ALL IN THE HEAD 1

THIRTY MINUTES

'It's on' he says to me, 'thirty minutes from now.'

'Okay' I say hesitantly while looking around at the bus stop.

'Shush ... don't tell anyone ... it's a secret. Soon it will be your secret to pass on.'

A secret? What? First of all, it is only the two of us standing there at a bus stop so why is he shushing? There is no one near to hear anything we might say. Who is this guy? He must obviously be talking to me too. As I said, we are the only ones there though he doesn't look at me as he speaks. Why is he talking to me at all? And really, who the hell is he? I don't know him. I don't recognize him in the slightest.

And what is it that is on in thirty minutes from now? He must be someone who is a picnic short of a picnic and I had only replied to him to appease him. I do not want an argument, a disagreement or anything of the likes. The guy is nuts. This must be it. I've come in contact with someone who has a few screws loose. No point dwelling on anything, right? That may be easier said ...

The bus comes, I get on and he doesn't. I pay my fare and watch him simply cross the street. I take my seat and it is only when the bus begins to move that I notice a digital display on the bus, visible from where I sit. It displays a timer, a digital clock counting down.

29:09, 29:08, 29:07 ...

Yeah, it is coming up to about a minute since that guy spoke to me and what he did speak was of something being on in thirty minutes. I got on a bus and now there is a digital display counting down from twenty-nine minutes. What the hell is going on here? I don't even know where I am going.

To be honest and now that I think of it, I do not know how I got to be at a bus stop to begin with. Getting on the bus just seemed to be the natural thing to do. Maybe it is I who is somewhat nuts, I must be losing it.

I sit looking out at a bright day, not knowing what is happening, not knowing where I am, not knowing where I am going and not knowing what the hell I am supposed to do once the digital timer reaches zero.

Holy cow, is it me or is that timer moving very quickly? It reads just under twenty-eight minutes now. That was a quick two minutes a little over a minute since I got on the bus. Right so, am I in danger? Are the people on this bus in danger? I do not have any answers. Should I get off the bus or stay on and keep going? What is it that is supposed to happen when the timer reaches zero?

That guy at the bus stop, he looked to me as if he were in his mid to late twenties. His hair is long, thin, and dark, and his clothing is quite dull. It is possible that he hasn't showered in a few days. That might all be well and good, but I still have no idea as to what the hell is going on. He is gone now so there is no point focusing on him, or is there? But if he is any way crazy then I could possibly ask, am I crazy too? I kinda have already asked myself that.

Hell, I don't know. I am panicked and flustered here. Having mentioned hell a couple of times, is that where I happen to be, hell? Maybe I am in some kind of purgatory? Alright back it up a bit here. Before the bus stop, what is the last thing I remember? I don't know. Lights maybe, I can't quite remember. Alright, relax, take it easy. Where was I before I came to be at the bus stop? .... Think God damn it.

Others on the bus must be noticing by now how agitated I am but as it seems, no one is taking any notice of me. They do not appear to be taking notice of the timer either. 27:21 ... 27:20 ... 27:19. Right, I have time to figure all this out, not much time at that but there is an amount of time, counting itself down.

Is there a bomb on the bus? I seriously hope not. There better not be. Should I be looking for one? I am not the guy to be around a bomb at a time of need or danger. My head has seriously been messed with here. Is that what is going on here? Some sort of experiment to mess with my head?