The bus
Thanos Kalamida s The colour of the armband series
the bus
Thanos Kalamidas
Thanos Kalamidas
The bus
An Ovi Magazine Books Publication
C 2022 Ovi Project Publication - All material is copyright of the Ovi magazine & the writer
Ovi books are available in Ovi magazine pages and they are for free. If somebody tries to sell you an Ovi book please contact us immediately. For details, contact: submissions@ovimagazine.com No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior permission of the writer or the above publisher of this book.
The bus
S
I.
ven had remained inside the bus after the other two left for outside running to inspect the old red-brick house with the big white door at the front and shuttered windows. One of them stayed always back for security reasons but he also wanted to take a better look at the engine and the remaining gas before adding a new exaggerating haunting story to so many others he and his friends shared with other travellers. Elias and Ida had checked their rifles and carefully tied their red armbands before going out whilst Sven left his on the driver’s seat since he wasn’t going outside. It wasn’t really necessary for him to wear it anyway; the bus had a red stripe all around it identifying its collusions to anybody curious.
Thanos Kalamidas
Colour armbands and stripes was the only rule everybody kept and respected in this new world probably because there was no way to enforce it or protect you from ‘friendly’ fire. It was about survival and survival is enough reason to enforce even armbands with colours you never liked. Like Sven who never liked red. Funny reason why. It all had to do with football and even though nobody played football anymore and most likely people had forgotten what football was about, didn’t help Sven’s dislike to the colour. The other fear and dislike Sven carried was to find himself in a bus with an engineering problem without gas in the middle of a bunch of yellow, brown or blue armbands. Blue were the worst, still no compared with the green who were the hellangels on earth but nowhere around this part of the globe. At least not at the moment. He ticked with his gloved finger over the dashboard to make sure that no needle was stuck and all the pointed indicators were right indicating and then activating all the alarms, inside outside, he opened the small engine hutch, down and on the right side of the river’s seat. That part of the bus was were its heart and its Achilles heel lay. Sven breathed in the mixture of fresh air and oil that entered the cabin when he opened the small door. “Fresh but no clean,” he murmured to himself in the empty bus and bitterly smiled. ‘Well, at least the mixture of gas, old engine oils
The bus
and radio’, he thought and regretted the thought immediately. Radio was not a thing to laugh with and there were a lot of black armbands to prove it. The thought of the black armbands made him shiver but this was no time for day-dreaming or in this case a day-nightmare. He put his head through the small door, checked left and right the little gaps of open space and then pulled up again reaching the bag with the tools. After getting a -sharpen by him- small screwdriver, he returned to the engine and started checking one after the other wires, tubes, connections. “Sven, are you there?” Ida’s voice in the absolute silence of the bus scared the shit out of him and made him hit his head the way he jumped half inside the engine cage, half outside in the cabin. Massaging his head he took a deep breath waiting for his heart to return to her place in his chest and then pulled out, reached the wireless and trying hard to sound calm he answered, “Everything OK Ida?” “Everything is fine, actually everything is more than fine, “she said pointing the word ‘everything’ and he could hear her smiling. “We found a fucking treasure; food, cans of juice, even gas for the bus. Everything.” And the smile came wireless again. That made the pain on his head go away. “Do you need help?” “No, no, we are fine. We might have to come and go a few
Thanos Kalamidas
times but I think, especially with ... mmmm …our hands full, it might be better if you stay there watching.” “Right,” Sven answered. “Elias says that it might be better if you move to the tower so you can have a better look around us.” Of course Elias thought this. Elias, always the strategist. But he was right, he had to admit. “OK, I’m finishing with the checks and I’m moving to the tower.” “Right, see you in a few.” Ida ended the conversation and Sven checked the last tube for a leak. Everything looked fine, but then it hit him. He jumbled out of the engine hutch, he closed carefully the door and grubbing the riffle and the binoculars he rushed for the tower, an iron extension on the top of the bus with small holes here and there for observation. “Idiot, idiot, idiots,” he murmured loud and immediately started checking the horizon. No movement. Yet! There were a few more houses around but there was a good empty distance between them to let Sven see if anything was moving between them. Still, Sven had only two eyes and the ability to check only one side at the time; he was not a black armband after all; and the realization of that triggered more his paranoia and fear. “Damn idiot,” he murmured again. “The great strategist thought of the tower and he let Ida tell me and the wide armband world that they found plenty of food and gas! Fucking idiots.”
The bus
The same time the wireless rang again. “Sven, Sven? Can you hear me?” Sven practiced his deep breathing again while keep turning around and looking through the holes of the iron tower. He wanted to scream, ‘yes I heard you idiot, so the rest of the armband army out there.’ But he didn’t say anything, just an angry, “yes.” “Sven, false alarm, there is nothing here. We are coming back.” Right, the great strategist got his mistake and he’s trying to fix it. Well, great Elias, it didn’t trick him; it won’t trick anybody out there. Actually now they made it worst. Now the hunters became the hunted.
