Kirsty Velasquez's Story

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.

-

Kyle Briske

Long distance travelling is always a bore to Kyle. He hoped that he could sleep the whole journey on bus away. Alas, he couldn't. The bus kept hitting bumps on the road and waking him up from his slumber.

Kyle's reason for being on the bus is to -probably just like everyone else- to get to the next city. A week ago, he got a written letter from a friend, informing him about an expo on wild life. His friend needed his help on handling the expo and attracting people for support. As a dedicated animal activist, he just could turn down the offer.

When he peered out the window, he noticed the sky was grey. it's probably going to rain, he thought. It was hard to see from the mists but he could make out a lake of some sort. It wasn't interesting enough scenery for him. Leaning his elbow on the armrest, he covered his eyes from the brightness with his hand. Before he could fall back to sleep, the bus suddenly lurched forward. Reflexively, Kyle quickly placed his hand on the back of the seat in front of him to prevent from being launched forward. "I hope we didn't hit anything," murmuring his thoughts.
"Goddamn it, ow! Easy on the breaks!" cursed a passenger.
When the bus slowed down and parked at the side of the road, Kyle peeked out to see whether the vehicle did hit anything, but no luck. The bus was too tall to see what's underneath. When he turned his head forward, the old looking driver was already up and opening the door. Kyle simply though that the driver was going to check on the bus for any problem. Instead he walked away into the now thick fog. When did it got so foggy? he asked himself. One of the passengers suddenly got up, reaching for the luggage compartment above and grabbing a leather bag. Kyle assumed it was his by the way he went around it well enough. Then, the man went out the bus. Kyle kept studying the man with narrowed eyes, curiosity filled his interest. Another female passenger followed after.
"Hello?" called the man. His voiced ringing in the distance. By the sound of the echo, the place seemed pretty empty. "You're way off schedule!" shouted the man louder. A hiss from afar was heard afterwards. That was when Kyle started feeling suspicious.
"Did that asshole really just leave us?" asked the girl. "Fantastic."
The man took a step back and crossed his arms.
"What happened? Where did the driver went?" asked Kyle. He decided to get up and checked the driver's seat. The key to start the bus wasn't there.
"He took the key to the bus," Kyle informed everyone.

What am I doing here?

It was a reasonable question for Felix. The young man never rode the bus, never had to deal with strangers. Not that he hated strangers, it just he never needed the bus. He walked, he drove, he never rode a bus with people he didn’t know, and he didn’t like the fact that there were typically only two exits on the bus. It made him believe that in a bad situation, the possibility of both doors being blocked off was high, causing him to be trapped. Felix shook his head, ridding himself of any bad thoughts. Why should he be in a bad mood or thinking of things that will most likely not happen? He shouldn’t, he really shouldn’t. Just be happy you don’t have to work today.

That’s right; he didn’t need to work anymore. He had been fired from his job as an assistant for a lawyer. He had been an idiot for even considering being one. He had no actual knowledge of what they do, he just had a pretty face and that’s all the lady lawyer wanted. Felix sighed, running a hand through his hair before he turned his attention to the window.

He had no specific reason to go to the other city, maybe to just get away. Away from familiar faces and whispers of the pathetic place he called home. Sure, it was big enough that most people didn’t know who he was. But his name had been thrown around in the spur of the moment when he was found in the hospital. Being from a wealthy and well known family didn’t help the situation, either. But happily, the talk of his past had died down to a subtle murmur and quick glances. He was just a regular young man, trying to live his life.

Suddenly the bus lurched forward, causing the unexpecting Felix to fall halfway over the seat in front of him. With a snarl, the young man looked up to see the driver get out of the bus, maybe to check the engine? Didn’t matter, Felix was now pissed. Normally the driver would say something, but the fact that the man just walked out of the bus pissed him off. Not even a minute later a man about Felix’s age walked out, followed by another passenger.

Suddenly realizing how awkward of a position he was in, the blonde haired young man jumped over and beside the seat and into the isle, looking around. Someone said something about the key being gone. “Are you serious? He left with the key?” Felix asked, walking up to the front of the bus, his anger rising. Great, super, fantastic, the driver decided to take a stroll and leave them alone without the key. Looking out of the door, he noticed the woman and man from before. The young man had a leather messenger bag, obviously going somewhere important by the way he was reacting. Felix was going nowhere with only his wallet and cell phone in the pockets of his jeans.

Felix jumped out of the bus, looking around. Fog seemed to surround them, snaking up and around Felix’s ankles and legs. The young man subconsciously took a step back, as if to get away from the harmless vapor.

”Hm, that’s strange.” He said, mostly to himself, as he watched where the older man had disappeared. ”And I had somewhere to be.” Felix said with a sigh, almost sarcastically. He had nowhere to be, he wasn’t on schedule or meeting someone. He was being a rich son of a bitch because he had no job and wanted to spend daddy’s money in the city over.

