02/06/2026
EPISODE 5
Story Title : "THE RED MOON MISSION" 🩸🌑..............
At exactly 7:15am, the massive clean white luxury bus was already parked in the school.
Students screamed immediately.
“Omoooo!”
“The principal released our special school bus just for this trip”
“See enjoyment!”
Obi the fat boy, adjusted his bag dramatically.
“Hope this bus Ac is still working.. I dey quick sweat.”
Everyone burst into laughter.
Then a black SUV slowly drove into the compound.
The vehicle stopped. A woman stepped out, the one Seraphina introduced as her father's sister and representative. She was to join them in the journey.
The principal smiled warmly.
“You’re welcome.”
The woman nodded politely.
“Goodmorning! Are the students ready now?.”
Her voice remained low.
"Of course. Everything is in order". The principal said with a warm smile.
Then, came Seraphina, coming down from the same SUV. She walked calmly, looking beautiful and neat. She smiled and waved at everyone.The students in the bus waved back immediately.
“Seraphina!”
“Come sit with us!”
8:00AM.
A male teacher stood inside the Bus to do a Roll call, to make sure all the students were present. Students answered loudly one by one, until 42 students were confirmed.
The principal smiled proudly.
“Everybody ready?”
Loud cheering exploded.
“YESSSS!”
The principal laughed.
“Behave yourselves!”
“And no trouble! Wish you all safe journey”
Students settled in the bus, music immediately started. Laughter filled the air.
Some students already opening their snacks, others recording videos. Obi had somehow already fallen asleep and snoring shamelessly after talking away his energy.
Simdi sat quietly near the middle, beside the window.
Tobi sat not too far away. Bible resting on his lap.
Quiet, observing and praying silently.
Then slowly, Seraphina entered the bus and walked to her seat. Her aunt entered last.
The door shut.
The engine started.
And slowly, the bus pulled out of Royal Crest Academy.
The bus rolled smoothly through the city road. Students screamed lyrics loudly as Afrobeats blasted from the bus speaker.
Even the teachers had relaxed.. Seraphina's aunt directed the movement.
2 hours after they left school, the city slowly faded, tall buildings became fewer. Busy roads turned quieter.
Soon, bushes began replacing houses. Long lonely roads stretched endlessly ahead, but nobody cared.
Not yet.
The excitement remained too high, some students already sleeping.
At the back, Obi still snored shamelessly.
One student nudged him.
“Guy wake up na. You've been sleeping since we left school”
Obi opened one eye.
“We don reach?”
"Wake up abeg, no dey disturb my eardrum with your snores". .....
Tobi sat quietly, his Bible resting on his lap. His eyes occasionally drifting outside. Something about the lonely road unsettled him.
He couldn't explain it, but his chest felt heavy.
He reached for his rosary, quietly praying under his breath.
A student sitting next to him laughed.
“Haaa, Father Tobi, do you ever get tired of praying?”
The student mocked jokingly.
“You better relax and have fun, na excursion we dey go, no be crusade.”
But Tobi only smiled back weakly and continued his prayers.
Simdi sat near the window, watching the trees pass. She Tried to enjoy the journey like everybody else, but something refused. That strange restlessness, like her body remembered something her mind was trying to forget.
Then suddenly, she looked up.
And realized Seraphina was staring at her.
The moment their eyes met, Seraphina smiled...slow and gentle.
She turned away, like nothing happened.
Simdi quickly looked outside again. Her stomach twisting.....
1 hours later, the road became stranger, narrower and too quiet. Even network signals disappeared gradually.
Students barely noticed.... almost all of them sleeping.
But the teachers had begun whispering.
One male teacher frowned.
“Are we sure this is the road. This journey is taking too long?”
Seraphina's aunt, sitting at the front nodded calmly.
“Yes. We’re close already.”
Her voice remained oddly calm, almost emotionless.
The teacher still looked unsure.
Then suddenly, the road changed again. It now had tall bushes lined both sides and looking too dense, like nobody had passed there in years.
No houses, no human passing, no cars or motorcycles...Absolutely Nothing.
Just silence
The air felt different and heavier.
Tobi slowly looked up.
Then quietly, he touched his cross beneath his shirt and it was so hot.
Something is definitely very wrong...
Then, the bus je**ed violently once...twice.
Then, it stopped.
Confused murmurs filled the bus.
“What's happening?”
“Have we reached?”
“Driver why did you stop in this lonely bush now?”
The driver sighed loudly and opened his door. He Stepped down.
After a few minutes, he came back briefly. Sweating profusely.
“The bus engine don overheat.”
Groans filled the bus.
“Ahhhh!”
“Overheat for this kain place!”
The driver wiped his forehead.
“I need to find water.”
One teacher frowned.
Looking outside.
“Water? Here?”
The driver pointed vaguely ahead.
“I saw one small area over there that looks like a security post.”
The Seraphina's aunt spoke calmly...
“Let him be..There is water everywhere, he will definitely see.”
Her expression unreadable.
The driver grabbed a container and disappeared down the lonely path.
Minutes passed, students became restless.
Slowly, the excitement faded.
Twenty minutes, no sign of the driver. Thirty minutes.. Forty minutes, still nothing.
One teacher frowned deeply.
“He is taking too long.”
Another checked his phone...No signal.
A female teacher sighed nervously.
“Maybe he got lost?”
Tobi quietly looked outside, something inside him shifted
Then he said almost to himself...
“Something is wrong here.”
One hour passed, still, no driver.
The bus had gone strangely quiet now. No music or laughter, just nervous whispers.
One male teacher Mr Okafor stood up.
“I’ll go look for him. We can't keep staying here. It's not safe”
He turned toward Seraphina's aunt.
“Ma, please which direction did he go?”
She calmly pointed ahead without hesitation.
“That way.”
Mr. Okafor sighed.
“I’ll be back.”
Then stepped down from the bus and disappeared into the bushes.
They waited and waited. No sign of the driver or Mr Okafor.
One female teacher stood up, trying to sound calm. Though fear had already entered her voice.
“Everybody relax.They probably lost their way.”
Nobody looked convinced.
At the back, a girl began breathing nervously.
“What if something happened?”
Another snapped quickly...
“Stop saying nonsense!”
Outside, the road looked strange. No birds, no insects.
Even the trees looked still.. Like the whole forest was holding its breath.
Simdi slowly looked outside the window.
Something about the silence felt unnatural.
Then suddenly, the bushes moved slightly, like someone had passed through them.
Her breath caught. She leaned closer, but saw nothing.
At the front, One female teacher turned to Seraphina's aunty. The teacher already looked Frustrated.
“Madam…”
“Are you sure we’re even close?”
The woman sat calmly.
Hands folded and unbothered.
“Very close.”
That same strange calm voice. No panic or concern, as if disappearing people meant nothing.
The teacher frowned harder.
“Then why is nobody back? There is supposed to be houses ahead where they can get water”
The woman turned slowly and smiled for the first time.
“Some roads take longer than expected.”
Something about the answer made everybody uncomfortable.
Then suddenly, there was a loud scream. Everybody jumped.
One student stood pointing outside.
Terrified.
“Someone is there!”
Panic instantly spread. Students rushed to the windows, looking and searching.
Far near the bushes, someone stood, facing away from them.
“Driver!” somebody shouted.
Relief spread immediately.
Students sighed.
“Thank God!”
One teacher quickly stood.
“Hey!”
No response.
The figure didn’t move and didn’t turn.
It Just stood there, watching the forest.
Then very slowly, the figure walked into the bushes.
and disappeared....
**TO BE CONTINUED…**
© Akas Folktale-AF
