by Shannon Cook
“I know!” Jayme agreed. “I'm more of a homo-jacket type!”
Robin snickered at her wife's little joke! “That's why I married you, you always find a way to make me laugh!"
Bus 340 continued traveling down the road into the sunset, as Robin and Jayme drifted off to sleep.
XII
The next morning, Casey pulled into the driveway of Kate and Mandy's old house in Alabama. The house was dark and empty. “That's strange,” Casey mentioned. He picked up his hand and a paper appeared. He took a close look at it, it was his route sheet. “It says this is Kate's house,” he stated as he double-checked the address.
“Who's Kate?” Jayme asked with a big yawn.
“Kate's my ex-girlfriend!” Veronica scoffed. She glanced up and noticed they were not at the right house. “Where are we? This isn't the right place!”
“We're in Alabama,” Casey stated.
Veronica chuckled, “Oh, no-no-no! Kate lives in an apartment building in Minnesota!" It had been years since Kate and Veronica have spoken, and she had no clue that Kate was now married, had two children, and has moved a few times since!
Casey looked back at his route sheet, and the address had magically changed to his old address! “That's odd,” he said under his breath. “My mistake!” He quickly teleported bus 340 in front of his and Eva's old house. There were a couple of moving trucks in the yard with a group of people taking boxes and furniture into the house.
Robin and Jayme were shocked! “What are we doing at yours and mother's house, father?” Robin asked.
A deep sigh came from a couple of rows behind Irwin. It was Veronica. “I told you an apartment in Minnesota!” she snapped! "Does this look like an apartment building to you?!" Little did she realize, they weren't even in Minnesota, but instead, they were in New Hampshire. Just a few miles away from the old mental institution where that fateful ride started. “This is not the right place!” she scoffed.
Just then, Veronica caught a slight glimpse of Kate carrying in a box from one of the moving trucks. “Wait a minute! KATE!” she yelled as she jumped out of her seat and rushed for the door!
Outside, Kate thought she heard someone calling her name. She turned around and looked. She didn't see anything because Casey had made the bus invisible so others wouldn't see them at that moment. Kate was bewildered. She could have sworn she just heard Veronica's voice behind her! She shrugged it off and walked into the house.
“NO! Come back,” Veronica pleaded.
Jayme got out of her seat and walked up to Veronica. “What is your unfinished business?”
“I've stolen so much from her,” Veronica replied. “I cannot rest or move on until I make things right.”
Jayme nodded. Finally! She thought. She was hoping that this one would be easy, until, Veronica told her exactly how much she had stolen from her ex.
“I stole seventy-five thousand dollars worth of money and valuables from her,” Veronica stated. She reached out her hand and touched Jayme's hand. "Give her this, please," she asked as a backpack appeared dangling from a strap they were both holding onto.
“What's this?” Jayme asked.
“Open it,” Veronica instructed as she let go of it.
Jayme set the backpack down and slowly opened the large zipper. Inside was a bunch of cash! “Whoa!” Jayme said in shock!
When Veronica was alive, she had no qualms about stealing from those she was close to. She'd steal little amounts here and there, just so nobody would notice. When actually, Kate would notice but wouldn't say anything. Veronica also felt guilty for wrecking Kate's vehicle after a heated argument they had once. The one that caused their break-up. She didn't mean to crash her ex's car, she just ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. “I don't feel right moving on without paying Kate back for what I had stolen from her,” Veronica stated.
“How much is in this bag?” Jayme asked.
“The full seventy-five thousand dollars,” Veronica replied.
Jayme smiled and nodded as she picked up the bag and exited the bus. She walked up the driveway carrying the backpack full of cash. Everyone was busy carrying in boxes from the trucks and didn't notice Jayme walking towards them. Jayme stood back a little from everyone for a moment. She didn't know who Kate was!
Then a man noticed her, it was Lee. “Can I help you with something?” he asked suspiciously.
“Yes, actually,” Jayme responded. “I need to talk to Kate."
“Hold on, I'll go get her," Lee said as he walked away.
