Upon waking up that morning in South Park, Kyle Broflovski was not greeted by his overbearing mother, younger brother, or cheesing father. He was greeted by a deafening silence that swarmed his home. Not wind nor birds early morning calls, not television nor radio. The air conditioning made no creaking through his home as he walked the hallway towards the stairs, which he found made no creak themselves upon his descent.

"Hello?" Kyle called out, but again he was met with silence. He searched the living room and kitchen, then the garage and back up the stairs into the bedrooms of his family in search of life yet found nothing.

Maybe they all got the day started without me? He reasoned. It's' no secret his parents were early birds, often dragging poor Ike with them. With that, he got ready for another ordinary day at school like he had done everyday before then. Showering, brushing his teeth and getting dressed, Kyle grabbed his school supplies and piled them neatly in his backpack before zipping it closed.

He exited his home and turned to see his best friend Stan Marsh doing the same. A smile graced his lips on site of the boy and he waved, being given the same back.

"Hey, dude." Stan greeted, a tired look visible on his features.

"Hey, Stan...hey, your parents are home right?" Kyle asked, tilting his head to look past his friend and finding Randy Marsh's car parked in the driveway.

"Uh, no." Stan yawned, "Neither is Shelly."

Kyle's suspicion increased. "Neither were my parents and Ike. Did your family say anything last night about going anywhere?"

Stan scratched his chin, eyeing the ground in thought. "Hmm...No, not really. You?"

Kyle shook his head slowly. Stan shrugged with a sigh and smiled. "Well, guess we have our places to ourselves later."

"I...I guess." Kyle said, turning with Stan to walk to their meeting spot-the old bus stop.

"H-Hey, Stan?" Kyle spoke as the pair walked. "You seem tired? Did you have trouble sleeping last night?"

Stan yawned a third time. "Yeah...I guess you could say that."

Kyle's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?" Then his grip on his backpack straps tighten. "Something did happen?"

"No, no." Stan laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's just, like...I kept having this weird dream."

"O-Oh." Kyle relaxed in his stride. The two were coming up on the bus stop, already seeing an orange blur in the distance. "Hey, there's Kenny. What was the dream about, man?"

Stan's hands curled into fists in his jacket pocket, his stare locked to the ground as they approached the stop. "I'll tell you later." He said, "I'd rather tell you in private."

Kyle smiled, placing a hand on Stan's shoulder. "Sure, dude. Of course." They joined their childhood friend, Kenny McCormick, at his side. The boy was dressed in his usual attire, wrapped tightly in his orange parka zipped all the way up and tassels pulled tight so his hood hid all but his eyes. In his hands was oddly enough, a brand new Switch, which held his attention so greatly the boys barely managed to receive a single glance up in acknowledgement.

"Strange," Stan muttered under his breath. Kyle had been focusing on listening for any cares or wind, again- silence. Stan turned to his friend, his tired expression switching to concern. "Ky, you alright?"

"I might just be losing my mind," Kyle mused. "All morning there's been this...there hasn't been any noise. Like, at all."

Stan felt a wave of dread wash over him. "W-What did you say?"

"There's been no sound," Kyle repeated, "like ambience. No birds, squirrels, the creaking in my fucking stairs! Nothing! I think I'm going insane."

"Not only that, but when I woke up my family was gone." Kenny spoke up from his game, quickly earning Kyle and Stan's attention. "Weird huh?"

Kyle stuck out a hand gesturing to Kenny. "And that! Same thing! What the fuck is going on?"

Kenny shrugged returning to his game. "Maybe it's nothing, man. Weird shit's always going on in South Park."

"You know what," Stan nodded. "He's right. Heh, maybe there's nothing to be worried about."

"Stan, aren't you even the least bit curious as to where-"

"Sup, gays!"

The three boys turned to be greeted by the sight of Eric Cartman walking over to stand besides Kenny, immediately intrigued by the poorer boy's game. "Oh, what game is this?"

"It's called My Personal Fucking Space," Kenny chuckled, stepping away from Cartman's morning breath. The larger boy glared and crossed his arms, facing away from the others.

The entire morning so far, Kyle noted, not a single person adult or child. No sound, no creatures of any kind between his and Stan's homes and the bus stop. No people, no sound, and Stan! He had been acting strange. Was it the dream? What happened?

A pit formed in Kyle's stomach as he couldn't contain this growing panic within himself. Ten minutes passed them as the bus made no appearance. Save for Kyle of course, the others saw no problem in the bus being possibly late that morning. If the bus was coming at all, a thought Kyle gnawed upon.

"You guys notice something," Kyle breathed to remain calm, "different about today?"

"Other what we've talked about?" Stan asked, looking down at his phone. "Like Kenny said, there's always something weird going on somewhere here. It's South Park."

"But that's the thing," Kyle look around the street, snow covered grass and the South Park sign. "There isn't."

"What are you saying, jew?" Cartman yawned, covering his mouth. Kenny was completely disengaged by burying his face in his Switch he somehow got a hold of.

"Dude look!" Stan pointed up at the sky, the other boys save for Kenny followed his direction to a bird above them. It was just some ordinary bird, flapping its wings. In the same spot, as if it were trapped in a perpetual loop.

"Well." Cartman said, dropping his arms to his sides. "That's not normal."

It was then the four boys heard tires screeching on the pavement towards their homes. Kyle and Stan turned towards a barreling school bus screeching to a complete halt before them, it's windows black out and yellow color turned a metallic gray.

The four jumped away at the sudden horn blasting, distorted and screaming as the doors broke open. Onside the machine as deep darkness, almost abyss like. The kids stood there, completely frozen and terrified.

"You all have me fucked up," Cartman started, "if you think I'm getting on this bus."

Kyle stood close to Stan, gripping his shoulder out of fear. "Same."

"I'm with Fatass." Kenny shook his head at the vehicle, turning to the others. "Let's get the fuck out-"

Kyle and Stan let out a scream as Kenny's head exploded, blood and brain matter covering the other three boys and the bus's glossy surface. Cartman's eyes stuck open wide and jaw dropped, frozen with a single hand reaching out to where his long time friend had just stood. His body slumping over and on the snow cover pavement still clutching the Switch, the screen cracked and blood splatter with the words You Died frozen on its surface.

"D-D-Did the bus just fucking kill Kenny?" Stan stammered, now clutching Kyle. Said boy near tears shaking his head in denial.

"G-Guys?" Cartman spoke, but before he could say anything. The bus's doors had begun sucking in the space around it. The suction grew and grew, the boys' jackets soon feeling the pull. Kenny's body was sucked in first, his blood dragging along the snow. Cartman lept for it, only to be swallowed into the bus.

In a blink, Stan ran to grab the bus stop sign still clutching his friend. He gripped the pole tight, feeling the pull increase with every second. His and Kyle's hat soon were swallowed by the now illuminating vortex of the bus. Around them they watched the elements of the town warp and distort. Trees bending in their direction, snow and foliage were consumed. Pieces of fences and signs, then buildings began circling overhead.

Kyle looked into Stan's eyes, his nails burrowing deep into the fabric of his jacket as he felt his tears slid back towards his ears before being consumed. Stan stared back, every fiber of his being on driven towards protecting Kyle. He held him tighter as it appeared their small mountain town were then a wasteland swallowed whole.

"Stan!" Kyle screamed, losing his grip. "I'm slipping!"

Stan's grip on the sign too was growing weak. In a moment of disparity for his friend, Stan let go and clutched the boy tight in his arms as they were sucked into the vortex and consumed into the unknown. With the world they had known prior swirling over head, once they were taken, it all began to fall around the remains of Kenny McCormick as ruble. Then darkness.