A Scary Experience

The rickety bus which was taking me home was slowly inching its way through the traffic. The bus was packed with commuters, most of whom were heading home after work. As the ride home usually took almost an hour, I would doze off every now and then. I was just nodding off to sleep, when the bus suddenly swerved to the left and screeched to a halt. Four burly men boarded the bus. They glanced furtively at the passengers and then moved to the rear end of the bus.

Then, suddenly above the din of conversation, I heard someone speaking in the raised voice. I quickly got up to see what was happening. I saw the four burly men surround a middle-aged Chinese man. They were demanding money from the man. When he refused to hand over his money, an argument ensued which soon came to blows. The punched and kicked the victim. Knowing that he could not overpower his assailants, the Chinese man did not retaliate. Meanwhile, some of the passengers panicked and began screaming. When the punching and kicking did not stop, the man got up from his seat and tried to dash to the front. Being stronger, the four men successfully restrained him.

I was shocked at the apathy shown by the bystanders. Nobody lifted a finger to help the man who was being attacked. I rose to confront the assailants were armed. It was then that I saw that one of the attackers was brandishing a knife while another had a knife half concealed under his shirt. Realizing this, many passengers remained glued to their seats.

The tension in the bus was unbearable. Then, there was a sudden pattering of feet as the four men made their way towards the door. At this juncture, the bus driver open the door and the four men fled. The victim, who was slashed in the wrists and abdomen, was moaning and groaning in pain. The bus driver dropped him off at a nearby clinic.

The bus, then, resumed its journey. The tension began to melt. The passengers talked about the assaults. This was one bus ride that was scary for me.