The bus ride was extremely quiet. Not like before when excited chatter about the zoo filled the bus. Everyone was exhausted from their trip.

One bus had already loaded and left while the others were still looking for a missing Virgil.

Tim sat next to Chance with his head laying on his lover's shoulder as he thumbed through the pictures on his camera. Austin quietly scolded Virgil for wandering off. Avi had dozed off with his head leaning back on the seat. Adam happily ate his snow cone. Daryl and Jenika whispered softly to one another as they held hands. Tina was reading a book that she had brought, thankful that all was peace and quiet.

A sudden hard bump causes Tina to look up from her book. "OH, MY GOD!! MR. WRIGHT??!!" She screams as she sees the unconscious bus driver slumped over the steering wheel.

The bus takes a sudden turn to the right and crashes through a guard rail. Screams are heard as the bus rolls over several times down a steep embankment, tossing the ones inside around like clothes in a dryer.

The bus comes to rest on its side, blocking the door.

Amongst the broken glass, broken seats and twisted metal, whimpers and cries were the only sounds.

Tim coughs from the settling dust as he slowly opens his eyes. His body ached from being slammed around. What in the hell happened? Why was he laying on the side of the bus? Everything happened so fast. One minute, he was scrolling through his photographs, the next minute, he's lying on the side of the bus covered in broken glass.

Slowly turning his head, he looks at the person lying next to him. The patient's eyes were opened and fixed. Blood ran from her mouth and nose.

Tim whimpers as he tries to scoot away from the deceased girl, cutting his hand on a piece of glass.

Hearing a groan beside him, he quickly jumps and looks around to see Adam rubbing his head.

"Adam! Adam!" Tim loudly whispers as he gets to his knees and gently shakes the blonde.

"Oh, my head." Adam groans. He opens his eyes to see the brunette beside him. "Photograph? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think so." Tim nods, looking at his bleeding hand.

"What the hell happen?" Adam asks as Tim helps him sit up. He looks around to see the bus littered with bodies. "Why is everyone sleeping on the side of the bus? Is that blood or is it my snowcone?"

Tim could only shake his head as he scans the bus looking for his boyfriend and his other friends.

"Oh, my God." He whispers as he sees Chance laying nearby. He prayed as he crawled across the broken glass to his lover.

Others were beginning to stir. Jenika was crying holding her arm that definitely looked broken. Daryl seemed to be unharmed as he held her close.

Adam had come across Avi and Austin. Besides Austin having a pretty bad cut on his arm, they looked okay, just shaken.

"Chance?" Tim calls softly as he shakes the unconscious man. "CHANCE!! PLEASE, WAKE UP!!" He shouts as he begins to cry. "Oh, dear God." He whispers as he sees blood coming from his lover's head.

"Timmy?"

Tim looks around as he hears Tina's weak voice. Blood coming from a huge cut on her face. She was only laying a couple of feet away.

"Tina!" Tim sobs as he grabs her by the hand. "Is...Is he dead?"

Tina manages to crawl closer and lays her fingers on Chance's neck to feel for a pulse. A smile grows on her face as she does, indeed, find a pulse.

"He's alive, Sweetie." Tina nods. "Are you hurt? What about the others?"

"Adam is fine and so is Avi and Daryl. Austin has a bad cut on his arm and it looks like Jenika's arm may be broken." Tim answers as he caresses his lover's cheek. "I don't think some of the others made it." He adds shaking his head. "What am I suppose to do?"

"Honey, someone needs to try and get to the road and flag someone down for help." Tina says as she rubs him on the arm.

"I don't think we can get out." A frightened Tim whispers, shaking his head as tears stream down his face.

"You said that Avi was alright?" She asks and the brunette nods. "He's small. He can fit through one of the windows. Honey, listen to me." She adds as she lays her hand on his cheek. "I'll stay with Chance. You find Avi. You need to get him out so he can try to get to the road and flag down some help. I'm depending on you guys."

Tim knew he didn't have a choice. Chance was unconscious. Tina and Jenika were hurt. He hasn't even seen Sami yet. He gives an unsure nod then leans down kissing his lover on the forehead.

