0:00

talked nicely. We

0:01

had reached cruising altitude and the passenger

0:04

airplane I was sitting aboard was sailing

0:06

turbulently through the sky, riding

0:08

on air currents, and exploiting physics

0:11

in ways that I would never understand. Maybe

0:14

it was my ignorance of these principles, which

0:16

made me so nervous My legs

0:18

trembled with constant vibrations. My

0:21

teeth had been shattering for a while during takeoff,

0:24

but now my nerves had settled down to

0:26

a dull roar. Are you

0:28

sure you're alright? The white

0:30

haired man sitting next to me asked, his

0:33

hand settling on my arm in a comforting

0:35

way. Should I call

0:37

the stewardess over? She

0:39

could get you some water or a cup of

0:41

tea to calm the nerves. Maybe

0:44

a shot of brandy too. He

0:46

laughed, gripping my arm just a little

0:48

too firmly now. I'm fine.

0:51

I said, the worst of its past.

0:53

As long as we don't run into engine trouble,

0:56

I should be okay. That

0:58

statement caught a few angry flares from passengers

1:00

near who quickly went back

1:02

to reading or talking amongst themselves.

1:05

I scolded myself internally for saying

1:07

my worst fears out loud. Nobody

1:10

liked to think about engine trouble when they were

1:12

flying over the Atlantic Ocean in the middle

1:14

of the night. Well,

1:16

Let's not speak of those things just now.

1:19

Do you want a book to read? brought

1:22

a spare novel. It's

1:24

a John Grisham. nothing.

1:27

Well, how about some television?

1:31

I think they have cable on these little

1:33

things now nowadays. He pointed

1:35

at the screen on the headrest in front of me.

1:38

hadn't even noticed it there. That's

1:40

a good idea. Maybe I can

1:42

find something distract myself. I

1:45

turned the power on and noticed immediately

1:48

the lack of sound. Of

1:49

course, I'd forgotten to bring

1:52

earphones.

1:53

here. The

1:54

man next to me said, handing me

1:56

a pair of his own. I'm not

1:58

using them right now.

2:00

You can borrow them. They were

2:02

the kind with foam pads on the outside

2:04

of the headphones, not earbuds.

2:07

So I felt relatively safe using them

2:09

even though I am a bit of a germophobe. at

2:12

least we wouldn't be swapping earwax. Thanks.

2:16

I said, taking them and

2:18

putting them on, plugging them cord into

2:20

the headphone jack. A

2:22

squeal of feedback caused me to recoil.

2:24

I turned the volume down, finding

2:27

it had been set to maximum The

2:29

band was speaking again and I pulled back the

2:31

headphone to hear him better. Anything

2:33

I can do to help

2:36

I used to have a terrible fear of flying,

2:38

you know. But after you do this

2:40

a few times, you start to get

2:42

used to it. I

2:44

smiled weekly. feeling nauseated

2:46

from not eating. I hadn't

2:48

been able to stomach that morning or

2:51

any other meal for that matter. It

2:53

had been over twenty four hours since I'd

2:55

eaten or slept due

2:56

to my nerves about flying.

2:59

Putting the earphones back on, I

3:01

began to flip through the channels on the little television

3:03

set in front of me. The

3:06

discovery channel came on and I decided

3:08

to leave it there. it was

3:10

a show about the Amazon rainforest, describing

3:13

ancient civilizations which had resided

3:15

in the jungles. Using

3:17

new technology, they had found the outlines

3:20

of massive which had millions

3:22

of Amazonians. Their gods

3:24

and their myths lost over hundreds

3:27

of years. I was watching this

3:29

as the man sitting next to me began to

3:31

remove something from his bag. It

3:33

was a Tupperware container with a bright

3:35

red lid on top. He

3:37

opened the lid and an odor more

3:39

foul than anything I had ever experienced,

3:41

wafted it out. hitting me in the

3:43

face like a punch to the nose. It

3:46

smelled like old rancid seafood,

3:49

like a dumpster which has been sitting open in

3:51

the hot sun. full of used

3:53

diapers and bad shrimp. The

3:56

man produced a fork from his back and

3:58

lifted the container to his nose. Closing

4:00

his eyes as he savored the smell.

4:04

Using his hand like a fan, he

4:06

waved more of the stink towards his face,

4:08

like a gourmon about to eat a Michelin

4:11

Star meal. Despite

4:13

my own disgust, I couldn't help

4:15

but steal a glance at what was inside the

4:17

container. It looked like a fish

4:19

had been tossed in a food processor, bones

4:21

and all. Only it hadn't been

4:23

blended for long enough. There

4:26

were still obvious pieces of bone,

4:28

scales, and a fish head could be

4:30

seen left partially intact. A

4:32

bulging white eyeball was prominent among

4:34

the pieces. He dug in

4:36

his fork and took a large bite going

4:38

for the eyeball first. I

4:41

heard it squished between his teeth and

4:43

blowed in his mouth. Black,

4:45

viscous fluid dribble down his

4:47

chin, landing on his shirt. I

4:50

couldn't believe nobody was complaining about

4:52

the smell. Nobody else seemed to

4:54

even notice except for

4:56

me. If not for

4:58

how nice he had been to me, I would have

5:00

said something. The stink

5:02

was really making me feel sick.

