Half an Hour Earlier...
Minxie Hayes, the cheer captain responsible for the cheerleaders supporting the basketball team, started to feel uneasy as their school bus veered off onto a dilapidated road.
The pavement was cracked, flanked on both sides by barren, brown land.
At the horizon, a dense forest loomed where the brown expanse ended.
The bus jolted to a stop, the loud pop of a burst tire breaking the stillness of the rural area.
At first, Minxie and the other students shrugged it off.
They filed out of the bus, stretching their legs and chatting while the coach called for a mechanic.
Some students lounged on the roof, soaking in the sun, while others roamed around, taking in the eerie emptiness of the surrounding landscape.
Hours passed before a mechanic finally arrived.
He worked quickly, replacing the damaged tire.
Once the job was done, he gave a curt nod and left, his truck disappearing down the same road they had come from.
Coach Charlie clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention.
"Alright, everyone, back on the bus! We're leaving in five minutes!"
Minxie, drained from cheering during the game and the hours of idle waiting, found her seat and leaned back.
Her eyes fluttered closed as fatigue began to pull her into a light doze.
The rhythmic hum of the bus starting up was interrupted by a sudden, sharp awareness.
Something felt... off.
As the bus began moving, Minxie glanced out the window, her eyes catching movement on the edge of a nearby farmland.
A small boy stood there, ankle-deep in the mud, his clothes smeared with dirt.
His wide, terrified eyes locked with hers as he raised a trembling hand to point at something behind the bus.
His expression sent a shiver down her spine.
Minxie turned her gaze to follow the direction he was pointing.
Her heart skipped a beat.
A figure was charging toward them from the horizon.
It was a man with a hulking frame, dressed in a long coat and a wide-brimmed hat that cast his face in shadow.
His movements were unnaturally fast, the ground beneath him kicking up clouds of dust as he barreled toward the bus.
The fear etched on the boy's face mirrored the panic rising in Minxie's chest.
"Coach!"
she called out, her voice quivering with urgency as she turned back to the front of the bus.
"There's someone—"
But when she looked out the window again, the figure was closer, his coat billowing behind him like dark wings.
By the look of it, the figure was no human but a grotesque monster.
Its jagged teeth and horrifying, gore-streaked facial features sent an icy shiver down Minxie's spine.
As she watched in stunned horror, the creature drew a shuriken-like weapon from its coat.
The razor-sharp edges gleamed wickedly in the fading light.
Without hesitation, the monster hurled the weapon with terrifying speed—straight at her.
Boom!
A deafening explosion shattered the air, followed by the screech of tires struggling against the road.
Minxie jolted awake, her heart pounding violently in her chest.
Her hands clutched the armrests as she gasped for breath, the vivid memory of her nightmare clinging to her like a shadow.
Her skin was clammy, damp with cold sweat.
But something was wrong.
The bus swayed dangerously before coming to an abrupt, jarring halt.
Betty, their seasoned driver, clenched the steering wheel, her face taut with concentration as she regained control of the vehicle.
"Damn it… again?"
muttered one of the boys seated near the back, frustration coloring his tone.
The bus had stopped.
Coach Charlie stood and turned to face the students.
"Stay in your seats!"
he ordered, his voice firm but tense.
"Nobody gets off the bus. We're in the middle of the woods, and it's not safe."
Betty, Coach Charlie, and his assistant, Dwayne Barnes, exited the bus to inspect the damage.
Outside, the three adults circled the bus cautiously.
The back tire was completely blown, but something unusual caught Betty's eye.
"Holy… crap,"
she whispered, her voice trembling as she crouched beside the tire.
Embedded deep in the rubber was an object—jagged, star-shaped, and unnatural.
A shuriken.
Betty's face turned grim as she glanced at the others.
"It wasn't just a regular blowout,"
she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Look at this."
Coach Charlie bent down and carefully extracted the weapon.
He turned it over in his hands, his brow furrowing.
"What is it?"
asked Dwayne, his voice shaking slightly.
Charlie's face paled as he inspected the shuriken closely.
His hands trembled as realization dawned.
"It's…"
He swallowed hard before continuing.
"It's made of human skin and bone."
Dwayne recoiled, his eyes widening in horror.
He took the weapon with hesitant hands, examining it for himself.
"That's impossible…"
he muttered, but his shaking voice betrayed his disbelief.
The unsettling discovery sent a wave of panic through the bus.
The students, who had been watching through the windows, overheard snippets of the conversation.
