Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Ch. 44
This serial novel is posted in draft form every Friday.
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15| Ch. 16| Ch. 17|Ch. 18| Ch. 19 | Ch. 20 | Ch. 21 | Ch. 22 | Ch. 23 | Ch. 24 | Ch. 25 | Ch. 26 | Ch. 27 | Ch. 28 | Ch. 29 | Ch. 30 | Ch. 31 | Ch. 32 | Ch. 33 | Ch. 34 | Ch. 35 | Ch. 36 | Ch. 37 | Ch. 38 | Ch. 39 | Ch. 40 | Ch. 41 | Ch. 42 | Ch. 43 |
Falling in Public
Chapter 44
Eddie saw Holly wince as she pushed off the door frame, her leg obviously protesting the action. He grabbed her hands and pulled, taking full advantage of her momentum to help her get anchored on the top edge of the wall. Once she was stable, he moved back, steadying her as she got first one, then the other leg over and perched on the side of the counter next to him. Her gaze moved past his shoulder, and he moved to block the view, though not quickly enough. She covered her mouth, her eyes tearing up.
"I should have warned you," he said, rubbing a hand on her arm. "There's nothing we can do, and we need to get out of here, so try not to look at them, okay?"
She was silent for a long moment, closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths. He untied the rope around her waist, letting it drop the six feet to the lower wall where the bodies of Winston's guards had ended up. Finally, she nodded.
"Okay. Let's go. Which way?" Blinking a few times, she dutifully looked toward the main passenger area, then back to him for confirmation. He nodded, putting one foot across the narrow gap to the other counter.
"Step across here, and then through to first class. You'll have to brace yourself on the sides of the seats. I'm right behind you." He waited until she'd crossed to the other side, then followed her through the sideways door. She'd wedged her good leg on one of the wide seats to the side, and her hands on a seat diagonally above her, just as he'd suggested.
"Are you okay there for a few minutes?" he asked, eying the emergency exit just below the first row of seats.
She nodded, twisting to look over her shoulder at him. "I'm fine. What are you going to do?"
He started climbing down the seats, using the arm rests as a ladder of sorts. "I'm going to see if the emergency side will deploy when I open this door. I don't know if it will be long enough, but it's worth a shot, right?"
"Be careful," she called as he reached the door and started looking around for an anchor point. Wishing he would have brought the rope, he settled for leaning against the wall of the plane and hooking one foot through the bottom of the nearest seat. Scanning the directions on the door for emergencies, he pushed the lever up, struggling to force it all the way and then let gravity pull the door out. There was a pop, and a hissing noise, and he ducked back behind the wall, hoping the slide wouldn't inflate back into the cabin. A few seconds later, he peered around the corner, relieved that the slide was touching the ground, and seemed to be fully inflated. It was a pretty steep angle, but it should work.
"Holly?" he yelled, looking up, but unable to see her. He wasn't sure if she'd be able to climb down or not, but maybe he could go back for the rope. "Where are you?"
"Right here," she said, her voice coming from the row behind him. He looked over the back of the seat, and she smiled at him from her position between the two rows. "I figured I'd just come down while you were working on the door. Was that the slide I heard?"
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15| Ch. 16| Ch. 17|Ch. 18| Ch. 19 | Ch. 20 | Ch. 21 | Ch. 22 | Ch. 23 | Ch. 24 | Ch. 25 | Ch. 26 | Ch. 27 | Ch. 28 | Ch. 29 | Ch. 30 | Ch. 31 | Ch. 32 | Ch. 33 | Ch. 34 | Ch. 35 | Ch. 36 | Ch. 37 | Ch. 38 | Ch. 39 | Ch. 40 | Ch. 41 | Ch. 42 | Ch. 43 |
Falling in Public
Chapter 44
Eddie saw Holly wince as she pushed off the door frame, her leg obviously protesting the action. He grabbed her hands and pulled, taking full advantage of her momentum to help her get anchored on the top edge of the wall. Once she was stable, he moved back, steadying her as she got first one, then the other leg over and perched on the side of the counter next to him. Her gaze moved past his shoulder, and he moved to block the view, though not quickly enough. She covered her mouth, her eyes tearing up.
"I should have warned you," he said, rubbing a hand on her arm. "There's nothing we can do, and we need to get out of here, so try not to look at them, okay?"
She was silent for a long moment, closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths. He untied the rope around her waist, letting it drop the six feet to the lower wall where the bodies of Winston's guards had ended up. Finally, she nodded.
"Okay. Let's go. Which way?" Blinking a few times, she dutifully looked toward the main passenger area, then back to him for confirmation. He nodded, putting one foot across the narrow gap to the other counter.
"Step across here, and then through to first class. You'll have to brace yourself on the sides of the seats. I'm right behind you." He waited until she'd crossed to the other side, then followed her through the sideways door. She'd wedged her good leg on one of the wide seats to the side, and her hands on a seat diagonally above her, just as he'd suggested.
"Are you okay there for a few minutes?" he asked, eying the emergency exit just below the first row of seats.
She nodded, twisting to look over her shoulder at him. "I'm fine. What are you going to do?"
He started climbing down the seats, using the arm rests as a ladder of sorts. "I'm going to see if the emergency side will deploy when I open this door. I don't know if it will be long enough, but it's worth a shot, right?"
"Be careful," she called as he reached the door and started looking around for an anchor point. Wishing he would have brought the rope, he settled for leaning against the wall of the plane and hooking one foot through the bottom of the nearest seat. Scanning the directions on the door for emergencies, he pushed the lever up, struggling to force it all the way and then let gravity pull the door out. There was a pop, and a hissing noise, and he ducked back behind the wall, hoping the slide wouldn't inflate back into the cabin. A few seconds later, he peered around the corner, relieved that the slide was touching the ground, and seemed to be fully inflated. It was a pretty steep angle, but it should work.
"Holly?" he yelled, looking up, but unable to see her. He wasn't sure if she'd be able to climb down or not, but maybe he could go back for the rope. "Where are you?"
"Right here," she said, her voice coming from the row behind him. He looked over the back of the seat, and she smiled at him from her position between the two rows. "I figured I'd just come down while you were working on the door. Was that the slide I heard?"
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