Flight to Die for.

"Last Call for Flight 1-16 to Eureka, Arkansas." The annoucement echos down the rows of seats.

I always wait while everyone else gets on the plane so i dont have to stand in line. I can't handle standing for too long. i run out of breath. You wouldnt think at the ripe age of 24 I'd be as weak as i am but god didnt give me too many good eggs in my basket.

I pick my duffle bag up and pass over my flight ticket to the flight attendant.

"Enjoy your flight Miss Carter." The pretty blonde smiles handing me back my ticket. I give her a slight nod and head down the open tunnel to the plane.

I look at my ticket to remind myself what seat I am in; 15 A, in the back of the plane. But when i get to the plane theres barely one. Its very tiny maybe max 50 seats and most of them are open. The passengers that are joining me are spread apart. I count the people in my head as i go down the rows.

About row 2 to the left a man who is trying to get his seat belt over his large stomach with a stain on his gray shirt. He has a fresh haircut thats slicked back. theres passenger number 1.

Row 4, a lady with a cat carrier to the left, shes giving her cat a horrid smelling wet food. Her hair is grey and in a messy bun, thinner in stature can tell by her boney arms. Passenger number 2.

Row 9 to the right, a man in a suit cleaning his expensive watch. He has his brief case buckled in the seat next to him, he looks a little older than I do. Passenger number 3

Row 12, the last one. A girl around my age, dressed in all pink. Her hair is in ponytails and shes on the phone spitting out her words with excitment. While i was passing she gives me a little wink. That made me feel uncomfortable...

I reach my seat and when i finally sit with my duffle bag I have to catch my breath as if i just ran 2 marathons back to back.

"Ma'am we are going to be taking off soon could you please turn off your cellphone or put it on airplane mode?"

The flight attendant smiles at the the girl in pink in front of me.

"Oh, Sweety I will have to call you back." pause. "yes i will" she laughs. "ok i'll see you soon. bye bye." she hangs up the phone.

"thank you very much." the flight attendant makes her way to me.

she mustve noticed that my breath was hard to catch because she looks at me with concern.

"are you ok sweetheart?" she asks leaning down to me in my seat.

Its hard for me to answer but i take a deep breath.

"If you could" deep breath. "some water please."

She stands up straight.

"of course." she says turning to walk away.

I start to feel my breath returning, so i look at my lap to put on my seat belt.

"Are you sick or something?" the girl in pink is reaching over her chair to look at me with her hand holding her head up.

" I am fine, thank you." i smile. she looks at me with raised eyebrows in a rude remark.

the flight attendant brings me the water and at that point i feel somewhat tamed.

The announcements turn on.

"Thank you for picking home air, taking you where no other airline will!" Thats rude. I know i live in a small town but you dont have to rub in your city living. "we will be landing in Arkansas in about 2 hours." the announcment ends with a loud screetch. The cat in row 4 hissed.

The plane starts to take off while the guy in row 2 coughs up a lung.

We finally are in the air and the seatbelt sign goes off. I need to use the restroom but i refuse to lose breath from peeing. I will just hold it till I cant anymore. Until then i am going to take a nap. Hopfully wake up when we arrive.

*

"What was that!" the screams woke me up.

"Sir, please stay in your seat!" the flight attendant is telling the man with the suit that he has to sit down.

The noises aren’t coming from no where. They are coming from the plane shaking. The flight attendant falls into the seats behind her as the suited man lunges in the seat in front of him. He proceeds to sit down and buckle up. The flight attendant does the same in the seat next to him. I sit up straight holding onto my seat belt.

"what is happening!?" The cat lady screams looking at the flight attendant.

The helecompter turns on.

"Please stay in your seats. We will have to do an emergency landing some ways outside of Eureka. Please stay seated and try to stay calm." the captin sounded nervous.

"thats it?! what happened!" the fat man up front said.

"We will be ok right?" the ponytailed girl says.

"just stay calm!" flight attendant.

The facemasks drop from above us.

"Oh my god! we are going to die!" the cat lady flings her hands up to the mask. The plane moving us around like a pebble on the side walk.

