Page 12 of Pack Owned
We’re tipping, and everything’s tilting.
Danica’s scream slices through the chaos, echoing my own panic. “We’re going to crash!”
Jess’ grip on my hand is like a vise, and I’m glued to the horror show unfolding around us.
The bus careens around a curve, and we lose it.
“Hold on!” I yell as the bus swerves. Jess’ nails are practically drawing blood on my arm, but who cares?
We’re trapped in a nightmare on wheels, the bus revving up as if challenging its limits. “Yeah, let’s break the speed barrier,” it seems to taunt, while my heart is trying to punch its way out of my chest.
Casey catches my eye, and man, the terror there is like looking in a mirror.
“Watch out!” I scream as the bus slams sideways into a tree, throwing us from our seats into the aisle. I hit the floor hard, pain exploding in my arm. The impact shakes me to the core, a brutal crunch that feels like it’s echoing inside my bones. Jess is right next to me, her scream piercing the chaos.
We’re tossed around violently. Each jolt and jerk of the bus sends shock waves through my body. I catch a glimpse of Casey’s ghost-pale face.
Peering at the front, I find the driver’s seat is empty, and the windshield busted open. Did he get thrown out? The bus, like some kind of driverless monster, jerks back onto the road,screeching down the hill. We’re hanging off the mountain like some disaster movie cliffhanger. My breath hitches.
“We need to grab the wheel!” I yell, panic edging my words. “We gotta control this thing!” But it’s like we’re all frozen, trapped in our own bubbles of fear. We’re squeezed between the seats, just trying to hang on as the bus hurtles forward, totally out of control.
Rain’s pouring in, hitting my face like a bunch of icy needles. Up ahead, the road takes a wicked turn. We’re moving way too fast. There’s no way we can make that curve.
Every muscle in my body is tense, ready for the worst. My mind’s screaming, “This is it. We’re done for.” We’re about to fly off the edge, and there’s nothing we can do.
My heart’s pounding so loud, it’s all I can hear over the roar of the storm and the scream of the bus tires.
We’re skirting way too close to the edge, I’m sure of it. I can’t see the drop-off from where I’m lying in the aisle, but the tilt of the bus, the horrified expressions on my friends’ faces, and the sheer force of gravity that pulls us sideways tells me all I need to know. I swear I can taste my last meal coming up.
This is it….we’re going over.
I risk a panicked glance toward the back of the bus. The two enforcers who were supposed to protect us are shoving open the emergency exit window, desperate to save themselves. One disappears through the opening, abandoning us, the second following him.
They’re gone. Those bastards left us here to die.
Fury briefly pierces through my terror. They were supposed to protect us, get us safely to Nexus. Instead, they’ve abandoned us to this nightmare.
“Shit,” I gasp, breathless as the bus scrapes against the tree. The sound is piercing. The bus scrapes against the tree on the side, and we’re thrown forward even more, skidding like crazydown the hill. It feels like we’re flying, but it’s the bus careening back onto the sloping road. The steering wheel swings wildly. We slam into something—hard. The impact sends a shockwave through the bus, and I’m thrown back, my head slamming against the window. Pain explodes in my skull in a white-hot burst. Everything is spinning, and I feel sick.
Finally, with a bone-jarring crash, the world grinds to a halt as the bus slides onto its side, and we stop. I force my eyes open, my heart sinking. The scene’s like something out of a nightmare—glass everywhere, seats torn apart. I can’t even process it, my mind reeling. What the hell just happened?
Escape is our only hope now, but with the enforcers vanishing, it’s up to us alone to find a way out of this death trap.
“Oh crap, oh crap!” I gasp as the front of the bus is a mini-inferno. Flames crackle to life like some kind of evil fireworks, and the smoke, it’s everywhere, thick and choking.
Danica’s shouting something about the back exit, but a quick look tells me that’s a no-go. Flames are doing a merry dance around the rear tires, turning the emergency exit into a fiery death trap. Great, just great.
The heat’s insane, pressing against my skin like I’m too close to a bonfire. Breathing’s getting harder by the second, each breath a fight against the smoke clogging my lungs. No way out the back. So what now?
“The bus is gonna blow!” I yell, my voice sounding hysterical.Yeah, no kidding, Kayla.I scramble up, panic giving me a jolt of energy. We need to move and fast.
Jess is right there, helping Casey up. She’s looking pretty out of it, but we don’t have time to be gentle. With the bus on its side and the rear exit being chewed by flames, we’ve got to find another way out. And the front window is a no-go, with flames crackling along the hood and black smoke oozing out from the crumpled metal.
My gaze locks on the emergency escape latch on the roof of the bus, our best option. With the whole vehicle lying on its side, the latch is easier to reach. I lunge at it, fingers scrambling for a grip, but it doesn’t budge.
“Come on, come on.” The cold metal under my fingertips is slippery and unyielding. Smoke wafting through the bus makes my eyes sting. “Open the fuck up,” I grunt, yanking at the latch. I grit my teeth, straining every muscle, and with a final yank, the latch groans. I push open the small plastic covering.
Yes, it’s open.
