Chapter 010: Leaving the Bus
Rafandra's words began to shake the belief that they were still inside a safe zone.
Creak... creak... creak...
Metal squealed.
The sound seeped into their bones, tormenting the nerves of everyone who heard it.
The bus rocked.
Slowly, but unmistakably.
The vibrations could no longer be ignored.
The ground outside was unstable.
But no one knew why.
Their minds—so accustomed to navigating the logical world of modern civilization—felt as though they had lost their map.
Where were they?
How had they ended up here?
No one could even begin to guess.
Faintly, somewhere far beyond the darkness, distant howls and roars still echoed.
Weak...
Yet undeniably threatening.
What should we do now?
That question silently occupied the minds of everyone still alive inside the bus.
Only a few minutes had passed since they entered this place...
...and two of them were already dead.
Rezvan finally spoke.
"Everyone... Pak Marta... Rafandra is right. And so are all of you."
"For now, it seems we're safe inside the bus."
"But outside..."
"We don't know."
"We can only hear sounds and feel the vibrations..."
"...but the truth is, none of us understands what's happening."
His voice was heavy, yet steady.
As though he were trying to protect them through his tone alone.
As students always did when their teacher spoke...
...they listened.
Not because they were calm.
But because years of classroom discipline had conditioned them to.
Now, they desperately searched for something solid to stand on amid collapsing logic.
"Rescue..."
"Yes, we're all hoping for it."
"But how long will that take?"
"And meanwhile..."
"...your friend Gilang needs real treatment."
"He can't stay like this."
Damar tightened his grip around Gilang's body, as though holding him tightly could somehow keep him alive.
Nearby, Dina bit her lip.
Silent tears streamed down her cheeks.
The metallic smell of blood continued filling the air.
Growing thicker.
Clinging to everything.
Rotting inside their noses.
Hic... hic...
Soft sobs finally broke through.
Quiet.
Suppressed.
Yet spreading like fire beneath dry grass.
One became several.
The emotions they had been holding back finally burst free.
"I want to go home..."
Dina's voice was hoarse.
Barely audible.
But everything she'd bottled up finally exploded.
"I want to go home!"
"I shouldn't be here!"
"This..."
"This isn't where I belong!"
"You think you're the only one feeling that way?!"
Ardi snapped.
"You girls are always blaming everyone else!"
"What does being a girl have to do with any of this?!"
Dina shot back angrily.
"I'm just being honest about how I feel!"
"Do you want to stay here forever?!"
"If that's what you want, then go outside!"
"Go have a chat with whatever that thing is that dragged us into this!"
"Ardi, why are you making this about gender?"
Kirana cut in sharply.
"Are we the only ones crying?"
"You guys are scared too!"
"We're crying..."
"...but we're not whining like you!"
"So what?!"
Kirana's voice instantly rose.
There were only three girls among the thirty-six students in the class...
...and she was by far the fiercest.
"ENOUGH!!"
Rezvan's voice exploded through the argument.
Not out of anger—
But from desperation...
...and a burden of responsibility far too heavy for one person to bear.
Everyone flinched.
Silence immediately followed.
They stared at him with pleading expressions.
"You're vocational high school students."
"Not kindergarten children."
"Stop this pointless argument!"
Seeing they were listening again, Rezvan continued.
"Look around you."
"Think about what's happening right in front of us."
"Gilang..."
"Danang..."
"Rama..."
"All three of them are unconscious."
"We don't even know how serious their conditions are."
"And Gilang..."
"Look."
"His leg is still bleeding."
"Are they supposed to wait while we keep arguing in circles?"
The bus fell silent again.
Not peaceful—
Oppressively tense.
Pak Marta spoke softly from the driver's area.
"But, Sir..."
"If we go outside now..."
"...even though we don't know what's really out there..."
"...whatever tossed this bus around wasn't some shared hallucination."
"It was real."
Several students nodded.
Others simply stared blankly.
Rafandra clenched his fists.
"I know."
"I understand."
"We all felt it."
"The blood on our bodies."
"The pain."
"It's real."
"But at the very least..."
"...we have to try."
"Waiting for rescue that may never come isn't a guaranteed solution."
"We have to do something ourselves."
They remained silent.
Not because they agreed.
Nor because they disagreed.
Rezvan spoke again.
"What if we first check outside?"
Still...
No answer.
Only heavy breathing...
The soft scrape of clothing against twisted metal...
And the faint squealing from outside.
Creak...
Creak...
The bus continued rocking gently.
Still tilted.
Still unstable.
"Check outside?"
Ardi whispered.
"You mean..."
"...seriously, Sir?"
"Look at them."
Rafandra pointed toward Gilang, Danang, and Rama.
"If we don't act now..."
"...it may already be too late."
