Contents
7:30 EST
Overview
Allie abandons a futile scan of economy and follows an ominous cue to the upper deck. There she identifies Horation Matthews, who seems to recognize her. The discovery confirms her target’s presence on board, escalating the ticking-clock threat as the cabin darkens for the in‑flight movie.
Summary
Allie leaves the lavatory, steels herself with a shot of Jack Daniels, and contemplates the overwhelming task of finding Horation Matthews among hundreds of passengers. A quick peek into economy reveals families, couples, and the sick, and she is flooded with grim images of their likely deaths if she fails.
Realizing a slow face-by-face search is impossible, Allie trusts a sudden conviction that Horation is not in economy. A business-class flight attendant spots her snooping, threatening to send her back to her seat, but a pattern of dragons, unicorns, and lions woven into the stair carpet feels like a sardonic signal from King Sorrow, urging her upward.
Allie climbs to the upper deck, noting the smaller, half-full cabin. She scans the rows and spots a solitary man in the starboard aisle seat, his demeanor tense yet controlled.
The man is Horation Matthews: puffy-eyed, acne-scarred, and projecting wary toughness. He studies Allie and smiles as if expecting her, confirming mutual recognition between hunter and quarry. As the cabin lights fade and the in‑flight movie begins, the stakes crystallize—Allie has found her target under the countdown to midnight.
Who Appears
- AllieDetermined passenger hunting Horation; trusts a perceived sign, ascends to the upper deck, and identifies him.
- Horation MatthewsTarget on the 747; alone on the upper deck, recognizes Allie and appears ready, sharpening the coming confrontation.
- Bald flight attendantBusiness-class attendant who notices Allie peeking, nearly intervenes before she heads upstairs.
- King SorrowUnseen antagonist; his implied ‘joke’ on the stair carpet prompts Allie to search the upper cabin.