MELANCHOLY [S.T. B. Hargrove]

10

I shove the door open and raise my gun.

"Oh, shit!" Dustin shouts in alarm.

"Steve!" Max screams. "Come on!"

Steve dodges one of the creatures and crouches to the ground. The second leaps toward him. I fire the gun, nailing the creature near it's shoulder.

"Steve!" Dustin calls. 

"Lucas, get your ass down here!" I shout over the edge of the bus.

Lucas bustles down the ladder as Steve takes off running toward us. I wave him to hurry along, jumping in place a few times.

"Go! Go! Go!" Steve shouts to us- warning us to get in the bus.

I grab Steve's arm and he grabs my shoulder. We bump and trip over each other- trying to push the other into the bus.

Steve and I tumble to the floorboard and I kick the door closed right when a creature jumps at it. I shout in pain as the door jars against my leg, but don't let up the pressure.

Steve grabs the spare metal sheet and shoves it against the door. I raise my feet long enough for him to slide it down before kicking back against the sheet and door.

"Are they rabid or something?" Max asks.

Lucas and Dustin shout as the creature jabs a claw into the side of the bus.

"Away from the windows!" I warn. "Get between the seats!"

One of them grabs the other side of the bus and the entire vehicle rocks from the force- the kids scream in fear again.

Dustin begins shouting into his headset. "Is anyone there? Mike? Will? God? Anyone?"

"Get to the back, I'll cover the door," Steve says.

He kicks the door like I was and I roll onto my hands and knees, climbing up with help from the driver seat, though the motion was hard as the bus rocks to the side once again.

"Shit!" Steve shouts in alarm, falling to the ground.

I look down to see a slimy, clawed hand grasping Steve's leg. I jump over Steve's arm and begin stomping on the limp so It would release him.

Max lets out the loudest scream yet. I stomp on the creature's hand again and it finally lets go of Steve. I turn around to see Max staring up at the open hatch.

"Max!" I scream in alarm.

"Out of the way!"  Steve yells, pushing past Lucas and Dustin. "Out of the way!"

I dash over and grab Lucas' arm since he was closest and shove him behind me. I grab Max and do the same once I'm close enough to her.

"You want some? Come get this!" Steve threatens the monster.

I load my gun and point past Steve. The creature lowers down into the opening. Then, it's face opens like some kind of venus fly trap and it lets out a shrilled screech.

I flinch, but try to not look away from it so my aim wasn't off when I fired the gun.

Then, it backs up. The face closes.I hold an arm out to keep the kids back, but also prepared to shove them another way in case it attacked from behind.

The creature jumps off the side of the bus. The noises get further away.

Steve looks at me, still with his bat up. I look at him, still with my gun aimed.

Steve and I ease forward to the door. He pushes it open and I point my gun out to the empty lot.

"What happened?" Lucas asks.