The lilting tone of the dark, folkish song coming from the young woman's earphones briefly drew her attention away from the scenery that was passing quickly by the bus window. (A clear sky, a chill breeze, distant woods and mountains. Nothing that caught her eye.) Had she not listened to this one properly before? Something about the lyrics to this particular song gave her pause for a moment, made her feel slightly uneasy perhaps. It only lasted a second. Blinking, she returned her attention to the outside world, allowing her hooded but never really closed eyes to skirt across the monotonous scenery. The dark-haired girl could have dozed off at any moment since she got on the bus an hour or so ago. But she hadn't. Perhaps she had been waiting for something of interest to occur. Whatever it was, it clearly hadn't happened yet.


A sudden lurching bump drew her attention to the fact that they'd left the main road. It was her first time riding on this particular route, but a brief, unassuming glance at one of the other passengers told her that this was quite likely to be an unusual new development. Her gaze returned to the window, observing the change in scenery with dispassionate interest while with one hand she removed her MP3 player from the pocket of her hooded sweater. It had been silent since the knock. Had the headphones been jarred loose? No, it had simply switched itself off, and no input from the young woman seemed enough to bring it back to working order. She pulled her earphones loose and pocketed the entire bundle, evidently pondering something. Had it been a long time since she last charged the thing's batteries? It most certainly wasn't. It had been charging just that morning.

That was fast.

After another brief glance at the other passengers, the young woman's attention returned to scenery. Eyes somewhat wider than before, she took in a distant lake, the buildings of a small suburban area... and the sudden, inexplicable presence of a thick white fog that threatened to obscure both of these things entirely from view. She watched for a moment longer, then looked straight ahead at the back of the seat before her, apparently collecting her thoughts. After another moment she retrieved her phone from the satchel on the seat next to her and glanced at the screen. Obviously she hadn't been expecting much, as she didn't even waste a second trying to switch the device back on before dropping it back into her bag and pulling out a small paper notebook in its place, perhaps a journal. The girl glanced at her wristwatch, scribbled a few words in the notebook, dropped it back into the bag and sat back in her seat, crossing her arms in front of her before lifting her right thumb to gnaw on it as she continued to stare out the window. Almost nothing except a few occasional trees could be seen through the fog by now. She sat, watching anyway, until after a few more minutes the vehicle rumbled to a halt.

Her eyes returned to the seat in front of her. She listened. The door opened, someone (presumably the driver) stood up and exited the vehicle. From her own seat the woman couldn't see much, until a dark shape entered her peripheral vision, moving deeper into the fog. The driver? She stayed where she was. After a few moments a passenger stood up, pulled something out of the overhead, stepped off the bus. A beat. He called to the driver, once and then again, more loudly. No response that she could hear. Other passengers were standing up now, talking to each other. Apparently the driver had taken the keys with him. Not surprising.

Kirsty stood up from her seat, glanced around her to make sure that all of her belongings were in her bag, picked it up and slung it over her shoulder as she stepped out into the aisle. A few steps towards the front of the vehicle told her that the fog was almost as thick in front of them as it was to the sides of the road. She stood for a moment, examining it, waiting to see if anyone else volunteered any information. When they didn't, and after a moment's hesitation, she asked the obvious question. Her tone was flat, almost uninterested, with only the slightest edge of anxiety.

"Where are we?"

She sighed, hand reaching up to check the bun before pulling out the hair-tie to redo it almost absentmindedly as the bus trundled on. Her parents had been on her case for weeks, worried about her to the point where they had given her the ultimatum, either she comes to them or they come to her. And given the fact they would ask to see her non-existent friends should they arrive in her apartment she took the former. So here she was, on a bus with her head leaning against the window. She sighed again, a motion that seemed almost second nature to her lately.

Closing her eyes she took a deep breath before looking about the bus, she could see few others on the bus with her. Like her, they were off to somewhere for their own reasons, just wanting to go on with their lives without much fuss. They all looked normal, they probably led normal unsuspecting lives with normal and for the majority, uneventful lives. Lexi's hand curled up momentarily before she recognized the emotion running through her veins. There was no need to be jealous of these people, at least she had no right to be.

She held back a scream of shock as the bus lurched, sending her into the seat in front of her. Rubbing her head where it had collided with the other chair she lent back, biting her bottom bit tentatively before looking over the seat in front of her with a slight frown on her face.

"Goddamn it, ow! Easy on the breaks!" A woman yelled.

Lexi couldn't help the slight smile that pulled on her lips before she lent back in her seat. Whatever the cause of the lurch was it was now behind them. Turning to look out the window she frowned, peering into the light fog that slowly thickened as they drove. Cocking her head she looked out into the aisle as the bus came to a halt. The bus driver stood and walked out without so much as turning in the direction of his passengers. Not long after a young man stood, taking his leather briefcase from the overhead luggage before walking to the front and out, presumably to check on the driver who was nowhere to be seen in the surrounding fog.

A woman was quick to follow him, cursing as she did. She got to her feet and took a few hesitant steps before the voice of another male he was looking in the seat the driver had vacated. Her eyes widened in shock as she quickly rushed back to pick up her various belongings spread out on the other seat. Picking up her phone, wallet and iPod she shoved them in her pocket, not before trying to check the time on the phone. She frowned at the black screen and shook it, as if that would magically make the device turn on.

