I’m writing this on bus wifi on my phone, so apologies for any typo’s. It’s super dark out, and the interior is properly lit, so I can’t really see outside the window. It’s just inky black darkness, and I am not sure what’s going to happen when we arrive at…. wherever we are going. Best case scenario: we will get to the bus terminal at 2am and stumble in the vague direction of a motel. We, being my friend Caroline, and two guys we picked up at a party - Charlie and Collin.
The trouble started at the end of the night. After drinking half a beer and soda for the rest of the night, I was practically sober. The other three, handsy and beer-scented, were in no state to drive, so I took the keys.
“Eeeggs!!!” Caroline cheered as I stuffed her in the backseat with Collin, with whom she had forged quite the sweaty bond while in one of the party’s bedrooms. “Let’s hold an afterparty at my plaaace! You can take the guest room~” She leaned with her head on Collin’s shoulder. “We can take my bedroom.” she whispered to him. I snorted and made sure she put her seatbelt on. I got a beer-burp in my ear as a thank-you.
I sat in the driver’s seat. Charlie had been promoted to ride shotgun - he was supposed to be his friend’s driver and kept the beer count low.
He leaned over to whisper. “Why’s she calling you Eggs?”
“Short for Meghan.”
“Ah.”
I chuckled and turned the key. The engine gave a sad whine and died.
“Uh-oh.” Giggles erupted from the backseat. “That sounded bad!”
I frowned. “Now what?”
“No way the shops are going to be open.” Charlie leaned back with a sigh.
“Can’t we use your car?”
“Oh, good point. We’re parked a little further down.”
I nodded and got out. I kept the keys for now, considering Caroline’s state. I helped the rest out as well and the four of us started walking. The further we went from the house that hosted the party, the quieter and emptier it became. Houses became more uniform, with manicured lawns and a black car in each driveway. No birds sang, no car noise. Just cookie-cutter homes lit by warm, yellow street lamps.
“I coulda sworn the car was right here…” Charlie squinted.
Caroline had stopped being giggly and was tiredly hanging over my shoulder. Collin was right behind her, and while he could walk properly he was staggering a little bit.
“Is that a bus stop?” Collin pointed to a small pole further down the street. It had a little bench next to the pole. The street lamp flickered.
I grumbled. “No way the bus stops here at this hour.”
Caroline took another step, almost throwing me off balance. “I wanna sit dooown.”
“Fine, fine.” We all walked over to the bus-stop and plopped down on the bench. It was a simple wooden bench and Charlie, Collin and Caroline each sat down with a sigh. I was tired, too, but I wanted to see the bus schedule first. It was right below the bus-stop sign, but it was old and smudged. I whipped out my phone’s flashlight in the hopes of seeing its schedule.
“Let’s just call an uber, I guess.” Collin said and he took out his phone as well. “Argh! Seriously?”
I turned around. “What?”
“No service.” Collin pouted and Caroline groaned.
“Hmm.” A little weird. A gentle wind blew and I shivered slightly. Then, a noise popped up, louder and louder. An engine?
Caroline gasped. “The bus!” She jumped up and flagged it down.
I turned around as well and gasped in surprise. It looked like a normal city bus - just like any other. That said, usually there’s a number displayed on the front, and instead, there’s just noise, as if someone broke the display.
It stopped and opened its doors, casting the four of us in a warm light. Caroline jumped in and the boys followed suit. I sighed and followed them as well, approaching the busdriver. “How much? And where is this going?”
The busdriver just waved me along, closed the doors and started driving. I grabbed hold of a nearby pole to keep my balance. Caroline was already waving me over. “I’m sure it’s going into the city centre! We can get a motel or something from there.”
I sat down next to Charlie. He had his head against the window - his hoodie as a pillow - and was fast asleep. So was Collin, for that matter. Caroline was just about there as well. “Wake us up when we get there…” she whispered, and promptly fell asleep on Collin’s shoulder.
There were a few other people on the bus, but they each were staring blankly out the windows. An old lady in front of us, sitting in the handicapped seat; a man and a woman behind us, as well as another older man who was dozing off. It was quiet, save for the rumbling of the engine as the bus came to speed.
And so, here we are, sitting in a bus that’s definitely going… somewhere. From what I can tell, it’s going in the direction of the city centre, but the screens that usually displayed the stops are off and no-one has called for a stop just yet. I suppose seeing where the ride ends wouldn’t be the worst - surely it’d be a bus terminal, where there are people. And options. Maybe even some night buses.