Thanos Kalamidas
E
II.
lias had gone hunting too many times to make an elementary mistake like that but here they where in the middle of a death-trap they dag for themselves. Sven felt fear scrabbling on his back and the fact that he saw Ida shaking her hand to him when she was already out of the white door and into the open made it even worst. He should have seen her earlier when she moved out of the door not thirty feet away from the bus. He jumped quickly down the small platform of the iron tower to the main cabin of the bus and pressed the button next to the door to disarm the alarms. “I know, I know, I fucked up but we don’t have time, take this bags and return to the tower till you see me again,” she
The bus
said and left three heavy bags on the floor in front of him, then she turned back towards the house. “Don’t forget the alarm,” she shouted while running for the white door. Sven activated the alarm and run to the iron tower, binoculars back in the eyes checking all around. He would check later what was in the bags, no time now. His hands were trembling a bit and he thought that the binoculars might fall, but he grabbed them tighter and checked again. One hole after the other moving clockwise. Nothing. Only this time he saw Ida at least earlier, when she was coming out of the white door. Obviously inside Elias was loading bags and she was bringing them to the bus. Stupid, he was bigger and faster but who knows how the great strategist thinks. Sven was angry and he blamed Elias for the mistake. They should have never say anything, they should have just come to the bus with the first bags and then tell him. “Two three more max,” she said leaving more bags on the floor and run straight back to the house. This time the bags were heavier. Sven moved them fast next to the others and returned to the iron tower. Just on time. Somewhere to his left, still far away and beyond any house in the horizon, he saw a clod of rising sand. He acted instinctively without spending time to recheck. “There is a coming, there is a coming. Do you hear me? There is a coming.” He screamed at the wireless. “We hear you,” came back with Elias voice this time and
Thanos Kalamidas
then silence. Ida reappeared but Sven remained at the tower. This time Elias was just behind her, both carrying bags with Elias carrying a small rusted tank on his back. Sven watching the cloud of sand getting bigger and bigger waited till Ida literally touched the first outside alarms before climbing down to disarm them and open the door. Both Ida and Elias came threw bags and tank inside the bus and without a word turned back and run for the house. Sven decided to stay there, by the door; there was no time for the iron tower anymore, there was no time for all of them. This had to be the last round and then leave. He couldn’t tell them, they had already disappeared behind the white door. The cloud and Sven’s fears were increasing by second and this time when Ida and Elias dropped the bags into the bus he literally screamed at them, “we have to move, this was the last time, come inside sand lets start the damn thing to get out of here, NOW!” But it wasn’t going to be. While Ida stayed in, taking place on the iron tower with Sven standing by the door riffle ready, Elias returned to the house. “For one last time,” he said before turning his back to Sven and the bus. “They are coming fast,” Ida screamed from the tower and Sven thought if he should move outside to have better view to what was coming and a better aim. “Two or three trucks and something else, smaller.” Ida shouted again and the second Sven started moving outside the bus, Elias appeared
The bus
from the door carrying a huge track and bags rapped in both arms. Sven turned to his left and he saw the small black dots moving fast between the gray sky and the yellow ground, appearing and disappearing behind small sand hills and buildings. They had crossed the sand land entering the housing area and getting closer fast. Elias was moving slowly under the heavy weight of the tank but Sven stood there without move to help. He aimed at the small dots trying to spot a head or something alive on them to shoot. Nothing. Not even a sound. Then a small thunder hit next to Elias rising sand and gravel. “They are shooting,” Ida screamed from inside, voice in panic. “I cannot see anything, cannot aim…” Sven shouted back while a second thunder hit closer to Elias. “Elias, come inside,” Ida kept screaming from the iron tower but Elias couldn’t hear her or anything else. A third louder thunder hit, this time even closer to him. Forty more feet and Sven couldn’t just stay there watching and waiting for the next thunder to come. He jumbled out of the bus and run to Elias but the next thing he saw was Elias eyes, wide open in shock and surprise. This time the thunder came with a deafening sound and the tank fell from Elias back. The same time a small red blot appeared on his waist. “Oh god, oh god…” Sven whispered
Thanos Kalamidas
getting fast closer to him just in time to hold him up from fully falling down. Too late. Sven knew. It wasn’t the first time, but never before so close to him, never before to Elias. “Help him, help him, help him,” Ida was screaming behind him having left the tower and exiting the bus in a last minute attempt to help. Sven grabbed Elias from his arms and started pulling him towards the bus when another loud thunder hit Elias body with another red bolt appearing immediately on his chest. “Ida, start the engine,” Sven cried pulling the body closer. Fifteen feet, ten feet, five feet, they were inside the same time the roaring of the engine filled the room. He closed the door, draw the safe and sat next to the body while Ida was driving fast the bus the opposite direction away from the coming vehicles. “Oh god, oh god…” he let himself murmur not daring to look at Elias. “How is he?” Ida asked but Sven didn’t have the power to answer. “Is he bad? We are two three hours away from the castle but we can make it. Keep him hot.” Sven didn’t know what to say but logic somehow kicked in. How is he? Did he check how he is? He just presumed him dead. No, he hadn’t. He saw his eyes but he didn’t check. He rolled closer to the body and tried to find Elias’ pulse putting his finger on the man’s neck. Nothing there. He put his ear on the man’s chest. Nothing. The only sound he could hear was the small thunders hitting the metal of the bus here and there. From outside. Nothing from inside. Nothing from Elias.
