Flight 828 Novels & Stories

Riley's POV The airport is chaos when we arrive police cars, federal agents, TSA officers swarming Terminal 4. Brett and I follow Agent Patterson through the maze of security personnel, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Gate 47," Patterson says into his radio. "Flight 892 to Geneva, scheduled departure in forty minutes." We reach the gate as they're boarding first class. My eyes scan frantically for any sign of Lily, but the passengers are mostly business travelers and elderly couples.

I coughed. "Oh fuck! Sorry sorry Ree! Are you okay?" She pulled back and cupped my face. I took deep breaths and composed myself. "Yeah! Yeah I'm fine now!" I exclaimed. Our session cut off by the announcement. "Good morning passengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight 89B to Mumabi. We are now inviting those passengers with small children, and any passengers requiring special assistance, to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes time. Thank you."

He frowned at his thoughts. "Good morning passengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight 89B to Skopje. We are now inviting those passengers with small children, and any passengers requiring special assistance, to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes time. Thank you." The speakers blasted the announcement making Charlotte look up as she stared at her mother. She couldn't help but be nervous and excited at the same time. She couldn't remember the last time she had been in a plane.

⸻ ONE MONTH LATER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – EVENING The automatic doors slid open quietly as passengers from Flight 782 began to walk out one after the other. The air felt heavy, full of unspoken words from the past month. All were tired travelers pulling suitcases behind them. Among them was Delaney. She wore oversized sunglasses, a loose beige dress, and flat sandals. Her hair was tied back in a low bun. To anyone watching, she looked like any other woman returning from a long trip.

I’ll… I’ll get a fresh start. Maybe I need that. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are now ready to begin boarding Flight 276 with service to Lyon, France. At this time, we’d like to invite any passengers requiring special assistance, families travelling with small children, and our priority members to board through Gate C12. Once again, this is Flight 276 with service to Lyon, boarding through Gate C12.” The public address system rings, and I jolt back to the present. So… this is really happening…

I smiled back at her. She pulled me into a bear embrace and we hugged, the embrace filled me with delight. "All passengers scheduled for flight 2084 to Washington DC, please begin boarding out of gate 48..." A feminine voice sounded in the large hall. "Oh that's my call." Silver beamed happily. We broke free from the hug and immediately she got up, hung her purse across her shoulder properly and then gripped her suitcase. "See you in another life billionaire boy." She teased me with a smile.

With men like Miguel, freedom came with chains. If she took the deal, she’d be alive but always watched. If she broke it, she’d die screaming. The intercom blared overhead: “Final call for Flight 427 to Madrid. Gate 32. All passengers, please proceed to boarding.” Her stomach twisted. The jet bridge was right there. Just a few more steps. And then an idea sparked. Janet stumbled forward, letting the envelope slip from her grip. It burst open across the floor tickets, cash, and papers scattering in every direction.

“Good afternoon. This is your captain speaking. I'd like to thank everyone for choosing Delta Airlines. This is Flight 86A. We are currently cruising at an altitude of 33,000 feet at an airspeed of 400 miles per hour. The time is 2:25 pm. The weather looks good and with the tailwind on our side, we are expecting to land in Seoul approximately fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. The weather in Seoul is cold and cloudy, with a temperature of 5 degrees for this afternoon. If the weather cooperates we should get a great view of the city as we descend. The cabin crew will be coming around in about twenty minutes to offer you a light snack and beverage. I'll talk to you again before we reach our de

Announcements echoed over the intercom, flight numbers blending into white noise. Daniel handled everything. Tickets. Security. Luggage. Tessa and Peter just followed. She kept her head down. Kept her phone in her pocket. Kept her heart behind a wall she had built brick by brick over the past four weeks. They reached the gate. "Flight 247 to Chicago," the attendant announced. "Now boarding." Daniel turned to her. "This is it. You ready?” Tessa’s eyes shimmered with tears, she took in a breath and wiped the tears away before they could fall.

"I just thought that she would've at least changed the date..." "Hey, we're here, alright?" Joshua grinned. Carter went up to Brayden to hug him. "I'll miss you." "Goodbye, Brayden." Delaney smiled. "What's your flight's name?" I asked him. "You know, so that I can at least track where you are." "Uh..." he looked down to see his ticket. "APTX 4869." "Sixty nine." Joshua laughed a little at that, in which he was jabbed in the ribs by Delaney and received an eye roll from Brayden.