Shaking her head she headed towards the front of the bus. This couldn't be happening! Their bus driver was nowhere to be seen and they were stuck with a bus that had no key in the middle of nowhere in a fog that rendered them blind beyond a couple of feet. She stood a few seats from the door turning as the question struck her:

"Where are we?"

She turned to face the woman momentarily while straining to keep her hands from shaking. She swallowed as she took the last few steps towards the front of the bus and said, her voice choked slightly, "How about we go find out?"

She didn't like this, it was too much like the beginning of some twisted horror movie.

Andrew stared out of the window as the night passed him by, catching his reflection in the glass. Whenever he was faced with the vision of his eyes, he would look away. It had been many years since Andrew had made this trip, and this would be the last time he would ever make it again. As the hours passed, Andrew drifted between consciousness and unconsciousness, the little sleep he gained comforted him on the long drive. Throughout his waking moments he would catch the sight of people climbing onto the bus and seating themselves, different people going to different places with different stories. Andrew remembered wondering if anyone else he saw shared his intentions, shared his reasons. He doubted that.

Andrews sleeping was shallow, more sensitive to sound than movement, and so he was woken more by the occasional small talk or discussions of his fellow passengers than by the travel. However, the sudden jolt of the vehicle that led to the inevitable breakdown was enough to shake Andrew awake, the sudden movement causing his head to ache and his ears to ring. As the bus came to a stop, Andrew gripped his forehead and winced at the sudden pain. It took a small amount of time for Andrew to recuperate, but upon finally speculating the situation he found that the bus had emptied. He was sure he had heard a few voices, a few statements, but he hadn't focused on them.

Andrew stood up from his seat, making his way to the front of the bus where he stepped out into the cool air. Looking around he examined the thickness of the fog that seemed to engulf the surrounding area, a thick blanket of low visibility that obscured all but the immediate vicinity. Along with all this though, Andrew noticed just how still the air around him was, how empty it felt, almost devoid of presence. But there was something about it and about this place that didn't feel quite right. Andrew shrugged off the thought and finally looked across at the other passengers, scanning each of them one by one. Some of them had grouped up, others seemed to be scattered around, also examining their surroundings. Andrew gathered that the driver had left the bus, and now had ventured off into the fog.

Carefully, Andrew removed a packet of cigarettes and a light from his pocket, proceed to remove a singular cigarette and light it. With a slowed movement, he took a deep drag from the tobacco filled stick and leaned against the side of the bus, just beside the door. If nothing else, this was a good opportunity to take a break from the travel. Mostly it seems like the others were at the very least shaken, especially the obvious office bound workaholic shouting after the driver. Andrew was in no rush, and it wasn't farfetched for him to believe that the driver may have gone to acquire some fuel. Regardless, something was happening now, something potentially eventful, and Andrew was stuck here for now.

Jane was listening to her Ipod as always, trying to fight off her tiredness focused in not to let her guard down, but it was useless she had already fallen asleep. She knew this nightmare too well, she knew she was in a hospital, knowing that the smell that reeked couldn't have belong anywhere else but that of a hospital. The smell was that of blood and death, medicine and drugs, the smell of sick people. She tried to scream but it was useless, she tried to move to run out of there but she found herself tied to the bed as her eyes remained forcefully closed. She tried to open her eyes but all her attempts are in vain, it's like they have been sealed off.

She stopped moving and she could hear the crying of a female that was not too far from where she was. She could recognize the voice too well, of course how couldn't she when it belonged to her sister? The crying was hurting Jane's ears all she wanted was to escape. Suddenly the crying stopped and Jane was finally free to open up her eyes. Once she did she turned her neck around to seek where the noise had come from, her sister lied lifeless in the hospital bed next to her. She was at arms reach and her fave covered in blood and in tears. Inevitably she closed her eyes at the horrible sight for a moment, as soon as she opened them again her sister's corpse was gone. She closed them again afraid to close them, finally she opened them and her sister's face was now merely an inch away looking at her with judging eyes. Suddenly something new happened in her nightmare, distant noises could be hear.

It was then when she finally broke free from her nightmare. She had been awoken by people in the bus, it didn't take long to notice that the bus had come to a stop but it wasn't their destination... no. Apparently the driver had decided to make a stop somewhere else. Suffocated at her nightmare and almost in tears she rushed to get out of the bus without looking at anybody else. She was already used to being called a freak and weird so if this people judged her it wouldn't be the first time. She exited the bus trying to get fresh air. Once she finally managed to exit she took deep breaths, she was having a panic attack, once again it wouldn't be the first time. Her hands were shaking and she started having trouble breathing remembering her sister's face. It took her a bit of time to collect herself and to regain composure but once she did she noticed the foggy and strange place where the driver had decided to make a detour. "Where are we?" she asked out load to nobody in particular, almost like to herself.