The bus
“Sven, take the wheel, I know better with these things.” Ida screamed again and Sven stood up and moved quickly to the driver’s cabin without saying a word. She knows better, he felt, she might find a pulse where I missed it. I might be wring. Elias might be alive. Elias eyes returned to haunt him again. “Did you see them?” she asked while trying to stand up without stopping the bus and giving him space to take over the wheel. “Where they blue or brown?” Sven didn’t answer, only sat in the seat changed gear and increase the speed of the bus. They were running for their lives and let’s hope that the engine could sense it and help.
Thanos Kalamidas
I
III.
“
da, I need you up in the tower,” he wasn’t sure if she had heard him and he had used all the strength that remained inside him to say it but it was true. The only picture he had was from the front and no idea what was coming from the back. He thought he heard a sob but then he heard her climbing to the iron tower. She hadn’t said anything since she moved to the back.
“Can you see anything?” he asked trying to sound calm. “They are at the house,” she answered with trebling voice. “How far?” He asked again knowing that she will understand and give him the right answer. “Not far enough,” she understood. For a bit nothing else said with Sven pressing the engine for
The bus
more power, more speed. Ida was watching. “He’s dead,” she said after a couple of minutes in silence. Sven didn’t say anything. “Elias is dead,” she repeated. “I know,” he just said trying to keep his focus in front of them. “It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have said anything.” Another sob came from the tower. “Ida, they were obviously watching us but now we must escape from them so please …please watch.” He knew that he was hard with her but there was no time for mourning or guilt now, if they wanted to come out alive. “Yeah,” came her answer and then again only the sound of the engine trying to get faster. “Sven, two of them coming after us,” suddenly there was panic in her voice and that made him instinctively to press harder the accelerator hoping that it will give more speed and distance between them and their hunters. “Fuck them,” Ida screamed and Sven heard her riffle’s sound. Pap, pap, pap. He wanted to tell her to stop wasting bullets but he knew. It was for Elias. So he kept quiet and she send another round, pap, pap, pap. “Are they closer?” He asked her again after a bit. “No, I actually think that I got something because one of them has stopped. Only one follows us,” Sven smiled almost
Thanos Kalamidas
unwillingly. Of course; the famous Ida luck. “OK, we can make it, only one, soon he will be tired and feeling alone and he will return to the rest.” Sven tried to sound hopeful, Ida didn’t answer. Again silence filled the cabin except the roaring of the engine. “We will make it,” Sven said more to himself than to Ida. She didn’t answer but a loud thumb from his side, outside the bus made them both jump. And then another and another. Boom, boom, boom. “Sven they are on our side,” Ida screamed and she starting shooting with her riffle, pap, pap, pap. “Ida, get Elias riffle, its better,” Sven cried. “Never,” came the answer from the tower accompanied with another round of pap, pap, pap. “Got you, bastard.” Sven pressed the accelerator more hoping that there was something more in there. Boom, boom came from the side closer to his seat. They were aiming for him to stop the bus. Pap, pap, pap, came from the tower and then another boom, a closer one. This time he even felt the metal next to him vibrating. Pap, pap, pap, pap Ida answered. “I got him, I got him, I got him!” Ida screamed from the tower. “Stupid dick, he came to close,” she kept screaming. And then a louder bang but this time it was from outside!
The bus
“Two vehicles left,” Ida shouted, “One out of commission.” ‘Let her luck last’, Sven prayed inside him. Pap, pap, pap. “He’s leaving, he’s leaving,” Ida cried. “I can’t believe it, he’s leaving. The coward. One left, one behind us.” “Ida, can you hear me?” Sven shouted. “Yeah, I can hear you.” “Listen; there is no way to keep it like that, you know it and the engine is not going to take it for long.” She didn’t say anything waiting for him to continue. “If there is only one left our best chance is to face them.” “Right,” she answered immediately. “For Elias.” “For Elias,” he added. “So how are we going to do it?” “Are they still behind us?” “A couple hundred yards. Perhaps less.” “Can you see how many they are?” “I think two, both sitting in the front.” “Even better,” he said. “Listen, I got an idea.” he added loud to make sure that she would focus to his words. “There is only sand in front of us so I was thinking to continue like that and in some point to let the bus roll with its own speed without me in the wheel, move to the back, open the back window and the tower windows the same time and start shooting at them together. All we have. We might be lucky and finish them.” Nothing came from the tower. “What do you think?”