5:04

He saw me looking and dug his fork into the

5:06

mess, then held out a large,

5:09

keeping bite for me. I could

5:11

practically see the stink lines coming

5:13

off of it like a cartoon skunk.

5:16

Did you want to try some?

5:18

He asked his yellowed teeth

5:20

showing as he smiled. That

5:22

grin, somehow predatory and

5:24

leering, made me second

5:26

guess everything about the man. Suddenly,

5:29

he didn't seem nice anymore. He

5:31

was mocking and cruel. His

5:33

previous niceties just a facade to hide

5:35

his true nature. And what

5:37

an actor he was? No

5:39

thanks. I said, gulping

5:42

down a lump of bile in my throat.

5:44

trying to force a smile but failing miserably.

5:47

I just ate before the flight. He

5:50

looked at me as of staring directly into

5:52

my soul. then he shook his

5:54

head as if saying no,

5:56

like he didn't believe me. He

5:59

sucked his teeth and went back to his meal.

6:02

you shouldn't lie to me, you know.

6:04

I pretended

6:05

not to hear that and went back to

6:07

looking at the television, trying to distract

6:09

myself from the scene happening next to me,

6:12

But my heart was thumping fast now,

6:14

and I could feel a throbbing pulse in my

6:16

jugular. The Amazon

6:18

History Show was finished and now

6:20

something else was on. It was a

6:22

show about aviation disasters and

6:24

how planes malfunctioned before crashing.

6:27

A voiceover was speaking about horrible

6:29

tragedies and near misses, showing

6:32

computer generated images illustrating

6:34

the critical parts of the airplane which it'd broken.

6:36

Then they switched to the passenger footage.

6:39

which had been recorded on people's phones during

6:41

troubled flights. During

6:43

this air, Asia flight, severe

6:45

turbulence caused the hospitalization of

6:48

more than five passengers as the

6:50

plane was eventually rerouted to Tokyo.

6:53

The screen showed images of a plane's interior.

6:55

shuttering up and down violently and sending

6:58

people flying into the ceiling and into

7:00

the aisles. Women in men

7:02

could be heard screaming as luggage cascaded

7:04

from overhead compartments and people

7:06

prayed for safety. I

7:08

was on that flight. The

7:10

man next to me said, licking his

7:12

core smeared fingers clean. One

7:14

hell of an in flight meal. Let

7:17

me tell you. I tried turning

7:19

off the television, but it didn't work.

7:21

I tried to change the channels, but that

7:23

button was broken too. It

7:26

was stuck on this particular program

7:28

and there was no way to get rid of it.

7:31

Instead, I tore the headphones

7:33

off and unplugged them, handing them back

7:35

to the man. You don't want to

7:37

watch it anymore, he asked,

7:39

slurbing up some of the roadkill casserole.

7:42

No. Thanks for letting me use

7:44

your headphones. I think I'm

7:45

just gonna try to take a nap.

7:48

So to yourself, he said,

7:50

crunching a phone between his teeth.

7:53

I'll wake you up for meal service. How

7:55

he could still be hungry was a mystery to

7:58

me after he had just ingested

7:59

such a monstrous dinner.

8:02

I was already beginning to suspect there was

8:05

something off about this man. The

8:07

way he had changed was unsettling, and

8:09

I felt like I was suddenly in the twilight

8:12

zone, it just wasn't

8:14

acting normal. So

8:16

I watched him out at the corner of my eye

8:18

for a while trying

8:19

to convince myself he was just a

8:21

bit odd, and that there was nothing to

8:23

worry about. He was

8:25

just an eccentric guy with a very

8:27

unusual diet

8:29

Eventually, I managed to convince myself

8:31

that was true. And despite

8:34

my unease, my tiredness

8:36

won over everything else. and I

8:38

fell asleep. I woke

8:40

up and found myself completely alone on

8:42

the plane. The hateful man

8:44

sitting next to me was gone and so was

8:46

everyone else. the plane was still

8:48

rumbling terminally through the air,

8:50

but now with no one in

8:52

it. I looked outside and saw the

8:54

sky was clear and bright blue. instead

8:57

of night like it had been.

8:59

But we were flying towards a dark

9:01

thunderhead booming with lightning up

9:03

ahead in the distance. The stormfront

9:05

looked to be ten miles high and a thousand

9:07

miles wide, a swirling

9:09

dark mass of angry weather.

