Curse of the Possessed Bus

by Shannon Cook

Once the cryptid was out of ear-shot, Jayme and Robin began to try to figure a way out. “How are we going to get out of here?” Jayme asked her wife.

  “I don't know,” Robin sighed. She tried shifting her body towards the opening, but it was too tight of a squeeze. “Ugh! It's no use!"

  “We are not going to become some disgusting creature's dinner!” Jayme snapped! She took a moment to think. “Do you think we can try to squeeze out the other way?” she asked noticing that the crevice they were jammed into went deeper.

  “What if there's no way out from that side!?” Robin snapped! “What if it gets tighter? I love you Jayme, but I can't tell which body parts are mine and which are yours right now!"

  “Let's just try!” Jayme suggested. “I would rather die being squashed against the woman I love than to become whatever sick meal that thing is planning on making with us!”

  “You're right,” Robin sighed. “Alright, let's try it.”

  The two young ladies slowly inched their way sideways deeper and deeper into the crevice. It got darker and unfortunately slightly tighter every few feet. “This would be so much easier if we weren't tied together!” Robin complained.

  “I know,” Jayme grunted.

  Back on the bus, Casey and Eva were a nervous wreck! They passed the aisle of the bus impatiently waiting for Robin and Jayme to come back. At least, they were hoping they'd come back! “I can't stand this!” Eva snapped!

  Meanwhile, Jayme and Robin continued to squeeze themselves inch by inch deeper into the crevice. With every inch they moved, they could start to feel the rope that was tying them together loosen up. “Hold on,” Jayme said. She gently shifted her position, “okay, let's continue.”

  After five painful minutes, the rope became untied! Robin and Jayme were elated! “Alright, you shift yourself ahead of me,” Jayme instructed her wife.

  Slowly, Robin squeezed herself ahead of Jayme. “OUCH!” Jayme yelped!

  “What?!”

  Jayme began laughing, “nothing,”

  Robin glared at Jayme. “Not funny!” she snapped as she got past her.

  Once they were no longer pressed against each other, they found that they had a lot more room between the cold, damp stone walls of the pitch-black crevice! They slowly continued onward, still hoping there was a way out the other side!

  A half-hour later, to their dismay, the ground below them was no more! They felt their bodies slip down and frantically got themselves so they were facing each other again. That way, they were lodged between the crevice walls again, at least everything from the waist up. Their legs dangled down and they were trapped!

  “Now what?!” Robin asked frantically!

  “I don't know,” Jayme replied hopelessly.

  Five thousand feet below them was a large cast-iron pot with boiling water heating up over a raging fire! Jayme and Robin looked down and noticed the cryptid stirring the pot and adding the guts from the bear family it had devoured earlier!

  They carefully managed to pull themselves up so that only below their knees hung down. “Do you think it'll see us?” Jayme asked frantically.

  “Let's hope not!” Robin replied.

  They used all the strength they had in their arms to help move themselves along the tight space. “Parts are throbbing I didn't even know I had!” Robin complained.

  “I know,”

  After a tiring ten minutes, Jayme and Robin noticed a light in the distance! “Oh good!” Jayme said with excitement! They rushed to the light as quickly as they physically could and very painfully squeezed out of the crevice and found themselves feet from the side of the road!

  “Ugh,” Jayme grunted as she brushed herself off. “I love you, but I don't want to be that close to you for a while!" she told her wife.

  “Same to you!” Robin snapped back! “Why did we have to take the long way?”

  Jayme glared at her wife, “Nobody's perfect!”

  They got to the road and looked around. The bus was nowhere in sight! “What happened to the bus?” Robin asked.

  “I don't know,” Jayme replied.

  They had no clue where they were nor which direction they should start walking! It was now dark and the road didn't have any street lamps. Also, Robin and Jayme feared that the cryptid may come looking for them!

  “Let's go this way,” Robin suggested pointing left. “If we don't find the bus after a couple of miles, we'll go the other way.”

  “Sounds good,” Jayme replied as they began to walk down the road.

  The two of them walked slowly down the side of the road, checking over their shoulder every couple of seconds for the cryptid! The sound of crickets and owls filled the night air.