Whispers turned to murmurs, and murmurs quickly escalated into fearful chatter.
"Did he just say human skin?"
one girl asked, her voice trembling.
"Oh my God, what's happening?"
another boy whispered, clutching his seat tightly.
Minxie's nightmare replayed in her mind.
The monster.
The shuriken.
The boy's warning. It all felt too real.
She glanced out of the window again, her eyes scanning the shadowy woods for any sign of movement.
A sinking feeling settled in her stomach.
Whatever had thrown that weapon wasn't far away.
To calm the panicking students, Coach Charlie stepped out of the bus, urging them to remain calm as he worked to ensure their safety.
Minxie, along with a few others, followed him out hesitantly, keeping close to the vehicle.
Charlie held up a flashlight, illuminating the road ahead to warn any incoming vehicles about the bus stalled on the roadside.
He walked a short distance from the bus, sweeping the beam of light over the shadowy landscape to avoid further accidents and make the bus's presence more visible.
The yellow beam flickered against the still woods, and Charlie muttered under his breath, trying to steady himself.
Suddenly, a deafening sound broke the uneasy silence.
"Ahhh!"
A massive, dark shadow swooped down from the sky with terrifying speed, enveloping Charlie before anyone could react.
Gasps erupted from the students as the figure rose into the air, taking Charlie with it.
His screams echoed through the night, growing fainter as he was carried higher, leaving behind only faint trails of smoke.
The students froze in shock.
Betty's sharp voice snapped them back to reality.
"Scotty, get the students back on the bus. Now!"
she ordered, her tone urgent but firm.
"Everyone, inside. No arguments!"
Scotty, one of the senior students, quickly began herding the others back into the bus, his voice quivering as he tried to reassure them.
Meanwhile, Betty and Dwayne stayed behind, scanning the skies and the surrounding woods, their eyes darting frantically for any sign of Charlie—or the thing that had taken him.
Minxie hesitated, her heart pounding.
A foreboding sense of déjà vu crept over her, and she recalled the humanoid demon from her dream just moments before the bus tire had burst.
"Is this... happening because of that thing I saw?"
she whispered to herself, her stomach churning.
The other students hurried onto the bus, but Minxie's curiosity and unease rooted her in place.
She glanced over at Dwayne, who stood near the damaged tire, still examining the shuriken in his trembling hands.
"It can't be…"
she murmured, her throat dry.
She stepped closer, careful not to draw attention, and peeked over his shoulder.
Her breath caught in her chest as she saw it—the shuriken from her nightmare.
The jagged edges, the grotesque material, and the eerie, otherworldly craftsmanship were identical to the weapon the demon had thrown in her dream.
Her hands clenched into fists, her mind racing.
'Was it just a coincidence? Or was my dream a warning?'
Minxie's confusion and fear overwhelmed her, but she forced herself to retreat.
Not wanting to alarm anyone further, she boarded the bus with the others, stealing one last glance at the darkened woods.
Something was out there.
And whatever it was, it was far from done with them.
Betty, searching for Charlie with her flashlight, circled to the back of the bus.
The beam of light swept over the darkened woods, her nerves fraying with every second of silence.
She muttered a shaky,
"Charlie… where are you?"
Without warning, a monstrous figure with massive bat-like wings descended from the sky, its shadow eclipsing her entirely.
"Aghhh!"
Betty screamed as the creature's claws latched onto her, lifting her effortlessly off the ground.
Her flashlight dropped and rolled, its beam slicing through the darkness in chaotic arcs.
The students inside the bus froze, their eyes wide with terror as they watched the horrific scene unfold.
The monster soared upward, Betty's screams fading into the night.
For a moment, an eerie silence blanketed the group.
The students sat in shock, struggling to comprehend the gravity of what they had just witnessed.
Then the panic erupted.
"It took her!"
"The driver's gone!"
"Monster! Monster!"
One boy bolted upright, his face pale with fear.
"Let me out! Let me out! I'm not staying here!"
he screamed, pounding on the windows.
His panic was infectious, and soon the bus was filled with cries of terror.
Scotty, trying to keep his composure, stood and shouted,
"Coach Dwayne, please move! If we run into the forest, we can outrun it!"
The assistant coach stood firmly near the bus door, blocking the frantic students.
"Kids, calm down! We need to think this through—"
Before Dwayne could finish, razor-sharp claws smashed through the roof of the bus.
The monstrous creature ripped open the door with unnatural strength, grabbing Dwayne by the shoulders and yanking him outside in one swift motion.
