7. CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SIX
SASHA
D id I wake up with a fresh pair of eyes and relaxed mind?
No.
Did I get any sleep at all after Zeke left?
Also, no.
I kept imagining things going wrong on our adventure today.
The parachute failing to open...
The plane crashing before we even took off...
The parachute opening but faulty with holes from the previous jump…
The plane crashing while we were up in the air…
The engine burning and we having to make a landing in the middle of nowhere…
The plane crashing…
You get my drift.
I probably shouldn’t have spent so much time on TikTok watching videos tagged with Skydiving Gone Wrong. That might have helped.
My muscles felt tight and in need of release. I didn’t think going on an aircraft thousands of miles in the air was going to fix that issue.
As soon as I got out of bed, I stretched my arms upright and grunted which then turned into a tiny scream of satisfaction. Damn, that felt good.
Thinking back on Zeke’s texts, I decided to wear some black yoga stretch pants and a simple black t-shirt. I figured since it was a hot day, I might as well be comfortable.
Just as I finished tying my shoes, there was a knock on the door. It was 6:00 am on the dot. I opened it, took a look at Nick standing there, and groaned. “What the hell are we doing that you had to drag my ass out of bed at this time?” I had to play the part of the surprised friend. It was what I promised Zeke.
“Not telling you but I will say we need to eat first before we do anything.”
Eat? Before skydiving? I assumed that would make me want to throw everything up and I’d just about had enough of that for one weekend.
“Are you ready?” Nick checked.
“Sure, why not,” I replied, giving myself a once over. “Do I need to bring anything?”
“You don’t have any pockets, do you?” Nick glanced at my yoga pants then looked back up at me. “If so, empty them.”
“All I have is my phone.”
“That’s fine; we’re good to go.”
As soon as we stepped out of my suite and closed the door, I noticed Zeke. He stood straight with one foot resting against the wall. “Did you sleep okay?” he asked when he pushed himself off.
“No, thanks to you.”
Nick furrowed his brows but didn’t question what happened. I wasn’t about to tell him that Zeke scared the crap out of me in more ways than one.
I yawned as we made our way to the 24-hour open restaurant. Breakfast was already served. We had a quick feed of bacon and eggs with some fruit before charging toward our exit. There was a bus waiting outside the pier which the three of us eagerly got on. Still exhausted from the night before, I figured I could get some shut-eye, but neither Nick nor Zeke would let me.
“Are you excited?” Nick’s smile widened. “You’re gonna die from excitement.”
I’d rather it be from excitement than a plane crash.
I raised my brow but still acted like I was oblivious. “If I knew where the hell we were going, I might be able to answer you.”
Nick laughed and Zeke smiled to himself.
“You’re gonna love it,” Nick said proudly.
Skydiving was something I always wanted to do but I needed some time to mentally prepare myself. I only knew about this a day in advance. It put a lot of pressure on me.
The bus ride was quick because I did, in fact, fall asleep for about twenty minutes or so. When I woke up, I realized Nick had knocked out too but Zeke’s eyes were wide open and fixated on me.
“That’s still creepy, dude.”
“You snore.”
“I do not,” I whined then wiped my wet lips.
“Fine, but you drool.”
“Okay, yeah that I do,” I agreed, then noticed some soft whistles coming out of Nick. Now, he definitely snored. “Should we wake him up?”
“Nah, we’ll leave him on the bus.” Zeke leaned against the back of the seat and rested his head in his hands. He continuously looked at me.
“What?”
“Nothing.” He mouthed the next words so Nick couldn’t hear. “Just trying to imagine your face when you jump out of the plane.”
“I’m already shitting my pants here.”
“You’re probably going to scream,” he assumed correctly. “I bet you’re a screamer.”
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
Was he still referring to skydiving?
Nick groaned a little when he woke up, so I didn’t get a chance to respond to Zeke, thankfully. Had no clue what I would say anyhow.
