MayHem 370

08/03/2014 2330 Hours

The lights came on very slowly and my eyes blinked and adjusted slowly to the new brightness around. It was almost 24 hours since I was stranded in this weird place- a container which flew. There was no use for money, and I didn’t have any friends with me. We all had helped each other, yet we knew no one; we just had to do what the gunmen commanded us to. Seizing my book and pen from the bag which lay below my feet, I began writing a diary- a first for me. I had to get my account done, it would help me figure out stuff faster, and it would get me out of this mental trauma as well.

I began writing.

08/03/2014 0000 Hours

“This is the final call for Flight MH-370 to Beijing. Passengers are requested to go to…”

The rest of the announcement drowned in the background as I ran towards the closing gate with my backpack flying berserk.

“Sorry I got delayed. The traffic in this place never ceases.”

“It’s all right Sir. May I see your Passport and Boarding Pass?”

Giving her all that she wanted, I walked into the massive Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777. The safety procedure had been displayed already and as I strapped myself, the plane began taxiing. I looked out of the window as the lights shimmered and illuminated the whole city of Kuala Lumpur. I was glad to have taken this trip, and I hoped it never ended. I had no idea that this trip was going to go bad, very bad, within the next hour.

08/03/2014 0145 Hours

My stomach did a double take as the plane dipped suddenly. Jolted out of my sleep, I looked around to see all the other passengers in the same disoriented state as I was.

“We can’t be there already can we? Unless we had to go back…but that would have been told by the Captain.”

Looking out of the window, I saw that we were surrounded by just sea, and nothing else. But then why the sudden dip?

At that moment, one of the airhostesses came out and said, “We are facing some bad weather and uhmm, to avoid that, we will be flying low. Please do not panic.”

Before anyone could ask her anything, she ran back to her station, as the passengers, including me strained to look up into the dark sky, which showed no signs of bad weather.

Something was up, and we didn’t know what it was.

08/03/2014 0224 Hours

“This is your Captain speaking. We are a bit off course, and we shall be making an impromptu stop in between. You have my guarantee that we shall reach our destination, but when that depends on these men with me…”

The voice vanished abruptly as the uproar began.

“It is requested that all passengers remain seated. We shall be attending to you in some minutes, and you can ask us all that you wish to know. Thank you,” a new voice over the announcement system said.

08/03/2014 0235 Hours

From the shadows, the echo of footsteps reached my ears as the lights in the cabin came on. Walking majestically, a well-dressed man emerged from the shadows and said, “Before you ask me questions, I will ask my friends to come forward and to head towards their respective positions. The situation is well under control and we shall be reaching our destination soon. To the rest of you, I will politely say this once. Please do not interfere in whatever happens on the plane. We do not wish to bathe this lovely piece of engineering in red, though we could if that remains our sole option. And yes, this is a warning, the first one you have received.

5 men got up from their seats and after a nod at the man in command, they walked out.

As the man retreated back into the shadows, the old man next to me asked, “What is going on son? When shall we reach Beijing? Is everything all right?”

Coolly walking towards where I sat, the man pulled out a handgun and pointing it at the now shivering old man said to me, “If this man speaks again, I will kill you first, and then him. You understand?”

I just nodded as the old man fell back into his seat.

With a jubilant smile, the man with the gun walked away.

08/03/2014 0600 Hours

“We will reach our destination within the next hour. Do not move from your places once we land, as you will be the only one responsible for your life. Fasten your seatbelts and kindly switch off all electronic devices for the landing. Now is that how these lovely ladies say it?”

The voice had returned over the speaker. From the window I could see the sun rising, but there was still no land in sight. In the background, the voice on the speaker continued laughing- strong, controlled, and scary. It was the determined laugh of a man on a mission.

08/03/2014 0630 Hours

As the wheels hit the tarmac, I looked out of the window to find my eyes widen with surprise. There was the sparkling sea, highlighted with tall palms and lush greenery, which partially hid the orange ball which had moved higher from its earlier position.

The airplane came to a halt, one of the passengers rushed down the aisle towards the exits, only to return back slowly. Following him was one of the 5 men who were part of this mission, and in his hand he held a gun.

“You were told to obey what was said. We don’t show you what we really can do doesn’t mean that we’ll just sit and watch. May the Lord accept you and may you be blessed. May you rest in peace.”

The last word went unheard in the crack of the gun.

“Is it understood? Does anyone else want to leave?”

He just sniggered as nobody answered.

08/03/2014 1015 Hours

A cold touch on my head roused me from my slumber. Shaking myself awake, I wiped the sleep away from my eyes to see that the killer had returned. All of the eyes in the cabin were on the two of us.

“Teach the others to sleep like you. They will need it,” he said as my eyes widened with fear.

“This man is fast asleep even when his life is in grave danger. That requires courage, and courage demands applause,” he went on as the others clapped due to his waving gun.

“I’m sorry Sir. I haven’t slept for the last 2 nights, so I dozed off.”

“Just sleep like he did. There are hard days which await us, and we shall all require adequate rest. Just don’t snore or I will blow your nasal cavity into pieces, even if it means that I have to shoot you in the head.”

I just nodded weakly as the man sneered.

08/03/2014 1235 Hours

It was more than 12 hours since I was stranded in this pressurized tin can. I wished it all ended soon. I would have loved to write something, but there wasn’t even a faint plan of the future like that. The only option available was to sit through what was going on, and maybe my life, all our lives, would be spared.

08/03/2014 1248 Hours

“The airhostesses shall be coming down the aisles with some food and water. Only take what you need. Wasting food will only make sure that you starve to death faster. There will be nothing I shall be able to do to help you then. Thank you.”

