No one reacted immediately.
By now, the shock wasn't loud anymore. It had settled into something quieter, heavier—like a weight pressing down on everyone at once.
Another person was gone.
No one knew who.
And somehow, that felt worse than anything else.
Ethan stood still for a moment, trying to steady his breathing. Around him, passengers avoided eye contact, some pretending nothing had happened, others gripping their seats as if letting go would make them disappear too.
"We can't stay here," he said finally.
Daniel looked up. "You want to go back out there?"
Ethan nodded. "Yes."
That answer spread tension across the cabin.
"Are you insane?" someone snapped. "Out there is worse!"
Ethan shook his head. "No. Out there is unknown. In here… we're being picked off."
Silence followed that.
Because deep down—everyone knew he wasn't wrong.
A few people stood up.
Not all.
But enough.
Fear was splitting them now.
Some wanted to stay.Some wanted answers.
Ethan didn't wait for a vote.
He turned and walked toward the exit.
Daniel followed immediately.
"Yeah, I'm not staying in here either," he muttered.
A small group trailed behind them—five, maybe six people.
The rest stayed seated.
Watching.
Waiting.
Stepping out of the plane again felt different this time.
Colder.
Heavier.
Like the air itself had changed.
The runway stretched ahead once more, endless and silent. But now, something new stood in the distance.
Not just lights.
A shape.
"…Do you see that?" Daniel asked quietly.
Ethan nodded.
A structure.
Tall.
Faintly outlined against the darkness.
"…That's a building," someone said behind them.
Relief slipped into their voices too quickly.
"Finally."
But Ethan didn't move right away.
Something about it felt wrong.
Not the fact that it was there—
But that it hadn't been there before.
Still, they started walking.
Slowly.
Carefully.
This time, Ethan paid close attention to every step.
To the distance.
To the way the ground felt beneath his feet.
And this time—
They got closer.
The structure grew clearer with each step.
That alone was enough to make his chest tighten.
Because it meant something had changed.
"…Okay," Daniel said, exhaling. "That's good, right?"
Ethan didn't answer.
Because he wasn't sure.
As they approached, the building came into full view.
A control tower.
Tall.
Narrow.
Dark.
Its windows were black.
No lights inside.
No movement.
The door at the base stood slightly open.
"…This is it," the man behind them said.
"We can find answers here."
Ethan hesitated for only a second.
Then stepped forward.
The door creaked as he pushed it open.
The sound echoed too loudly.
Inside—
Darkness.
The air smelled stale.
Unused.
Like the place had been abandoned for a long time.
"…Hello?" Daniel called out.
No response.
They stepped inside anyway.
✈️ Inside the Tower
The interior was cold and dim. A narrow staircase spiraled upward along the wall, leading to the control room above.
Dust coated the steps.
Thick.
Undisturbed.
Ethan crouched slightly, running his fingers across the railing.
Dust came off easily.
"…No one's been here," he said quietly.
"Then how is it here?" someone asked.
No answer.
They started climbing.
Each step echoed faintly.
Too clean.
Too sharp.
Halfway up, one of the women stopped.
"…Do you hear that?"
Everyone froze.
At first—
Nothing.
Then—
A faint sound.
A hum.
Very low.
Coming from above.
Ethan looked up.
"…Let's keep going."
No one argued.
At the top, they reached the control room.
Ethan pushed the door open.
And froze.
✈️ The Control Room
The room was… active.
Dim lights flickered across panels.
Screens glowed faintly.
But no one was there.
"…That's not possible," Daniel whispered.
Ethan stepped inside slowly.
The equipment looked old.
Outdated.
But still running.
Static flickered across multiple screens.
Some showing blank radar.
Others displaying unreadable data.
And then—
One screen caught his attention.
A log.
Flight records.
Ethan moved closer.
"…Guys," he said quietly.
They gathered around.
The screen displayed a list.
Flight numbers.
Dates.
Statuses.
Ethan scanned quickly.
Then stopped.
NX-417.
His flight.
Listed.
"…That's us," Daniel said.
Ethan nodded.
But something felt wrong.
He looked closer.
The status read:
CRASHED
Silence filled the room instantly.
"…What?" someone whispered.
"No," Daniel said quickly. "That's not possible."
Ethan's eyes moved to the date.
It matched.
Today.
The exact same flight.
"…We didn't crash," someone said.
Ethan didn't respond.
Because he wasn't sure anymore.
✈️ The Logs
Ethan scrolled down.
More entries.
More flights.
Different numbers.
Same result.
CRASHEDCRASHEDCRASHED
All at different times.
Different days.
But all—
Connected to this place.
"…This doesn't make sense," Daniel said.
"No," Ethan replied.
"…It does."
Everyone looked at him.
"We're not supposed to be here," he said.
"…We were never supposed to land."
A cold silence followed.
Then—
The screen flickered.
Hard.
The text changed.
Slowly.
As if something was typing.
CURRENT PASSENGERS: 58
Everyone froze.
"…It's counting us," someone whispered.
The number flickered.
Then dropped.
57
A woman gasped.
"…No…"
Someone was gone.
Again.
And this time—
They saw it happen.
The room felt colder.
Heavier.
Ethan stepped back slowly.
"…It knows we're here."
The screen flickered again.
Then—
New text appeared.
NEXT:
And then—
Nothing.
Just a blinking cursor.
Waiting.
Ethan's heart pounded.
Waiting for what?
Or for who?
(End of Chapter 9)