CHAPTER 159: CHAPTER 159: SACRIFICE?

He held her hand gently, trying to warm her trembling fingers.

Naina stared at their joined hands, stunned. ’This is... the first time a man has held my hand.’

People always thought she was too composed, too perfect, and too distant to need comfort. They assumed she didn’t break. They assumed she didn’t fear.

But Oliver saw through the cracks she desperately hid.

Suppressing the sudden swell of emotion, she reached into her bag with trembling fingers and pulled out twenty talismans. She handed them to Maya.

Maya’s eyes widened. Tears collected in them. "If we survive... I’ll report your sacrifice to the higher authorities. I promise."

Naina shook her head softly.

"You don’t need to act like this is our last parting speech, Maya. Just do as I say. Wear the gloves and stay alert. Make five people and distribute one talisman to them."

Her words made everyone brighten up. Indeed. As long as all of them hold a talisman, even if it is only from one side, they would be able to survive till they are far away from the real danger.

Some were grateful, while some were resentful.

As Nain turned to leave, someone shouted from the back... their voice sharp, cutting through the tense silence.

It was Jeffrey, the man with shoulder-length brown hair.

"How many talismans do you have, Naina?"

The question froze the entire bus.

A cold draft slipped through a broken window, brushing against everyone’s skin as if the mountain air itself held its breath.

If Naina dared to answer the question, there was a high chance that others would demand more from her. If she doesn’t, then they will become suspicious.

It was a trap anyhow.

Maya’s expression darkened immediately.

"Jeffrey! She’s given out almost everything she has! Even if she has more, you have no right to demand it! And if you have so many problems, why don’t I hand back the remaining talismans back at her?"

"Indeed! Jeffrey, you are being greedy!" Oliver shouted.

Everyone glared at Jeffrey, disappointment and disgust filling their eyes.

Ignoring him, Maya turned back to Naina and nodded firmly, as if encouraging her to do her thing.

Naina returned the nod.

For the first time, she felt the people around her weren’t unreasonable... they were frightened, but not cruel.

She stepped off the bus.

Behind her, Jeffrey clenched his fists tightly, anger burning in his eyes.

’She must have more. Why isn’t she giving us more then? Does she want us dead? Just because she exorcised one ghost, she thinks she’s a hero...’

He glared at her retreating figure, resentment twisting inside him.

Naina and Oliver began walking toward Bus Two, which stood eerily still a short distance down the gravel road.

The forest air was thick and cold, smelling faintly of moss and distant rain. Every step made the leaves beneath their shoes crack softly, echoing in the unnaturally quiet air.

A chill crawled up Naina’s spine. She gripped Oliver’s hand tightly.

In her other hand, she held an exorcism talisman... ready to burn any ghost that tried to possess them.

Oliver squeezed her hand gently and whispered,

"It’s alright. I’m here."

But Naina could feel the oppressive energy in the air.

Oliver tightened his grip on Naina’s hand as they hurried toward Bus Number 2.

The gravel crunched under their shoes, and every step felt heavier than the previous one.

The mountain air was cold and thin, carrying a faint, metallic scent that made it hard to breathe.

He tried to reassure her.

"Naina... I know you’re scared for your friend. Anyone would be. But... why don’t you think about your parents? You will feel assured."

A gust of cold wind brushed against her face, sending a shiver through her. Naina pressed her lips together.

’My parents? What parents? They’d never worry about me even if I disappeared in this ghost zone right now.’

By the time she collected herself, they had already reached the bus door.

The door was hanging open, its hinges creaking softly in the chilly air. The interior lights flickered weakly inside the grey-and-red bus.

Naina and Oliver stepped in, and their breath caught in their throats.

A suffocating odor of rot and stale air washed over them like a wave.

Several employees sat rigidly upright in their seats, their eyes vacant, their mouths stretched into eerie, unnatural smiles. Their skin had taken on a waxy pallor.

Others... were motionless. Their heads hung limply. Their bodies had gone cold.

Naina’s hand trembled so violently that the talisman paper almost slipped from her fingers.

The possessed employees turned toward her in perfect unison, the same eerie smile stretching further, as if carved into their faces.

"No... we shouldn’t have come back..." Naina whispered, her voice trembling.

Her words hung in the stale, oppressive air.

Oliver squeezed her hand, trying to anchor her. "We can still fight this. We have a chance."

Naina swallowed hard. The damp air tasted of decay. She forced her fingers to steady as she took out a handful of talismans.

Oliver mirrored her movement, tightened the straps of his gloves, and together, they began throwing talismans and energy balls at the laughing, twisted figures seated throughout the bus.

Golden light burst across the aisle, the talismans flying like guided arrows.

One ghost moved faster than the others.

A blur of darkness shot forward, rushing toward Naina with a guttural hiss.

Before it could reach her, Oliver lunged and kicked the possessed body.

His strength, fueled by adrenaline and fear, sent the person crashing onto the bus floor with a loud thud that echoed off the metal walls.

Naina flinched, her entire body trembling uncontrollably.

But Oliver stayed beside her. "You’re okay. I’m here. You’re stronger than this."

His voice pushed her through the suffocating fear.

With renewed determination, she pulled out even more talismans, her hands shaking but no longer freezing.

One after another, talismans flew through the air, striking the ghosts inhabiting the bodies.

Golden sparks lit up the dim bus interior, crackling against the stale, ghost-infested air.