“Wakey, wakey, sleepy head.” Zeke smiled. “We’re almost there.”
And he wasn’t kidding. In only a few minutes, at the end of this thirty-five-minute bus ride, we’d arrived at Jacarepaguá Airport.
“What are we doing?” I feigned stupidity once we stepped off our ride.
Nick clapped his hands with a cheerful grin, showing his unbrushed teeth. “We’re going skydiving.”
Oh. Yay.
I knew we were coming here but actually standing at the airport made it all too real. I started to panic. Tingles pricked on every inch of my body. I felt light-headed and my heart was making its own uneven disco beats.
Nick couldn’t stop smiling. I just swallowed hard and looked at him with what I felt was a pale face with the blood drained from it. “Are we really doing this?”
“Yep,” Nick replied. “Booked it as a surprise for your birthday.”
“But you already got me this gorgeous silver bracelet,” I reminded him by jiggling my wrist. “And my birthday is not for another month. Maybe we should come back then.” I turned around to get back on the bus but it had already disappeared.
Nick linked his arm with mine and I craned my neck toward Zeke with a save me look on my face. My eyes went wide and I mouthed the words, help me .
He just laughed amusingly.
Nick squeezed my hand. “We’re doing this together.”
I inhaled deeply and then blew cool air out. “Okay. It’s going to be okay,” I told myself.
There were a few other people who got off the bus with us that were heading to the airport and a couple who had taken a cab. We were all guided to the training area where one of the instructors told us a little fact about the airport. In 1944 it was used as a flight training base for the Brazilian National Air Force, but in 1966, it was then made into a general aviation airport.
I loved learning new things about every place I visited and it seemed to have eased my mind a little, that was until the same instructor started referring to us being thousands of miles in the air soon.
I must have had a blank stare on my face because Zeke leaned over and whispered in my ear, enough that it sent shockwaves up my spine. “This is important. You might want to listen.”
“I am listening.”
Nick still locked arms with mine but I was the only one trembling with nerves. Using just my eyes, I started searching for the nearest exit I could run to, but Nick had such a hold on me there was no way I could escape.
“Before we begin, has anyone gone scuba diving in the last twenty-four hours?” I looked around to see if anyone had put their hand up. “Good, because if you had, you wouldn’t be able to participate in this jump. I’m also going to ask if anyone has drunk anything or taken recreational drugs in the last twenty-four hours?” Still, everyone shook their heads in negation. “Great. Now, I’m going to assume you have all had a decent breakfast because skydiving on an empty stomach is what will actually make you nauseous.” Ahh, that’s why we ate beforehand. Made sense. I remained quiet while he continued to scare the shit out of me. “We have a couple of videos that go for two minutes each. In these videos, you will learn how to properly position yourself when getting off the plane, as well as the safest landing techniques or any troubleshooting you may have. Since most of you are doing a tandem jump, all you are required to do is listen to your instructor and do what they tell you.” He let out a sigh as though he’d had issues with other people before. “Do not, and I mean do not under any circumstance do anything stupid because all your lives will be at stake.”
The videos were much more pleasant to watch than the TikToks from the night before. They talked about how safe it was, and how all the equipment was checked and double-checked before and after every use. It gave me a sense of calm again that everything will be okay.
“Nick, Zeke, Sasha, and Travis, you will be in plane number one with me.” He looked at the paperwork on his clipboard and flicked the few pages attached. “Sasha, I don’t think you have signed a waiver. We need you to do that before you get suited up.”
Great. A waiver. I knew what that meant. If anything went wrong, you couldn’t blame them or sue them. But dammit, despite my lack of enthusiasm, I signed it anyway.
Our plane was slightly larger than the one the others boarded. We had the pilot, Nick, Zeke, myself, and the spare dude called Travis, plus Mike and Wayne, the two instructors.
