"Hurry up! We have to get out of here!" William shouted hoarsely, gasping for breath. Sweat drenched his face.
The students scattered back to the bus, some screaming hysterically, others frozen in shock.
Raven pulled Hana's arm, who was about to fall due to the pressure. "Don't just stand there, come on!" she hissed hoarsely.
Her mind was chaotic, haunted by strange dreams and the shadows she had seen earlier. Everyone was pushing each other, trying to get on the bus.
The first bus was immediately taken over by one of the senior lecturers. His trembling hand turned the key, and the engine roared loudly.
Outside, the fog grew thicker, swallowing the sound of their footsteps. Through the white mist, Raven caught a glimpse of human silhouettes. They stood tall, clad in tattered clothes that looked ancient. Cold metal glinted in their hands.
There were many of them... but three of them clearly stood out. The way they stood, their aura... made Raven's hair stand on end.
Who were they...?
"Raven! Get in!" William's voice broke his reverie. He and Hana immediately ran into the second bus.
CRACK!
The door slammed shut. The engine roared, the bus began to reverse, its wheels crushing the wet ground.
Raven looked out the window. The shadows were now moving slowly, then running.
"Turn around! Quickly!" William ordered from the front seat. The driver of the second bus gripped the steering wheel tightly, forcing the large vehicle to turn around on the wet dirt road. The tires screeched against the mud.
The first bus was already speeding away. Raven's bus followed, keeping its distance.
For a moment, it seemed as if they had managed to escape, until a panicked scream came from one of the students on the second bus.
"Those shadows... they're people! They're chasing us!"
"What the hell are they?!" replied another, his voice trembling.
Raven sharpened his gaze into the fog. The figure appeared faintly in front of the group, running lightly, but every movement exuded brutal strength.
His body was stocky, his muscles taut, and on his back was tied a long spear that looked as if it was born to kill.
In one swift motion, the figure pulled out the spear. A sharp chill spread, piercing the skin like blades of ice. Even from this distance, Raven could somehow feel it.
"DODGEEEE!" Raven shouted with all his might.
The driver instinctively slammed the steering wheel to the side. The tires screeched loudly on the ground. And at that very moment....
SWOOOSHHH!!!
An incredibly strong gust of wind passed by. The spear shot through the fog at a terrifying speed, like a flash of lightning that left only a whistling sound in the air. The weapon passed so close to the side of Raven's bus that the glass shook violently, leaving a trail of pressure in the air before piercing forward.
CRAASSHH!!!
The spear hit the first bus. The rear window shattered, and panicked screams erupted inside the cabin. The weapon continued forward until it pierced the chest of the coach holding the steering wheel. The bus shook wildly, the steering wheel locked by the body hanging there. The screams grew crazier, mixed with the clanging of scattered metal and glass. The tires hit a rock, bouncing hard, and the bus slid wildly, out of control.
"BRAKES! BRAKES!!!" someone screamed desperately, to no avail.
The first bus continued to speed out of control, swaying wildly like a wild animal that had lost its way. From a distance, only the sound of metal screeching and screams could be heard faintly through the fog. Then, in an instant, the large vehicle broke through the wall of white fog and disappeared from view.
A few seconds of silence passed.
Then....
DUUUUMMM!!!
The explosion and the clang of metal hit the air. The tremors were felt all the way to the ground where the second bus stopped. From behind the fog, the light of the fire was dim, indicating one thing: that the first bus had fallen into the ravine and hit the bottom of the valley below.
The second bus, which was not far behind, suddenly swerved sharply. The driver's face was pale, his hands gripping the steering wheel in panic. He slammed on the brakes with all his might, the wheels grinding on the wet ground, throwing the students to one side. The cabin was once again filled with screams.
The bus spun slightly, bouncing on the slippery road, then the driver slammed on the gas pedal again. The vehicle sped off in the opposite direction away from the ravine, entering a narrow path flanked by dense trees.
Behind them, the mysterious figures that had been chasing them began to fade, swallowed by the thickening fog. But Raven knew... it wasn't because they had given up.
The bus had simply left them behind for the moment.
When the wheels stabilized, silence fell. Only the sound of the engine and heavy breathing filled the air. In the front seat, Mr. William sat stiffly, staring blankly at the road obscured by fog.
Raven turned toward the cliff they had just avoided. Her breath was slow, but cold. This wasn't an accident. They attacked us.
"...Are they... human?" Karin's voice broke, hoarse and trembling, shattering the suffocating silence.
The whisper was like a spark that ignited other voices. The panicked discussion turned into screams. They talked about spears being thrown at abnormal speeds, about the first bus falling into the ravine and crashing.
"GOD..." Lisa bowed her head, her face pale.
Kyle, next to Raven, trembled violently, his hands clutching his head as he muttered repeatedly,
"What happened... what..." His body folded, like a child who had lost his way.
Hana suddenly fell into her seat, limp, her eyes blank as if refusing to believe. Raven glanced at her and could feel the coldness emanating from the girl's body.
In the corner, Kevin shook his own shoulders, his mutterings broken,
"I... I don't want to die... I don't want to die..." Tears flowed without him realizing it.
Theo, the class president and the person everyone hoped would remain calm, stood with trembling hands. He tried to calm them down, but his lips were pale, his body shaking uncontrollably.
Raven took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. Slowly, she turned to look at the rearview mirror and saw that there was only fog and trees behind them.
It seemed safe... they weren't following us anymore, she thought, even though her own voice sounded doubtful.
"Drive! Keep driving!!!" William suddenly shouted. His voice cracked, piercing the cabin that was still filled with panic.
The driver, who had been trembling all this time, immediately obeyed, pressing the gas pedal hard. The engine roared ferociously, the wheels crushing the muddy ground, causing the entire bus to shake violently.
Next to William, the female guide just sat frozen. Her gaze was blank, staring through the fog, her lips trembling as if her brain was unable to accept the reality they had just gone through.
But panic overcame logic. The road was narrow, slippery, and covered in thick fog. The driver, in a state of panic, turned the steering wheel too hard.
CRASH!!!
The front of the bus hit a large tree. The violent impact reverberated throughout the cabin. The students' bodies were thrown forward, crashing into seats and walls. The window glass shattered, its shards flying like sharp rain.
"AAARGHHH!!" Hysterical screams filled the air.
Someone screamed loudly, their voice breaking with horror.
"THE DRIVER!! HE... HE'S DEAD!!"
"DON'T LOOK UP FRONT... PLEASE, DON'T LOOK!"
"OMG, THERE'S SO MUCH BLOOD!!"
All eyes turned and the second nightmare quickly came true without giving them a moment's rest.
The old driver was crushed in the driver's seat, his body pinned to the steering wheel, his chest torn open, blood gushing out and soaking the dashboard.
Some students immediately vomited on the spot, unable to bear the sight, while others cried hysterically, their bodies shaking violently.
Meanwhile, several others suffered lacerations and bruises from the impact, but at least they were still alive.