The buses had long since disappeared over the horizon, their engines still echoing in the distance, leaving only the stifling silence behind.
The crowd that had been left behind remained rooted to the spot, eyes wide and faces filled with disbelief.
The air, once breathable, had started to turn thick and oppressive, an unnatural heat settling over them, making the world feel like it was closing in.
The sun above beat down relentlessly, and with it came a suffocating warmth that had nothing to do with the time of day.
It was the kind of heat that left sweat pooling in the small of your back and burned your skin if you were unfortunate enough to be exposed too long.
The heat grew heavier by the minute, and even the strongest among them could feel the weight of it crushing down on them.
Some dropped to their knees, their bodies too exhausted from the desperate push for survival.
Their clothes stuck to their skin, damp with sweat and the bitter tang of fear.