[OOC:// Sorry it took so long! My computer got really screwed up, and it's too expensive to take it in, so it took forever for me to fix it myself. When it was fixed, I couldn't access the site...errors and pages that would time out, weird stuff. Was it like this for anyone else? For some reason I can't tag everyone as well, so I'll try to do that later.]

---

"This is how the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper."

The quote from his literature class rang in his head as a reminder of the situation. He crossed the thought out from his mind though, shaking his head to himself. No, he was just overreacting. Nothing bad was going to happen. They were just...abandoned in the fog with a dysfunctional vehicle and no where to go. Kade glanced down at his watch again, a nervous habit of his. Two twenty two.

More people started to pour out of the bus, standing around and mumbling to themselves, or speaking to one another. The sound of voices seemed so out of place in the still air. Kade took this time to look around more, turning his head and eying everything around him. The sky was a pale shade of gray, the fog enveloping everything around them. Tilting to look downwards, he noticed the fog slithering over his feet like it was alive. Not responding to anyone's questions or statements, he stepped forward slightly, raising his hand and loosening the crimson tie around his neck in just the slightest. With his other hand still on his leather bag, he continued forward in a slight shuffle, his eyes searching for anything other than the gray hazy mist that surrounded them.

He hadn't strayed too far from the group, though he was further than most. It was just as the fog began to close behind him that he noticed the tall sign by the edge of the rode, a dark olive with light lettering on it.

"Welcome to Silent Hill"

The name struck a chord in him. Silent Hill? He'd heard of this place before, but...where from? Why did it seem familiar? Kade turned around once again, heading back towards the group, though he only stood still once he was back, speaking nothing. Running a hand through his chestnut hair, he breathed in deeply, and let out a large sigh. The smell of smoke was in the air, and though faint, he still looked up to see the source of it. A man was standing by the bus with a cigarette in his hand. He looked so nonchalant, as if nothing was bothering him even though the situation was pretty dire.

That was when the memory came to mind. The smoke. He hated the smell of it ever since he was young, ever since he went to that small town filled with the smell of smoke. Silent Hill had been a tourist place, a coal mining town. He remembered his mother taking him and his brother to the small attraction, going for a tour in one of the closed mines. The place smelled horrible, and he had been standing by a tall old man on the cart, who was smoking a cigar even after the warnings from the tour guides. It was a foolish memory, something very insignificant, but in this case it was the only thing he had to go off of.

"We're in Silent Hill." Kade muttered quietly, loud enough for only a few people nearby to hear. Without a second thought, he rushed for the bus and boarded it once more, crouching by the driver's seat. He reached into the glovebox and pulled out a crinkled map, unfolding it in his hands. It was so fragile, like it had been in there for decades. He moved it gingerly, afraid that it would turn to dust in his fingertips. The young man stepped out of the bus once more with the map in his grasp, opened to nearly it's full size, for the whole thing would have been as big as a poster board.

Where had been the mine he went to years ago? His eyes scanned the paper, searching for some landmarks he recognized from his youth. Nothing. Nothing seemed familiar at all. After all, he had tried to suppress the memory as much as he could. Anything that included his brother he tried to forget, whether it was a good or bad recollection.

"Does anyone know this place at all?" He asked, his voice a bit louder this time. He held out the map openly for anyone to take and look at themselves.

Connie muttered obscenities as she got off the bus. She felt her only saving grace in this crappy situation were the people on the bus. At least she would not be alone. Misery loves company, so they say.

"We're in Silent Hill."

Connie paused, looking towards the man she had been talking to on the bus. He had a map in his hand, struggling with the size. Another person had taken the map and was looking over it. She moved closer to take a look. The man with the map spoke up.

"As far as I know, I've never been here before. I didn't even know this place existed. Let's look around. The driver is probably close by."

"Wherever he is, I'm going to get his ass fired for not at least telling us what he was doing. And not leaving the keys," Connie said as she peered over the man's shoulder. "Silent Hill sounds like some sort of creepy town with hillbillies and weirdos. Lovely place to ditch an entire bus of people..."

She leaned closer and pointed her finger to the main road.

"I'm assuming we want to take this then? There also seems to be some sort of trail here." She moved her finger to one of smaller lines. "Maybe mister bus driver wanted to take a detour?"

---

---

Lexi stepped off the bus, feeling the fog instantly cling to her, as if closing in on her. She shuddered at the sensation and tried to look around. The man that had been nervously checking his watch was nowhere to be seen, she clenched her jaw in a vain attempt to stop her teeth from chattering. She didn't like this, not one bit.

Where was their driver? Why had he taken their keys? These questions whirled around her head as she hugged herself, rying to make sense of the situation she had found herself in.

The man came back, muttering under his breath, almost as if to himself, "We're in Silent Hill."

Lexi frowned, the name sounded familiar, somehow. She might have heard it in passing, as far as she was aware, she had never stepped foot into the town. She watched ash he got back onto the bus, returning moments later, unfolding what looked looked like a massive map. "Does anyone know this place at all?"

