It was a cold, dark night. The rough wind slapped my frozen face. I was wearing my favourite pair of jeans and a big fuzzy winter coat. I looked over at my cousin Kassie who handed over a pair of gloves; in return I handed over an elastic so she could tie back her curly blonde hair. There were plastic lit ghosts and pumpkins hanging from the corners of the tent where we had to buy tickets. An old lady with her top two teeth missing and dressed up like a colourful gypsy was the one selling them.
“2 tickets please” asked Kassie as she handed over a twenty dollar bill.
Without speaking the old lady nodded her head and pointed a long dirty nail to the beginning of the line. We leaned against the rough rope, just as we faintly heard lighting in the distance. Some low instrumental music was playing, the gloomy sky was filled with gray clouds, and it became darker and darker as every minute ticked by. The sound of a motor and numerous screams caused my head to come back to earth.
“The bus is starting its trip” Kassie notified me.
I had heard about the haunted forest and the topless bus that drove through it, while random people and objects were jumping out at you. I tried imagining the scene but it was much scarier than I had thought. We could still hear the shrieking form the line we were stuck in. Several minutes had gone by as Kassie and I discussed school and friends. We had been best friends since we were chunky toddlers running around without clothes on. However, going to different schools made it hard to catch up on the activities going on in each other’s lives.
“Kass, the screaming stopped” I realized.
I was always observant to details; I was mostly interested in crime stories and what not. Because of this, my stepmother, the therapist, was convinced I’d grow up to be a murderer. My dad not noticing how ridicule her assumption is, forbid me of reading or watching anything crime related. In result, every once in a while, I pull a “Harriet the Spy” and sneak to the library for hours on end. There’s something about the smell of opening a new book, the warmth and excitement of discovering a new life in the library, it’s all so addicting.
“Great. Maybe they’re all dead” she replied.
Kassie was always dramatic and often assumed the worst. Strangely enough, the screams from the bus never returned. In fact, it arrived to the starting line completely vacant.
“Maya, the bus is empty. It was full of people 30 minutes ago, where did they go?”
“I’m sure they were just dropped off over behind that rusty shed, let’s go, people are going to start passing us.”
I grabbed Kassie’s hand but she refused to move.
“I’m not going on that bus, I’d like to leave this creepy place sometime tonight and if I go on that bus, I have a feeling I won’t have that option.”
She could be so stubborn sometimes but I could be hard-headed too and got my way much more often. Kassie wanted to please everyone, I wanted to please myself.
With the roll of my eyes and a sad sigh I said, “I promise you, you will walk off that bus perfectly fine.”
Her face softened and she gave in, her hand becoming limp in mine.
The bus was like the school bus I had rode every day, the side read “Reaper’s Realm” in black paint. The bus itself was red, with no roof and lower seats. We were the last people on so we got the front seats right behind the driver; I had at first mistaken for a man. Her podgy face which was turned to see the passengers was painted white and dots of red were found on the corners of her mouth. She was dressed as a vampire and her black cape hung over the wide chair.
“Here we goooo!” said the witchy voice.
The ride was bumpy; Kassie was still squeezing my hand as we entered the grim forest. The tall trees covered the sky, allowing no moonlight or starlight to enter. The only lights found were those of the bus’s headlights and the candlelit lanterns actors were holding. A narrow path between the rotten trees led the way for the bus. On the sides of the path were different scenes including various Halloween characters, either attempting to scare the passengers or tied up pleading for help. I looked at Kassie to make sure she wasn’t completely terrified. When she turned her head to me, her big brown eyes widened as her mouth began to open,
“Watch out!” she screamed.
The caw of a crow and the sound of wings flapping near my head caused me to duck down.
When I came back up, she chuckled, “I thought it was a bat.”
We both laughed, ignoring the random masked men trying to jump on the bus. A few had succeeded and were now breathing all over others. Gross, I thought to myself. When the bus was rid of the cruel creatures we continued along the dirt road. Out of nowhere there were bright lights, I shielded my eyes as I turned to look at the back of the bus. The front of a transport had pulled out of a hidden spot and was chasing us, while honking stridently. The people in the back seats were freaking out. Just when I thought there was no way it would hit us, after all many people had experienced this ride and only had positive comments, the entire ground shook along with a cry of anguish.
One lady cried out, “Stop the bus! People are hurt!”
Seeming indifferent to the cries of help, the driver didn’t stop. I could vaguely make out some bent over bodies, some down the laneway too. Then I became frantic.
“I can’t see anything Maya, what happened?”
I responded, “Whatever you do, do not look back.”
Some people who were dressed up reappeared and the bawling became even louder. Fortunately it wasn’t loud enough to cover the noise of a chainsaw following us. I couldn’t distinguish much; nevertheless the glimmer of something silver helped me come to the realization that the actual blade was still present on the machinery. I knew blood was flying everywhere as the chainsaw began to tear up bodies. The sound of bones cracking was most definitely spine-chilling. Out of nowhere, something