The tents were swiftly dismantled, and the equipment was loaded onto the buses with military precision. The team, comprising archaeologists, directors, supervisors, managers, and drivers, was ready to embark on their journey. They were a sizable group, thirty in all, and were divided evenly between two long, coastal buses.
Abigail entered the second bus, her eyes scanning the interior with a mix of anxiety and unease. They landed on Smith, sitting in a chair, his gaze fixed on her with an intensity that made her heart skip a beat. Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds as they locked eyes, the air thick with tension.
Abigail broke the silence, letting out a soft "tch" as she walked past Smith, her eyes flashing with anger and hurt. She took a seat beside Emilia, who was sitting near the window on the back seat and tried to compose herself.
Abigail dipped her hand into her jacket pocket, retrieving a pair of headphones. She plugged them into her phone and slipped them over her ears, ready to immerse herself in music and escape the awkwardness.
But before she could escape into the melodies, Emilia's voice interrupted her, filled with concern and curiosity. "You both fought?" Abigail raised an eyebrow as if asking Emilia to elaborate, her eyes still flashing with anger.
Emilia nodded toward Smith, her expression sympathetic. "I saw the way you both looked at each other just now."
Abigail sighed, shaking her head, her voice laced with frustration and regret. "Yeah, we did. I shouldn't have made a bet with your sister Nora. I didn't know he was such a weirdo."
Emilia chuckled, her eyes sparkling with amusement, trying to lighten the mood. "Calms down, you still have until we get to the headquarters. What got you to place a bet on it? Everyone knows Smith is a reserved character with a unique personality."
Abigail snorted, her voice filled with disdain. "Unique? More like weird." She exhaled deeply, her gaze drifting toward Smith before refocusing on Emilia, her eyes still flashing with anger. "I noticed something, though. I've always been the one to try and talk to Smith, but he was the first to talk to me today."
Emilia's smile faltered, her expression turning thoughtful, filled with concern for her friend. "Really? That's new." She began to play with a puzzle cube in her hands, trying to distract Abigail from her anger. "Maybe he took a break."
Abigail nodded, her eyes narrowing in contemplation, still trying to process her emotions. "I think so."
As the bus prepared to depart, Henry sat beside Frank, who was engrossed in his newspaper. Henry cleared his throat, breaking the silence, trying to shake off the feeling of unease that had settled in the pit of his stomach. "You read that every day? Don't you get bored?" Frank pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose, sniffing slightly. "It's got a nice headline, and it's interesting enough to keep me occupied every morning. I even get them to deliver it to my table every day."
Henry raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Expect disappointment, and you'll never be disappointed," Frank said with a wry smile, his eyes twinkling with amusement. Henry's lips curled into a faint smile, feeling a sense of camaraderie with his fellow passenger.
The bus rumbled on, the scenery outside blurring together. But their journey was soon disrupted. The second bus sputtered to a halt, and Henry disembarked to investigate, his heart racing with concern. The driver, a gruff but affable man, was already inspecting the bus.
"What's going on?" Henry asked, his brow furrowed with concern, his voice laced with a hint of panic. The driver straightened up, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "The bus's electrical system just cut out." Henry's eyes narrowed, his mind racing with worst-case scenarios. "Is it the gas?" The driver shook his head. "No, it's electrical. Just a minor glitch."
The driver set to work repairing the bus, and soon they were back on the road. But as they drove, Henry began to feel a sense of unease, his stomach twisting with anxiety. The scenery outside seemed familiar, and he realized with a start that they were driving in circles.
The exit they had taken out of town had somehow looped back around, depositing them right back where they started. Henry's eyes met the driver's in the rearview mirror, and he saw a flicker of concern there, his heart sinking with a sense of dread.
Henry's face turned thoughtful as he tried to figure out what was wrong with the bus. After a few minutes of trying to diagnose the problem, he finally gave up.
"I think we're going to have to get out and take a look," Henry said, his voice calm and collected.
The team reluctantly filed out of the bus, their faces filled with concern and uncertainty. As they stood there, surrounded by nothing but dry land and bush, the reality of their situation began to sink in.
"This is not good," Frank said, his voice laced with worry. "We're miles from the exit of the town. How are we going to get back?""I know," Henry replied, his eyes scanning the horizon. "But we need to stay calm and think this through."
Michael's voice was laced with concern. "I think we have to continue the journey on foot, it's totally bad," he said, looking around at the desolate landscape. "And judging by this town, it's blurry."
Henry's eyes narrowed as he took in Michael's words. He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Gather around!" he instructed, his voice calm and authoritative, but with a hint of frustration. The archaeologists reluctantly gathered around him.
"The car just broke down, and honestly speaking," Henry began, taking deep breaths, "we can't get it done now."
Nora's voice was laced with concern as she asked, "Why not? We can just get an engineer or call someone to get it fixed," she stuttered, her eyes wide with fear.