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Edgar came to with a start as the instrumentation gave off a loud ding.
He'd been drifting off, lost in the ugly memories of the morning. The sound of gunfire strafing the side of the plane brought him hurriedly back to reality.
“What the fuck was that?”
But he knew exactly what it was, and more importantly why it was happening. It seemed impossible to imagine that there was anyone else alive, much less that they would want him dead, but it made sense in a sick kind of way the more he thought about it. Whoever was in control of the world now didn't want to take any chances of this infection getting out.
“Of all people I should have known,” he said, shaking his head. “I was in the military. I flew missions. I know exactly how this is gonna end, too. If only I could get one of them on the horn and let them know. Shit!”
A loud warning went off and he saw that he had lost one of his engines. A fighter jet sped past him at the same time the opposite side of the plane was peppered with bullets. It sounded like it hit right next to him. He ducked down and covered his head with his shaking hands, but he hadn’t been hit. The cabin pressure remained steady, but now he could see that his fuel was dropping. They'd hit his fuselage and his gas tank. They'd also taken out another engine. There was no way he was going to make it to Hawaii now. The best he could hope for was to either touch back down at LAX or attempt a soft landing in the Marina.
“No way I'm going back to the airport after what I had to do to get out,” Edgar said. “No way.”
It took some effort to get the plane turned back around and pointed toward land again. In that amount of time he saw he'd lost most of his fuel. He wasn't sure he'd even be able to make it back to the shore now. He gave the aircraft all he could, accelerating as hard as he could while the plane trembled and shuddered.
“I don't understand why you are doing this!”
But he knew even as he said it that it was a lie. He'd been in the service. He knew how they operated. It was perfectly clear what the plan was – wipe out all survivors and contain the threat. They couldn't afford to play it any other way. Even if he could get to them, even if he got a General on the phone and pleaded with him, there was no way of them knowing whether he was lying or not. Plus he could still be a carrier. It was as simple and terrible as that. They were going to obliterate everyone who had come in contact with the sickness, including him.
“So this is how it ends,” he said, a calmness coming over him at last. He noticed his hands weren't shaking anymore. The realization of his impending death had taken all the fear away. It was all over except for the final impact. It was a relief in some way, knowing that he wouldn't survive it. It meant he didn't have to kill any more of those demon creatures that used to be people. The plane would be torn to pieces by the force of it hitting the ground, and in all likelihood, he'd be shredded with it into something unrecognizable. The upside was that it would be over as quickly as it began. Plus there was no chance in hell that he was coming back as one of those mindless things.
“Thank God for small miracles,” he laughed, as his mind began to pour over the happier moments of his life.
The plane started to descend as it reached the shore. He no longer had the fuel or the desire to keep it up in the air. He saw what looked like people fighting in the streets of Venice, in between the buildings and out on the streets. It made him sad. He didn't want his last thoughts in life to be about all of this. He closed his eyes and turned his thoughts back to his wife, Theresa. He'd been so in love with her at first. In the beginning, he thought he'd never get her attention – that he'd never win her over – but somehow he had. He shut out the thoughts of all that had happened since then – everything that had gone wrong – and just pictured her as she was on their wedding day. She looked so bright and happy in her white dress standing next to her father, Clint. There was so much love, so much promise in their lives back then. It was the last thing he wanted to remember. He pictured himself lifting her veil one more time and kissing her.
“I now pronounce you man and wife,” the priest had said.
Edgar felt a stream of joyful tears leaking down his face at the tender memory, and he laughed ecstatically. He tucked his thumb into the palm of his left hand and felt for his wedding band. The smooth metal felt good as he turned it around in a circle.
“I love you baby,” he said, just as the plane smashed into the ground, tearing it in half. There was a loud rush of air…and then an even louder explosion…and then nothing at all.
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About the Author
Devan Sagliani is a screenwriter, novelist, and blogger. He was born and raised in Southern California and graduated from UCLA. His fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the Million Writers Award. In 2012 his debut novel Zombie Attack! Rise of the Horde won Best Zombie/Horror E-books of 2012 on Goodreads.
Devan Sagliani is the author of the Zombie Attack! series, The Rising Dead, A Thirst For Fire, and the UNDEAD L.A. series. Devan is also wrote the original screenplay for the movie HVZ: Humans Versus Zombies. He is also an active member of the Horror Writer's Association. He writes a bimonthly horror column on The Escapist. Devan currently lives in Venice Beach, California with his wife.
Undead L.A. 1: LAX Page 9
