CHAPTER 20: UNITED

“Good afternoon. This is your captain speaking. I'd like to thank everyone for choosing Delta Airlines. This is Flight 86A. We are currently cruising at an altitude of 33,000 feet at an airspeed of 400 miles per hour. The time is 2:25 pm. The weather looks good and with the tailwind on our side, we are expecting to land in Seoul approximately fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. The weather in Seoul is cold and cloudy, with a temperature of 5 degrees for this afternoon. If the weather cooperates we should get a great view of the city as we descend. The cabin crew will be coming around in about twenty minutes to offer you a light snack and beverage. I'll talk to you again before we reach our destination. Until then, sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of the flight.”



The captain’s voice boomed over the speaker system but neither Suzanne nor Tom were paying attention to it. Suzanne was huddled in Tom’s arms, her mind still reeling from the nightmare. It felt so real. She could still feel the worms crawling all over her body. But what jarred her the most was the fact that she was fighting herself.



*What does it mean?*



She wished grandmother and old man Hendricks were right by her side, telling her that everything was alright, just like how they used to when she was still a child. Now, one was living in her own world while the other had perished.



Tom continued hugging her, unsure of what to do. He hated not being able to be of any help to Suzanne. He had a feeling things were only going to get worse from here on. The passenger on the next aisle had just gotten news that Kentucky had been locked down due to the plague.



He looked around, people were nervous and jittery. So was he.



A busty blonde stewardess came to them and flashed her pearly whites, “Mr Banks and Ms Summers?”



Tom looked up, “Yes?”



Suzanne ignored them and continued to rub her palm. She wished she could rub off the black mark.



“You’ve been upgraded to first class. I’ll help you with your luggage,” the stewardess proceeded to open the overhead compartment. Tom stopped her.



“Excuse me?” he was rightly confused. He turned to Suzanne, “Suzanne, did you ask for an upgrade?”



Suzanne snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the stewardess, just as confused, “What is this?”



The stewardess smiled again, obviously used to being peppered with questions by passengers, “Mr Vlad, our Diamond member, has extended his invitation to the both of you. He has booked the entire first-class cabin. Please, come with me.”



Suzanne’s eyes narrowed, who was this Mr Vlad? But then again, it wasn’t every day they got to fly first class. Suzanne earned a lot from her clairvoyant business but she had yet to even reach a platinum membership.



She unbuckled her seatbelt and stood up, surprising a sceptical Tom.



“Alright, “ Suzanne said, “lead the way.”



Tom did likewise and stood up. Being the gentleman that he was, he helped to bring down their luggage and carry them instead. The stewardess gave him her biggest smile ever before sashaying in front of them towards the first class cabin. Her hips swayed as she walked. Suzanne's eyes narrowed, she decided she did not like the stewardess.



On the way, they passed by the spirit of a teenager, sitting on the floor next to a weeping couple. He looked up at Suzanne just as they were about to pass him by. The stewardess and Tom could not see him and passed right through him as they walked. Suzanne trailed behind and stopped for a few seconds to pat the teenager’s head. She felt that the boy needed it. He was probably grieving along with his parents.



Normally, her hand would have phased right through the spirit, but just as her palm came into contact with the teenager’s head, an electric jolt jumped and passed through them, surprising them both. The teenager leapt up in pain and quickly backed away from a shocked Suzanne.



Suzanne retracted her hand, that had never happened before. She stared at her hands, was this because of the black mark?



“Stay away!” the teenager shouted furiously.



But before Suzanne could answer, a hand rested on her shoulder, “Come Suzanne. You, stay away.”



The teenager’s eyes widened at the sight of the man before inching nearer to the weeping couple in fear. “Stay away,” he said, this time in a whimper.



Suzanne turned around to see a man towering over her petite frame. His jet black hair was combed back, revealing a strong chiselled face. The man was impossibly beautiful, like the mythical god Adonis. He had high cheekbones, a strong jawline, thick eyebrows, a straight nose and extremely sensual lips. And his eyes, they were dark and black, like a bottomless pit. It felt as if one could just gaze into his eyes and become lost in them.



“I’m good looking, I know, “ the man chuckled. His voice was deep and alluring.



Suzanne blinked. Had she been in a trance? She looked over his shoulders to see Tom waving at her from the first class cabin. The stewardess was trying to flirt with him.



“Mr Vlad?” she asked.



“Let us talk in my cabin. Come this way, “ he turned around walked over to where Tom was.



Suzanne followed from behind silently, wondering what to make of this Mr Vlad.



He's not human.



She slipped her hand into her pocket and curled her fingers around her wand.



Once she passed the curtain to the first-class cabin, Suzanne quickly stepped over to where Tom was. The stewardess closed the overhead compartment and took her leave, pulling the curtain down to give them privacy as she left.



Suzanne immediately positioned herself protectively in front of Tom and pulled out her wand. She pointed it at the man, “What do you want?”



The man chuckled again, seemingly not perturbed. He walked over to his sleeper seat and sat down, motioning for them to do likewise. A scantily clad redhead was sleeping soundlessly next to the man. There was lipstick smeared on her neck. The man leaned over and licked the nape of her neck, causing her to stir sightly and moan. She opened her eyes and looked at the man, smiling, her hand went to his crotch and she started to give it a rub.



Suzanne refused to budge. “What do you want?” she demanded. Her hand tightened around the wand, ready to fight him.



The man laughed and pushed the redhead's hand away. He turned his attention back to Suzanne, “It won't be wise to fight at this altitude. Sit down, both of you. I’ll pour you some Cognac.”



“Suzanne…” Tom tugged at her shoulder.



“He’s a vampire,” Suzanne said simply, still not moving.



The man smiled and leaned back onto his seat, the redhead leaned forward and threw her arms around the man, kissing him hard. Her body shifted slightly, revealing her neck once more and it finally dawned on Tom that it was not lipstick he saw on the redhead, it was blood.