Chapter 33: Terror on the School Bus

"Alright, everyone, hurry and get on the bus. Clark, pick up the pace!"

At Smallville Elementary, Martha MacDonald clapped her hands, directing the chaotic crowd of students onto the school bus.

Clark glanced back at a sullen Zod, slowing his pace to wait for him.

"John, you look like you're not having a good time?"

"Yeah, because I've already toured Old Mike’s collection once, back on my last birthday." Zod said dejectedly, "I wanted Dad to let me take the day off to clear the weeds on the farm, but he refused."

"What did your godfather say?" Clark asked curiously.

"Dad said, no part-time work during school hours."

Zod plopped into a seat toward the back of the bus, propping his chin on his hands against the seat in front of him. Mimicking Peter, he let out a sigh and said in an old-man tone, "Sigh, another boring day."

"Students, we are visiting the museum today. I hope everyone has a wonderful day, but before we can enjoy ourselves, we must maintain order." After all the students were on board, Ms. Martha began explaining the itinerary and safety rules.

Old Holley sat at the very front of the bus, acting as the security guard for the trip. His cloudy eyes occasionally flashed with a sharp, piercing light as he surveyed the students.

The bus soon started, heading down the road toward the museum.

"I hate buses." Zod watched the scenery streaking by outside the window and said to Clark, who was sitting next to him, "The feel of this school bus is just like a public bus."

"You've been on a public bus, John?" Clark asked, surprised. Since both Peter and the Kents owned cars, Clark mostly traveled by car. He had never experienced a public bus.

"Of course. Once, Dad forgot to drive, so he took me on one." Zod’s experience had been terrible. "There was a guy sitting in front of us who smelled like a mix of urine and Doritos. He was wearing hobo-style clothes. Dad said his fashion was on the cutting edge of trends, so he couldn't tell if the guy was truly homeless or just some guy obsessively chasing the latest look."

Clark felt that his godfather’s remark sounded like both a joke and the truth. Frowning as he thought about it for a long time, Clark finally concluded: this was probably one of his godfather’s "dad jokes." His godfather was always coming out with things he couldn't understand. Whenever he asked, his godfather would just tell him it was a joke.

For instance, there was the time his godfather had asked him in all seriousness how he would manage to catch a woman falling from a great height with his arms without her body snapping into three pieces.

Zod didn't notice Clark’s conflicted expression; he just kept his chin propped up, looking boredly at the scenery.

The bus continued forward, passing the Honey Hole, which sold local agricultural products, and driving onto a bridge. A pickup truck loaded with paint was coming from the opposite lane. Seeing the pickup, the bus driver prepared to slow down. But just as the two vehicles were about to pass each other, the paint-filled truck suddenly swerved across the center line, slamming toward the school bus.

"Fuck!"

Seeing the out-of-control pickup barreling toward them, the driver let out a curse and gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white, while slamming his foot on the brake.

The tires let out a screeching, high-pitched wail like lambs headed for the slaughter. The rear of the bus fishtailed violently!

The students on the bus, who had been excitedly chatting about the trip, were caught off guard as they felt a sudden sensation of weightlessness.

"Bang!"

Students who had been standing were thrown heavily back into their seats with a dull thud. Ms. Martha had been explaining safety precautions and was caught completely off guard, thrown hard against the interior of the bus. A loud "bang" sounded as she hit her forehead, leaving her dizzy and unable to stand.

Clark and Zod were also thrown to one side, but both quickly steadied themselves.

"Screech!"

The bus let out a piercing brake sound on the road, leaving black skid marks that gave off a pungent, burnt odor. To avoid the collision with the pickup, the bus lost control and veered toward the edge of the bridge.

At the very last second, the experienced driver finally brought the bus to a halt. It was only inches away from plunging off the road.

A deathly silence fell over the surroundings; the students who had been screaming and crying moments before all stopped in unison. Only the ticking of the cooling engine broke the silence.

The shaken driver looked like he wanted to cry, but then suddenly wanted to laugh. He had successfully saved a bus full of students! He had done it!

However, before he could celebrate his success, the next second, the out-of-control pickup truck plowed into them.

"Bang!"

The paint-filled pickup crashed into the rear of the bus. The metal buckled, and shattered glass rained down into the bus like a storm. The air was filled with the blaring of the horn and the deafening shriek of twisting metal.

"Fu—!"

Before the driver could finish his curse, the bus gave a teeth-grinding "creak" and plunged into the river below the bridge.

"Splash!"

The bus hit the surface of the Smallville river with a violent, thunderous sound. Icy river water immediately surged into the bus. The murky water quickly engulfed the students. Terrified, the students began to scream, descending into total chaos. Some tried to scramble out, while others screamed and ran frantically toward the back of the bus. But the water rushed in faster than anyone had anticipated, quickly submerging half the vehicle.

Old Holley, sitting in the front, had been rattled by the fall, but since the bridge wasn't very high, he hadn't lost consciousness. He quickly stripped off his coat and, ignoring the crying students, rushed toward the shattered window. Escaping the sinking bus, he swam forward. He knew this river intimately, so he easily moved away from the sinking zone.

"Splash!"

As he broke the surface, his aged body transformed back into a youthful physique. He hesitated for a moment, wanting to go back and save them. But he realized that if he saved people while in this state, his identity might be exposed. Finally, he shook his head, cast one last glance at the bus, and swam toward the shore.

More and more water poured into the bus. Ms. Martha had already swallowed several mouthfuls of river water. The cacophony of crying and screaming filled her ears, making her headache even worse.

"Here, hurry!"

Enduring the pain, she grabbed a little girl by the shoulders, trying to push her through the window to the outside. But perhaps out of sheer terror, the girl clung tightly to her arm, tears in her eyes, refusing to let go.

Sitting in the back, Clark wiped the water from his face, staring blankly at the scene between Ms. Martha and the girl ahead.