She shook her head before realizing that there was no point of it, from what she could see, everyone else was just as clueless as she was. So her confirming that she knew about as much about the town as everyone else wouldn't be helping anyone at all.

Another man stepped forth to help the guy with the map, the sheer size of it made Lexi's eyes bug out slightly, "As far as I know, I've never been here before. I didn't even know this place existed. Let's look around. The driver is probably close by."

She stepped forth to look at the map, frowning at it, looking up as the woman with short hair, the one that had cussed earlier spoke up, "Wherever he is, I'm going to get his ass fired for not at least telling us what he was doing. And not leaving the keys. Silent Hill sounds like some sort of creepy town with hillbillies and weirdos. Lovely place to ditch an entire bus of people..."

She stepped closer to look at the map before pointing at a road, "I'm assuming we want to take this then? There also seems to be some sort of trail here.Maybe mister bus driver wanted to take a detour?"

Lexi nodded as the other man spoke, suggesting they split up into teams to search for the driver, "And if that fails we could meet back here in say, half an hour and see if there's someone in town who'll let us use their phone?"

From outside the bus, a faint voice could be heard from some way out in the fog, where the nervous businessman had walked to just a few seconds ago. "We're in Silent Hill." The answer to her earlier question. Whether she heard him or not, whether she was surprised by the news or whether it meant nothing to her whatsoever, the young woman's expression didn't change at all.

More people were getting off the bus, now. The businessman had pulled a map out from the driver's department and they were congregating around it, discussing what they should do next. Kirsty was still inside. She stood in the aisle, bag over her shoulder and hands clutching the seat headrests on either side of her, her pale eyes fixated on a point outside the window. It was an otherwise indistinct area of the surrounding fog; the area that the driver had so suddenly disappeared into. She appeared to be thinking hard, presumably about the driver: why he'd stopped in this particular place, why he'd got out and left, why he'd not said a word to any of the passengers before doing so. From her intent observation of the fog, one might have presumed that she was waiting patiently for the man to suddenly appear once more. From her expression, however, it was clear that her thoughts were a great deal less optimistic than that.

He didn't just stop. He didn't just leave the bus route and abandon his passengers. He came here. And I hadn't even made it into the city yet. This can't be a coincidence. At the very least, not all of it.

Stepping off the bus a minute or so later, Kirsty saw that two men were holding the map open to examine the layout of the town. Moving between the two of them somewhat forwardly, her eyes fell on the map, glancing over the breadth of it briefly and carelessly as though she had no real interest in it whatsoever. One of the men had just finished describing a plan to send people in three directions: Kirsty presumed he meant up the main road, towards the graveyard and around the observation deck. Once more she glanced off into the fog, as though she expected to see some lingering clue about the identity of the driver hanging there in the frigid air... but then her head turned back to look up the main road. Up ahead she could just about make out the edge of the wall, showing where the ground began to drop away from the road. Further along would be the observation deck and the gate leading to the town. Whether or not it would be open, that was the way she had to go.

"The Observation Deck's further along that way, right? I'm heading there. I need to find a bathroom." With no further explanation, Kirsty stepped around the two men, ignored the other passengers entirely, and started walking briskly and purposefully down the main road towards the town.

Eun Hee was a bit startled when she first took real notice of her surroundings, there was a hazy mist covering the whole place and she saw how everyone that was in the bus was just as confused at the situation as she was. She saw a young man moving away slowly as he almost spoke to himself reading the sign that stood in front of him, "We're in Silent Hill."

Jane didn't say anything and kept quiet as she observed the young man aboard the bus once again, as soon as he stepped out he unfolded a map on his hands and asked, "Does anyone know this place at all?" but Jane did not say anything. She had remembered hearing the name in her dreams but she doubted that they would believe her let alone that it would mean anything. Another man stepped outside the bus, "Here, let me help you hold that," he said as he helped him with the map. "As far as I know, I've never been here before. I didn't even know this place existed. Let's look around. The driver is probably still close by." he suggested calmly.

"Wherever he is, I'm going to get his ass fired for not at least telling us what he was doing. And not leaving the keys, said the woman with the short bright hair. "Silent Hill sounds like some sort of creepy town with hillbillies and weirdos. Lovely place to ditch an entire bus of people..." she continued to which Jane couldn't help but to shiver at the thought, were they really left alone in a city or whatever it was that nobody knew anything about and that seemed like it came out in a horror movie, not that she watched many horror movies but still...

Finally the woman suggested "I'm assuming we want to take this then? There also seems to be some sort of trail here. Maybe mister bus driver wanted to take a detour?" Jane listened carefully still, being the social butterfly she was just listening carefully to everything seemed like the best option. "Ah yes, I see, there are two ways. Three if you include the one heading out of town," said the young man that was helping with the map. "Well, I guess we should split up into three groups then. One group should wait here and check out this observation deck. One follow the main road. And one follow this small path here. Don't go too far though. The driver probably just went to take a leak or something."