"We don't know how much time they have left."
"And if we open the door..."
"...and that creature is waiting?"
Nendra interrupted.
His voice was firm.
Yet his hands shook in his lap.
"Do you want all of us to die?"
Rezvan held back his emotions.
He knew those words weren't meant as an attack.
They were spoken out of fear.
"Then what do you want?"
"Stay here?"
"For how long?"
"Are you sure this bus will keep holding together?!"
Rafandra was beginning to lose his composure.
"Stop yelling at us!"
Damar shouted back.
"We're not cowards!"
"But we're not idiots either!"
"We have no idea what's out there, Mister!"
The atmosphere grew even hotter.
"Hey..."
A quiet voice interrupted.
It was Indah.
Soft...
Yet clearly heard in the tense silence.
"I know we're all scared..."
"But..."
"If we just stay here..."
"...isn't that the same as waiting to die?"
Several heads turned.
No one expected those words to come from Indah—
One of only three girls aboard the bus.
Her tone wasn't dramatic.
If anything...
It was the most realistic thing anyone had said.
"I'm not saying we should all go outside,"
she continued quietly.
"But..."
"If everyone keeps waiting for someone else to take the risk..."
"...then who's actually going to move?"
No one answered.
Pak Marta, who had remained quiet until now, finally spoke.
"If someone has to go..."
"...don't go alone."
"At least two people."
"So they can watch each other's backs."
Rafandra nodded.
"We don't all have to leave..."
Everyone stiffened.
The expressions on their faces made one thing painfully obvious—
No one wanted to be chosen.
If possible...
They wanted someone else to shoulder the responsibility.
Rafandra clearly saw the reluctance.
He understood.
"Just one or two people."
"The ones most capable of surviving."
"The rest stay here..."
"...and take care of the injured."
Rezvan interrupted.
"I'll go with you."
Silently...
Everyone seemed relieved that someone had volunteered before anyone had to be chosen.
Murmurs of agreement spread.
Then silence returned.
Rezvan slowly stood.
He looked at each conscious student.
Then at Pak Marta.
His eyes silently said:
I'm leaving my students in your care.
"I'm going outside,"
he finally said.
Several students immediately looked up.
Some instinctively wanted to protest...
...but none of them could find the words.
All they could do was listen.
"Sir..."
Rafandra spoke.
"We'll go together."
"We won't go far."
"We'll just find higher ground or an open area..."
"...figure out where we are..."
"...then come right back."
"Twenty minutes."
"If we don't return within twenty minutes..."
"...no one comes after us."
"Stay alive."
"Wait."
"Sir..."
Damar's voice cracked.
"Are you sure...?"
"It's not about being sure,"
Rezvan replied.
"Indah is right."
"Someone has to move."
"Otherwise..."
"...we'll all remain trapped."
He looked at the students again.
They were still trembling.
The same young faces that had laughed together inside this bus only yesterday...
...were now covered with blood...
Dust...
Bruises...
And tears.
"You're not little children anymore."
"You're old enough to know when courage is necessary..."
"...and when you need to protect each other."
"So your job now..."
"...is to survive."
"Take care of one another."
"Don't just sit there."
"And don't fight anymore."
"If Mister Rafandra and I don't come back..."
"...stay calm."
"Make wise decisions."
Silence.
The bus itself seemed to be holding its breath.
Rezvan and Rafandra prepared themselves.
There wasn't much they could bring.
Just the cigarette lighters...
The remaining bottles of mineral water...
And a broken steel bar torn from one of the seat handles.
"Sir..."
Indah called softly.
She stood and came as close as she could.
Then removed the scarf from around her neck.
"Here..."
"So you won't be so cold."
"It's freezing..."
Rezvan smiled faintly.
"Thank you, Indah."
Then Damar stood as well.
"For emergencies, Mister."
His hands trembled as he handed Rafandra a utility knife he'd apparently found after it had flown somewhere during the crash.
Rafandra raised an eyebrow.
Clearly surprised.
But he accepted it anyway.
"Where did you get this?"
"No idea."
"Found it."
"I swear."
Damar answered quickly.
Trying desperately to sound convincing.
"Yeah..."
"I believe you."
Rafandra replied with heavy sarcasm.
"Damar."
Rezvan narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"I really found it, Sir!"
Damar protested earnestly.
"It's the bus's utility knife, Sir."
"Relax."
"Your student isn't into anything shady."
"I'm just kidding."
Rafandra reassured him.
"Mister, don't joke like that."
"If we weren't in this situation..."
"Mr. Rezvan would've called my parents immediately."
"Yeah..."
"My bad."
"Sorry."
A wave of muffled chuckles spread through the bus.
The laughter was barely louder than whispers.
Even now...
They were still afraid.