As night fell over the world and the stars twinkled in the sky above, I finally saw the headlights of the bus approaching our stop. Me and another guy with short hair and a green sweater-vest had been waiting, sitting in awkward silence for that single bus to take us home.
It stopped before us. The bus was white with black, tinted windows and a single blue banner that stretched the width of the bus. It was too dark to make out what it said. But that wasn't important. The bus was late and we were finally able to climb aboard.
The man I'd been waiting with got on before me and found a seat near the front. I scanned the seats to see if there was an open one and I spotted it, near the back. I hurried over to it and plopped down. I took my purse off my shoulder and sat it beside me. It felt so good to finally have that heavy strap off my shoulder.
I looked around at the people in the seats around me. You never know who might be a creep. There was an elderly couple sitting at the opposite window from me. I waved to them and the elderly woman smiled and waved back gently. The man beside her tipped his imaginary hat and smiled before turning his attention back to the front of the bus.
I turned my attention to the seat behind them. It was some guy in a suit and tie, his dark hair slicked back. He had his face buried in a newspaper. He turned his attention to me for a brief moment and I shot him a smile. He rolled his eyes and continued on reading his paper. Rude, I thought.
Then, finally, I looked to the seat behind me and nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw the face of a man peering over my seat at me. his eyes were wide and his brows arched to form a rather sinister expression. I grabbed my bag and began to leave the seat when the bus driver called back to me, "Stay seated while the bus is moving!"
"But I-" I stammered, gesturing to the seat behind me. "There's this guy-"
"What guy?" asked the elderly man sitting in the seat next to mine. "Ma'am, the seat behind you is empty."
I turned around to find that he was right, the seat was completely empty. I sat back down slowly, looking down, struggling to process my situation. "What had I seen?" I asked myself.
A shadow was slowly cast over me as I slowly raised my head back up toward the man, who was now standing in the middle of the aisle between me and the elderly couple. He was staring down at me with those same bulging eyes, that same twisted smile.
I looked around to the others, crying out, hoping somebody would tell this guy to leave me alone.
"What's your problem, lady?" asked the guy with the newspaper. I could see him glaring at me from behind the creeping man. His eyes never once left me.
"Do you not see-" I started.
"See what?" he rudely cut me off. "There's nothing there."
"You're starting to scare me," I heard the elderly lady say.
Great, so nobody can see this guy?
And never once during this entire interaction had this horrid man ever taken his eyes off of me. I don't think he's even blinked. I continued to stare up at him, too terrified to look away. But then I felt a sneeze coming on. I tried to fight it but the inside of my nose began to burn. I tried holding my breath, tried to not think about it, but nothing helped. Then, I jerked forward as a loud sneeze burst from my nose.
As I shot forward, I felt a searing pain shoot through my left eye. I was still leaning forward, my face right next to the creeping man's hand. I cried out in pain and shot backward, hitting the back of my head on the window. I could feel the warm blood dripping down my cheeks as I cried out. My hands shot up to cover my wounded eye. And yet, nobody else on the bus batted an eye. They only shot me confused and worried glances.
Then, everything went dark...
It stopped before us. The bus was white with black, tinted windows and a single blue banner that stretched the width of the bus. It was too dark to make out what it said. But that wasn't important. The bus was late and we were finally able to climb aboard.
The man I'd been waiting with got on before me and found a seat near the front. I scanned the seats to see if there was an open one and I spotted it, near the back. I hurried over to it and plopped down. I took my purse off my shoulder and sat it beside me. It felt so good to finally have that heavy strap off my shoulder.
I looked around at the people in the seats around me. You never know who might be a creep. There was an elderly couple sitting at the opposite window from me. I waved to them and the elderly woman smiled and waved back gently. The man beside her tipped his imaginary hat and smiled before turning his attention back to the front of the bus.
I turned my attention to the seat behind them. It was some guy in a suit and tie, his dark hair slicked back. He had his face buried in a newspaper. He turned his attention to me for a brief moment and I shot him a smile. He rolled his eyes and continued on reading his paper. Rude, I thought.
Then, finally, I looked to the seat behind me and nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw the face of a man peering over my seat at me. his eyes were wide and his brows arched to form a rather sinister expression. I grabbed my bag and began to leave the seat when the bus driver called back to me, "Stay seated while the bus is moving!"
"But I-" I stammered, gesturing to the seat behind me. "There's this guy-"
"What guy?" asked the elderly man sitting in the seat next to mine. "Ma'am, the seat behind you is empty."
I turned around to find that he was right, the seat was completely empty. I sat back down slowly, looking down, struggling to process my situation. "What had I seen?" I asked myself.
A shadow was slowly cast over me as I slowly raised my head back up toward the man, who was now standing in the middle of the aisle between me and the elderly couple. He was staring down at me with those same bulging eyes, that same twisted smile.
I looked around to the others, crying out, hoping somebody would tell this guy to leave me alone.
"What's your problem, lady?" asked the guy with the newspaper. I could see him glaring at me from behind the creeping man. His eyes never once left me.
"Do you not see-" I started.
"See what?" he rudely cut me off. "There's nothing there."
"You're starting to scare me," I heard the elderly lady say.
Great, so nobody can see this guy?
And never once during this entire interaction had this horrid man ever taken his eyes off of me. I don't think he's even blinked. I continued to stare up at him, too terrified to look away. But then I felt a sneeze coming on. I tried to fight it but the inside of my nose began to burn. I tried holding my breath, tried to not think about it, but nothing helped. Then, I jerked forward as a loud sneeze burst from my nose.
As I shot forward, I felt a searing pain shoot through my left eye. I was still leaning forward, my face right next to the creeping man's hand. I cried out in pain and shot backward, hitting the back of my head on the window. I could feel the warm blood dripping down my cheeks as I cried out. My hands shot up to cover my wounded eye. And yet, nobody else on the bus batted an eye. They only shot me confused and worried glances.
Then, everything went dark...
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