“It’s not a permanent fix, but it should hold us for another few days.” Kayla spoke to Ms. Pollack, but she was aware that others were listening. Several other people who’d been on their flight were still sitting nearby. “Even if we can’t eat the frozen meals, Orlando says that a lot of the food stored in the planes is non-perishable.”
A woman wearing a flight attendant outfit cleared her throat. “I’d like to help. I can find where the food is stored. We’ll just need help carrying everything.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Steph was seated a few rows away. “We have no idea where the Visitors are or what they might see. What would you do if they spotted you?”
“Run back here.” Kayla shrugged. “Or we could sit here, do nothing, and go hungry, if that’s what you prefer.”
“It’s dangerous,” Steph spat back. “We’ve been staying inside for a reason. Some evil race of alien freaks is out there, and if one sees you on the ground, it’s going to vaporize you or something.”
“You think it’s safer to just stay inside and run out of food?” Kayla crossed her arms.
The sound of glass shattering cut through the conversation, and everyone snapped their heads toward the hall between gates. A man had just wrapped a towel around his hand and punched through the front of a vending machine. He slowly removed the shards of glass that remained, letting them drop to the floor. Once a big enough hole was open, he reached in and pulled out as many candy bars and bags of chips as he could carry.
“Yeah,” Kayla said sarcastically, turning her head back toward Steph. “It’s a lot safer in here.”
Steph’s eyes narrowed, but she stayed silent.
Ms. Pollack looked hesitant. “I can see how it would be worth the risk. But I don’t think you kids should be the ones who do it. Why don’t we gather any adults who are willing to give it a shot and—”
“Ms. Pollack, I know we were your responsibility during this field trip,” Kayla cut in. “But things have changed.”
“You’re still minors,” her teacher insisted.
“But we’re not little kids, and treating us like we are will only make things harder. I’m not going to sit on my hands if there’s a chance I can be useful. I’m going out there.”
“Me too,” said Maddie quickly.
She and Kayla both looked at Luke. “Uh,” said Luke, “me three I guess.”
“Well I’m not going out there,” Steph said loudly.
“No one asked you to,” Kayla snapped. “In fact I’m sure Ms. Pollack will be thrilled that you’re staying put.”
Their teacher sighed. “All right, that’s enough. Anyone who wants to go can go—but please be very careful and listen to the adults.” She gave Orlando an intense look. “Don’t let anything happen to these kids.”
He nodded solemnly.
A cluster of people, including several other students from Kayla’s choir, gathered around one of the gates. Orlando led the way through the airport.
“The hangar has some storage areas that have food for planes in them, but it’s farther away, across the tarmac,” Orlando said. He walked quickly, forcing Kayla and the rest of the group to jog just to keep up. “We can start with the closest plane—see what’s still on it.”
When they reached the gate that held the closest plane, Kayla expected them to just go through the jet bridge like passengers usually did to board. Orlando explained that those doors were operated electronically. They would have to go outside, up, and across the wing to enter the plane.
They took a service entrance down from the gate.
Orlando quickly found a ladder and propped it against the wing, instructing two of the other choir members to hold it steady. He, Kayla, Maddie, and the flight attendant climbed up. Using a lever on the outside of the door, Orlando managed to pop it open. The flight attendant went in first, heading straight for the back. Kayla and Maddie followed. Orlando opened a few cabinets and what looked like a fridge, revealing packages of snacks and fruit. There were beverages too.
They formed an assembly line, handing stacks of food to each other, moving it all toward the terminal. As people inside the airport saw what the group was doing, more ventured out and began pitching in. The assembly line got longer and faster. They emptied the first plane, then the second, then the third, gradually moving farther along the tarmac.
Even with their progress, Steph hadn’t been completely wrong—Kayla found she didn’t like being outside. She kept glancing nervously at the sky and thinking, Please, please don’t let them appear now. The farther they got from the terminal, the stronger her fear became. She felt very aware of how far she would have to run to get to safety. And it wasn’t just her. She saw other people darting their heads in every direction, no doubt looking for the same strange circles of light that she was.
Once they’d emptied all the planes, Orlando led the group to the hangar with the food storage containers. People began wheeling carts of food across the tarmac to the airport. Kayla was one of the last to grab something.
As she picked up a box, she thought she heard something—voices shouting in the distance. She couldn’t make out what they were saying. Orlando stepped outside to see what the commotion was.
“Come on!” Orlando came running back into the freezer. “Leave it! We have to go—now!”
Kayla didn’t ask why. She already knew what was wrong—it was the Visitors.