Bloodline Evolution: I Can Choose Opposing Paths-Chapter 101: Emergency Exit

The cabin did not calm down after Sterling’s declaration.

If anything, it became worse.

Passengers who had been shouting only moments ago now moved with something far more disturbing than simple anger. Their movements were jerky and erratic, shoulders twitching as if their bodies were no longer their own.

One man slammed his fist repeatedly against the overhead compartment while another clawed at the seat in front.

The rest of the cabin wasn’t recovering. If anything, their condition was deteriorating.

"Professor..." Emily said, her voice tight as she watched a passenger smash his head repeatedly against the armrest. "What the hell is happening to them?"

Sterling’s gaze swept across the cabin with grim focus.

"The curse has progressed," she said quietly.

As if in response to her words, the man Marcus had punched earlier slowly pushed himself upright again.

Aren felt his stomach drop.

The man’s eyes had become so bloodshot that red pretty much took over white. He staggered toward the group, movement slow at first...but then he lunged.

Marcus slammed his fist into the man’s chest, sending him crashing back against the row of seats before going limp.

"Shit...I can’t be killing civilians," he muttered.

"No," Professor Sterling spoke up. "They’ve completely been taken over by the Curse."

"...They’re no more than shambling mounds now."

If the professor is saying that, it could only mean one thing. The Curse user behind his Curse had to be stronger than herself.

"We need to get to the exit!" Daniel screamed. "The plane is losing altitude too quickly!"

Aren looked out the window and saw that they had just broken through the wall of clouds, and land was in sight.

Shit, he’s right.

Everyone started shoving their way through the crowded aisle to get to the exit. Another cursed passenger lunged at them, and Marcus didn’t hesitate this time.

He stepped forward and drove his shoulder straight into the man’s chest, slamming him backward into the row of seats with enough force to completely tear the seat itself apart.

"Move!" Marcus barked.

The team surged forward down the aisle. But the cursed passengers were already closing in.

A man from the opposite row threw himself into the aisle, arms swinging wildly. Daniel sidestepped the first punch before driving his fist into the man’s stomach.

"Sorry," Daniel muttered before shoving him aside.

Another passenger grabbed Iris from behind.

She reacted instantly. Her elbow shot backward into the attacker’s ribs before she twisted free and planted a sharp kick into the woman’s knees.

Everyone stumbled as the cabin tilted violently.

Aren grabbed the back of a seat to steady himself just as another passenger stumbled toward Luna. The man’s hands clawed forward blindly.

Aren stepped in between, delivering a right hook straight into the man’s jaw before Aren shoved him backward into the side aisle.

The guy tried to stand back up, but Luna already moved. A thin layer of frost spread across the guy’s feet, glueing him in place.

"Go!" Luna shouted.

Another passenger swung at Emily, but she ducked under it and slammed her shoulder into his chest hard enough to knock him into the aisle.

The plane dipped again. Alarms began blaring from somewhere near the cockpit.

Daniel glanced toward the rear of the cabin and finally saw the green sign that signaled the exit.

"There!" he shouted, pointing toward the emergency exit door at the back of the plane.

But three cursed passengers had already staggered into the aisle between them and the hatch.

Marcus shoved them aside as he practically tore away the exit doors with his bare hands.

FWOOP!

A deafening roar filled the plane as air rushed in to fill the vacuum. Instantly, the three cursed passengers were dragged sideways by the rushing air before being violently sucked out through the opening.

Marcus nearly followed. The sudden pull yanked him forward as his boots slid across the cabin floor.

"Marcus!" Iris shouted.

Daniel lunged first, grabbing the back of Marcus’s belt just as the massive senior tipped forward.

Aren reacted an instant later, seizing Marcus’s shoulder and digging his heels into the floor.

The wind howled through the open hatch. For a terrifying moment, the three of them slid several inches toward the open sky.

Then Marcus slammed his hand against the doorframe and anchored himself.

Daniel tightened his grip on Marcus’s belt before finally letting go once the senior had anchored himself against the doorframe.

"We don’t have long!" he shouted over the wind.

Behind them, more cursed passengers were beginning to rise again, their bloodshot eyes locking onto the group like predators at prey.

Sterling stepped forward.

"Everyone, close in."

Marcus moved first, stepping away from the hatch just enough for the rest of them to gather near the opening. Iris grabbed the back of his jacket while Emily instinctively clutched Daniel’s arm. Luna stepped closer to Aren as the wind howled around them.

Professor Sterling raised her hand.

"Gale Cradle!"

Instantly, a faint spiral of wind formed around the group, swirling faster and faster as the translucent currents wrapped around their bodies.

"On my mark," she said calmly.

Behind them, another cursed passenger lunged down the aisle. Sterling didn’t even look back.

"Jump!"

And the entire group leapt into the open sky.

The Wildlands revealed themselves beneath them. Endless green stretched toward the horizon—a dense rainforest broken by patches of shallow water and tangled mangrove roots everywhere.

The wind surrounding them pulsed again, slowing their fall just enough to keep them from plummeting like a meteor. Beside him Marcus shouted something, but the wind swallowed the words instantly.

Daniel was gripping Emily tightly while Iris clung to Marcus’s jacket. Luna wrapped her arms around his chest, her face distressed as she struggled to keep herself upright within the swirling currents.

Ah fuck...

Aren closed his eyes and braced just as they tore through the upper layer of trees. Branches exploded around them as they took the brunt of the force.

He barely had time to shield his face before they broke through the final layer of branches...and dark water met them.

SPLASH!

The world turned black beneath the surge of cold water.