Edit: I didn’t really see the time when I got onto the bus. I think it was about 11 pm when we staggered away from the party, so let’s say 11:30 when we got on. I do know that it was 11:45 when I finished writing the first part. Either way, according to my phone it’s now 11:59. We’ve been on the bus for about 20 minutes and still no-one has entered or left the bus. No stops were called, either, and the robot lady voice didn’t announce a stop name either.
Edit 2: My phone now says 11:59. My friends are still out cold, and I don’t blame them. I’m starting to doze off as well, but I know I ought to stay awake - just in case we do stop.
Edit 3: I just woke up on Charlie’s shoulder. Oops. The weird thing, though, is that my phone still says 11:59 pm, even though I could’ve sworn I was out for a hot minute. I’m going to time it.
… yep, still 11:59 PM. Is it broken? Maybe it can’t sync with the server correctly. We’re on bus wifi, so who knows, right? I just noticed I don’t have service, for that matter. The bus wifi is now my only link to the outside. A bit of a scary thought. Is this bus just… stuck in time? What is going on? I’m trying not to panic, but damn this bus is making it hard. I’m mostly just glad I’m not alone in this.
I also tried talking to the couple behind us, even sat with them for a little bit. I talked at them, poked their shoulders, but they kept staring outside. As if they weren’t real. Or we weren’t real. We’re still here, right? Are we still real?
The driver seemed responsive. He heard my questions after all, even if he didn’t answer them. I went over to the driver to talk to him again, but he completely ignored me. All I could see out of the front window was the start of the road in the headlights, a grassy berm, and nothing else. Just inky black darkness. No street lights, no cars, just nothing.
I don’t want to be alone in this. I should wake up the rest.
Edit 4: It’s midnight.
I had woken up Caroline first. “Hey, Caroline, hey…” I gently shook her shoulder. “Wake up.”
Caroline snorted awake. “Huh, hey, wha-” She blarily squinted her eyes. “Whaddya wake me up for?”
“I think this bus isn’t going anywhere.” I whispered back. “The time’s stuck right before midnight.”
She laughed. “That’s impossible! Let me see…” She got her phone. “11:59.”
We both stared at it for a minute.
“Oh.”
A moment of silence. “What the hell?” She looked at me like I was crazy. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. The bus isn’t stopping for any bus stops and I can’t talk to the other people, either.”
By this time, the others had woken up as well. “Yoo, what’s with the noise…” Collin slurred. “Please just let me sleep.”
Caroline tugged at him. “No, no stay awake, we gotta get off the bus.”
“Are we there yet?” Charlie murmured.
“I don’t know. We gotta- we gotta get off the bus.” I stuttered nervously.
“Why not just push the ‘get off’ button?” Charlie pointed out.
I considered it for a moment and then pressed it. Nothing happened.
“Okay. Okay. This is probably some kind of prank.” Collin got up, but the swaying of the bus didn’t help. He grabbed a pole to keep his balance.
Charlie got up as well. “Hey, Collin-”
“No, no, you’re right -” He stumbled over to the bus driver. “Hey. Hey!” He grabbed the driver’s shoulder. “Are we fuckn’ there yet?”
At that moment, the old lady stood up. “Please, do not touch the bus driver.” Her voice was strangely monotone.
Collin stumbled back. “What the…”
The couple from behind us had also gotten up. “Please, do not touch the bus driver.” they said, in perfect unison.
“We will be there shortly.”
At that moment, the bus stopped abruptly. The couple and the old lady didn’t move a muscle, but the four of us stumbled and almost fell. The old man was still asleep.
“Hey! Woah!” Collin just about fell near the front of the bus. He barely caught himself. “What’s the big idea?”
The doors opened, and the chilly night air flowed into the bus. The other passengers got up and exited the bus, just about marching away.
I carefully took a step out of the bus. We were at a small bus terminal in an old-looking town. A clock tower stood next to us, old and regal. A dimly-lit sign said we had landed in ‘Terminus’.
At that moment, the minute-hand moved and the clock sang midnight. And, immediately after it was done, the minute hand went back a step, and a minute later it sang its song all over again. Neither of the original passengers acknowledged it, and just shuffled away into the dark village.
There is no service here, but there is internet. I don’t know where it’s coming from - the bus terminal? The clock tower? Either way, I seem to be the only one who does. Caroline looked, and she said she got nothing. Neither did Charlie or Collin.
We’re headed towards the city centre, now. Hopefully there will be a place to sleep.
I hope, when we wake up, that it will be morning.