The year was 2009 and I was preparing for my wedding. I had to travel from Lagos to Anambra state, a journey of about 6 hours.
I boarded a 14 seater passenger bus in the early hours of that fateful day and took a very comfortable seat on the second row just behind the driver on the passenger side. I like this particular seat (seat num 3) because of its ample leg room, easy access to the door and a good window view but am in love with seat num 2 (the front passenger seat right beside the driver). This seat num 2 gives me the drivers view of the road and makes me feels as if am the one driving but on this particular day seat num 2 was already taken and I have to take seat num 3.
About an hour into the journey, we ran into a holdup that was caused by an ongoing road maintenance work. It took us about 4 hours to clear the holdup. The journey that was suppose to be a 6 hour journey now looks like it will take the whole 12 hours of that day.
Inside the vehicle, everyone was quite, tired and frustrated. Most of us started taking out our frustration on our mobile phones. The driver gradually increased his speed in a desperate bid to reach his destination before dusk.
Suddenly, it started raining forcing the driver to slow down the speed of the vehicle. After about an hour of heavy downpour we ran into another holdup caused by flooding on the road. This happened in a small town called Ore.
It was then I heard the voice. It was as if I was answering a phone call through an earpiece. The voice simply said " terminate this journey now". I turned around and took a good look at everyone seated behind me. They all seem lost on their mobile phones but I was sure someone spoke to me.
Almost immediately, the passenger on my favourite seat( seat num 2) told the driver that he can't continue with the journey. The driver pulled over to allow the passenger get off the vehicle. I quickly changed my seat from seat num 3 to seat num 2. I was already seated when I noticed that an elderly man seated at the rear was actually trying to get to the same seat. He politely asked me to allow him sit on seat num 2 since 1 was comfortable at my previous seat (num 3). I politely declined and told him to sit on seat num 3 instead.
"Terminate this journey now or return back to your seat!" the voice whispered in my ear startling me at the same time. Confused, I asked the man to come and sit on num 2 while I returned to my former seat (num 3). The man was visibly delighted when he took over the seat.
We continued our journey but this time around I was restless. My heart was racing, I was sure someone was whispering to me. I kept touching my ears in a failed attempt to pull out an invisible earpiece. In an attempt to calm myself down, I pulled out my phone and called my fiancée. It was a long call but I was enjoying every moment of it. And all of a sudden everything went blank.
I don't know how long I was out but when I opened my eyes, I noticed I was lying down on some sort Of bush and it was drizzling. I was disoriented but I instantly recognized my phone a few feet away from where I was lying down.
Instinctively I stood up and went for the phone. It was then I saw it. It was a picture I will never forget in my life. The 14 seater bus I was supposed to be in was completely buried under a 20 wheeler trailer. Everywhere was dead silent. I couldnt look at the wreckage for fear of seeing my mangled body. I just stood there watching other road users coming to see if anybody could be saved from the accident. I stood there and watch them pull out what was left of the bus from under the trailer.
Of the 13 passengers in that bus only 2 of us survived. I came out without as much as a scratch on my body while the other passenger was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was treated for multiple fractures. I was told that our bus ran into the trailer that was parked by the road side at top speed and that I was thrown out of the bus by the impact.
I've been trying since then to hear that small voice again, to thank it for saving my life and to ask it what it want from me because I knew I was saved for a purpose. I've not succeeded but I will not relent in my quest.
Please pay close attention to the small, quite voice in your head if and whenever it decides to whisper to you.
Your narrative is quite interesting, but hard to read because you didn't paragraph your writing. All the same, the small voice is no other but the angel of God sent to save you, and I hope you are a child of God, if not you need to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and serve him in any capacity you can. I joined you to thank God for saving you.