9:11

a category fucked hurricane that could

9:13

take out a city without warning. I

9:16

stood up and looked around the plane,

9:18

still not understanding how it could be

9:20

empty. Where had everyone gone?

9:22

How long had I been out? Had

9:24

they allowed me to sleep right through complaining

9:26

before I had another moment to

9:29

think? the plane bounced up and down with

9:31

a sickening yoyo motion then

9:33

careened to the side. It did

9:35

this a few more times in rapid

9:37

succession, pitching forward,

9:39

backward, so that I was thrown off balance

9:41

and said tumbling into the aisle.

9:43

By the time it settled again,

9:45

I wanted to puke. but

9:47

at least the plane had leveled out

9:49

again. I stood up from the

9:51

floor and glanced out the window. I

9:53

saw we had just passed into the massive

9:56

thunderhead. and the inside of the plane was

9:58

suddenly pitch black. There

9:59

was a voice whispering from all around

10:02

me, speaking my worst fears allowed.

10:05

black pinky tendrils like

10:07

smoke began to reach out towards me from the

10:09

shadows. You're alone.

10:11

The plane is going down.

10:14

It will sink in the middle of the

10:16

ocean, freezing, drowning,

10:19

water in your lungs. falling,

10:22

dropping, plunging from the sky.

10:24

You know you're going to

10:26

die. I stumbled forward down

10:28

the aisle. moving towards the cockpit.

10:31

They needed to turn this plane around. How

10:33

did they not see it? The

10:34

interior panels of plane on both sides

10:37

suddenly made loud grinding noises

10:39

as if the craft were beginning to

10:41

break apart at the seams. The

10:43

walls bent inwards exposing

10:45

the insulation and a sound like

10:47

a pop can slowly being crushed

10:49

could be heard from all around me.

10:52

Thunder crashed loudly outside of the panels

10:54

pulled apart further until I could

10:56

hear the howling wind and rain and saw it

10:58

blowing into the cabin. Lightning

11:01

flashed, and I could see it through a gap in the

11:03

side of the plane, which grew

11:05

even wider before my eyes. It's

11:07

going down a yell at

11:09

stumbling forward. We're gonna

11:11

crash. The plane dipped and

11:13

climbed upwards in a sickening way as we

11:15

hit another pocket turbulence. My

11:18

heart was

11:18

in my throat. My stomach doing

11:20

back flips as I lurch down the

11:22

aisle holding onto the backs of chairs for

11:24

support. Finally,

11:25

I managed to reach the door of the cockpit.

11:28

There were no flight attendants or

11:30

passengers that I could see, but

11:31

there had to be someone flying this

11:33

plane. I began hammer on

11:35

the door, screaming at them to let me

11:37

in. It's going down.

11:40

I screamed again and again. I

11:42

heard laughter coming from the darkness

11:44

all around me. I yelled at the captain

11:46

hiding behind his steel door. Once

11:48

again, I found myself on the

11:50

floor. Being tossed around in the

11:52

turbulence as we hit another rough

11:54

patch I put my hands over my

11:56

head and tried to cover my face as the

11:58

plane's fuselage began to come apart

12:00

and the wings began to break free from

12:02

the body. Looking up,

12:04

I saw the door to the cockpit was

12:06

now open, and there was no one

12:08

sitting inside. The pilot

12:11

and co pilot seats were

12:12

empty. I staggered to

12:14

my feet to write the controls. Right

12:16

at that moment, the plane began

12:18

to plummet from the sky. It

12:21

went into a nose dive, and I was once

12:23

again thrown backwards into the aisle,

12:25

this time by the force of multiple g's.

12:28

I was screaming when I opened

12:31

my eyes and found myself staring up at the

12:33

faces of dozens of anxious passengers

12:35

all around me. The flight attendants

12:37

looked less anxious and more upset set

12:39

as I had just ruined their quiet flight

12:41

with what probably appeared to be a total

12:43

nervous breakdown. To the

12:45

other passengers, it had appeared that I

12:47

was sleeping then collapsed into the

12:49

aisles screaming about the plane crashing.

12:52

I would have believed it if it was just a

12:54

nightmare too. If not for the

12:56

bruises, I would find all over

12:58

myself. Bruce has left for

13:00

my time being tossed around by the turbulence

13:02

on the plane. Several

13:04

concerned passengers and crew ushered me back

13:06

to my seat. where I was momentarily

13:08

left alone again with the old man and

13:10

his yellow teeth and horrible

13:12

appetite. You made quite

13:14

a scene back there he

13:16

said, picking his teeth with a toothpick.

13:18

It was so real.

13:21

I muttered. How did it

13:23

feel so real? he

13:25

didn't answer. And steady

13:27

began to speak about another topic.

