Chapter 4

Someone grabbed the woman and then him, and he was unable to resist. He felt himself towed along shouting, “But there’s someone else!” Jack could see the pale oval of a face now, and then it faded like a ghost in the black smoke until it disappeared, and still he was pulled backward along with the woman and baby. The hand clutching his arm was strong, and wet. There was a bang and the plane shook, the woman dropped the baby, and Jack bent to catch it. A piece of the plane went flying past where he had been standing, missing his neck only because he had bent to get the baby. He saw it happen as if he were standing behind himself, watching it. When he stood, holding the child now, he saw they were at the exit, and he saw the man and woman go down the slide. Then Ryan took the baby, and pulling Jack with him, they too exited what was left of the plane.