Gate 43

A short story. [horror]

Not our home

“Now boarding flight 2513 to Los Angeles. Business, first class and those requiring special assistance please make your way to gate 43 for boarding.”

“That’s our flight. Should we get up and walk to the gate?” Poppy stood quickly from her chair and asked her partner Edward.

“Let’s just wait a bit. Last to board isn’t the worst.” Edward replied as he scrolled through his phone, slouched into the airport chair with one baggy-jeaned leg crossed over the other, a black hood covering his blonde hair. He looked exhausted and ready to get home from their 2 week vacation visiting family in Montreal.

Poppy sat back down but stayed upright looking around with one leg shaking anxiously. She twisted her body to look out the window at the planes taking off behind her. It was raining and it was starting to get heavier. Poppy’s black hoodie fell off one of her shoulders revealing her pink singlet which matched in colour to her baggy pink trousers. Poppy hated to fly and airports put her on edge—the rain wasn’t making it any easier.

Without changing position or looking up from his screen, Edward put a hand on Poppy’s shaking leg. “You shouldn’t have had that coffee my love.”

Ignoring Edward’s comment, Poppy’s leg paused its shaking with Edward’s hand on it. But the relief lasted only momentarily. “Let’s go to the gate.” Poppy demanded as she stood up swiftly, grabbing her black overnight duffle bag and hauling it over her shoulder.

Edward stood up in response knowing that there was no use, or need to argue with her. “I’ll take that” Edward said, reaching one hand to the duffle and using his other hand to put his phone into his pocket. He took the heavy bag from Poppy and asked “Do you need anything else before we get on the plane?”

“I don’t think so.” Poppy replied as they walked to gate 43—Poppy three swift steps ahead of Edward’s casual walking.

…

“Good afternoon folks. This is your captain Jerry speaking. Thanks for joining us today on flight 2513 to Los Angeles. Flight time is approximately 6 hours. But with a 3 hour time difference, we will be arriving at 7:15pm local time. So you’re losing no time at all. With a balmy 100 degree weather to greet us, this is one of the best flights you’ll ever take. Due to the weather here in Montreal, we do expect a bit of turbulence for the beginning of the flight but don’t fret, after hour two, it should be smooth sailing. So sit tight and ask our lovely flight attendants for anything you need.”

Poppy and Edward sat in their seats; 17A and 17B with a clear view of the wings. Edward took the window seat and Poppy sat next to an older lady in the middle. Poppy preferred not to have the window seat because she didn’t like to look out. Edward did. He enjoyed flying and being in the sky while Poppy wished to be anywhere but on aeroplanes.

“You know, the plane can only have problems during takeoff and landing.” Poppy said, taking Edwards hand into hers.

“Yes my love.” Edward smiled, squeezing her hand. Being frequent flyers for their work as set-designers, Edward had heard this many times from Poppy. He replied casually knowing what Poppy needed to hear. “And it’s very, very rare. An aeroplane fault is even less likely than a car crash and how many car crashes have you been in?”

The plane began to start up and move forward slowly on the runway.

“None” Poppy replied, legs shaking while still holding Edwards hand. “Exactly.” Edward replied, passing Poppy his ipad which had the second Harry Potter loaded, ready to play. Poppy smiled, letting go of Edward’s hand, she took the ipad and headphones from Edward. “You’re okay.” Edward said, putting in his own headphones, connected to his phone. Edward began to play a block game and Poppy settled into the beginning of her movie, awaiting takeoff.

“Cabin crew, prepare for takeoff.” the pilot said over the speaker and the plane began to move faster and faster. Poppy reached for Edward’s hand and he willingly gave it to her while still playing his brick game with the other hand. Poppy knew each step the plane would take until the seatbelt signs were on—which was her sign that the plane was safely in the air and she could relax. Poppy felt the wheels come off the ground and retract into the aeroplane. She felt the nose of the plane angle into the sky and move upwards. She felt the wings wobbling in the storm.