13:29

Do you know

13:30

what's funny about fear? he

13:32

asked. The

13:33

question was hypothetical, so I

13:36

just looked at him and waited for his answer.

13:38

The funny thing about fear,

13:41

at least, when it comes to

13:43

you humans. Is that

13:45

it doesn't work well if it gets dumped

13:47

on you all at once?

13:49

You need to get scared

13:51

then

13:52

feel like everything is okay.

13:55

And

13:55

you can get scared again even more,

13:58

but you start to feel desensitized

13:59

to it. If it comes at you

14:02

nonstop, that's why

14:04

horror movies have highs and

14:06

lows. Moments

14:07

of build up and tension before

14:10

the jumps care. The

14:11

man's belly was swollen, and one

14:13

of his shirt buttons popped off,

14:16

flying into the seat in front of him and

14:18

clicking loudly off the television screen

14:20

embedded there. He looked

14:22

full, fat, happy,

14:24

and satisfied for the first time since

14:26

I'd met him. as if he'd

14:28

just eaten a huge meal. Gears

14:31

were turning in my mind as I looked into his

14:33

glossy black eyes and to understand who

14:35

he was or at least

14:37

what his motivations were. Just

14:40

as I suspected, he

14:41

was not a man at all. Right,

14:44

lad. He said, as

14:46

if

14:46

he just read my mind. I

14:49

had a feeling you'd figure it

14:51

out. It was

14:52

you. The voice

14:54

in the empty plane. You've

14:56

made me think it was real and then

14:58

you fed on my fear You

15:00

dined on it like that disgusting shit

15:02

in your Tupperware

15:03

container. But

15:05

fresh is always better than

15:07

leftovers. I thank

15:09

you though. I

15:10

haven't had a meal like that in

15:13

quite a while. Your terror

15:15

was so deep and so

15:17

strong. What happened

15:19

to you anyways? I

15:21

went as if slapped remembering my

15:24

parents. Somehow, I

15:26

had a feeling he already knew about

15:28

them. Why mouse would

15:30

he ask? Maybe he

15:31

wasn't as satisfied as he looked.

15:34

I hit the call button and waited for a

15:36

stewardess to come over. Then I asked

15:38

her if I could switch seats. I

15:40

told her I'd sit anywhere as long

15:42

as it wasn't next to the disgusting old

15:44

man beside me. think

15:46

he's a demon. I said,

15:49

now, I know how that sounds,

15:51

but hear me out. The flight

15:53

attendant gave me a worried look. As

15:55

did several other passengers sitting in the

15:57

vicinity, she cleared her

15:59

throat and leaned in, speaking

16:01

under her

16:02

breath in an attempt to alveage

16:04

what was left of my pride. Sir,

16:08

the seat beside you is empty.

16:11

I've been watching you throughout this flight and

16:13

there's been nobody sitting there.

16:16

You've been alone and to be frank,

16:18

you've been talking to yourself quite

16:20

a bit. It's starting to

16:22

worry some of the other passengers. I

16:25

stammered something

16:26

looking at the old man, unable

16:28

to turn away from his wrinkled face and yellow

16:31

teeth pulled up in a widening

16:33

grin. It's my responsibility to

16:35

alert the captain of this, and we

16:36

will have you return home to America

16:39

for a psychiatric evaluation. You've

16:41

got bruises all over you, and

16:44

it's

16:44

obvious you're not able to care for

16:46

yourself properly based on your behavior

16:48

during this flight. You're

16:49

a danger to herself and possibly

16:51

to others. An air

16:53

marshal was sitting nearby and stood up,

16:56

removing a pair of handcuffs from his

16:58

belt. I've heard enough, and I

17:00

agree with your assessment, miss. I

17:02

appreciate your patience with this

17:04

man. He's obviously very

17:06

unwell. Despite my protests,

17:08

which quickly turned to screaming,

17:10

he handcuffed

17:11

me to my seat. Luckily,

17:13

this plane is on a return trip to

17:16

America after a couple hours layover here. So we'll

17:18

be back up in the air in no

17:20

time. The two of them walked

17:22

away, leaving me alone with the

17:24

fear eating demon sitting next to

17:26

me. His true form was

17:28

slowly beginning to show through the cracking

17:30

facade of his human experience, and I could

17:32

see the rotting hell flash beneath.

17:35

No. No. No. Please,

17:37

don't make me go back. I don't want to go back.

17:40

I'll take a boat. Let me take a boat. Just anything

17:42

but this plane. You need to get me off

17:44

this plane. Don't

17:46

worry. Said the old man.

17:49

drural cascading out from his lower lip.

17:51

They used to be scared of flying

17:54

too,

17:55

but after a few times, she'll

17:58

start to get used to it.

