Night 63: Bus 2

[oyaji]

Kotetsu was permanently twisted around in his seat as he stared out the emergency exit at the bus behind them. Out of nowhere, it had veered right into a tree and dented the side of the bus, leaving the other buses no choice but to pull off to the side of the road and assist in anyway they could. It was hard to tell whether anyone had been hurt, but thankfully every bus was equipped with nurses so Kotetsu hoped any damage inflicted on the patients could be treated immediately.

Either way, the bus apparently couldn't start up again and that left them all little choice but to wait. With little to see and no signs of emergency care or an ambulance, Kotetsu started to get antsy in his seat.

Some of the other patients seemed just as restless as he, but in a much more dramatic fashion. Some stared out the windows with restlessness, with anxiety, and even grim resignation. It seemed like an odd mix of emotions to him, but if they had problems with hallucinations and schizophrenia, the night wouldn't be a very fun time for them.

Soon, though, the sun set, the rays fading with it, and then all hell broke loose. Kotetsu should have read the signs, seen how some of the adults and children on the bus clawed at their seats like they were on fire. When the nurses fell to the floor, Kotetsu instinctively jumped up to assist, but what he saw had him frozen in place. They were literally changing into ghouls and panic quickly overtook the entire bus.

The former Hero was grateful the nurses--Now monstrous villains--hadn't confiscated his new, crappy mask along with his alcohol as he dug it out of his jacket and cinched it to his face. He turned to his partner, but neither Hero needed words. They simply understood and Kotetsu immediately broke open the emergency hatch behind them with experienced ease, while Barnaby tried to corral the masses to the back of the bus. The alarm sounded but it really couldn't be heard over the raucous surrounding them all.

Comments

[baniichan]

After hearing Renamon's warnings that morning, he'd wondered if something strange would happen once night fell, or if they would return to the Institute without incident. Unfortunately, he didn't have to wait long for his answer. Although the accident involving one of the other buses appeared to be relatively minor, the staff was unable to get the vehicle started before the sun sank into the horizon.

And that was the moment everything literally changed.

The nurses contorted and shifted into something that clearly wasn't human, but neither of he nor Kotetsu could do anything to help them as long as the bus was crowded with patients. Thankfully, despite some of the discrepancies between them, their movements and thought processes were still as in-sync as always during an emergency.

Barnaby exchanged a tense, wordless glance with his partner and got to work.

"Everyone, the emergency hatch is open!" he shouted over the noise spilling into the cramped space. Despite the strange situation, his tone was composed and steady. "Please remain calm and exit single file!"

[oyaji]

Once the crowd began to thin, it was easy to see that there were others at the front of the bus who weren't heeding their message. Either they couldn't hear or they assumed they could take out a NEXT or whatever that monster was all on their own. Kotetsu would have liked to have absolute faith in them, but that wasn't his job. His job was to save people, not let them cripple themselves from misplaced bravado.

"We need to help them!" Wild Tiger motioned to his partner. The problem was how the hell to get to them? There were still too many people lined up to get out and fighting against a hysteric current was rather counter-productive. They needed to come up with something fast, though, before anyone got hurt!

[baniichan]

For awhile, the evacuation went smoothly, and Barnaby even saw some familiar faces make it to safety. There wasn't any time to talk or exchange information, though, so he continued to dutifully direct everyone through the exit before someone did something rash out of fear.

When Barnaby saw that some of the patients were actually trying to engage what was left of the nurse, however, his eyebrows furrowed. It was a stupid stunt to pull, especially in light of the fact that the nurse was no longer in control of her actions. Of course, with so many potentially ill NEXT trapped in a single building most of the time, Barnaby wasn't surprised that a few of them might decide to misuse the opportunity as a way to blow off some steam.

As much as he hated wasting his time by cleaning up after other people's messes, Barnaby knew Kotetsu was right about one thing -- they couldn't just leave them there. They couldn't just push their way through the crowd trying to get out, either, though.

"Let's exit through here and circle to the front," Barnaby easily directed before springing off of the vehicle.

((To here.))