Labyrinth: Stranded The Series (bxb)

First Night in the Unknown

(Dillon's POV)

The sky was gone, swallowed whole by the fog. Night had crept in fast, sneaking up with the mist and suffocating the last bits of daylight. I could barely make out the outline of the bus anymore. The heavy, swirling gray pressed in from all sides, and the headlights cut through just a few feet ahead before being swallowed up, making it feel like we were stranded in the middle of nowhere.

And still, the driver hadn't come back.

I shifted on my feet, feeling the weight of everyone's eyes on me. They were restless, whispering among themselves, trying to mask the rising tension. I caught snatches of conversations—some trying to joke it off, others too panicked to even bother hiding it.

"Where the fuck is he?" someone hissed, their voice sharp with panic.

My stomach churned. I didn't have an answer. I was supposed to be the confident one, the guy who always knew what to do, but this? This was different. The fog felt wrong. The silence felt wrong. Everything about this felt like the setup to a bad horror movie, and here we were, stuck in it with no way out.

I looked around, taking in the faces of the others. They were all looking at me now, silently expecting me to have the answers. It was in their eyes, in the way their voices dipped when they spoke. Matt, one of my frat brothers, stood nearby, arms crossed, his face tight with nerves.

"Well? What do we do?" Matt asked, louder than necessary, cutting through the tense murmurs. The pressure on my chest felt like it was growing heavier by the second.

"Give it a little more time," I said, forcing my voice to sound steady, even though I didn't believe my own words. "Maybe the driver just got turned around in the fog. He'll be back."

Even as I said it, I knew it was bullshit.

Joshua was leaning against the bus, arms crossed, his eyes scanning the fog. He wasn't saying anything, wasn't panicking like some of the others. But there was something in the way he watched everything, sharp and focused, that made me uneasy. Joshua didn't get rattled easily, but he was tense. I could see it in the way he held himself, like he was expecting the worst.

We locked eyes for a moment, and I couldn't read him. There was always something about Joshua that kept people at a distance. We'd never really talked—just the occasional "hey" in passing at the frat house. But there was something there, something about him that tugged at the edges of my mind whenever I saw him.

"Fuck it," I muttered under my breath, breaking the eye contact and turning back to the others. "Alright, I'll go out and look for him."

"What?" Matt's eyes widened. "You're going out there? Dude, the fog's thick as hell. You won't be able to see shit."

I gave him a half-smile, trying to lighten the mood. "Better than just standing around here, right?"

But I wasn't as confident as I sounded. The idea of stepping into that fog made my skin crawl. Still, I couldn't just stay here while everyone waited for someone to take charge. That wasn't me.

Before I could take more than a step, Joshua pushed off the bus, narrowing his eyes at me. "You're not going out there by yourself," he said, his voice low and firm. "That's a fucking stupid idea."

I blinked, caught off guard by his tone. "You think I should just sit here?"

Joshua shook his head, his expression hard. "No, but going out there alone isn't smart. This isn't normal. None of this is. I don't know what's happening, but you're not going out there alone."

There was something dark and serious in his eyes that made my pulse quicken. I didn't argue. There was something about Joshua's words that held weight, like he understood more than the rest of us.

"Fine," I said. "You coming with me, then?"

Joshua hesitated for a second, his jaw clenching. Then he nodded. "Yeah. I'll go."

The others murmured as Joshua and I stepped away from the bus, the fog curling around our feet as we moved deeper into it. The cold air bit at my skin, and I shivered. I glanced at Joshua, who was tense, his eyes constantly scanning the darkness ahead.

"Why do I feel like this is a terrible fucking idea?" I muttered under my breath, barely loud enough for him to hear.

Joshua didn't respond right away. We walked in silence, the gravel crunching under our feet. The fog pressed in from all sides, muffling everything, making the world feel smaller, more suffocating. Every now and then, I thought I heard something—faint whispers on the wind—but whenever I turned, there was nothing.

Finally, Joshua spoke. "Because it is," he said, his voice tense. "But I'm not letting you walk out here alone."

I glanced at him, frowning. There was something in his tone that caught me off guard—something almost protective. It didn't make sense. We barely knew each other. And yet, there was this pull, this strange connection I couldn't explain.

We continued into the fog, the bus fading behind us, barely a shadow now. The darkness was thicker here, the air heavier. My breath quickened, and my heartbeat picked up speed.

"You hear that?" Joshua's voice cut through the silence suddenly.

I stopped, straining my ears. At first, there was nothing—just the thick quiet of the night. But then, there it was.

A low, eerie sound, like a distant whisper carried on the wind. It was faint, but growing closer, wrapping around us, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"Fuck..." I whispered, my hand clenching into a fist. "What the hell is that?"

Joshua's expression darkened, his eyes scanning the fog. "I don't know," he said, his voice clipped. "But we need to go back."

I didn't argue. The sound was growing louder, more insistent. The fog was suffocating now, pressing down on me. I could feel the tension rolling off Joshua, like he was ready to snap.

We turned and hurried back toward the bus, the whispers following us, growing louder with every step. My heart pounded in my chest, a steady beat of panic I couldn't shake.

When we finally reached the bus, everyone was still there, pale and scared. Matt stepped forward, his voice tight with fear. "Did you find him?"

I shook my head, trying to catch my breath. "No... but there's something out there."

Joshua didn't say anything, but his face said enough. He'd heard it too. Whatever was out there wasn't natural.

"We need to stay together," Joshua said, his voice commanding. "No one goes out alone. We don't know what's happening, but we're not splitting up."

I nodded, but the fear was creeping in, gnawing at me. Something was out there, watching us. Waiting.

Later that night, as I lay awake, the fog pressed against the windows like it was alive. The whispers had quieted, but the unease lingered, curling around me like a second skin. I glanced at Joshua, sitting a few rows back, staring into the mist with that far-off look in his eyes.

I couldn't explain it, but something about him stuck with me. Something I couldn't shake.

Sleep didn't come easy that night. When it did, my dreams were filled with shadows, whispers, and something out there in the fog. And no matter how much I tried to escape, it was always just out of reach, waiting for its moment.

Whatever was out there—it wasn't done with us yet.