18:00

Have you

18:03

ever heard of Fada Markana It's

18:06

an optical illusion similar to

18:08

a desert mirage. The most

18:11

common form of it is seen on the

18:13

surface of the ocean. During

18:15

the illusion, it seems as if boats

18:17

are hovering a few yards above the

18:20

water. But there's another version of

18:22

Fatimorgana which is much more

18:24

rare. you do a quick Internet search for Vadam Morgana

18:26

cities, you'll find some very

18:28

surreal images. Cities which

18:30

seem to float high above us,

18:33

perched precariously on the

18:35

clouds, like a modern mount

18:37

Olympus. The pictures

18:39

look fake, but they are verified

18:41

to be real. There's

18:43

even video footage of these events.

18:45

When

18:45

people saw this illusion in

18:48

China and in other places they

18:50

gasped and whispered fearfully amongst

18:52

themselves, Some even

18:54

fainted or fell to their knees and prayed

18:56

thinking the end of the world was upon

18:58

them, that these were the angels

19:00

of heaven and the cities of God

19:03

coming to announce the end of

19:05

days. But

19:05

as always, those pesky scientists

19:08

were there to scoff and say,

19:10

no. That isn't real. It's

19:12

just an optical illusion.

19:14

Fatimargana, they called it. That

19:17

was the official explanation for

19:19

cities in the sky, which disappeared just as

19:21

quickly as they arrived. But

19:23

those scientists didn't see it up

19:26

close like we did. There's

19:28

a whole plain full of people who will tell

19:30

you, the cities in the sky

19:32

are real. They're no

19:35

illusion. I was on

19:37

a trip to Asia when this all

19:39

happened. We were flying over a young sheep

19:41

when suddenly something appeared in the

19:43

clouds before our eyes. If

19:45

not for the fact that I was looking out the window

19:47

at that exact moment, I wouldn't

19:49

have seen it. But as

19:51

it happens, I was wide awake

19:54

and admiring the view when the city

19:56

appeared. The buildings resting on the

19:58

clouds were dark and shimmering, almost

20:00

exact replicas of the city far

20:02

down below.

20:04

Exact up to we been able see them from where we

20:07

were. The optical illusion of

20:09

Tata Mogana can't be viewed from within

20:11

the image itself. It

20:13

should have been impossible for us to see what

20:15

we were seeing, but I

20:17

wasn't alone. We all

20:18

saw it. When I

20:20

looked

20:20

around the cabin of the airplane, I

20:23

saw dozens of other passengers staring

20:25

and pointing at the city and the

20:27

sky as we flew through its mysterious

20:29

borders entering the

20:31

surreal space that shouldn't exist,

20:33

and then people began to

20:36

scream. The airplane suddenly tilted

20:38

half sideways the pilot steered

20:40

quickly to avoid something. I

20:42

imagined a building shimmering and

20:44

materializing in front of the airplane at

20:46

the last second. like

20:48

a mountain coming into focus during a

20:50

snowstorm. Everyone on the

20:52

packed airplane began to scream after

20:54

that. His overhead luggage broke free

20:56

from the compartments and began to rain

20:58

down entering several passengers.

21:00

A woman who had been sitting across the

21:02

aisle from me fell down onto the floor

21:05

and I tried to help her up, but then the

21:07

plane's axis tilted again, and I was

21:09

thrown hard into the window. I

21:11

turned around and was startled to see a hairline

21:13

crack forming across but something

21:16

even more terrifying caught my eyes. I

21:18

stared at the glass. Outside,

21:21

there were creatures flying in the air.

21:23

They looked like pterodactyl soaring between the

21:26

massive black buildings. One

21:28

of them landed on the wing, causing

21:30

the craft to tilt and veer off

21:33

course People screamed and shouted as they were

21:35

thrown from their seats and luggage came

21:37

crashing out of the overhead compartments once

21:39

again, emptying them of

21:41

whatever was left inside. The

21:43

creature on the wing of the plane began to

21:45

skitter crawl towards my window, and I

21:47

saw that its eyes were hollow black sockets

21:49

Its maw was like a giant

21:51

beak made of shadow, full of liquid

21:54

black teeth. It scrambled

21:56

rapidly across the wing heading in

21:58

my direction. and I could have sworn it was

22:00

looking straight at me with its dead empty

22:02

eyes. That broke me out

22:04

of my silent error and I started

22:06

screaming and pointed at the window as

22:08

other pass just turned to

22:10

look. Soon there was a small crowd

22:12

forming around my seat, staring out at the

22:14

horrible thing on the wing as it approached

22:16

the window. and began to scratch and

22:18

claw and bash its face against the

22:20

glass. I had never seen

22:22

anything so desperate and insane. as

22:24

if it had no purpose except to

22:26

attack into Maine. A few

22:28

seconds later, there were more of them,

22:30

fighting with each other as they tried to

22:33

get in. I saw they had long tails with triangle

22:35

shaped points at the end, like

22:37

demons

22:37

sent from hell. Or I

22:39

realized maybe

22:42

that where we were. Had we died in

22:44

a fiery explosion without any of us

22:46

realizing it? Or is this just a grim,

22:49

horrible, after your life, which we were

22:51

now destined to reside within for

22:53

eternity. No. I

22:55

refused to believe it. I

22:57

refused to give myself to this place. I shook

22:59

off that horrible idea and glanced back out

23:01

the window hoping it had changed

23:03

and we were back on Earth again in

23:05

the real world. But

23:08

no.

