Bus Ride to Hell

I held my breath in the cool rain, the bus stop roof was my only protection from the downpour coming from the sky mere inches away. I had a date downtown at my favorite restaurant Linda from work was my date to be and I hadn't dated for a while, so while I was safe from the rain I wasn't safe from his nerves. She was the receptionist at his father's copying company, where I would have worked until I was done with collage. The bus rolled to a halt in front of me and the bus driver gave a friendly wave, the man asked "Where you heading?" and I didn't reply I just gave the man my ticket and sat down in the front row, I think he said something about "Damn kids these days…" Under his breath. The man was unable to explain to the strange men later what had happened, and soon he would forget all about the events of that day.

It felt like an eternity before the bus began to roll again, but I didn't question it. I sat and dug into my favorite book, thinking over what I was going to say to Linda, according to the bus driver it would take three hours to get to the next stop which was just on schedule for my date. I always loved my hometown but it was miles away from anything I remember in High school me and my friends would go under the bridge and smoke and act like idiots for something to do, good times. I sat and read until I fell into a deep sleep, when I woke I noticed how the rain had picked up and how dark it had gotten but I didn't care. I began once again rehearsing what I was going to say and how I was going to say it when the old speaker phone chipped to life and I heard the driver say "Your never getting off."

I was very confused, why had the man taken such a sinister tone when he was just friendly a moment ago? I leaned over in my seat about to ask him what his deal was but the words died in my throat. Sitting in the man's place was a large spider which continued to drive and operate the bus using all eight of its legs, I sat back in my seat and stifled a scream. I was going over what could be happening and if I was just hallucinating about the driver when I turned to my left and noticed that the sky outside had turned black as night. A moment later I turned again when I noticed there were other people on the bus with me, but not real people they were dark and see through, in a way. I watched in horror as the bus began to slowly burn away and appear wax like behind me, it kept fading and coming back almost as the bus was swapping wallpaper constantly. I banged my head against the window and screamed, I kept asking myself if I ate or drank anything strange but I hadn't

I ran to the front of the train and began screaming at the spider thing to stop the train and let me out but it just kept driving, I slammed my hand on the lever that controlled the door and ran and rolled out the door. I closed my eyes and prepared for impact, but it never came. I once again stood up and tried to walk out the door, but I just couldn't! I pressed and slammed my hands against the open air over and over screaming to be let off the spider turned around and made a croaking laughing noise and told me to sit down. I screamed at the damn thing to let me go but it just laughed again, I went back to my seat and tried to open the window but it wouldn't break or buge.

I sat down and cried for a long time, shaking my head asking myself if this was a dream or drugs or aliens… or something, something explainable! I looked up and watched as the bus rolled to a stop, outside was Linda sitting on the bench all of the shadow figures disappeared around me, I slammed my hands against the window and began to scream Linda's name which is when the bus began to pull away again. I sat back down in my seat and I put my hands in my face as I began to cry, I didn't know how but I knew I wasn't leaving this bus. This was the last stop I kept telling myself over and over again, when I looked up, slowly the bus kept moving past this final stop. I don't have much time before we leave, I hope I'm just going insane but if you find this letter you know what happened to me, my name is James Arhower and I want off this bus and out of this hell! If you can help me, in anyway… Please… I don't want to leave the station.. It's getting foggy in here, and I can't…