Everybody Dies; It's Just a Matter of When and Where

“Passengers please buckle your seat belt. The plane is getting ready for take-off.” The pilot announced over the speaker system and Zacky couldn’t help but tense up in his seat. By this point in his life he should have been used to this. He had been traveling so much in his life that he didn’t know how he wasn’t ever able to get used to airplanes. He assumed it was due to the fact that his life had fully depended on the pilot and co-pilot’s decision. One wrong movie and Zachery Baker would no longer exist.

The plane pulled away from it’s dock and began positioning itself for take-off. Zack began to take slow, deep breaths while he kept his eyes tightly shut. It was a technique that he had learned years ago, after he had had his first panic attack on take off.

“Listen, you have to be more calm about this.” Zack’s eyes fluttered open and he starred to his right, at the women who he had failed to notice in his moment of panic. “This stuff used to freak me out too and all I simply did was some basic math calculations. Your chance of dying on an airplane is one in eleven million. If we calculate our chance of dying on this plane, and of course I mean the plane crashing, it is one out of fifty-two point six million to one. But if you think it’s all over for you if a plane crashes, it’s not because you have a one out of three chances of surviving. So the statistics are not that bad.” Zacky gave her a look that asked her if she was crazy. There was more than one reason of course. The first being that what she told him did not take basic math to solve and two; she didn’t count the chance of a terrorist attack.

“Well what happens if it’s a terrorist attack.” Zacky asked her with panic in his voice, something that he didn’t want to be heard.

“Well your chances of dying from a terrorist attack are slightly higher. The chance is one out of ten point four million. To be honest with you, it is more likely that you get struck by lightning then dying in a plane. After all, your chance there is one out of five hundred thousand.” He nodded his head and leaned back into his chair for two minutes, he let her words sink in and once they did he yanked himself to sit straight up.

“Are you telling me that I can die from lightning before what I’m afraid of?” She nodded her head, trying to keep a straight face.

“Yup, that and it is more likely for you to die in a car accident. So in all reality, your fear of flying is irrational.” Zacky licked his lips and thought about it all. The chances of him dying in an every day situation were much higher then flying. He drove a car every day and he ran the risk of getting into a car accident daily.

“I’m Danielle by the way.” She introduced herself to the man that sat down next to her. The man that was going to help her before he even knew it.

“I’m Zack or Zacky, whichever you prefer.” He shook her hand, but Danielle could tell by his grip that he was still in panic mode.

“Look we’re already up in the air. Usually when plane’s fail is at take-off and at landing. Just relax.” He simply nodded his head as he took three deep breaths in with his eyes closed.

For the next eight hours, Danielle and Zacky chatted together and she quickly made him forget about what was actually going on. When the flight for the passenger’s to fasten their seat belts came on, they both did quickly but Danielle never broke conversation. He forgot about what it is that had made him so nervous for so many years. She had practically cured him of his phobia, but that would all be determined the next time that he would have to fly.

Walking out of London’s international airport, Zacky stood on the sidewalk trying to catch a cab first for his new found friend and then hoping to catch one himself. Danielle simply stood off to the side and watched. She had no plans about getting in the cab or have him get into the cab.

After what seemed like eternity, he finally got a cab and Danielle simply pushed herself off the wall that she was leaning on. Zack had went in for a hug but she quickly put her hands on his chest and pushed him away. He couldn’t help but be confused because she had nothing but determination in hers.

“Tell the cabbie to find someone else, you and I don’t need a cab.”

“Excuse me?” Zack asked her with confusion.

“If you value your life, which I’m more then positive you do, you will do as I say. If not you will die here and not at my hand that’s for sure.” Zack gulped as Danielle continued to keep her composure at bay. Part of this was for show of course, she faced this on a daily basis.

“I didn’t want to drag you into this, but you have been seen with me and now you are a target.” She told him as she began to dig in her bag and pulled a green jolly rancher, popping it in her mouth. “Use your peripheral vision and look 45 degrees to my left and three stories up at the roof and then 30 degrees to my right and fourth floor corner window.” Zacky stood by her, shoving his hands in his pocket and trying to look around without being suspicious. He could tell that whatever was going on was not a joke in any way.

“Who are those men?” Danielle chuckled as she looked at her nails, making sure that they were clean.

