Chapter 004: Calm Amid the Tension
The piercing trumpets of elephants echoed through the darkness, answering one another.
At the same time, the pounding of massive footsteps shook the ground around them.
THUD...
THUD...
THUD...
Each impact reached deep into their bones, traveling through the bus floor and making the entire vehicle tremble.
The suffocating atmosphere became even more terrifying.
Then, amidst the deafening noise, something else emerged.
Something that made the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end.
"Arrgghhh...!"
"Heeelllppp...!"
"Get away from me!"
Screams.
Cries.
Shouts.
Human voices with no visible source.
No one could see who was screaming.
No one could tell where the voices came from.
Only agonizing, desperate cries echoed through the darkness, as though they were coming from every direction at once.
Then—
BOOM!!
Another violent impact slammed into the bus.
The entire vehicle lurched violently, causing several students to instinctively grab onto their seats.
It felt as though something enormous had just crashed into the bus from outside.
SCREEEECH... KRAAANG!!
Metal shrieked with an ear-piercing screech.
The bus's frame groaned as though something were crushing it in its grip.
Everyone froze.
No one dared scream anymore.
Only ragged breathing and quiet sobs could be heard in the darkness.
Their survival instincts took over.
Stay still.
Don't draw attention.
Don't move.
The warnings arose instinctively.
"P-Pak... w-what... what is that, Pak...?"
Dina's trembling voice was barely above a whisper.
She gripped the seatback so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Rezvan immediately turned toward her.
"Dina, calm down first..."
he said quickly.
Even his own voice was shaking.
He looked from one student to another.
Faces twisted with fear.
Wide eyes.
Trembling bodies.
"I don't know what it is either... but all of you need to stay calm."
"Don't make a sound."
Outside, the grinding of metal came again.
"Pak..."
Dovi's voice was quiet, yet unmistakable in the silence.
"That sound... it's horrifying..."
"Pak... it sounds like... like there's a war outside..."
another student whispered, his voice trembling.
"Enough!"
Rezvan suddenly barked.
His voice cut through the growing panic.
He took a rough breath before continuing.
"Don't jump to conclusions! We have to stay calm... We need to figure out what's really happening first."
Even so...
Deep inside, Rezvan knew—
he was just as frightened as they were.
Part of him wanted to run as far away from this place as possible.
But the dozens of students inside the bus kept him rooted where he stood.
And that responsibility was far more terrifying than any sound outside.
CRACK... SCREEECH... THUD!
The bus shook again.
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
The pounding of his own heartbeat echoed in his ears.
Every eye was now fixed on Rezvan.
The young teacher swallowed hard.
Slowly, he stepped toward the bus door.
His hand trembled as it reached for the metal handle.
Logic told him he needed to know what was outside.
His instincts screamed at him not to open that door.
BANG!!
Before he could pull the lever—
another tremendous impact slammed into the bus.
Everyone inside lurched violently.
BOOM!!
The bus slid several meters sideways.
Not because of an earthquake.
Something had shoved it from outside.
Through the cracked windshield, a gigantic shadow darted through the mist.
Far too large.
BANG!!
Something struck the front side of the bus.
Then—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Rezvan froze.
A person appeared behind the glass of the bus door.
His entire body was drenched in blood.
His face was deathly pale.
His eyes were wide with absolute terror.
He slammed himself against the glass, both blood-covered hands pressed desperately against it.
Red streaks slowly ran down the window.
"...Dear God..."
Rezvan whispered.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The man pounded on the glass again.
Desperate.
His mouth hung open as he tried to scream something.
But all that came out was ragged breathing mixed with blood.
The attendant stood rigid.
"Step away from the door."
His voice was quiet.
But firm.
It wasn't a suggestion.
It was an order.
Rezvan glanced back.
The attendant's face was pale, yet his eyes remained sharp and focused.
Alert.
As though he knew something far worse was approaching.
But Rezvan couldn't stand still.
Someone outside was begging for help.
He rushed toward the door.
"We have to—"
WHOOOSH—GRAB!!
Something moved outside with incredible speed, cutting him off mid-sentence.
The blood-soaked man vanished from the window.
He didn't even have time to scream.
Only the blood remained.
Smeared across the glass.
Rezvan's body went rigid.
For the briefest instant—
he saw an enormous black shadow moving through the mist.
Its shape was impossible to make out.
Yet it was real.
Terrifyingly real.
The attendant immediately yanked Rezvan backward by the shoulder.
"Stay calm!"
he shouted.
His own hand was trembling.
But his grip was ironclad.
Rezvan continued staring at the blood slowly trickling down the window.
"W-What... was that...?"
he whispered.
The attendant didn't answer.
He simply stared into the darkness.
Then a faint sound drifted through the mist.
Scrape...
Scrape...
Scrape...
The sound of something dragging something else.
Heavy.
Wet.
Slow.
The attendant still held Rezvan firmly.
He slowly shook his head.
His message was clear.
Don't do anything stupid.
"We have to find out what that thing is!"
Rezvan whispered through clenched teeth.
"I want to know too, Pak... but look at the situation."
His eyes were unwavering.
He was tense as well.
But he still had control over himself.
"You saw it yourself."
"He was hurt... He needed help..."
"We can only help other people if we're still alive."
His answer was firm.
"We both saw what just happened."
"That wasn't anything normal."
Rezvan swallowed hard.
Cold sweat trickled down his temples.
"So we're just going to sit here and do nothing?!"
His voice rose.
His instincts as a teacher made it almost impossible to accept that reality.
The attendant gently patted his shoulder.
"Don't forget, Pak..."
"Your first responsibility is them."
Rezvan fell silent.
Slowly, he turned toward his students.
The cabin was dark.
Yet from the silhouettes he could barely make out, vivid images flooded his mind.
Thirty-six terrified teenagers.
He couldn't actually see their widened eyes.
Their trembling bodies.
Their hands clutching one another.
But his mind filled in every detail.
They were waiting for him.
Waiting for the adult they trusted to protect them.
At last, Rezvan let out a long breath.
He gave in.
Turning back to the attendant, he studied him carefully.
Ever since the mist swallowed them, the man had remained constantly alert.
Far too calm for an ordinary bus attendant.
His instincts kept telling him the same thing.
This man wasn't as ordinary as he appeared.
"Bang... my name's Rezvan."
"And yours?"
he asked quietly.
"Rafandra."
The man answered without looking at him.
Rezvan felt a flicker of annoyance at the cold response, but restrained himself.
He turned toward the driver instead.
"And you, Pak Driver?"
"I-I'm... Marta..."
The driver's voice trembled.
"So... what do we do now?"
"We can't just sit here waiting like—"
Rafandra's eyes suddenly widened.
The tension in his face changed instantly.
"Everyone! Get down behind your seats! NOW!!"
he roared, sprinting toward the students who were still frozen in confusion.
Only seconds later—
WHAM!! BOOM!!
Something slammed into the bus with overwhelming force.
The entire vehicle lurched violently, nearly tipping onto its side.
SKRRRREEEEEEECH!!
The long, deafening scream of tearing metal echoed through the darkness—
as though something unimaginably massive were ripping the bus apart from the outside.