Thanos Kalamidas
“We will aim for their wheels first.” She answered and she sounded hard and determine like he had never heard her before. “For Elias,” she added. “Their wheels, right. Give me a few more seconds to get ready and when I start the countdown be ready.” She didn’t answer but he knew she heard him, so he gave another push to the accelerator and the same time he looked for his riffle. No, Elias riffle was better and luckily was standing in the back next to his body. Sven looked back to check but all he saw was Elias laying there. “Damn you Elias,” he murmured angrily. “How far are they?” “Nearly a hundred yards and getting closer.” “Good, when they are half that distance tell me,” and he let the accelerator from his foot. Everything happened in between seconds or that’s how it felt. The bus started loosing speed while the other vehicle seemed to accelerate literally eating the small distance between them. The same time the back window of the bus and the window of the tower opened all the way letting Sven with Elias’ riffle and Ida’s riffles, pat, pat, boom, boom, pat, pat, pat, boom, boom. Boom. Sven felt tears in his eyes, “for Elias, monsters.” Boom, boom, boom.
The bus
S
IV.
ven had tears in his eyes and a strange itch on his arm. Death silence all around him. Literally. The other vehicle, an old open car with a lot of metal improvement looked a mess with one body hanging out from a window on the side and another one laying on the wheel half in half out. This was not Sven’s first fight and most likely was not going to be the last, but he knew when he was the winner and when to celebrate. This time he felt neither. He looked up for Ida. “Ida, are you OK?” “I’m OK.” He heard her answering from just behind him. Obviously she had come down from the tower. They both stepped carefully out of the bus and reached the odd vehicle. Sven moved to the rear to check if there was an-
Thanos Kalamidas
ything they had missed and have a look inside in case there were surprises waiting. The same time he kept looking in the horizon in a case more were coming. Ida stood near the head of the man laying on the window. Sven felt confident that there was no sign of hostile movement in the horizon so he returned into checking the insides of the vehicle but after not hearing anything from Ida for a while he turned back to the side where she was still standing still looking at the dead head. “What are you thinking?” He asked her reaching closer. “Look.” She said pointing at the head. A twisted face, a lot of burned skin and three eyes, one on the top of the forehead with something like horns on each side. Pointy teeth and a hole where the nose suppose to be, he or she, Sven wasn’t sure, was looking sidewise at the endless sand. “A black armband?” “Look again,” she said without taking her eyes from the three eye head. He looked again. A brown ribbon tied on the right arm. “Look at the other,” her voice steady, the tone sounded like an order. He looked. A blue ribbon tied on the right arm of something you would never call human. A bullet on the face had saved Sven from a better view but the rest of him was enough.
The bus
“I thought they were brainless. Animals like.” Sven squealed in the sight of the creatures. “Animals, perhaps but brainless …I have my doubts.” Ida said, “look at them. Different brands driving an improved vehicle. That takes brain.” Sven didn’t answer, just stood there looking at the three-eyed head. “What do you think?” Sven asked again. “I’m supposed to think?” She pulled her riffle and pat, pat she shot the middle eye. “That black armbands don’t have a third eye and horns to start with.” “So, what are they?” “A new day.” Ida said and started walking towards the bus. THE END for now
Thanos Kalamidas
The bus
The bus Thanos Kalamidas April 2022 Ovi magazine Design: Thanos
An Ovi Magazine Books Publication
C 2022 Ovi Project Publication - All material is copyright of the Ovi magazine & the writer
Ovi books are available in Ovi magazine pages and they are for free. If somebody tries to sell you an Ovi book please contact us immediately. For details, contact: submissions@ovimagazine.com No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior permission of the writer or the above publisher of this book.
Thanos Kalamidas
Thanos Kalamida s The colour of the armband series
A world with armbands. Colour armbands and stripes was the only rule everybody kept and respected in this new world probably because there was no way to enforce it or protect you from ‘friendly’ fire. It was about survival and survival is enough reason to enforce even armbands with colours you never liked. Like Sven who never liked red.
the bus Six-foot-one, grew up in sixties and seventies, studied in England and France, worked for long in England did some in Japan and France ending up in Scandinavia, love jazz music and burritos. Love sports when I can watch them on TV, eating pizza, chocolate biscuits and drinking bitter ale. It all sounds like brain damage.