"Aghhh! Help me!"
Scotty, acting on instinct, lunged forward and grabbed Dwayne's legs, trying to pull him back.
"Hold on, Coach!"
he shouted, straining against the monster's pull.
But the creature was too strong.
With a sickening crunch, Dwayne was wrenched upward into the night sky, dragging Scotty along with him.
"Help me pull him down!"
Scotty yelled.
Several students grabbed his waist, pulling him back into the bus, their combined efforts finally breaking the creature's grip on him.
Scotty stumbled backward, landing hard on the floor of the bus, but not before he was drenched in something warm and sticky.
Blood.
The coach's blood rained down from above, splattering the windows, the floor, and the terrified students.
"What the—?"
Scotty stammered, looking at his trembling hands, slick with red.
Above, Dwayne's screams abruptly cut off, replaced by the grotesque sound of crunching and tearing.
The students froze, their terror reaching a fever pitch as the bus fell deathly silent, save for the nauseating sounds of something feasting above.
Then, a shadow loomed over one of the bus windows.
A humanoid creature, its pale, grotesque face twisted in hunger, pressed against the glass.
Its black, soulless eyes scanned the terrified students as it sniffed the air, its nostrils flaring as if savoring the scent of prey.
No one dared to move.
Gulp~
"Why… why are you targeting us?"
Minxie, her voice trembling with fear, managed to step forward and address the creeper.
The monster turned its gaze toward her, its black eyes narrowing as a sinister grin spread across its grotesque face.
Its jagged, sharp teeth glistened in the dim light, a horrifying mockery of a smile.
Minxie's heart pounded in her chest.
"Is this it? Am I going to die?"
The thought clawed at her mind as she stood frozen.
Regret washed over her.
If only she had realized sooner—if she had connected her dream to this moment, she might have been able to warn everyone.
Vroom!
Her spiraling thoughts were interrupted by the distant roar of an engine.
The sound of an approaching vehicle grew louder, breaking the tense silence.
The creeper snarled and shifted its attention toward the road.
Its grin faltered as it leaped into the sky with a guttural growl, vanishing into the shadows above.
The students inside the bus collectively exhaled in relief, their terror momentarily replaced by disbelief.
Present...
The creeper's eyes burned with hatred as it hurled its shuriken and dagger toward Jojo.
Its movements were fueled by rage, its mind consumed by thoughts of revenge for the puppet Jojo had destroyed.
This time, the creeper was determined to end Jojo swiftly before he could retaliate.
Puff~
With a sudden burst of energy, Jojo transformed into his Ghost Rider form.
His entire body ignited with hellfire, the flames licking at the air around him.
The ground beneath him seemed to tremble as his aura shifted into something primal and deadly.
The transformation caused the creeper to hesitate momentarily, its confidence shaken.
Thud! Thud!
The shuriken and dagger struck Ghost Rider's fiery form, the force dragging him off the top of the bus and onto the road.
The creeper's hesitation gave way to a sinister grin.
It spread its massive wings and shot toward Ghost Rider at high speed.
In its twisted logic, the creature believed that by dragging this fiery skeleton into the sky and dropping him from a great height, it could shatter Ghost Rider's bones and ensure its victory.
Inside the bus...
"Ohhh~"
"Another monster… We're dead!"
Scotty yelled, pointing at Ghost Rider with a trembling finger, his voice filled with panic.
The other students followed suit, their fear mounting as they saw the flaming skeletal figure rise from the road.
Thud!
"Don't panic, kids! He's here to save you!"
Rosalie shouted, slamming her hands against the bus to get their attention.
Her voice was firm, commanding, and reassuring.
Scotty wasn't convinced.
"Why should I believe you?"
he retorted, his voice cracking.
"Look at him! He's hideous—a skull covered in fire! You think something like that could be a hero? He looks like another monster!"
Rosalie's patience began to wear thin.
Her fists clenched as she glared at Scotty.
She wasn't about to let anyone insult her boyfriend, no matter the circumstances.
Before she could respond, Minxie stepped forward.
Her voice was calm but firm.
"I believe in her."
She pointed out the window, her eyes fixed on the battle unfolding outside.
"Look. He's fighting the demon that's been hunting us."
The students turned their attention to the window.
Outside, Ghost Rider and the creeper clashed in a fierce, fiery battle, their every move sending shockwaves through the night.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N): Happy Pongal...
Thanks for reading the chapter!
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