Chapter 4: Zion

12:34pm. With a deep frown pasted in my face and my fringe hanging down covering the side of my face as I wear a black mask and the face shield. Coupled with a gloomy aura hovering above my head and the dark silent night, I walk out of the bus.

I am the only one left, the last passenger at the last stop. Lifting my arm to look at the time, "12:38" I whispered. I look up and see the dark night sky, it is already deep within the night and I'm still yet to come home.

I walk carefully, since my eyesight kind of blurry. I haven't had time to have them check and buy an eye glasses, so I have to be careful.

I look around as I walk. Actually, I wanted to run and immediately get home. But I'm scared of getting into an accident. What I had witnessed earlier really terrified me.

"...shit...going out is really scary!" I said so to myself.

I don't want to remember what happened, but as I go further and walk towards the dark alley. I can't help but recall what happened there.

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8:34 pm

An hour later and our bus was still stuck in its place. The passengers were already restless and some of them already went out to look at the situation themselves. I wanted to get out too, but I'm afraid that once I get off the bus, I won't be able to find my way again. And that's really bad.

I heard some people who went out, telling stories in an excited state. Others speak out hinting their own trepidation, some were feeling nervous and impatient.

Me, I feel like I am isolated from all this chaos. A bystander, like I have nothing to do with any of this. I just waited here in my seat, listening to all their conversation. But of course, I'm also anxious.

They said it was bad. Really, really bad. The time the train went off its tracks, crashed and fell down was at rush hour. Although there's still the pandemic, the trains were still full.

The weird thing is, according to them. The train was in full speed when it crashed, that's why it went flying down the highway.

It happened before; I don't know when. I don't usually watch TV, but I saw a glimpse of it years ago. I don't know if it was the same train and the same location but the train almost went flying then too. But because the speed was well maintained, it just dangled at the edge and it didn't fall.

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However, the situation today was different from then. The train was at its full speed. Though it was an old train, it was still well maintained.

They don't know the exact situation, but they said that many people died. Of course, who wouldn't die in that kind of accident. But I wonder if it was really an accident?

Many people thought of that too. The passengers said many conspiracies and all of them were very interesting.

Some said that it was a terrorist attack, others said it was a malfunction and it was the government's fault that it happened. And there's this very imaginative guy in front of my seat. He seems to have been suffering from chuunibyou and seems to be in a severe state. The voice sounded deep but it hinted at his childishness and immaturity.

He said that maybe some supernaturals were fighting somewhere and this was the result. He even went on giving some examples, those people with esp or those creatures of the night. He has so many interesting and fun theories that I hope that it was true as well. Many otakus really hope for them to exist, and I'm one of those that was expecting.

But that was before. I already bid my chuunibyou days a bye-bye and I don't want to remember those dark histories ever again. Who wanted their shameful past to be dug out? It's embarrassing and that's the reason why I refuse to see my old classmates from high school again. They know that dark history and I don't want to dig them up again.

So, well, time passed and I was still on the bus. I slept a little bit since I can't help it anymore. I'm tired. I woke up when I felt the bus suddenly move.

It was exactly 10:08pm when that happened. When I saw the time back then, I really wanted to curse out loud. I got on the bus approximately at 6:00 and managed to ride until we stopped at this part at 7:30. And looked at what's the time now. It was fucking 10pm!

I almost cussed out, but then I felt my phone vibrate. I took it and it seems that my parents have been calling me since before. But I'm sleeping, so I didn't manage to answer them.

I'm sure they're worried sick right now. This friggin’ event was sure to be on TV live.

So, I answered the phone.

"...hello."

["Where are you now?"]

It was papa. Sure enough, his voice sounded angry, it was firm and deep. I felt nervous when I heard his inquiry. I didn't answer immediately but I hummed as I looked out of the window wondering where I am now.

But when I saw nothing of the sort, like a sign or something that could tell my exact location, I just gave up and told papa that I was still on the bus.

["When do you think you can come home?"] He asked. He really did seem quite worried. But I don't know what to say. The bus was driving slowly and we stopped every minute.

"I don't know. The traffic won't subside, because of the train accident ahead. The bus I'm riding still has yet to pass that area."

When I said that, papa went silent. I didn't hear anything at the other end.

["I see. I go home immediately after. Be safe"] he said after a while. Then he ended the call, not even waiting for my reply.

I sighed as I hid my phone in my pocket again. The same as always, I thought. Papa is always awkward and speaks out little words as possible. He was the complete opposite of mama, who likes to gossip everyday with our neighbors.

The clock almost turned 11 when we reached the scene of the accident. The passengers all slept the entire way, but they woke up when we were almost there.

Murmurs went back again and it was getting louder and louder as the bus went closer and closer towards the location of the wreckage. However, when our bus reached that point, everyone went silent.

I don't know if I could count it as good luck but our bus stopped in the middle of the accident.

I felt cold and a chill penetrated my bones. My eyes looked outside the window. I don't know what to feel. I don't know what to think.

I saw someone getting hit by a motorcycle two times now. But I didn't feel anything. I just thought that outside of our house is full of danger and accidents can happen anytime. I always feel detached, like it doesn't have anything to do with me. But this time, it was different.

I can't move my body, like I was frozen in place. My eyes, which could only see blurry things far away, were looking around. I felt goosebumps around my arms, and somehow cold sweat continuously trail and wet my mask.

It was a scene of death.

People were running everywhere. Alarming sounds of ambulances and police cars could be heard everywhere, even inside the bus. It echoes, reverberating on all four sides of the bus, making everyone more nervous.

Passengers cursed, some gasped in disbelief and some just stayed quiet. Many took out their phones to film and took pictures of what's happening outside.

I did too. With cold hands and trembling fingers, I took a single photo.

It took my everything just to take that one.

It was truly a traumatizing, nerve wracking and fear jerking scene of horror.

I thought I would never get a chance to see face off thriller movies. Never would I have expected to witness such a scene all my life.

And it was the day I first went out after two years.