Chapter 009: Leaving the Comfort ZoneBack inside the mysterious fog-covered area.
Doubt. Tension.
Rezvan and Rafandra exchanged a brief glance before trying the emergency door.
Klek… klek… klek…
"Stuck," Rafandra muttered, turning toward Rezvan.
"Force it?" Rezvan asked quietly.
"And if the noise draws that thing back here?" Rafandra replied in a half-whisper.
"So… what, we go back again?" Rezvan shot back, his tone light, half-joking.
"Well, that'd ruin our image," Rafandra answered with a sidelong look.
"You noticed?" Rezvan raised an eyebrow, relaxed.
"You're a technical school teacher, Pak. Figure it out. How do we open this without making noise?" Rafandra said, irritation creeping in.
"And you?" Rezvan snapped back. "You're the bus conductor, aren't you?"
"Right… yeah…" Rafandra laughed softly. "But I'm still new, Pak Guru. Still learning…"
"Hmph," Rezvan snorted. "I'm an Indonesian language teacher. Not a mechanic."
"Well—shoot." Rafandra shook his head slowly, realizing he'd misplaced his expectations.
Huft…
Several students watching from the back seats released a collective sigh.
Then—almost simultaneously—three students stood up: Damar, Ardi, and Farel.
"Sir, that door's pneumatic. It won't open if the air pressure's gone."
Rezvan turned. Damar stood halfway upright, one arm wrapped in a torn jacket.
Ardi spoke next from the other side, voice calm but strained.
"When the engine died, the air system shut down too, Pak. The pressure locks the door from the inside. No pressure—it locks automatically."
Farel continued, tone polite and careful, trying to suppress his nerves.
"If the electricity and engine were still working, the door could be opened with the button. But now… every system is dead. Like everything's been reset."
Rafandra nodded slowly, finally acknowledging his mistake. He stared at the door, disappointed, then shifted his gaze to the cracked window nearby.
"Thanks," Rezvan said quietly. "We should've realized that."
Damar managed a small, tired smile.
"Well… you're not a mechanical engineering teacher, Pak. So yeah—probably not something you'd calculate."
No one laughed.
No one found it funny.
But in the silence, the presence of those three students filled a space that fear had begun to suffocate—with logic. Not to erase the horror, but to remind them that some things could still be thought through. Still acted upon.
Rafandra stepped closer to the side window. His fingers traced the cracked glass, the fracture gaping like a wound.
"If the door's sealed, we find another opening."
His boots crunched between broken seats as his eyes scanned the dim interior, then stopped at the row of windows. Fine cracks spread across several panels—most still intact. He pressed his palm to the cold glass, feeling the thickness and the steel frame beneath.
"This one," he murmured, pointing to the right-side window—third row from the back.
"Most stable position. No metal obstruction, and—" he tapped gently at the bottom corner, "—we can apply pressure here. There's already a hairline crack."
Damar crouched beside him.
He slipped his fingers under the rubber seal and checked the metal frame.
"If we press with an elbow here," he said, pointing diagonally from the lower corner upward, "the fracture should spread downward. The shards won't scatter too far."
"It'll still make noise," Ardi muttered, scanning around, "but if we layer blankets over it before pushing, it should dampen the impact."
Rafandra nodded.
"Layer it. Grab more blankets. Press here. Then slowly push the fragments out. No hard drops."
Rezvan stood behind them, watching. His face was locked in tension, but he knew—they had to move.
"Do it."
They worked in silence.
Rafandra folded the blanket three times, braced it against the corner with his knee and palm.
Damar held the other side with another blanket. Ardi stood ready to guide any fragments downward.
KRKHHH.
A fine crack spread.
They held their breath.
TRK.
The glass gave way—but didn't explode. Fractures spidered quietly across the pane.
"Now. Gently. Downward."
Damar used a torn piece of uniform to ease the fragments outward, peeling them away like ice from a mold. No sharp crash—only controlled scraping.
"We've got an opening."
Faint light slipped in through the gap. The scent of wet earth and unfamiliar air seeped inside—along with an oppressive presence impossible to define.
