Bus Stop 13 ➼hood

This Is Ten If You Can't Count

|Calum|

❝ no reason in crying over something that was long over.❞

[dedicated to lukeshemmo cause duh]

***

[yes, there's more]

After I calm myself down and try to control all the images, the traumatizing noises, the blood and just everything in my head, I can finally focus on where I am.

I'm just a few blocks from my house. Huh, what are the odds? I might as well just walk out these last few blocks. I know this neighbourhood well, which calms my nerves in a way. The way the street lights illuminate the streets, the way the wind blows just slightly, giving me shivers. They're all things I was born to get comfortable with.

I begin to walk and I discover that perhaps I am not so afraid of the dark anymore. I know that if there are any souls out there, they're just lost. Souls like Rosalyn. I wonder what will happen to her. And what happened to her in the first place.

When I arrive at the doorstep of my house, I breath a sigh of relief. It felt so nice seeing such a familiar sight of my red door and the broken doorbell and the little flower pot of sunflowers after all the gory things.

I sneak inside the house with the key hidden under the doormat. The house is silent but I guess it's because everyone is already asleep. I glance at the wall clock over the cupboard beside the front door. It was only 12.30 a.m.

Note to self. Trust Luke. He knows the shit he's talking about. He was right about everything and if I had listened to him in the first place, I wouldn't have been in shit. I need to thank him tomorrow or something. Or buy him that tiramisu he always craves for on Mondays.

Which reminds me, I had school tomorrow. I tiptoe upstairs and go to bed like I normally do. Tucking myself into my comfy bed. 

My sleep comes easy, no nightmares and I wonder why that is. It's... strange.

***

The next morning when I wake up, I don't even make an effort to make myself presentable. I feel down. Heavy. I'm already late to school so it's no wonder that everyone has gone out of the house already.

I can't even look in the mirror without imagining myself dead, hanging from the ceiling.

I skip downstairs and look for my mum but she's nowhere to be seen. So I just grab a slice of bread and walk out the house.

The moment I get to school, I feel slightly more cheery. At least I'll get to see the lads, though I wasn't sure if I was going to tell them. First, they would think I was crazy. Second, it might scare them. Three, they'd think it's cool and want to try for themselves.

"Hey, did you hear from Cal?" I hear Luke say with that deep of his that I'm usually jealous of as I pad over to the table where we normally sit at underneath a tree in the school courtyard. I place my bag on the bench, preparing myself to tell my story.

"What about me?" I ask blankly.

They ignore me. "Yeah, he wanted to crash but my mum got a call from my aunt and we had to go to my aunt's house." Michael says.

I wave my hand in front of his face.  No response. It's like he doesn't even see me.

"Hello? Guys? Lads? Boys? Come on, it's not even funny. Stop creeping me out." I say, shoving Ashton. I can touch him but apparently he can't feel the impact of it.

"What the fuck?" I mutter to myself and walk back to the parking lot. I look into the side mirror of a car.

There is no reflection.

 -THE END-

[epilogue coming guys, it's not quite over yet. thank you for reading this far. vote and comment- please vote every chapter if you haven't already, i will love you forever.]