WORLD OF THE BEASTS

Rolling Over

Chapter 003: Rolling Over

Rezvan held his breath, staring at Rafandra, who still stood alert beside the tilted seats. The man’s eyes continuously scanned the fog outside, sharp and filled with caution.

This isn’t just some animal... something bigger, something far more dangerous, is out there.

Rafandra muttered inwardly while shielding two female students sitting close together and another student in front of him.

The air inside the bus felt increasingly suffocating. The cold pierced their skin, yet cold sweat still trickled down their temples.

Rezvan’s heartbeat thundered loudly in his own ears.

And at that moment, a realization struck him—

They were truly trapped in the middle of something they did not understand.

BRAG! BRAG! BRAG!

Heavy footsteps shook the ground.

The vibrations traveled through the bus chassis, crawling from the floor into the passengers’ spines. Every impact felt far too heavy to belong to any ordinary animal.

Rough breathing echoed from outside.

Deep.

Heavy.

Hoarse.

Mixed with low growls that made the hairs on their necks rise.

The students could not see anything. The fog was too thick, swallowing every view beyond the cracked and darkened windows.

But precisely because they could not see, their fear became even wilder.

Rafandra repeatedly signaled for them to stay low and stay silent, yet the sounds outside alone were enough to spread terror.

Some students began crying quietly.

Others bit their own sleeves to stop themselves from screaming.

The rest squeezed their eyes shut tightly, trying to pretend all of this was only a nightmare.

DUG! BRAK! DUG! GUBRAK!

The creature slammed into the bus again.

Once.

Twice.

Over and over.

As if trying to flip the vehicle over...

Or searching for something inside it.

DEG. DEG. DEG.

Heartbeats echoed throughout the cabin.

Breaths held.

Bodies trembling.

Fear accumulated slowly, becoming so thick the air itself seemed frozen.

Their primitive instincts understood one thing:

Do not make noise.

A single sound might be enough to attract whatever was outside.

Tears began falling uncontrollably. Cold sweat soaked their necks and backs.

Those young bodies froze in terror while their imaginations spiraled into the worst possibilities.

“M-m-mommm…”

“D-d-dad…”

“I’m scared... this is terrifying…”

“I shouldn’t have come... I should’ve stayed home…”

“Why did the school trip have to come here? Why not somewhere like Borobudur or something…”

“This has to be a prank... this is definitely just a prank…”

“I wanna go home…”

“This is just a dream. Just a dream…”

“i***t! I should’ve gone to regular high school! Why did I end up in a technical school—nothing but guys everywhere! If I’d gone to SMA, at least I could’ve experienced dating!”

Complaints, regrets, whispered prayers, and quiet sobs blended together within the suffocating darkness.

Meanwhile, Rafandra still stood firmly near the bus door.

His body leaned slightly to maintain balance.

His gaze remained sharp.

Alert.

Like a predator waiting for the next attack.

At the same time, Rezvan crouched between the tilted seats, his jaw tense.

He forced himself to stay conscious.

To keep thinking.

To remain a teacher for his students.

GRRHH… HURRFF… GRRHH… HURRFF…

That rough breathing echoed again.

Close.

Far too close.

The creature had not left.

And no one knew what exactly was standing outside.

KRANGG!!

A violent collision slammed into the side of the bus.

Bodies were thrown sideways.

Screams instantly erupted throughout the cabin.

The bus shook violently.

Then—

KREEEEKKKKKK…

…the bus slowly began to roll over.

Metal screeched endlessly.

Glass shattered everywhere.

The bus body slammed into uneven ground.

“AAAKKKHHHH!!”

“HOLD ON!!”

“WE’RE ROLLING!! WE’RE ROLLING!!”

BRAKK!! GRUKK!!

Impact after impact battered their bodies.

Trees.

Rocks.

Hard earth.

The entire bus felt as though it were being thrown around and beaten repeatedly by something vastly larger.

Young bodies collided against one another.

Some were flung into the aisle.

Others slammed into seats.

Screams mixed with the sounds of crushed metal and shattered glass.

Every second felt like a gamble between life and death.

Rezvan himself was violently thrown against the side of a seat.

His shoulder smashed into the metal frame so hard it nearly felt dislocated.

Yet even through the pain, his reflexes still worked.

He grabbed the hand of a student who was nearly hurled into a shattered window.

“Hold onto this! Don’t let go!” he shouted while struggling to steady himself.

His heart pounded chaotically.

But his mind still desperately searched for ways to protect the students.

Elsewhere, Rafandra held several students back from being thrown farther.

His body slammed repeatedly into the bus walls, yet he still forced himself to remain standing.

His eyes never stopped monitoring the fog outside.

BRAAAKK!! GRUUUK!!

The bus crashed into something hard.

Everyone’s bodies were thrown again.

Several students began hysterically screaming.

Rafandra immediately shielded one student’s head with his own body to stop it from smashing into the metal.

“Stay calm! Hold onto anything sturdy!” Rafandra shouted amid the violent impacts.

Rezvan nodded quickly despite his ragged breathing.

“Stay low! Grab the seats! Don’t stand up!” he yelled toward the others.

Outside, a massive shadow moved faintly within the fog.

Unclear.

Incomplete.

But enough to make every hair on their bodies stand.

KRRRANGG!!

At last, the bus stopped rolling.

But now it rested at a steep angle.

Almost upside down.

The sounds outside still continued.

Heavy.

Echoing.

As if something enormous were slowly pushing against the bus from outside.

DUUG!! GRUUUKKK!! DUGGHH!!

The ground trembled every time that thing touched the vehicle.

HHRRRGHHHH!!

A rough breath exhaled from beyond the fog.

Very close.

Everyone’s skin crawled instantly.

