“Thomas! Are you listening to me?”
“Huh?” I asked, turning to the girl in the neighbouring bus seat. Aimy shook her long auburn hair. Her freckle blemished cheeks puffed at my response. The shimmer of annoyance in her hazel eyes was cute.
“Did you hear a word I said?” She asked.
“Nope.” I had to chuckle at the way she pouted her full red lips together.
Aimy and I had been friends for as long as I could remember. From growing up in the same village, to sticking together throughout the education system, then making it all the way to university. It came as quite the shock to both of us, upon receiving an unconditional offer on the same course. Especially for me as I barely scraped by on the subjects.
“I was talking about the trip. How-”
“How could you not listen to such a beautiful voice?” Sly, silky, and sliding in uninvited, Saxon Amore hovered in the aisle, sending Aimy a veneered smile in the desperate hope she’d swoon into his arms. At that moment, I wished I was the one sitting beneath him as it gave me a straight shot at punching his sharp jaw.
If there was one thing I had to praise the guy on, it was his determination. Aimy had constantly shot down his advances but each time he would bounce back and try again. There was one time when he got rather pushy about the subject and I stepped in. I had heard the story about his recent bed warmer and wasn’t about to let him get too full of himself. Though I had to be careful not to lose my patience as the university did not take kindly to violent altercations. He still persisted, albeit cautiously.
Neither of us answered him. Opting instead to stare and let the awkwardness stretch out.
“What were you saying, Aimy?” I asked, holding back my amusement when Saxon’s lips twitched.
“I was talking about- Oh, hi Saxon.” Aimy smiled, not hesitating to participate.
“Something funny, Carmile?” Saxon sneered. I shook my head whilst maintaining his gaze.
“Why don’t you come with me? Have a real conversation,” An excessive amount of aftershave seared its way through my nostrils. Aimy must have had it worse being only millimetres from the source.
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“Playing ‘Guess who I gave an STI to?’ Rather easy.” I got up slowly and looked around the bus as though trying to pick someone out. The way his face brightened and his scowl deepened was among one of the great joys in life. Aimy had to hold her mouth shut lest she burst into laughter.
“Listen Carmile-” Saxon lurched forward. At the same time, my body was thrown backwards. My head smashed against the window causing specs of light to burst into my vision along with an overwhelming explosion of pain. I didn’t get the chance to pull myself up. Two extra weights crushed onto me; Aimy on my lower half, Saxon on my upper half.
Screeching tires drowned out my cries as the bus swivelled with a violent jerk. Aimy and Saxon were dragged from me by an invisible force with the rear end of the vehicle thrown to one side. Then it swerved again in a vain attempt to right itself but with the shifting weight of the bus and everyone inside the sudden jolt was too much for the vehicle to stabilise. The wheels fought for traction and the grating of rubber on concrete fused with terrified screams. Even the crunch of metal as it came down with a harsh crash drowned the pleas from the bus’s interior.
In one moment, the bus was upright. The next, every soul was crushed to the tarmac. Splinters of metal and glass tore into flesh like a wolf pack on a lone deer. Ruthless, unrelenting pain seared at my nerves, scorching them with blunt and piercing torture. I lost all meaning of time as the next seconds were an agonising eternity. My head cracked against a seat, rattling my brain and taking my vision. It was clear that the connection split my skin as blood ran into my eyes, staining the world a deep crimson. I felt every bruise form and every cut open as the bus skidded against the uneven road. My body slumped to the ground, dragged along by the metal carapace with shards of glass and specks of concrete fighting for a way to dig into my body. Everything in me begged for it to end, knowing that my tears were being washed away with the blood.
But it wasn’t until the bus grinded to a halt and the adrenaline drained away like water down a sink that every nerve in my body lit up like fireworks on new years eve. They singed, they burned and worst of all, it wasn’t just me. If I thought the screams of my classmates were terrifying, I was not prepared for what came next. An orchestra of pain riddled moans erupted into a damned symphony, wailing a desperate song. Aimy had to be in there somewhere. Amongst the cacophony of fear.
I laid there for moments, forcing whatever sound I could to tear out of my throat, but threads of overwhelming dread sank deep into my lungs and held onto the words in tight vice. I couldn't call for my friend to check if she was still alive.
I had to leave. To get out and find help. Yet my body wouldn't comply. Moving my head caused a surge of blinding pain to wreak havoc on my spine. Any chance at shuffling my legs was null and void as they refused to respond. Reality sunk in deep in those moments. There was nothing I could do. Nothing but accept the encroaching darkness around my eyes. I could not fight it. Nor did I wish to any longer.
An emptiness that promised an escape from the pain swept along the borders of my mind. A way to be free from the excruciating torment my body was going through. I needed that more than anything.
Soon the darkness engulfed me, and I succumbed to it. My will to fight sapped away with the fleeting energy and my breath went with it.