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The interior of the bus was warm and dry, the perfect climate for a long, and much needed, nap. Still, I was unable to find sleep. My nerves were still on edge from the harrowing experiences of the night. The near death experience of the falling tree, the mad dash through the forest, Mike's face in the firelight, the agonizing scream of the woman who refused to jump off the cliff, all these things ran through my mind. I found myself staring blankly out the window as the forest raced by, turning individual trees into a long blur of greenery.
The bus drive slipped by quickly, and I was beginning to see the first streaks of daylight in the eastern sky when the driver looked back at me and spoke.
“Simpletown is just below us in the valley.” he said.
I sat upright in my seat and peered forward out the front window of the bus. We were coming down out of the hill country and the leaving the forest behind. Displayed before us was a large open valley with rolling hills. In the center, maybe five miles or so away, was our destination. Simpletown. I don't think any sight had ever been more welcome to me in my life. The driver slowed the bus and pulled into the parking lot of a small convenience store.
“I hope you guys can bear with me for just a minute or two,” he said with a sheepish grin. “I need to relieve myself!”
I nodded, most of the others in our group were fast asleep anyway. He exited the bus and made his way inside the store.
Sarah, the only other person awake beside myself, moved up the aisle and slid into the seat next to me.
“It's going to be nice to get back to civilization after this fiasco!” She said with a wry smile.
I nodded. “I need a vacation from vacationing!”
“That goes for all of us!” Sarah replied with a chuckle. “We'll need to stay in touch once we get back home. I live in Meep City.”
“Me too,” I said with a smile. “I'd like that very much. I have some friends I know you'd like.”
My conversation with Sarah was cut short by an unexpected feeling. It started out small but began to grow quickly. The ground. It was shaking.
Sarah and I exchanged looks of dismay.
The shaking was becoming more and more fierce when an ear-splitting sound woke everyone on the bus! The earth began to literally split open like the seam of a dress! It started at the crest of the hill we were on and was making its way in our direction, growing ever wider as it approached!
“It's an earthquake!!” Pete screamed from the back of the bus. “We have to move or we'll be swallowed!”
I leaped into action. Springing from my seat I ran to the driver's seat. I was in luck. The keys were still in the ignition. I had never driven a bus before, but now seemed like an excellent time to learn! I turned the key and the bus roared to life. I put it in drive and prepared to pull out of the parking lot when I heard a frantic shout.
“Wait for me!!!” It was the bus driver. He was stumbling across the parking lot, still in the process of pulling up his pants.
“He's not going to make it! Let's go!” Pete shouted at me.
I ignored Pete's shouts, determined to not leave another person behind today. The split was almost upon us now, and the shaking from the quake was rocking the entire bus!
“JUMP!” I shouted at the driver, seeing the crack coming on fast.
The bus driver stopped fumbling with his pants, took one more awkward step, and leaped into the air.