Apocalypse [Published Version]

Chapter One

Cassie's favourite kind of mornings were the ones where she watched her friend run for the bus from the warmth and comfort of the back seat. As the bus began to move off, Cassie and Eliza leaned over to the window to watch Heidi run, her arms windmilling wildly as though to propel her forward. Eliza nudged Cassie's arm as they both snickered.

"Do you think we should stop the driver?"

Cassie's eyes glinted with mischief. "But where's the fun in that?"

"Less fun, more moral. There's only so much running she can take, after all..."

"Fine. Though I don't think the driver is going to be happy," Cassie grinned, taking one last glance at her friend sprinting desperately after the bus before heading up to the front to stop the driver. The driver didn't even need to turn his head to know who it was causing the delay. He tutted, shaking his head and slowing the vehicle.

"It's every bloody week," the driver grunted as he opened the bus doors. "For Christmas? Get her an alarm clock."

Cassie smiled apologetically at the bus driver, trying to stifle a laugh as she watched Heidi charging along the pavement. She stomped exasperatedly to the doors of the bus, gasping for air and red in the face. Her brown hair was swept across her face, and she flicked it away as best she could. She grinned sheepishly, waving to the driver. "You're a star."

The driver mumbled something in response, unimpressed, but Heidi didn't seem fazed. She made her way down the bus aisle, glaring at some of the first year students who were laughing at her. She waggled her finger at them.

"Just wait until your second year," she said. "You'll need all the sleep you can get. Then it'll be you guys running for the bus."

Heidi collapsed into her seat at the back of the bus, closely followed by an amused Cassie.

"If I keep missing this bus, at least I'll get fit," Heidi said, panting for air.

"I don't get why you don"t just wake her up," Cassie said to Eliza. "You live in the same house."

Eliza rolled her blue eyes, a habit she had recently picked up from her breathless, red faced twin sister. "Honestly, it's like trying to wake the dead. She slept through three alarms this morning. And I pulled her out of bed. She was still sleeping even after she hit the floor."

"I did wonder why my hip hurt this morning..." Heidi piped up, rubbing at her hip as if to demonstrate her point.

Cassie and Eliza exchanged a grin as Heidi began to complain about her fresh injuries, trying to massage her "hip muscle" as she called it. The bus pulled slowly up to the next stop and Heidi stopped mid-rant to roll her eyes beneath her slightly too long fringe.

"Here he comes. Mr Hypochondriac," she said smugly as their friend Rob sloped onto the bus..

"Says you," Eliza pointed, raising an eyebrow in her sister's direction. Still, they all watched as Rob shuffled down the aisle of the bus, looking a little worse for wear. He was pale at the best of times, but now he was as white as a sheet in contrast to his dark hair. The bottom half of his face was buried in his grey turtleneck jumper and his eyes were drooping, dark shadows underneath them. He looked like he'd suffered a week's worth of hangovers. Cassie raised an eyebrow, torn between concern for her friend and laughing at his forlorn, pitiful appearance.

"Alright, Rob?"

"No," he groaned, flopping down onto the seat beside Cassie – the only person he'd possibly get any sympathy off. "I feel dreadful."

"Well, we've all heard the thrilling saga of Tonia having a bit of nibble on your neck. And no, just to confirm, we don't think you can get tetanus from that," Heidi replied, rolling her eyes. "Though why she would want to munch on a scrawny git like you is beyond me..."