The Bus Ride Home

In The Bus Ride Home, a late-night bus driver named Bill Slovack faces a moral test on what seems like just another shift. When two frightened girls, Sarah and Aaliyah, both escape from the clutches of a serial killer, they each beg for refuge on Bill's bus. Sarah, a young white girl, is reluctantly allowed onboard despite having no fare, while Aaliyah, a Black girl in the same desperate condition, is coldly left behind. As Bill continues his route, his decision haunts him, but it's not until he reaches home and turns on the news that the full weight of his actions come crashing down.

Through this harrowing and racially charged narrative, The Bus Ride Home explores how split-second choices can carry devastating consequences, revealing deep societal biases that can lead to tragic outcomes. Bill's journey forces the reader to confront uncomfortable questions about race, morality, and the price of indifference.