A big jeep was parked at the corner of the highway, as if it had been waiting for someone.
The driver at the front pulled out his cigarette pouch and began searching for a lighter in the car drawer.
"Where the fuck is it? I'm losing my mind," he grunted, his voice rough and weird.
From the backseat, one of the two guys sitting there threw a lighter at his head.
"What the— Ohhh, here it is," the front guy said, catching the lighter and lighting his cigarette.
One of the guys in the back leaned forward and said, "We can't miss him. Keep scanning the road."
The other backseat guy, who had been dozing off, suddenly opened his eyes and pointed straight ahead.
"There he is!"
Jacob was running towards the highway, fast and desperate.
"FUCK… there are cops too!" the driver cursed, tossing his cigarette out the window. He quickly started the jeep, the engine roaring like a beast.
As Jacob got closer to the jeep, they began speeding up.
"Get us closer. I want to grab him. Closer!" the guy who had pointed Jacob out ordered.
As the jeep pulled up next to him, he leaned out the window and called, "Do you wanna lift?"
Jacob, who was still sprinting hard, turned to look—and froze.
"YOUUU!" he growled, recognizing the man. His face tensed up instantly.
Before he could react, the guy reached out and grabbed Jacob by the neck from behind while the jeep moved slowly beside him.
"SPEED UP!" he yelled.
Jacob started struggling as his grip on the road weakened.
His legs were now in the air…
One of the men sitting in the backseat of the jeep quickly prepared a serum and filled it into a syringe.
"Inject this, come on!" he shouted, passing it to the guy who was holding Jacob by the neck.
That man grabbed the syringe with his free hand and injected it into Jacob's neck, just in time—Jacob was about to break free.
As soon as the injection entered his body, Jacob's strength faded. His eyes rolled, and he fainted.
Without wasting a moment, the man holding him threw Jacob onto the road and told the driver to stop the jeep immediately.
He rushed out, picked up Jacob's body, and tossed it onto the back seat of the jeep.
It was clear—they had kidnapped him.
Meanwhile, the cops in the chasing car noticed something suspicious.
At first, they didn't recognize Jacob, but when they saw someone lifting a man and throwing him into a jeep, their doubts kicked in. Without thinking twice, they sped up and began chasing the jeep.
Back at the bus, the police had started rescuing the passengers one by one, sending them to safety.
Some passengers were giving statements and proof of what happened, while others were still in shock.
"We found three dead bodies inside the bus," one of the cops said to Evelyn, "and two unconscious men. Miss Evelyn, we need your help to identify them."
"The fainted ones have been sent to the hospital. But there's still one ambulance waiting for you to help us with verification."
He looked at Evelyn, waiting for her response.
Evelyn gathered all her strength and stood up.
"Okay," she said calmly.
The cop nodded, and they started walking towards the ambulance.
"Show them," the cop told the compounder who was standing near the ambulance.
The compounder opened the back door of the ambulance, and three stretchers slowly rolled out.
Each stretcher had a body on it, covered with a white cloth.
Evelyn took a deep breath.
Tears filled her eyes.
She tried to stay strong, but the moment felt heavy.
The cop noticed her tears but didn't say anything.
He gently lifted the cloth from the first body's face.
"Miss Evelyn, do you know the person on the first bed?" he asked softly.
Evelyn looked carefully.
It was a giant man, his head and neck badly injured.
"No," she replied, "I don't know him. He was just a passenger, like us."
She paused, wiped her tears with her handkerchief, and added,
"But he helped us. That's why he's lying here now."
The cop nodded slowly and moved to the next body.
"And this one?" he asked again, trying to keep his voice low.
Evelyn looked at the second face.
It was the girl who was with Jacob.
The one who had helped in the hijack.
"She's one of the reasons all this happened," Evelyn said.
Her voice became stronger — full of pain and anger.
As she looked at the body, her mind flashed with all the terrible memories from the bus.
One after another, everything came back to her.
Finally, she took a deep breath and said,
"She was the one with that man… with Jacob."
"We'll find out who she was… and also the guy who ran away," the cop said gently, as he covered Noelle's face again with the white cloth.
Then he walked toward the third body and slowly lifted the sheet from the face.
Evelyn took a small step back.
Her heart didn't want to see it.
But she knew… she had to.
She closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and then looked at the last stretcher.
It was Ethan.
Her eyes stopped blinking.
Her breath got stuck for a second.
It was the same boy who was always with her… from the beginning.
Her friend. Her supporter.
Maybe just her junior in college, but the bond they shared… was something more.
And now… he was gone.
Evelyn slowly walked to him and sat down beside his stretcher.
She held his cold hand, and tears started flowing from her eyes.
She cried silently at first… then her voice cracked.
"Ethan… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
Her voice was weak, full of pain.
She wasn't just crying because he was gone.
She was crying because… she couldn't save him.
He helped her.
He protected others.
He stood strong when everyone was scared.
But in the end… she felt she had failed him.
People around her stood silently.
Watching her pain, but no one knew what to say.
They could feel it… the kind of loss that words can't fix.
Mr. James walked up behind her.
He gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Come, Evelyn…" he said softly.
He helped her stand up… and slowly took her away from that heartbreaking scene.
The police gave the final order — all the bodies would be taken to the hospital.
They sealed the bus and the area as a crime scene.
And then… the news spread everywhere.
Every newspaper the next morning had the same headline.
"Bus Hijack Horror"
Every TV screen showed the face of fear.
Ethan's name became a symbol of courage.
And every victim was given special care — many were sent for mental health support.
That day… left a scar on many hearts.
And nothing would ever be the same again.