Going Down

Connor Runnings
I hate flying.
This is not the first time Ive been flying, but after what happened, it is likely to be the
last. Let me start from the beginning.
So I was going to see my cousin in Gloucestershire, but since I was from Canada, I
heard the best way to get there was by flying. I was hesitant at first, but after much encouraging
(peer pressuring), I eventually decided to bite the bullet and try to get over my fear. I had to do it
sometime.
When I boarded the airplane, I was placed in coach. I was seated right next to this 70-ish
year old lady with a gaunt face and an air about her that said "step off". I don't know what her
problem was, but I shrugged it off and played on my phone for a bit.
Take off. The procedure was all a blur to me. I remember being very scared, and having
an internal panic attack. I didnt even have my phone to help distract me, since I had to turn it off
before flying. As we were taking off, some very nice looking stewardesses pointed to things as
the captain talked about emergency procedures over the intercom. Of course, they talked about
turbulence, which is like my worst fear; they said to remain calm, and I remember thinking Have
you even met me?.
When I was settled in for a little while, I was able to distract myself. I got a pair of
headphones from the stewardess, and I watched the beginning of the Paul Rudd movie that was
playing on the back of the seat in front of me. This flight might not be so bad, I thought.
I think this was about the point where that all ended.
Even with headphones on, I could hear the explosion and the screams coming from First
Class. I take them off, look around, and see that everyone is staring out of the widows on my
side in horror. I look out my window, and I cant believe my eyes.
Its a goddamn pterodactyl! Or something like a pterodactyl. It was a giant, white, hairy
being about the size of a giraffe with a thin, pointed beak and long, bat-like wings, and it was
shredding the planes wing! It was tearing at the wings with a sort of animalistic ferocity, and in
its orange eyes, you could see a prehistoric killer looking for a snack. This was the end.

I heard the captains voice over the intercom.

Um ahem We have a bit of an unexpected delay, as weve just been attacked by a
pack of Quetzalcoatlus. Ive just been told that they have torn apart the wings, which means that
well be going down. Prepare for emergency landing procedure and try not to get eaten.
Try not to get eaten. Well, that was reassuring.
And he said pack too, which means that theres more than one of those winged dicks
endangering my life! This is literally everything Im afraid is going to happen when I get on a
plane. Happy now, Cousin Samantha!? Im sorry; I turn into a jerk under stress.
I see the other people in the cabin all pack into the middle, so I join them. I imagine
theyre doing it so they will be as far away from the windows as possible, and the pterodactyls
wont bite through and gobble us up like flying hors d'oeuvres. Its rather cramped, but Id rather
be cramped than eaten.
Suddenly the intercom sounds again.
Help! Help! Quetzalcoatlus! Broke into the cockpit- Biting off my leg- Thats where it cut
off.
One of the people in my cluster ran off to the cockpit to rescue the captain. He was a
buff, blond, thirty-something year old man. He disappeared into the cockpit, and there was a
brief silence.
I hate brief silences. Anything could be happening right now.
Seconds later, I heard a loud thump and a SQUAAAK!! and I saw the man come out
with the pilot. The pilots left leg was mostly eaten off. Blood was pouring out of the stump.
Did- did you just punch a dinosaur in the face? I asked, flabbergasted.
Yes, replied the man And those things arent dinosaurs, theyre close relatives.
I ignored his correction, still amazed. Youre youre a badass! Hey, wheres the
copilot?
Where do you think? said the man. Still running the show! We have no wings or
engines on the side, but he can still soften our descent.
Great, I said. So what can we do to make sure that the Quetzo-whatchamacallits dont
kill us before we hit the water? Are there any weapons on this plane?
Weapons arent allowed on planes unless theres an air marshall on the plane, which
there isnt, said the man.

Damn post-9/11 air travel! I lamented.

Wait! breathed the pilot. Theres some emergency flare guns in the luggage bay.
Theyre meant to signal for help, but you can use them to defend yourself.
Awesome. You, said the man, pointing at me. Do you think you can get the flare guns
from said luggage bay while I help protect the passengers here?
Yeah, I can do that, I said My names Morton, by the way.
Kevin, said the man. Good to meet you. Now get those flare guns.
I made my way through the crowd to get to the door behind the coach area. When I got
there, I walked through the door and found myself in the stewardess area, where I found a
ladder that went below deck. I climbed down it, and found myself in the luggage bay.
The luggage bay was big, but so packed with stuff that it was also very cramped. It was
also very dark, so I pulled my phone out and used the flash on its camera as a light. It was hard
finding the flares amidst all the really big cargo; the pressure of the plane going down wasnt
helping either, but I did find the flares. There were three of them, small, red guns with short
barrels, and they were sitting on a small crate in the back. I grabbed them, climbed up the
ladder, and dashed back to the coach area where Kevin and those guys were.
Got the flare guns? asked Kevin.
Yes! I replied. I handed one to Kevin, one to the pilot, and kept one for myself.
But before any of us could do anything, we heard a scream coming from the cockpit, the
sound of bones being crunched, and the fluttering of leathery wings. There was brief silence,
and then the winged devil came walking through on its wings and hind legs. It had an evil look in
its eyes, and blood lined its beak. The group backed up in fear.
Then, suddenly the pilot shot it in the face with his flare gun. The pilot, who was barely
moving due to bloodloss, exploded a dinosaurs face. Its head and most of its neck were gone,
and its lifeless body slumped down on the floor.
That was for Vincent, breathed the pilot. You flying bitch.
He then fell back on the floor. Kevin checked his pulse. He looked at the passengers and
shook his head. The pilot was dead.
Great! yelled a middle aged woman from the group. Theres nobody stabilizing the
plane! What do we do now?
Anyone here have any flying experience? Kevin asked the passengers.

