It was unpleasantly cold that winter night. Gotham was silent as the city halls clock ticked its way into the early hours of the morning.
I was freezing.
Kicked out of my apartment and out onto the street for the night was something I wasn't planning. My brother was again in another one of his drunken states, and that's when he turned aggressive and violent; certainly not the kind of character you would want to be around. He lost everything when he turned to alcohol for answers to his problems, and being the only family that'll take him in, I did what I thought was right. He is still my brother after all.
And here I was now, wandering the streets at two in the morning for some kind of shelter. I didn't have any money on me so I couldn't get a hotel room.
My stomach growled.
Great, and I can't buy any food either, and no way in hell was I going back there to grab a few bucks from my wallet. Searching my pockets for any change, all that filled my hand was lint and a crumpled up tissue.
The wind picked up to the point where it stung to open my eyes. I threw on my hood and hugged my shivering body. My sneakers crunched in the powder snow, occasionally slipping on a hidden patch of ice. The usually busy streets were empty of traffic or other pedestrians, only the distant ring of a police siren echoed through the flurries. My nose was turning a deep shade of red making me look like Rudolph, and the thin streams of snot were starting to drip. I used my tissue to clean myself up, and breathed into my trembling hands. The small cloud of warm vapor filled the inside of my palms, but I continued to shiver.
Where was I going to go?
Up ahead, I then saw in the distance the arched roof of a bus shelter!
Hope filled my heart, and I quickly scuffled through the snow banks and dived inside, quickly closing the sliding door to shield myself from the wind.
I started to breath heavily with exhaustion, and I flopped down on the bus bench, leaning against the plastic wall. With my eyes closed, I felt relaxed and started to warm up a little bit. Rubbing my hands together, the friction melted away the frost that carved into my skin.
"Chilly are we?"
I jumped in my seat, startled by the sudden voice. In the corner opposite from me was a hooded figure. He wore a black hoodie that completely camouflaged him, concealing him in the darkness. His dark tattered hair covered the upper half of his face and hid his identity.
"Geeze, you scared me buddy!" I exclaimed.
The stranger chuckled, and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Whats a pretty thing like you doing out this late at night?" he asked in a somewhat high pitched voice.
I sighed, pacing to the ground. "Family issues" I replied.
He looked up and 'awed' before nodding in understanding.
"What about yourself?" I asked, returning a question with a question to start conversation.
He stayed silent for a few moments before grinning maliciously, and chuckled under his breath. "Going to meet an old friend" he responded in an ominous tone.
I nodded slightly, and hugged my shivering body. He looked back up at me and tilted his head in thought. "You know" he started, "I have an extra bus ticket here in my pocket. Do you need a ride somewhere?" he asked me.
My ears perked at the offer, and a sense of happiness came over me. "Really?! You mean it? But...I don't even know you. Why would you help me?" I asked perplexed.
A smile came over his face. "You remind me of somebody I used to know. He was a good kid. Had family problems too."
I tilted my head. "Really? What happened to him?" I asked.
The man sighed. "He's long gone now."
I flinched a bit, and bowed my head and apologized. He merely smiled again and waved as if it was no big deal.
Just then, we heard the screeching of tires outside the shelter, and the beaming of headlights shine through the flurry. We both got up in union and slid the door open. The bus driver inside pushed the lever and opened the double doors, allowing the two of us aboard.
"Tickets please" he asked, extending a gloved hand.
The hooded man reached into his pocket and pulled out not two tickets like he proclaimed.
But a Carcal CP gun!
The driver's hands instantly shot up in surrender, and the few passengers aboard gasped in fear. My eyes widened and fear shot through me. I was just about to jump back out the door, when the sound of the gun cocking stopped me, and the barrel was aimed for my head.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you princess" he warned through a sneer grin.
I could feel my knees shake under me, and I looked back up over my shoulder. The hooded man gestured me with his free hand to join him back up the stairs and take a seat with a smile. My bottom lip started to quiver and tears started to form in my eyes.
The man scoffed. "If you start crying, I'll blow your brains out right here in this aisle."
