Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Ch. 48
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 | Ch. 44 | Ch. 45 | Ch. 46 | Ch. 47 |
Falling in Public
Chapter 48
Eddie realized his mistake shortly after he waved up at Holly and started jogging toward the tail of the plane. Tall green stalks blocked the view in every direction. He should have plotted a course while he was still on the aircraft. He tried to remember what they'd flown over coming down, and what he'd seen from the cockpit before they got out, but in his mind, it all seemed like a vague Monet painting.
Whoever owned the field would surely notice the rather large plane in the middle of it, he thought. Unless it was one of those big companies, but still, someone should notice. And when they did, it would only be a matter of time before Sean's men got to them - and Eddie didn't think it would please them to find out that their boss was dead.
A niggle worked at the back of his mind as he started jogging between the rows in the soft dirt. He should have checked to make sure Sean was dead, or at least still tied up. Stopping for a moment, he looked back at the plane, leaning on it's left wing with the nose on the ground. It looked far more dangerous from the outside perspective, like it could tilt back onto it's landing gear or worse, back the other way with a strong enough gust of wind under the wing. What had he been thinking, leaving Holly there?
Conflicted, he hesitated a moment longer, and then kept moving away from the plane. With her leg she'd never be able to navigate the beach-like texture under his feet. There just wasn't a good choice either way - he had to get help, and get it fast.
He loped into an easy jog and pushed hard, running for what seemed like miles until he finally came to a dirt road. Relieved to step onto the hard surface, he remembered seeing paved road somewhere to the left as they landed, so he turned that direction and forced himself to keep moving. By the time he found blacktop, the sun had sank below the surrounding hills leaving him in near-darkness.
Sitting on the shoulder, he downed one of the water bottles he'd brought and rested for longer than he thought he should. The complete lack of traffic was disconcerting, and he struggled with the utter stillness that he never experienced in the city. Looking both ways down the road, he watched as a few solitary lights flickered on as the very last bit of light faded away. Choosing the nearest one, he abandoned the pack he'd brought and started walking, too tired to be hopeful, but unwilling to give up. The moon rose as he walked, casting a dim glow on the world as his goal got brighter. When he finally found the driveway and approached the run-down farm house, he could barely pick his feet up from sheer exhaustion.
There were two vehicles parked near the side of the house - a pickup and a sedan of some sort. Pausing, he considered his options. He could hot-wire one, and just take it, though that would certainly wake up the inhabitants. Or he could knock on the door and ask to borrow one and use the phone like a normal, honest person would do. Walking past the vehicles, he glanced in the windows, and the keys hanging from the truck's ignition made the choice for him.
He heard the someone yell as he peeled out of the yard, but didn't bother to look back. They'd call the police, which was good. In the meantime, he had to get Holly off that plane and somewhere safe.
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 | Ch. 44 | Ch. 45 | Ch. 46 | Ch. 47 |
Falling in Public
Chapter 48
Eddie realized his mistake shortly after he waved up at Holly and started jogging toward the tail of the plane. Tall green stalks blocked the view in every direction. He should have plotted a course while he was still on the aircraft. He tried to remember what they'd flown over coming down, and what he'd seen from the cockpit before they got out, but in his mind, it all seemed like a vague Monet painting.
Whoever owned the field would surely notice the rather large plane in the middle of it, he thought. Unless it was one of those big companies, but still, someone should notice. And when they did, it would only be a matter of time before Sean's men got to them - and Eddie didn't think it would please them to find out that their boss was dead.
A niggle worked at the back of his mind as he started jogging between the rows in the soft dirt. He should have checked to make sure Sean was dead, or at least still tied up. Stopping for a moment, he looked back at the plane, leaning on it's left wing with the nose on the ground. It looked far more dangerous from the outside perspective, like it could tilt back onto it's landing gear or worse, back the other way with a strong enough gust of wind under the wing. What had he been thinking, leaving Holly there?
Conflicted, he hesitated a moment longer, and then kept moving away from the plane. With her leg she'd never be able to navigate the beach-like texture under his feet. There just wasn't a good choice either way - he had to get help, and get it fast.
He loped into an easy jog and pushed hard, running for what seemed like miles until he finally came to a dirt road. Relieved to step onto the hard surface, he remembered seeing paved road somewhere to the left as they landed, so he turned that direction and forced himself to keep moving. By the time he found blacktop, the sun had sank below the surrounding hills leaving him in near-darkness.
Sitting on the shoulder, he downed one of the water bottles he'd brought and rested for longer than he thought he should. The complete lack of traffic was disconcerting, and he struggled with the utter stillness that he never experienced in the city. Looking both ways down the road, he watched as a few solitary lights flickered on as the very last bit of light faded away. Choosing the nearest one, he abandoned the pack he'd brought and started walking, too tired to be hopeful, but unwilling to give up. The moon rose as he walked, casting a dim glow on the world as his goal got brighter. When he finally found the driveway and approached the run-down farm house, he could barely pick his feet up from sheer exhaustion.
There were two vehicles parked near the side of the house - a pickup and a sedan of some sort. Pausing, he considered his options. He could hot-wire one, and just take it, though that would certainly wake up the inhabitants. Or he could knock on the door and ask to borrow one and use the phone like a normal, honest person would do. Walking past the vehicles, he glanced in the windows, and the keys hanging from the truck's ignition made the choice for him.
He heard the someone yell as he peeled out of the yard, but didn't bother to look back. They'd call the police, which was good. In the meantime, he had to get Holly off that plane and somewhere safe.
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