They are dead 3

3

"Does that feel too tight?" Luke said in the girl's direction, touching the bandage one last time and she nodded his way. Nomonde felt useless to just stand and watch as Luke was bandaging Tracey's arm after she had just been attacked by a mad man who had obviously bitten her. How crazy, she thought and looked back at her, her hair bobbing as she nodded to Luke's instructions. He had called the ambulance earlier and after a moment of putting the phone down, he looked up at Nomonde and decided that he was done with Tracey and that she seemed stable. He walked over to Nomonde and she didn't know if she felt like answering his questions.

"What happened in there?" he asked and she didn't know if she liked his tone. It was one of fake authority, probably impressed with himself that he "saved" two girls from a monster.

"I don't know. He was forcing himself on the girl. I think."

"You think?"

"I don't know. It was weird. I've seen perverts before and that's what I thought he was up to. But something was different. The stare in his eyes wasn't one of lust, and after he had been caught red-handed, he didn't seem ashamed. He just seemed..."

"Just seemed what?" Luke now pressed, taking a curl of blonde hair out from his sight.

"It's crazy."

"Just tell me, please. We need to know all the details when the cops arrive." he said it with such a know-it-all tone that Nomonde had difficulty keeping her face straight. She didn't know if she wanted to speak out loud about what she really thought was wrong with the bus driver.

"Please?" he pleaded insincerely this time, his green eyes penetrating her blank stare and she had difficulty focusing on his face.

"He seemed... dead."

"What?"

"Well, he didn't seem alive. I know it sounds crazy but he seemed not all there if you know what I mean."

"You mean he was under a trance or half-conscious?"

"No, I mean he was dead." she crossed her arms, finally getting annoyed with him. Luke looked at her and copied her body language, seeming like he didn't know how to reply. Finally, he opened his mouth again.

"What's your name?"

"Nomonde." she said reluctantly, turning her body away from him when she realised that he was absent-mindedly copying her.

"I'm Luke,"

"I know."

"How did you-"

"The whole first-aider routine you did?"

"Oh, yeah," he said, scratching his head.

"Look, I know you might be shaken up but we need to tell the cops about what happened here. I need you to do that."

"I told you what I saw." she now said, adamant. She was very well known for being stubborn when she was annoyed. She thought that most people were. Luke sighed, having realised that she was not going to cooperate with him anymore. A shriek came from behind them and Tracey was now lying on the floor, her hair covering her face. The shriek came from a friend who was sitting next to her.

"Help! Help, she's not responding." the girl said, leaning down over Tracey's body, trying to hear if she was breathing. Luke ran over now, already in first-aid mode, and did the checks that needed to be done with no panic. He then dropped down, checked for breathing and gave off an atmosphere of anxiety. It wasn't intended as she saw that he was trying to stay calm and professional. He was probably despondent, thinking that he had previously solved the problem.

"I'm going to start CPR until the Ambulance arrives!"