Moments later, Kate approached Jayme. She stopped suddenly, in disbelief!
“Kate?" Jayme asked as Kate began to back up slowly.
Kate recognized Jayme as one of the hostages of the missing bus! Based on the last sighting report, Kate assumed that Robin and Jayme were deceased! “Yes," she responded nervously.
Jayme reached out the backpack towards Kate. “This is from Veronica, your ex,” she stated. “It's all the money she's stolen from you.”
Kate was even more confused! Slowly, she backed away. Still believing she was interacting with a spirit at that moment. “How do you know Veronica?” she asked. Her nerves were beginning to get the better of her as a cold sweat came over her entire body!
“She's on that bus with me,” Jayme replied pointing towards the bus.
“What bus?” Kate asked.
Jayme could see that bus, but Kate couldn't. Casey knew that Kate was the lead investigator trying to bring bus 340 back to the bus garage, and he wasn't about to let them get caught! Not until everyone was off! However, he knew at some point he'd have to bring the bus to her.
“It's right there!” Jayme stated.
Kate was even more confused. She didn't see any bus parked where Jayme was pointing. “What's going on?” she asked suspiciously.
“Veronica can't move on until she pays you back for everything she had stolen from you when you two were dating.” Jayme set the backpack of money down on the driveway and stepped back. “All that money in that bag is yours.”
Kate slowly, and with great caution approached the backpack and slowly opened it. When she noticed the bundles of cash inside of it, she was in shock! “How much is in here?!"
“Seventy-five thousand dollars,” Jayme replied.
Taken aback, Kate teared up a little. That money was going to help out a lot! “I don't understand,” she stated. Then she got to wondering, what did Jayme mean by Veronica couldn't move on until she paid her back? She hadn't heard that the missing bus she was trying to locate was involved in a fatal crash or that her ex, Veronica, was one of the victims! “What did you mean by Veronica can't move on?”
“Veronica was killed in a horrific bus crash,” Jayme replied. “The same one my wife's parents were killed in.” She motioned to Kate how she and her wife volunteered to assist the victims of that crash with their unfinished business, so they can move on.
Kate was faced with a difficult decision. She was transferred there to be the lead investigator in finding Luke's missing bus and the two hostages. Now, she realized that Jayme and Robin got onto that bus voluntarily, and she didn't feel right getting in the way of them trying to help the trapped souls. However, something still didn't make sense to Kate! If a bus was involved in such a horrific crash that killed seven people, how could it possibly still be on the road today? Things didn't add up to her! She knew she had to dig down deeper into the history of that bus company, and the history of the missing bus!
She glanced down at the money sitting in the open backpack on the ground. “Thank you, for this,” Kate said to Jayme. She looked back up and suddenly she could see bus 340! “Where did that come from?!” she panicked!
Jayme turned around, looked back at the bus, and smiled. “That's the bus, it's been parked there the entire time,” she informed Kate.
Kate slowly walked towards bus 340. As she got closer, she could begin to feel an intense sense of pain, dread, anger, and sadness overcome her. She stopped, turne
d around, and looked back at Jayme who was following behind her. “Why do I feel this way?” she asked.
“You're feeling what the trapped sprits are feeling,” Jayme informed Kate. “My wife, Robin, and I have grown accustomed to that feeling.”
Jayme and Kate continued to slowly approach the bus. When they got to the door, Casey opened it, smiled, and said “I hope you love my house!” to Kate.
Kate jumped back in horror! In utter disbelief that a spirit was talking to her! She quickly turned and grabbed ahold of Jayme's shoulders! “This is one of the victim's houses!?” she panicked!
“Two,” Jayme replied. “The driver and one of the doctors,” Jayme explained to Kate that her in-laws were the most caring, loving, most funny people when they were alive and if they were to come to visit their old home in the future, she should have nothing to worry about.
Kate felt a little relieved, but not completely.
“Come aboard!” Casey welcomed.
Kate looked at Jayme again, looking for some comfort and advice. For once, Kate, a tough nothing scares me type of woman was now petrified!