Poppy closed her eyes tightly and squeezed Edward’s hand. The ipad lay in her lap, playing the movie into her ears to distract her. “this isn’t a great time for me to have a house elf in my bedroom.…” she heard Harry say. Poppy felt her stomach drop as the plane rose higher and higher into the sky. Poppy dared a peak out the window which revealed the rain dripping backwards along the wing surface from the airflow of the plane. Poppy closed her eyes tightly again and tried to focus on the movie in her ears. “Harry Potter must say he’s not going back to school…” But the tense scene was stressing Poppy out more than it was calming her. Poppy paused the movie and focused on the sounds of the plane. She felt the plane even out and she knew from frequently flying that this meant the seatbelt signs would almost be on.

But as soon as she thought they might be in the clear, the plane wobbled more and more and she felt a drop in her stomach—no, a drop in the plane. They were going down, Poppy thought. It’s over. My worst fear has finally arrived.

Poppy looked at Edward with wide eyes and an open mouth. Edward reassured her it was fine with a smile and pat on her leg with her hand still in his. The plane began to even out again and a wave of relief swept over Poppy. “Sorry about that folks. A bit of stormy weather. Please remain in your seats until the seatbelt sign is on. Shouldn’t be long folks. I’ll get us out of this storm cloud shortly. Sit tight.”

Poppy kept a hold of Edwards hand tightly. Her hand clammy in his, matching the heat throughout the rest of her body. She kept her eyes open. She needed to stay alert now. Just in case.

As the storm continued outside, the plane felt unstable with slight wobbles like a pudding fresh out of the tin. Poppy told herself this was fine as long as there were no more drops. Breathing shallowly, Poppy put on her movie again to help with the anxiety. Why did the start of the second film have to be so tense? Poppy thought. She didn’t need to hear how frantically Dobby was speaking to Harry. Poppy paused the movie again and looked out the window to see lightning in the distance. A rush of heat pricked under every inch of her skin. What if the plane was hit by lightning?

The plane continued to wiggle like jelly and Poppy continued to squeeze Edwards hand in fear. Edward was still playing his brick game one-handed and assuring Poppy wherever possible. When will this end?

Poppy was radiating heat and just as she thought she was going to have a heart attack, the plane evened out again. It felt smooth and finally, the seatbelt signs were on. A rush of relief filled Poppy and she knew everything would be okay. Exhausted from her whirlwind of emotions, she smiled at Edward and released her clammy hand from his. Wiping it on her pants, she crossed her arms, put her hood over her head and closed her eyes, falling into a quick sleep.

…

“Do you have your key?” Edward asked Poppy as they arrived at the front door of their apartment. Edward reached into his brown hoodie pocket and pulled out their keycard. Poppy could have sworn Edward was wearing his black hoodie on the plane to match hers. “Ahh I’ve got my key, don’t worry.” Edward pressed the keycard onto the door and the door replied with a “bzz bzz” that unlocked it swiftly.

Edward and Poppy entered their apartment for the first time in two weeks. Poppy rubbed her eyes in confusion as she stepped into the apartment. She reached for the light switch to the left of the door but it wasn’t there. She fumbled around the right side of the door to find the switch. I must be confused because I’m so tired, she thought. Poppy stepped into their 2 bedroom apartment where all the curtains were closed.

“Wow it’s so hot in here.” Poppy exclaimed as she took off her hoodie and headed for the laundry. She took off her entire outfit of pink singlet and pink matching trousers and dropped them near the washing machine. “Drop all your washing from your suitcase when you’re ready. I’ll do it all tomorrow.” Poppy yelled to Edward from the laundry which doubled as their bathroom. Poppy turned on the shower and popped her hair into a bun with a nearby scrunchie. Stepping into the shower, the water was still cold but she welcomed the refreshing nature of it. Sudding up a luffa, Poppy washed her entire body and then rinsed off the soap. She turned off the shower and reached for a towel that wasn’t there. “Oh frick. Edward! Can you bring me a towel please?” Poppy waited patiently, knowing she had done this before and Edward would arrive swiftly with a towel for her. After a minute, Poppy yelled again. “Edward?!” No reply. She stepped out of the shower shivering and saw a towel on the sink counter. I must have gotten myself a fresh towel before I got in, she thought. Poppy dried herself off, put on her night moisturiser from the mirrored cabinet above the sink and headed for the bedroom attached to the bathroom. Too exhausted for pyjamas, Poppy stayed nude. She found Edward already asleep in bed. He must have been too exhausted to even shower. The thought of him covered in aeroplane germs made Poppy uneasy but she knew she would wash the sheets tomorrow, along with the rest of the suitcase contents. Where did she put the suitcases? Edward would have put them somewhere. She was sure to figure it out tomorrow and got under the covers of their bed reaching to turn off the lamp on her bedside table.

