The Bus To Not In Service

He had run for the bus and just leapt on it. He thought it was the one to the town centre because that was the one that was due. He had a season ticket that he flashed at the driver, who seemed unnaturally dark, but maybe that was because it was cloudy and looked like it was going to start to rain.

There were others on the bus, but he couldn't make out any details, and he didn't care. Then he started reading some news on the phone, and after that started a Clive Barker short story on Kindle Unlimited.

Looking out the window, he could see nothing; the glass was filthy, and it was getting darker outside. Although the bus was moving slowly, he realised it hadn't picked anyone else up. In the distance, he thought he could see red flashes through the filthy windows; he hoped that the driver's windscreen was clear. He went back to his book, as he expected that his journey would be finished shortly; he needed to pick up some bits and pieces from town and then get back home before the coming storm started.

It was remarkably quiet; there was normally a conversation or two going on, but it was dead silent on the bus. He had a quick glance around, and everyone on the bus was alone, so that was why no one was talking, he thought.

The journey went on.

This was taking longer than expected, much longer. Although the bus seemed to be moving, there was nothing outside that he could relate to, apart from the distant red flashes. Were they getting closer? He wasn't sure, so he didn't know.

He began to get worried, so he turned and asked the nearest figure to him where they were going. There was no response, so he got up and walked over to the figure. The figure was desiccated, or ossified; certainly there was no sign of life, even though it held a seemingly working mobile phone.

He was now really worried, scared even.

He checked everyone else on the bus, and they were all the same. He was the only one on the bus who was alive, except the driver, who must be alive. He then walked up to the driver's compartment and saw that the dark figure at the wheel was dead as well. he tried to get in to take the wheel and stop the bus, but the compartment was very secure; he banged on the plexiglass screen and door to no effect.

He then found the emergency exit, but the hammer to open it had been removed, and even if he smashed the window and jumped out, where would he be? Certainly not on the way to the town centre as he intended.

Then the public announcement system crackled into life:

"Your bus journey will soon be coming to its conclusion. You should have noticed when you boarded that the destination was "Not In Service". These are the buses ferrying all damned souls to their final destination, where the demons of Hades will be waiting to take them to their designated positions."

The Bus Service

He had not seen the destination on the bus; he just jumped on, in a rush without thinking. He assumed he was on the bus to town.

He had seen hundreds of buses marked "Not In Service" on the destination marquee, and they never stopped because he had assumed they were not in service.

It seems that they did stop to pick up souls who were destined for damnation, and he now knew that he was one of those.

The bus was on the highway to hell.