23:08

The shimmering black buildings outside

23:10

were so close now that I

23:12

felt like I could see inside of them,

23:14

if not for the fact fact

23:16

that they were opaque. Whatever was

23:18

inside was not meant to be seen by

23:21

us. And I realized that was

23:23

probably for the best. If

23:25

these creatures were the birds of this hellish

23:27

mirror world, I was scared to

23:29

see what their people might look like. I

23:33

began to fact we had crossed

23:35

over into an alternate dimension

23:37

somehow, and I wasn't sure if we

23:39

would ever be able to escape. Was

23:41

this what happened to mysterious planes

23:43

that went missing in the skies? Over

23:45

the Bermuda Triangle and in a handful of

23:47

other places? I had heard

23:50

of those fence. But like

23:52

everyone else, I just assumed

23:53

they were planes with mechanical failures

23:56

or drunk and irresponsible pilot sleeping

23:58

at the wheel.

23:59

Turveillance and stormy weather,

24:02

birds sucked into the engines or

24:04

hurricanes with hail the size of

24:06

golf balls. There were a thousand

24:08

potential reasons for a plane to go

24:10

down. Who would have thought that

24:12

alternate dimensions could be responsible? I

24:15

was snapped from my thoughts the

24:17

glass shattered and the plane lost cabin

24:19

pressure. Alarms were suddenly

24:21

blaring and the lights were flickering in the cabin

24:23

as oxygen masks fell from the feeling.

24:25

People grabbed for them desperately as the creature

24:27

began to squeeze its way into the plane through

24:29

the window. Like a cat going

24:31

through a chain link fence, it sucked

24:33

in its gut. and its

24:35

wings flattened down as it began to claw and scratch

24:38

its way inside.

24:40

Meanwhile, I was still desperately

24:42

trying to snag one of the available

24:44

oxygen masks. Since most

24:46

people had been thrown from their seats,

24:48

myself included. That

24:49

was no easy task. The

24:52

wind was rushing and whipping throughout the cabin,

24:54

making it difficult to do much of anything.

24:56

I scrambled over a

24:58

nearby seat and reached for one available

25:01

mask just as an older man about to take it for himself.

25:03

I left it for him without

25:05

a second thought. The other ones

25:07

nearby were also being used.

25:09

I saw and began to panic. Looking

25:12

around desperately, the air becoming too

25:14

thin to breathe, I finally spotted

25:16

a handful of un used oxygen masks

25:18

near the front of the economy section.

25:21

I was halfway towards the back of the plane

25:23

and there were people in the aisles blocking

25:26

my path. but I knew that I had to get up

25:28

there. Like a game of musical

25:30

chairs, there were only so many oxygen

25:32

masks to go around on this packed

25:34

flight, and I was seriously at risk of

25:36

being the only one left standing when the music

25:39

stopped. Thirking forward.

25:41

I stumbled over injured people laying in

25:43

the aisles. I looked back to see

25:45

the creature was inside the plane now.

25:48

And for some reason, it had its dead

25:50

eyes fixed on me. It raced

25:52

towards me. Its horrible limbs,

25:54

leaving black, inky stains on the seats

25:56

as it raked them with its claws.

25:59

The world was spinning and I was getting a terrible

26:01

headache as my breathing quickened. My

26:03

lungs were desperate for air.

26:05

I fell over unable

26:07

keep my balance and began to

26:09

crawl towards the front of the plane, my

26:12

vision fading in and

26:14

out. At one point, I must

26:16

have blacked out. because I woke

26:18

up to the thing on top of me,

26:20

snapping its liquid black jaws just inches from

26:22

my face, screaming.

26:24

I reached up to push it away. I

26:26

only defined that my hands sunk into the

26:28

thing like molasses. It was

26:31

tenacious and sticky. binding to my skin,

26:33

refusing to let go. Don't

26:35

you fucking hell spawn?

26:37

A man's muffled voice yelled.

