Not Tonight
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye or Daybreak!
Chapter Five
Jackson awoke slightly calmer than on previous days. He had managed to save Lisa, but something was still off.
He was still in a dark hotel room with his suit laid out and his bags packed. It was the day of the red-eye flight once again.
With a groan, he stumbled into the bathroom. What is still going on? I saved her, so why is this damn day still repeating?
Jackson sped through his morning routine and left the hotel with his bags in tow. He shoved the duffle and laptop bag into the backseat of his rental car. This isn't just about Lisa dying, so it's safe to assume that she's not the real target and nether is Keefe. Then what am I supposed to do? What am I missing?
As he neared the cemetery where Lisa would be attending Grandma Henrietta's funeral, he slowed his car down to look for her, only to be rear-ended and slammed forward. Jostled and disorientated by the first impact, he did not have adequate time to prepare for the second impact, which sent his car spinning into oncoming traffic.
Horns honked loudly, but as Jackson fought for control over the rental car, another car hit the right side, throwing him against the door.
Thankfully, I chose to wear a seatbelt today.
A shot rang out, then pinged off the metal body of the car. Jackson looked out of his window and vaguely saw a dark Lexus with a pistol hanging out of the window aimed at his head. He ducked as the glass shattered and rained down upon his head.
Great, now they're shooting at me! This day just keeps getting better and better!
Jackson yanked open the glove compartment and pulled out the emergency gun. His employers had informed him of the placement of the weapon in the rental car, but he had never expected to use it. He was actually a fairly lousy shot with a gun.
What the hell… as long as I don't hit Lisa, I don't particularly give a damn…
Aiming out the broken and useless window, he returned fire at the dark Lexus. The bullets pinging harmlessly off the bulletproof car and he cursed.
I'm the world's biggest idiot…of course it's bulletproof! I'm a dead man—throw me in the ground now, please!
Jackson rolled to the passenger side of the car, trying to stay low and be less of a target. He struggled to open the smashed-in door. Satisfied, that it would not budge, he crawled into the backseat. He snagged his bags as he jumped out the rear passenger-side door moments before another bullet sailed through the air and hit its mark.
He was barely five feet away when his rental vehicle took to the sky in a ball of flame.
I just sooo missed being toasted…
Jackson ran towards Grandma Henrietta's funeral. He could see Lisa conversing with some people who had attended the service. He slipped up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Lisa Reisert?" he asked.
"Yes?"
"So you are Lisa Reisert?"
"Yes, what's this about?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
"I need you to come with me right away."
"Why?"
"Listen to me, if you want to live, you'll come with me and you won't ask questions."
"What?" She stared at him in shock; not quite believing him.
"There are some people who want to kill you because you're connected to Charles Keefe. They're a group of highly trained terrorists sent to kill him and anyone who gets in their way. I used to work for him, so now they're after me too. You're next on their list and if we leave now, we might just get out of Texas alive."
"How I do I know that you're not lying?"
With an aggravated sigh, Jackson dug into his laptop case and withdrew his job file. He handed it to Lisa wordlessly and she flipped it open. Within moments, she gasped in surprise and began to shake.
"Now do you believe me?"
"Oh God, oh God…"
"I'll take that as a yes. Now do you have a car?"
"No… my mother drove me." Lisa was gazing off into the distance; disoriented and unfocused.
"Is she still here? Lisa, is your mother still here?"
"No, she went home."
This is not happening… This can't be happening…
"Give me your cell phone," he ordered, holding a hand out.
When she did not respond, he roughly shoved his hand into her pockets, searching for the phone. When she shot him a dirty look, he held up the electronic device and flipped it open.
"Dallas, TX. Taxi service," he said quickly after dialing 411.
Less than an hour later, after a brief stop at Lisa's mother's house for her belongings, Jackson was leading a confused and stunned Lisa through Dallas International Airport towards the check-in line. He was unable to get an earlier flight and it was all he could do to hope that their flight was not delayed. They needed to get out of Texas before they were compromised.
"Flight 1019 to Miami, Florida has been delayed," announced the loudspeaker and his heart sank. They were both going to die now.
I'm sorry, Lisa. I didn't mean to screw up. Really… I'm so sorry….
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked her, while calmly rubbing her back.
"I just—I can't believe it. Why? Why us?"
"I was hired to manage and plan the job. I was told that you would be the contact person to finalize the job. All I needed was you to make a phone call to change his room and they would handle the rest."
"So, I was a tool?"
"Essentially, yes. But you're so much more than that. This is the fifth or sixth time I've been through this—"
"Been through what?" she asked curiously.
He took a deep breath. "I've been reliving this same day. Every morning I wake up in a hotel room, jump in my rental car, and head to your grandmother's funeral. Every day I'm supposed to get on this plane. But each time, different things happen. Some thing always goes wrong."
"Like what?"
"The first time, we ended up on the plane. You fought back and I landed in the hospital. A man came into my room and injected me with something. That was after he showed me a stack of photographs."
"What were the pictures of?"
"You…" he paused for a moment; his expression pained. "They killed you."
Lisa shook her head. "No… no…"
"Every day they killed you. Four times I watched you die. The fifth time—the fifth time I saved you."
"And?"
"And here we are."
Author's Notes:
I had a lot of trouble with this chapter. I've kind of lost of my touch with this story. I'm thinking of making this the last redo, even though I could continue it indefinitely. I think the dialogue between them is a little bit unrealistic, but I think that maybe Lisa has some feelings about the past few days and is inclined to trust Jackson, even though she doesn't know him. Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing! I think this is almost at the end—maybe a few more chapters, but I'm not really sure. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!