Thanksgiving Countdown

By the time I reached the airport terminal, my legs were so weak I couldn't walk. Someone had to help me.

My family thought I was shaken by the car crash we had passed on the way here.

But I was the only one who knew the truth. My heart was filled with fear of the death waiting for us and growing suspicion toward my wife, Elodie Castillo.

She had bought tickets for the same flight as us. So why would she survive while my parents and I died?

The more I thought about it, the more suspicious I became while we were checking in.

"Madam, your passport has expired, so you can't board this flight."

I had been watching Elodie the whole time. The moment I heard those words, I almost felt excited.

We were traveling overseas. A month ago, I had reminded her to check her passport. I never expected it to expire at exactly this time.

Elodie looked at me with guilt written all over her face.

"I'm so sorry, honey. My passport expired, so I can't go on this trip with you. Don't worry. Even though I can't come, I'll pay for everything for you and your parents."

Anyone who heard that would think she was a wonderful wife. My parents, Hugh Castillo and Lilly Castillo, praised her all the time. They always said I had married the perfect woman.

But hearing those words only made me more suspicious.

Elodie was usually incredibly cheap. She even complained whenever I smoked a cigarette because she said it wasted money.

A woman like her would never volunteer to spend money on my family, unless she already knew she would never have to pay.

The thought hit me like lightning.

I quickly pulled Hugh's passport back before he could hand it to the agent.

I said with an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry. We've decided not to check in."

I thought we had escaped. But when I looked up, the numbers above Hugh's head, Lilly's head, and mine hadn't changed. We were still going to die in six hours.

The fear came rushing back.

My face turned pale as I stood frozen at the counter. The people waiting behind us began complaining impatiently.

Seeing the worried looks on Hugh's and Lilly's faces, I forced myself to calm down and keep watching.

The people standing behind us all had different countdowns above their heads. That meant our plane wasn't going to crash. We were going to die for some other reason.

With that thought, I tried to leave the airport. The instant I walked toward the exit, the number above my head suddenly changed to 2. If I left the airport, I would only have two hours left to live.

I had no choice but to return to the terminal and search for any chance to survive.

I sat on a chair with my arms wrapped around myself. Sweat soaked my back as my nerves stretched to the limit.

Hugh and Lilly realized something was wrong and wisely gave me some space.

Even Elodie could tell that something terrible was about to happen. She quietly watched me without saying a word.

My mind raced.

First, was Elodie's expired passport really just a coincidence? If it was, why had she suddenly become so generous?

Second, why would leaving the airport make me die even sooner?

Was something terrible about to happen outside?

Or was a killer hiding somewhere nearby?

What made the airport terminal safer than outside?

As I kept thinking, my eyes suddenly landed on the security checkpoint.

Everyone had to go through security before entering the terminal. That meant no one could bring a weapon inside.