Flight of the Lost (standard:horror, 1829 words)
Author: Paul Benvin	Added: Jun 07 2004	Views/Reads: 3416/2238	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
This plane is cursed.

Flight of the Lost By Paul Benvin 

Karen Marshall was elated to finally be leaving. She had been planning
this trip for nearly six months, and couldn't think of a better get 
away than a full week of rest and relaxation. When she walked into the 
travel agent's office, she was looking for a place where she could 
simply get away from her everyday life and lose herself in the 
surroundings. One of her good friends, Crystal Jordan, suggested she 
pay her travel agent a visit. According to her, they were the best in 
the business and knew how to treat their customers. It was like they 
could read your mind, she had said. Apparently, Crystal had gotten a 
killer discount on a travel package to some island hideaway, and now 
she felt obligated to promote the outfit whenever possible. Karen never 
liked the idea of someone telling her where she wanted to go, but 
figured she could at least humor her long time friend. 

As she walked through the stained glass doors of Mile High Travel
Agency, Karen was suddenly overcome with a very distinct feeling of 
dismay. The entire layout of the cramped office was like something out 
of a bad episode of Trading Spaces. Cubicles lined the wall to her 
left, and on her right lay an array of shelves, all packed full of 
countless brochures praising this vacation and that. The walls were 
painted white, but beneath she could plainly make out the previous blue 
coloring. Lazy, she thought to herself as she continued to survey the 
establishment. Beneath her feet the carpet was almost completely worn 
through, and to her astonishment when she stomped her foot large puffs 
of dust billowed into the air. She had already had enough and was 
turning to leave, but before she could make her way out an overtly 
chipper man that was obviously wearing a toupee intercepted her. He 
appeared suddenly, as if from thin air, and was on her in a flash. His 
eyes were wide and he was wearing a smile that reminded her of someone 
that has had one face lift too many. 

“Good morning, ma'am. My name is Stephen, how can we help you today?” 

He talked with a severe lisp and with every enunciation his eyebrows
would raise dramatically. Karen saw this and had to stifle a laugh. She 
wondered if he knew he did this. 

“Well Stephen, I was hoping to talk to someone about a vacation I wanted
to take. Would that be you,” she responded curtly. 

“Oh, I'm sorry miss, but I'm not certified yet. A few more weeks though,
and I'll be ready to rock and roll. I'm going to have to direct you to 
Sheila, who will gladly assist you with everything you need. Follow me 
please.” 

“Thanks,” Karen said as she fell in behind him. She was starting to get
irritated. 

When Sheila, the obnoxious little woman behind the ridiculously large
desk, suggested a small, quaint little resort just outside Colorado, 
Karen jumped at the prospect. Not being bothered by anyone was one of 
her main concerns, and this sounded like just the place. She could 
picture it in her head. A cozy log cabin, a fireplace, and possibly one 
of those rugs made out of some wild animal. She was going to love it. 
Her boss wasn't exactly thrilled that she was taking a vacation during 
the busy season, but he would just have to find someone else's ass to 
ogle while she was gone. 

As she was walking down the ramp to board the plane, she waved back over
her shoulder to her mother and father. They had insisted on coming to 
see her off, and although in opposition of being treated like she was 
still fifteen, she finally relented. They meant well, and even though 
they were both a little over protective most of the time, they were 
still her parents. She couldn't help but love them. 

After finding her seat, she stowed her carry on bag in the overhead
compartment and settled in. It wasn't exactly first class, but it was 
nice nonetheless. As she sat there gazing out the window at the hustle 
and bustle of the airstrip, the pilot came on over the intercom. To 
Karen, his voice was very soothing, almost hypnotic. 

“Hello, ladies and gentleman. My name is Mr. Stuart, and I'll be your
pilot this evening. We'll be departing shortly, so if everyone would 


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