Part 3After She Was Gone

Even though I’d made up my mind, I couldn’t focus at work.

I fidgeted anxiously, barely able to sit still, until finally, lunchtime arrived.

I choked down a few bites of food, then rushed out of the cafeteria, found a quiet corner, and dialed Sarah’s number.

It rang for a long time before she picked up. I could faintly hear the noise of the airport terminal in the background.

I quickly asked if she’d gotten her ticket okay, if the trip to the airport was fine, standard stuff. Then I got straight to the point: had she run into anyone she knew?

"Someone I know? Who?"

"Brenda White?"

"Brenda?" Her voice sounded distant; I guessed she was looking around.

After a moment, her voice came back clear. "Nope, haven't seen her. Who told you she was flying back to Boston today too?"

This was different from the dream. A wave of relief washed over me; the huge weight I'd been carrying lifted.

I chuckled to myself, thinking, Seriously, believing in nightmares? Maybe I have watched Final Destination too many times.

I mumbled some excuse about hearing it from someone, changed the subject, chatted for a few more minutes, and then hung up.

That afternoon, I threw myself into my work.

Just as I finished color-correcting a video and started the rendering process, I noticed the office had descended into a low buzz of chatter.

Confused, I pulled out my phone. No signal. Somehow, it had been switched to airplane mode.

The last message I’d received was from Sarah.

"Just asked Brenda. She is going back to Boston today, but couldn't get a plane ticket, so she's taking the train instead."

I switched off airplane mode, reconnected to the Wi-Fi, and was about to reply when Mike from the next cubicle leaned over.

"Andy, you seen the news? The afternoon flight to Boston… it's gone missing."

I froze. I heard something shatter inside my head. "The flight... to Boston?"

"Yeah, the one that left at two. Flight number was..."

He scrolled on his phone for a second, then looked up at me, his eyes wide—

"Holy crap, Andy! That was the flight I couldn't get tickets for! I was just bitching about having to work late because I couldn't get on it… Man, am I lucky—"

I slowly stood up, the room spinning around me.

All the emotions, all the memories, rushed back at once.

I remembered identifying Sarah’s… what was left of her body, the rage I felt. Watching her become nothing but a box of ashes, the utter despair.

How could I have risked it? How could I have let myself hope, only to watch Sarah walk towards death again?

The helplessness inside me exploded. I bolted towards the office door, pushing with all my might against the heavy glass, and then— ice-cold water slammed into me.

The force knocked me back, forcing me to let go of the door handle.

Standing behind the glass door was a girl. Dressed in black, ponytail.

I looked at her furrowed brow, heard her cold voice muffled through the glass— "Why did you let her get on the plane again?"