  The night was calm until they heard an angry guttural growl coming from the woods beside them! They stopped in their tracks and slowly turned to see what made that noise! They didn't see anything, but they heard something running through the woods! Crunching leaves and snapping branches!

  Robin and Jayme looked at each other with terror in their eyes! They began running as quickly as they could! The adrenaline from their fear made them run faster than they had ever before!

  Then suddenly, BAM! They ran smack into the back of bus 340, which Casey had made invisible again!

  “Ugh,” Robin and Jayme grunted simultaneously as they fell back onto the road!

  Inside the bus, everyone felt the jolt from them running into the bus at break-neck speed! “What was that?!" Eva asked.

  “I'm not sure,” Casey replied as he got out of his driver's seat. He walked towards the back of the bus and looked out the back window. “OH NO!” He panicked as he noticed Robin and Jayme laying unconscious on the road behind the bus!

  “WHAT?!" Eva panicked! She got out of her seat and rushed to see what Casey was so upset about. “Oh, no,”

  During all this, Irwin sat in his seat and laughed hysterically! “You just had to make the bus invisible again? Didn't you?” He chuckled.

  “Irwin, shut up!” Casey snapped.

  “Look on the bright side, Case,” Irwin began saying.

  Casey rolled his eyes, “don't call me that!”

  “At least they weren't torn limb for limb, their guts pulled out of them and made into a scrumptious stew!” Irwin stated. “Mm,” he added as he licked his chops.

  Casey and Eva looked at Irwin in horror! “Don't say that about my daughters!” Casey snapped!

  “Oh! No,” Irwin chuckled. “I just 'mm'd' for the stew part, I loved me some homemade beef stew! Especially the one my papa made! He added chili peppers!”

  “Alright,” Casey said. “Eva, how are we going to get them to come to?”

  Irwin got up from his seat and walked to the back of the bus. “You two are helpless!” he scoffed! He opened the back emergency door and put up his hand. Slowly, Robin and Jayme's unconscious bodies levitated off the road! The cryptid was closing in on its prey! Once Robin and Jayme were at the right level to enter into the rear emergency door, Irwin eased them into the bus and gently laid them on the floor of the wheelchair area, and shut the door.

  “There we are!” Irwin said.

  “Hold on,” Eva said. “You just did something kind!”

  Irwin smiled, “I'm not always an asshole," he replied. “You should know!” He walked back up to his seat and sat down. “Casey, you should get back to driving this thing! Don't want the cryptid to come aboard!”

  Casey knew Irwin was right! He rushed back to the driver's seat and sped off down the road!

  Eva stayed back in the rear of the bus to tend to Robin and Jayme. It was only a matter of minutes before they came too. They opened their eyes and looked around in confusion. “What happened?” Robin asked. She tried sitting up, but Eva placed her hand gently on her daughter's shoulder.

  “Shhh,” Eva said softly. “Lay back down, you'll be alright.”

  Robin laid back down and curled up in pain. “Everything hurts!” she complained.

  “I know, my dear,” Eva said. She looked
over at Jayme who was hunched over on her side. “How are you doing?”

  “I'm in a lot of pain!” Jayme replied tearfully.

  Eva sat down between Robin and Jayme and rested her hands gently on their chests. “Everything will be alright,” she softly said.

  Moments later, Robin and Jayme's bodies began to glow a bright light as a dark mist escaped their bodies! Suddenly, they were not feeling any pain anymore!

  “How did you do that?!” Robin asked relieved that the pain was gone! “Never mind. I know,” she continued with a smile.

  XIV

  The next morning, Robin and Jayme awoke to find themselves traveling through a suburban neighborhood. The iconic white picket fence charming neighborhood! All the homes were beautiful with children and dogs frolicking in the front yards!

  Frank looked around and smiled. “I've missed this place," he stated.

  Jayme turned around and asked, “what is your unfinished business, Frank?”

  He looked at Robin and Jayme. “I know who you two are,” he said. “The moment you two stepped on this bus, I recognized you both!”

  Irwin turned around in shock! “How?!” he asked.

