PROMPT:  by @WattpadZombies  Your flight landed three hours ago, but it's been sitting on the tarmac as reports of the world unraveling have been coming in through people's phones. The pilot says the safest place to stay is on the plane. Some of you agree, some of you don't.

500 WORD VERSION:

"Hey dirtbag!"

The large muscular man paused, beefy hands bunched around the jacket of the man who'd made a lunge for the door.

I walked across the arms of the seats to the end of the row and looked down at Dirtbag. My heart hammered in fear because this guy was even bigger up close. He could clock me out with even a half-punch. "We can find a solution without getting violent."

Dirtbag glowered at the man. "No one is getting off this plane."

"Put him down, please."

The moment stretched with the decision hanging in the balance.

Dirtbag dropped the Lunger, who crumpled to the ground and crawled away to hide in the next row.

An iota of tension in the plane relaxed.

"I haven't seen any movement outside. This is the best time to pop a slide and leave."

I jerked my head at the people watching. "Letting us go means you can stay on the plane longer. At least half want off, so you'll have more food and water."

There was a perceptible shift in the air at the mention of the basic necessities - and the quick realisation the plane had a very finite amount of both.

Dirtbag and I stared each other down. He knew I was right.

He made a show of deliberating, then called out, "If you get off, don't come crawling back here."

Deciding to take charge since I'd challenged Dirtbag, I raise my voice to address the plane. "Take only what you need. No suitcases! Help anyone with children. Gather under the plane. Remember don't be the guy in horror movies who freaks out and gets killed! Quick and quiet, people!"

There were a few chuckles then people began mobilizing. Within half an hour, two people who will stay on the plane were helping passengers slide down.

My stomach clenched. It'd gone too smoothly.

Stepping to the slide, I said ,"Hey Dirtbag! If this was The Walking Dead, you'd be Shane. But you can choose to be someone else."

Every head of the crowd sitting waiting for me under the plane turned when I rounded the slide.

"I'm heading for the woods. If you want to come with me, fine, but keep low and stay quiet."

"Mommy, that man is walking funny." A little girl was pointing towards the far end of the terminal where the first of dozens of zombies shuffled around.

Screams sounded from other planes parked around us. A whooshing sound came from the slide overhead as several people came down.

To my surprise Dirtbag appeared. He walked right up to me and said, "You're Rick. I'm Darryl." He spotted the zombies over my shoulder. "Now let's go!"

ORIGINAL 1, 980 WORD VERSION:

"Hey dirtbag!"

The large muscular man paused, beefy hands bunched around the jacket of the man who'd made a lunge for the door.

The Lunger, suspended in the air, looked over at me with terrified eyes where I stood on my airplane seat so I could shout over the crowd.

I walked across the arms of the seats, people leaning back to give way in the face of my fury. "There is no need to get violent."

Dirtbag glowered at the man he was still holding in the air by his shirt front. "No one is getting off this plane."

I reached the end of the row and looked down at Dirtbag. My heart was hammering in fear because this guy was even bigger up close. He could clock me out with even a half-punch.

I put on the "listen up Buttercup" face I used with my grade 11 class. "There are a few facts we need to review about this situation."

"One, none of us have a lot of information. That makes a scary situation even worse. However, that doesn't give anyone the right to act like a turd. If we go down that route we are all lost. So put him down, please."

The moment stretched with the decision hanging in the balance. If Dirtbag didn't do as I'd asked, there wasn't really anything I could do to make him. Something everyone on the plane was painfully aware of.

Maybe if five or ten of the other passengers backed me we could tackle this behemoth and tie him up. But so far, everyone was staying still and keeping mum.

Dirtbag dropped the Lunger, who crumpled to the ground and crawled away to hide in the next row.

An iota of tension in the plane relaxed.

"Thank you. Fact two: this doesn't have to be a Mexican stand-off. Look out the windows. I've been watching for the last hour and haven't seen any movement. This is the safest time for anyone who wants to leave to do so."

At the opening of Dirtbag's mouth I held up my hand, "Hear me out."

He ground his teeth together, but nodded and stayed silent.

"Look outside. There's no one around. This is the best time for us to pop a slide and give anyone a chance who wants to leave."

I gestured behind me to the numerous people watching wide-eyed. "At least half the plane wants to go."

To his credit, Dirtbag looked around at the numerous nodding heads.

"Fact three: If you don't let them go, in a matter of time the same thing that has happened to every other tyrant will happen to you. They'll revolt and overthrow you. Maybe even treat you to a Caesar special."

Dirtbag grunted. "What the heck is that?"

"The whole ASSEMBLY stabbed him in the back."

"Just let someone try," Dirtbag threatened and tried to catch the eye of the surrounding passengers.

I just shrugged it off. Let him think he was immune. As resources got really scarce, any alliances he thought he'd made would break down. He had to sleep sometime and that'd likely be when they got him.

"Fact four: Letting us go means you can stay on the plane longer. At least half of us want off, so imagine how much more food and water you'll have."

There was a perceptible shift in the air at the mention of the basic necessities - and the quick realisation that the plane had a very finite amount of both.