Before we got on the plane, a safety harness was attached over the clothes I wore. I’d second-guessed wearing a T-shirt and probably should have gone with something long-sleeved. It took a few minutes to fit the harness but once we were all done we headed toward the plane.
A roller door opened and a set of red stairs was pushed right up to the entrance. I was the second to get on while Travis and Nick were first. Zeke was behind me followed by the instructors. The pilot was already on board.
Inside was a pretty open space. It’s like all the fitouts were removed and the only thing left were blue seats on the edge of the plane opposite the door. We could see the back of the head of the pilot whose name we were told was Henry.
It was really happening. I felt like I could barely take in a breath because my blood was a mix of adrenaline and fear.
“Once we have about five minutes from our altitude that’s when we’ll start hooking you guys up.” Mike said.
“And how long after the plane takes off will that be?” I questioned, wanting to know how long I was going to keep shitting myself for.
“About twenty minutes,” Mike responded.
I tightly shut my eyes when I sat down. I heard the roller door close then it was only a matter of time before the engine roared. The plane slowly moved and turned before it headed down the runway. We could feel every bump when the plane shook, igniting my fear of turbulence and the funny thing was we were still on the ground.
Once it was clear, the plane took off and my stomach sank, filled with butterflies. Nick was next to me on one side and Zeke on the other. Both of them held one of my hands as my eyes tightened. I’d not been too afraid of flying but there was something different about this time, knowing that I was going to be jumping out of the aircraft in nearly half an hour.
“Nick, you’ll be with our new instructor, Wayne,” Mike said. Nick saluted Wayne with a smile. “While Sasha, you’ll be with me. Since Travis and Zeke both have their jumping license they’ll go by themselves.”
“I can take Sasha if she prefers,” Zeke said. I was already looking at him when Mike mentioned he had a license.
“Um, what?” My eyes grew. “You’ve got your skydiving license?”
“Yeah, this isn’t my first time. If you hook up with me then I’ve got no issues.”
Hook up with him? Oh, He meant our harness.
“I think I’ll stay with Mike, thanks.”
“Okay, your choice,” Zeke shrugged his shoulders. “But I guarantee I’ve got more experience than Mike.” He side-eyed the instructor. “No offense.”
“None taken.” Mike smiled. “Your history is impressive. You do have more experience than me.”
History? What damn history? If Zeke had ever taken the time to let me get to know him, I would’ve figured out what the hell they were talking about.
The plane continued to shake a little. The higher we got, the heightened my nerves became. It took a lot of courage to open my eyes and look through the window that appeared to have been meticulously cleaned. It was crystal clear and I could see everything below.
There were a mixture of different shades of blue, green, and brown. I admired the scenery but I couldn’t make out anything except for the ocean and trees just by the colors. We were so high up that nothing could really be identified.
“Okay, time to connect. Nick, you and Wayne can go ahead and get suited up. Travis and Zeke you guys can as well. I’ll make sure you’re good before I connect with Sasha,” he ordered. “Once everyone’s ready, you’ll be in the seating position you learned from the video and then we’ll shuffle out the exit one at a time.”
Nick and Wayne were the first to fit their harness together. I watched as Travis quickly put on his backpack to catch up with everyone. He knew what he was doing just like Zeke. I still couldn’t believe he had his full license and could do a tandem with me if I wanted to. Then I remembered, if I decided to go with him, that meant that I’d have to sit on his lap before we jumped out of the plane. I blushed at the thought. His breath would be on my neck and I’d be on his… well you know.
“Okay, Nick and Wayne, you’re good to take a seat.” Mike turned to me with an encouraging smile. “You ready, darling?”
Nope. Nope. Nope. I shook my head and replied, “Yes,” with hesitation. My brain and mouth weren’t connecting. Mike smiled once I got over the confusion.
All of a sudden, someone opened the roller door and a huge, cold gust of wind spiraled inside the plane. It felt like I was going to be sucked out.