Jane was about to object to his decision, always thinking the worse but was cut off by a young woman, "The Observation Deck's further along that way, right? I'm heading there. I need to find a bathroom." Finally without further delay she spoke up, "Wait!" she paused for a minute, how could she explain that she had a bad feeling about the whole idea/plan without sounding like a crazy woman? "Something doesn't feel right..." he British accent showing a little. "Why don't we stick together?" she suggested. "We only have a map" she pointed out and signaled the map that was still on their hands. "Besides, we can get lost out there with the fog, mist or whatever you can call this hazy thing." But it was too late, the other young woman was already on her way off to who knows where.

"Well, I guess we should split up into three groups then. One group should wait here and check out this observation deck. One follow the main road. And one follow this small path here. Don't go too far though. The driver probably just went to take a leak or something," the man said.

"The Observation Deck's further along that way, right? I'm heading there. I need to find a bathroom," a young woman said, walking away. Another woman shouted in protest about sticking together. Connie slapped both the map holder and the guy who found the map on the back.

"Well done, guys," she said with a grin. "People have already began to follow your leadership!"

She turned to the woman who wanted to stick together. "It's just fog, right? How hard can it be to get lost in it? Besides, it should clear up in a few hours so there's nothing to worry about. That and the main road isn't hard to miss even in fog..."

Connie walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Besides, I'm sure any of these fine gentlemen and ladies would be happy to accompany you if you're nervous! Why not just ask them? As for me, I think that small trail would be good to follow. Anyone up for a bit of hiking?"

She continued grinning, if only to keep herself calm. No matter what the situation would throw at her - whether hillbillies or otherwise - she'd keep smiling and throw a flirt here and there as well. The situation was not as bad as it seemed and she was determined to keep it that way.

“I go to seek a Great Perhaps. That's why I'm going.” Nathan read his eBook and couldn't help but admire risk taking nature of adolescence. These lines represented, for him at least, the nature of growing up and the risk of perusing unstable desires. He found it fascinating how easily youths were able to make large decisions, and how much this contrasted with his decision making skills. Pocketing his smart phone, he slouched in his seat, zoning out and focusing on the vibrations of the bus.

Several minutes had passed before the bus lurched suddenly, ripping him from his dazed state. Various voices called out in protest and annoyance, demanding that such jarring motions would not happen again. Nathan repositioned himself, shooting a quick glance out the window as he did. The environment which now enveloped the vehicle warranted a double take. Surrounding the bus was a thick curtain of fog, limiting the observer to a few meters of sight before making ground indistinguishable from sky. The driver decelerated less quickly now, but in uneven jerks, making the people inside sway to and fro in a jagged sort of tempo. Using the seat in front of him for support, Nathan Lifted his torso awkwardly in an attempt to look out the wind-shield. Strange, he thought. The last time he had travelled this route the road had been in almost pristine condition, now it was littered with cracks and looked aged. By this point the bus had come to a halt on the shoulder of the road. The dull roar of the vehicle’s engine ceased. Nathan’s forehead wrinkled with his now raised eyebrows. The driver slowly emerged from his seat, eventually standing. Without so much as a backwards glance he shuffled his way into the fog. Following after him was a messenger bag wielding man, quite obviously annoyed and confused with the turn of events. The messenger bag wielder made his way to the front, the heels of his shoes clicking against the floor as he walked. After pausing, he stepped on to the pavement then called out.

“Hello?” The sound was seemingly muffled by the fog. “You’re way off schedule!” He shouted again. The driver of the bus was nowhere to be seen. Nathan’s frame shifted nervously at the realization.

“Did that asshole really just leave us?” A head of orange hair shouted in annoyance.

Perhaps the driver had just decided to go to the wash-room. Nathan wasn't sure, and hopefully he wouldn't have to investigate for himself. He slunk down into the seat, resting his knees against the seat in front of him and crossed his arms, waiting. Conversations began and surrounded him over the course of a few minutes. Impatience eventually possessed him, causing him to sit up, stand, and exit. By this point many of the passengers were now waiting alongside him outside. His face took on a puzzled expression. Where could the driver possibly be?

The passengers of the bus seemed to have different feelings about the situation. Some stood with tense figures and crossed arms while some took on a more relaxed posture, casually leaning against the bus, one even smoking. Nathan fit into the more nervous looking people category, with jaws clenched and tightened muscles. He wasn't sure what was going on and the hope that the driver would return started to dwindle inside of him. One particular passenger, the messenger bag wielder, slowly separated himself from the group, gradually being consumed by the fog. Not another one. The fog looked like it could have harboured many a serial killer or other scary things. Much to his relief, the man returned and spoke.

"We're in Silent Hill." He quietly announced. Nathan pondered the name, he must have heard it before on TV or the news, but he had no recollection of what was said about it. He pulled out his smart phone, planning to google the place.

“Great.” He muttered. His phone was either dead or broken and refused to turn on. After a few attempts he gave up, perhaps this Silent Hill had some sort of technology repair place. The messenger bag wielder spoke again.