…

The next morning Poppy awoke with a cripply thirst. She felt dazed, like someone had hit her over the head—like she wasn’t really awake yet. Poppy looked over to Edward’s side and found him still asleep. She smiled, got up and headed to the kitchen. Grabbing a glass from the cupboard, Poppy filled it up with tap water from the sink. The glass was crystal and heavy. Where did we buy these? She couldn’t remember. Poppy drank down the large glass of water but it didn’t quench her thirst. She filled another and did the same. And then another. Poppy felt a sharp pain in her left side. Ahh… What is that? Poppy looked down to find a gash on the side of her stomach like she had been cut by a large knife. It was deep with pieces of flesh hanging off—thickly clotted in some areas and still bleeding in others—like it had started to heal. What…Whatttt…. She dropped the crystal glass and it shattered into a thousand pieces by her feet. “Edward?!” She yelled. But there was no reply. Poppy felt confused and dazed. Where did this come from? She stepped over the glass to avoid getting shards in her feet and headed to the bedroom. Edward was still asleep.

Tears flooded her eyes. Poppy sat on the bed and shook Edward vigorously to wake him up. “Edward!” Poppy yelled as she shook. Edward opened his eyes and looked at Poppy confused. “What’s the matter?” Edward asked as he sat up. Poppy cried and said “look” as she pointed to where she saw the massive gash earlier. Edward looked at Poppy’s stomach—but there was nothing there, other than her bare stomach. Edward cupped Poppy’s face into his hand as Poppy sobbed. “You’re okay. We’re home.” Edward grabbed Poppy and pulled her into his chest. Poppy looked down at her stomach to find no cut. I’m so tired. Poppy got under the covers with Edward and they both fell into a peaceful slumber.

…

Poppy awoke suddenly the next morning to thunder. Except it wasn’t morning, it was pitch black outside. She reached for her phone which wasn’t on her bedside table. She clutched at her head, feeling dizzy. Her thirst still crippling, Poppy touched her lips to find them cracked and dry. She headed for the kitchen and grabbed a crystal glass from the cupboard. Where did we buy these? She thought as she filled it up with water. Guzzling three glasses, she placed the glass on the kitchen counter. Why am I still so exhausted? Why is Edward still asleep? We must be sick. She touched her arms then her stomach, finding her pink singlet on. I thought I took this off?

Poppy looked around the apartment. It looked different. It felt different. She grabbed the crystal glass and filled it up again taking it to Edward in the bedroom. He was still asleep so she placed the glass on his bedside table. We must be sick or something. We’ve been sleeping for hours. Poppy thought as she sat on the edge of the bed. I’ll take a shower to wake up a bit and get going on the washing. The best way to feel better is to get back into routine. Where did Edward put those suitcases?

Poppy walked to the shower and turned it on, dropping her pink singlet to the floor and tying up her hair with a scrunchie she found on the sink countertop. She got into the shower turning it to hot but the temperature didn’t change. There must be something wrong with the water heater. Poppy had another cold shower which she welcomed as she was still running hot. Must be a fever.

Walking back to the bedroom in her towel, she found Edward still asleep but the glass of water drained. She took the glass to the kitchen, refilled it and left it on Edward’s bedside table again.

Poppy went into the kitchen area which doubled as a space for the loungeroom. The weather was still storming outside, which was rare for California. Where are those suitcases? Poppy looked through the whole house and then into the shared hallway of floor 43. The suitcases were nowhere to be found.

Poppy walked back into the bedroom and shook Edward. “Edward, where are the suitcases?” Edward replied with his eyes still closed “hmm…? They will be somewhere.” Edward took Poppy into his arms and pulled her closer. “It’s okay, come back to sleep.” Poppy felt her eyes become heavy and she succumbed to Edwards grip and fell back into a deep slumber in his arms.

…

Rubbing her eyes and stretching out her arms above her head, Poppy awoke to find Edward gone. She sat up and looked around their bedroom to find that it was still night. Where is my phone? What’s the time?

