THE TIME OF DOOM

The last bell of the school rang.

Everyone stood from their chair and said in unison.”Thank you teacher.”

I put all the books in my school bag and when the class was empty I hurried out of the door to the school gate and boarded the old school bus which had a painted school emblem on both sides and name of the school painted in blue. As I stepped into the bus I saw the bus driver holding his head in both hands and a face filled with fatigue and eyes demanding ‘sleep’. It was clearly a sign of acute headache. While everyone was seated in front in groups and chattering various incidents that occurred in classroom and things they did during their summer vacation. Yes they were gossiping about me, even when they knew I was nearby. It didn’t bother them in the least. I quietly covered my face with my left hand and took my seat at the back. It was the longest seat available in the bus but I was still sitting alone.

After the teacher in charge counted the number of children till twenty, she signaled the bus driver to move. There was no response. She yelled again.

“Yes. Yesss.” The driver responded as if he was already taking a nap. The bus started moving and took off at full speed in no time. Mr. Driver had been working as a driver for school for more than ten years and so no one paid any heed to his health condition. Just when I thought I will be able to meet my best friend Elly after reaching my home without running into any more trouble. Three of my classmates rose up from their seat and came and sat beside me.

They were Sakura, Tama and Saki, while everyone in the bus understood what was going to happen, they came to the conclusion that it was wise to remain ignorant. While Tama rolled her hand around my neck, which gave me the feeling of a snake trying to circle around me. Sakura as usual took of my bag while it got stuck in one of my shoulder. I tried to resist but to no avail. I was just too weak!

“Just hand it over and we may not hurt you.” Sakura said while she struggled to remove the bag which got interlocked along my shoulder.

If only I was stronger and more confident in myself. If only I had more self-esteem and not a self-deprecating personality. If only I had more faith in my own talents. If only I was more determined towards achieving my ambitions and not wish for mere dreams and ideals to come true. Then maybe this would not have happened. Maybe I could have stopped them.

I felt so helpless and pathetic. There was no one I could call for help or turn an eye to seek aid from a friend or family member. It was the same as always. It was the feeling of being abandoned. I always have been alone and neglected. There was no place for me in this world to begin with. No place where I was needed. No place where I could find peace and love. If only I could make a re-start. If only I had tried a little harder to make a change. Life had been very unpleasant and unfair to me. It hurts a lot!

 I wanted to give up and run away. If only I could find myself again at the start line. Then I promise I will never give up before I achieve my goals and stand my own ground until I have seen them to its end. I would never give up or lose again the sight of what is precious and dear to me and protect it with my life till the very end. I won’t hold back or make petty excuses for myself ever again or give up until I can say ‘I did it.’ If only there was a new BEGINNING. 

“Ahhh…. No. Why don’t you all just leave me alone?” I stood from my seat but lost balance and tumbled into the corner.

I was shocked!!

It was not the pain of falling or the surprise that everyone including the teacher ignored me and had already accepted my doomed fate. From the side window I could see a huge oil truck breaking its way through the traffic and heading in our direction. For some reason our bus seemed to be unstable and was running above the speed limit even in the presence of several speed breakers.

As I was collecting my thoughts and ignored the glares of the three delinquents, I started feeling my body lighter for some reason. The metal body of the bus started shaking and making weird cracking noises like a mad man. Just then there was a sudden decent and the feeling of flying in the air was overtaken by the feeling of getting smashed into the floor. Most of the student fell from their seat including the delinquents, serves them right, I guess.

I wonder how the marbles felt when I once dropped a box filled with them on the floor. The feeling was mutual. Some students started picking up their fallen goods; some heralded their abuses to the driver, while the teacher went to the driver seat to check on his condition. She was dumbfounded and at the same time horrified to find him unconscious. His head was covered in blood. Was the bus driver playing a dirty joke?

 But things were not over yet, the main event that brought the dooms day upon us was just about to take place.   

A loud horn rang like a death bell in everyone’s ear and next was the feeling of numbness that wrapped my body. Somehow the inside surrounding of the bus went silent, but the noise of the horn from the oil truck approaching us could still be heard more louder than ever and the chatter of far away people who stopped along the pavement to watch the horrendous scenario that was about to take place was easily heard and deciphered by us.

Everyone’s eyes were fixated at the centre of the huge frame of the front mirror. The impending doom was clear as day but no one could scream or run. There was no escape but……

BOOM…………..

INFORMATION BROCHURE

CBC TV NEWS

A Metropolitan Public School bus was involved in a head on collision with an oil truck this afternoon. The accident occurred on Tuesday, July 13, 2021 around 3:30pm at Aliapa Road in the Central District. Officials say that the school bus was unexpectedly running above the speed limit with unstable and ambiguous directions. After taking a flight from the speed breaker it lost control and rammed into the oil truck. There was no time between the collision and blast from the oil catching fire in the truck.

‘It was all too sudden. Everything happened within few seconds and there was no hope of rescue.’ was the response of one of the witnesses of the gruesome accident. 20 students from class 2-C of the school, school teacher Yumina Yuka, bus driver and the truck driver are reported dead.

According to Assistant Deputy Fire Chief Kenji Takagi, it seemed that the safety measures inside the oil truck were not functioning properly which led to the immediate leakage of oil, followed by the blast. All the victims were dead before the ambulance or the rescue team arrived.

Prime Minister Takeshi Kaguka said “It was really a heart-rending situation happening in my home town. Proper precautions and various measures will be taken as per the instructions of the government. Strict action will be taken against the offenders by concerned authorities. The government will lend hand to all the families who lost their loved ones in every possible way."

INFORMATION FLASH CARD

CLASS 2-C

GIRLS

SAYAKA TENMA

AKANE KIRIGASHI

SATOMI YUKTA

 (DELINQUENT NO.1) SAKURA KENDO

(DELINQUENT NO.2) TAMA DONJO

(DELINQUENT NO.3) SAKI HONDA

HIORI TAKATORI

KARIBA CHIYODA

YUMIKO FURATA

SACHI KONDO