THE FOOL

A woman's loud scream echoed through the bus, filled with fear and desperation as she called for help.

Even though I was seated near the back, I could see the situation clearly. To my shock, three armed men with masks covering their faces were pointing guns at the screaming woman.

"Shut up if you don't want your skull blown off!" one of the hijackers yelled.I hadn't expected anything unusual on my bus ride today, but here I am, in the middle of something very terrible to happen. Still, I tried to remain calm.

I noticed that many passengers were visibly shaken by the hijacking. Soon, the woman fell silent out of fear of being shot.

One of the masked men then shouted, "Listen up! If you don't want to die today, hand over your cell phones, wallets, and jewelry!" He threatened as another accomplice pulled out a large black bag, intending for everyone to put their belongings in it in exchange for their lives.

Due to fear, the passengers, trembling with anxiety, they complied with the hijackers' demands without resisting. They handed over their belongings, dropping them into the bag carried by one of the hijackers, as each passenger was held at gunpoint.

"This isn't right!" Speaking in my thoughts while observing.

"I have to do something, especially since I can't afford to lose the little money and my cellphone, the only things I have left." I needed to find a way out of this situation.

However, the bus was packed with passengers, and I was certain that if I used my ability, many people would notice. My anxiety started to spike as I contemplated my options, feeling overwhelmed by the situation.

"I can't hold back any longer," I thought. "No matter what happens, I must ensure these hijackers don't succeed." I was thinking to use the effect of my card to control the mind of one of the hijackers and make him shoot another. But what if that caused more chaos and put more people in danger, especially since I didn't know how to handle a gun?

I was utterly confused about what to do.

Lost in deep thought, I didn't even realize that I had slowly started to reach for the tarot card in my pocket, fully intending to use my ability. Suddenly, one of the hijackers noticed me.

"Hey! What are you reaching for? Didn't we tell you not to move or do anything?!" he yelled angrily, approaching me with his gun aimed at my forehead.

"Speak up! What are you pulling out of your pocket? Did you call the police? Do you have a gun?" he shouted, his voice filled with rage, and his finger dangerously close to pulling the trigger.

Panicking, I tried to reach my card with my hand still in my pocket, desperate to use one of its effects. But I couldn't reach it. It seemed like this was the end for me. I smiled grimly, thinking that if my blood were to splatter inside the bus, we would all die together because of the default effect of my ability.

But then something unexpected happened.

In an instant, I saw the hijacker who had pointed the gun at me collapse to the ground. I couldn't explain it, but suddenly, a man about my height appeared behind the hijacker. Blood dripped from his hands, presumably from the hijacker he had just struck, rendering him unconscious. The whole event happened so quickly that I didn't see how this mysterious man had managed to get behind the hijacker.

He smiled at me and said, "You're a brave kid. I like that. You're the only one here who didn't panic or show fear in this situation. I wasn't planning to intervene, but your courage impressed me." He assured me he would handle everything.

In the blink of an eye, I was shocked to see the other two hijackers lying on the floor, unconscious and bleeding.

I was utterly confused by the events and wondered who this mysterious man was who had helped me and how he had managed to subdue the hijackers causing panic on the bus.

Soon after, the bus came to a stop, and the driver pulled over. He checked on the passengers to ensure everyone was okay and immediately called the police to apprehend the unconscious hijackers.

The passengers began to disembark one by one, making sure their companions were safe and retrieving their belongings from the large black bag.

I wanted to get off the bus too, and I noticed that I was already 30 minutes late for work. This would definitely result in a significant pay cut, and I would need to explain myself thoroughly to my boss to be excused for my tardiness.

But before I could leave, the mysterious man who had helped me was still there. He called out to me and said he wanted to know my name. He mentioned that he saw a reflection of himself in the bravery I had shown in front of the hijackers.

Since I was wearing my company ID, I decided to just tell him my name. "Daniel... Daniel Ashcroft," I said, and he extended his hand for a proper introduction.

We shook hands, and he introduced himself. "Nice to meet you, Daniel. I'm Kevin... Kevin Ignacio."