Xavier's gaze lingered on the lifeless woman, a fly settling on her nose, claiming its territory as if marking the scene for all who would come after. A shiver of disgust ran through him, but he couldn't shake the thoughts swirling in his mind as the bus hurtled onward.
His classmates, however, were less composed. Like a spark igniting a fire, the girls erupted into sharp, high-pitched screams, while the boys followed up with curses and loud outcries.
"Oh, shit! That's a freaking dead body!"
"It has no freaking eyes! This is disgusting!"
"Who the hell did such a thing! I can feel my stomach churning!"
"It looks like a female! Nasty!"
"And it's naked!"
"Fascinating!"
Xavier turned at the sound of that word, and so did others. A short freckled kid with round glasses, Derek, who had a knack for saying the wrong thing at the right moment, was gazing at the scene outside.
"Such a beautiful specimen!" Derek declared. "Look at the body's position, twisted in a macabre way, almost like a sculpted statue! If only I could take a closer look."
That was it—the bus erupted in chaos, Derek's commentary igniting a storm of reactions.
"Damn it, Derek! You messed up!"
"It looks like the beating you took last time didn't teach you anything!"
"What's this guy's deal?"
"Seeing a body isn't a cue to start rambling nonsense!"
"I bet this guy has some weird fascination!"
Angry rants and curses filled the air. Xavier frowned, shooting a sharp look at Derek. "Stop talking."
Derek, sensing his impending doom, managed a nervous chuckle and fell silent.
"Enough!" The teacher barked, jolting everyone into a hush.
In the sudden quiet, the teacher wiped sweat from his brow and turned to the bus driver. "We have to turn back. We can't go forward like this. We need to call the police—we can't leave her lying here."
The driver nodded, the engine rumbling to life, which did not sit well with the students.
"We can't just turn back!" Bella snapped, brimming with frustration. "We've come so far! We've endured days without stops, and now we have to go back and lose two more days?"
Her anger was palpable. "I've been using bushes and open roads for privacy, praying those creepy guys aren't watching!"
The girls rallied in agreement, voicing their shared complaints.
"Well said, sister!" Brian piped up, his face contorting in mock seriousness. "I swear, we didn't ogle. We only recorded it, and I was there to ensure the male representatives handled it wisely!"
The quip sent the bus into an uproar again, the females grimacing while the males erupted in laughter.
Xavier sighed, noting the tension rising between Bella and Brian. His instincts told him this was far from over.
"Oh boy!" he muttered. "And he doesn't even realize why he can't get her attention."
The teacher's frustration was palpable. "Enough!!" he shouted, silencing the room.
"This isn't up for debate!" he snarled. "We're heading back and that's final!"
He glanced at Bella. "And your hygiene issues? Not my concern! If you can't handle it and need to shower on the roadside, that's on you! Just remember, these boys will take any chance they get!"
"Damn right we will!" Brian hollered, and laughter followed, echoing with the reckless energy of youth.
Bella, cheeks flushed with fury, weighed her options and decided silence was her best weapon.
The teacher directed a fierce look towards Brian. "And don't even think about sharing or posting that video. You do, and you're looking at three months in the school cage!"
"Noted!" Brian replied, his voice dropping instantly.
"We move now!" the teacher commanded, and the driver nodded, hands tightening on the wheel.
But Derek, ever the wildcard, was about to interject again.
"Wait!" he said.
The teacher turned, eyebrow raised. "What now?"
"Um," Derek began, hesitating for a moment. "What if we don't need to leave?"
The teacher's interest piqued, but they were skeptical.
"I mean," Derek continued, nervous energy radiating, "I have white gloves in my bag. What if some guys put them on and we—"
What came next hung heavy in the air, pregnant with the promise of chaos or perhaps a desperate act of discovery. The anticipation crackled among them, and no one quite knew where the next turn would lead. Xavier's gaze lingered on the lifeless woman, a fly settling on her nose, claiming its territory as if marking the scene for all who would come after. A shiver of disgust ran through him, but he couldn't shake the thoughts swirling in his mind as the bus hurtled onward.
His classmates, however, were less composed. Like a spark igniting a fire, the girls erupted into sharp, high-pitched screams, while the boys followed up with curses and loud outcries.
"Oh, shit! That's a freaking dead body!"
"It has no freaking eyes! This is disgusting!"
"Who the hell did such a thing! I can feel my stomach churning!"
"It looks like a female! Nasty!"
"And it's naked!"
"Fascinating!"
Xavier turned at the sound of that word, and so did others. A short freckled kid with round glasses, Derek, who had a knack for saying the wrong thing at the right moment, was gazing at the scene outside.
"Such a beautiful specimen!" Derek declared. "Look at the body's position, twisted in a macabre way, almost like a sculpted statue! If only I could take a closer look."
That was it—the bus erupted in chaos, Derek's commentary igniting a storm of reactions.
"Damn it, Derek! You messed up!"
"It looks like the beating you took last time didn't teach you anything!"
"What's this guy's deal?"
"Seeing a body isn't a cue to start rambling nonsense!"
"I bet this guy has some weird fascination!"
Angry rants and curses filled the air. Xavier frowned, shooting a sharp look at Derek. "Stop talking."
Derek, sensing his impending doom, managed a nervous chuckle and fell silent.
"Enough!" The teacher barked, jolting everyone into a hush.
In the sudden quiet, the teacher wiped sweat from his brow and turned to the bus driver. "We have to turn back. We can't go forward like this. We need to call the police—we can't leave her lying here."
