“STRAP IN!” CLAW YELLED as trees I shouldn’t have been able to see came into view through the window. We were plummeting downward far faster than I would have thought possible. This wasn’t an emergency landing; this was a crash.
I fumbled for the seatbelt, trying to follow Val’s more successful lead. Vaguely, I noted Claw helping the President with his air mask even as mine dropped from above and knocked my pet raven into terrified flight.
Then I was soaring over the seat back with far less agility than the bird had mustered, landing in a different row than the one in which I’d begun. Flashing lights, objects battering against my ribcage, high-pitched screams.
Okay, that agonized shrieking might have emanated from me.
There was something seriously wrong with my torso area. Plus, blood
