1 Campus Bus

Edol had just accomplished something that countless people around the world hoped to achieve one day.

Something that most of those people would never do.

Legends of the act had been spread, and every occasion of it happening drew tons of attention…

And yet, he had achieved what many dreamed of by accident.

That's right.

Edol was just hit by a campus bus.

[Legend says that if a student is hit by a campus bus, the school will pay for their tuition].

The young adult was in his third year of college, studying mathematics at the University of Bristol. He wasn't an amazing student, but certainly wasn't a slacker either.

Midterms were approaching, and the air seemed more clammy than usual. Everyone was in a rush, running from place to place to study for the upcoming tests.

As for Edol? Not only did he have tests to study for, but he also had to write a paper.

'Why is everything at the same time? It would be so much easier if all the tests were spread out instead of all in one week!'

There was no time to spare, not even between classes. If he wasn't studying, then he was in class! There was no time to slack off…

Leading him to do school work even when walking between classes.

Nevertheless, a lack of focus when traveling could have serious consequences.

Edol had been too focused on his mathematical analysis paper and stepped out into the street absentmindedly, directly into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

In the second before he was hit, Edol looked up, seeing the panicked face of a frantic bus driver.

'Who is the idiot student? It's not worth it! If you failed a test… just keep trying! Don't give up on life!'

The bus driver stomped on the brakes, the bus screeching to a stop as it hit Edol.

"Shit! I just hit that kid!"

The bus driver jumped out of his seat and ran to the front of the bus, his face red with panic. A few of the students on the bus looked up with concern, but none of them followed the driver. Just like Edol, they had exams coming.

The students went so far as to think Edol was lucky.

'Hah… that guy is going to get out of his midterms for free! Maybe I should try jumping in front of a bus too…'

Outside the bus and away from the seemingly crazy students, the driver ran over to Edol.

Edol was lying on the ground, out of wind but not injured.

"Kid! Don't give up on life! I'll call for an ambulance, so hold on to life!"

Edol lifted his head to look around. His laptop had been thrown from his hands, broken parts scattered across the road in front of him. Aside from his computer, he didn't receive much more than a few bruises.

"Wait, Mr. Driver. I'm fine! You don't need to call for help."

A pain struck through Edol's heart, but it wasn't because of the bus's impact.

'My paper… I didn't back it up to the cloud! 10 pages gone, just like that! Well, at least I have a good excuse to get a time extension now. Maybe I can even get an extension on some test deadlines too… This is my lucky break!'

Yep. Even Edol was corrupted by this masochistic thinking.

Seeing that Edol didn't appear to be too injured, the driver walked over to help the kid up.

"Well kid, I'll bring you over to the counseling center. Mental health is a big issue… and you don't have to deal with this alone. I'll get you the help you need."

Thoughts ran through Edol's head as he tried to figure out what the driver meant. 'Mental health? Get help? What is this guy talking about? Does he think I jumped in front of the bus on purpose?'

"Sir, it isn't what you think. I was just distracted."

The driver didn't react, almost as if he hadn't heard Edol's words.

"It's ok kid, you can talk to me. It can be tough to open up to someone else, but trust me. You will feel better if you just let it all out."

The driver extended his arm to help Edol up, a friendly smile plastered over his face.

"Sir, It really was an accident. I'm not de-"

Crash!

Another vehicle slammed into the back of the bus. The driver, in his hurry to check on Edol, hadn't put on the bus's flashers or the parking brake.

Some foolish college student had been too busy looking at their notes while driving, not even looking up to see the bus parked in the middle of the road.

Studying while walking… but even studying while driving? Perhaps that's a bit too much.

The impact shoved the bus forwards, directly onto the prone Edol.

Edol turned his head to find the source of the noise, but all that met his eyes was a vast black expanse.

The tire.

Everything went black, and the world disappeared before Edol.

The driver, his hand outstretched, gaped in shock as the bus's tire rolled onto the kid's skull.

"No! Kid!"

He frantically pulled at Edol's limp arm, trying to pull him out from under the bus's tire.

Hearing the bus driver's shouts, the crazy students on the bus were finally roused from their studying. One ran out from inside the vehicle, turning to help, but he started retching as soon as he saw what had become of Edol's head.

"De-Dead person!"

Panic quickly overcame the students on the bus as they frantically called 112.

This poor student had accomplished what they dreamed of: getting hit by a campus bus; but then had his life stolen from him by a distracted driver before he had a chance to enjoy his accomplishment.

There was only one possible outcome of having your head crushed by a bus.

Edol was pronounced dead on the scene.

All of the students from the bus had masks of sadness covering their faces.

'Damn, I think that guy is one of my classmates… Rest in peace, bro.'

'This poor guy must not have been able to take the stress of his classes…'

Some of their thoughts were… a bit different.

'This guy is so lucky, no more exams for him. He's probably having fun in some afterlife, enjoying the benefits of being killed by a campus bus.'

'I wish I was lucky enough to get hit by a bus like this too… I could finally be free from all of this.'

If the driver was able to read minds, he might have discovered which of the students really needed that mental help.

While students were thinking of how great it must be to be Edol, He was experiencing something completely new.

A dark plane expanded before him, lit dimly by ambient red light that seemed to emanate from the ground. Clouds of mist floated along the ground, limiting his vision to just a dozen meters.

'What is this? I got hit by the bus… then what? I can't remember... Wait! I know! This must be some kind of cosmic congratulations! Hah! Even the gods are envious of being hit by a campus bus!'

A dark figure slowly approached. Standing nearly two meters tall and lit only by the dim red light, the figure was incredibly imposing.

"Um.. hello tall person? Are you god? I know being hit by a school bus is cool… but even you are here to congratulate me?"

The figure got closer, and Edol could make out some more features. The figure wasn't a human. If he had to describe it, it looked something like a death knight or demon. Its body was covered in a thin armor of dull red scales, and the spikes protruding from its shoulders almost gave the appearance of a crown.

The demon kept walking toward Edol at a constant speed.

"Um… Sir? Who are you?"

The demon didn't respond, but its hand reached toward its waist.

Edol's eyes followed its spiked hand… as it grasped onto a sword.

"Ahh buddy. That's not meant for me, right? I'm friendly! Do you understand me? Friend. Friend!"

The demon was now only a meter away, an intricate yet massive sword in its hand. It stopped in front of Edol for a moment, before thrusting its sword forwards.

There was no chance for the unprepared Edol to run.

The sword cut into his stomach like butter and the sound of burning flesh sizzled from the wound. A thin coat of flames covered the demon's sword, instantly cauterizing the hole made by the sword.

Edol had thought he knew pain when he broke his foot playing football.

This was something different.

It was like something had reached into his soul, taken a handful, then ripped it out.

His knees buckled as the demon withdrew its sword, a look of disdain in its eyes. It saw Edol as trash, something that shouldn't live.

These eyes were the last thing Edol saw as his vision faded. A pair of eyes, looking at him like he was some roadside trash.

"Cu- curse y- you demon."

Edol died.