A moving bus, an absent driver and a single passenger.
The bus moved along the darkness despite the lack of a driver while the lone passenger gazed
out the window with groggy eyes.
The passenger was, of course, me.
And me alone.
Why am I here?
I asked and no one answered.
No one will.
I sat in silence, waiting for my stop.
My gaze stared at the outside scenery with unblinking eyes.
The ever-pleasant scenery of literal void.
What am I doing here?
How did I get here?
And where is this bus taking me?
How is it moving without a driver?
I feel disoriented from my sleep; the inertia of waking up from a long, hard sleep left me
muddleheaded.
The lone bus light was the only source of light in this place.
I lifted my palm from my lap and spread it open in front of my eyes; the long and fair fingers still looked the same.
My hair was still the same, and my voice, too.
I was still myself.
I was still Adam.
It wouldn't have been a surprise if I wasn't in my body in such a bizarre situation.
But I still was in my body.
So…am I dreaming?
Is this a lucid dream?
No, a lucid dream can't be as vivid as this.
Then, have I gone mad? Is this what they call schizophrenia?
Perhaps.
I leaned back into the comfy leather seat as I listened to the bus's tyres going round and round.
Is there any ground for it to drive on?
I want to leave.
I tried to leave by breaking the windows but it was unbreakable.
Strangely enough, I didn't feel any pain from the blunt impact when I continuously punched the glass window.
Why am I even bothering with the window?
The obvious exit would've been the door right?
The thing is, I'm a bit repulsive of getting close to the driver's seat.
I have seen enough horror movies to know the consequences of getting too close to it.
And yet I can't resist my curiosity.
The curiosity kills the cat after all.
And I have no choice if I want to leave.
I closed my eyes for a moment, taking in deep breaths as I resolved my mind.
No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to recall the memories I had before waking up in this place.
Now that I think about it, I can't seem to remember anything at all.
I remember basic things like language, my name, my parents, my friends, etc.
But I can't remember anything about them.
Anything that I have done with them.
I can't seem to remember the memories I had with them.
I remember, but at the same time, I don't.
It's hard to explain.
It feels foreign and incomprehensible.
What is actually happening to me right now?
I don't know.
If I can't remember it then don't.
I should just try to investigate and if I can, escape.
I opened my eyes once again; this time, however, I felt clear instead of the previous grogginess.
I slowly rose from my seat, I felt unusually heavy, but I managed.
The bus seemed ordinary at first glance, just like any normal school bus.
Hmm…
School bus…
Of course, it had to be a school bus.
A smirk crept up my face, my fists involuntary clenched and just when I thought things couldn't
get any worse…
It wasn't any random school bus, it was one I was pretty familiar with.
Although the bus wasn't any different from a normal bus, I was able to recognize it as my
childhood school bus.
My smirk turned into a frown as my fists unclenched.
I took a deep breath and made my way towards the door.
Forget it.
If it bothers you, forget it
My strides were long and hurried.
I occasionally glanced at the passing seats on a lookout for anything out of the ordinary, but I found none.
And after a few steps or so, I was there.
Right in front of the door and diagonally across the driver's seat.
I took a peek at the driver's seat, my eyes searching for anything of interest.
And I indeed found something of interest.
…
I made my way towards the seat and took the object of interest that was placed on the seat with my bare hands.
It was a toy.
A broken toy sullied with blood.
Calm down, deep breaths.
Please…calm down.
Thud.
A blunt echo.
It came from behind and I was sure it was the door.
Despite the sudden noise, I didn't react or turn around.
I still stood with the toy in my arms.
It was one of those car which could turn into a robot while playing music.
I sighed.
This place knows me well.
Too well.
I tossed the toy back to its previous place and turned around.
I have nothing to do with that, not anymore.
When I turned around the first thing that seemed out of the ordinary was, of course, the door.
It wasn't a bus door anymore.
Instead, it was wooden, white and had a knob.
Even a nameplate.
It looked out of the ordinary inside a bus.
I made my way towards it until I stood right in front.
My hand reached out for the knob as I stared at the nameplate on the door.
It read–Adam.
My name.
And I was sure what was behind it.
I don't know why I am here, nor do I know how I got here.
I want to know.
And I want to leave.
And I'm sure the answer lay behind this door.
It might not be the entire answer but it might contain some clues.
I gripped the cold metal knob with my hand and turned.
The door opened with a creak as I slowly set my foot inside.
My room huh?
From the bus, I entered my room.
From a place I hated to the place, I hate the most.
But I have no other choice.
Even if there were, I don't know about them.
And thus I stood there, staring at the open door while rethinking my life choices.