Chapter 1: The Crash
"~Static~conflict in Terraf contin~Static~wait... we are receiving word that the leader of Ter~Static~~~~"
"O' Gah damn it!" grumbled the old bus driver.
Leaning forward he started banging his shaky weathered hand on the top of the radio. He continued grumbling and cursing under his breath as he attempted to 'fix' the radio.
It continued to produce nothing but the crackling sounds of static.
A sound that invaded the quiet sounds of pitter patter of rain against the bus windows. Reaching the ears of the silent passengers onboard. Creating an annoying crescendo of buzzing and tapping.
"Hey dumbass can you shut that thing up? It's annoying as shit!" demanded a snarky voice behind the driver.
Looking back in his rear view mirror, the old man glanced back at the man leaning into the center aisle to glare at him with piercing pale blue eyes. The man looked like he was somewhere in his mid to late 20s with clear, light tan skin. He had wavy, shoulder length blonde hair and sharp angled facial features.
Sighing the old man reluctantly switched off the radio. He didn't want to cause any commotions while driving through a storm. Especially not when the route the bus was currently on had a sheer cliff drop to the left of the bus.
"Geez finally!", exclaimed the man, "Your hearing going out or something old man? Hahaha!", he mocked.
The old man ignored him and instead decided to check on the other passengers through his mirror. Everything seemed normal. The couple and their 6 year old daughter a couple seats back, on the right side of the aisle, were asleep, with the daughter sitting in the father's lap resting her head against his chest. A younger couple with darker skin tones were cuddled together watching a movie on their PED. A very large and muscular young man in a grey sweatshirt was looking out his window from the middle seat on the left aisle. Two soldiers in their fatigues were sitting near the back talking quietly with each other. The two older women sitting across from the soldiers were giggling with one another while stealing glances at the soldiers. Two college age girls, one quite small with short blonde hair and the other looking the opposite tall with piercings and red hair with buzzed sides, sitting together chatting. A young person with raven black hair and a leather jacket was currently sitting upside down in his seat with his boots against the window chewing on some gum. And the lone young woman sitting behind him with a red hoodie and jeans, the hood was up obscuring her face.
However, the old man took notice of one passenger. A young man wearing an oversized black hoodie, dark jeans, and sneakers that were one size too big. He was unusually still almost like a statue, and the old man couldn't tell if the boy was asleep or simply looking out the window. The old man couldn't put his finger on it but he just felt...off. This feeling sent a chill down his spine. Looking away he turned his full attention back to the road as a loud crack sounded through the air and a bright flash of light lit up the night sky, illuminating the tops of the trees of the forest below the cliffside road.
The young man sitting in the back awoke with a jolt as he began panting heavily. He brought his hand to his face beneath the hood and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and pointer finger. He looked around taking in his surroundings and slowed his breathing. Calming down.
Sigh. "Good, it was just a dream.", he whispered to himself in relief. Suddenly a shiver ran down his spine and he froze in place facing the back of the seat in front of him.
He felt his hands and fingers instinctively beginning to flex. He felt his senses heighten. He felt his heartbeat increase. And he especially felt the unseen eyes that were watching him, causing this sudden fight or flight reaction.
'Calm down! It's probably nothing. There doesn't need to be a scene!', he ordered inside his head. But he was already beginning to look into the direction of the prying eyes. Fully turning around in his seat he tensed his muscles and faced the source of his turmoil. Staring back at him was the small girl sleeping in her father's lap a couple seats ahead. Well she wasn't asleep anymore as she stared at him curiously, innocently. His muscles immediately relaxed and he realized he was baring his teeth, quickly uncurling his lips. Now knowing that he wasn't in danger he slid back into his seat, looked up at the ceiling and let out a shaky breath. He then looked back at the child who was still staring intently at him. Feeling awkward he gave her a small smile to which she shyly tucked herself closer to her father.
The young man scooted back over to the window of the bus and looked out into the pitch black of the night. Every once and awhile the sky would be illuminated by the bright flash of lightning followed by the distant rumble of thunder. Mesmerized by the tapping of the rain against his window he lightly pressed his head against the glass. It was cold and felt good against his skin. So he let his hood down slightly to press his face against it more.
Doing so revealed a relatively handsome young man with dark olive colored skin, a mess of dark black hair with thin streaks of white running through it, and a pair of maroon eyes that almost seemed to glow red in the flashes of light from outside. This however didn't reveal the series of scars that circled around his neck. Or the lean muscular body underneath.
He closed his eyes and focused on the cool feeling of glass, 'Geez...you're such an idiot. Why do you have to jump at everything? Can't you just be normal for once?', he scolded with resentment.
THUMP.
His eyes shot open wide as the whole bus jolted suddenly. Someone in the bus let out a yelp in surprise. 'What the fu-', his thoughts were cut short as there was another THUMP.
"EVERYONE!! HOLD ON TO SOMETHING!", yelled the bus driver.
People began screaming and shouting, and a young child could be heard wailing.
One of the soldiers stood up with a look of confidence like he was about to help fix the situation, "What the hel-", he started before there was another THUMP followed by a scream of pain as the soldier bit his tongue clean in half. Blood started spewing from his mouth as looked on in shock at his tongue laying on the floor.
But before anyone could fully process the horrific scene unravelling before them the air was filled with a loud POP followed by an exclamatory screeching sound of metal on asphalt! This was quickly followed by a violent impact with the road's metal cliff railing. As this happened the soldier was violently swung to the left side of the bus into the window with a loud shattering sound.
The young man looked to the front of the bus at the driver trying to regain control of the steering wheel. He watched as the front of the bus jerked up slamming the old man into the ceiling accompanied by a wet crunch. The old man fell back down into his seat and slid to the floor, unmoving. The young man watched as the bus then lost full control and bucked up once again against the metal barriers.
He watched in disbelief as the barriers gave, bending against the force of the bus before snapping and releasing the bus to continue its path forward. And for a brief, delusional, second he thought that maybe the barriers had done their job. That they had succeeded in stopping the bus. That there was a chance for him. That hope was sadistically snatched from him when he felt his body go weightless and start rising from the seat. He recognized this sensation and with it the familiar feeling of panic that came with a sudden freefall without an air-floater. The bus had gone over the cliff and had begun falling towards the forest tree tops hundreds of feet below.
Realizing this he felt the cold sting of tears springing forth. He focused on their warmth as they lifted from his cheeks into the air. Through his blurred vision he looked forward through the front window of the bus into the darkness beyond. Its infinite black void giving no warning of their impending impact with the ground or how close they were to it.
Looking one last time around him at the other passengers time seemed to come to brief halt. And as he looked at the father and mother holding their crying child, the lone soldier bracing himself, the person in all black and leather huddled under their seat, the bloody visage of the other soldier with his head through the window a seat ahead of him, the large man pulling the two college girls into a protective embrace, the stagnant body of the bus driver, the young couple, the unnerving familiar blonde man, the two older women, and the girl in red, one thought entered his mind.
"I'm sorry...I didn't make it like you wanted.", he apologized.
And as a flash of lightning gave his sight clearance to the tree tops quickly approaching his muscles tensed. Then with a crescendo of screams, a sickening crunchy pop, a sharp pain, and a violent jerk forward the young man was engulfed in darkness.