When the Clock Strikes Midnight

7:45 p.m

A/N: Sorry for the wait. It's been really hard for me to write right now. It's bringing up a lot of old memories. Thank you guys for sticking around.

I hear the sound of an engine and I jump awake. I look around, mega confused. We are on a school bus. It's a short bus, so everyone is sitting next to someone. There are 8 seats. 4 on each side. And then there is the bus driver. I look up to see the bus driver and I gasp. It's Bryan. He must have been awake this whole time. His hands are handcuffed to the steering wheel. He looks back at me through the mirror, eyes wide.

"Peach. I'm scared. I can't stop. I've been awake this entire time. I don't know how to drive a bus!" I look at him, trying to breathe normally.

"You are doing just fine right now Bryan. Just focus on the road. I'm sure that we will be fine." I turn to look at whoever is sitting next to me. It's Hailey. She is duct taped to the seat. Upon closer realization I see that I am also duct taped to the seat. I look around at everyone else. Jack and Anthony are duct taped to the seat beside me. Aaron and Jackson are duct taped to a seat together behind me. Claire and Kevin are duct taped to a seat together. Willow and Amy are duct taped to a seat together. Theo and Veronica are duct taped to a seat together. And then Dave is duct taped to a seat together by himself. I look back up at Bryan, trying to give him strength through looks. Suddenly a loud voice blares over an intercom. Everyone stirs to life, looking around in confusion.

"This is your captain speaking. In a couple of minutes, this bus is going to crash. Unfortunately, Bryan isn't going to survive this one. Because as you can see, he is handcuffed to the steering wheel. One other person will also die. So let's begin. Good luck Bryan." I look around in shock. I look at Bryan, watching him. He looks like he is about to cry, but he is staying strong. I talk to him, hoping to make his last moments good ones.

"Bryan, I know that this sucks. But you will get to be with Ashlee now! Just think of that. Don't think about anything else. Think about being with Ashlee. I am so sorry that this is going to happen to you. I seriously appreciate you so much. Thank you for making it this far, and for staying strong." He nods, tears starting to roll down his face. I want to go up and hug him but I can't. As I'm watching him I see his face slowly morph into fear. I look at the road and see a semi truck approaching. I hear someone scream and I close my eyes, getting ready for contact. Suddenly I feel my entire body shake and my head gets thrown back. Someone continues screaming and you can hear all of the yelling and cries coming from people. Finally I feel the bus stop moving. I open my eyes slowly and look around. Even though we are in a VR kind of thing, everything seems so real. Everyone is actually covered in injuries. I start pulling against my restraints, trying to get out. I finally manage to get the duct tape off of me and I look around. Some of the people around me are unconscious. I look over at Hailey who is bleeding from a cut on her forehead. She is groaning, but doesn't look like she is awake. I quickly take the duct tape off of her. She wakes up and looks confused. I grab her hand.

"Hailey. We have just been in a crash. I need you to help me get everyone out of the bus. Can you do that?" She nods, slowly moving. She moves to the back of the bus and starts untying people back there. I go up to Bryan, checking his pulse. He is still alive and breathing. His eyes flutter open and he groans.

"Bryan. Bryan, are you ok?" He starts crying, looking down at his chest. There is blood everywhere. He looks back at me, smiling softly.

"It's like you said. I am going to see Ashlee again. Go and save everyone else. Please." I start crying but I nod, standing back up. I plant a kiss on his cheek and walk away. I go to Jack and Anthony and start untying them. They wake up and start squirming around. Anthony looks down at his arm and starts yelling. His bone is sticking out of his arm. I quickly divert his gaze, making him look at me.