Chapter Three- Beginning of the End

The final bell of the school day had rung out, signaling for the students to finally return home. Camelia and Mariana shuffled through the sea of students while giggling amongst themselves. They talked about all kinds of games and movies they would indulge in upon returning home. Camelia's mind was free of the troubles plaguing her just a few minutes prior. She could always count on Mariana to brighten even the gloomiest of days. White vapor peeked from their mouths as colorful autumn leaves crunched under their feet. The two girls chatted excitedly at the local bus stop. Camelia would usually enjoy walking home because it was the closest she ever got to exercising, but the cold October weather made her rethink those plans.

" I'm kinda in the mood for a low-budget horror movie night. How about 'Killer scorpions from Flatbush' or ' Mutant cyborg Rats from outer space'?" Asked Mariana.

" Both of those movies sound incredibly corny. I love it. Let's watch the first one. Scorpions are kind of cute if you look at them from a certain angle." Camelia replied.

Once the bus arrived, Camelia spotted Lily also getting on the bus from the corner of her eye. Her cheeks took on a rosy hue and she hoped that the upperclassmen had not noticed her.

" You should tell her," Mariana said bluntly.

" What?"

" You should tell her how you feel. Nothing's gonna change if you keep waiting for her to make the first move. Lily might end up liking you more than you'd think."

Camelia wondered if her crush on Lily was really that obvious or was Mariana using her investigative skills to read between the lines. To be fair, it would be hard for anyone not to notice her luminescent blushing and erratic breathing whenever Lily was within eyesight of her. Camelia shook her head so hard she could practically feel her brain rattle. " No. I could never. We're from two completely different worlds. She's a wealthy student President who everyone loves and I'm just average ol me. The girl who's always in the background. "

" You're only in the background cause you always put yourself down! Don't beat yourself up like that. Lily gets along with pretty much everyone. At least try to get her number."

" Maybe next time. Right now I just want to go home and relax. Oh, maybe we can stop at the bookstore first. The newest Murakami novel came out and I've been dying to read it." Camelia squealed.

" Jeez, you're such a dork. That's what I love about you I guess."

Ten minutes into the bus trip, something had gone awry. The driver had begun speeding down the road at an unusually fast speed and took erratic turns that almost caused several crashes. Pedestrians crossing the streets yelled flagrantly at the bus after narrowly avoiding being run over.

" Da' hell are you doin' over there!? Learn how to drive you bozo!" One passenger yelled while others shared his sentiments. The driver paid no mind to the passenger's concern and continued his erratic driving.

" Yikes, this guy must be losing his mind! Does he have a mistress he needs to pick up or something?" Mariana joked. She never missed the chance to pick up on potential gossip.

Camelia found it hard to joke around when she was stuck in a disaster waiting to happen. She almost wanted to question the driver's sanity when she saw Lily stand from her seat to approach the man herself. It was in the following moments that Camelia's life took a permanent change.

For the first time, she saw the mature and composed Lily wail a blood-curdling scream. It was the same horrific sound camelia emitted only a few hours earlier. Camelia and Mariana glanced at each other before rushing to the front of the bus to see what was wrong. Their blood froze upon seeing the source of Lily's horror.

The bus driver was covered in a black miasma that seemed to emit from every pore on his body. His eyes were completely sunken and tribal-like markings adorned his entire body. It was like a scene straight from hell.

None of the girls dared to touch the man nor did they have the strength to stop what happened next. The bus was heading straight to an apartment building. The time of impact would be less than a minute. The girls didn't know what else they could do but scream at the top of their lungs like all the other bus passengers.

Camelia wondered if she would be alive long enough to feel the impact, to feel her bones and organs get splattered onto the metallic death trap. She'd rather die instantly than experience a level of pain that few could ever describe. She prayed for that instant release as she huddled with Lily and Mariana in one final embrace. With their eyes shut, they screamed as if to drown out the noise of their impending demise.

After the screams were snuffed out, all was silent.

All was etched into darkness.

It was at that moment she arrived.

" Would you like to try again?"