The voice vanished as the ladies began walking around handing out fruits and bottles of water.

At least there was some food available to silence the grumble of my stomach. I ate the apple I had to the core and drained the bottle to the last drop, after which I closed my eyes, letting the darkness control me.

08/03/2014 1423 Hours

A hard nudge on my shoulder again brought me back from the darkness. The old man next to me asked, “Son, can you ask them if I could use the washroom? I am an old man, and at this age I can’t hold my bladder anymore.”

My eyes filled with mist and the fear of asking the terrorists this question set in. But seeing the look of complete anguish and pain on the wrinkled face, I stood up and began walking to the front of the cabin, as various eyes followed me.

As I passed the door, I noticed that it had been left open, and that 7 men stood huddled in the sun, smoking cigarettes and laughing. I recognized 6 of them from the cabin, and the 7^th one looked to be the pilot from his uniform, or the co-pilot. As the hushed up meeting went on, my curiosity got the better of me and I walked to the front of the plane. What I saw turned my blood to ice.

There in the corner lay 3 bodies, and the floor was sticky with dried blood. My stomach squirmed and as I tried walking back without revealing my presence, I heard footsteps behind me.

“Well well. Look who’s here! We got ourselves a little treat boys! What are you doing here,” asked the leader as he walked in with his gun.

“I came to…to find you sir. The old man next to me wants to use the washroom, and he needs his medication as well.”

“You dare lie to me kid! You lie to me!”

“No, I swear I’m saying the truth.”

“Bring that oldie here right now. Wait, we’ll all go and if he’s lying, then it will set a nice example for the others. We can’t waste the people who will get us out if we fail. They are our escape route. And Zaharie, get to work on our flight plan. We need to get airborne as soon as the sun dips. There are still some nights left in our travel.

08/03/2014 1441 Hours

Seeing me walk back into the cabin, my old neighbor got up, but fell back in his seat on seeing me cowering under the force of 6 guns.

“This man here tried to escape on the pretence of asking permission to use the washroom. Who sent him, may I know,” one of the men asked.

“Own up right now and answer him or I shall shoot everyone such that you die very painfully. Speak NOW!”

The last word was shouted in extreme rage, and the crowd shuddered. Shaking with fright, my seat partner slowly raised his hand and said, “Could I use the washroom? I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold on any longer.”

My heart boomed as the guns shifted a bit away from me.

The leader began, “Go on old man, and return fast. I don’t want to break the lock on the toilet door and waste a bullet. His life has just been saved or else he was about to become what he just saw- a dead bleeding corpse.”

“Yo Ahmed, this is Zaharie. Can you read me?”

This announcement on the PA system infuriated the leader more, and with a vivid use of swear words, he sent one of his burly henchmen to check what the problem was; and pushing me to my seat, he walked out, stowing his gun in his belt.

08/03/2014 1745 Hours

“We will be departing in around an hour’s time for our next stop. Such journeys will go on till we reach our final destination, where your destiny will be decided. Stay seated, and enjoy the view.”

As a ripple of hushed conversation passed through the seated people, the voice went on, “I expect silence, or I shall cut off your tongues.”

08/03/2014 1900 Hours

We had been in the air for around a quarter of an hour as the plane lurched dangerously. A wave of fear echoed in the silence as everyone held their breaths. Outside the window, the sky had gone dark all of a sudden, and the clouds shone grey in the mist. As I continued looking for some clue, a jet of electricity shot past me and a large rumble resonated in the aluminium can with wings. The plane shivered again, and with a quick look outside, I noticed that we were descending.

I just closed the window and shut my eyes, wondering about my future. I wished I was somehow saved from this mess, and if I would, I would write a book on it.

With a shaken body, mind and soul, I began thinking titles and covers and the plot. Diversion always worked.

08/03/2014 2007 Hours

Shaken and moved by my last look outside the window, I risked looking outside once more as soon as the journey smoothened a bit. We had descended to just some meters above the surface. The sea lurked dangerously below, threatening to engulf the whole transport vehicle with its liquid jaws, and above shone the sky, cloudy but calm. Far near the horizon blinked some lights, bobbing in the swell of the sea- a lost ship, pirates or maybe help.

Without another thought, I blocked my head again with the cover picture I would use, and the gist I would use on the back cover.

08/03/2014 2015 Hours

“The lights in the cabin are being switched off. My men are equipped with night-vision goggles and they shall be moving around the cabin. They have been commanded to shoot anything that moves. A naval carrier has just popped up at the edge of our horizon and to avoid detection, we shall be using these procedures. If anyone tries to create any problems for us and manages to foolhardily put our holy mission into jeopardy, we shall make sure that will be the last thing that the person does. And, not a word.”

08/03/2014 2330 Hours

The lights came on very slowly and my eyes blinked and adjusted slowly to the new brightness around. It was almost 24 hours since I was stranded in this weird place- a container which flew. There was no use for money, and I didn’t have any friends with me. We had all helped each other, yet we knew no one; we just had to do what the gunmen commanded us to. Seizing my book and pen from the bag which lay below my feet, I began writing a diary- a first for me. I had to get my account done, it would help me figure out stuff faster, and it would get me out of this mental trauma as well.

I began writing.

09/03/2014 0030 Hours

The new day has just begun, and there is no surety of when this journey will come to an end. I have now begun to feel claustrophobic, and my ears have a weird screech playing incessantly in them. This plane has been rightly named I guess, MH 370- MayHem 370˚.

This post is written for Project 365’s prompt titled ‘Stranded’. This is just a fictitious visualization of what could have happened to the flight. As of now the plane has not yet been found (when I’m writing this), and I hope that the passengers and the crew are all safe and in good health.