As I watched people streaming into the airport, a limo pulled pulled up to the curb and I thought about what had to be done. Doors opened and four men wearing sunglasses and dark suits stepped out. I recognized them from the briefing files. Smith, Walters, Jenkins, and Young. Next, a man with gray hair and a moustache stepped out. Dr. Williams. The group entered the airport as the limo pulled away. I folded my newspaper, stuffed it into my jacket, and followed them in.
One man stayed close to Dr. Williams. Smith. The other three men fanned out and followed at distance. I followed the group through the crowd. Businessmen with briefcases, university students with backpacks, and families juggling luggage and kids.
The group reached the arrivals area and stopped. Dr. Williams looked anxiously at the arrivals exit. Smith stood close. The three other men stood further back and scanned the crowd. Walters turned and looked in my direction. I looked up at the arrivals board and scanned the flights. He made his way towards me. I moved away from the crowd to an area with empty chairs and pulled out my phone. As Walters came up behind me I spun around and stabbed him with the knife I was holding in my other hand. A look of surprise flashed across his face. His eyes darted to the nearby crowds but nobody was looking. I eased him down onto one of the chairs. I pulled out my newspaper and laid it over his face. I patted him on the shoulder as I walked away.
Passengers started flowing through the arrival doors. A young girl shouted. Dr. Williams smiled and waved. Suddenly Jenkins approached Smith, drew his weapon and shot him in the back. Smith fell to the ground. People screamed and began running. I was being pushed away. I tried to keep my eyes on the group. Dr. Williams held the young girl close, looking on in horror as Jenkins aimed for them. A shot rang out. Jenkins fell. I pushed against the current of people and made some headway. Smith was on the floor. His weapon fell from his hand and his head fell to the floor. Blood pooled from his body. Looks like they all hadn't turned.
Young and I made eye contact. He glanced in the direction of Dr. Williams and the girl and then looked back at me. He fired into the crowd. A woman pushing a stroller fell to the floor. The stroller went flying and disappeared into the mass of people. I thought I could hear a child wailing. People were running at me from two directions. Young and I bolted for Dr. Williams. I was fighting against a swarm.
Dr. Williams held the child close as he ran. I couldn’t get a clear shot. I pushed a man out of the way and I was finally free of the crowd. I aimed for Young as he aimed for Dr. Williams.
We fired.
Afterword:
The exercise here was to experiment with a previously written work by switching the scene. I moved the character from the previous exercise from a hill to a crowded airport. The goal was to try to take a risk, to come up with a scene that is frightening or upsetting, or just beyond the bounds of what you’re comfortable with. I have no idea if I made it work and it came out more complicated that I intended, but it sure was a lot if fun trying.
Oh, the typos. I keep finding then and fixing them.
I enjoyed this exercise. It pushed me in new directions and made me try new things. I have to say I really prefer the previous version though.
Next: Love of Music and Struggles with Creating
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