate. "She's back!" Aiden said anxiously. The atmosphere was quiet. The passengers around were all looking on in curiousness.

"She's awake!" a woman shouted. A flight attendant came over immediately and attended to Victoria. "Miss, I am a medic. Are you alright?" she asked, as she placed her palms on Victoria's thigh. Victoria closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath. "Please." she whispered. "What?" Kate replied, holding on to Victoria's arm. "Calm down, breath in...." the medic continued.

"She probably had a seizure." the medic tried to ascertain. "Miss... Could you explain to us what happened just now?" the medic gave a comforting smile and held Victoria's hand. "You've been out for almost an hour now... You were having a massive seizure, and you seemed to be unable to respond for a long time now. Thankfully you seem to have recovered."

Victoria looked down on her hands, trying to reaffirm her reality. Kate gave a nod to the medic. "It's fine. I will look after my friend from here." she said as she gestured the medic to return. Kate looked back at Victoria. "Nightmares?" she asked warmly, placing her arms over Victoria's shoulders. Victoria sighed. "Something is wrong with me, Kate. No wait. Something is just wrong!" she exclaimed, refusing to take belief in the safety that is around her at this very moment.

Aiden leaned in towards Victoria, and gave a cheeky look. "That dude over there has been spazzing out pretty hard just now as well. Could the two of you been having some rough mental sex or something?" Kate smacked Aiden on his forehead. "Shut the fuck up you horny twat." she said in a stern tone, staring straight at him.

"Wait. What time...." Victoria quickly asked. "12 midnight, my dear." Kate said. "Seriously though, what happened? You looked like you were straight out of the Conjuring or something..." she jokingly asked. Victoria still felt the tension. "I don't know... Hell... I just...." Victoria was struggling to explain. "Well dear, let me know if you are about to have that sort of thing again, we were so worried...." Kate reaffirmed her.

"All passengers, this is the captain speaking. We are experiencing some turbulence, please get seated and buckle your seat belts. Thank you." the announcement came on.