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file:///E|/Funny%20&%20Weird%20Shit/75%20-%20Stephen%20King%20Books/Stephen%20King%20-%20Pet%20Sematary.htmShe still might have made her connecting flight, but the shuttle bus which makes a circle around theLogan terminals was late. Rachel waited, now in a kind of constant low-grade panic, shifting from footto foot as if she needed to go to the bathroom, switching the travel bag her mother had loaned her fromone shoulder to the other.When the shuttle still hadn’t come at 11:25, she began to run. Her heels were low but still high enoughto cause her problems. One of her ankles buckled painfully, and she paused long enough to take off theshoes. Then she ran on in her pantyhose, past Allegheny and Eastern Airlines, breathing hard now,getting the beginnings of a stitch in her side.Her breath was hot in her throat, that tuck in her side deeper and more painful. Now she was runningpast the international terminal, and there, up ahead, was Delta’s triangular sign. Sheburst in through the doors, almost dropped one shoe, juggled it, caught it. It was 11:37.One of the two clerks on duty glanced up at her.“Flight 104,” she panted. “The Portland flight. Has it left?”The clerk glanced behind him at the monitor. “Still at the gate it says here,” he said, “but they called forfinal boarding five minutes ago. I’ll call ahead. Bags to check?”“No,” Rachel gasped, and brushed her sweaty hair out of her eyes. Her heart was galloping in her chest.“Then don’t wait for me to call. I will—but I advise you to run very fast.”Rachel didn’t run very fast—she was no longer able. But she did as well as she could. The escalator hadbeen turned off for the night, and she pounded up the stairs, tasting copper shavings in her mouth. Shereached the security checkpoint and almost threw the tote bag at the startled female guard, then waitedfor it to come through on the conveyor belt, her hands clenching and unclenching. It was barely out ofthe X-ray chamber before she had snatched it by the strap and ran again, the bag flying out behind herand then banging her on the hip.She looked up at one of the monitors as she ran.FLIGHT 104 PORTLAND SCHED 11:25P GATE 31 BOARDINGGate 31 was at the far end of the concourse—and even as she snatched her glance at the monitor,BOARDING in steady letters changed to DEPARTING, blinking rapidly.file:///E|/Funny%20&%20Weird%20Shit/75%20-%20St...20Books/Stephen%20King%20-%20Pet%20Sematary.htm (274 of 333)7/28/2005 9:21:50 PM