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CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
Shannon sat down at her seat in the centre of the huge plane, drenched to the core from the intense rain. She closed her eyes, desperately trying to stop the tears rolling down her cheeks. This was exactly what she didn’t want to happen. Why did he have to do this to her? Why now? She gritted her teeth and dropped her head to the wall, squeezing her eyes shut. She desperately searched for the strength to overcome her emotions, but her heart was bleeding out grief, and the poison of her sorrow had disabled her from normal functioning. She opened her eyes slowly, gazing blankly into the seat in front of her, wondering what she did so wrong to be punished this way, and praying that the agony would go away.
Suddenly Shannon began to notice that something was wrong. She looked from side to side, and realised that all the people in the plane had left their seats and were leaning over each other in order to see out the windows on either side, their expressions intently fascinated. The plane had stopped moving. Shannon frowned in confusion. What was going on?
"What idiots!" One woman exclaimed.
"I think it’s funny!" Another giggled.
"What are they doing?"
"It’s as if they’re trying to stop the plane." A man mused.
"Hmm…I suppose they just want attention. They’re only young."
"Yeah, that one must be only about 15."
Shannon’s eyes widened a little as she listened.
"Woaah!" Everyone exclaimed together, and then laughed.
"That was close!"
"I’ve never seen flight attendants run so fast!"
"Hey do they look familiar to anyone else?"
"Hmm?"
"I think I’ve seen them on TV or something."
Shannon jumped from her seat, and ran to the side of the plane. She couldn’t see a thing.
"Let me through!!" She shrieked, and proceeded to climb up the side of the aisle seat, her feet balanced on the arm rest.
Somebody knocked her from behind, and suddenly Shannon found herself crowd surfing on top of six less that impressed passengers. Their swears and curses rang in her ears but she didn’t care. She scrambled across them and fell into a fat woman’s lap beside the window. She winced as the woman yelled obscenities in her ear with a rasping, ugly voice. Ignoring her, Shannon scanned the ground outside the stationary plane. What she saw startled her so much that she nearly knocked the fat woman out cold with her elbow.
Exhausted and frustrated airline personnel were chasing a runaway baggage car through the rain as it weaved between the massive wheels of the plane.
In the driver’s seat sat Isaac.
In the passenger seat sat Zac.
"ZAC!! IKE!!" Shannon exclaimed.
"Hey yeah, that’s it!" Someone agreed. "They’re those kids from Hanson! I knew I’d seen them somewhere."
"Who?"
"Oh that MMMBop band, right?" A woman questioned.
"Isn’t there supposed to be three of them? Where’s the middle one?"
Shannon was wondering the same thing. She strained for a more effective viewing angle, her limbs twisting within the mass of bodies she’d alighted upon, causing more cursing. She pressed her hands against the window anxiously as she battled to keep them within her sight.
"Oh look, here comes security."
"They’re screwed now."
"What would they hijacking a baggage vehicle for?"
"I have no idea…maybe they need the publicity."
_ _ _
"IKE, look out!" Zac shrieked as the giant wheel of the plane loomed ahead.
"I see it Zac, I see it!" He squawked back, hauling the steering wheel and pulling them into a gut wrenching turn.
"Arrgghh!"
"ZAC quit yelling!!"
"I’m gonna puke!"
"No you’re not!…oh crap!!" A security guard grabbed Isaac’s arm as he passed, nearly pulling him off the vehicle.
"Oh Ike, I don’t wanna lose a limb. Not now."
"Shut up Zac!"
"I need my arms Ike. Both of them….arrgghh!!!!!"
Isaac screamed through another thrilling corner, clipping the side of the plane wheel with a clang. A guard came thundering towards them in perfect position.
"Zac watch that guy…WATCH THAT GUY!!!"
The man swiped at the horrified Zac, and grabbed the sleeve of his top.
"Isaaaaccc!!" Zac screeched, grabbing desperately at the seat as the guard began dragging him violently from the vehicle.
Isaac saw the genuine fear in Zac’s eyes, and didn’t hesitate for a moment. He let go of the wheel to grab hold of his brother and haul him back aboard, ripping his shirt away from the guard. Zac fell back across Isaac’s lap and the small car hooned out of control. Still Isaac didn’t release the accelerator.
"Zaaaac!!!!!" Isaac screamed as the car raced towards the back wheel of the plane. Zac grabbed the steering wheel and ripped it around. Two wheels of the car lost contact with the ground as they swerved.
