Xavier stared out the window as the school bus drove on the road. It was sunny, the harsh rays piercing the windows and shining in the bus. Xavier was listening to music as he stared out the window. He was humming a tune and tapping the windowsill.
Around him was total chaos. A lot of chaos. Teenagers shouting, cursing and couples making out in the chairs around him. Brass, papers, boxers, and pens, shoes were being thrown around as laughter filled the bus.
The teacher was not in good shape. It was as if luck was shining on the teenagers as the teacher on duty was car sick. So while the teenagers were making noise, the teacher threw his lungs in a paper bag.
Xavier stared as the teacher threw up, feeling sorry for the man. Then he turned back to the window, gazing at his reflection. He was brown skinned, with black curly hair and green eyes.
He still chuckled at how people stared at him when they saw his green eyes. He was the only one in his family with green eyes which made him a bit of a local celebrity. Not like he cared about it.
"Hey, buddy. You back to earth?" Xavier rolled his eyes, removed his earbuds, and turned to meet his best friend.
"I'm not lost, Brian." He spoke. "Just thinking."
Brian, who was beside him, grinned. "You think all the time. What the hell are you even thinking about?"
"Anything that enters my head," Xavier answered.
"I'm so bored." Brian groaned, he sank into the chair." It's Saturday and we're forced to go on a school trip to a forest where only God knows lives. "
"It's not that bad." Xavier grinned. "At least you can fantasise about making out with Bella."
"As if that will ever happen." Brian scoffed. He gestured in Bella's direction, who was chatting with her friends in one corner of the bus. "Look at her. She doesn't know that I exist."
"You won't know until you try," Xavier replied, plugging back his pods and humming again.
The bus was still in utter chaos. Laughter rings in the air. Xavier yawned and stared out of the window again.
Without warning, something slammed into the back of his head, his nose hitting the window and the frame rattling with force.
The whole bus became silent instantly. You could even hear a pin drop. Xavier silently brought out his earpods one by one. He could hear the whisper.
"Oh, shit."
"My guy has done it."
"Someone's funeral is today."
"Who the hell did that?"
Xavier faced the crowd, his expression had changed. He wasn't angry. No, he was annoyed and he hated being annoyed.
He silently reached to his nose, brought his hand down, and stared at it. There was blood. He reached down and picked up the object that had hit him. It was a soccer boot.
"Who the hell threw it?" He asked quietly, his voice making students gulp in fear.
Nobody answered and the place was still quiet.
"Do you want me to repeat myself?" He asked.
The bus was still silent, so silent that the teacher paused his vomiting and looked up.
Then the silence broke.
"It was me." The voice answered.
Xavier turned his eyes to the voice and saw the person who spoke. It was Dennis. A notorious bully who used to terrorise students in the school. Right now he was grinning his head off as he stared at him.
"Watch yourself." That was all Xavier said, before plugging back his pods and turning to the window.
"I thought the bastard would make a move." Dennis scoffed. "I don't know why people are scared of him."
"Are you nuts!" His friend spat, smacking his head in anger.
"Why the hell did you do that?" Dennis complained.
"Just because he left you now doesn't mean he's let you off the hook."
"What?"
"When he first came to the school, most of the guys bullied and oppressed him. Racist remarks, punching him, and stealing his money. We did all that shit."
"And so?"
"One day, he snapped. Took all of them down like it was exercise. Beat the shit out of them so bad that some are still in the hospital. Nothing happened to him. He had records of they're bullying on his phone. Pictures and all that shit. Said he would post them if they suspend or expel him."
"Where was I when he did this?" Dennis asked in shock.
"Probably nursing a hangover or banging a whore in your bedroom." His friend scoffed.
Dennis glared at Xavier after what his friend said. Was this guy really that strong?
Xavier was massaging his nose when Brian tapped him. "You okay?" Brian asked.
"I'm alright."
"Dennis is a huge jerk. He did that on purpose."
"I know."
"You gonna fight him?"
"Nah, only if he strikes first," Xavier replied.
Xavier was about to put back his earbuds when the bus stopped with force, braking hard on the road. Xavier grunted as he smacked his face on the chair.
"Twice in a freaking row." He muttered in pain.
The bus had stopped and was not moving.
"What the hell, old man!" Someone spat at the driver. "We're not buckled in."
The driver was not listening. It looked like he was in shock. He was gazing out of the window.
"Is everything all right, Mr. Baker?" The teacher asked.
The teacher didn't get a response. He went up to the driver trying to find out what was going on. He tapped the bus driver on the shoulder.
No response.
The teacher followed the driver's gaze, and what he saw made him gasp in fear.
"My goodness. " He croaked in shock.
Xavier, confused, turned to Brian who had the same expression on his face.
"What's going on?" He asked Brian.
He was replied to with a shrug. People were confused. Chatters were echoing everywhere. What was going on? What was making the two grown adults stare like deer caught in headlights?
Xavier watched as teenagers opened the windows beside them and craned their heads outside.
He did the same, opening the window and gazing outside. What he saw made his eyes widen and he gasped.
Outside, lying on the road in front of the bus. A white woman, naked, maggot-infested, skin pale and decaying. Her breasts were out and crawling with insects and maggots diving on the nipples like it was a swimming pool.
Her hair was golden, or was gold, because right now it was covered in dust and now resembled brown. Blue tattooed lines criss-crossing her face, stomach, and thighs like she was from a European tribe.
Her eyes were gone. No eyeball, no pupils, just dark, endless holes like a scarecrow's makeup gone wrong.
Xavier needed no Sherlock Holmes.
He needed no detective.
Heck, he didn't even need to be born smart to know what that was.
Any normal human being could figure out what that was.
Yeah, Xavier and his classmates had stumbled into a nasty surprise.
The excursion was gonna wait for a long time.
They were gazing upon a dead body.