Poppy got out of bed still feeling exhausted and hot. This was a bad fever. She felt her skin clammy and found her singlet stuck to her skin with sweat. I slept in this again? Confused, Poppy walked to the loungeroom to find Edward on the couch, staring out the window.

“I can’t find the suitcases. I can’t find my phone. I can’t remember how we got home.” Edward looked at Poppy with tears in his eyes. “Poppy. Have we been drugged?”

Poppy sat down next to Edward who was still in his clothes from the airport. The couch felt like fabric but she could have sworn they bought a leather couch. “I don’t know but something doesn’t feel right. Things are missing. Things are different. I can’t find anything either.”

Edward hugged Poppy and Poppy grimaced, pulling back from the hug “ahhh…” It was her stomach. Edward looked down to find Poppy’s gash bleeding. “Oh my god, Poppy! Your stomach!”

Poppy looked down to find the same gash she had seen the day before, only it was larger and bleeding more heavily. “Poppy, we’ve been drugged and our organs have been taken!” Edward lifted up his shirt and looked down to his stomach but found nothing but bare skin. “I’ve had my organs taken. We need to call the police!!” Poppy replied, still frantic with tears in her eyes, holding her stomach.

“How could this happen? What happened?” Edward pressed on Poppy’s hand over her stomach. “This should hurt more, shouldn’t it? It only feels like a graze. It’s bad though isn’t it? I could die!” She looked up at him and what she saw made her drop her hand from her stomach.

The top of Edward’s head had been caved in. Pieces of his skull peaked through chunks of brain. “Edward… your head…” He reached up to touch the area that was caved in and ran to the mirror in the bathroom. Poppy heard his deep scream from the couch. She was too shocked to move. She stared at her own stomach gash and tears flooded down her face as she loudly sobbed.

Edward stood in front of the mirror staring at what should have killed him before rushing back to where Poppy sat. He started to pace in front of her clutching his head. “You shouldn’t be alive Edward. This hole in my stomach… your head. We shouldn’t be alive.” Poppy cried.

Edward stared at Poppy as tears endlessly rolled down her cheeks. He stood blankly in front of her. “Edward… This house feels different. Objects are missing and new ones have appeared. We’ve been sleeping for days.” Poppy continued to sob and Edward sat down next to her. He grabbed her hands and squeezed them tightly before releasing them to reach for the television remote. He turned on the news hoping for some answers. Maybe there was a crazy disease going around that caused confusion or now people couldn’t die from wounds.

He flicked to the news. “After flight 2513 from Montreal to Los Angeles was struck by lightning, the plane broke into pieces and bodies have been recovered for weeks across Canada. Today, couple Poppy and Edward Pierce were found in Oka National Park and will be returned to their families.”

Edward and Poppy watched as their faces were shown on the television—their wedding photo from Poppy’s Instagram. A clip appeared on screen showing two gurneys with two covered bodies. Poppy caught a glimpse of a pink singlet covered in blood. She looked down to find the same singlet on her body, now covered in blood. Poppy looked over to Edward and stared at him as he stared at the screen. “Edward, we’re dead. We’re dead… the plane. We didn’t come back here. Where are we? We’re dead. What now? Why are we still here?”

Before Edward could answer, “Bzz bzz” sounded and the door unlocked with two people entering the house. “Yeah it was horrible. The couple that lived here were on that plane that got hit by lightning. The percentage for that happening is basically zero, it’s really unlucky.”

The two people entered the apartment and looked directly at the couch where Poppy and Edward were sitting. “So we’ve removed most of their stuff already and got it ready for the next tenants. We added a new couch and some new kitchenware. The new tenants will be here tomorrow so there’s no need to worry about your income Mr. Jones. Our agency has you covered.”

“Good, good,” replied Mr. Jones.

Mr. Jones and the agent didn’t care about Poppy or Edward. Life would go on without them and that was okay they thought. Life had been full—They had seen the world and felt true love.

Edward stood up and looked at Poppy who still sat on the couch. “It’s time to go Pop.” Edward reached out his hand and grabbed Poppy’s, pulling her off the couch. They walked past Mr. Jones and the agent who were still conversing about changes to the apartment.

The pair walked out through the front door into the hallway. “An adventure of sorts my love. Just not on an aeroplane this time.” Edward smiled at Poppy and Poppy smiled back as they entered the afterlife together.