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Human Sacrifice
墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
Not long ago, news broke online about a female bus driver being harassed by a lewd man. I had encountered something similar while riding the bus, but unlike the news story, my experience was far more serious—serious enough to change my life forever.
The year I graduated from college, I returned to my hometown and took a bus that ran between the city and the countryside. It was summer, and feeling restless and bored, I decided to chat with the female bus driver for a few moments.
Her name was Zhou Manman. She was quite beautiful, probably in her twenties. She wore no makeup, suggesting she didn’t care much for appearances, yet her skin was smooth and clean, giving her a natural beauty.
In fact, I had noticed her before boarding the bus. Initially, I thought she was also a passenger and hoped to sit next to her once on board. However, seeing her work badge revealed that she was the bus driver. I was surprised that such a pretty girl would be driving a bus, but out of professional respect, I didn’t ask.
Zhou Manman seemed friendly and when I asked for her phone number, she didn’t refuse—especially after learning that I was a college graduate. She gave me a special glance; in our hometown, particularly in economically struggling rural areas, getting into college wasn’t easy.
The journey from the city to the countryside was about eighty miles and included a stretch of Winding Mountain Road. This road wasn’t easy to navigate; it was surrounded by trees and deep ravines. If it rained or fog rolled in, driving had to be particularly cautious to avoid accidents.
As we approached the Winding Mountain Road section, I decided not to disturb her further and dozed off as the bus swayed gently.
In my half-sleep state, I suddenly heard a shout that jolted me upright. It took me a moment to focus on the six or seven men standing nearby—varying in height and build—with lewd smiles on their faces as they stared at Zhou Manman.
The shout hadn’t come from them; it was Zhou Manman who had spoken up.
“Hey! Watch your mouth!” one of the sleazy-looking fat men licked his lips as he spoke.
Zhou Manman shot him a glare. “You’d better behave yourself, or I’ll call the police!”
“Call the police? Go ahead if you dare!” The fat man seemed enraged by Zhou Manman’s threat. He reached out with his filthy hand toward her.
I couldn’t stand by any longer. “Hey! It’s not right to harass a girl on the bus, especially when she’s driving! We’re on Winding Mountain Road right now; if something happens, who’s going to take responsibility for everyone’s safety?”
“What the hell do you think you are? Who are you to lecture me?” The fat man glared at me angrily. The Tall and Thin Guy next to him leaned closer and tapped my head. “Don’t be so clueless; you won’t even know how you died.”
I despised being hit on the head like that, but facing six or seven of them alone would surely end badly for me—possibly even fatal. I turned to look at the passengers seated behind me; they all stared blankly out of the windows. I should have anticipated their indifference to such matters.
The place we lived in was remote and chaotic. In the past, many drivers passing through had been robbed by the local thugs from nearby villages, and some had even gone missing, never to be found.
I felt a surge of fear but kept my mouth shut. However, the fat man grew bolder when he saw that everyone in the bus was pretending not to notice. He grabbed Zhou Manman's chin and leaned in lewdly. In a panic, Zhou Manman slammed on the brakes, causing the fat man to crash headfirst into the front window of the bus, his forehead turning red from the impact, along with his gang behind him who fell in a heap.
The children in the back of the bus began to cry, and some parents complained, "Can’t you drive? You should have warned us before slamming on the brakes! If you can't drive, get lost!"
"Exactly! I can't believe they let a woman drive. Female drivers are definitely road hazards. Just look at her; she seems like she's rushing to meet her maker."
Hearing the complaints about the female driver, the fat man’s head throbbed with pain, and he started cursing loudly as he tried to grab Zhou Manman. Seeing this, she pulled out her phone to call for help.
"I'll stop you from calling!" The fat man snatched her phone and smashed it on the ground before dragging Zhou Manman by her arm towards the door. "What are you all standing around for? This bitch is causing trouble on my turf; let her know what happens!"
The other thugs understood what he meant and reached out to pull Zhou Manman outside. She was just a weak woman against several grown men; she screamed for help from those inside the bus.
"If you keep this up, I will call the police!" I stood up and shouted.
"Oh great, it's you again! Damn it, I’ll make sure to beat you to death!" The tall and thin guy swung a punch at me. I dodged to the side and kicked his leg out from under him. He lost his balance and crashed into the bus's handrail, blood streaming from his nose.
The other men saw this and rushed at me, knocking me down and kicking me mercilessly. I tried to protect my head while calling for help from the passengers, but not a single person stepped forward or even said a word.
"Zhou Manman, run!"
At that moment, they were all focused on me. Zhou Manman stood helplessly at the bus door until she heard my voice. In a panic, she fled down towards the trees.
