Airline

Medication and an unexpected complication conspire to make Tammy's flight far more eventful than she'd planned.

“I would recommend that you take some extra strength Alka-Seltzer along with these prescriptions to help shorten the duration of your cold” said the doctor. “With any luck, we can have you healthy by the time you go to visit your mother. How does that sound Tammy?”

Tammy responded “That would be great, especially since I haven’t seen her in almost a year. I would hate to have my one visit with her be ruined because of a cold.”

Tammy was a very pretty girl, mid-twenties, strawberry blond hair, blue eyes, quick smile, and athletic figure. She had recently broken up with her long-term boyfriend, and was looking forward to this trip as a way to ease her mind about the recent void in her life.

The doctor, continuing to make small talk, continued, “So when do you leave for your visit?”

“I leave tomorrow around lunch time.”

“Well, enjoy your trip then and have a happy holiday.”

With this, the doctor shook her hand and left to attend to other patients. Tammy soon exited the exam room as well and departed for home so she could finish packing. Tammy entered her apartment, smiling as she gazed around the room. She had just moved into this building and it was much nicer than her previous residence. She went into her room, making a mental note to remove all the pictures of her ex-boyfriend that were displayed in the dwelling. Her room was painted a light orange and was sparsely decorated, Tammy had not lived in the apartment long enough to get completely settled. She took the only piece of luggage she owned out of the closet and began to put clothes inside. Then, she moved onto toiletries. It was then that she noticed the prescription that was lying on the table. Tammy decided it would just be best for her to fill it on the way to the airport tomorrow. Once she had finished all her packing, she choose to order in food, and watch a movie with no one other than her cat, Mr. Jingles.

The next day arrived much more quickly than she had anticipated. Her alarm startled her so much that she almost threw it across the room. Little did Tammy know that this would be a minor problem compared with what she was about to face that day. After eating a hastily thrown-together breakfast of waffles and fruit, she put her bag into her car and proceeded to the pharmacy. She handed the prescription to the pharmacist and was able to locate the extra strength Alka-Seltzer while she was waiting for it to be filled. Once she got the decongestant that the doctor had prescribed for her, she ran out to her car and prepared for her journey across the country. As Tammy entered her car she thought it would be a good idea to take the pills as soon as possible. So, she popped off the cap and swallowed the necessary dosage dry. Since she didn’t have any drinkable liquids in her car, Tammy had to hold off on the Alka-Seltzer until she was on the plane and would have a beverage. Thinking ahead, she placed the Alka-Seltzer in her purse so she could access it during the flight (since her main bad would probably have to be checked). She quickly drove to the airport, parked her car, and went to the ticket counter. Much to her displeasure, her one bad had to be checked, leaving her with only her purse and her good intentions. Getting through security was easier than she had expected (with the exception of her having to remove her shoes), and soon, she was at her gate.

The flight was supposed to last about three hours, the bonus being that because of its length, the airline opted to have a full meal served on the flight. Since Tammy had only eaten a small breakfast, she was thankful for this benefit. After what seemed like an eternity, she was finally boarded on the plane and her trip back home began. Tammy’s thoughts drifted to visions of family, friends, and familiar places. These thoughts put Tammy into a sort of meditation that made the long flight seem ephemeral. Her reflection was interrupted by a slightly peeved flight attendant.

“Excuse me miss. I asked you if you would like the sandwich or the salad for lunch.”

Surprised, Tammy quickly answered “Sandwich, please.’

“And what would you like to drink with that?”

Tammy remembered that she had to take her Alka-Seltzer, but she had never liked the taste of it in water, so she opted for something that would mask its displeasing flavor.

“Ginger ale, please.”

The flight attendant quickly complied, placing the food on the tray in front of Tammy. Feeling slightly famished, Tammy began to devour the meal. Before she had finished, however, she remembered to take out the Alka-Seltzer and placed two tablets in her ginger ale. The solution began to fizz madly, but Tammy thought nothing of it. In one fell swoop, Tammy drank her concoction and settled back for the remainder of the flight. She almost immediately noticed that she began to feel a bit bloated, and Tammy correctly assessed that this was due to her Alka-Seltzer remedy. But she had no idea that she had done was going to change her life forever.

At almost that exact moment, a seal below the lavatory failed. This resulted in the appearance of a moderate vacuum in the cabin. Because of this, the cabin pressure quickly fell until it mimicked the conditions outside of the plane. Everyone was in a panic as the oxygen masks fell from their compartments, but with the captain’s reassurances the passengers began to feel more secure. After Tammy fastened her own mask she couldn’t help but notice the severe discomfort located in her midsection. After touching her stomach for several seconds, Tammy realized that it was swelling due to a build-up of pressure inside of her. Tammy immediately began to panic.

“What the hell is happening to me?” she cried.

She frantically rubbed her stomach in a futile attempt to try to push it back in. Tammy’s growing stomach forced her to lean back in her seat and she soon realized fighting back would be vain. Other nearby passengers only watched in horror as Tammy kept growing. Her belly began to bulge out underneath her taut sweater. In spite of the loud engine, an audible hiss started coming from inside of Tammy, which only became more noticeable as the pressure inside the cabin kept dropping. As seconds melted away her stomach kept inflating and inflating. Soon her sweater was completely stretched at the seams and her stomach was completely revealed. It now looked as if she had a basketball inside of her. Tammy looked down at herself in a helpless horror. All she could do was hope that the effects subsided before long.

“Oh my God! I hope I don’t burst!”

But, her growth never ceased. Tammy kept bloating, bursting the buttons of her jeans and forcing the zipper down as well. Almost everyone in the plane now had a clear view of her huge tanned belly. Ironically that was the only thing that Tammy could see. It was now the size of a beach ball, and all Tammy could due was quietly weep. The passengers located in the seats next to Tammy had been rudely forced out into the aisle by their pneumatic neighbor, giving her as much room as they could in the crowded plane.

Larger and larger Tammy grew. She now looked like an over-filled weather balloon. What was most remarkable about this whole occurrence was that, for the most part, the remainder of her figure (save her stomach) had retained their original proportions. But, her stomach had more than made up for her other appendages’ stubbornness. Except for its sudden beginning, the entire inflation process had not been painful for Tammy; instead (as doctors would later say) it felt tingly. At this point now, this began to change and her facial expression started to reflect this.

“Holy Shit!! I think I’m going to explode!!” She screamed in horror.

As one could imagine, this made the passengers nervous who began to flee towards the front and back of the plane. They decided to take their chance with the decrease in pressure than be near a human bomb. But, they peeked around corners and seats to continue to watch Tammy.

Tammy began to flail madly, being able to move her arms and legs surprisingly well. Her stomach was wedged between the surrounding rows of seats and started to reach the roof of the cabin. Her stomach began to creak wildly, having trouble containing the gas that was building inside of her. Tammy screamed madly as the inevitable happened.

They say that the explosion could be heard from the ground…