The driver nodded, the engine rumbling to life, which did not sit well with the students.
"We can't just turn back!" Bella snapped, brimming with frustration. "We've come so far! We've endured days without stops, and now we have to go back and lose two more days?"
Her anger was palpable. "I've been using bushes and open roads for privacy, praying those creepy guys aren't watching!"
The girls rallied in agreement, voicing their shared complaints.
"Well said, sister!" Brian piped up, his face contorting in mock seriousness. "I swear, we didn't ogle. We only recorded it, and I was there to ensure the male representatives handled it wisely!"
The quip sent the bus into an uproar again, the females grimacing while the males erupted in laughter.
Xavier sighed, noting the tension rising between Bella and Brian. His instincts told him this was far from over.
"Oh boy!" he muttered. "And he doesn't even realize why he can't get her attention."
The teacher's frustration was palpable. "Enough!!" he shouted, silencing the room.
"This isn't up for debate!" he snarled. "We're heading back and that's final!"
He glanced at Bella. "And your hygiene issues? Not my concern! If you can't handle it and need to shower on the roadside, that's on you! Just remember, these boys will take any chance they get!"
"Damn right we will!" Brian hollered, and laughter followed, echoing with the reckless energy of youth.
Bella, cheeks flushed with fury, weighed her options and decided silence was her best weapon.
The teacher directed a fierce look towards Brian. "And don't even think about sharing or posting that video. You do, and you're looking at three months in the school cage!"
"Noted!" Brian replied, his voice dropping instantly.
"We move now!" the teacher commanded, and the driver nodded, hands tightening on the wheel.
But Derek, ever the wildcard, was about to interject again.
"Wait!" he said.
The teacher turned, eyebrow raised. "What now?"
"Um," Derek began, hesitating for a moment. "What if we don't need to leave?"
The teacher's interest piqued, but they were skeptical.
"I mean," Derek continued, nervous energy radiating, "I have white gloves in my bag. What if some guys put them on and we—"
What came next hung heavy in the air, pregnant with the promise of chaos or perhaps a desperate act of discovery. The anticipation crackled among them, and no one quite knew where the next turn would lead.
"I mean," Derek began with a hint of enthusiasm, "I have white gloves in my bag. Some guys put them on, carry the body, and dump it by the side of the road. The way to the forest is deserted. Cars won't be coming here anytime soon."
"What about the gloves?" Xavier questioned, curiosity piquing.
"We keep them safe in the bus. Once we reach the forest, we'll dispose of it. No CCTV around here. We won't get caught."
"My goodness!" Dennis exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Derek actually said something sensible for the first time!"
The class collectively murmured in agreement, leaving Derek feeling a mix of embarrassment and newfound confidence.
The teacher paused, considering the possibilities. "That could actually work. Get the gloves!"
Derek quickly retrieved two pairs of gloves, his heart racing with the excitement of the unfolding plan.
"Okay," the teacher announced, surveying the students. "Who will be the good Samaritan and help carry the body out of the way?"
Silence filled the air, thick with tension.
The girls had retreated, nearly vanishing from sight, while the boys were desperately trying to follow suit.
"Why can't you do it?" someone finally asked, breaking the stillness.
"Because I'm the teacher," came the response, though it hung awkwardly in the air.
Xavier and Brian exchanged incredulous looks, marveling at the absurdity of the excuse.
"I can go," Derek suddenly offered, slicing through the awkwardness.
"No way," Brian shot back. "We don't want any female corpses bouncing around."
Then, almost defiantly, Xavier raised his hand. "I'll do it."
The teacher nodded, approving Xavier's boldness. "Good."
A collective sigh of relief swept through the students.
"Good luck, bro," Brian said, flashing a thumbs-up, though he couldn't shake the tension rising in his chest.
Xavier's expression remained unbothered, but he turned to Brian. "You're coming too."
Brian's grin faltered into confusion. "Why?"
"You don't come, I'll have to show your mum your search history."
"Damn it, Xavier! How heartless can you get!"
The gloves were handed over, and Xavier and Brian made their way off the bus. As they approached the body, Xavier grimaced at the decaying smell, the air thick with foreboding.
Gripping the body, Xavier recoiled as it began to jerk violently, making his heart race. It twitched and bounced with alarming force, gurgles escaping from its mouth.
"What's happening?" Brian yelled, panic rising in him as he stared wide-eyed.
Inside the bus, the students were transfixed, fear etched across their faces.
Suddenly, the blue tattoos began to glow a haunting yellow, the body convulsing as if something supernatural was at play. The dark holes of its eyes and the mouth now gleamed eerily yellow. An agonizing, guttural scream erupted, causing Xavier to flinch backwards.
The unshakable familiarity of the body's movements struck him—something was about to happen.
"Brian, run!" he shouted, adrenaline surging through him. "It's about to explode!" They raced toward the bus, urgency fueling their speed.
But it was too late.
With a final, loud groan, the body detonated. A blinding flash engulfed everything as an earth-shattering explosion cracked the road and shattered the sound barrier.
As the dust began to settle, an eerie stillness replaced the chaos.
The body was gone.
The bus had vanished.
The students were nowhere to be found.
And Xavier… was nowhere in sight.
Only one thing remained: an unsettling silence, pregnant with the anticipation of what had just transpired and what was yet to come.
A/N:
I kindly request your support for my narrative through the provision of gifts and power stones. Thank you for your consideration.