Jayme smiled and told Kate, “It's alright."
Jayme and Kate stepped onto the bus and Kate couldn't believe her eyes! All five of the remaining trapped spirits were sitting right in front of her along with Robin. Kate's eyes locked onto her ex-girlfriend's eyes as Veronica got up from her seat and approached her.
Slowly, Kate backed up until she bumped into Jayme. Veronica reached out her hand towards Kate and said, “It's nice to see you again.”
Kate turned around, embraced Jayme tightly, and closed her eyes. “Make this all go away!” she panicked!
“We're trying,” Jayme stated.
“Kate,” Veronica said softly. “I will not hurt you again, I promise,”
Kate opened her eyes and slowly turned back around. Her ex, Veronica was now holding her arms open for a hug. “We parted on a bad note in our relationship,” Veronica stated. “I will not feel right leaving this world without knowing that I've made up for my terrible mistakes.”
Kate looked back at Jayme looking for help. “Just hug her,” Jayme instructed.
With caution, Kate took a few steps towards Veronica and put her arms around her ex. Memories of the good times she had with Veronica flashed before her eyes! All the hatred she had towards Veronica vanished from her mind, and a great sense of peace filled her soul!
A bright flash of blinding white light filled the air! Kate closed her eyes, and when she opened them, Veronica was gone! “Where'd she go!?” she panicked!
“She's moved on,” Robin smiled.
Kate sat down on one of the empty bus seats and began to cry, happy tears into her hands.
Casey turned around in his driver's seat and looked at Kate, “It was nice to meet the new owner of my home,” he stated as he snapped his fingers.
At that moment, Kate looked up from her hands and she was suddenly sitting on the front steps of her new home. She looked up confused! How did I get back here?! She wondered!
Her wife, Mandy, approached her carrying a box. “Are you alright?” she asked. She sat down the box and took a seat next to Kate.
Kate tried explaining what just happened. She told her wife that she just saw the spirit of her ex-girlfriend, Veronica! She mentioned how Veronica had finally paid her back the value of everything she had stolen from her while they were in a relationship!
Mandy, however, was questioning everything Kate was telling her. She didn't see any bus parked out in front of the driveway! “You're under a lot of stress, my dear,” she softly said. “Maybe it was just your imagination?”
“NO!” Kate snapped! She got up from the step and ran over to the backpack sitting on the driveway. She picked it up and brought it over to Mandy. “Look inside!” She pulled open the backpack and Mandy looked inside the bag.
To her amazement, Mandy saw the bundles of cash in the bag! “How much is in here?!” she asked.
“Seventy-five thousand dollars!” Kate smiled. “The value of everything Veronica had stolen from me!” She told her wife how she was having some misgivings about continuing the search for the missing bus now. She knew now the bus was missing for good reason, and she wasn't going to interfere. “The spirits of the victims can't move on until they complete their unfinished business,” she informed Mandy. Instead, she told Mandy she was going to focus on finding out why that bus was put back into service instead of being junked! “I'm not going to try to interfere with what those two young ladies are doing,” she stated.
Mandy agreed that was a good choice.
Back on the bus, Casey breathed a sigh of relief! “Got that one out of the way!” he said.
“That wasn't so difficult,” Jayme stated.
“I was trying to put that one off,” Casey replied. “That one scared me.”
Jayme and Robin looked at each other in confusion. Why would a simple task like that scare Casey? Neither Jayme nor Robin knew that Kate was leading the investigation to try to find them!
“What was so scary about this one?” Robin asked. “At least neither one of us got hurt!”
Eva turned around and quietly informed Robin and Jayme who Kate was. They were afraid that if Kate got a glimpse of them, she'd take them, Robin and Jayme, into custody! If that would've occurred, then the remaining trapped spirits on bus 340 would never be able to move on!