Seeing Zhou Manman escape, the thugs abandoned me and chased after her. I lay on the floor of the bus, aching all over and unable to move. I heard Zhou Manman's screams for help mingled with their excited shouts. Her cries soon turned into sobs filled with despair.
By the time I managed to crawl up, darkness had already begun to settle in. I rushed out of the bus and followed their trail until I found them with Zhou Manman. I saw them adjusting their pants while hurling vulgar insults. Zhou Manman lay in the grass, her clothes torn to shreds, staring blankly at nothing with lifeless eyes. Her hands clutched at the weeds beside her; blood covered her legs and pooled on the ground along with a murky white substance.
Seeing this scene filled me with rage. I couldn’t believe that in this day and age there were still people capable of such beastly acts. I charged forward to shield Zhou Manman with my body as those men sneered at me from a distance before laughing and leaving.
I took off my coat and wrapped it around Zhou Manman’s legs. She didn’t say a word, only sobbed quietly as I helped her back onto the mountain road.
Once we were back on the bus, Zhou Manman continued to cry. It was getting late, and the people on the bus began to complain. “Alright, if you’re done crying, let’s get moving. You city folks are supposed to be open-minded; it’s not that big of a deal.”
“Exactly, stop pretending to be so pure. Hurry up and drive; I need to get home to cook for my man and kids.”
“Are you all even human? Did you shove your food up your ass?” I shouted at everyone on the bus.
“Did you eat with your ass? You meddled in something that wasn’t your business and got beaten like a dog, and now you haven’t saved anyone but have angered those thugs. Now everyone on this bus is waiting for you two, and we still don’t know what shameful things you did when you chased after them,” one woman said.
“Right, in our poor rural area where there’s no signal, you called the police? Stop pretending to be cultured; if you don’t want to ride, just get out,” another woman said arrogantly.
“You think you're tough? You think I won’t hit you!” I clenched my fists and charged forward. The whole bus erupted in noise, and two men stood up to block me. I yelled, “Now you dare to act tough? A bunch of cowards who bully the weak!”
“Enough!” A voice cut through the chaos. Zhou Manman was sitting in the driver’s seat, not even turning around. “Yang Hao, get off the bus.”
“What?” I thought I misheard her.
Zhou Manman coldly repeated, “I said get off the bus, now!”
Hearing her like this, everyone started chiming in against me. In the end, those two men pushed me off the bus.
“Crazy! Damn it!” I watched as the bus drove away, feeling incredibly wronged. I got beaten up for her, and she kicked me off; what is wrong with this society?
I stormed down the mountain, my anger boiling inside me. It was already dark, and from where I got off to our village was still seven or eight miles away. There were no streetlights along the way; it felt like something was following me in the darkness. But because I was so angry, I wasn’t really scared.
When I got home, my mother noticed my injuries and asked what happened. I didn’t tell her about what had just occurred; I said I fell while walking quickly. She didn’t think much of it; it was normal for people in the mountains to get hurt.
The next day, just as I was waking up in bed, my mother hurriedly called me up. Something serious had happened behind the village: the bus from the county town to our village had fallen off a cliff, and everyone on board had died. The news was still broadcasting it.
I was taken aback by the news and quickly turned on the television to watch the local news. The scene of the car accident was horrifying, with charred bodies scattered everywhere, unrecognizable. The cause of the accident was still unclear, but it was confirmed that the driver was a woman named Zhou Manman.
My heart ached; I couldn't believe Zhou Manman had made such a desperate decision, taking everyone in the car down with her. She had let me out before making this choice to save me!
After learning the details, my mood plummeted for an entire day. I couldn't eat or drink; such a wonderful girl had been ruined by those beasts, and now she was gone!
My mother noticed my gloomy demeanor as I lay in bed, spiritless. She thought I had been frightened by something unclean and decided to invite the Feng Shui Master from our village to help me regain my spirit.
Having seen many such events throughout my life, I had stopped believing in these old superstitions after moving to the big city for school. However, my mother was very superstitious and insisted on performing a soul-calling ritual for my peace of mind.
I didn't refuse; after all, it didn't require any effort from me. They could do their thing while I slept.
The Feng Shui Master was an old man from our village named Guo. He had lost one eye, which led many people to call him Guo the Blind. Guo the Blind and my mother busied themselves in the yard for half an hour while I ignored them, feeling miserable about Zhou Manman's untimely death.
In a daze, I lost track of time. When I finally opened my eyes again, everything around me was pitch black. Suddenly, the clock on the wall struck twelve times—midnight.
At that moment, my phone beside me rang unexpectedly. Who would be calling me at this hour? My college buddy?
As I picked up the phone, I accidentally pressed the answer button. A woman's sobbing voice came through the line. Looking at the screen, I felt a chill run down my spine as it displayed a name that sent shivers through me: Zhou Manman.
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