“Does anyone know this place at all?” He held up a weathered map. Nathan studied what he presumed was the main highway and looked for buildings. To the south looked to be a residential area and to the north, a small trail in what was probably a park. Conversation started, Nathan focused his attention upon the speech of a man with a beard and brown hair.

"Ah yes, I see, there are two ways. Three if you include the one heading out of town," he stated. "Well, I guess we should split up into three groups then. One group should wait here and check out this observation deck. One follow the main road. And one follow this small path here." Nathan followed this man’s fingers as they were gently dragged across the map. He looked east, noting the swirling formations of fog and utter lack of traffic. Going east would hardly be helpful, there were almost no people travelling there and several miles separated him from the nearest city. Any other direction, he decided, would be much more productive. A woman with brown hair and hazel eyes spoke.

"The Observation Deck's further along that way, right? I'm heading there. I need to find a bathroom." With that she strode towards it, disappearing from sight. Nathan bit his lip. Now two people had been consumed by the fog, the first one not been seen again. Nathan didn't like the woman’s odds. The head of orange hair spoke, Nathan gathered she said something about the fog dispersing and hiking trails, he wasn't listening. Should he go after the woman or stay here and wait? He remembered the last time he was faced with a similar decision and shuddered at the thought. She’ll probably be fine, it’s not like monsters run rampant here, he thought. Nathan stretched out his calves and arms, placing them by his sides in an effort to calm down. I shouldn't be worrying.

Eun Hee hoped that the others would listen to her advice when she heard someone else talk, apparently it was a woman, "It's just fog, right? How hard can it be to get lost in it? Besides, it should clear up in a few hours so there's nothing to worry about. That and the main road isn't hard to miss even in fog..." Jane stayed quiet looking at her, thinking that she might be right. The woman was quite tall so when she stood next to her and put a hand next to her shoulder it made her look really small, almost child-like. "Besides, I'm sure any of these fine gentlemen and ladies would be happy to accompany you if you're nervous! Why not just ask them? As for me, I think that small trail would be good to follow. Anyone up for a bit of hiking?"

Jane turned around to see their group, not knowing what to say or what to do under such a strange situation, oh how badly she wished that this strange situation would be over with soon. She let out a sigh and stuttered a bit, she sure did not see herself doing some hiking so any other option would do, "ummm well... if we really are dividing into groups I think I would like to go down the main road... maybe we'll find the driver down that way? she said loudly enough for everyone to hear. She desperately hoped that other's would come with her, darkness had never been much of her friend, especially not since... her sister's passing and the nightmares.

She waited for someone else to hopefully decide to come with her, she eyed everyone in the group and finally asked, "Should we decided on the groups then?" she paused a bit now almost talking to herself, "I also think that someone should go with the girl from before..." and with that she did not say anything else, she felt like she had already talked enough, especially with a lot of people she did not know, something she was not used to... whatsoever.

Ooc:// Sorry for the disappearance! Vacation, school, and for some reason I was not notified that deadalivecat had posted, so I was waiting for her when she had indeed posted!

---

Kade nodded a quick thanks to the other man who supported the large map for him, and examined it in their shared grasp. It was crinkled and the paper was aged. While it once was probably a bright white or cream, it had shifted to a deep brown similar to the colour of coffee. With his one free hand, he slipped it into his messenger bag, scrambling around for a familiar shape. His fingertips brushed against the smooth screen of his phone, and he pulled it out. While conversation started around him, people speaking about which way to go, splitting up into groups and general objections to everything, he pressed the small button at the bottom, and the screen lit up.

He slid his finger across the screen and a bunch of icons filled up the space. Glancing to the corner, he noticed a lack of any signal. Just as he spotted this, his phone suddenly flashed to what looked like a static television screen, and then was black. Kade raised his eyebrows in surprise, and tried pressing the button at the bottom again. Then once more. And then many times, he pressed his thumb against the button over and over again, panic filling up inside of him. No, no no, it couldn't die, it couldn't just go out like this, especially in this situation! It held everything important to him. His dates, schedules, contacts, numbers, everything. Documents, notes...he couldn't tell his boss now that he would be late, he would get in trouble and could get fired, and that would be a nightmare.

"Well, shit..." he muttered quietly to himself, angrily shoving his phone back into his bag, ignoring the few people that were peering at the map from over his shoulder or beside him. Raising his eyes, he looked around towards all of the empty space around them. The fog wasn't as bad as before. It had cleared in just the slightest, and now he could see a small dirt pathway leading down into the trees a few metres away, and the road continuing on in the opposite direction. Forward, there was some sort of barrier. He glanced down at the map once more, examining it. Up ahead near where the small railing was seemed to be the observation deck...

He tugged the map a bit away from the hands of the other man who had helped him hold it, and just as he was ready to fold it up, a young woman entered herself inbetween him and the other guy, rather abrasively. Kade frowned in slight annoyance, watching her carefully with his dark brown eyes. She moved away after a few seconds, though didn't say anything about what she had just seemingly examined. And then, she turned away from them. She said very bluntly and without worry or concern, that she was going off on herself. The young man only shrugged his shoulders, and began to fold up the very large map once again. Searching his mind, he tried to remember what the conversation had focused around when he had been checking his phone. Someone had suggested splitting up, and even though they only had one map, not many seemed to oppose the idea.