Rezvan stared at the opening.
The world outside was still dark. But not as black as the cabin filled with motionless bodies behind them.
"We don't have a choice," he whispered. "We go out."
Rafandra moved immediately.
"That's enough!" he said sharply, pulling Ardi back by the collar.
"You all—back to your seats."
Farel startled.
Damar retreated quickly.
Rafandra looked at them one by one, firm but controlled.
"Thank you. This is far enough."
Silence. Held breaths.
Rezvan nodded. "We can feel the air, but—"
"Different," Rafandra cut in quietly.
One by one, the students returned to their positions, some still glancing toward the narrow opening.
Rezvan and Rafandra exchanged a look.
Then—slowly, carefully—
Kriet…
Klek…
The sound of old metal grinding echoed—loud enough to feel like a declaration: whatever they did now could be heard by something outside.
They didn't speak.
Their movements were slow, deliberate… hyper-alert.
Fog.
Not total darkness—but thick gray-white mist swallowing everything. Dense like wet cotton, floating heavy in the air, limiting vision to mere meters.
Rezvan cautiously leaned his head out.
Rafandra followed.
Both moved like hunted animals peering from their den—necks extended, heads pivoting left, right, up, down.
No sound.
Just a faint hiss—its source unclear. Even the air seemed to be holding its breath.
Rezvan's throat went dry.
He swallowed, the bitterness refusing to fade.
Rafandra whispered,
"Pak… I don't think we're… on the ground."
His tone wasn't panic. Nor calm.
It was the voice of someone forcing rationality… while something crawled in his chest.
Rezvan inhaled slowly.
"I think… you're right."
They peered downward.
Still too dark.
"I'm climbing up," Rafandra said.
Before Rezvan could respond, Rafandra moved.
Hup! Hup!
Fast. Agile.
Hands gripping the outer frame, boots finding metal ridges. In three swift motions, Rafandra vanished from view.
Dug! Dug! Dug!
Heavy footsteps echoed from atop the bus.
Inside, several students turned instinctively—but no one spoke.
Rezvan stayed at the opening.
One hand gripped the frame. The other clenched tight.
The footsteps stopped.
Silence.
Moments later, Rafandra's head appeared at the edge of the roof.
The fog curled around him as he leaned down.
"The bus is lodged," he whispered. "On a massive stump. Huge. But maybe stable. The underside's touching the ground."
Rezvan looked up.
Their eyes met.
"As far as I can see," Rafandra continued, "nothing's moving around us. But I don't know if that means it's safe… or they're hiding."
"Are you sure this position is safe?!" Rezvan pressed.
"Not sure. Visibility's too limited. We need to get down and check properly."
Rezvan took a breath.
"Wait. I'm coming out."
Rafandra gave a short nod.
"Careful. Slow. This bus could slide free at any moment."
"Understood."
Rezvan climbed through the narrow gap.
On the roof, they stood shoulder to shoulder, eyes squinting into the fog. Darkness stretched endlessly.
Kriet… kriet…
Metal groaned softly beneath them as the bus shifted—just enough to make their footing feel unreliable.
"We go down?" Rafandra asked quietly.
Rezvan nodded—and began to follow.
Then—
ZRET—GUBRAK!
Rezvan slipped.
Metal and body crashed loudly.
Both froze.
Pale. Rigid.
Inside the bus, the sound rang unmistakably clear.
Several students gasped.
"Oh God!"
"What happened?!"
Hands clamped over mouths. Bodies hunched low, instinctively shrinking away from any attention. They held their breath together.
Outside—
Thud-thud-thud.
Rezvan's and Rafandra's heartbeats thundered in the silence.
Rafandra snapped his head toward Rezvan—his glare said everything: Seriously?
Rezvan flushed red. He said nothing.
Only mouthed, Sorry… hands raised together in apology.
They waited.
No other sound came.
After several long seconds, Rafandra gestured: Continue. Slowly. More careful.
Rezvan nodded small.
Head lowered—whether from fear… or embarrassment, only he knew.