He heard the engine’s soft purring first, and then, with strained eyes, noticed the bus finally came into view. He yawned while flagging it down lazily.
The bus sighed to a stop. He climbed the small steps appreciatively as the door opened and the familiar Latino driver greeted him with a tired smile.
"Working late again Kevin?" The driver asked as he stepped on the gas.
"Always."
There was only one other passenger on the bus and other than her sandy blonde hair; her face was hidden behind a thick paperback novel.
"The name’s Kristin, first day at Mark & Co; that’s a law firm for you ignorant architect." The Driver teased.
“Is there anyone you don’t know Carlos?”
"Hey, I like to talk to my passengers." Carlos defended himself.
"I should nominate you for friendliest driver or something."
"Or you can ask my boss to raise my pay."
"Right, okay, I’m going to sit now." He said and made his way to the back. He heard Carlos laughed behind him.
Walking pass Kristin, he took the seat on the opposite side. It seemed that Carlos failed to mention how attractive Kristin was. Smart and beautiful, Kevin wondered if it’d be too corny to strike up a conversation and hopefully score a date.
But the moment his body sank into the seat, he felt the tension of a hard day’s work quickly dissipating. Closing his eyes, he imagined being back in his apartment, pampering himself in a long, warm shower before lounging on his favorite couch with a mug of hot chocolate in one hand, remote on the other, switching channels and hoping something good was on.
This thought was quickly interrupted as the bus jerked suddenly. The road were uneven during this part of the ride, he knew that well. He also knew that they had one stop left before going through a twenty minutes ride with no stops at all. At one point, they would even pass an old Cemetery.
Now wide awake, he noticed that Kristin was no longer reading. Maybe I should make my move now…
The bus jerked once again before pulling to a stop. He looked out the window and into the darkness. He knew by memory that the outline of the building standing to his left was the IslandBay High School. Two teens made their way into the bus. One of them, with short dark hair exchanged greetings with Carlos while the tall blonde kid moved along in silence, eyes fixed on the device he was holding in his hand.
"Nick, no hello to your favorite bus driver?" Carlos teased the young man.
"He’s stuck on that stupid Nintendo." The other boy replied.
"What about you Alex? You have that complicated thing like your cousin?"
"My battery’s dead!" The boy called Alex replied as he made his way to his cousin.
“My ass!” Nick yelled.
"Yours got confiscated, I knew it!” Carlos laughed.
"And detention!" Nick yelled again.
"Shut up!" Alex scowled and smacked the blonde's head.
"Fuck off!"
"No YOU fuck off!” Alex said as he proceeded to slap his cousin on the shoulder.
"Okay, that does it! One more slap and I'm throwing your ass out this window!" Nick shouted.
Kevin decided that he was getting a headache.
"Kids huh." He looked up and saw Kristin shaking her head.
"Yeah." He replied, unsure of what to say next.
"So, I was just wondering, will it take long to reach Eastbay?" Kristin asked.
"That's a very long ride from here, if I were you I’d consider driving."
"I don't think the car would last a day in this neighborhood."
"Yeah, I thought so too. Sometimes I wondered why I didn’t move somewhere else."
"But it's sad to quit just because you're afraid of the neighborhood. I mean, the job itself is good." She reasoned.
He stared at the woman and realized that had been his reason too. It took another person to make him realized that. "Yeah, I love my job."
By the way the trees were swaying and the sudden chill that was in the air, he knew they were about to pass by the Cemetery. While that scares Kevin, it almost meant the next stop would be his.
"Damn, not again!" Kevin turned his attention back to Carlos.
"What is it?" Kristin asked anxiously.
"They’re back!" Carlos frowned.
"I wanna see!" Alex ran up to the front with Nick following right behind.
Soon, Kevin and Carlos abandoned their seats and followed them too.
A group of teenagers with flashlights were blocking the road. They looked terrified and yet, Kevin could sense their excitement.
"Aren’t they tired?" Kristin mused.
"Those aren’t the same teenagers." Alex replied.
"I say give them what they want and be on our way." Nick said, grinning.
"You heard the kid." Kevin smiled.
The crowd didn't move, determined to block their way. Kevin closed his eyes as the bus went through them. He could feel their fear and excitement as he went through their bodies; reminding him what it was like to be able to feel.
-
"Do you believe me now?" The boy in the red shirt asked as he looked at the shocked faces of his friends.
"The bus...”
"It went through us!" The girl with the auburn hair cried.
"So...you're telling me the cousins used to attend our high school?" Another girl asked.
"Yup. That day, they got detention and took that bus home and it was somewhere here that robbers hijacked them. Took everything and shot them dead. They haunt these streets every night. I think they were trying to find their way home."
