Chapter 3

Kylie wiped away her tears and managed a smile, shouting into the intercom. "Mike, I knew you were the best. You'll definitely protect me."

Her words made the frazzled passengers laugh helplessly, even as they were on the edge of losing it.

"They're just crazy."

"One of them smashed a window, the other tried to open the cockpit. They're total lunatics."

"The captain is breaking the rules himself. Are we even going to land in one piece?"

I stood aside, unable to help thinking how absurd the whole situation was.

When dealing with an in-flight emergency, the top priorities were to initiate an emergency descent and make sure the cockpit stayed secure and undisturbed.

However, Mike, all for his own personal feelings, had thrown professional conduct out the window and forgotten even the basics of his job.

Just then, a piercing screech came from the food cart; it was buckling and tearing apart.

Everyone's hearts leaped into their throats.

Hailey's face went ghostly pale as she shouted, "Mike, we're out of time. I request an immediate evacuation of everyone from the forward cabin."

This was the absolute last measure, a clear signal that the crisis had hit its final limit.

However, Mike just replied, cool as ever, "Let Kylie in first. I can't let her get hurt."

Kylie heard him and whined into the intercom, "Mike, just open the door for me."

Some of the guys finally snapped.

They stormed over, grabbed her by the hair, and slammed her to the floor.

"Stop flirting, bitch."

"We're all about to die because of you, and you're still flirting with the captain, huh?"

"Do you want to go into the cockpit? Fine, I'll toss you out that hole myself. See how you like the outside."

The air was thick with curses and angry shouts as people yanked at Kylie, dragging her down.

Her clothes were ripped, her hair was a tangled mess, and she looked completely disheveled.

Kylie suddenly collapsed to the floor, bowing her head and crying out. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I messed everything up."

Mike's voice came through, full of concern. "Kylie, are you alright? What's going on out there?

"Stop hurting her. This is illegal."

That just made things worse. The passengers started yelling.

"Are you still protecting her? You don't deserve to be a captain."

"Do what Zoe says, or we'll toss her out ourselves."

"We're all gonna die anyway, so who cares about breaking the law? Let's send her off first."

The line went silent, and all I could hear was Mike's heavy, ragged breathing.

I could almost see him pale as a ghost, fists balled up.

A few seconds later, his voice came through, defeated and unwilling. "Fine. Zoe, I'll do what you say. You'd better come up with something quick."

With that, he immediately sent a report to the control tower.

When I heard the confirmation tone, I finally let out a long breath of relief.

At least this time, he wouldn't get another chance to kill me.

I quickly got to work handling the crisis. "Everyone, listen up. I'm in charge now. Grab every blanket, pillow, and cushion you can find.

"Use luggage straps and belts to tie them all together. Make a makeshift plug. Hurry. We've got less than ten minutes."

While I was talking, I hit the timer on my watch.

My colleagues immediately sprang into action.

With the clock ticking down, Kylie was still sobbing into the intercom, her voice shaky and desperate. "Mike, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I messed everything up."

Mike jumped in, his voice gentle and protective. "Hey, don't blame yourself. None of this is on you. You did great, Kylie. Seriously, don't beat yourself up."

Kylie just broke down even harder, sniffling. "I can't do this anymore. I quit. Being a flight attendant is way too terrifying."

Mike's voice came through again. "Kylie, don't cry. I'm giving you a chance to make things right. Go help Zoe. I know you can do it."

Hailey immediately protested, "This isn't the time for her to fix things. She'll just make things worse."

"Shut up," Mike snapped. "Until the process is finished, I'm still the captain. What I say goes. Kylie needs to rebuild her confidence, and this crisis is the perfect opportunity for her to grow."

I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous he was.

Seriously? With everything falling apart, he was still thinking about giving his sweetheart a "hands-on drill", huh? Was he really using the lives of everyone on this plane as her training props?

Kylie wiped her tears, then rushed over to me, stumbling a little.

She said, "Zoe, let me help you. Just tell me what I need to do."

Without even glancing at her, I reached under the seat, searching for a belt. "Step back. Don't get in the way."

However, she acted like she didn't hear a word I said, hovering around me, kept stepping on my feet, and even tried to trip me up on purpose.

I tried to ignore her, but she just wouldn't let it go. "Zoe, do you think I'm dumb or something? Let me help you, please."

Before I could react, she suddenly lurched toward me, her elbow jabbing me right in the back.