Ethan sat quietly on his seat, his eyes fixed on the window, but his thoughts were far away.
"My mom used to say—'Ethan, when you grow up, take me on a trip… maybe a picnic… maybe across the world.'"
He smiled faintly, remembering her voice.
"I was just twelve back then," he thought. "Full of dreams… full of confidence. I wanted to do everything for her. I promised her that one day, we'd be on a plane, flying anywhere she wanted to go."
His heart ached. His eyes turned misty, but he blinked quickly, trying to hide the tears.
Next to him, Evelyn glanced over.
She noticed Jacob, the tall guy sitting nearby, pull something from his bag and slip it into his back pocket before standing up.
Evelyn looked away, not giving it much attention.
"Just because he looks good doesn't mean he gets to act all mysterious and full of attitude," she thought, rolling her eyes at Jacob's posture.
Suddenly, Ethan turned to her and asked softly, "Are you hungry?"
Evelyn slowly turned her face toward him. His voice was kind, and his eyes held warmth.
"I have my tiffin with me," she said with a small smile and opened her purse.
But when she peeked inside, her smile disappeared.
"Shit..." she mumbled under her breath, realizing her lunch wasn't there.
Ethan noticed the change on her face. He could guess what happened.
"What happened?" he asked gently.
Evelyn hesitated. "I forgot my—"
But before she could finish, Ethan smiled and said, "It's okay. We can share mine, or we can buy something when the bus stops."
Evelyn looked a little embarrassed but tried to cover it with a fake smile.
"Water bottle... I forgot my water bottle," she said quickly, trying to change the subject.
Ethan raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Ahh! Gotcha. You forgot your bottle. That's okay..."
He reached into his bag and pulled out his own.
"Here it is," he said, handing it to her with a soft smile.
It was a small moment—but in that quiet exchange, something gentle bloomed between them.
Ethan bent down again, rummaging through his bag with curiosity. He had just remembered something.
"Ohh shit…!" he suddenly blurted out, his eyes wide in surprise.
Evelyn, who was sipping water from his bottle, looked at him with a confused expression.
Ethan turned towards her and said with a sheepish grin, "Actually… I forgot my tiffin."
For a moment, there was silence—and then both of them burst out laughing. The awkwardness melted away as they began sharing the little food Evelyn had packed for herself.
They were still smiling when Ethan's eyes wandered toward the front of the bus. His face changed.
"Is there a problem?" he asked softly, frowning as he looked toward the bus gate where Jacob and the conductor seemed to be having an argument.
Evelyn followed his gaze, a slight tension appearing on her face.
"I don't know…" she said, trying to understand the situation.
Ethan leaned in and whispered, "That guy… and the girl sitting just ahead of us. I don't know why, but something feels off about them. Like… like there's a strange vibe."
Evelyn turned to him and shook her head. "I don't think so. That girl is his friend. They look normal… just traveling. Maybe the conductor had a bad day. Relax, it's nothing," she said calmly, trying to ease his worries as she took another bite of food.
"Maybe you're right," Ethan said quietly, though his eyes stayed fixed on the scene in front.
Just then, something unexpected happened.
They heard a dull thud.
"Ohh shitt…!" Evelyn gasped, her hand covering her mouth. Her eyes widened in shock. She had seen what happened—though only briefly, it was enough to imagine the rest.
Ethan immediately turned to her. "What happened? What was that sound?"
He leaned forward, his eyes searching for the source. His heart began to beat a little faster.
Up ahead, Jacob stood still—his back straight, eyes calmly staring out of the window, as if nothing had happened.
Something was wrong. And Ethan could feel it in his bones.
The whispers inside the bus were growing louder with every passing second. Passengers were scared, confused, and desperate to understand what had just happened.
One brave man finally stood up from his seat, his voice trembling but firm. "Hey! What happened, man?" he asked Jacob, who stood silently at the front, not moving a muscle.
Jacob didn't respond.
The man grew more anxious and slowly walked up to him. He placed a hand on Jacob's shoulder and started shaking him gently, trying to get his attention. Still—no response.
"Let me check," Ethan said, concerned. He started to get up from his seat, but before he could take a step forward, Evelyn quickly grabbed his hand.
Her grip was tight. Her voice, cold.
"Don't go anywhere."
Ethan looked at her in confusion, but Evelyn already noticed something.
Just a seat ahead, Noelle, the girl who had entered the bus, was slowly pulling something out of her small handbag. It was a gun.
She moved quickly, almost too smoothly. But Evelyn had noticed—thanks to the narrow space between the seats. Her sharp eyes caught the flash of metal just in time.
