7

“Now that everyone is on the bus . . . ” Mr. Dwyer raised an eyebrow in L.J.’s direction. L.J. sank down in his seat. “And all critters are, hopefully, off the bus . . . ” He shot a look at Sha’relle, who just smiled and brushed her hands together.

“We need to get ready,” Mr. Dwyer continued. “The bus needs to be as airtight as possible. Close all the windows. Look for any cracks in the seams and fill them with . . . something, anything.”

The team stood there, dumbfounded, for a moment.

“You heard him,” Ethan said. “Close up all the windows. Hurry.” Most of the students leapt into action.

But Kevin and José leaned back and put their feet up on the seatbacks in front of them. Ethan yanked Kevin’s legs down. “Not cool,” he said. “Both of you, get up and help.”

Kevin gave him a dirty look and then got up reluctantly. José followed.

The sound of windows sliding up and clicking closed resonated through the bus.

Tyler’s window was open too. He pushed the metal latches inward and heaved up, but the window was stuck halfway.

“Come on, come on.” Tyler slapped at the window—then rubbed his stinging hand. He pushed on the metal latches again, but they wouldn’t budge. “Come. On.” He slammed the heel of his hand into it. Why hadn’t the others thought about this while he and Julia were out looking for L.J.?

The dust cloud grew closer. Tyler had never seen anything like it. A wall of black and brown clouds churned toward them. It looked like photos he had seen of bombs being dropped in a war.

Tyler pounded and pushed at the metal window latch. Finally–Click—it gave way and slid up a notch. He pushed the latches inward again and pushed the window closed. It clicked into place. “There.” He brushed off his hands.

Four guys, including José and Kevin, fought to see out the back of the bus’s emergency-door window and watch the approaching storm. But the rest of the team continued checking windows.

“No, that’s okay,” Julia yelled sarcastically toward the slackers watching out the back window. “We got it. No need to help. We’re fine.”

Mr. Dwyer hurried around the bus, checking all the windows one more time. Another window wouldn’t close and it was already letting in dust and wind.

“Keep your coverings around your faces. You need to protect your nose and mouth,” Mr. Dwyer said.

“Why do we need to do that if we’re inside the bus?” Kevin asked.

“Because dust could still leak in.” Mr. Dwyer’s voice had never sounded more tense. “It’s a precaution.”

“I can’t get this one closed!” José shouted from a seat toward the back, where he’d finally moved to get to the last window. “Can somebody help me?”

“I got it,” Kevin said, coming over to José. His fingers turned white where he pressed into the locks. He heaved. “Ugh! Never mind. It won’t budge.”

“Let me try,” Ethan offered, leaning over the seat to reach for the window.

“Get something to cover it with,” Mr. Dwyer suggested. Kids scrambled and dug through their backpacks.

“I have a sweatshirt!” Kevin said, while Sha’relle offered a hat she’d found.

“Use my jacket.” Ethan grabbed his black sport coat. The upper window was stuck halfway open, just a few inches high but about a foot wide. It was a big enough hole to let in more than a little dust once the storm hit the bus.

“We have to get that opening covered or we could have sand all over the bus,” Mr. Dwyer instructed.

“It’s just sand,” José said.

“Have you ever breathed in sand?” Mr. Dwyer asked.

“No.”

“Or gotten a tiny piece of sand in your eyes?” Mr. Dwyer added.

“Oh, yeah. It stung.”

“Well, try getting a dozen tiny particles in your eyes,” Mr. Dwyer said. “Your cornea could get scratched.”

José quickly dug through his backpack and found a sleep mask he’d brought. “Ha!” he shouted, holding the mask above his head.

Ethan shook his head. “You are lucky.”

“I’m prepared,” José corrected with a grin. He strapped the sleep mask onto his forehead like a pair of goggles.

“Right. Prepared to sleep,” Ethan said before returning his attention to the open window.

“How can we secure this?” Mr. Dwyer asked.

“Here,” the bus driver said, walking down the aisle. He looked out of breath just from walking that short distance. His round belly hung over his belt. Being a bus driver involved a lot of sitting and probably wasn’t the best occupation for staying in shape, Tyler reflected.

“Use this duct tape. I always carry it with me.” The driver handed Ethan a roll of tape and huffed back to his seat, where he tried to call for help on his radio again.

No one answered.

José held the jacket up to the window and Ethan peeled off the thick, gray tape and secured the cloth over the hole. Everyone was silent on the bus. Some watched Ethan and José secure the jacket, while others were staring out their own windows. The bus had begun to rock slightly from the wind, and it sounded like stones and sand were pelting the sides.

“Look!” Julia squeezed Tyler on the arm.

They both looked outside. The cactus that had been bent at a forty-five-degree angle minutes ago had shifted to a ninety-degree angle—all the way sideways.