"Fact five: I intend to try and kill every zombie I see. Letting me off the plane at least means one less zombie who might bite your butt whenever you decide to get off the plane." I looked around, meeting the eyes of many. "Anyone who gets off please remember that. Every zombie you kill is one less that'll be able to bite you later."

Dirtbag crossed his considerable arms over his barrel chest. "I won't be leaving this place. Zombies can't get in. It's like a fortress on wheels. We can just roll over them."

"As long as the fuel lasts, because fact six, one day you're going to need to get off this plane for supplies. So now is also the best time for you to wheel over a set of stairs so you won't have to worry about any other slides in the future."

Dirtbag and I stared each other down. He knew I was right. I just had to word it in a way he could save face and keep his pride intact.

I nodded at him. "You're a reasonable person. Do you see letting us off now is best for everyone?"

Dirtbag made a show of narrowing his eyes at me and pretending to weigh the options.

He raised his voice. "Fine. But if you get off, don't come crawling back here to get back on."

Raising my voice to near-shout I addressed the plane. "First off, remember we can all get off if we stay calm and do it orderly. You all know that character in the movies who panics and puts everyone else at risk?" Several people smirked and chuckled. "Well don't be that guy because it never turns out well for him or her. Okay?"

Since I was the only one who stood up to Dirtbag, it seemed the unspoken consensus was that I'd lead the mission to get off the plane.

"So there is no favouritism, we will get off by seat order starting with those closest to this door." I gestured to the door Dirtbag had been preventing the Lunger from opening.

"No fair! That puts you near the head of the line," yelled a man from far down the plane.

I shook my head. "I plan to get off last."

I hadn't planned it, but as the words spilled from my mouth, I knew it had been my intention all along. Where the sense of honour came from I didn't know. Just that I had somehow taken responsibility for this crowd and needed to see it through.

Tears of terror pricked my eyes because there were a lot of people to go before me. A lot of kids who might start crying or, God forbid, screaming. A lot of wild eyes looking around in fear. People who might not be able to hold it together long enough.

"So grab only what you can carry - no suitcases! - and let's make this quick."

There were a few scuffles but amazingly the passengers gave me some hope in the ability of people to work together in a crisis. Within a half hour, two orderly rows stretched back containing three-quarters of the passengers and all of the flight crew.

Again I stood on the seat handles to address the plane. "Go down fast. Go down quiet. Remember people will be coming after you. They are counting on you to be fast and quiet. We don't want to attract anyone, living or dead, because that will jeopardise us all."

"Where should we go?" One woman asked who was rocking an openly crying toddler and had a slightly older child by the hand.

The pilot called from near the cockpit, "Go towards the tail to get to the terminal. There are woods straight out from where we'll get off. Otherwise the tarmac is pretty flat and open."

I pointed at the woman. "We need volunteers to carry down the young children whose parents have more than one."

Up and down the plane passengers nearby quickly offered their assistance.

It was going so smoothly that I grit my teeth and ignored the feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"I suggest we all assemble behind the slide under the plane. Get off quickly and hunker down. Once everyone is off we can go our separate ways."

There were a few grumbles and mumbled conversations but no one disagreed.

Two people staying on the plane were going to help people at the top of the slide and two flight attendants at the bottom.

All we could do now was pray.

"Alright, let's do this. Quick and quiet everyone! Stay calm. Breathe. We can do this. Fast and quick!"

In the way of pep talks it probably sucked, but it was the best I had.

I nodded at the attendants by the door who cranked it open and engaged the emergency slide.

There was a collective gasp at the noise it made and several people ducked to look out the windows.

Every single zombie movie ever seen was undoubtedly running on replay through everyone's mind. Where was the horde that always presaged a massacre?

The line from either side started shuffling forward eagerly as soon as the slide popped out. Once the attendants were down the evacuation began with three to four people sliding down at a time.

From my elevated position on the chair arms I could see the people doing as I'd asked and getting up to run around the slide and go under the plane. If they stayed there or not, I didn't really care. They were safer down there than on this flying death trap.

Within twenty minutes all 250 people had disembarked. I could hear shuffling and whispers and the occasional child giving a squawk, but otherwise relative silence.

Stepping to the top of the slide, I stage-whispered "Hey Dirtbag!" to get his attention. He was looking around at the remaining passengers with a critical eye. With him calling the shots, they probably had a better chance with the zombies.

"If we were characters from The Walking Dead, you'd be Shane. Most likely to throw one of us to the zombie horde so you could get away. But you can choose to be someone else. Don't forget about the stairs."

He sneered at me at the same time his eyes popped showing he had, indeed, somehow forgotten. I sat and slid before he could get out a comeback.

Every head of the crowd sitting or squatting on their haunches waiting for me turned when I rounded the slide.

"I'm heading for the woods. If you want to come with me, fine, but keep low and stay quiet."

"Mommy, why is that man walking so funny?" A little girl was pointing towards the far end of the terminal where the first of dozens of zombies shuffled around.

Screams began sounding from other planes parked around us, and a whooshing sound came from the slide overhead as several bodies came down, followed by more.

To my surprise Dirtbag appeared. He walked right up to me and said, "You're Rick. I'm Darryl." He spotted the zombies over my shoulder. "Now let's get out of here!"