3 MONTHS LATER...




I woke up to the sun shining in my face, half blinding me. I sat up and stretched, working out all the kinks in my back from sleeping on this lumpy mattress. I looked at the clock and saw it was 2:00 in the afternoon. Then I glanced around the room, taking it all in. I was in the late Admiral’s plane, the old Air Force One jet. Everything was still here. The furniture, the pictures on the wall, even that old coffee machine. I smiled at the memory of being called here, not long ago, to fix that coffee maker. I stood and walked over to it and picked it up. I remembered being scared out my mind wondering what the Admiral would have to say to me.



I decided it was time to start getting ready for another hot day in this dry desert of Arizona. I slipped on a pair of cargo shorts and a short sleeve shirt, with a pair of old sneakers. Before I forgot, I grabbed a few sheets of paper. I jumped down the stairs of the plane and jogged to the hanger, which held all the runaway unwinds. When I reached it, I instantly walked over to where I go every morning. I knocked on the door and waited for an answer.


“Come in!” came through the door.

I opened the door and looked around. The small room had a bed and a small dresser. In the corner, was an old piano that a group of kids found in one of the older planes. It was a little run down but still worked good enough to play. Someone sat at the instrument, drawing beautiful sounds that would make anyone want to shed a few tears. Risa sat in her wheelchair proudly and smiled into her playing. I watched her until she was finished. When she pressed the last key, letting the room reverberate the last note, I clapped with vigor. She looked up at me and smiled widely.



“That was beautiful” I said, looking into her eyes. “You seem to be getting better everyday.”


She shrugged. “That was just an old piece from my old teacher at StaHo. It was 1 of the first songs I learned. I can’t believe I even remembered it.” She laughed a little. That reminded me about the papers. I pulled them from behind my back.



Risa noticed the papers and looked at them questionably.

“What are those?” she asked, wary.

“They’re some piano song sheets a kid found yesterday. I thought you might like them so...” I trailed off.


Her smile spread really far. “Thats great! Now I have something new to play.”


I laughed and gave them to her. She snatched them quickly and read them over. I watched her reaction as her eyes scanned the sheet. She smiled again and looked up at me.


“Thanks Conner,” she said to me.

“Don’t mention it,” I said sitting on her bed.


I looked over at her, watching her study the music. She looked happy which was good compared to how life was a few months ago. We went through hell, but it ended up alright. Or as close to good as it can get for us. I sighed then stood up.


“Ready to head to the clinic?” I asked her.

She looked at me. “Yeah,” she said setting down the papers. She rolled her wheel chair toward the door, the one I held open for her. I walked out after her and followed her down the hallway. She turned the corner and rolled into the clinic. I walked in and said hi to some of the kids in there.


After I made sure Risa was okay, I left. I advised her to stop working there because of her disability but she told me that she liked it there and wanted to help people who were hurt. I smile. I love the kind of person she is.


I walked around the hanger, saying hello to passing kids and solving little disputes with some random thing. I walked over to one of the golf cart and rode it out around the area. I passed by Hayden, who was directing some kids to doing their chores. I waved at him. He saw me and waved with a big smile. I smiled back and kept going.


I finally reached where I was going. It was a spot where no one I knew, knew about. Its this old hanger a little bit of ways away from all the commotion of the the Graveyard. As I walked into it, I looked over at the old crumbling plane occupying the hanger. In rust covered letters, I read the words DC-10. I walked over to the hatch and opened it, climbing in the plane. Inside, I had set up a little library with a couple of books that I had found. There already was a kind of comfortable setting, with carpet on the ground and a worn down recliner chair. There were lights put at exact points so that there was a kind of warm lighting here.


I closed the hatch and walked over to the chair. I sat down with a sigh and picked up a book that was on the table next to me. It was a book full of poems by Shakespeare. I don’t really like it, but Risa recommended it for me to read so I at least wanted to try. I read a couple of pages. And ended up falling asleep.


I woke up with a start to hear the hatch closing. I glanced at the window and it was night outside. I must have slept for a long time. I yawned then stood up to stretch. I stopped in the middle of standing. Wait. What had woke me up in the first place? I looked around warily. I didn’t know of anyone who knew this place. I kept looking around. I felt as if someone was looking at me. I turned quickly and looked. No one. I felt a chill go up my spine. Okay, now I’m scared. I walked toward the cabinet where there was a mini revolver that I found. I opened the drawer and pulled it out.


“If someone is here, walk out now. I swear I will use this” I said. I was sweating bullets. I didn’t know if I could really shoot someone. I don’t think I have the guts to. Only time I did, it was a tranquilizer bullets. These ones are made to reach a point and kill. I walked over to the hatch and opened it. I glanced down and saw nobody. I closed it. If there was no one, what made that sound? I shook my head and laughed a little. As I sat back down, I heard it. The movement of cloth. I shot up and looked over toward the end of the cabin. There was a curtain set up to give privacy to people behind it. I stared at it hard. There. Movement. A single ripple in the curtain.


“Come out whoever you are. I will shoot.” I said, with more confidence than I felt. Nothing happened for a second. Then the person moved a little behind it. They pulled their hand out and pushed the curtain aside. It was dark behind the cloth so all I saw was an outline of what I assumed was a guy. He walked into the light. My breathe caught. I dropped the gun. The guy walked forward and smiled.


“How’s it going, Conner?” Lev said.