Disastrophe

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

 All I could do was hope and pray that somehow the pilots would be able to rescue the plane before we crash landed. The first officer was communicating with air traffic control, and from what I heard of the conversation, we would be clear to land at LAX for another two hours. Great, but we do need to get there first.

 Thomas was attempting to stand up in the door way, and when he did I saw that his face and halfway down his arm were covered in blood. Smoke was now making its way into the cockpit, forcing the pilots to put on their special blue oxygen masks. Robbie and I were still choking, but with the thought in our minds that we weren’t far, we held on. Our captain was struggling with the controls and urging the first officer to turn left.

 His commands appeared to be saving us. Three minutes off LAX, and all we had to do now was land. The plane had already reached a low enough altitude to do so, meaning all that was left was to get us down safely and perform a proper evacuation. We were now almost flying straight, apart from a slight lean to the left as the right engine was completely out of it now.

“Robbie!” I coughed, nearly being sick through tears and smoke inhalation.

“Yes?” He said, squeezing my hand.

“We’re going to make it. We have to.”

“We will, Crystal, we will.”

 And with that, the nose of the plane went down, pushing most of the smoke our way. I groaned, re-adjusting my oxygen mask all over again.

“No!” I heard a gruff voice shout. “No! We have to die! No!”

 Robbie and I immediately recognised it; the man with the cigarette. He began racing through the aisle, trying to get to the cockpit to take control. I don’t know what came over me, but I leapt up from my seat, tripping myself up as I was unbalanced, and slammed the door shut.

“You’re not hijacking this plane! Sit down!” I shrieked.

“Move outta the way, kid! I’m going down, and you’re all coming with me!” He threw me down into my seat. Instinctively, I fastened my seatbelt, screaming for someone to help. Robbie grasped my hand, but he was nearly unconscious with shock so he was out of the question. The elderly man pushed a young, mid-twenties man in front of cigarette guy.

“I’m asking you once, mate.” He coughed through the smoke. “Leave the girl alone.”

“I don’t give a-”

“Leave the girl alone!” He kicked him where the sun doesn’t shine.

“OK,” Cigarette man agreed, glancing out of the window upon touch down. He ran to the rear exit, not bothered about the smoke, and pulled out a match. Lighting it and dropping it on the ground beside the toilet, he wrenched open the door and jumped out of the plane to the ground.

 There was a moment of silence, and then the captain emerged from the cockpit, looking weary. We all burst into simultaneous applause; he’d landed the plane safely, with no deaths. We were truly grateful to him. Still crying, I stood up and used my hand that wasn’t gripping Robbie’s to shake the captain’s.

 Suddenly, the back of the plane went up in flames and it was spreading rapidly. The captain pulled me up, me dragging Robbie with me, and as far forward as he could take us. The first officer then came from the cockpit, stared at the flames, and ran through the aisle. The captain nodded his head, grinning, and then pushed the red button beside the front door. It opened and a large yellow slide went from it down to the ground.

“You two, go straight down and as far away from the plane as you can. I’ll come and find you. Just go!” He told us, and then followed the first officer. I twigged what they were doing; moving people to the front door and out, not trying to get themselves killed like I first suspected.