Thanksgiving Countdown

My wife booked plane tickets for the whole family to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday. On the way to the airport, I suddenly noticed that everyone had a number floating above their head. The number above my wife's head was 60 years. Above my parents' heads and mine, it showed only six hours. As I wondered what the numbers meant, I looked through the car window and noticed the driver in the car beside us had only six seconds left. 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... The moment the countdown reached zero, a speeding semi-truck slammed head-on into the car next to us. The car exploded into twisted metal, and debris flew everywhere right in front of my eyes. People around us screamed and cried for help, but I couldn't hear a thing. My whole body was trembling. Because six hours later, our flight was scheduled to take off. Chapter 1 By the time I reached the airport terminal, my legs were so weak I couldn't walk. Someone had to help me. My family thought I was shaken by the car crash we had passed on the way here. But I was the only one who knew the truth. My heart was filled with fear of the death waiting for us and growing suspicion toward my wife, Elodie Castillo. She had bought tickets for the same flight as us. So why would she survive while my parents and I died? The more I thought about it, the more suspicious I became while we were checking in. "Madam, your passport has expired, so you can't board this flight." I had been watching Elodie the whole time. The moment I heard those words, I almost felt excited. We were traveling overseas. A month ago, I had reminded her to check her passport. I never expected it to expire at exactly this time. Elodie looked at me with guilt written all over her face. "I'm so sorry, honey. My passport expired, so I can't go on this trip with you. Don't worry. Even though I can't come, I'll pay for everything for you and your parents." Anyone who heard that would think she was a wonderful wife. My parents, Hugh Castillo and Lilly Castillo, praised her all the time. They always said I had married the perfect woman. But hearing those words only made me more suspicious. Elodie was usually incredibly cheap. She even complained whenever I smoked a cigarette because she said it wasted money. A woman like her would never volunteer to spend money on my family, unless she already knew she would never have to pay. The thought hit me like lightning. I quickly pulled Hugh's passport back before he could hand it to the agent. I said with an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry. We've decided not to check in." I thought we had escaped. But when I looked up, the numbers above Hugh's head, Lilly's head, and mine hadn't changed. We were still going to die in six hours. The fear came rushing back. My face turned pale as I stood frozen at the counter. The people waiting behind us began complaining impatiently. Seeing the worried looks on Hugh's and Lilly's faces, I forced myself to calm down and keep watching. The people standing behind us all had different countdowns above their heads. That meant our plane wasn't going to crash. We were going to die for some other reason. With that thought, I tried to leave the airport. The instant I walked toward the exit, the number above my head suddenly changed to 2. If I left the airport, I would only have two hours left to live. I had no choice but to return to the terminal and search for any chance to survive. I sat on a chair with my arms wrapped around myself. Sweat soaked my back as my nerves stretched to the limit. Hugh and Lilly realized something was wrong and wisely gave me some space. Even Elodie could tell that something terrible was about to happen. She quietly watched me without saying a word. My mind raced. First, was Elodie's expired passport really just a coincidence? If it was, why had she suddenly become so generous? Second, why would leaving the airport make me die even sooner? Was something terrible about to happen outside? Or was a killer hiding somewhere nearby? What made the airport terminal safer than outside? As I kept thinking, my eyes suddenly landed on the security checkpoint. Everyone had to go through security before entering the terminal. That meant no one could bring a weapon inside. Chapter 2 Realizing that made me breathe a little easier. As long as I stayed inside the airport, I should be safe for now. I tried to sort through the clues, but no matter how hard I thought, I couldn't come up with anything new. The frustration started getting to me, so I went to the restroom. While washing my hands, I looked into the mirror and noticed a pair of large, rough feet under one of the stall doors. A second later, I locked eyes with someone through the gap. I was a small guy and didn't look like much of a fighter. When the man realized I had seen him, he didn't hide. Instead, he threw open the stall door, covered my mouth, and tried to drag me inside. He was incredibly strong. His thick body hair and foul smell nearly made me pass out. I kicked the floor with all my strength and fought back. Then he said something that made my eyes go wide. I stopped struggling at once. "I've got your little