I yelped and ran back up the flight, hands still in the air. The mans sick grin grew and he gestured to a seat in front of two large men in toques. Chills shot up and down my spine, and I was frozen in fear to walk. The man didn't hesitate, and placed the head of the barrel between my shoulder blades and digged it in hard and deep. I cried out in pain, and I stumbled to the assigned seat. The two men who sat behind me smirked devilishly, and made kissy faces.
After I was forcibly seated, the hooded man turned back to the driver and pointed the barrel of the gun against his temple. "Now drive!" he demanded.
The driver did as he was told, and stepped on the gas pedal, taking off in a rush down the highway. A thousand questions filled my mind, and I trembled in my seat. I could feel the burning intensity of the two men behind stare at the back of my head, perverted fantasies playing in their minds. I squirmed in my seat uncomfortably, but was interrupted by a high pitched voice announcing over the PA.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard the Erratic Express!"
All eyes turned to the front of the bus, wide and terrified.
"You can call me your humble host Mr. J"
Mr. J held the small microphone and leaned on the back of one of the front seats. "Here with me are my lovely assistants. Please stand and make yourselves known to the people!" he instructed.
Instantly, several spread out men rose from their seats, and pulled out their own guns! They cocked them in plain sight and pointed them around at nearby passengers. Those who weren't part of their group coward in their seats, shielding themselves with their arms or baggage. The two men behind me rose up as well, and pointed both of their guns down at me. I curled up into my own defensive ball out of instinct and whined in fear.
"Now now boys, that's no way to treat a lady" Mr. J spoke humorously over the speakers.
The two men looked up and pulled away their weapons as soon as they were told. I reopened my eyes and saw them glaring down at me. Perplexed, I looked back up at Mr. J up front. From behind his bangs I saw his dark eyes look back down at me. He smirked at me, but shot his gaze back down the aisle. All eyes looked to the back of the bus when someone's cell phone rang. As soon as the owner answered it, Mr. J raised his gun and shot the woman right between the eyes. Everyone screamed and covered their heads at the sudden sound; those near the corpse screamed the loudest and started to sob terrified.
"That reminds me, all those aboard this tour mustn't have any phones, iPod's, laptops...or any ways of communication to the outside world." he announced, a dark tone in his throat during the last sentence.
The armed men throughout the bus leaned over their sector of the bus's passengers, and threatened them with their guns for any of the things listed. People immediately started digging trough their pockets and bags for their lives, and surrendered their electronics without question.
"Any who are hiding their devices will be shot on sight" Mr. J added.
The two men behind me glared down at me, and one aimed their pistol in the center of my cranium. "That goes for you too, Princess" he whispered over the speakers.
Having one installed beside my head made it feel like he was whispering it in my ear. Fear took over me, and I ripped out my Samsung discovery, tossing it onto the floor by the man's feet. Mr. J followed it with his eyes as it slid to him, and with a grin, he smashed it flat with the heel of his black boot. Sparks flew from the device and bounced off the aisle. My eyes widened and I sunk back into my seat. The only thing that flew through my mind was 'I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!'
He wiped off the squashed electrical components off his foot and turned back to the audience. "Now its going to take about forty-five minuets to get to our destination. We advise you not to open any windows, any emergency exits, or try to disarm any of my assistants" he finished with a frightening threatening tone, cocking his gun and making all of the hostages flinch back. "Your crew thanks you for your cooperation."
He nonchalantly dropped the microphone on the floor making it whine over the sound system, and turned around to direct the driver of where to go.
This is bad...this is very very bad! Out of all the times to get drunk and kick me out of my own house, why tonight?! I folded my arms in front of me and I leaned forward on the back of the seat in front of me, thinking 'what am I going to do?'
With how things are turning out right now, I guess the safest thing to do would behave and do what they tell me without protest or question. I guess there's nothing I can do now except ride it out and see how it goes.
I leaned back into my seat letting out a yawn and shut my eyes. 'At least I should try and get some rest while I still can' I thought. Within a few minuets, the darkness took hold and sleep clouded over my tired mind.