Last Train Home

Slowly, the sky turned from an inky blue to jet black so that all that could be seen of the outside world were the twinkling stars. The in-flight movie was Snakes on a Plane, Sean thought that was stupid. If this had been an ordinary flight, he would have been petrified enough from just being in the sir, never mind the terrifying movie. However, as much as Sean tried to drown it out, he wasn't on any ordinary flight. Beside him was a psychopath. He could be a murderer, a rapist, a terrorist, Sean had no way of telling, and this man had just told him that if his brother didn't find a large some of money soon, Sean would be killed.

Shakily, he turned his head to Ian who was smiling down at his phone, playing Temple Run. The man suddenly growled and smashed his phone down. “Why the hell can’t I swim on this game?” He turned to Sean, shaking his head. “Why so glum, chum?” Ian laughed crossing one leg over the other, biting his lip in a way that gave Sean a bubbling feeling in his stomach.

He quickly shook that thought away. This man was dangerous, and had him trapped. “When are you going to kill me?” Sean asked quietly, rubbing his arms comfortingly. This was all too much.

Jay had ran his brother a week previous, telling him he was in some financial trouble and needed help. Sean offered to fly out and lend him some cash to tidy him over. How was Sean to know it was this bad? And could his own brother have really made him a deposit to loan sharks?

Ian frowned, licking his lips, then pushed his phone back into his pocket. He removed his seatbelt and turned his whole body to Sean. “I’m not going to kill you. I have to keep you close. I was going to keep up the whole, I’m all over you act for a while longer, but I don’t like lying.” He sighed deeply, pushing his deep black hair out of his eyes. “I don’t particularly like the idea of killing either. That’s why I’m not an assassin.” Ian chuckled, then gave a kind of creeped out grin. “Not the guy who’s outside your house though. He’s the best our company has, apart from me, so I guess you’re in safe hands.” Ian winked then looked down the cabin. “Do you want something to drink?”

Sean stared at the man. “What?”

“A drink.” Ian chuckled, flagging down on of the airhostesses. “Do you want one. Oh,” He smiled, placing a hand on Sean’s. “If you try and tell her that anything’s out of the ordinary, your brother dies. You understand, right Seanie?” Sean nodded stiffly, his eyes filling with tears. There really was no way out of this. If he tried to gain anyone’s attention, Ian would realise and his family would be destroyed. “We’ll have two bottles of water please.” Ian winked at the airhostess, getting her flustered.

The woman handed the pair their drinks, then pushed her trolley away, still blushing. Sean downed his drink quickly. Maybe there was away. After five minutes of looking out of the window, Sean fidgeted. “Erm, E-Ian?”

Ian lifted his eyes up from his phone, smiling gently. “Yes, Seanie?”

Gulping, Sean moved his eyes over to the walk way. “I-I need to use the bathroom.”

Ian waited a moment. His mind flicking over quickly. He sighed, standing up and moving into the isle. He grabbed Sean’s hand and pulled up. He moved his lips so that they brushed Sean’s ear, his breath tickling the blonde’s neck, making him shudder in pleasure. “Make it quick. If you’re gone more than five minutes, I make the call.”

His voice was soft, but Sean knew the threat was very real. He hurriedly walked past his captor, looking back once to see him still standing in the isle, watching the blonde walk away. Sean got to the lavatory door and threw himself inside, locking it behind him. His eyes immediately welled up and he collapse on the floor, crying and shaking. This couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be happening.

But it was, and Sean needed to do something, fast.

Wiping his eyes dry, Sean looked in the mirror, determination written all over his face. He scanned his eyes across the room. There wasn’t much he could use. He had no pen, so he wouldn’t be able to write a message on some toilet paper. He looked over to the squirty soap above the sink. Maybe…

He didn’t have much time. Sean quickly pumped the soap into his hand and began to scrawl his message on the mirror. There was only one thing that came to mind. Something that was sure to make the aircraft land discreetly.

