Dear Soldier, Put Your Gun Down

When the plane took off, Winona was overwhelmed with excitement as she began to imagine the look on Matt's face. She wondered if he would embrace her tightly or maybe give her the most extended kiss ever. Perhaps not because a man likes him would devour her within seconds.

"Hold on! What am I thinking? I must have changed after spending too much time with Matt!" She thought in her mind as she cupped her blushing cheeks in her hands. The corners of her lips were curled up into a smile uncontrollably as well.

The trip from Coscana to Foswye would take about 12 hours by flight. The humming engine sounds were like a lullaby, causing everyone to fall into a slumber. All of a sudden, the plane shook violently, chasing everyone's sleeping bugs away as people started screaming in panic.

The pilot shouted, "What's happening?"

"Sir! Our plane was hit by an unknown object!"

"Report this to the HQ now!"

The pilot on duty was as pale as a sheet while he said, "Sir, the communication system on our plane is malfunctioning, and we are currently off the radar as well."

At that moment, the radar or the navigation systems were not working. The screens went white, and the last signal sent was from when they were at the borders of Coscana. "I'm afraid that this might be the notorious triangle intersection area."

The crowd was horrified because they knew the triangle intersection area was located between the borders of Coscana, Esnurg, and Foswye. Not only was it an ungoverned place, neither of the three countries had control over it too. That led to the emergence of many criminals and gangs who were under the control of Cosmos.

Logically speaking, with the official logo displayed on the plane's exterior, most people would avoid their aircraft. Hence no one saw the sudden attack coming at all.

Just when everyone was confused about the situation, the large screen on the plane flashed suddenly, showing a man wearing a devil's mask. The man spoke, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the triangle intersection area. Right now, please proceed to land at the designated spot as shown. If not, a helicopter will be on its way to collide with your plane in three minutes. If that happens, all of you will die together." The man motioned a gun shooting action, and he was coincidentally pointing towards Winona. He mimicked the sound of a gun firing, and it wasn't hard to notice his cruel and dangerous intentions in his eyes. Then the screens went black again, and the man disappeared from their sight. When it lit up again, a coordinate was shown.

"Sir, what should we do now?"

"Land immediately," the head pilot instructed.

"But all these people on the flight..."

"Enough! I can't put everyone's life on the line!"

The head pilot then turned around to comfort all the passengers on the flight, "Don't panic, everyone. All they want is money. The president will be on his way to our rescue."

Most of the people in the plane were high-achieving medical officers elected by the military hospital; well, of course, some got elected as they were from renowned families. They aimed to gain reputation and glory through the trip. But as they thought of how their lives were threatened at this moment and they might die because of the trip, a few of the girls started to cry due to immense fear.

The pilot intended to calm them down, but then another one started bawling after he managed to calm one down. Then, with the intense atmosphere, each of the ladies cried one after another. Suddenly, a voice scolded, "Shut up immediately if you want to live!"

The cries stopped at once, and everyone looked over towards the direction of the voice. It was Winona. She had despised written all over her face as she continued, "Aren't you ashamed of yourself by claiming you're of a military family? You are a disgrace to the country! I think you might have already wet your pants way before someone points a gun at you!"

No one dared to mutter another word, and some even hid their faces away in shame.

"So many had faced this before, and they all returned safely. Moreover, we are flying in a government aircraft, they won't do anything to us. At most, they will take our money and valuables away. So, you should suck it up and use the little time we have to hide your valuables."

Everyone on the plane quietened down, and the pilot was very grateful as he whispered, "Thank you, Mrs. Snider."

"I just can't bear to look at how the situation is getting."

"Ma'am, could I talk to you for a second?"

The two then went to the utility room on the plane.

"Ma'am, I can sense that there's something different about the group of terrorists this time. So you must not reveal your identity."

"You too think they might be aiming at Matt?"

"That's right. Since General Snider is in Foswye for the military drill and also they halted our military plane even though we're a government aircraft," he explained.

"If that's the case, we could be in deep trouble now."

The only person on the plane who knew her true identity was the captain himself. The captain gestured a fist in front of his chest and promised solemnly, "Ma'am, rest assured that I'll die protecting your true identity."

Thoughts were flashing quickly in Winona's head. The enemy ought to have known her identity by now. Since they have chosen to stop the plane, they must have been well-prepared.

Soon the plane came to a complete stop at the designated landing area. Everyone was shaken when the doors open because no one knew what was going to happen next.

Clink, clink, clink! It was the sounds of boots stepping on the ground. Everyone was scared to the core at this point in time.

Few men with sunglasses and painted faces in camouflage clothing approached them. They were all well-built and it was obvious to the eye that they were trained. "Which one of you is Matt Snider's wife?"

Winona didn't budge, she wanted to find out what they were up to.

The person smirked and pointed his gun at a plump lady, "On the count of 3, if you don't show yourself, I will shoot her immediately. One... Two..."

The lady wet herself immediately at his words.

Winona stood up calmly and said, "Let her go. I am the one you are looking for."

Bang! The woman lay motionless in a puddle of blood, and the crowd was screaming in fear.

Winona was enraged. "Why did you do that?"

He puffed at his gun and said indifferently, "She dirtied my boots."

Then he handcuffed Winona and dragged her with him by the arm. Before he left, he ordered the men he brought with him, "Kill every man and bring the pretty ladies along. The rests are all yours." Everyone on the plane heard what he said clearly and knew they had no chance of living. Some shouted in fear, while some tried to fight back.

Despite the chaotic scene, Winona kicked the man holding her and stood next to the cabin door, shouting, "Stop what you are doing now! Otherwise, I will kill myself right here right now! So don't even think about returning to your boss alive if I'm dead!"

The men all went to a halt in their actions.

"Mrs. Snider, please watch your step. If you jump from here, you're going to ruin your beautiful body."

"Stop bullshitting me! I want to talk to your boss!"

The only thing she had to bargain with them was herself, so she had to fight for the others. Matt was a hero to the citizens of Coscana, and she couldn't be any less than that.