Hovering

A chopping, whirring noise slammed in Barry's ears as he tried to remember where he was. Someone was yelling something.

"Put this on!"

A backpack slammed into Barry's right shoulder. He struggled his arms through the straps.

He was sitting on the floor, leaning against a wall. Everything hurt. He tried to stand up but he couldn't get his legs to cooperate. He plopped back onto the floor, which didn't seem stable. It was solid, he wasn't going to fall through it, but it wobbled a little.

"Easy, big guy!"

It was a woman's voice, but not Shannon's. Where was Shannon?

Thump, thump.

Barry's head was throbbing. He squinted. He couldn't see who was yelling at him. He didn't see Shannon. Why was everything so blurry? He rubbed his eyes.

Was that dried blood on his hands?

The woman leaned in towards Barry. "You're gonna wanna hold onto something!"

She had been smoking, but otherwise he liked the smell of her. Not too much perfume, like Shannon always wore. Where the hell was Shannon?

"Ma'am, there's something else." Barry heard a man's voice say.

Everything was so loud. Was all that pounding in his head? What had happened to him?

Ok, Barry, c'mon, you're a smart guy. You can figure this out. Where are you?

He took a deep breath. He opened his eyes.

The room was smaller than he'd thought. There was a bench right in front of Barry where the woman was sitting. Two guys wearing headsets were in chairs next to weird windows.

Wait, it wasn't a room at all. Barry was in a helicopter! He was more confused than ever. He took another deep breath. Everything was still sore. He couldn't move his left arm. There was dried blood all over his right hand. Whose was it?

"What's going on?" he choked out. His throat felt as if he had swallowed glass or something.

"Relax, Barry." said the woman. He didn't recognize her. "You're safe now."

"But you're in big trouble!" The man chimed in.

The rotor blades chopped the air over the sound of the whining engine. Barry realized they were hovering over a boat. The ferry he'd been on with Shannon this morning.

It had started like a lot of days, the two of them alone in Shannon's closet-sized apartment.

This wasn't how this day was supposed to play out. Barry had big plans, but . . . life happens. Shit happens. You make one decision and everything changes. You throw away the best thing that ever happened to you for the chance at one big score.

If only he could go back and change things. He should have focused on Shannon and not let himself get distracted. They probably would be engaged right now instead of him on this God-forsaken chopper and her who the hell knows where.

If only he had had more time. He could have completed this mission, he was sure of it. He was also sure that he needed to stop thinking of his regular life as a mission.

"Where is Shannon?" Barry had never heard such a gravelly voice. He couldn't believe it was his own.

But the man and woman weren't paying any attention to Barry. they were focused on the ferry below. Something was happening.

He saw someone running across the top deck. Was that Shannon? No, it was a man carrying a -.

"Take us up!" screamed the woman.

Kaboom!

The loudest sound Barry had ever heard.

Unbelievably intense heat.

Barry's body trembled and he felt like he was floating in a strange soundless void as the ferryboat exploded beneath them. His teeth vibrated, and he was pretty sure his ears were bleeding.

The helicopter soared upwards, but Barry lost consciousness.

Things could have been great. Really, the potential was there. He knew it. This time could have been different. Now it was going to be different in all the wrong ways.

If only he had had more time, he might have been able to live the life he was supposed to. To have never even been on this never-ending flight to the rest of his life. A miserable life without her.

A chopping, whirring noise slammed in Barry's ears as he tried to remember where he was. Someone was yelling something.