“Those men are here to kill me. They have been trying to kill me for the past year and a half, since I left one firm to the other.” Zacky’s eyes widened and he wondered what she did, for her to have a price on her head for so long.

“What do you do? This is crazy.” She nodded her head but her eyes filled with a little more worry then was common.

“Watch as the man on my right, in the fourth story window, pulls out his sniper rifle.” I looked around as I quickly swiped at my nose.

“Okay I see him.” She nodded her head and a smile tugged onto her lips.

“Now what I’m going to tell you is very important and it is very important that you follow it word for word. Any other way and you will die.” Zack’s heart began to beat against his chest and he understood in that tiny moment that his fear of planes was nothing compared to what he was feeling now. No words came out of his mouth, but he did nod his head in understanding.

“In about two minutes all hell will break lose and both men will release fire. I will pull you down to the floor and once I do that you have to move quick. You will turn to your left and from there you follow me step for step if you want to live.” Zack started to hyperventilate and Danielle knew that it was the worst thing to happen in a situation like this. One wrong move on his part and he was food for the vultures.

“Just keep yourself calm. If you follow me you will get out of this alive. I’ve been doing this for eight years now. I know how to escape a bullet.” She put her arms on his shoulders and looked him in the eyes. “Now close your eyes and take three deep breaths while counting backwards from ten.” He did as he was told; a false sense of calmness and peace spread through out his body but didn’t stay for long. Within moments He felt a tug on his arm and he was pulled to the floor, his eyes fluttering open in the process. Zack felt as the bullet that was meant to kill him zoomed past his head and made the hairs on his head fly up a bit. He knew that these men meant business.

The whole street fell into pandemonium as everyone started running for their lives. They knew what was happening, they understood and just ran for cover. In that moment Danielle had a few split seconds to orientate herself and move as fast as her feet could carry her. She grabbed Zack’s hand and forced him to look at her and the fear that was in his eyes killed her. It killed her that she purposely pulled him into this, but it had to be done if she ever wanted to leave with her life.

“Follow me; this way!” She told him as she pulled their enclosed hands and nodded her head to the right. He didn’t question it he just followed on his hands and knees behind her. She got to a vent and pulled the grid off of it and signaled for him to get in.

“I’m not going to be able to fit in there.” He gave her a look that asked if she was crazy.

“You sure as hell will if you value your life and if you don’t in the next three seconds I will leave you behind for the vultures to devour.” He didn’t need to be told twice and squeezed himself into the tiny hole that was provided. The crawl seemed to take forever but soon they arrived at a huge clearing. Jumping into the water that had collected there, Zack had taken note there were three passages they could take not counting the one they came from.

“These tunnels will lead us to safety but we can’t really stop. We have to keep on going. They know I use these tunnels as my escape routes, but they don’t know which ones so it will be very likely that they will have men stationed at almost every tunnel.”

“What are we running from?” Zack had asked her, trying to get confidence in his voice while getting rid of the fear.

“We are running to live but I’ll tell you more if we survive.” She told him as she pulled up her jean leg. Attached to her right calve she had what was a pocketknife but slightly bigger.

“You got that past security.” She smirked and took it out.

“I told you I’ll tell you more if we survive. Now do you know how to use one of these?” He didn’t understand what she was asking him. Of course he knew how to use a knife, did she really count him for a moron?

“Of course I know how to use a knife.” She shook her head and as he reached to grab the knife she pulled her hand back.

“No I mean do you know how to use a knife to kill a person. To have their life drain at your finger tips because of what it is that you had drove into them.” Zacky’s hand just slightly hung in the air, letting her words sink in and beginning to understand the gravity of his situation.

“No… No I don’t”

“I didn’t think so.” She sighed but handed the knife to him anyways. “I have no time to teach you but you must remember, keep your eye on you pray. They are not just humans. They are men that want you dead for all the worst reasons. Hold no symphony because if you don’t kill them, trust me they will kill you. They are all highly skilled gunmen.” She told him as she pulled a Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic and pulled the magazine out to check how many bullets she had left. “Do not be afraid to kill. It’s your life or theirs. We are going down the tunnel on our left; I will lead. We will have to crawl for half a mile and then the tunnel gets bigger.” With that she lead him to what they both hoped to be their survival.