The Expansion of the Universe

Interlude

It took far too long for Liza to understand that she hadn't died.

But the world around her was so dark, and she thought for sure that death would be dark, at least until she made it to wherever she ended up, whether it be Heaven, Hell, or somewhere else.

It was so, so dark.

Were her eyes closed?

Oh, oh, they were.

She peeled them open, the action taking an immense amount of effort, and immediately wished she hadn't.

The sky was dark, twinkling with stars, and the cool breeze hit her face.

There was light from all around her, though—flames licked up the wreckage in front of her, leaving her helpless in discerning what was what.

Had that hunk of metal been the cockpit? Or was it the wing? Where were the other passengers?

Wait, where was she?

She shouldn't have been able to see everything around her without obstruction.

Her fingers were shaking so badly it took her far too long to undo her seatbelt. Standing from her seat was even more difficult, and she fell back into the chair twice before she was finally steady enough to move, then she used the support of the other seats to assist her.

The plane had split into multiple pieces, and it appeared that she just so happened to be in the only one that had remained intact. Her portion of plane ended a mere two rows from where she'd been sitting.

God, had she been only two rows up, she didn't know what would have happened.

And again, what had happened? Where were the passengers? Where was Tim? Where was the sweet, toothless toddler?

It was so silent, too. Maybe they had already gotten help, and simply hadn't seen Liza in the back of plane? Surely Tim would remember her, but the situation was dire, and she wouldn't be too offended if he'd gotten distracted. Maybe someone was hurt, so he was helping.

That would make sense. Tim was so sweet. She'd have to remind Rebecca how lovely her husband was.

First, though, she would have to find him.

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First of two chapters uploaded!

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