In-Flight Meal pt. 3

Tony woke up willing himself not to scream. Huge beads of sweat clung to his forehead and trickled down the sides of his face like salty pearls. At first, he was disoriented and didn’t know where he was, but the soft bumping of mild turbulence and the constant low roar of the jet engines brought him back to reality.

"Son of a bitch,” Tony whispered, wiping the sweat from his face and looking around. The interior of the plane was almost completely dark, which was strange even for a redeye. He had never been on a night flight where there wasn’t at least one person reading. The dim glow of the lights above the carry on bins was the only thing keeping the interior from being completely black.

He looked to his left and could see that 13A was not in his seat, which shouldn’t be a big deal, but for whatever reason it scared the shit out of him. Now that he thought about it, this whole thing was way too whacked-out. An airline he had never heard of, some weird ass guy takes him down a stairway to an old black Cadillac, no security mind you, right out to an airplane sitting in the middle of nowhere. Was he really that desperate to get to Chicago to dismiss all of that? Thinking again about the meeting and all the things he could buy if there was a favorable outcome, made the answer a yes, but not as easy of a yes as it had been about an hour ago.

I just need to relax and accept that I got lucky for a change and- Somewhere near the front of the plane, he could have sworn he saw two red dots bobbing around like… like eyes. His heart began to speed up and was about to push his internal panic button when he saw it was just Alex working her way through the cabin with a tray of drinks. The red eyes were nothing more than light reflecting off one of the glasses. Tony took another deep breath and settled back into his seat.

He heard soft voices and giggles from somewhere up front and assumed Alex must be talking to the girls in 8A and B. He smiled, knowing they were talking about him. Alex was heading his way, but because of the seats, he still couldn’t see what was on the tray until she stopped at his row.

“Would you like a cocktail before the meal Mr. Pace?” Even in the low lighting, Alex looked like a total babe. When she bent down to offer him the tray her uniform gapped open and he couldn’t help but sneak a quick glance. When he looked back up Alex was smiling at him. Busted. He felt his face get hot. However, she didn’t seem to mind.

“Sure. What is it?” He reached out and took a glass of what looked like tomato juice.

“Bloody Mary. I mixed them myself, and I can assure you they are very good.” The way she emphasized very gave Tony a chill. He couldn’t tell if it was an Oh baby chill or an Oh shit chill, but a chill just the same.

“Ah, great. Sounds good,” Tony said really meaning it too. He raised the glass to his lips and took a healthy sip. The first taste was really very good. It had the texture of velvet and just enough of a kick to give your taste buds a slap. It was the aftertaste that made Tony wince. It was a combination of a metallic and medicinal taste. He looked back at Alex and her big dark eyes and perfect smile. Damn, she was good-looking.

“So, what do you think Mr. Pace?” She was still half bent over tempting Tony with another look.

“Fantastic. Best Bloody Mary I’ve ever had,” he lied.

“Great. Glad you like it.” Alex straightened back up, turned and offered the tray to 13A who had somehow gotten back into his seat without Tony seeing him. 13A continued to stare straight ahead, but did reach up and take a glass. Alex looked back at Tony and actually licked her lips before moving on. This sent a rush down Tony’s belly through his legs and all points in-between.

He took another sip and looked over at 13A. To his surprise, 13A was looking back at him. Tony raised his glass in a cheer’s gesture. 13A returned the gesture, and then proceeded to down his drink in a matter of a couple of seconds. When he lowered his glass, thick dark liquid trickled from the corner of his mouth and down his chin.

Now, for the first time, 13A smiled. A smile that almost made Tony drop his glass. It was a smile as far from pleasant as a cactus is from velvet. This was a smile of pure evil. The kind of smile a serial killer might produce right before slitting the throat of his victim or the smile the sadistic executioner may wear right before pulling the switch to throw 2000 volts through the electric chair and fry the accused to a crackly crisp.

Tony quickly looked away and took another drink of the Bloody Mary. He could already feel his head start to get that dull buzzed feeling and welcomed it. He looked straight ahead, but could feel 13A’s eyes on him. He took another drink.

Tony heard Alex finishing her rounds somewhere behind him. He couldn’t tell if 13A was still staring at him or not, but he didn’t want to look and take the chance of seeing that twisted smile again. What a freak, Tony thought and finished his drink in one big gulp.