Kade let out a surprised gasp when he felt someone slap him on the back, and he nearly turned to glare at them, until he realized that it was more a congratulating action rather than something to get his attention. He smiled weakly and laughed almost nervously, slipping the map into his bag. A girl who had been rather quiet the whole time spoke softly, voicing concern for the one who had walked off on her own.

"Well, you can go with her then." He put bluntly, and though he realized he may have sounded a tad bit rude, he really was too concerned with current events to care much. His only decision now was to figure out which way to go, who to walk off with. At the moment, a 'hike' with the neon-haired woman sounded like a nice choice to him. Maybe he could find a signal for his phone, and the path was likely a better entryway into the more populated side of town.

Kade glanced towards the orange haired woman, and adjusted the bag on his shoulder.

"I'll come along." He voiced loud enough for her to hear, and took a single step closer towards her. At that moment he remembered that he was the only one with a map, and figured that may concern a few.

"Going into the town in other directions, all of the groups should be able to find a map..." he paused momentarily, looking around at everyone surrounding the small area. "If not, just meet back here in..." he focused down on his watch.

"Twenty five minutes. Don't stray too far away, try to remember what ways you've turned. If everyone has found a map, then we can meet in a cafe or something, alright? There's bound to be one in this place."

---

Ooc:// Once everyone splits up, gets into town, on the trail, etc. monsters will be introduced!

Eyes looking around at the different passengers, Connie felt genuinely happy when people began to talk and introduce themselves. She watched one woman by the name of Lexi introduce herself to the Asian woman she spoke to. Her mouth began to hurt from all the smiling but now she couldn't help but feel better. There was always a silver lining, and this lining happened to be meeting new people.

"I'll come along."

Connie turned around to see the man with the map and messenger bag moving toward her. Oh goodie, she thought. He started speaking to the group.

"Going into the town in other directions, all of the groups should be able to find a map..." he paused. "If not, just meet back here in... Twenty five minutes. Don't stray too far away, try to remember what ways you've turned. If everyone has found a map, then we can meet in a cafe or something, alright? There's bound to be one in this place."

"You sound like the man with the plan," Connie said. "Good to know we got people with good heads on their shoulders!"

She turned to the rest of the group. "Anyone else who wants to come along the hiking trail better start moving!"

Connie turned back to her new partner. She couldn't help eyeing him up and down, sizing him up. She smirked and closed the distance between them. Invading the poor man's space, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders like they were old friends. She smiled again.

"Constance Barton's my name. You can call me Connie. Everyone does," she said. "Since we seem to be staying here a bit, might as well get to know each other. What's your name?"

Kyle Briske

"And if that fails we could meet back here in say, half an hour and see if there's someone in town who'll let us use their phone?" said a woman with brown skin and straight black hair. Kyle simply nodded.

Stepping out of the bus a minute later was a young woman with long brown hair, glancing at the map with uninterested eyes then looked away to the fog and around. She then spoke and said, "The Observation Deck's further along that way, right? I'm heading there. I need to find a bathroom." With no further explanation, she stepped around Kyle and other man holding the map, ignored the other passengers entirely, and started walking briskly and purposefully down the main road towards the town.

"Wait!" said an Asian woman "Something doesn't feel right..." her British accent showing a little. "Why don't we stick together?" she suggested. "We only have a map" she pointed out and signaled the map that was still on their hands. "Besides, we can get lost out there with the fog, mist or whatever you can call this hazy thing." But it was too late, the other young woman was already on her way off to who knows where.

Suddenly, a woman with orange hair appeared between Kyle and the man with the briefcase, slapping the businessman on the back. "Well done, guys," she said with a grin. "People have already began to follow your leadership!"
Kyle could see the annoyed face that the businessman was making but did not commented on it.
The neon haired woman then turned to the Asian woman who wanted to stick together. "It's just fog, right? How hard can it be to get lost in it? Besides, it should clear up in a few hours so there's nothing to worry about. That and the main road isn't hard to miss even in fog..." she walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Besides, I'm sure any of these fine gentlemen and ladies would be happy to accompany you if you're nervous! Why not just ask them? As for me, I think that small trail would be good to follow. Anyone up for a bit of hiking?"

A moment later, the map was folded and put away while Kyle just stood and watch. He said nothing and just walked back into the bus. Everyone seemed to be planning on where to go and what to do, except for a handsome blonde haired young man who seemed to just be sitting on his seat and doing nothing. The fog was already thinning slightly by then, clearing up the road and the path that they were going to take a bit. It gave him a sense of calmness now that they could see where they were going. But he decided not to wait up for the other. He grabbed his bag, exited the bus, and went straight down the road towards the town alone. He was sure that he was able to find the driver before the others could finish on deciding on what to do.