  Frank smiled. He asked his doctor if he remembered coming into his room and taking his binoculars away from him the morning they left the old hospital.

  Irwin nodded. “Yes, I remember,” he replied. “You were intently watching two young ladies having,” he paused for a slight moment. “Wait a minute! It was them you were watching?!” he snapped pointing at Robin and Jayme.

  “What about us?” Jayme asked.

  “This pervert watched you two have sex!” Irwin snapped!

  Robin and Jayme quickly turned back and glared at Frank! They were appalled! “How could you?!” Robin snapped!

  “Easily,” Irwin laughed. “He's a pervert! Oh, and maybe next time, don't park so near a public building when you decide to steam up some windows."

  “I told you that was a bad spot!” Jayme snapped!

  “I couldn't help it!” Robin snapped back! “Let's just get focused on what is happening right now," she requested. “Frank, what is your unfinished business and what do we have to do?”

  Frank smiled at the two young women. “I messed my marriage up by being a peeping tom,” he stated. He explained to Jayme and Robin that once his wife became pregnant with their first child, he didn't find her attractive anymore because he couldn't get what he wanted from her, whenever he wanted. “I am ashamed and I kick myself every day for hurting my lovely wife!” his ghostly eyes began to tear. “Her name is Lilly.”

  “I made a huge mistake!” he stated. “No real man should ever cheat on the one he loves! No real man should ever cheat on, nor disrespect the woman who brought your child into this world!” He got up and rushed over to Jayme and Robin. He dropped to his knees and pleaded with them. “Please, I need to make things right with my wife!” he stated. “Well, ex-wife, she filed for divorce after she walked in on me and her best friend having sex."

  “What do you want us to do?” Robin asked.

  “Just ask her what she wants,” Frank replied. “Ask what needs to be done to make her forgive me, just for a moment even. I just want to meet my child!”

  Moments later, the bus pulled into Frank's old driveway. Robin and Jayme agreed they'd take on this one together. They stepped off the bus, walked up to the front door, and rang the doorbell.

  A woman, who appeared to be around Robin and Jayme's age opened the door. “May I help you?” the woman asked.

  “Are you Frank's ex-wife Lilly?” Jayme asked.

  Lilly glared at Jayme and Robin. “Yes, why is that any business of yours?” she snarled.

  “How did you manage to stay looking so young at your age?” Jayme complimented.

  Robin gave her wife a funny look, then explained to Lilly that Frank was killed in a horrific crash and that his spirit can't move on until he completes his unfinished business. “He asked us to ask you what needs to be done to have you forgive him, all he wants is to meet his child,” Robin stated.

  A disgusted Lilly eyed Robin and Jayme from head to toe. “Where is he?”

  Robin pointed back at the bus sitting in the driveway. “He's in that bus,” she replied.

  Lilly glanced at the bus, then back at Robin and Jayme. “I don't believe you two!” she snapped as she slammed the door in their faces!

  “Now what?” Robin asked.

  “We are not going to give up!” Jayme replied. She took a deep breath and pounded at the door.

  Lilly answered the door again, this time she was holding a baseball bat! “What do you want from me!?" She pleaded. "Hasn't that man caused me enough pain?”

  “Listen!” Jayme snapped. “Let me make this clear, if you don't help us help your ex move on, then we will be stuck on that bus for all eternity too! Help us!" she pleaded as she dropped to her knees and begged. “We would do anything!”

  Lilly stood in the doorway and looked down at Jayme who was fake crying at her feet. She thought for a moment, then said, “Actually, there is something we can do. It won't make me forgive him, but it'll give him a taste of his own medicine!” she snickered.

  Jayme looked up and pretended to wipe the tears from her eyes. “What would that be?”

  Lilly picked Jayme up by the collar of her shirt and pulled her close. “Have sex with me,” she whispered as she pressed Jayme's body against hers. “Have sex with me and have him walk in on us! Just like when I walked in on him and someone else!”

  Jayme was appalled! “Wait, what?” Her voice quivered as the woman reached her arms around Jayme and groped her rear-end! Jayme turned her head and her eyes pleaded with her wife Robin to get her out of this situation.

