“Please hear me out. For the sake of the child in your arms, please be cautious. The rain outside is too severe, and it’s not safe to take off in this weather.”
“Sir, I mean no harm. I just hope you’ll let me finish, sir?”
“Ladies, don’t you feel a hunch? The signs of impending danger are there. If you just pay attention, I believe you can sense it.”
Bella earnestly tried to convince the passengers around her, but without concrete evidence, all she could do was keep her demeanor as sincere as possible.
As long as anyone was willing to listen, she tirelessly persuaded them to wait for the next flight. Bella’s tone was genuine, and slowly, a few passengers halted their steps.
Still, many passengers were skeptical, and a few began to mutter derogatory remarks.
“Idiot.” “Lunatic.” “Conspiracy theorist.”
Various labels were hurled at Bella.
“Miss! If you are not boarding, please leave immediately. Our airport does not welcome you!” An airport security guard, a burly African American, came storming over, forcefully pointing at the exit, signaling her to leave quickly.
Bella realized she was being too passive, one by one, which was inefficient. She could go directly to the airport authorities.
“Where is your supervisor? I demand that they organize maintenance staff to inspect the plane immediately. It won’t take much time! It’s our right as passengers!”
This statement, very American and democratic in spirit, started to garner quiet support from a few people. Nearby, an old man with a white beard and hair said the airport should be cautious.
“I support her. The airport should be responsible for the passengers’ safety. The plane should undergo a thorough inspection.”
A tall, brown-haired girl from the group of forty students stepped forward, clearly supporting Bella.
It was evident that stepping forward at this moment was putting her under tremendous pressure, her forehead covered in sweat, her words forced out with difficulty.
“Claire, are you going crazy too?”
“Haha, crazy Claire, I’ve always known she was not right in the head.”
“Miss Redfield, we are a team. I demand you come back immediately!” the female teacher said sternly.
Yet, the brown-haired girl remained resolute in her refusal to board, saying nothing could make her get on.
“We can wait for the flight three hours later. Boarding now is too risky. I have the same hunch as this lady, though it’s not as strong. Please believe me.”
Despite her persuading efforts, most passengers treated the matter as a joke. In the end, only Bella, brown-haired Claire, her two female classmates, and about a dozen others remained in the waiting area.
The airport manager hurried over, this portly Caucasian man’s face filled with displeasure. More than a dozen passengers refusing to board for such a ludicrous reason would undoubtedly lead to scrutiny from the airline’s upper management if reported by the media.
He said grimly, “Ladies and gentlemen, I demand that you leave the airport promptly. Furthermore, I officially inform you that Global Airlines does not welcome you.”
Claire’s two female classmates were stunned; they were still thinking about the flight scheduled for three hours later.
“Sir, you don’t have the right to do this!”
“You’re abusing your authority, and I’m going to file a complaint!”
The airport manager impatiently waved his hand, signaling security to drive out these ‘troublesome guests’, as even one more look at them disgusted him.
But before Bella and her group could leave the terminal, chaos erupted from the plane. Two tall male students were forcibly dragging a frail male student off the plane in a chaotic state. The female teacher, who had earlier suggested Bella see a doctor, followed with a worried expression, a mass of students and passengers trailing behind them.
“Let me go! The plane’s going to explode! I’m not causing trouble! I’m not! Let go, let go, you jerks!” The frail student struggled, his entire appearance as though he’d been pulled from the water, sweating profusely, his plaid shirt soaked through, while the two tall students looked on with disgust as if they were subduing a madman.
Another passenger, a young man with black hair, was also shouting.
“Do you know about the recent bridge collapse? I was a survivor! It was terrifying! Oh, God! I was thinking about that incident, but as soon as I arrived at the airport, it was as if something clouded my mind. It’s horrifying! This cursed thing is trying to kill us! We can’t escape! We’re all going to die!”
One person’s word might not be believed, but with two or three people saying it, the credibility of the situation increases.
Unlike Bella’s original memory of the scene, this time, about forty or fifty people rushed down from the plane, some even losing their shoes as if a wild beast were chasing them, turning the waiting area suddenly very lively.
The African American pilot was livid; despite years of flying, he had never encountered such an odd situation.
The initially small group lingering in the terminal, now joined by the forty or fifty who had run down from the plane, left the aircraft one-third empty.
With the situation having escalated to this point, it was sure to catch the media’s attention. The only way for the airline to quash the rumors was to proceed with the flight as scheduled.
“Are you sure the plane is safe?” The airport manager, watching the increasing rain outside, couldn’t help but ask the African American pilot quietly.
“Trust my professional integrity, I assure you, there won’t be any issues!”
The pilot turned and boarded the plane, clearly infuriated.
Bella distanced herself from the passengers who had disembarked, sitting alone in a corner, watching the plane slowly taxi away, her emotions deeply conflicted.
After the adrenaline faded, fear set in.
The more she knew, the more terrified she became.
She worried for the remaining passengers, but if everyone was okay and the plane landed safely, what would happen to her, the instigator? Could spreading rumors also lead to fifteen days of detention here?
Digging deeper, if someone suspected she orchestrated a plane accident, that could mean at least fifteen years, right?
Bella grew increasingly anxious, her beautiful eyebrows tightly knitted together, her already pale face turning even whiter.
She felt relieved as she watched the still struggling, furiously cursing frail student and saw the black-haired young man. Fortunately, two other male protagonists were sharing the burden! She had no interactions with these two men, so it wasn’t a conspiracy; considering their actions separately, their culpability might be less severe, right?
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