the silent ones

Chapter 3: The Bus Driver

I felt like crying as I thought two of my friends were gone. The police and investigators had asked me questions and every answer I had was I don't know.
My parents told me they were worried sick. They didn't even look sick.

What's happening to this town? Why has everything been so different since I left Madison Delaware. My mom pulled me out my seat. It was time for us to leave.

The night was warm. It felt so different from when we we're in the woods. I have nightmares about those woods. I always hear Nyla and Darren's screams. I wake up in the middle of the night to write about it.

Maybe one day that ship will come back. I prayed the night Darren went missing. It felt pretty good to pray because it's been so long since I've said my prayers before I went to bed.

When the next morning arrived I sighed in relief. It seemed to take years for the sun to come up. I pretended to be sick so I could stay home to get some sleep threw the day. But my mom knew I was faking it.

I got on the bus and felt like all the kids were looking at me. I sat in the very back because I didn't want to feel like someone was looking at the back of my head. Like they were one of those stalkers from a lifetime movie.

The bus driver seemed quiet. He'd usually talk to the kids the ride to school. Everything was so different. I looked over to the seat next to me to find this boy staring at me. He said something.

"You feeling alright?"

"I guess," I said looking down.

"I'm Kanye," he said holding his hand out.

I shook his hand.

"Javon," I said with a smirk.

"I heard your best buds went missing."

"Yeah, they did." I looked out the window.

He put his head down.

"They're gonna find them."

I started to feel hope.

"Yeah I really hope so."

The bus came to a stop. All the kids we're chatting and worried about what was going on. It seemed we were in the woods somewhere. I wanted to ask the girl sitting in front of me what was going on but she had in headphones looking out the window.

"Why are we in the woods mr driver?" One of the kids asked.

The bus driver got up and sprayed the kid in the face.

All the kids began to scream.

Did he just get pepper spray and spray it into one of the kids faces?

The bus driver once again sprayed another child.
The kids were jumping over seats. They we're trying to get away from him. The bus driver was grabbing kids and slamming them into the seat.

"What the heck!" Kanye said looking hysterical.

I looked out the window to see nothing but trees. There was no where to escape.

Some kids we're trying to let open the windows. I could tell the bus driver was ready to grab one of them.

I pulled out my phone to try to call my mom but there was no service. The bus driver began yelling at the kids to shut up. I wanted to get off the bus. That's when I thought, I'm at the back of the bus I can open the exit and run for it.

Kanye looked at me as if I we're crazy as I tried to open the exit. I needed to look back at the driver to make sure he wasn't looking. I took a peek. My heart dropped.

He was looking directly at me.