The man who was shaking Jacob now panicked. His voice filled the bus.
"Driver! Stop the bus! I'm calling the cops!"
Ethan turned back to Evelyn, who looked pale. Her face was red, and sweat rolled down her temple.
"What's going on? Evelyn… talk to me!" he said, gently shaking her shoulder.
"Huh… yeah…" she whispered, her voice distant. "It's too late… something bad is about to happen."
Before Ethan could ask more, Jacob's body suddenly shifted. He turned around slowly, his eyes now full of focus—no longer frozen.
The man in front of him fumbled, quickly reaching into his pocket for his phone.
But Jacob was faster.
In one swift move, Jacob snatched the phone from his hand and, without a second of hesitation, slammed it hard against the man's head.
CRACK!
The phone shattered into pieces. The loud sound echoed through the bus like a warning shot.
The man collapsed onto the bus floor, unconscious.
Gasps spread like fire.
Fear had just arrived—and it was real now.
Fear had taken over every single face in the bus.
Nobody ever imagined this.
A simple ride… on a simple bus… could turn into a hijack.
Ethan slowly pulled out his phone from his pocket, leaned toward Evelyn, and whispered,
"Let me inform the police… this can't go on like this."
But Evelyn didn't say anything.
She was frozen—her eyes locked ahead at Jacob, who now had a gun pressed to the driver's head.
Her face was pale, almost lifeless.
How could I not see this coming?
The question haunted her. She had sat near Jacob… even talked to him… and still failed to notice what kind of man he really was.
Ethan, without waiting for her reply, quickly dialed the emergency number.
But something strange happened.
The call wasn't going through.
He checked his screen. Full signal. Everything looked fine.
"Why isn't it connecting…?" he whispered, confused.
He didn't waste more time.
He started typing. Message after message—sent to all his close friends, family, anyone who might be able to help.
"We've been hijacked. Call the police. Please."
He looked toward the front.
The bus driver, under pressure, had started driving faster.
"Evelyn… I think they're using a jammer. Or something to block the calls…" Ethan said, trying to make sense of it.
Evelyn sat frozen in fear, her forehead wet with sweat, her hands trembling.
"It's too late… I think it's already too late…"
Her voice cracked. She sounded lost.
Ethan looked at her with heavy eyes.
"She's the strong woman from New York Journal. One of the boldest voices. A woman people admire. And now… she's sitting helpless beside me?"
That thought filled his chest with fire.
He stood up. Rage in his eyes.
He couldn't take it anymore.
"We can't just sit and watch!"
He looked at the men around him, nodding.
A few stood with him. Courage rising.
They began moving forward, step by step, towards Jacob…
But then—it happened.
From the front seat, a girl stood up.
Noelle.
A gun in her hand.
A devilish smile on her face.
She pointed it straight at them.
Her voice was soft, but deadly.
"Over-smartness… usually ends with death."
That one sentence made the whole bus fall silent again.
Every step of hope had stopped right there.
The air grew heavy.
And the fear?
It was now written on every soul in that bus.
"Keep moving on your way. Stay towards the destination," Jacob said to the driver, his voice calm but sharp like a knife.
There was no excitement on his face, no thrill—just a cold seriousness that said he wasn't playing any game. He wanted to finish what he started.
Jacob tucked the gun behind his waistband and turned to Noelle. "Keep all of them in control. I'm starting the process."
Everyone sat frozen in shock. No one had a clue what this "process" was, but it didn't sound good. Fear had already taken over the bus, and now it was spreading like fire.
Ethan, who had quietly sat back beside Evelyn, leaned in and whispered, "I think they're some kind of terrorists. Maybe trying to push the government for something…"
Evelyn didn't reply.
"Evelyn… Evelyn?" Ethan called her again, gently shaking her shoulder.
But she was somewhere else. Her eyes were open but lost, as if her mind had been swallowed by darkness. Her body weak, her lips pale… and then—she collapsed, falling softly onto Ethan's shoulder.
"Evelyn? Hey—Evelyn!" Ethan panicked, his voice cracking as he tried to wake her up.
Noelle noticed the scene and shouted from the front, "She's fine! Don't make me do something you'll regret, Mr. Golden Boy."
She ended her sentence with a chilling smile—one that hit Ethan harder than her words.
He sat there, frozen, holding Evelyn close. His hands trembling. His mind racing.
All his experience, his courage, his efforts—none of it mattered now.
He couldn't save her.
He couldn't stop them.
Maybe this was the end. The end of his dreams. The end of the promises he made to himself. To his mom.
His eyes welled up, tears threatening to fall as the world around him started fading into hopelessness.
Everything suddenly felt… impossible.