26:39

and I looked up to see a guy wearing an oxygen

26:42

mask, holding a heavy looking piece of

26:44

luggage over his head with both

26:46

hands. He threw it at the creature and

26:48

I recoiled. worried that it would crash right

26:50

through the oily black creature and would land

26:52

right on me. The heavy

26:54

suitcase did just what I expected

26:56

and slammed into the thing. splashing

26:58

it in every direction like a water balloon

27:00

being destroyed by a sledgehammer.

27:02

The luggage landed on my gut,

27:05

knocking the wind out of me, and

27:07

fracturing three ribs in the

27:09

process. But luckily for us, it

27:11

took care of the creature. I was

27:13

still covered in its sticky black

27:15

goo. but at least it wasn't about to eat me

27:18

anymore. And for that, I was

27:20

grateful. I stood up on shaking

27:22

legs to thank the man for saving me.

27:24

then doubled over in pain. My

27:27

ribs were screaming at me with each breath

27:29

I took, and my vision was going

27:31

dark from a total back of oxygen.

27:34

The contents of the plane were

27:36

still whipping around in the air of the

27:38

cabin as the alarms sounded. and I heard

27:40

the captain saying something about an

27:42

emergency landing. And then

27:44

everything went dark and I passed

27:46

out again. this time unconscious

27:48

until after we landed. I

27:50

woke up in

27:53

a Chinese hospital. According

27:55

to the official reports,

27:57

None of what I've told

27:58

you actually happened. They

27:59

covered the whole

28:01

thing up as if it never

28:04

occurred. We tried to tell them the

28:06

truth. Me and several of

28:08

the other passengers have kept in touch over

28:10

the years, and we've all tried to get our

28:12

story out there. Unfortunately,

28:14

no one will believe us.

28:17

The official reports contradict us

28:19

at every step. The media

28:21

won't even listen to our story.

28:24

and I can't blame them really. Fatimorgana,

28:27

they tell us. It was

28:29

Fatimorgana and nothing more,

28:31

but I know what I saw I know

28:33

where we've been. Hell is

28:36

real, and it's waiting for

28:38

us in the clouds.

28:41

I worked

28:43

as a flight attendant

28:45

for lots of different airlines before

28:47

joining Marana Air.

28:49

The management just treats us differently here

28:51

No one complains about their

28:54

paycheck or has to worry about how they're

28:56

getting to their accommodations from the

28:58

airport between flights. everything

29:00

is taken care of for

29:02

us. If you aren't familiar with Miranda

29:04

Airlines, you probably don't

29:06

know about her signature, all black planes

29:08

with their high ceilings and highly

29:10

specific accommodations. If you

29:13

thought Emirates was tailor made for

29:15

their passengers, You should see the

29:17

bespoke treatment we give our guests,

29:19

but there are certain rules when you fly

29:21

aboard in Marana Airlines. And

29:23

those who don't follow the rules will

29:25

face consequences beyond their understanding. This

29:29

is

29:29

plush. Hot damn

29:32

Margie. Look at those seats. Hey,

29:35

man. I gotta ask. Whose leather?

29:37

I smelted

29:37

the man and his wife taking their

29:40

tickets. The finest

29:42

Italian leather. We

29:43

only use the best hero Marana.

29:46

Write this way to your seats. I

29:48

trust you've read your instruction manual.

29:50

The man cleared his throat from behind me.

29:52

because I walked them to their seats.

29:55

Yeah. What's that all about anyways?

29:57

Is that some

29:57

kind of joke? because

30:00

if it is, we don't get it,

30:03

not a joke, merely a

30:05

formality. This is

30:06

a different sort

30:07

of airline than you might be accustomed to.

30:09

That's all. Our owner

30:10

does things in her own way and provides

30:12

a lot of free upgrades at great cost

30:14

to herself. All that

30:16

she asks is that passengers

30:18

read the manual carefully

30:20

and follow its directives.

30:22

The couple sat down in their seats and I

30:24

took their carry stowing

30:26

them in the overhead compartment. They were

30:28

looking

30:28

up at me with worry in their eyes.

30:31

I'd seen

30:31

that look a thousand times. Here,

30:34

I have a Just

30:36

read it through as best you can.

30:38

They began to study the

30:40

manual I'd handed to them, and I

30:42

went back to see the next group

30:44

of passengers. There was always one.

30:47

Today, it looked like there might be

30:50

two. The plane took

30:52

off as the engines roared loudly,

30:54

and I looked around to ensure everyone had

30:56

their seatbelts on. Nobody was

30:58

in the isles so far so

31:01

good. Once we were at cruising

31:03

altitude, I began with drink

31:05

service, made taking my way down

31:07

the aisle. I finally got to the couple.