"Zac get off me I can’t see!!" Isaac squawked from beneath Zac’s sprawled body.
"You don’t need to see, I’m the one that’s steering!!" Zac shrieked, his knuckles white.
Zac swerved towards a burly guard.
"Zac…ZAC what are you doing, you almost slaughtered someone!"
"What do you think I’m trying to do?"
The security guards scurried to get out of their way. Isaac’s imagination began fabricating images of his life behind bars and he gripped the side of the seat in horror.
If he lived through this, it would be the last time his brother got behind the wheel…ever.
"ZAAAACCC!!!" A familiar voice screamed.
"TAAAAYYY." Zac shrieked back, and swerved the car in his direction. Taylor’s eyes gleamed with determination as he ran towards his brothers. Finally, he had snapped out of it. Finally he’d pushed away the pathetic misery that had swamped his troubled mind and masked his logic for so long. As he stood there in the rain he had realised that he was sick of sitting back and letting fate twist his life whichever way it liked. It was his life…and he was going to control it. And if joining his brothers on a wild goose chase was what it took to get Shannon back…then so be it.
"Zac?" Ike questioned weakly as they hooned towards their brother at a startling speed.
"Um…IKE?" Zac shrieked, his eyes growing wide.
Taylor’s expression turned to one of horror.
"ZAC STOP!!!" Isaac squawked.
"Ike, I DON’T CONTROL HOW FAST WE GO!!!!"
Isaac gasped with realisation, and slammed the break. Taylor stumbled backwards a few steps as the wheels of the car squealed.
"GET IN!!" Isaac screeched.
Taylor snapped out of his daze and swung himself onto the back of the car as Isaac floored the pedal, and they screamed off within seconds of being seized by the enraged guards.
_ _ _
The people in the plane cheered.
The sight of three rock stars hooning around uncontrollably on a stolen baggage vehicle was certainly one for the prized memory collection. The delight was unanimous as they eluded the security once more.
Shannon’s heart was pounding.
"Taylor." She whispered, her eyes fixated on him.
She couldn’t share in the amusement of the passengers. Hanson were immeasurably close to injuring themselves, and Shannon realised that if anything happened to them, she was getting off this plane…and nothing would be able stop her.
"Shannon? Shannon Karvan?"
She looked up at the flight attendant, in surprise.
"Yeah, that’s me."
"You’ve been asked to leave the plane. Could you come this way please?"
Shannon scrambled back across the people she had squashed, and staggered down the aisle, her eyes wide and confused. Maybe now she could find out what was going on.
"…so that’s what’s happened. You’re not going to Germany, you’re staying here. As soon as security seizes those kids, we’ll repark the plane and retrieve your luggage…HEY!!!!"
Shannon had heard everything she needed to know, and finally succumbed to the desires of her heart which had been tearing at her for so long. She ran down the staircase and onto the shiny, wet concrete, straining to see Hanson through the downpour. Slowly, she focussed in on the implausible scene unravelling before her. The wheels of the runaway car were skidding dangerously on the slippery concrete, causing Shannon’s chest to clam up in fear. She was tentatively convinced they were going to die, and in her conclusion began running towards them, ignoring the infuriated shouts of the flight attendants.
_ _ _
Zac’s heart was hammering and his hands were throbbing painfully with the exertion of driving a small vehicle in the pouring rain. He gasped for breath, not knowing how much longer he could keep it up. Taylor was gripping onto the back of the car for dear life, his wet shoes skidding dangerously on the slippery piece of metal he was balanced upon. Isaac was convinced that the organs of his abdomen had manoeuvred elsewhere to accommodate Zac’s bum.
"GUYS, look it’s Shannon!!!!!" Isaac suddenly shrieked.
She was out of the plane…their efforts hadn’t been in vain. Taylor’s eyes were transfixed onto her, and for a moment he forgot to breathe.
"SHANNON!" Zac screamed hysterically, letting go of the wheel and waving for her attention with both arms.
Isaac looked ahead past Zac and shrieked.
"Zaaaaac!!!!!!!!!!!"
Zac looked back to the front in horror, but it was too late.
"Aaarrrrgggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!"
Shannon took a sharp breath, and let out a cry, as the car hit the front wheel of the plane, sending all three brothers flying heavily onto the concrete. She saw Taylor’s head bounce. In horror, she sprinted towards their bodies.
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