straight for the hurricane. Maybe he should turn the plane round again. As that thought crossed his mind, though, he nodded his head to himself. If he kept turning, he'd get nowhere: he'd just have to trust his first instinct. He'd just have to keep to his current direction.
Danny staggered into the cockpit, doing his best to stay upright despite the shaking of the plane. 'We've tied the hijacker up,' he announced. 'What's going on in here?'
'Radio's down,' Ben said tersely. 'Something to do with the weather, I suppose. I'm trying to avoid the hurricane.'
'Er, Ben,' Angelo butted in. 'I don't want to interfere or anything, but it still feels quite windy out there.'
As if to underline Angelo's sarcastic comment, the turbulence suddenly increased dramatically. Ben grabbed the radio once more and started shouting into it again, but there was still no reply. 'What are we going to do?' Angelo demanded hysterically.
'I don't know,' Ben replied. 'Hope I'm doing the right thing, I guess.'
As he spoke, however, the turbulence subsided. Ben breathed out deeply. 'Nice one,' he heard Danny say from behind him.
'How's everyone doing back there?' he asked.
' Non bene ,' Angelo replied weakly. 'A few people have been knocked about a bit, but they're panicking more than anything.'
'I don't blame them,' Ben muttered. He peered through the windscreen. 'Look out there,' he said quickly. 'Does that look to you like land up ahead?'
Danny and Angelo squinted into the distance. 'I think you're right,' Angelo murmured. He turned to look at Ben. 'Do you know how to land this thing?'
Ben didn't reply. He didn't have time, because at that very moment there was another lurch as the plane seemed to dip sharply to one side. A feeling of dread crept over Ben's body as he compensated for the sudden change by steering in the opposite direction. The plane straightened up, but the change in lift was noticeable at the controls. He cursed under his breath. 'Feels like we lost an engine,' he said grimly.
Angelo stared at him, then rushed out to the cabin. When he returned, he was out of breath. 'The propellers are still turning on the bad side,' he said.
'They would do,' Ben replied. 'It's the movement of the plane that's making them go round, though, not the engine.' He furrowed his brow and stared straight ahead. 'We've got to land this thing,' he said. 'Make sure everyone's sitting down and strapped in. This isn't going to be fun.'
'You need any help here?' Danny asked.
Ben shook his head. 'Not unless you know how to land a plane,' he said.
'Well, I think you could use the company.' Danny sat in the co-pilot's seat and buckled himself in. 'If we don't get through this, Ben, I want you to know that you've been incredibly brave.'
That wasn't what Ben wanted to hear.
'We're going to get through it,' he said between gritted teeth.
'Yes,' said Danny. 'Yes, we are.'
They fell into an uneasy silence. Ben concentrated on keeping the aircraft straight with only the horizon line to help him. The land that they had spotted was approaching surprisingly quickly. Gradually, gently, he started to reduce the velocity and altitude. He felt sick with fear at the thought of trying to land this thing, but he knew he had no other choice but to try.
As the plane lost height, Ben noticed something. Up ahead and to one side, the sky was darkening. He felt his lips go dry – it didn't look dissimilar to the bubbling sky he had witnessed just the previous night at Alec's house. It was the storm they were escaping. It had to be.
'You'd better hold on,' Ben murmured to Danny. 'This is going to be nasty.'
The closer they got to land, the bumpier the ride became. Ben gripped the control stick fiercely, gradually reducing the altitude. From time to time he tried to kick the radio into life, but it was completely dead and in the end he just gave up and concentrated on the matter in hand: getting to
Danny staggered into the cockpit, doing his best to stay upright despite the shaking of the plane. 'We've tied the hijacker up,' he announced. 'What's going on in here?'
'Radio's down,' Ben said tersely. 'Something to do with the weather, I suppose. I'm trying to avoid the hurricane.'
'Er, Ben,' Angelo butted in. 'I don't want to interfere or anything, but it still feels quite windy out there.'
As if to underline Angelo's sarcastic comment, the turbulence suddenly increased dramatically. Ben grabbed the radio once more and started shouting into it again, but there was still no reply. 'What are we going to do?' Angelo demanded hysterically.
'I don't know,' Ben replied. 'Hope I'm doing the right thing, I guess.'
As he spoke, however, the turbulence subsided. Ben breathed out deeply. 'Nice one,' he heard Danny say from behind him.
'How's everyone doing back there?' he asked.
' Non bene ,' Angelo replied weakly. 'A few people have been knocked about a bit, but they're panicking more than anything.'
'I don't blame them,' Ben muttered. He peered through the windscreen. 'Look out there,' he said quickly. 'Does that look to you like land up ahead?'
Danny and Angelo squinted into the distance. 'I think you're right,' Angelo murmured. He turned to look at Ben. 'Do you know how to land this thing?'
Ben didn't reply. He didn't have time, because at that very moment there was another lurch as the plane seemed to dip sharply to one side. A feeling of dread crept over Ben's body as he compensated for the sudden change by steering in the opposite direction. The plane straightened up, but the change in lift was noticeable at the controls. He cursed under his breath. 'Feels like we lost an engine,' he said grimly.
Angelo stared at him, then rushed out to the cabin. When he returned, he was out of breath. 'The propellers are still turning on the bad side,' he said.
'They would do,' Ben replied. 'It's the movement of the plane that's making them go round, though, not the engine.' He furrowed his brow and stared straight ahead. 'We've got to land this thing,' he said. 'Make sure everyone's sitting down and strapped in. This isn't going to be fun.'
'You need any help here?' Danny asked.
Ben shook his head. 'Not unless you know how to land a plane,' he said.
'Well, I think you could use the company.' Danny sat in the co-pilot's seat and buckled himself in. 'If we don't get through this, Ben, I want you to know that you've been incredibly brave.'
That wasn't what Ben wanted to hear.
'We're going to get through it,' he said between gritted teeth.
'Yes,' said Danny. 'Yes, we are.'
They fell into an uneasy silence. Ben concentrated on keeping the aircraft straight with only the horizon line to help him. The land that they had spotted was approaching surprisingly quickly. Gradually, gently, he started to reduce the velocity and altitude. He felt sick with fear at the thought of trying to land this thing, but he knew he had no other choice but to try.
As the plane lost height, Ben noticed something. Up ahead and to one side, the sky was darkening. He felt his lips go dry – it didn't look dissimilar to the bubbling sky he had witnessed just the previous night at Alec's house. It was the storm they were escaping. It had to be.
'You'd better hold on,' Ben murmured to Danny. 'This is going to be nasty.'
The closer they got to land, the bumpier the ride became. Ben gripped the control stick fiercely, gradually reducing the altitude. From time to time he tried to kick the radio into life, but it was completely dead and in the end he just gave up and concentrated on the matter in hand: getting to
Similar Books