brother. If you want him to stay alive, don't do anything stupid." My little brother? I was an only child. I didn't have a brother. My instincts told me this might be the key to finding out why I was going to die. I let him drag me into the stall. He reached for my wallet. But before he could grab it, I pressed a small paring knife against his throat. I had quietly pulled the knife out of my backpack while he was dragging me, just in case I needed to defend myself. "Did you hurt my brother?" I asked, playing along with his story. At that moment, I caught the sharp smell of urine. The kidnapper immediately started begging for mercy. "I'm innocent! I overheard your dad making a phone call. He said he'd pay after he got the money, and he begged the kidnappers to let his son go. I swear I'm innocent! You looked rich, so I just wanted to rob you and make a little money." When had my dad gotten another son? Who was he making a deal with? My mind was full of questions. The kidnapper took advantage of my distraction and ran away. But I didn't care about chasing him. I only wanted the truth. When I returned to the terminal, I saw Hugh happily chatting with Elodie. Lilly tried to join the conversation, but Hugh snapped at her impatiently and cut her off. Watching the way Hugh treated Lilly, I suddenly remembered things I had never paid attention to before. Years ago, Lilly had suffered a miscarriage after a serious accident. She had been carrying a baby boy. Because of the heavy bleeding and her age, the doctors had been forced to remove her uterus to save her life. After that, our family was never the same. Lilly and Hugh argued all the time. Our financial situation also got worse. I had always believed Hugh changed because his business failed and he lost a child. But when he was with Elodie, he acted like the same charming and successful businessman he used to be. One time, I complained to Hugh while we were eating because Elodie was too stingy with money. I thought he would take my side. Instead, he frowned. "Elodie's right. Smoking a pack of cigarettes every week is a waste of money. Women are just better at saving money than men." We got into a huge argument that day. Later, he apologized and promised to buy me some gold jewelry to make it up to me. I clearly remembered that he had bought me a gold chain and a gold pendant. I was still wearing the chain. But I hadn't seen the pendant in a long time. Thinking about what the kidnapper had said, along with Hugh's behavior lately, I came to an unbelievable conclusion. Hugh had been having an affair. He even had an illegitimate son. That child had been kidnapped. Could that kidnapping somehow be connected to our deaths? I only had six hours left to live. I desperately wanted to confront Hugh and demand the truth. But I was afraid of alerting him. While I was still hesitating, a group of armed airport security officers surrounded me. One of them said, "We found the body of Justin Lindsay in the restroom. Security footage shows that you were the only person who entered during that time. You'll need to come with us for questioning." Chapter 3 My family and I were taken to the airport security office. I was separated from the others and questioned alone. "Mr. Castillo, security footage shows that you entered the restroom 23 minutes ago. When you came out, you were holding a small paring knife. Later, the knife disappeared. We believe you intentionally got rid of the evidence. "We found the knife in an airport trash can. Tests confirmed that your DNA was on it. The shape of the blade also matches the fatal wound on Justin's body. "The evidence is overwhelming. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" I wasn't about to confess to a crime I didn't commit. "Sir, I've been framed. I did see Justin in the restroom. He tried to rob me, so I scared him off with the knife. After that, I never saw him again." The detective frowned and tapped the table. "Mateo, if you refuse to admit your guilt, the court won't look kindly on that. "You also bought tickets for an international flight, but then suddenly canceled your check-in. We strongly believe you planned Justin's murder in advance." I kept shaking my head. Someone had to be controlling all of this from the shadows. The surveillance footage matched my movements. There was even physical evidence linking me to the murder. The whole setup was too perfect. And when Justin ran away, the number above his head had clearly shown he still had 30 years left to live. If I couldn't prove my innocence soon, the police would treat me as a murderer. Wait... Where had they found the knife? The moment I remembered, I quickly spoke up. "Sir, after I scared him away, I put the knife back in my backpack. So how did it end up in the trash? If you don't believe me, search my bag." The officer who had gone to check the evidence returned and quietly shook his head at the detective. The two whispered to each other for a moment. Bang! The detective slammed his hand onto the table and glared at me. "Stop making excuses. We searched your backpack from top to bottom. The knife wasn't inside. "Besides, someone recorded the entire murder and uploaded it online. Just confess already." I knew I had