Suddenly, a small, skinny and sheepish looking brown-haired young man of about 25
emerged from the crowd. I have a pilots license, he said. Ive been flying since I was fifteen.
Do you think you can help us stabilize the aircraft as it goes down? inquired Kevin.
Ive never flown a commercial aircraft before, but I can give it a shot. replied the man.
Great! said Kevin. Whats your name?
Omar, said the man.
Awesome, said Kevin. You come up to the cockpit with me, and Ill be your copilot.
Do you have any experience? Omar asked.
No, but Ill watch you and follow what you do, said Kevin. Oh, and Morty, you better
come up there too.
Why? I asked.
Well, we need someone to make sure those beasts dont eat us while we do our thing,
dont we? he replied. Youre even holding a flare gun!
Well, Id feel like a coward if I didnt do anything, I said. Okay, Ill be your bodyguard.
Neato, said Kevin. He tossed his flare gun to a random young woman in the crowd. In
case the Quetzos get at you guys while were in the cockpit, he said.
Kevin, Omar, and I walked up to the cockpit through the disaster area that was first
class.
The cockpit itself was a mess. Broken glass and blood were everywhere. Both the pilot
and the copilots seats were covered in blood, but Omar and Kevin got into them anyway. The
canopy was totally smashed, and the force of the wind would have blown us off our feet
immediately, but we all held onto something. Kevin and Omar strapped themselves in. I held
onto the back of Kevins seat.
Now, whatever you do, dont use that flare gun unless you absolutely have to! yelled
Kevin over the roar of the wind. We only get one shot with each of these; the pilot used his, the
passengers have theirs, and we have ours! Remember, you can only use it once!
Got it! I yelled back.
Omar and Kevin then proceeded to do things with the elaborate set of controls to make
sure our plane descended safely*. It was a bit rough, for sure, since we had two relative
beginners at the controls, but they did pretty well in a pinch. I guess the will to live made them
better at life somehow. It was all going well, when suddenlyQUETZALCOATLUS AT 12:00!

One of them swooped in from in front, landed on the rim of where the glass canopy
should have been, and started snapping at us. Omar and Kevin still worked controls when they
could, despite fearing for their lives. I raised my pistol, butNo, Morton! Kevin yelled. I got this!
Kevin unbuckled his seatbelt and quickly jumped up from his post and on to the beasts
neck, and started punching its face. Why was this man such a badass? Also such an idiot?
Kevin wrestled with it for a bit, thenSSPPLOOOOSHH!!
The plane was submerged in water! We didnt hit the water hard enough for it to kill us,
but we hit it hard enough for us to go really far under. Nose first.
The Quetzo-thingy used its wings to propel itself out of the water, taking Kevin with it.
Omar was trapped under the seatbelt, but I found a broken piece of glass and used it to cut him
free. We swam up to the surface together through the hole in the canopy, but thankfully the flare
was still on my person.
I gasped for air as my head broke through the water. Omar rose up right next to me. I
saw other peoples heads start to rise from the water too. I was glad that they were okay.
Meanwhile right above us, Kevin and the Quetzo were in the air, and Kevin was fighting
for his life. The Quetzos hind legs were clutching at Kevin tightly, and its head was trying to bite
off Kevins. Kevin avoided its lunges at him while wrestling to get free. Man, Kevin was one
tough cookie!
Finally, Kevin swung his unrestrained legs up in an 180 degree arc and his boots landed
on the Quetzos crotch. It screeched and let him go, recoiling in pain, and Kevin fell through the
air. It swooped down, prepared to catch Kevin in its beak and subsequently eviscerate him, but
then, right out of nowhere, something happened.
BANG.
My flare gun was empty. I lowered my hands. Seconds ago, I pulled the trigger that sent
the Quetzalcoatlus to hell in a fiery explosion. I was as shocked as it was. Pieces of it fell in
different places in the water.
Kevin fell into the water too, but luckily landed on his feet, not his side. He swam up to
the surface next to Omar and I.
That was awesome, guy! said Omar.
Did- did I really do that? I stammered. What did I do?

Ill tell you what you did, said Kevin. You saved my life. You did good, man.
He clapped me on the shoulder, and then swam towards the other passengers.
Is everyone present and accounted for?
Everyone nodded
His eyes scanned the heads poking out of the water for the girl whom he gave the other
flare too. Finally, he found her. You, he said. Do you still have the flare I gave you?
She nodded, and her hand rose up out of the water holding the flare.
Good, he said I think we took care of all of the Quetzos, but we can use the flare if
more find us. If none come, we can use it to signal for help if a ship passes by.
The passengers seemed relatively cool with that.
Hours later, a giant ferry came, and we used the flare. The boat sent out lifeboats to pick
us up, then we were welcomed aboard. Luckily, it was not very crowded. We were to be taken
back to the east coast of America, where it was headed.
Kevin and I sat on the outside passenger deck near the bow, towels wrapped around us.
I still cant believe I blew a Quetzo to bits, I admitted. I work at A&W, for Petes sake!
Hey, Im a postal worker, said Kevin.
I looked at him in shock. How How did you do all that you just did, then?
I play a lot of Far Cry in my spare time, he said.
So that was it. The Quetzo menace was over. We were to be taken back to the
mainland, where pretty soon we would all be laughing up this huge disaster. We sailed off into
the sunset, and for just one moment in this horror story, everything seemed like it would turn out
just fine.
...Aaand thats when the Liopleurodon emerged from the sea and attacked our boat. I
hate my life.

The End