My breath is non existence. I have to try to calm down before I pass out. I grab the face mask and put it over my mouth. It helps very little but i have to focus. I close my eyes, the commotion doesnt stop.

"fuck it if I’m gonna die I have to say this! I am broke! I have no money to my name. I only dress like this to prove I am something! I want to be somebody. I want to make a difference in this world. But i'm the idiot who buys a watch for 12k. I had to get a loan! Ive always wanted to live in africa and help, but i dont know one damn person who makes money doing that!" the man in the suit screams for us to hear. Shocking enough i opened my eyes to see the back of his head resting on the seat i see his hands wrapped around the arm rest holding on for dear life. His watch shinning.

"Its okay man." the fat man up front is looking down the isle at the suited man.

"Look at me. I don’t know what i want to do! All i do is eat and eat. I’ve never known what I wanted to do with my life. I cant seem to get out of bed in the morning. If we go down im not mad about it!" The fat man says.

A gasp from the cat lady echos.

" How dare you say that! We are not dying!" The lady holds her cat looking at every single one of us. That cat looks more scared than any of us.

"Are we confessing right now!?" the ponytailed lady says serioously. No one answers.

A rumble comes from outside.I can see the earths ground outside the window. My breathing is wheezing now.

" I am marrying a man i dont love!" she stars to cry. "I am only doing it because my mom needs the money to pay for her medical bills!" shes crying more. "I love my mother too much to sit back and watch her die. Im the idiot who dropped out of highschool and cant land a- a - A JOB!" Her crying is histerical.

The cat lady chuckles.

"oh shut up! You think thats bad! Try finding out your highschool sweetheart cheated on you with your best friend. Then left you for her! We all have shit girl. At least you will help your mom." The cat lady says angry.

"Maybe if you work on your anger he wouldnt of left you!" Pink girl is histeric. Its making me worse.

"You bitch! You dont even know me!"

I take off my mask. I might as well.

"Stop! you are right! We dont know eachother!" deep breath. "We are just on a random flight!" deep breath and a cough. "Just shut up! we all have our shit. At least we have the balls-" deep breath "to even speak about it before this gets too real."

hyperventilating.

"This isnt real enough for you?" The fat man says calmly.

"The shaking of the plane is the only thing effecting me." i reply.

He laughs.

"Calm and collected huh?" the man in the suit says breathing heavily.

"You know what!" wheeze. "yes! I am calm and collected because If i don’t die today I am dying soon!" I scream.

I shouldnt of done that. Now i cant breath at all. My face is burning red.

They all got quiet. The flight attendant has just been praying the whole time and all the other passengers are looking at me in fright or curiousity. The plane darts left then right sending a bag from the carrier above flying to the walkway. Screams come from cat lady and the girl in pink.

the girl with the ponytails wipes her tears. "whats wrong with you?"

"I have 6 holes in my heart okay!?" my voice is dry and barely there. I start to tear up and i feel my heart pounding trying to keep up.

" I cant afford the surgery and even if i could its too late for me." deep breath, deep breath and another deep breath. " I am going to arkansas to say goodbye to my family."

The plane stops shaking.

The lights stop flickering and the breath of everyone on the plane settles.

the annoucments turn on.

"Sorry for that ladies and gentlemen. we had some problems with our engines. But we got some luck today and got them roaring again..."

"oh thank god." the flight attendent says.

"You guys will be the last to fly this plane. Our airline will handle any damaged goods from the flight. We will be landing shortly." The announcements end with the screetch.

The cat hissing.

My breath returns and the window view is extremely close to the ground rising up slowly back into the air.

The rest of the flight was extremely quiet. The flight attendent didnt even come to collect our trash.

By the time we landed and got off the plane i didn’t see any of those people within the airport or in town.

Theres alot that could have happened on that flight even though it was a span of 2 hours. Those people that i judged walking down that isle had a lot more than i ever thought. even if i thought it i probably would have forgotten. Sometimes you need something dramatic to happen to put things in prospective. Didnt think it would happen that way. Almost dying can really wake you up.

I wish those people luck and i hope they find happiness.

I will never judge a book by its cover ever again.

The end.