Bat Country

It is not a desert. It is not a forest. It is both. Usually, when bats try to claw at the bus, nothing happens, as long as the windows are closed.

To the west, you can faintly see the bat caves. To the east, (with a pair of binoculars,) you can see the forest. But 70% of bat country is just desert, and nothing else.

Obviously, there are bats, but these are no ordinary bats. They are red-eyed bloodsuckers, with the largest ones being over a metre in wingspan. They are not blind, but have a clear vision. When we stop, you can step outside, but for no more than ten minutes. The bat caves may be across the country, but they are lightning quick, and can smell anything from miles away.

If the bats bite you, usually death is quick, unless they have not hunted in a while, then they will eat you alive. But those who do survive and attack usually are driven into madness by the hallucinations caused by the poisons. Either way, it's not pretty.

Usually, I don't charge a bus fare, but if the passengers have anything to eat, then they usually will have to share it with the others. Most of the people I pick up are lost, tired and hungry.

A lot of passengers use special adaptors to charge mobile devices, (well, those that have them,). A few passengers have even had CDs in their possession. The player still works, so I played them. Those CDs must have been one of the only things to put a smile on our faces, as; appropriately, the first track was Highway to Hell by ACDC.

I sometimes think to myself, how much of a help I've been to some of these people. And whenever I finish the constant 100 mile shuttle run between the two ends of the road, all the passengers thank me, for saving their lives.

As I enter bat country, at the start of each journey, I see two signs, one says welcome to bat country and the other says, DO NOT STOP HERE! The first time I ever entered this place; those signs terrified me, as well as the bats, always gnawing at the bus for a few hours every day.

Nothing lasts forever, but this bus has been running on its large fuel tank (with refills) for five and a half years. But how long will it last?