Disclaimer: This is a fictional story with characters and locations inspired by Left 4 Dead
Chapter 1
"This is Captain Louis speaking; although this isn't your everyday flight, I would like to welcome you aboard flight 302666- UKSP. We are approximately an hour and half away from our safety destination. We may experience some turbulence. Enjoy your flight!"
"He sounds fun" Zula said in a sarcastic tone.
Zula, who was suffering from a case of the common cold, her best friend Edward, whom she had known since she was young, and their class mate Jacob were the last three survivors of the 3,120 inhabitants of their home town of Folks in Washington State.
Suddenly the vibrations and rocking motion of the plane started to violently increase. White as a sheet, sweat dripping from his almost perfect forehead Edward started gripping both the seat and Zula's hand.
"Edward, you do know that there is a one in one million chance of turbulence bringing a plane down? In fact it is the safest way to get from point A to B."
Evidently not paying any attention to Jacob's brainiac rants and more worried about the violent vibrations of the plane, Edward continued to squeeze what ever life was left in the hand of his friend and the armrest.
The plane's aggressive motion gradually faded into a background hum.
"Hey, are you ok Edward? Can I have my hand back?" With a worried expression and a sigh of relief Edward released Zula's hand.
"Zula, I really don't like flying did I ever tell you that?"
Rolling her eyes at Edward, Zula decided it was now safe to wander around the plane as the safety belt sign had been turned off.
Slowly passing through the heavy partition curtains, Zula finally reached the rear of the plane where earlier two zombies had been shot in the mad dash from the safety room to the plane. The bodies of the infected were strewn across the end of the aisle. Inquisitive Zula slowly crept towards the dead bodies of the infected.
All of a sudden from behind the curtain Edward said with his signature smile.
"Someone always said curiosity killed the cat"
Like a rabbit caught in the head lights Zula swung her head around to the voice.
"Did you have to do that Edward you made me jump right out of my skin!?"
Laughing it off the two hugged each other. With a blush in her cheeks Zula started to say...
"We should go sit back down before Jacob comes running down here to find us ha-ha."
"Zula, that pompous twit won't come looking for us down here he's too scared that he'll catch something from those things!"
Zula's feminine laughter turned into choking fits of coughing.
"Come on Zu lets get you sat down you feel cold to the touch, back here's not going to do any of us any good."
In a hushed tone Zula whispered to herself, "That's not what I'm worried about."
Talking this time directly to Edward she said,
"You go sit down with Jacob, I'll be back down soon."
As requested he left Zula and the corpses in the eerie confines at the rear of the plane.
Chapter 2:
" Phew! Jacob was that you?! It smells like your science lab!"
In the confined seating space of the plane, Edward and Jacob were messing around as boys tend to do.
"No of course it wasn't, who do you think I am! How dare you say such a thing!"
The laughter echoed from Jacob's and Edward's chests' when they where suddenly interrupted by the voice of the Captain.
" Passengers, I am advising you to remain seated for your own safety. We are approximately thirty minutes from our safety destination. Thank you."
"Hey, we should go get Zula, she's been back there for ages."
Starting to sound a little concerned the two young lads pushed their way through the dividing curtains. The plane seemed much darker than earlier and Zula wasn't in sight.
"Zu...Zula you ok?" Jacob stuttered in a scared tone.
Sobs and moans came from the rear of the plane where Edward had left Zula earlier. Concerned that her cold had gotten worse Jacob edged forward removing his beige cord jacket; stained from the earlier chaos.
"Come on Zula we're almost back. Your cold isn't that bad stop messing around."
The closer Jacob approached the louder the wails and moans became.
"By Jove you emo kids do take things to heart."
"Jacob I'll go see if the captain has any blankets on this stinking plane, you try to get her back to her seat."
Edward went to grab the attention of the Pilot. Worrying about Zula and hoping her health wasn't as bad as it seemed both Edward and the reluctant pilot returned to aid Jacob in bring Zula back to her seat.
"She won't answer me and she won't stop crying did you two have an argument before Edward?"
With a shocked expression Edward replied.
"Of course I didn't! I l..., I mean she's my best friend why would we argue about anything?"
"Well she sounds upset? So you obviously managed to upset her somehow" Jacob stated in an accusatory tone.
"Shut up you arrogant jerk you know virtually nothing about me or Zula. In fact Mr know-it-all....."