put the knife back into my backpack. And before I was taken away, I had handed the backpack to Lilly. Besides, when Justin attacked me, no one else had been there. If anyone had been watching, a coward like him would have run away instead of continuing to attack me. When the detective saw that I still refused to confess, he pulled out his phone and played a video in front of me. The man in the video had his face hidden under the hood of a sun jacket, making it impossible to identify him. But from certain angles, he really did look like me. He was wearing a white sun jacket, black pants, white sneakers, and even the same watch as mine. The number above his head also showed only six hours left to live. For a moment, even I started wondering if I had actually died in that car accident on the way to the airport. Maybe the countdowns above people's heads and this murder were just hallucinations before my death. I sat there in silence, staring blankly ahead. Just as the detectives thought I was finally about to confess, an idea suddenly flashed through my mind. I said, "I'll confess, but before I do, I want to speak to my parents and my wife separately." The countdown above my head kept getting smaller. I had no choice but to gamble. Lilly was the first to come in. The moment she saw me, she urged me to confess. "Mateo, just admit it. I promise we'll hire the best lawyer we can and get you released on bail. We won't let you stay locked up for long." Her words sent a chill through me. She had lost a child before. Because of that, she had always loved me more than anything. Yet before she even asked what had happened, she was already telling me to confess. Chapter 4 When she saw that I stayed silent, she seemed to panic. She looked at me with despair in her eyes. "Please do it for me. Just confess, go with the officers, and stop dragging the rest of us down!" Seeing how emotional she had become, the officers forcibly escorted her out of the interrogation room. Even as they dragged her away, she kept begging me to confess. My heart ached. A terrifying thought appeared in my mind. But I still refused to believe it. Then it was Hugh's turn. He looked at me with a complicated expression. Finally, he spoke in a firm voice, "I know you didn't kill anyone. Don't worry. I won't let you go to prison." If I counted from the moment we arrived at the airport, there were only six hours left until my birthday. My family had never celebrated birthdays when I was growing up. Everything that had happened today had made me forget about it completely. But Hugh, who never paid attention to little details, still remembered. I looked at the gray streaks in his hair. Finally, I asked the question that had been haunting me, "Dad... I'm short, and I look a lot more like Mom than you. Has that always bothered you?" Hugh froze for a second. Then he quickly forced a smile. "Of course not. You're my son." He looked like he wanted to say more. But I didn't want to hear it anymore. Elodie was the last one to come in. She rushed inside, looking anxious. "Honey, you can't confess! I'll do everything I can to prove you're innocent. Think about our future. If you confess, everything will be over." Her reaction confused me even more. The Elodie I knew had always been selfish. She had never cared this much about what happened to me. I decided to test her. "What if I really did kill someone..." She interrupted immediately. "That's impossible! Even if you did, I wouldn't let anything happen to you. We're supposed to move into a big mansion, buy luxury cars, and travel the world together. You can't let anything happen today!" She didn't even let me finish before denying it without hesitation. Then she started talking to herself about the wonderful life we were supposed to have together. As the officers led her away, I noticed tears in her eyes. There was deep regret written across her face. After speaking with my family, many of my earlier guesses had fallen apart. The murder accusation, the countdown to my death, and my family's strange behavior didn't make sense. After a long silence, I decided to confess. But I made one condition. I demanded that my family be taken to the police station as well. They could also be suspected of helping cover up a crime. I made that request because I wanted to test a theory. The police agreed. A murder at a crowded international airport had already caused a public uproar. The video had spread across the internet. Government officials, the media, the public, and airport authorities were all demanding answers. So, the police needed to solve the case as quickly as possible to limit the damage. Just as I had expected, the countdowns changed the moment we were escorted out of the airport. During my interrogation, my remaining time had dropped to only three hours. But it suddenly jumped to 70 years now. The killer had been waiting outside the airport. Yet at this moment, being in police custody had become the safest place possible. Just as I thought the murder investigation had saved my family and me, I saw my family walking behind me. I immediately changed my statement in front of the police and the crowd of reporters. "I didn't kill anyone! My mother is the real murderer!"