Mike furrowed his brows when he realized it was done prematurely. He quickly turned around and we noticed Travis with two knives in his hands. One he threw toward the pilot and it slammed in his neck, causing his head to roll forward with the damn plane. Blood spurted out all over the seats and the roof.
I had to hold onto the side of the aircraft to steady myself and I felt the pain in my wrist as it twisted from the turbulence. “Ah!”
Wayne, who was connected to Nick, pushed straight past Mike and Travis before jumping out and vanishing into thin air. “Nick," I screamed and was about to lunge forward but fear stopped me when I noticed how high we were up. I wasn’t even attached to a parachute yet which exacerbated my panic.
Travis’s focus was turned on me. My wrist throbbed and tears stung my eyes. He marched forward with his knife raised and was about to stab me with the damn blade. Someone stopped him, but not before shoving me out of the way first. Zeke’s forceful arm pushed me aside and I landed on the seat before falling to the floor of the plane. I held onto my arm to keep it still because any movement made me want to scream.
There were repetitive warning beeps, lights flashing, and if there was any furniture on the plane it would have been sucked out the open door.
Travis grimaced when Zeke’s punch landed on his nose causing it to break. I closed my eyes and heard a scuffle between them. There were a few grunts here and there until I finally opened my eyes. Zeke’s forceful arm side swept Travis’ neck causing him to drop the knife. I was sure I heard it crack. Zeke then held onto the metal bar that was on the ceiling of the plane before kicking Travis out the open door. He looked on the floor and found the knife before tossing it out after Travis.
“What the fuck just happened?” Mike yelled before he went to the cockpit. He had stood back and watched Zeke kick Travis’ ass. “I’m not a damn pilot, I don’t know how to fly this thing.”
Clearly, the pilot was dead and there was no one in control of the plane. We were plummeting to the ground and neither one of them could stop it.
“We don’t have much time.” Zeke went straight up to me and reached out his hand. “You need to jump out with me.”
“What? Are you fucking mad?”
“I’ve done more than twenty-five jumps,” he told me. “You’re in safe hands.”
I didn’t want to be in his hands at all. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.” I wanted to jump out of a plane but on my terms. Life and death was not one of those terms.
“We don’t have time to fuck around,” he repeated, then grabbed my hand and forced me into a standing position. Thankfully, it wasn’t the same hand that was injured. “Mike, toss me over the connecting straps. Sasha’s coming with me.”
Without hesitation, Mike gave him the equipment and clipped all the pieces together. “It’ll take about a minute and a half for me to check this over.” Zeke glanced quickly back at Mike. “Are you ready to go?”
“Nearly there,” Mike said as he fumbled with his own gear. I could see the fear in his eyes and the urgency in his actions. His hands were trembling and if a seasoned skydiver like him was scared, then I knew there was a reason for me to be as well.
The steeper the plane went, the harder it was to connect us together. The turbulence was the worst I’d ever felt, and I’d been on my fair share of planes in my life. I held onto the side wall while Zeke was behind me, fixing us up.
“But this isn’t the place we were supposed to jump out of, right?” I yelled. The noise was so loud from the air being sucked out.
Zeke replied, “It is now.”
My legs went weak and my heart was beating so fast it was enough to want to faint.
“Alright, I’m ready,” Mike yelled out.
“Then go,” Zeke said. “Don’t wait for us, I’m almost done.”
It was only supposed to be a minute and a half but it was the longest ninety seconds of my damn life.
“Do you remember the instruction videos?”
I nodded and placed the protective goggles on my head before closing my eyes. “Yes.”
“Are your eyes open?”
“No.”
“Sasha, you need to see what’s in front of you.” Zeke’s voice lowered in my ear. “If we don’t jump now, we’ll die. Let go of the plane.”
I crossed my hands over my chest and slowly opened my eyes. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“You’ve got this, Sasha.” Zeke gave my body a tight encouraging squeeze. “I’ve got you.”