The area was packed with people—reporters, photographers, police officers, politicians, students, and curious onlookers. Everyone wanted the same thing: the truth.
A year ago, Bus 319 vanished without a trace, along with all its passengers and the driver. No wreckage, no distress signals, no evidence of foul play—just gone.
And now, in the dead of night, the bus had returned.
A reporter's voice cut through the noise, urgent and breathless.
Reporter: "As you can see, the bus has finally arrived—after being missing for an entire year. What's shocking is that it's completely empty. No passengers... no driver... nothing. The bus appeared out of nowhere, and no one knows where it has been. Most importantly, the passengers—who vanished a year ago—are still missing. We have some of their relatives here with us. Let's speak to one of them."
The reporter approached a young man standing quietly at the edge of the crowd. His hands were clenched into fists, his gaze locked onto the bus.
Reporter: "Hey, young man, why are you here?"
The boy didn't look at him at first, his jaw tightening before he finally answered.
Boy: "I'm here to see the bus."
Reporter: "Are you related to one of the missing passengers?"
He nodded solemnly.
Boy: "Yes... my girlfriend was on that bus."
The reporter hesitated. His usual eagerness for a story wavered as he studied the grief in the young man's eyes. But before he could ask another question, a loud voice interrupted.
Officer: "Step back! Please, stay away from the bus! We're investigating!"
Police had already surrounded the vehicle, their flashlights scanning the windows, but there was no movement inside. It was eerily intact—no shattered glass, no scratches, no sign that it had been sitting abandoned for a year.
Then, a squad car pulled up, and moments later, the bomb squad arrived.
The crowd hushed.
The squad cautiously moved in, their equipment at the ready. Tension thickened the air.
Bomb Squad Member (shouting): "Everything's clear! There's no threat—"
A pause.
A second voice, sharp with uncertainty:
Voice from the squad: "Wait... is anyone inside the bus?"
Another squad member stepped onto the bus, shining a flashlight down the empty aisle.
Squad Member: "No... no humans inside... but..."
A flicker of movement. A faint sound.
Voice: "But what?"
The squad member stepped back out, cradling something small in his arms. A white dog. It trembled violently, its dark eyes darting across the sea of faces before it twisted free from the man's grasp and bolted into the crowd.
Murmurs spread through the onlookers.
Reporter (muttering): "A dog? But… where did it come from?"
The squad resumed their search. Hours passed. Most of the crowd eventually dispersed, leaving only a handful of stubborn reporters, a few grieving families, and those who simply couldn't walk away from the mystery.
Every part of the bus was examined. The seats were dusted for fingerprints. The engine was checked. But nothing was out of place.
No blood. No signs of a struggle.
It was as if the passengers had simply... vanished.
But then—
A sharp gasp from one of the officers.
Officer: "Turn off the lights!"
The floodlights illuminating the bus flickered out. Darkness swallowed the scene, leaving only the faint glow of phone screens and street lamps.
And then—
Faint handprints.
They began to appear, one by one, on the bus windows.
Small ones. Large ones. Some overlapping. Some smeared, as if pressed against the glass in panic.
The crowd gasped. Someone screamed.
His shaking fingers reached for the glass—
And then, just as suddenly as they had appeared—
The handprints faded.
Gone.
The silence was suffocating.
The bus, once again, was nothing but an empty vehicle.
But the real mystery remained.
Where were the passengers?
Suddenly, one of the main officers stood up, his expression tense.
Officer: "Take the bus to the lab. We need to investigate further."
He turned to leave, but a group of reporters rushed forward, blocking his path.
Reporter: "Officer, can you give us any updates? Where are the missing passengers? And what about the fingerprints found on the bus?"
The officer hesitated for a moment, then turned to face the crowd. His voice was firm but weary.
Officer: "I want to assure everyone that we are doing everything we can to locate the missing passengers. As you all know, two months ago, we released CCTV footage showing the bus entering a tunnel... but it never came out. We searched the entire area, but there was no trace of the bus or the people on board."
A murmur spread through the crowd.
Officer: "As for the fingerprints... we did find them on the bus windows. But—" He exhaled deeply. "They vanished. Just like the passengers."
The weight of his words settled over the reporters and onlookers like a heavy fog.
Officer: "But don't worry. We are working tirelessly to find them. Please trust our team."
With that, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the restricted area.
One by one, people began to leave. The excitement had faded, replaced by an eerie silence.
But as the last few stragglers stood staring at the bus, one thought haunted them all—
Where did the bus go for an entire year?
And more importantly...
Will the passengers ever return?
On the other side of the scene, a girl stood silently, leaning against a pole, watching everything unfold. Her eyes lingered on the empty bus, her fists clenched at her sides.
??? "I will find you, Mom..." she whispered, determination burning in her voice.
Just then, the small white dog from the bus trotted over and stood beside her, gently licking her leg. She looked down in surprise.
??? "Hey… are you lost too?" she murmured, crouching down. The dog tilted its head before wagging its tail.
She smiled faintly and scooped the little dog into her arms. It licked her face, making her laugh softly for the first time in a long while.
??? "My name is Y/N. And you?"
The dog barked, as if answering her.
She thought for a moment, then nodded.
Y/N: "I'll call you Snowy. Do you like that?"
The dog barked again, happily wagging its tail.
With one last glance at the mysterious bus, Y/N turned and walked away, the little white dog nestled in her arms.
She had no idea where this mystery would lead her... but she was ready to find out.