The passenger in seat 42b had a bomb

Sean rinsed his hands, wiping them dry on his jeans, then clicked the door unlocked. A loud crack erupted as he was thrown backwards. The door to the cubical had fiercely been thrown open and in stormed Ian. His eyes darted to the mirror, the look on his face was livid. He locked the door and grabbed some toilet roll, dampening it from the sink before beginning to wipe away Sean’s handy work.

Sean whimpered, knowing what was going to come next. He was going to be killed, and worst of all, so was his baby brother. Ian finally calmed down enough so he was able to talk. His teeth were still gritted, his muscles rippling along his arm as he scrubbed the warning away. “I was always straight with you, Seanie.” He hissed, grabbing some more toilet paper. “I never lied. All I asked in return was a bit of cooperation.” The Welshman threw the pepers into the toilet and flushed, then sunk his head down to Sean’s level. “Do you think I’m this nice to all the guys I… work with?” His voice was low and terrifying, Sean tried to back away, but the space was too confined, he couldn’t. “You listen to me now. If this mission fails, we all die. You die. Your brother dies. I die. Lee dies. Stu dies. Hell, even Jocko, Mike and Jamie die, and they’re not even involved. Do you understand? If you fuck up, everyone loses!”

Sean’s throat was dry, a choked cry of fear passed his lips as Ian lifted the blonde up my his throat. “P-Please.” He begged, pulling on Ian’s hand. “I can’t b-breathe.”

As Sean clawed on Ian’s hands, his top began to hitch up, showing off the blonde’s side. Ian slowly trailed his eyes down, taking in what was in front of him. Six, long, thin cuts lined each of the man’s hips, red and fresh. Ian lowered Sean down softly, then ran his fingertips along the delicate marks. “Who did this to you?” He whispered, not removing his eyes for a second.

Sean shook his head, wriggling to get away. “It’s no-none of your business, E-Ian.” The blonde tried to make his voice sound brave and confident, but it just came out hurt, like he was a scared little boy.

Ian gulped, raising his eyes back to his captives. “Did you hurt yourself on purpose?” Sean couldn’t speak, Ian’s eyes were to intense, so he just nodded sadly. Ian sighed, pulling Sean’s shirt back down to cover the marks. “Come on. No more tricks.” He mumbled, taking the blonde’s hand to pull him out of the restroom.

The two exited, hand in hand, catching the eye of one of the airhostesses. “Excuse me.” She called, shrilly, making Sean feel sick. She was wearing bright red lipstick on her thin lips and her face was wrinkled harshly around her mouth, probably from smoking. “This isn’t a motel.”

Ian winked back at her, tugging Sean along. Once they arrived back at their seats, Sean shuffled along back to the window and Ian threw himself down, sighing. “You know, I really hate babysitting.” He chuckled. “You’re a bit of a handful.”

Sean looked down at his feet, thinking hard. Why did Ian say he wasn’t as nice with the other guys he was… babysitting. What was so different about Sean? The blonde bit his fingernails, the shuffled back in his seat, turning towards Ian with his legs bunched to his chest. “Do you have any kids?”

Ian frowned. “Excuse me?”

“Well… you mentioned babysitting. I was wondering if you had any children.” Sean admitted, shrugging.

Ian bit his lip, his expression was pure sadness. Memories flashed before his eyes and he swallowed a sob. “I did.” He whispered. Then Ian shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. It was a long time ago.”

Sean placed his hand on Ian’s, squeezing it softly. “Tell me.”

Ian rubbed the back of his neck, groaning. “I was sixteen, only a kid myself. That’s when my son was born. My girlfriend and I knew it would be tough, but Louis was worth it.” He smiled fondly, his mind elsewhere. “I got into some trouble with these guys back in Ponty. A few weeks later, Amanda and Louis died in a car crash. The police put it down to an unfortunate mistake, but I knew better. That’s when I learnt something…” Ian trailed off, his eyes watering a little.

Sean leant further forward. “Learnt what?”

“Sometimes, bad things happen to good people. See, you’re not the only one, Seanie. So suck it up and deal with it.” He hissed, before turning away to talk to an old woman on the other side of the isle.

As much as Sean was supposed to loath this man, his heart couldn’t help but squirm with sorrow for him.