CHAPTER 4: The Bus Ride

‘’Alex! Alex!! Alex!!!’’

Silence.

‘’Where could he have gone,’’ Alice asked.

‘’Who knows? Could be somewhere in these surroundings,’’ one student replied.

A few hours earlier, the excursion crew were conducted around different areas of the ancient site. After the visit, everyone had converged on the bus, when Serena noticed Alex was missing.

‘’I couldn’t find him at the top, or around the pyramid,’’ one of the tour guides replied.

‘’My partner has also searched around this ancient site, with some workers here. No success.’’

‘’Serena! you were with him when we left the bus, yeah?’’ said one of the students.

‘’He told me he wanted to look around,’’ she replied.

‘’Where?’’

‘’I don’t know exactly. He just said he would explore the grounds. Excuse me.’’

Serena hurried to the bushy area at the east side of the temple. All she could see was trees which stretched for miles. ‘’Could he have wandered into this jungle?’’ she thought.

‘’Alex!

She waded through the thick grass for a few minutes.

‘’Alex!!!”

Silence.

By now she was close to tears.‘’What do I tell Mama Isabella now?’’ she sobbed

‘’He was just right here with me.’’

‘’Miss, you shouldn’t be in this area,’’ a worker said, coming after her..‘’Best if you joined the others at the temple grounds.’’

‘’Everybody! Let’s search around where we explored today,’’ said Dr Alice.

The tour guide with an old map in hand, swiftly took charge. 

"We cannot leave anyone behind," he declared. "We'll split into search teams. He must be nearby."

The group was divided into smaller clusters, each assigned a specific area to comb through amidst the challenges of the rugged terrain at El Castillo, including dense foliage and ancient stone structures. Then, a glimmer of hope appeared

‘’Hey! We found his bag,’’ a student called out

‘’Where?’’ Dr Alice asked in excitement

‘’In the interior of the ancient ruins, some yards away from the temple.’’

‘’But is there any sign of him?’’

‘’No Ma'am.’’

‘’We may have to inform the Yucatan police,’’ Dr Alice sighed, opening the bag.

‘’His books and snack are still in here.’’

‘’Police?’’ Is that really necessary?’’ Diego asked, acting surprised

‘’It’s getting late and we’ve made no progress. We have no other choice,’’ she snapped at him..

‘’So what if he decided to hitch a ride back to the hotel?’’

‘’Nobody saw him leave. Or did you?’’

‘’No, Dr. But he’s quite a silly and inquisitive fellow.’’

‘’And I know you’re not particularly fond of him. Mr Alvarez,’’ she looked at him sarcastically.

‘’They hate him actually,’’ Serena cut in

Diego eyed her, a scowl on his face. ‘’And what exactly do you mean by that?’’

‘’Exactly what I said, Diego.’’

‘’Look, lover girl, we have nothing to do with your missing boyfriend,’’ Ryan spoke up in Diego’s defense.

‘’We’ll see about that when the police get here. Won’t we?’’

‘’What?’’

‘’You know exactly what I’m talking about Tyler.’’

‘’So what’s your proof miss?’’ Diego asked in a mocking tone

‘’You three will explain when they take you in and lock you up.’’

‘’Haha! My father will have us out before you know it.’’

‘’Break it up everyone, Dr Alice interrupted. Someone’s going to call the police now.’’

She walked towards the tour guides and discussed with them for about a minute. Both men seemed to nod in agreement.

‘’Could you dial 911?’’ the older one demanded from his younger colleague.

A dialogue promptly ensued between him and an individual on the opposite end of the telephone line.

‘’Hello. Yes.’’

‘’He’s just under 6 feet tall. Was last seen with the others about two hours ago.’’

‘’Exactly sir.’’

‘’Mhmm… he’s aged about twenty-one.’’

‘’Complexion?’’ he looked at Alice inquisitively. She whispered something to him.

‘’Ah, si! Olive-skinned with dark hair, brown eyes and pointed nose.’’

After a while on the phone, the guide announced flatly. ‘’Policía municipal are on their way. They suggest we go home while they get men and dogs to search.’’

‘’But why should we go without Alex?’’ Serena cried out

‘’I believe he’ll be found, Selena. Let’s do as they say,’’ Dr Alice suggested, heaving a heavy sigh.

‘’Yeah, let’s roll. Maybe the bookworm is somewhere snooping around,’’ Tyler teased.

Diego and Ryan chuckled.

The journey was quiet and the mood gloomy, as the bus moved back to the hotel. Those who discussed among themselves did so in hushed tones.

"Do you think he's okay?" a student asked another

"I hope so. But it's strange, isn't it? One moment he's here, and the next, he vanishes without a trace."

"We can't jump to conclusions. The authorities are doing everything they can to locate him.’’

‘’Let's trust in their expertise."

‘’Yeah, I guess.’’

When they reached the peak of a hilly road, the bus glided down a steep narrow slope.

Serena sat by the window, her gaze fixed on the passing scenery, but her mind was miles away, consumed with worry for Alex. She recalled their last date, just before the trip to Mexico.

‘’My mother thinks I shouldn’t go for the excursion.’’

‘’Why?’’

‘’Well, you know. She has a bad feeling about it. My dad was killed in that country the year I was born.’’

‘’True. But we’ll always move in a group.’’

‘’She doesn’t just like the idea of me going over there. For now’’

‘’So what are you gonna do?’’

‘’I tried convincing her yesterday.’’

‘’And?’’

‘’Well, she kinda agreed. Reluctantly.’’

Serena was still lost in thought when the tranquillity of the afternoon was abruptly disrupted by the sound of a horn blast

‘’Honk! ‘’Honk!!!” The bus’s horn blared.

Suddenly, the driver swerved sharply, narrowly missing an oncoming truck.

The front tyre burst as it hit a spike, causing the bus to lose control. The driver fought to keep the wheels on the road, to no avail.

‘’Hang on. Everyone hang on to your seats,’’ the tour guide yelled.

Dr Alice struggled to maintain her composure, her thoughts torn between the missing Alex and the impending disaster. 

"Stay calm, everyone!" she called out, her voice a mixture of alarm and desperation.

Struggling to gain traction, the vehicle took the curve and was moving faster now, racing down the steep mountain road, gaining momentum very quickly.

As they got very close to the precipice, Serena screamed in horror, knowing it was only a matter of seconds before they were hurled over the cliff, into oblivion.