The Bus Stop

The Bus Stop.

She’d been waiting; waiting for him for the past half an hour. She was beginning to think that he had stood her up. She didn’t want to think like that, though. She dismissed the thought from her mind.

The rain poured down on her, beating, drowning her thoughts. She was wet, cold and tired, but she wasn’t going to leave. Not without him. She wasn’t going to give up like she usually did. She didn’t want to fail with this one. She always failed.

She twitched her pale hands to check the time on her watch. Forty-five minutes now. A frown creased her forehead. Why wasn’t he here yet? She began to bite her lip. She looked around checking both roads for the any sign of his car driving towards her. Her hair fell in front of her face; it was long and dark, wet as well. She pushed it behind her ear. There was no sign of him. She sighed regrettably, beginning to turn away. She had never been there before. Why wouldn’t anyone let her go to the Bus Stop? He had promised her he’d take her.

“Selene!” a voice called from behind her. She turned back and saw him running towards her. “Sorry I’m late. The car broke down.” He smiled down at her. Even though she was five foot eight he was still taller than her. He stared at her for a few seconds, his expression incredulous mingled with amusement. “God, you’re soaked to the bone! Why didn’t you go inside and wait for me?”

Selene smiled shyly and shrugged. He laughed; it was a rich laugh. It made her tingle inside. He held out his hand for her to take. She took it cautiously. She was finally going. A weird feeling crept its way inside her. It was a new feeling; she was going to a new place. She felt like a small child about to experience a fairground ride for the very first time.

The car journey was silent, but not awkward. Selene kept getting a vibe from the man next to her; like he was preparing for something. She was nervous. She didn’t want to ruin this. You only get one chance to experience something for the first time. She wanted everything to go well.

It took fifteen minutes to get to his house. It was in the middle of nowhere, basically. That was her first thought as she observed the surroundings. The small house was in the middle of a cluster of trees. They were miles away from any civilisation. If she screamed, nobody would hear her; that was her second thought.

He got out of the car and quickly ran to his house, shielding his head from the rain with his arms. She followed suit, but thought there was no point in holding her arms above her head as she was soaked anyway. She stepped inside; the bubble of nervousness grew inside her. Where was he? She closed the door quietly behind her and began to climb the stairs quietly. The whole house was consumed in an eerie silence.

On the landing, there were three doors. She immediately went to the black door as it contrasted with the rest of the landing which was completely white. As she put her hand on the handle, a voice spoke in her ear. “It’s not that door,” the voice said, “it’s this way...” He grabbed her hand and gently dragged her towards the door at the end of the corridor.

There was a bed with what looked like silk sheets lain upon it. He pulled her towards it, and sat her down. He bent towards her and hesitantly placed his lips upon hers. “You’ve been waiting for this haven’t you?” he whispered quietly, moving towards her slightly.

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Selene opened her eyes, bright sunshine glaring down at her. The bed was empty apart from her. She began to look around; there was something eerie about the room, something she didn’t like. She stood up, wrapping the quilt around her bare body as she did so. She started to examine the walls, tracing her fingers across them as she went. Once she had done a full circuit, she finally realised that there was an odd absence of warmth despite the light. She turned around slowly, searching for the direction the light was coming from. There were no windows, no doors.
She let the blanket drop and began to knock on the walls, screaming for help. If she screamed, nobody would hear her; that was her second thought. She screamed harder.

She felt a pain shoot through her body. She stumbled and fell backwards onto her back. She lifted her head far enough to see crimson liquid pouring out of a wound in her stomach. How did that get there? She allowed her head to fall back to the floor. The pain was excruciating.

A voice began to reverberate around the room. “So innocent. Pretty though. No point if you’re not pretty is there?” It was his voice; the one she had trusted so much. He seemed to be talking to her even though he was nowhere in sight. The pain was numbing now. “Ah well, sweetheart. You’re with the rest of them now.”

She stared at the ceiling, letting her thoughts try to figure out what was going on. Maybe she was asleep, but she was sure she wasn’t. She’d experienced pain; you’re not supposed to when you’re asleep. The light was getting brighter in the room. She thought she knew what was happening, or had already happened, now. She was only twenty one. She couldn’t believe this. The light was blinding her; she squinted. She didn’t want to die. The bus stop wasn’t that important to her anymore. In fact she was sure the bus stop wasn’t even what she’d thought it was. It was something completely different. It wasn’t pure bliss, it was pain and hurt. Instead of the best sensation in the world, it was one of the worst. She closed her eyes, letting the pain consume her; allowing the numbness to envelop her. She was waiting.