The Thousandth One

The Stingray

"Sorry, but I have to go," I told Bryan. I got on the bus before he could say anything and the doors closed. I watched him get smaller as the bus drove farther and farther away. He just stood there like a lost puppy.

I guess I was too harsh on him, but then I reminded myself that I don't care. I can't care.

"We'll see you later bub," my mom told me. I was leaving for school, just any other normal day, except it wasn't. I could tell that they were hiding something from me, it had to be something to do with Truine.

I had been recently overhearing my parents argue over the phone about something dealing with the  government. I knew any  government business had to do with Truine because he was the government.

The whole day I had been having a weird feeling in my gut, I thought that it was just because I had started liking that kid Gerard. But it wasn't because of that, I later found out that it was because when your parents die, you kind of just feel it without knowing that that's what you're feeling.

Since Nevada was like 4 hours away, I had time to kill on the bus. I looked out the window but there was nothing to see, just desert. Why would we want this place? I guess what Truine had in mind for this Earth didn't involve a super wet environment. I got bored so I took a look at the passengers who were in the bus with me.

Up towards the front, behind the bus driver, there was a couple making out. Wow. It was definitely making the bus driver uncomfortable.

Towards the middle of the bus there was a family that looked like they had just had a very long day. The mom was holding a crying baby while the three little kids were fighting. The dad was just sitting there sleeping.

Right in front of me there was a middle-aged man reading a newspaper. He looked up at me and winked. What in the world? I quickly looked away and I heard him laugh.

The rest of the people on this bus weren't interesting to look at. I looked outside again and saw our ship in the sky.

What is that doing here?!

I looked around to see if anyone else saw it. It seemed that no one was paying attention, but if they looked out the window for a second, they surely  wouldn't miss the giant, gray, stingray-shaped object floating in the sky. I looked out again and it was still there, just a little bigger.

Why the hell is it descending right now?! This was only the First Death, we needed more time for the other ones!

One of the little kids started to scream.