A plot bunny that has been lurking around in my head since September. It's been around for months, and it's getting hard to ignore. It's a really long one.
I must warn you what lies ahead could be a sensitive subject for some people, so if it is, you don't have to read it.
For those of you who do read it, I hope you like it.
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September 11, 2001
A typical September morning was beginning in the city of Newark, New Jersey. The sun
beat down from the cloudless blue sky, and a comfortable temperature reminded the residents that summer was coming to an end.
A young man named Riley Poole arrived at the Newark International Airport, hoping to catch his flight to San Francisco. This job interview could set him on his way to being a successful computer designer. He dashed into the doors at 8:30, hoping the plane was still boarding. He knew the place well, knowing most planes departed late. He walked up to the desk, where a blonde clerk sat at a computer.
"Can I help you?" The clerk smiled cheerfully.
"I was wondering, has Flight 93 boarded yet?" Riley asked nervously
"Yes, it's done boarding now. I'm sorry sir." The clerk apologized. Riley kicked at the floor, muttering something under his breath. He thanked the clerk, and then left the airport, discouraged. He got in his car, and started back home to his Manhattan apartment.
Now what would he do? He didn't have any plans for the rest of the day, thinking he'd be on a plane to San Francisco by now. He decided to go on a walk through the city, just like he did as a child with his parents. It would bring back memories.
He stopped, parking on a familiar, street, just walking around. He stared at the ground most of the time, thinking about how he'd missed his plane and how he probably wouldn't get the job. He stopped when he realized where his feet had taken him.
The Towers. He smiled to himself, craning his neck to look up to the top. He remembered always walking by the towers on his way to school as a kid, and going up to the top floor, looking out over the city in wonder. The Twins were unlike anything he'd ever seen, the tallest buildings in the city. He gazed at them for a moment before walking on. After walking a few blocks, he stopped, gazing up at the crystal clear sky.
He thought he heard something in the distance. It sounded like a plane. Planes were not an uncommon thing to hear in New York. But something about this seemed unusual. He saw it come into view, and his eyes locked onto it. He realized it was flying way too low. He knew where it was headed, but didn't want to believe it. Screams and shouts erupted from the crowds around him as an explosion sounded in the air. A fireball erupted from the North Trade Tower as the plane collided with the building. It was 8:46 AM.
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Only about a block away, a young blonde woman named Abigail Chase stood frozen in terror as she watched the plane hit the building. Surely it had been an accident. But the sky was perfectly clear, why would it crash? Abigail watched the smoke pour out of the gaping hole in the tower, wondering how everything could have gone so wrong.
It had started an ordinary morning. Abigail had woken up, then gotten ready, and was now walking to work. People around her were going crazy, screaming or staring. Though minutes passed, time seemed to have stopped.
After a few minutes, Abigail saw something falling. At first she thought it was some kind of debris. Then, to her horror, she realized it was a person, jumping. She had to look away, terrified by the sight unfolding before her. Sirens blared from everywhere, and everything seemed to have completely frozen. There weren't as many cars, the blue sky was clouded by thick black smoke, and it seemed even the birds had stopped chirping. The world had stopped turning.
That was when she heard it. Everyone began screaming again as they caught sight of another plane, and just like the first one, it sliced through the South Tower, as if on some kind of horrific replay. It was 9:03 AM
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Riley could only begin to guess what was happening as the second plane hit the other tower. The question rolled through his mind again: Had this been on purpose? He didn't want to believe it, but two planes both colliding into buildings in the same area couldn't be a coincidence.
But what was going on then? An attack was what he suspected, and other people around him seemed to think so. And he could only imagine what the people inside were going through. All the smoke clouded the sky, pouring from gaping holes in buildings. He could see people falling. A couple clutched each other, then jumped from a broken window.
Riley didn't know what to do. Was he supposed to go home, or stay? Should he cry, scream, or just stare? A helpless feeling overcame him. He swallowed, sitting down on a bench close by.
Minutes seemed to fly by as the horror unfolded around him. It had been over 45 minutes after the plane hit, and it seemed like it couldn't get any worse. But it could. And it did.
Smoke and dust began raining from the sky as he saw the top of the tower being devoured in the giant cloud. He suddenly jumped to his feet, beginning to run from the acrid smoke. It was 9:59 AM.
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As he ran, he noticed a woman with blonde hair in an alley panicking. The smoke cloud growing ever closer, he ran towards the alley, pushing her against the wall, covering her with his body.
"You're OK. We're going to be OK." He tried to calm her, but there was no response. "Hang on!" He held his breath as the cloud rushed into the alley, everything suddenly becoming black as night, the sun blocked out. The sounds of sirens and screaming came from everywhere. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Had the world stopped turning? This had to be the end of the world.
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As soon as she saw the thick smoke rushing down the street, Abigail ran. She ran a few blocks, then ducked into an alley, only to find it was a dead end. She began to panic. She didn't want to die. Then she felt someone push her against the wall, covering her.
"You're OK. We're going to be OK." She didn't recognize his voice. Abigail was too terrified to respond. "Hang on!" She could feel the man's heart pounding against her back. This was how she would die, she was sure, with a stranger against her.
Everything had gone dark, and Abigail held her breath, afraid to breath in what was floating through the air. Whatever was happening, it couldn't have been good. Had the tower collapsed?
After a few minutes, light began streaming in through the cloud of dust. She was covered in it, from head to toe. She felt dirty, and it was difficult to breathe. She felt the stranger pull away from her, and she turned around to thank him, but he had disappeared into the cloud of dust. Abigail knew it was unlikely that she would ever meet him again. She looked up into the sky, sending up a silent prayer to thank the stranger who had become her savior. It was 10:07 AM
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September 11th, 2004
Riley walked out of the hotel, a sense of familiarity washing over him. But also a sense of dread. He knew where they were headed, but they didn't have a choice. It was ironic, considering the date. He grimaced at the thought, and turned around to mention it to Abigail, but she wasn't there. He walked back to an alley, where he saw her standing.
She stood there, tears stinging her eyes. She remembered this place. The place where she'd been saved. She felt Riley's hand on her shoulder.
"Are you OK?"
Abigail shook her head, a lump forming in her throat. She leaned against the alley wall, the tears flooding from her eyes. She let out a quiet cry before turning around to face Riley. His eyes were misty. Then their eyes met, and in that moment, they knew.
Abigail paused, then hugged Riley, crying even harder. She could finally say the words she'd been wanting to say for the past 3 years.
"Thank you."
It was 8:46 AM.
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Reviews would be appreciated. I hope you liked it.