Chapter 006: The Tilted Bus
Rafandra clenched his teeth.
His entire body tensed.
Then he shouted—
"EVERYONE WHO CAN STILL MOVE, HELP THE INJURED! STAY AT THE LOWEST PART OF THE BUS! DON'T STAND UP! WAIT FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS!"
His voice cut through the panic.
It pierced the sobbing and the groaning of twisted metal.
Several students who were still conscious slowly began to move.
Their knees trembled.
Their hands shook.
Yet they started helping one another.
At last, Rezvan managed to sit back against one of the tilted seats.
His breathing was heavy.
Every breath hurt.
But he knew—
he could not collapse now.
His students were still alive.
And they needed him.
Beyond the mist, the creature's shadow moved slowly.
Patiently.
Watching.
The wrecked bus now felt like a trap.
And finally...
they understood one undeniable truth.
This was no longer a school excursion.
It was a fight for survival.
CREEEAK...
Metal groaned once more.
The bus rocked gently.
Every body instantly froze.
CREEEEAK...
One side of the bus shifted again.
Slowly.
Then—
THUD!!
A powerful jolt came from beneath them.
Bodies slid again.
Some students screamed.
Others held their breath.
The sound of cracking wood echoed beneath the bus.
Whatever had been supporting the vehicle was beginning to give way.
The bus leaned even farther.
Dust and splinters scattered through the air.
Fresh cracks spread across the remaining windows.
No one dared move carelessly.
They all knew—
if the balance shifted even slightly...
the bus could roll over again.
Outside, the mist continued swallowing everything from view.
The world beyond no longer felt real.
There were only sounds.
And fear.
HHRRRRUFFFF...
That breathing came again.
Slow.
Hoarse.
Rough.
Several students immediately covered their own mouths to keep from making a sound.
"Don't move."
Rafandra's voice was quiet but firm.
"Stay calm. Stay where you are."
Rezvan slowly turned toward him.
Only his silhouette was visible in the darkness.
The man still stood gripping one of the support poles.
His gaze pierced the mist outside.
One student hugged his knees tightly.
Others clasped each other's hands.
No one dared speak above a whisper.
Their own heartbeats sounded like distant thunder in the silence.
Rafandra cautiously edged toward one of the shattered windows.
He peeked outside—
but only for a moment.
The tilted bus felt like a sinking ship that could collapse at any moment.
And out there—
the mist concealed something beyond their understanding.
Silence.
Utter silence.
Each passing second crawled by.
Then Rezvan's voice came quietly from behind him.
"Bang... can you hear me?"
"Yeah."
Rafandra answered briefly.
"Do you think... they've calmed down?"
Rezvan asked hesitantly.
"Who?"
Rafandra replied flatly.
Rezvan frowned in annoyance.
"The creatures, of course!"
he whispered sharply.
"How would I know? I can't see anything right now."
Rafandra answered.
Then he turned toward the students.
"Hey. Everyone."
"Feel around wherever you are."
"Look for the cigarette lighters that got thrown who knows where."
"We need light so we can assess the situation."
"Don't move away from where you're sitting."
"If even one lighter works..."
"That'll be enough."
In the darkness, trembling hands searched blindly.
Feeling around for anything that could become a source of light.
Click...
Click...
Click...
The sound of a lighter flicking echoed softly.
Then—
a tiny flame appeared.
Its dim orange glow danced in the darkness, reflecting off dented metal streaked with blood.
"Om Kenek... here... I found one..."
Damar's voice carried a trace of relief despite its trembling.
"Use it to check around you."
"See if there are any more."
Rafandra replied.
He slowly pushed himself upright.
His face tightened as pain spread throughout his body.
"Heh... tomorrow I'm gonna be black and blue..."
he muttered while patting himself down.
His hands checked his arms.
His ribs.
His shoulders.
His legs.
"Good..."
"Looks like it's just bruises."
"Nothing's broken."
The tiny flame had become the only anchor left in a world that was falling apart.
A single point of light...
surrounded by mist and a terror that had yet to reveal its true form.
A short while later, another lighter was found.
Rafandra lit it immediately.
The dim flame flickered through the darkness, cutting through the thin mist inside the bus.
Using the faint light, he began assessing the situation.
The bus was still leaning at a steep angle.
Fortunately, the students who had clung tightly to their seats hadn't been thrown any farther.
Their bodies had stayed in place.
Though their breathing remained ragged.
And their hands continued trembling.
Then...
the lighter moved downward.
Rafandra's heart seemed to seize.
Chaos.
The students' bodies were piled together across what had become the lower side of the bus.
The violent impacts and steep angle had left them scattered in every direction.
Some were pinned beneath seats.
Others were wedged between them.
Blood.
Bruises.
Arms and legs bent at impossible angles.
The sight made every muscle in Rafandra's neck tighten.
"Damn..."
His jaw clenched.
"This is bad..."
"Really bad."
"Bang?"
Rezvan called softly.
His uncertain voice was almost drowned out by labored breathing and the faint groaning of twisted metal.
"Stay calm!"
Rafandra called back.
His steps remained steady despite the pain consuming his entire body.
The seriousness on Rafandra's face immediately set off alarms in Rezvan's mind.
Something was terribly wrong.
Rafandra gently pulled Rezvan toward him, guiding him to the lowest part of the bus.
The lighter in his hand reflected across the slanted floor, briefly illuminating the injured students below.
The light was far too dim.
Only vague outlines.
Overlapping bodies.
And flashes of blood that tightened the chest.
Rezvan still hadn't fully grasped how serious their situation truly was.
"Pak... can you move?"
Rafandra asked Pak Marta.
The driver still looked dazed.
But he tried to climb out of the driver's seat.
Rafandra immediately supported him before he slipped on the sloping floor.
"I... think so..."
Pak Marta answered after making sure he could still move.
"Pak... please help."
Rafandra spoke quietly.
But the weight behind his words was unmistakable.
Pak Marta froze for a moment.
Then he nodded immediately.
"Watch your footing."
"If you lose your balance, you'll slide down and make things worse."
Rafandra's voice remained calm but commanding as they carefully moved across the steep, slippery floor.
The closer they came...
the scene below struck Rezvan and Pak Marta like a blow of ice.
Their bodies stiffened.
Their breathing caught.
Cold sweat streamed down their temples.
Tears welled up before either of them realized it.
Below them...
there was only blood.
Injuries.
Bodies piled atop one another.
And panic that had nearly lost all form.
The brutal reality made their hearts seem to stop beating.
Rafandra glanced toward Rezvan.
The young teacher was trembling.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.
His complexion had turned ghostly pale.
His empty eyes stared at his fallen students below.
None of the people aboard the bus knew...
that while they were fighting for their lives...
thousands of kilometers away, the world itself had also begun to change.
What they believed was nothing more than a bizarre accident...
was only the beginning.