Chapter 1: Ra'k Flight 999 - Freefall
’They say the worshipper is afraid only of the light but he’s as much as afraid of his own shadow. Because that shadow is not always his.’
Shadhi Vali
’Have fun in there, okay?’
Yuuri Lazarin
~~~
Clear skies with not a cloud in sight. The ocean level was calm with no wind. Perfect day for a swim. The nearest sea resort was a hundred and fifty-five kilometers away.
A few lazy ducks were taking a low flight and going for a dive into the ocean for their prey – colorful fishes of all sizes, as much as they could take into their long beaks, while others were simply swimming over the calm waters and enjoying the minus four degree waters. Whatever ducks of unknown duck origin in this part of this world could enjoy in such freezing temperatures.
Approximately ten kilometers away from the ducks of unknown duck origin, was a small fishing boat. It was slowly rocking left and right into the dark water while its current occupants – two bearded men, who looked like overgrown dwarves, were having a morning chat about their favorite topic, fish and beer, while trying to catch some breakfast. Their village was a nearby island whose only profit was exactly fish and other ocean creatures. Not much of a life but they were coping, mostly living day-by-day off what they caught.
The two overgrown dwarves with equally overgrown beards laughed while comparing their wives’ preferences for, by their words, those fat-rich restaurants where fat-rich guys went, a place where their skinny-poor beards wouldn’t get access to just about never, when something crashed into the roof of the cabin of their boat and they went up and down, hitting their heads into the ceiling with rods, caught fish and worms all going up and down and splashing into the water and with them cursing and talking one over the other and trying to understand if they were sinking or not.
But they weren’t. Yet. But they didn’t know for sure and went out and climbed cautiously over the cabin, thinking a duck or maybe some unknown giant fish has landed onto their boat.
A fish would’ve been most welcome for both of them and for their wives back home and their eyes under the dwarven beards sparkled with excitement as they approached the roof with fishing hooks in their hands, ready to strike the giant fish on sight.
But they quickly lowered them down quite puzzled at the sight of the unknown. A piece of metal. A gigantic piece of metal. A gigantic piece of metal painted in white and red, slightly scorched on one side and smoking. It had pierced the roof, stabbing it directly in the middle.
The two fishermen stared at it and stared at it and blinked, not once and not twice. Then other pieces rained from above around them, splashing in the ocean and rocking the boat.
’The hell’s all that?’ spat one.
’The hell I know,’ said the other. ’It ain’t fish, that’s damn sure—’
A black-sleeved, severed arm all the way to the elbow, fell onto the roof next to the giant piece of metal. Both fishermen jumped back in shouts. They leaned over together, fish hooks pointing forward as if the long-awaited fish has finally fallen.
’A h-hand...’ said one.
’It’s a bloody hand...’ said the other.
The hand’s fingers moved.
’IT’S ALIVE!!!!!’
Actually it was and wasn’t alive at the same time because it was a body part, which was moving only because the darkness particles were still connected to its regenerative abilities. But for the two overgrown dwarves such complicated information mattered not as they were seeing only a severed hand and a severed hand and nothing more. A severed or rather, a cut off body part for a very good reason.
A reason, which started around a minute or so at 40 000 feet.
The reason for the falling metal pieces and the falling severed hand onto the boat of the two horrified fishermen started at an altitude of about 40 000 feet where the minus four degrees water, which the lazy ducks were enjoying, paled before the minus fifty below zero temperatures of the air, and with a certain passenger jet, model A320-201 with a capacity of about 240 passengers. A modern world-class, two-engine airplane with a top-class crew, working for one of the most popular companies with a long-standing reputation and a perfect no-incident record.
Up to this certain morning.
Because now the passenger jet has dropped to 35 000 feet and has started falling at tremendous speed downwards. From the right-side engine was trailing dust and smoke and the tail was constantly turning to the left, making the airplane dangerously unstable as it was dropping altitude more and more.
Up to that certain morning no one had the slightest idea they would all be part of a worshipper-exterminating mission.
Inside, the situation was hectic and horrifying for the passengers and the flight attendants. Masks were flying around, people were screaming or crying, unknown wind was coming from somewhere out back and the freezing below zero air was flowing in and sucking everything that wasn’t with a safety belt backwards. A lot of clothes, personal belongings and trays with food disappeared somewhere in the back. The airplane rolled dangerously forward and most passengers hit their heads into the seats in front of them.
And with that, an unstrapped worshipper in black tumbled down the path between the aisle seats among screaming people, trying to keep himself steady, flipped and slid down, lifting head from the floor, his long grass-green hair waving behind him.
Only for Kairiel-Sheara to kick him in the face. Her boot connected perfectly with his nose and she slammed him further ahead through the aisles. He crashed down, black blood and corruption particles dripping from his nostrils. Sheara jumped down, her long silvery hair with sapphire-blue edges flapping behind her.
’Shit, shit, shit, shit!’ was shouting Grendel Nord as he was running through empty seats, frightened passengers and trying to fight off the second worshipper who, for some reason, was madly obsessed with getting him. ’This wasn’t supposed to happen!!!’
He was avoiding hits and corruption spears that were flying towards him and he instantaneously blocked them away from the passengers, knowing their lives were his first and foremost priority even over his own life.
A shadow fell over him from behind.
’Hya-ha-ha-ha!!!’ shouted the third appearing worshipper above him, way taller than the other two in black and swinging his clawed hands at him just as that in front of him was doing the same. ’Get out of my way, human bug!’
’I’m cutting him first, Ataio!’
’No! He’s mine!’
’Shit!’
They both struck at him, one from the left on the horizontal, the other one right on the horizontal but from behind. Out of the corner of his eye, Grendel saw the frightened passengers, who had nowhere else to go. At that moment he felt the airplane tilting again and perfectly used it to his advantage.
Grendel slipped under both, using the gravity, which was about to pin him down as the airplane continued tilting almost too dangerously to the right, rolling over the tall guy’s right and quickly standing behind them. They almost killed each other, with actually one cutting at the face of the other and the latter going through the other’s stomach and both almost tumbled between the aisle, hitting heads into the empty of passengers seats but managed to keep themselves steady and glared angrily at Grendel.
’What the hell’s a human bug?’ he growled, eyes narrowed.
’You are!!!’ shouted madly the tall that was called Ataio and went at him first, swinging his clawed hands.
’That’s why I’m asking! The hell’s a human bug, damn worshipper!!!’
The guy struck at him, Grendel caught his arms and he slammed back at the wall next to the toilet stalls. The corruption was sizzling just inches from his face. Grendel’s only weapon was a knife on his belt that he now couldn’t reach.
’You! Are!’ hissed the worshipper madly. ’Quickly, Ornel! To the front! Go!’
’Ah! Damn it! Come back here!!!’ shouted Grendel at the other one, who went forward.
The plane shook, tilting again and more screams from the frightened people followed. At the front, Sheara felt the sudden change in altitude, which was dropping faster and faster with every second.
’Yuuri, take the controls!’ She tried to outshout the whizzing freezing air and the various other noises coming from everywhere.
’On it!’ yelled back Yuuri Lazarin coming out of the cargo hatch in the floor, quickly passing Grendel and the worshipper, who was pinning him by the wall, and slammed the toilet stall door into them both.
’Oh, shit, Salazar! I’ll kill you! —’ Grendel shouted, getting ultimately stuck between the toilet and Ataio.
’Have fun in there, okay?’ grinned Yuuri.
’The hell I will!!! Damn it!!!’