31:09

They were smiling, looking at me

31:12

sheepishly. We get

31:13

it. The woman said, very

31:16

funny. My face remained

31:18

blank. I knew these two were going

31:20

to be a problem. I had to

31:22

read it three times. The

31:24

man said, Grinning. He really had me

31:25

going, man. The big

31:28

corporations these days are really getting

31:30

clever with their marketing. I've

31:32

seen

31:32

Wendy's Twitter account. This is

31:34

like that. Right? Viral marketing.

31:37

Well, he got me. I

31:39

tweeted this thing out and it's already got

31:42

a bunch likes and comments. People think it's

31:44

hilarious. I tried not to

31:46

show any reaction to what he just

31:48

said. Can I see the

31:49

pictures you shared? He

31:51

showed

31:51

me smiling. Did you

31:54

read number twelve in the manual? I

31:56

asked. His

31:58

smile fall altered for a second,

32:00

and he began to read it again.

32:02

Don't share pictures of your flight

32:04

on social media or with anyone who was

32:06

not on the flight with you. But

32:09

it's just a joke. Right? The

32:11

woman asked, it's not serious.

32:13

I mean, look at these other rules.

32:16

Number four. Don't breathe

32:18

between minutes forty eight and forty nine of

32:20

the flight. Number

32:21

eight.

32:22

If see a man with no face serving drinks do

32:24

not speak to him? I didn't

32:27

laugh, and neither did

32:28

any of the nearby passengers.

32:30

They were looking coldly at the couple,

32:33

waiting to see what would happen. There

32:35

was always at least one.

32:38

Somebody

32:38

always had to break the rules.

32:41

Are

32:41

you able to delete that post from social

32:43

media? I asked. That

32:45

part of it was actually real.

32:47

Oh, yeah. I guess I can.

32:49

Sure.

32:49

No

32:50

problem. He pulled up the tweet

32:52

and tapped a couple times on the screen.

32:55

There, it's gone. No

32:57

harm, no foul. The captain's

32:59

voice suddenly came on the overhead

33:02

PA. Oh, mister Thompson.

33:04

If only that were true,

33:06

He said in his monotone pilot's voice.

33:09

Unfortunately, you

33:09

have violated the

33:11

rules of Marana Airlines at

33:13

his such, you were subject

33:15

to its punishments. The couple's

33:17

faces were slowly draining of color,

33:20

turning pale and whitest

33:22

sheets. If this is

33:23

a joke, it's not a very good one. The

33:26

woman said, as if trying to convince

33:28

herself she wasn't scared. Several

33:31

other passengers stood up from their seats and closed in on the pair,

33:33

they would learn the rules eventually,

33:36

just like all of us did. When

33:39

we were preparing for takeoff in Paris,

33:41

I saw a man coming up the ramp and

33:43

looking at the plane in wonderment.

33:45

He whistled softly to himself as he

33:47

stepped on board. Wow.

33:50

This is quite an airplane you folks

33:52

have for yourselves, better than

33:54

Emirates. That's what the guy at the counter told me

33:56

anyway. Is that true?

33:58

You guys got them hot towels

33:59

you can put on your face? Mister

34:02

Thompson came over and took the man gently

34:04

by the arm, leading towards his

34:07

seat. I could tell from the moment I met him, he

34:09

would make a fine flight attendant.

34:11

Oh, we certainly do have those hot

34:13

towels you put on your

34:15

face. They come out pipe and hot and steamy from

34:17

the oven and we bring them straight over

34:19

to you. After meal service,

34:21

I can't get one

34:23

now, can I? Mister Thompson shot me a glance. I

34:25

shook my head. His wife,

34:28

Marjorie, was

34:28

standing next to me, watching

34:30

her husband. It's him

34:32

then, Yes. I told

34:35

her, there's always at least one. Sometimes

34:37

two or three at the most,

34:39

but we always get a new

34:41

passenger with each flight. and

34:43

they never followed the rules. I shook

34:46

my head sadly. As her

34:48

husband tried

34:48

to explain to the man why he couldn't have

34:50

his hotel right now, and he

34:52

bickered about why he should be able to. Have you

34:55

read the instruction manual? Here. I

34:57

have a spare copy. This

34:59

is final information. Final.

35:02

Read it through very carefully.

35:05

Missus

35:05

Thompson had to ask the question.

35:07

I knew she would. since

35:09

they always did. How can we

35:12

keep getting new passengers? This

35:13

plane is

35:14

big but not that big.

35:16

I pulled back the curtain beside us.

35:18

which revealed the forward part of the plane. Rose and

35:21

rows of seats extended on and

35:23

on, going forever into

35:26

the distance It was like looking into a mirror which was

35:28

positioned in front of another mirror.

35:30

The seats never ended. Just

35:32

getting smaller and smaller as they faded

35:34

off into

35:36

the distance and passengers became the size of

35:38

ants. Welcome to first

35:40

class.

35:40

I said, you work hard

35:44

enough. one

35:44

day you might get to sit up there.