I’ve Been Flying for almost Thirty Hours and The Flight Attendants Won’t Stop Crying

The intercom system boomed above me, jolting me awake. <br><br>“Welcome aboard, this is your captain speaking. We will be taking off shortly. Please ensure your seatbelts are securely fastened.”<br><br>Groaning, I sat up and rubbed my dry eyes. A flight attendant was walking down the aisle, stopping at each passenger to ensure their seatbelts were buckled. She smiled at me as she passed. I smiled back, trying to ignore her tears. <br><br>I’d been on this flight for what felt like an eternity. I’d lost count of the hours; thirty maybe thirty one? The lights in the cabin never seemed to change and I couldn’t see out the windows, so I couldn’t gauge the sun or stars. I was going insane. I had to get off this goddamned plane.<br><br>“Excuse me,” I said as the flight attendant passed again. “How long is this flight going to be?”<br><br>“Just a few more hours, sir,” she said, smiling weakly at me.<br><br>“Okay, thanks.” She continued down the aisle, stopping to talk to the passenger across from me. I strained to hear.<br><br>“How long until we land?” he asked.<br><br>“Just a few more hours, sir,” she repeated. She paused, “Sir, is that…^”<br><br>“No it’s fine,” he interrupted. “I don’t need anything.” <br><br>“Sir your face is on^”<br><br>“No, really, I don’t need anything,” he repeated, his voice a little louder.<br><br>“Okay, sir.” She sounded like she was about to cry.<br><br>I looked over at the man. A large piece of his face was missing, as if it had melted or been ripped off. A pink mass of muscle and blood glistened through the gaping hole. I gasped, then looked away, trying not to vomit.<br><br>The flight attendants stopped to talk to each passenger. Some asked how long until we landed, others asked for food or water. One asked for a blanket – it was not cold on the plane, but the woman was shivering violently. <br><br>“Just a few more hours,” the flight attendants repeated.<br><br>“Here, ma’am, would you like a glass of water?” The man beside me was offered a cup of water by one of the flight attendants. <br><br>“Thank you,” he said, his voice slurred. His face was half missing, like the man a few rows up. He drank greedily from the cup.<br><br>I tapped the shoulder of the flight attendant as she passed.<br><br>“Yes,” she said, smiling weakly at me.<br><br>^“What’s going on?”^ I asked. <br><br>^“Just a few more hours, sir,”^ she replied, smiling.<br><br>^“Why are all these people… injured?” I asked. <br><br>^“Just a few more hours, sir,” she repeated, smiling. <br><br>^“I don’t want to wait a few more hours! Take me back! Where are we going?” <br><br>^“Just a few more hours, sir,” she repeated. <br><br>I screamed. The other passengers stared at me, their hollow eyes fixed on me. <br><br>“Sir,” said the flight attendant, her voice trembling, “somebody is going to need to sedate you.” She tapped the shoulder of one of her colleagues, a male flight attendant at the front of the cabin. <br><br>He walked down to me, smiling.<br><br>“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to calm down,” he said.<br><br>“No, I’m not going to calm down! Take me back, take me back right now!”<br><br>He reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe. <br><br>“This is going to hurt just a little, sir.” He jabbed the syringe into my arm, and^<br><br>I woke up.<br><br>The captain’s voice crackled over the intercom. <br><br>“Welcome aboard, this is your captain speaking. We will be taking off shortly. Please ensure your seatbelts are securely fastened.”<br><br>Groaning, I sat up and rubbed my dry eyes. A flight attendant was walking down the aisle, stopping at each passenger to ensure their seatbelts were buckled. She smiled at me as she passed. I smiled back, trying to ignore her tears. <br><br>I’d been on this goddamned flight for what felt like an eternity. <br><br>I stood up and walked down to the flight attendants at the front of the cabin. They smiled at me.<br><br>“How long until we land?” I asked, grinning at them.<br><br>They both smiled back at me. <br><br>“Just a few more hours, sir,” they said in unison.