Two thirteen.
Two thirteen and the bus was not at it's usual stop yet. Usually at two o'clock, the vehicle was off of Highway 79 and making it's way into the city. There were various stops along the small roads, and it was the third stop within this venture to the city where Kade would take his leave. It was then that he'd get off, and start his trek towards his current supporting job , which was oddly far from the city's limits. His shifts were later in the afternoon, and while he enjoyed this, it nearly guaranteed each day that he was stuck with the same driver, though often different people. He often wondered if anyone else took the bus regularly, though not as regular as him, and saw him on each time and wondered where he was heading each day that was so important. Though for someone his age, most assumptions would be school, but this was not the case. He did go to a college, however it was close to his home, and he didn't have to take a bus to get there. It was odd, because Kade found himself taking the bus even at times when he didn't have work, or he didn't have to be there until later. It was routine for him. It was calm, it was relaxing, and it was known by him inside and out. The bus wasn't just some vehicle that took him where he needed to go, no, it was something that was part of him, and had been for nearly three years.
Kade tilted his head downwards and raised his arm, staring menacingly at his watch. The second hand ticked by slowly, seemingly a bit off pace than it's usual timing. It stopped for a moment, and Kade nearly choked on his own breath, before it continued. Had his watch always paused every few seconds? How long had it been like that? He could be a few minutes behind because of this mishap. He lightly flicked the glass of his analog watch.
Two fourteen.
He was going to be late, and the idea of that set him on the edge. The young man turned to stare out the window, watching the pale blue sky pass. There was an odd cloud, streaked along the middle of the blue blanket like some sort of child playing with fingerpaints had smeared it across a canvas. The pleasant view distracted him for a moment, however without his notice, his hand made his way up towards his lips, and he began to pinch at them gently with his short nails. He took a hold of a section of dry skin, and began to rip it off slowly, wincing as he did so. It was then that he realized what he was doing, and quickly pulled his hand away, clenching it into a fist, though not before he felt blood begin to well up on his bare lower lip. Scolding himself internally, he wiped away the blood with the edge of his thumb, and set his hand to sit on the armrest beside him. How many people had touched this before him? How many had something filthy taint their hands? He pulled his arm away and towards his own body, putting his hands together and entwining the fingers. He had ran out of hand sanitizer so he couldn't cleanse his skin, and this stressed him even more.
Kade let out a quiet sigh, focusing on the seat in front of him. There was no one there, and oddly enough, hardly any conversation either. The bus was oddly silent. He hated to admit it, but he often enjoyed eavesdropping on the conversations of other people. He liked knowing how someone's mother had gotten sick recently, or how some girl had broken up with her boyfriend. He listened to old women talk about the latest soap operas on T.V, and listened to middle-aged men talk about sports. He was attentive, and though he never spoke to anyone besides the people he knew unless the situation called for it, he liked to pretend that he was part of their conversation somehow, something other than a spectator.
His vision shifted upwards slightly, catching sight of the view from the driver's windshield. The once blue sky had faded to a pale grey, and the busy road was nearly empty, with only one or two cars passing every minute. His eyes caught the bright orange glow of a nearing sign, and in an instant, it was gone before he could read it. He only caught one word, and it was something about a detour. Was the road they usually took unable to be driven on? If so, then they had to go all the way around some small town before they got to the other side, which would just add on even more minutes to the journey.
And then suddenly the bus lurched forward. Kade almost faceplanted the seat in front of him, however stopped himself before he did so by gripping onto the armrests beside him. The vehicle began to slow down, speeding forward unevenly every now and then before it came to a full and complete stop on the side of the road. The brown haired man stared forward at the driver, still clutching onto his seat, his knuckles white from how tightly he was gripping it. It took him a few seconds for him to organize his thoughts, and he began to think about what could have happened. Did the engine stall? Did it die completely? Was something wrong with the driver? Either way, the situation was just adding on even more minutes to his already ticking clock. That's it, he was done for. He was going to be late no matter what happened.
The driver got up. He was an older man with grey hair and dark skin lined with age. He was not plump like what happened to most men as they aged without care, but rather extremely frail. It looked as if he may crumble and turn to a pile of dust if he moved more than an inch at a time. He was quite tall, even though he was hunching over, his shoulders pulled towards his body. With a calm exterior, he opened the doors of the bus without speaking a word to the passengers, and stepped outside. Kade followed the movement of the old man as he stepped out, staring at him from inside through the window. The man stood to his full height once outside in the chilled air, and then without looking back, stepped out into the fog.
....fog?
Kade completely forgot about the busdriver, and instead set sight on the rolling fog. It stayed low to the ground, though also clouded the air, completely rendering anything more than five feet away from someone nearly unseen. It hadn't been raining recently, the air wasn't humid. Why was there fog? Kade narrowed his eyes in confusion, and then his gaze was drawn away from the window. He turned slowly, glancing out from behind his seat and into the aisle. There were rows with a few other people, all seemingly normal just like him, all heading towards some destination, just like him. It was then he thought about his destination, and then that he glanced at his watch once more. Two twenty three!
Kade jumped up suddenly and reached to the luggage compartment above, grabbing a leather messenger bag from above. He carried it with him at all times, and it held most of his possessions, such as a phone, notebook, and various other things he needed for daily life. He stepped out into the aisle and began making his way down, stopping in front of the steps that lead down to the door. He checked his watch again, even though he already knew what time it was. Taking in a deep breath, he stepped outside, expecting to see the driver by the front of the bus, inspecting what was troubling the vehicle, however he saw no one. Kade took a few steps down the side of the transportation and looked at the end. Once again, no where to be found. He was absolutely dumbfounded. Where had this bus driver gone? Had he just ditched all these people here?
"Hello?" Kade called out quietly, his voice ringing in the distance. It felt awkward speaking, as if the silence here belonged and he was disturbing it. It felt like some presence was here, in the very air itself, grimacing at the noise he had made.
"You're way off schedule!" He shouted again, a bit louder this time. His voice echoed once more, though with a slight hiss at the end, as if some creature was pained by his outburst. Staring down at his feet, he raised his right arm and took a look at his watch once again, shaking his head. He stood there for a few seconds, awkwardly almost, his bag slung over his shoulder. He stared ahead, hoping to hear a voice, though he was staring into nothing. Kade took a small step backwards towards the bus, and crossed his arms over his chest.
He'd just have to wait for the bus driver to come back then.