The buzzed feeling was getting a little deeper, and Tony couldn’t remember getting this kicked by one drink. He played it off to not having had much sleep and the last time he ate... which reminded him of the in flight meal and wondered when it was going to begin? The thought of a big fat steak with hot pink juices running out made Tony’s mouth water.

"How was the drink Mr. Pace?”

Tony didn’t know if it had been ten minutes or ten seconds, but Alex was beside him again. He tried to look up at her, but his head felt like it just gained about twenty pounds.


Alex smiled down at him. “It’s got a bit of a kick, wouldn’t you say?” Now her voice sounded as if she were talking in an empty steel drum. The glass began slipping from his hand, but she reached down and took it before it could tumble off his leg onto the floor. “That was close Mr. Pace. You wouldn’t want to make a mess on the floor now would you?”

Alex laughed at this, and Tony thought he could make out the laughter of others joining her. To Tony it sounded warped like it was slowed down to about half speed. With great effort, Tony turned his head to face Alex. “What… the hell… is happ... pening?” He felt like he had drunk ten Bloody Marys, not one. His lips were numb, and a distant ringing filled his ears. He brought his eyes up to look at her and felt his heart stop. Her eyes were burning red. Her perfect nose was in the process of turning up exposing elongated nostrils. Thin lips stretched open over sharp teeth visibly growing from her gums. The twins from 8A and B had joined Alex and were peering over the two seats in front of him. Their eyes were as red as Alex’s.

“What’s wrong Mr.?” the twins said in unison. They looked at each other with their burning eyes and grinned. The red glow lit up their faces, which Tony could have lived without. They had both transformed from what Tony had previously considered babes to grotesque monsters. Their noses were completely pushed up in a phantom of the opera look. Their hair had gone from silky, thick brown to thin, scraggily clumps. Their sunken cheeks accentuated their large mouths and jagged teeth. They looked at each other and giggled… cackled.

Tony could hear more voices behind him, but couldn’t turn to see even if he wanted to. This all had to be hallucinations. Either Alex put something in his drink or he was just exhausted to a point where one drink, in combination with that weird ass dream, had sent him over the edge. A plane full of ordinary people didn’t just turn into a plane full of… of what? Alex was talking again.

“Everyone back off. Let’s give Mr. Pace some room to stretch out. We want him to be comfortable for the in flight meal don’t we?” This brought more cackling from the twins and muffled whispers from others. Alex reached down to the aisle seat beside him, released some kind of catch, lifted the seat and tossed it a couple of rows back like a piece of doll furniture. Tony tried to lift his hands, but they felt like they were glued to the seat.

Alex released a latch on his seat and lowered him back to a point where his head was lower than his feet. When she did, she came back into his vision. She had similar features of the twins, but her teeth were more turned in and actually seemed to be vibrating in her gums. Not much, but enough to make it look like each tooth was alive. Her bent over position also revealed Alex’s most excellent body had taken a turn for the worse right along with her face. The once firm size “C” breasts sagged into wrinkled tubes dangling in her gaping uniform top. Tony could feel a scream building up in his throat, but nothing came out but a weak gasp.

From his stretched out position, he could see the old couple from a few rows back standing behind him. Small strings of spit hung from their gaped mouths. A long black tongue, slithered from the old woman’s mouth, licked her split lips and slid back in. They looked like starved dogs waiting on someone to throw them a piece of meat, and Tony had a good idea what, or who, the piece of meat might be.

Alex undid the buttons on his shirt, exposing his white T-shirt. She bunched up the soft, white fabric and proceeded to cut it down the middle with one of her long jagged nails. This brought a stir from the group, and Tony saw the attractive couple, which weren’t so attractive now, start to push their way past the twins. Alex looked back at them. Her eyes blazed, and she growled like a rabid dog. Her teeth clicking and rubbing together. The couple took a step back whining like hyenas backed off a zebra carcass by a lion.

Tony felt his heart pounding and fought to stay conscious. His downward angle made his head feel like an over-inflated basketball. He could feel the veins in his head pulsing with blood. He tried to move his arm again and only his fingers moved, but they did move.

“Do it Alex. Do it!” the twins hissed. Alex moved her face towards Tony. Her teeth vibrated against each other making a soft grinding sound.