To begin with, it was just an ordinary Thursday for Alice Bradley. As usual, the North Carolina bus driver had arrived into school early to collect her rota. But that particular morning something looked out of place in the car park. Because two people were loitering in the school grounds, and Bradley knew they shouldn’t be there. And when she saw what they were holding, she knew this Thursday would turn out to be anything but ordinary, too.

Thursday, June 4, 2015 had started exactly like any other day for Alice Bradley. The bus driver, who lives in Macon County, North Carolina, was preparing for her rounds before the early morning school rush.

Bradley works at the South Macon County Elementary School, and she’s no stranger to the area. In fact, she’s been driving school buses in the county for a quarter of a century, and she’s so well known around campus that the students have nicknamed her “Ms. Ab.”