Coincidence, or Bad Luck?

By: Cate Lui

It was the usual routine, to walk along the streets to the bus stop. Arrive at the office I worked in.

I work at a film company. My job there is voice acting, and lately, there was this movie that needed a woman's voice as the main character. This was my first time being the main character, so I needed to be early and to give a good impression. All for my future.

I saw the same bus at the same station. Surprisingly, there were way more people than usual. A shimmering large sign read: ‘New station added: Disneyland’. This must be it.

Since the bus was already full, my usual bus, the new line was as long as a 400-meter running track. I had to walk all the way to the back.

It was about a minute before the bus came, and nobody new had lined up. I felt a spark of excitement, that I hadn't felt for so long. I watched patiently as everybody hopped on.

I reached the front of the line and looked in. The crowd was squashed and sitting on each other. The seats were fully taken. But then, I saw the tiniest gap next to the door. I made a move to scurry in when a voice yelled: “HELLO, CAN YOU NOT SEE THAT THERE IS NO MORE SPACE?! DO YOU WANT TO SUFFOCATE US?”

Such a rude person. I had no choice but to wait for the next bus. My face grew red.

I waited forever until the next bus came. More than a hundred people joined the line behind me before it arrived. I checked the time on my phone and suddenly, it shut down. I hoped the bus today was extra speedy.

I boarded quickly as I signaled everyone else to get in faster. Sadly, nobody listened. It had already taken 5 minutes for everyone to enter the bus. I sighed, I was going to be late, I know it, unless a miracle happens.

The bus started moving. I was begging internally for that miracle to happen and I wouldn’t be late.

I was sitting in the last row, and saw that everyone else was looking at their phone. I just patiently sat on my seat and waited.

I felt bored so I thought about what else I could do. I didn’t bring a book or something, so I just looked around. My eyes drew towards the seatbelt sign, and I noticed that nobody—LIKE NOBODY—put their seatbelt on.I immediately put on mine.

I sighed, what else could I do. I stared out the window and counted the cars. Ferrari, Toyota, minibus...

Iw was then that something caught my eye - a huge lorry next to us. The driver was drinking something dark and red… WINE!!!

You very clearly shouldn't drink while you’re driving. As we went further along, I watched the lorry driver get more and more drunk. I felt like something bad was going to happen.

That was when the lorry turned in our direction and rushed towards the bus. I immediately curled myself into a ball and clapped my hands over my head.

My head spun as I crashed onto the ground. The glass of the window shattered and fell on my skin, scratching me. The blood rushed out. Howls of passenger screams filled the air, the bus bashed into nearby trees. My stomach ached from the seatbelt pulling me away as the bus fully flipped over.

There was dead silence. Was it over?

I opened my eyes. I saw colour. I am alive. I removed my seatbelt, gripped the nearest handrail, went on my knees, and looked around myself.

Bloody corpses were all over the bus. Glass shards all around. I ran to people, hovered my hand over their faces. No breathing. I crawled up to the second story of the bus. It was the same scene, all bloody, the shiny glass flakes.

I did the same thing to everyone there, but it was more of the same No breathing.

I ran back down the stairs and painfully crawled through the windows, now without glass.

I was in a forest. We must have rolled off the road; I looked out for the cars and saw none.

I reached for my phone. I tried and tried to get it to open, but still, the dark blank screen.

I ran back into the bus, I saw the phones on the ground, all cracked. Was there really no hope?

No, I can’t give up yet!

I climbed on top of the bus, put my hands to my mouth and started screaming for my life.. “HELP!” I yelled and yelled, but nobody came.

I left the bus. I could see more clearly, I was on the bottom of a cliff. No wonder why everyone died. How did I possibly survive?

No! This is just a bad dream! I closed my eyes tightly and waited. I opened them. I was still in the same thing. I pinched myself and felt the pain. It isn’t a dream, no! This can’t be possible!

I mustn't give up! I trekked in the opposite direction of where we rolled down, and I walked and walked along the trees. I turned back to see the bus getting farther and farther away. There’s no turning back.

I felt like I had walked for hours and hours already, I’m so hungry, so thirsty. Wait, what is that? I could see a tiny dot that wasn’t green, which means I’m close. I have to keep going.

The dot got bigger as I walked closer and closer toward it. I could slowly shape some buildings. Lots of buildings. Yes, I can get help now.

I ran to the nearest person I could see and I asked if I could use her phone.. She said yes. Everything after was a blur.

I got into a police car and led them to the bus, shakily telling my story. I was taken home. I saw myself on the news. My director gave me an extension. I started seeing a psychologist. By the end of it all, I was back at my job, and was seeing a better mood and improvements in my voice acting.

And that’s my story. Moral? Don’t look at your phone on the bus, and wear a seatbelt.

The End.