  “Excuse me,” Robin chimed in. “That's my wife!”

  Lilly quickly pulled away from Jayme in horror! “Oh dear,” she said apologetically. “I'm so sorry!”

  “Isn't there anything else we could do?” Jayme asked.

  “No,” Lilly replied. “He needs to experience what I experienced!”

  “That won't work,” Jayme stated. “He is trapped on that bus. If we were to go inside and have sex, then he would never be able to walk in on us!”

  Lilly stopped to think for a moment. Then she smiled. “Okay, then come here!” She grabbed Jayme and Robin by the arms and rushed over to the bus.

  “What are you doing?!” Robin panicked as the three of them boarded the bus!

  Once onboard, the woman stopped suddenly. She was frozen in fear as she was standing face to face with four of the remaining spirits! “I can't do this!” she panicked! She turned around and ran into Robin. “Move!” she demanded.

  “No!” Robin snapped! Her and Jayme have come this far in helping the trapped spirits to have anyone prevent them from helping any of them! “You are going to help us!” Robin scolded as she walked towards the back of the bus, forcing Lilly to backup. Robin managed to get Lilly backed against the wall in the rear corner of the bus. “Now just pretend to make out with me,” she whispered.

  Robin and Lilly began to make fake realistic-sounding kissing noises. Lilly wrapped her arms around Robin and pulled her close. For everyone watching, it looked like they were passionately making out, but in reality, they were just kissing each other on the cheek!

  Everyone couldn't believe their eyes! Frank was feeling the heartbreak of watching his ex-wife make out with someone else! Jayme was having a difficult time watching especially. She didn't know that Robin and Lilly were just faking it! Rage came upon Jayme! She rushed up behind them, pulled her wife away from Lilly, and pinned her wife, Robin, against the wall of the bus! “WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU DOING?!” she snapped! She took her knee and swiftly kneed Robin in the groin!

  Robin's eyes rolled back into her head as she grasped herself and fell to the floor!

  “We weren't really making out!” Lilly yelled. “We were only kissing each other on the cheeks!”

  Jayme's jaw dropped! “Seriously?” she
asked. She looked down at her wife on the floor in shock! She quickly knelt and put her arm around Robin. “Is that true?”

  “Yes!” Robin stated. “Ugh! You got me good,” she complained as she rolled on the floor in agony!

  “Darling, I'm so deeply sorry!” Jayme began pleading with her wife for forgiveness. “I seriously believed you were making out with her!”

  “How's Frank?” Robin grunted.

  “His heart looked broken,”

  “So it worked?”

  “Yes,”

  “That's good,” Robin stated. “I need ice!”

  Lilly knelt by Robin and told her that she'd run into her house and get her some ice.

  “Thank you,” Robin replied.

  While they waited for the woman to come back out, Casey and Eva glared at Jayme. “I can't believe you just kicked my daughter in the genitals!” Casey snapped.

  “I said I was sorry!” Jayme stated. “I got angry because I thought she was actually making out with another woman!”

  “It did look pretty realistic,” Eva stated. “Honestly, if I would have thought you were making out with someone else in front of me, I would've kicked you in the same area, Casey!” Eva got up and walked back to her daughter. “How bad is the pain?”

  Robin looked up at her mother. Her eyes were glazed over with tears. "It's a throbbing, burning pain!" she complained.

  Moments later, Lilly came rushing back onto the bus with an ice pack. “Here you go,” she said as she handed the ice pack to Robin.

  Frank got up and walked over to his ex-wife. “I now know how I made you feel that night,” he somberly said. "What I did was wrong, I know you may never forgive me, I'm sorry for what I put you through. “May I meet my child now?” he kindly asked.

  Lilly sat down on one of the bus seats. “You've already met her,” she informed him.

  A smile came upon Frank's face! Yet, he was confused. He didn't recall ever meeting his child! But he was pleased to find out it was a girl! “When did I meet our daughter?” he asked. His eyes lit up, only for a moment. He thought of all the father-daughter dances he missed out on, walking his little princess down the aisle at her wedding!