No one dared approach the windows.

Much less peek outside.

Then—

Silence.

No impacts.

No roars.

Only ragged breathing.

The hiss of damp wind.

Or perhaps...

The fog itself.

The bus tilted nearly seventy degrees, wedged between hard earth and tree trunks.

Gravity itself felt distorted.

The floor now resembled a wall.

Seats became both footholds and traps.

The left-side windows had shattered completely.

Glass shards littered everywhere.

Metal creaked softly whenever someone moved.

Rezvan slowly regained awareness.

His body was pinned between seats now hanging above him.

His shoulder felt crushed. His head throbbed. Warm blood streamed from his right temple.

“…Aah…”

He groaned weakly.

Every breath stabbed painfully into his chest.

Inside the bus, the atmosphere had become even worse.

Crying.

Painful groans.

Pleas for help.

Fear.

“Help…”

“I can’t move, my leg…!”

“All our phones are dead…! It’s so dark… help!”

“Pak… Pak Guru… please…”

Rezvan heard everything.

But his own body could barely move.

The world spun around him.

Blood dripped from his forehead. His shoulder felt torn apart. He tried to speak, but only broken, hoarse breaths escaped.

Not far from him, Rafandra slowly rose to his feet.

One side of his face was bleeding. His breathing was heavy.

But his eyes remained sharp.

Focused.

His survival instincts were working at full capacity.

Count the casualties.

Protect the living.

And stay conscious.

“Pak… Marta…?” Rafandra’s voice sounded low and heavy amid the groaning metal.

He crawled toward the driver’s cabin.

Pak Marta looked half-conscious. His body trembled violently. Blood dripped from his forehead.

But he was still alive.

GGRRRUUUHHHHHH…

The creature’s sound echoed again from outside.

Still there.

It had not left.

Whatever it was doing out there—

One thing was clear.

That thing was still circling them.

Rafandra gritted his teeth. His body tensed.

Then he shouted—

“EVERYONE WHO CAN STILL MOVE, HELP THE INJURED!! STAY IN THE LOWEST POSITION POSSIBLE, DON’T STAND UP! WAIT FOR INSTRUCTIONS!!”

His voice sliced through the panic.

Cutting through sobs and screeching metal.

Several students who were still conscious slowly began moving.

Their knees trembled.

Their hands shook.

But they started helping one another.

Rezvan finally managed to sit against one of the tilted seats.

His breathing was heavy. Every inhale hurt.

But he understood one thing—

He could not collapse now.

His students were still alive.

And they needed him.

Outside the fog, the creature’s shadow moved slowly.

Patiently.

Watching.

The heavily damaged bus now felt like a trap.

And finally, Rezvan truly understood something:

This was no longer a school trip.

This was a fight for survival.

KREEEK…

Metal groaned again.

The bus swayed slightly.

Every body froze instantly.

KREEEKKK…

One side of the bus shifted slowly again.

Then—

DUGG!!

A violent jolt came from underneath.

Bodies slid once more.

Some students screamed.

Others held their breath.

The sound of cracking wood echoed beneath the bus.

Something supporting the vehicle’s weight was beginning to collapse.

The bus tilted even more extremely.

Dust and splinters scattered into the air. Fresh cracks spread across the remaining windows.

No one dared move carelessly.

They knew—

If the balance shifted even slightly, the bus could roll again.

Outside, the fog continued swallowing all sight.

The world beyond felt unreal.

There were only sounds.

And fear.

HHRRRUFFFF…

That breathing sound came again from outside.

Slow.

Hoarse.

Close.

Several students immediately covered their own mouths to avoid making noise.

Rezvan slowly turned toward Rafandra.

The man still stood while gripping a support pole. His gaze pierced into the fog.

“Don’t move,” he whispered quietly but firmly. “Stay calm where you are.”

One student hugged his knees tightly.

Others clutched each other’s hands.

No one dared speak loudly.

Even their own heartbeats sounded like tiny thunderclaps within the silence.

Rafandra slowly moved closer to the slightly opened door. His eyes peeked outside.

But he did not dare look for long.

This tilted bus felt like a sinking ship that could collapse at any moment.

And out there—

The fog concealed something they could not comprehend.

Silence.

Stillness.

Second after second crawled painfully slowly.

Then Rezvan’s voice quietly came from behind him.

“Bang, can you hear me?”

“Yes,” Rafandra answered shortly.

“Have they... calmed down?” Rezvan asked hesitantly.

“Which ones?” Rafandra replied flatly.

Rezvan frowned irritably.

“The creatures, obviously!” he hissed.

“How would I know? I can’t see anything right now,” Rafandra answered.

Then he turned toward the students.

“Hey, everyone. Feel around near you. Look for the lighters that got thrown somewhere. We need light to monitor the situation…”

“Don’t move farther from your positions. Even one working flame is enough,” he added firmly.

In the darkness, trembling hands began searching blindly.

Looking for anything that could become a source of light.

Ctik… Ctik… Ctik…

The sound of a lighter flicking echoed.

Then—

A tiny flame appeared within the darkness.

A dim orange glow danced in the air, reflecting against the dented, bloodstained metal of the bus.

“Om Kenek, here... found one…” Damar’s voice sounded relieved despite still trembling.

“Use that to check your surroundings. See if there are more,” Rafandra replied.

He slowly stood up.

His face twisted as pain spread throughout his body.

“Definitely gonna bruise black and blue...” he muttered while checking himself.

His hands examined his arms, ribs, shoulders, and legs.

“Good... looks like just bruises. Nothing broken...” he murmured quietly.

That tiny lighter flame had now become the only anchor in a collapsing world.

One tiny point of light...

…within fog and terror that still had not revealed its true form.