Last Flight Home [completed]

✈ xii.

[ LOCAL TIME 13:00 ]

Nathan firmly grabs my hips and lifts me up like a scene out of the Lion King. Quickly, my fingers curl around the metal ceiling of the elevator and I push my palms against the metal, using all the strength in my body to raise myself up. When I'm up far enough, with my feet still planted on Nathan's shoulders, I try to get my leg up to the panel but I'm not strong enough. I try a few more times until my hands begin to grow weak, which is when I give it one more honest effort and just roll over onto the metal contraption.

Panting, I stare at the dark space above me and chills run up and down my spine.

"What do you see up there?" Nathan questions from below, his voice echoing.

Scared to stand up on the shifting metal plates, I sit up and look around me. I see nothing of detail other then the blank panels that cover the walls.

"It looks like we're stuck between the second and third floor," I start to say, trying my hardest to not look down. "Also, the main cable is shifted and is starting to fray."

"Shit, okay." Nathan says. "Can you reach the doors of the next floor?"

Still on my bum, I try to shift my position to stand, but the elevator starts to shift with me. I didn't realize how unstable this was.

"It's too shaky," I start to say as I plop back down into a sitting position. "I'm scared it's going to break."

"You can do this."

"What if I can't? Because if this keeps shaking, and with the cable fraying, I think it's going to collapse and we're going to fall to our deaths."

I look down and my eyes meet Nathan's emerald green ones and my heart starts to race. His eyes tell me everything, like it was some insight into his heart or soul or something like that. Easily, I can tell that he's thinking of something encouraging to tell me, or at least something that will make me less scared.

"I have a flight to catch in two hours, and then I get to go home to be surrounded by people I haven't seen in years. Tomorrow morning at eight I'm going to bury my brother and be told how much of an amazing guy he was, all stuff that I already know," Nathan starts, a small glimmer of light present in his eyes. "And you? You're gonna decide. Boston or New York City, you're going to get on a plane and go home to see your family because you sure as Hell need to. You said you go to University in Hawaii? Isn't there some Ohana or shit there? Something about the importance of family?"

"You and I, we each need to get on a flight and get home. We can't stay trapped in here forever, and you're apparently the only person that can get us out of here, okay?" Nathan pleads, running a hand through his messy hair.

"I need you to try."

[- ✈ -]