I couldn’t get much sleep at all. My back was aching from the position I sat at, and the hammer loosely hanging right above my head didn’t really help either. I heard a knock on the door, which caused me to jump up to my feet. I stammered over everyone, accidentally stepping on Neil’s arm along the way. I barged the door open to meet Mary standing, already dressed.

“Everyone up, now.” she demanded, loudly clapping her hands. Everyone grounded, getting up. Brie accidentally hit her head on a table, causing some tools to shake.

“Ey! Careful with that! Don’t want you bleeding all over my shed.”

“What time is it…?” I moaned.

“Early enough to get to Philly and back here with enough daylight.”

“Wait, Philly? Why there?”

“I know, but listen. There’s people in Philadelphia. Good people, too. I’ve had a few run-ins with them, so you have my word they’re trustworthy.”

She led us out to the runway. The plan, which was now humming with life. She hopped up, opening the door for each of us. We climbed in. The inside was bigger than it looked. Two rows of seats went nearly all the way back, and in the front was the captain’s chair. My heart pounded in my chest. Not because of a fear of planes, but because of how close we were. Months passed in this wasteland. Days were wasted away on the road. And now, here I was. Here we were…

I sat down a little ways away from the pilot’s seat; Cleo sat next to me too. I squeezed Bobbie’s bag on the ground, patting it a little bit too.

“Are you ready?” Cleo asked.

“Ready as I’ll ever be…”

She grinned, sliding her hand into mine. I squeezed it back.

Mary walked down the hall, handing us some earmuffs to wear. Then, she went to the front, hopping on her seat. The plane steadily moved forward. It gained more and more speed, and soon enough - take off.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

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It was a great experience being in the air in a smaller plane. It felt different from being in a giant commercial jet. Cleo still clutched my hand as we flew across the air. The outside looked beautiful in a morbid sort of way. The ruined houses, abandoned buildings, and the once great and mighty structures that now lay in empty ruin… A part of it still felt like a dream. Just one, huge lucid dream in the mind of someone who’s far past insane.

We passed the city of Chicago, going through the Illinois-Pennsylvania border, and past Pittsburgh. An hour went by in complete silence, maybe out of some kind of nervousness. Eventually, the cityscape of Philly grew over the horizon. I leaned up to get a better look at it. It was beautiful, in some odd sort of way; to see the buildings still standing, and yet knowing there would be no one to occupy them.

I tapped Cleo on the shoulder and pointed towards the city. Like me, she leaned in with the same fascinated glare. I could just faintly see a smirk forming on her face. I couldn’t help but smile too. I tapped my foot on the floor, feeling some sort of jitty energy rushing through my body.

The plane glided over the city. I looked down from the window towards the streets. Granted, I wasn’t able to see much from the height we were at, and yet I still couldn’t help but admire the view. Golden rays of light beamed down onto the city, as if it were some final destination after a long journey. The funny thing is that it was, or is, should I say.

Mary turned her head around and shouted something at us. I could barely make out what she was saying, but I did hear something about landing in a few minutes. I picked up Bobby’s bag, making sure everything’s in there. I placed my hand inside, digging around it. Peeking out from the bottom, I saw the farmed photo of Bobby and his wife. My heartbeat stopped for a moment as I remembered it was still in here. I pulled it out to get a better look at it. The glass was cracked in the middle. Must’ve been from the crash. I ran my finger down the sides before deciding to place it back in the bag. I zipped up the zipper and placed the bag on the ground.

A few more minutes passed. I saw Mary push and pull some switches, and just like magic, the plane began to descend. I felt Cleo’s hand gently latch on to my forearm. One minute passed. And then another. The thud of the hard cold, concrete ground hit me like a wake-up signal. The plan slid to a stop. I looked out the window again, only now realizing where we were at: an airport.

We all stood up one by one, legs weary and shaky. I took off my earmuffs and placed them on my seat.

“Here we are,” Cleo whispered. “I’ll be damned…”

I picked up Bobby’s bag and warped it around my back. We all lined up, walking out the door. Well, not really “walked” per say. More like, stumbled. I inhaled the cold, sharp air, taking everything in around me. We made it, and for once in a long, long, time - I felt at ease.