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

[rocksthecourt]

Something like this was a bit inevitable. Klavier had had a genuinely pleasant day today, after all, so of course the powers that be would need to find some way to counter balance that by making tonight positively wretched. Of course, he'd assumed that he would at least have time to prepare beforehand. Or at least eat dinner. Instead, their trip back to the institute had hit an unexpected snag and they'd been forced to sit there on the side of the road for who knew how long. Apparently something had happened on the bus behind them and the bus had slammed into a tree, leaving it inoperable for whatever reason. By the looks of things, no one else was able to figure out why either or how to make it start again.

A change in routine was never a good sign, and although it had initially been a cause for concern and annoyance, it soon became alarming. It didn't occur to him how much potential danger they were in until it started getting harder and harder to see what was going on outside with it getting darker. Then he realized. If the buses didn't get moving before the sun went down, their situation would get very perilous very quickly. Although, at worst, they could just barricade themselves inside the bus, he supposed.

A piercing scream echoed out from the trees outside and an ice cold terror squeezed at him. He never got the chance to find out who (or what) that was though before screams came from the front of the bus. The nurse up front fell to the floor, screaming in pain. Klavier stood up at his seat immediately, but his concern was quickly pushed aside as the woman... transformed. That was the only word that could be used to describe it. She wreathed and screamed for a few moments and by the time it was over, what stood there could no longer be described as human in any sense. ...So this was what Herr Doktor meant by people turning into monsters.

Panic erupted as everyone scrambled to get away from her, and Klavier was frozen in place to the point of being unable to even scream. The pandemonium around him did nothing to help until a voice of reason called out above the mess: "Everyone, the emergency hatch is open! Please remain calm and exit single file!"

The order snapped his mind back into place and he suddenly found his mobility again. He moved into the aisle, joining the mass of people all rushing toward the back of the bus where someone had had sense enough to open the emergency door. As he got closer, he could see it was Herr Brooks and some other fellow who were working to guide people toward the back. In an oddly professional manner, at that. It was strange enough to note, but for now he simply followed along. As he passed, he tried to catch Brooks in the eye. Be careful.

[to here]