"Would you two quit arguing!" The pilot's husky voice cut through the tension like a rusty knife, leaving tattered unspoken insults in each of the boys' minds.
"I think you're main concern should be for your friend and not your testosterone fuelled pissing contest!" The pilot continued in an aggravated tone, muttering to himself under his breath about arrogant young punks who just seem to make unnecessary complications. The crying carried on getting louder the closer the three males came to their ill companion.
Little did the pilot know that the biggest complication was yet to come....
Chapter 3
The dim lighting began to flicker within the rear cabin, adding to the already tense atmosphere within the group. Almost as if they subconsciously sensed danger ahead, they slowed. The pilot, feeling sensations along his spine that had only occurred when flying in dense fog with the US air force, unclipped the safety clip upon his hand gun.
"I don't like this" he muttered, his already hoarse voice cracking with the tension that was thrumming through his body. "Lads I think we should approach with caution, we don't know what's happened back here."
"What on earth are you on about?" Edward demanded in a hiss, annoyed at how the pilot was treating Zula as if she was dangerous.
"Well she is sick. You never know what she might be carrying."
"She has the common cold, a simple rhino virus. I seriously doubt that she is carrying anything serious. Don't tell me you're afraid, I mean what's she going to do sneeze on you....ooh scary!" Jacob was quick to step up and defend his class mate.
With a look of disgust for the pilot, Jacob moved deeper into the darkness of the rear cabin, stumbling over the decomposing remains of the infected in his blind haste to reach Zula. Hearing Edward's more careful steps following him, Jacob reached out his arm to where he could see a darker outline against the blackness. The pilot's heavy sigh and muttering reached Jacob, just as his hand connected with the thin trembling shoulder before him.
Everything slowed down. Jacob's mind had time to realise that Zula was Zula no more, and vaguely recognise the haunting screech of one of the worst infected known to exist. Then there was nothing more as the witch that once was Zula ripped him into bloody shreds all the while screeching like a banshee from hell.
The shock drained first from the pilot who fumbled for his gun in his haste to kill the thing slaughtering the boy in front of him. Edward hearing the sound of the gun scraping against the holster turned fast to face the pilot. His face pale and scared, now took on a look of disbelief. In the background the crying restarted.
"What do you think you're doing? It's only a cold, just a cold. She's confused, she didn't mean to hurt Jacob, it was an accident!" Edward babbled as he looked at the pilots set features, seeing in his head the death of the girl he loved.
"Step aside son, she's infected and will kill us all if she gets the chance. I'm not going to die because you are blind to the truth" The pilot raised the gun to point at the bobbing head of the witch, knowing that he may only have one shot to take her down. His trigger finger twitching as he readied himself to take the shot that could either save him or damn him to certain death...
Chapter 4
Just as the pilot squeezed the trigger, Edward jumped in the way of the gun and took the bullet, which would have taken the witch out, through his own chest. Stumbling backwards, blood leaking from his lips, Edward tripped over the witch, startling her from her mournful reprieve.
"Aww flaming hell! What the fuck did he think he was doing!" The pilot cursed as he fired randomly at the witch's frail looking body. With an unearthly scream the witch threw herself directly at him. He then continued to fire knowing some of his shots went wide, but not caring in his panicked attempt to destroy the witch. The witch's claws scraped madly at the pilot's arms, chest and torso, digging deep furrowing wounds in the pilot's skin. With the last round in his gun's chamber he finally managed to slay the witch with a round to her heart.
Collapsing in the aisle, he began to struggle with his breathing through the pain of his wounds. The plane's wheezing cough drew his attention at the same time that the smell of kerosene invaded his senses. Trying to regain his feet in order to reach the controls in time to stop the plane crashing, his almost lifeless body was thrown forwards towards the cockpit as the plane began to nose dive with a high pitched whirring. Hitting the partition wall with enough force to brake his collar bone upon impact, he lay still trying not to black out. Slowly sliding his battered body forward towards the controls he struggled to pull himself together. Seeing the approaching ground getting closer and closer and with gritted teeth he reached up towards the control panel. Just as his weakened fingers reached the dials the ground appeared directly in front of his windscreen and with a sickening crunch the plane collided with the tarmac of the already broken runway of the Metro International Airport. The pilot was hurtled into the control panel breaking his spine before being hurled clean through the windscreen. His vision turning dark, his hearing fading the pilot passed into the quiet state of the resting dead.
Three zombies were harmed during the writing of this story.