Chapter 9
“Bang!”
Knox’s phone slipped from his palm, the screen protector shattering like a spider web across the hospital tiles,
Vivian’s special ringtone kept buzzing a sound that an hour ago had been sweet as honey, but now each note felt like barbed wire drilling into his
skull.
Bis irises burned as the news headline seared into his retinas. Those stark black letters were melting like tar, pouring down his optic nerves into his
brain.
“MUS87 crashed three minutes after takeoff. No survivors!”
“Crashed… no survivors…”
“No survivors…”
Dead. Dead?
Celia was dead?
“No… impossible…”
Just an hour ago, Knox had personally escorted Celia to the airport. He clearly remembered her voice, her eyes, even the color of the clothes she wore.
How could someone so vibrantly alive suddenly just… cease to exist?
No, she had to still be alive!
Knox scrambled to pick up his phone, his fingers frantically tapping the cracked screen for over a minute before he could unlock it. The flight number that should have been cruising through the stratosphere now floated in his notifications, followed by two blood–red words: “CRASHED.”
His finger pressed against the glass, trying to focus, but the cold touch crept up his entire arm, crystallizing it into a glacier. Only then did he realize he was shaking–no, the entire building was trembling.
He didn’t know how he got out of the hospital or into his car.
In the rain–soaked night, his black Maybach flashed across the overpass, Knox’s foot flooring the accelerator, his blood–red eyes locked on the road
ahead.
Faster, faster, even faster!
The airport at dawn was packed with people–screaming, wailing, crying, cursing–all blending into chaos.
“Why did this happen to the plane…”
“Give them back to me! Give my family back!”
“I’ll kill you all! I’ll kill every one of you!”
The massive grief of countless souls transformed into an invisible hand, crushing Knox’s body until he couldn’t breathe.
He struggled through the crowd, everything moying in slow motion.
He saw people fighting, shouting–their faces all wore the same expression of unbearable anguish.
He fought his way to the counter and opened his mouth to speak, but no sound emerged for the longest time.
“Sir, are you a family member of one of the victims?”
The airline representative spoke loudly.
The word “victims” hit him like a hammer to the skull, making his ears ring and his vision spin.
20:53
Two Rebirths Same Tragedy – Are We Cursed or Just Stupid
33.3%
vd gripped the counters and bichmückte, while ANTAR
Fella Montgamery Tim. I’m Colin Montgomery family!
He repeated is perhaps afraid the representative couldn’t hear him clearly.
– Tm Colla Montgomery’s family.”
Knox had so many questions–was the plane really crashed? Were all the passengers really dead? Was Cella really gone?
But when it came down to it, he couldn’t speak. He could only stand there like a puppet, answering what the representative asked, doing what they told him to do.
Finally, the representative handed him a paper. “This is Ms. Celia Montgomery’s death certificate. Please sign here.”
A sheet with Celia’s black and white photo was placed before Knox.
He stared wide–eyed, trying desperately to read the words, but no matter how he rubbed his eyes, he couldn’t make out a single character.
Knox frantically grabbed a stranger nearby. “Excuse me, could you help me read this?”
“What does this say?”
The person had been furious, but seeing the paper, their anger turned to sorrow.
“I’m sorry for your loss. It says your wife died in the plane crash too.”
Chapter 10
Chapter 10
