Outside, William stood with several other counselors, his face tense, trying to make sense of a situation that felt increasingly strange. Thick fog hung low, slowly engulfing their view.
"So... what exactly is happening here?" The voice of a senior counselor broke, sounding hoarse with anxiety.
"We have to figure out where we are first. Maybe... we can ask someone nearby? Who knows, maybe there are residents passing by," said one counselor hesitantly.
"Ask who?" replied another counselor quickly, almost as if holding back panic.
He looked around at the seemingly endless expanse of grass, the thick fog hanging low like a curtain covering the horizon.
"Look for yourself. There are no houses, no roads... not even trees are visible from here. And this fog," he waved his hand in the air, the fog seemed to swallow the light.
"Visibility is only a few meters. We don't even know if there are people around here."
William didn't answer. His face was stiff, his eyes blankly staring at the ground. What was really happening now? he thought, his brain trying to untangle this nonsensical mess.
Not far from them, the two bus drivers stood leaning against their respective vehicles. One of them lit a cigarette, exhaling smoke as if it could dispel his anxiety.
Just as he exhaled, his eyes fixed on a faint shadow, moving slowly behind the fog.
The first driver's eyebrows furrowed. "There's someone...?" he muttered softly, then without thinking, he stepped forward, his cigarette falling to the ground.
"Hey! Where are you going?!" The second driver spontaneously held him back, his voice tense.
"There's someone there. Maybe he can tell us where we are," replied the first driver as he continued walking.
The second driver bit his lip, anxious. "Wait! Tell the supervisors first!" he shouted, but it was useless as the first driver's steps quickened, cutting through the fog toward the faint silhouette.
The supervisors, who were still discussing, finally noticed the movement.
"Eh... where is he going?" asked one of the supervisors cautiously, his eyes following the figure of the driver who was slowly walking away from the group.
The second driver hurriedly pointed ahead. "He said there's someone there, sir! He's going there to ask about our current position!"
Reflexively, everyone turned their heads. And sure enough, in the distance, there was a human shadow, standing motionless, as if waiting behind the fog.
William, who had been staring at the fog in the distance, suddenly turned his head when he heard the commotion coming from the second bus. His brow immediately furrowed. Without thinking twice, he asked the female guide again and signaled her to immediately check the situation there.
The guide nodded quickly, then hurried towards the second bus. However, before she reached the bus door, Karin and Lisa had already gotten out, their faces pale and panicked.
"What's wrong?!" asked the guide, surprised to see their expressions.
Karin immediately approached, her voice hurried, almost breathless. "Ma'am... Raven! She....she screamed! Just now... suddenly!"
Lisa nodded quickly, adding anxiously, "We don't know what happened either... she seemed fine before!"
The supervisor wasted no time. "Then let's go check on her!" she exclaimed, and the three of them immediately returned to the bus in a hurry.
The news reached some of the students on the first bus. Whispers immediately spread, creating a small commotion.
"Seriously? Someone screamed?"
"On bus two, they said."
"Crazy! We just got here, and already something weird is happening."
"He must be out of his mind."
"Hahaha, maybe he can't handle long walks."
"So dramatic!"
Some of them held back their laughter, thinking it was a joke.
Carl, who was sitting near the window, heard it all. But his eyes were not focused on the gossiping crowd. He stared out the window, at the figure of the first driver who continued to walk into the fog.
The man's steps were firm, getting farther and farther away... until his shadow began to merge with the thick white that swallowed everything.
Shortly after that, the bus door opened with a creaking sound. Karin and Lisa returned in a hurry, followed by the female counselor William had sent earlier. Both of them were panting, their faces tense and pale.
"Where is he?" asked the counselor quickly, her eyes immediately scanning the bus. As soon as she saw Raven sitting limply in his seat, she immediately approached him.
Raven was still holding her head, her body trembling slightly. Her breathing was heavy, cold sweat running down her temples and neck. Since waking up from that dream, the world felt chaotic. Dizziness pierced her head as if the entire space was spinning out of control.
He couldn't hear anything not the voices of his friends, not the coach's voice, not even the commotion around him. All he could hear was his own heartbeat, pounding loudly, irregularly, like the drums of war.
"Raven! Can you hear me?" The coach crouched in front of her, looking at her with concern.
There was no answer. Raven's eyes were blank, as if she were staring at something invisible. Behind that gaze, her mind was still trapped in the shadow of a dream that felt too real: the warm smile of that woman, the flowing blood, and the suffocating feeling of loss.
Hana, Kyle, and Lisa stood nearby, trying to calm him down even though their own hands were trembling. Their faces were pale, afraid that something would happen again.
Several minutes passed. Slowly, Raven's breathing began to steady. His body relaxed a little, though his face was still tense. Seeing this, Hana breathed a sigh of relief and so did the others.
At least... for now, she seemed calmer.
However, that calm did not last long. Without a word, Raven suddenly stood up. Her movements were stiff, her eyes staring blankly like someone who had just lost their way.
"Raven? Where are you going?" Kyle immediately stood up, trying to stop her, but Raven kept walking.
"Raven?" Hana called softly.
Her friends exchanged glances, confused and worried. Her behavior was strange, as if something was calling her from outside.
In the back seats, several students began whispering to each other.
"What's wrong with her? Is she possessed or something?"
"Or... is she just seeking attention?" One of them chuckled softly.
The whisper did not escape Hana and the others' ears. Instantly, sharp glances pierced from their eyes, glances that were enough to silence the other students and make them look down, not daring to say anything else.
Raven continued to walk out, without looking back even once, leaving behind a silence filled with questions.
The female supervisor reflexively stepped forward, intending to stop Raven who had suddenly gotten off the bus. However, before she could do anything, a voice was heard from inside.
"Ma'am... actually, what happened? Why did our bus stop suddenly?"
The voice came from a student who stood upright with his hand raised. All eyes immediately turned to him.
Theo...
Their class president. He looked neat as usual in his perfectly folded uniform, his black hair neatly combed with a short cut that gave him a stern look. His eyes were dark brown, shining softly in the dim light from the bus window. He had a warm yet authoritative aura that made people naturally trust him.
Since earlier, Theo had been sitting quietly, watching intently. He didn't really care about Raven suddenly acting strange. What bothered him more was the situation outside: thick fog, unfamiliar forests, and roads that were no longer visible.
The guide was silent, confused about what to say. His lips parted, but no words came out. What could he explain when he himself didn't know where they were?
The atmosphere in the bus suddenly felt heavy. Several other students looked out the window, trying to find their own answers. Hana, Kyle, Lisa, and Karin also began to peer outside, staring at the thick fog hanging behind the glass.
Some of the other children, who had been sitting quietly, could no longer stand it. They stood up, opened the emergency door, and stepped out despite the guide's hurried warnings.