The brunette stands and slowly makes his way through the bus. Stepping over bodies that he didn't know if they were dead or just unconscious.

He finds his friends gathered at the back of the bus. Sami was there putting a make-shift sling on Jenika's arm and bandaging Austin's cut. Daryl, Adam, and Avi were desperately trying to get the backdoor of the bus open but were having no luck.

"Did you find Chance?" Adam asks.

"Yeah, Tina is with him. He's unconscious. Tina has a big cut on her face." Tim says pointing toward the front of the bus.

"I'll go check on some of the others." Sami says.

"Guys? Tina wants us to see if we can get Avi out through one of these broken windows since he's the smallest. She said to get to the road to see if you can flag someone down for help." Tim says.

"I can't reach those windows." Avi says as he looks up.

"I'll lift you up." Daryl says, quickly standing up. He knew that at any moment, the ones that are dead will be changing. They needed to get the hell out of there before they do.

He clasps his fingers together and holds them down for Avi to step in.

"Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God." Avi mumbles as he puts his foot in Daryl's hands and lays his hands on his shoulders.

"You can do it, Avi." Adam says.

"Watch the broken glass." Jenika warns as she cradles her injured arm.

"Good luck." Austin adds.

Daryl lifts the smaller man up towards the window with a boost from behind by Tim. Avi climbs easily out the window.

"Good thing I lost the extra pounds." He mumbles to himself as he looks over the side of the bus. Trying to figure on how to get down without breaking his leg. "HOW AM I SUPPOSE TO GET DOWN FROM HERE?" He yells to the others.

"MAYBE YOU CAN USE THE AXELS OF THE BUS TO CLIMB DOWN!" Tim yells back to him.

"Good idea." Avi nods as he carefully walks along the side of the bus. "Here goes nothing." He says as he begins to climb down.

~~

Chance moans as he reaches for his injured head.

"Shhh, just lay still." Tina tells him.

"Oh, sh*t." He groans as he sees the blood on his hand. "Tim?" He starts to raise up but is pushed back down by Tina.

"Chance, I said lay still." Tina orders. "Timmy is fine. Pretty shaken up but he's okay."

"Where is he?" Chance asks with a groan.

"He and the other patients are, hopefully, saving us." Tina says with a smile.

~~

"C*CKSUCKER!!" Avi yells as a car flies past him as he tries to wave it down. He wasn't having much luck. No one would stop. Several cars had already driven by but avoided him like he had a plague.

He turns around as he hears another vehicle coming up the road. He actually thought about laying down in the road to get them to stop. But they would probably just run over him and he couldn't help the others if he was dead. What would his friends on tv do?

"HELP ME!!!" Avi yells as he waves his arms above his head as he runs out into the road.

George Springer, an off duty police officer, was on his way home after a long day at work. It was his wife's birthday and he was mentally planning out the evening of celebration.

"HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!!" He yells out as he slams on his brakes when this mad man comes running out in the road. He quickly puts the squad car in park and jumps out. "DUDE!! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING??!! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!!"

"PLEASE!! WE NEED YOUR HELP!!" Avi shouts as he runs up to the policeman. "WRECK!! BUS!! PEOPLE!!" He yells as he tries to catch his breath.

Officer Springer looks around at the torn-up guard rail and the tie tracks leading off into the gulley. He runs over to the railing and sees the bus laying on its side. He begins shouting into his radio as he follows the bearded man down the embankment.

!! NEWS REPORT!!

A fun day at the zoo turns tragic today, when a busload of patients from the Waverly Hills Sanatorium veered off the highway, crashing through a guard rail and rolled several times down an embankment. The driver, fifty-seven-year-old John Wright, had an apparent heart attack while driving the bus.

Six were reported killed during the crash, including the driver, Mr. Wright. The owner of Waverly Hills, Tina Mattingly, along with two employees, Adam Chance Ray and Jenika Mae Marion, were also injured in the crash.

Some of the patients took charge in order to find help. Avi Kaplan, Tim Foust, and Daryl Dixon were the patients involved in the rescue. While other patients tended to the injured.

Off-duty police officer, Geoge Springer, reports that Avi Kaplan somehow made it out safely and flagged him down.

More news later......

********

Until next time .... ✌️