Contents
7:05 p.m. EST
Overview
During a turbulent takeoff, Allie reveals to Van that Horation Matthews is secretly aboard. In the lavatory, King Sorrow clarifies his twisted promise: the plane is only safe if Allie murders Horation before midnight. He threatens to tear down the 747 otherwise, raising immediate, lethal stakes for everyone onboard.
Summary
The flight lifts into stormy skies as Allie, Van, and Robin share contraband wine. Allie’s dread builds; turbulence shakes the 747 while the captain warns of prolonged rough air. Robin ducks out to clean her soaked skirt, and Allie, rattled, leaves her seat despite the seatbelt sign.
Confiding in Van, Allie reveals that Horation Matthews is on board under an alias. Van insists the flight should be protected by King Sorrow’s promise, but Allie reports Colin’s warning that they misread the rules. Their panic mounts as the aircraft bucks violently.
Allie staggers toward the mid-cabin lavatory, briefly bantering with two genial passengers, and notices Frank Heck watching her. In the bathroom, amid flickering lights and pounding turbulence, King Sorrow manifests as a monstrous eye under the sink and explains his terms.
King Sorrow claims he promised protection from human enemies, not from gravity. He states that if Horation is still alive when the jet crosses into midnight, he will tear the plane from the sky, killing all aboard, including Allie and Van. The condition is stark: Allie must murder Horation before midnight to save everyone.
As the turbulence abruptly clears and the light steadies, King Sorrow vanishes, leaving Allie with a deadly riddle—how to kill a man at thirty thousand feet before anyone stops her—while the entire plane’s fate hangs on her choice.
Who Appears
- AllieProtagonist; realizes Matthews is aboard and confronts King Sorrow’s ultimatum to kill him to save the plane.
- Donovan “Van” McBrideAllie’s partner; believed Sorrow’s promise protected the flight, now panicked by the loophole.
- King SorrowAntagonist; appears in the lavatory and demands Allie kill Horation before midnight or he’ll down the 747.
- Robin FellowsFriend traveling with Allie and Van; shares wine and briefly leaves to clean up mid-turbulence.
- Horation MatthewsTarget chosen by Allie; secretly aboard under an alias, his survival imperils the entire flight.
- Captain Lucas VanhoenackerPilot; announces severe turbulence and a tailwind, advising passengers to remain seated.
- Frank HeckObserver on the flight; watches Allie as she moves through the cabin.