XIII
Later that day, bus 340 was traveling down a curvy road that cut through a dense forest. The road was rough, filled with potholes. The ride was very uncomfortable for Robin and Jayme! The rough road didn't faze the remaining spirits on the bus. Casey sped up the bus and maneuvered the curves with ease while Robin and Jayme tried their hardest to ignore the hard bumps they were enduring!
Irwin was becoming impatient and bored with the ride. He looked around trying to figure out a way to amuse himself. His eyes locked onto Robin and Jayme as a sinister grin came upon his face. “Enjoying the ride?” Irwin snickered. He could tell they were uncomfortable with the rough road!
“Just leave them be,” Eva replied. She turned only her head completely around and faced her daughter and daughter-in-law. “Just ignore him.”
Robin and Jayme were completely freaked out by Eva's ghostly head-turning completely around. “I have to pee,” Jayme whispered to Robin.
Robin looked around there was nothing but trees on either side of the road. She got up and walked up to Casey. “Father,” she said. “We need a pit stop.”
Casey nodded and pulled the bus over to the side of the road. “Here you two go,” he said as he opened the door.
Robin and Jayme glanced at each other, then out at the trees. “Uh, what is this?” Robin asked her father.
“Just go in the trees,” Casey instructed. “I can't make any more detours. I have a schedule to keep!”
The two young ladies shrugged and stepped off the bus. They began to walk a few hundred feet into the woods. “How far are we going?” Jayme asked.
“Just want to be out of sight of the bus,” Robin replied. “I'd like a little privacy!”
“Agreed,”
They found a spot that was out of sight of the bus. Once they were done and got their pants back up, they began to make their way back to the bus.
Back on the bus, Irwin watches as Robin and Jayme make their way back to the bus. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he notices a strange cryptid run through the woods! He adjusts himself to get a better look at this strange cryptid!
The cryptid was running on all fours, and it was the size of a coyote! Running from behind tree to tree as it was on the hunt to attack Robin and Jayme who had just trespassed on its territory!
Robin and Jayme suddenly heard the strange cryptid behind them, and they stopped. “What was that?” Robin asked.
Slowly, they turned around only to see the strange cryptid making a pounce at them! They let out a blood curtailing scream as they watched, frozen in fright, this half-human hal
f-animal was coming down upon them!
The cryptid pinned Jayme and Robin to the ground and let out a beastly roar into their faces! The thing was skin and bone, yet extremely heavy. At least five hundred pounds! It was covered in course dirty gray fir and had a human face with horns jutting out of its head! Fresh blood dripped from its fangs from its previous victims, a family of black bears!
Irwin sat on the bus and watched the attack quietly with a grin on his face. “Don't look now, but I believe your daughters are about to become someone's bedtime snack!”
Casey and Eva quickly jumped out of their seats and looked out of the bus! To their dismay, they saw Robin and Jayme pinned to the ground by this unknown cryptid! “NO!" Eva panicked! There was nothing they could do to help them! All they could do was hope for the best, which they knew was unlikely.
Eva turned around and embraced her husband. “I can't watch!”
“Anyone have a straw?” Irwin asked.
“A straw?” Casey asked confused. “Why the hell do you need a straw?”
Irwin laughed. “Not for me!” he replied. “I was going to toss a straw out to that thing so it could suck the juices out of Robin and Jayme easily.”
“YOU'RE A SICK MONSTER!” Casey snapped!
Robin and Jayme squirmed under the cryptid trying to break free from its grasps, but they were unsuccessful!
The cryptid scooped them up in its arms, got on its two hind feet, and carried them deep into the woods!
“Where is that monster taking my babies?!” Eva panicked!
“Babies?” Irwin scoffed. “I thought you only gave birth to Robin, and she is how old?”
“Robin maybe my only biological child,” Eva snapped, “but Jayme became my daughter too when she married Robin!”
Back deep into the woods, the cryptid took Robin and Jayme to its cave. Once inside, the cryptid tied Robin and Jayme together facing each other, and squeezed them into an extremely tight crevice! “Don't move!” the cryptid chuckled. “I need to get the fire going! I'm having roasted human!” the cryptid licked its chops and walked off.
