Breath fogged up the glass of the bus window as Birdie pressed their face against it. The southern native was eternally glad that they had thought to put on several layers of sweaters under their jacket because despite how warm it was inside the bus that they had been riding for hours through several cities and towns, they were still cold from the last time they left the bus for a quick bathroom and food break when they had stopped into one of the smaller towns.
Birdie sighed and closed their eyes, just for a moment, and pressed their forehead against the glass. They would be arriving at Stardew Valley in just a few short hours, probably after midnight. They had to stay awake just in case if they slept through the bus stop, and considering that the only thing they had left of their funds to get there was a crumpled twenty dollars, they couldn't really afford to miss the bus stop.
So of course, they fell asleep fairly quickly.
Birdie, who was going by a different name, was worrying at their lip. The TV had been turned off, but they had seen enough to know that something was wrong. Monsters, Mages, Creatures that were neither, were all real.
Their heartbeat fast, painfully. A feeling of overwhelming dread settled into their stomach. Silently, they turned and went back down the hallway, into their room before {Redacted} saw them. They needed to research what exactly had happened, and they needed it done yesterday.
A light touch to Birdie's shoulder startled them awake. They quickly looked around, scanning for {Redacted}, but he wasn't here. The bus driver quickly pulled her hand back with an apologetic smile.
"Hey kiddie, we're at your stop," she said, "Are you gonna be okay sweetheart?"
"um, yeah, thanks," Birdie rasped out, back aching and still groggy from her unexpected nap. "thank you, for- um- waking me."
The driver smiled kindly at Birdie, and walked away, back to the front of the bus, "This is the last stop for the night, I hope you have a place to stay, this town doesn't have any inns."
Birdie looked out the window, seeing nothing but pitch-black darkness. If her timing was right, it was probably after midnight. A day and a half. It had taken them less than two days to get here and yet, they had spent the majority of their funds. It was strange, how quickly things could change.
They slung their backpack onto their shoulder, ignoring the pain in their back and their arms, and stood. Slowly, they made their way off of the bus.
Birdie knew that it was dark and cold, but they weren't prepared for just how dark and cold it was. They could barely see their hand if they stretched it out in front of them, and that was only if they squinted. The bus pulled away from the bus stop and rumbled down the street as Birdie stood shivering in the cold, more than a little lost, confused, and stressed. There last chance to turn around and go back south had just left as if it was even an option.
Blindly digging through their backpack, they searched for their phone, which, hopefully, should still be alive but not for long if they used the flashlight on it. The battery had been under half the last time they looked and had been too scared to look at it again after receiving a text.
With a stroke of luck, they felt their phone case and quickly fished it out from the bottom of the bag. The screen was blindingly bright and the time was far too late for them to be awake, but they were able to turn the light on and find their way.
The walk was surprisingly short, "Just forward, and take a right. The path should take you straight to the house. But you do know that no one has lived in it since my great-grandpa, right? There's no electricity or running water. Well, besides the stream."
"I'll be fine, it'll be better than my current situation."
"That's true. But you know I'll worry about you anyway, right?"
Birdie touched a metal doorknob, the porch creaked and groaned under them, sounding as if it was about to collapse. They turned the knob and slammed their hip against the rotting wood when it didn't budge. With a concerning crack, the door slammed open, and Birdie stumbled into their new home. They sneezed as the dust stirred up.
"This is better than down south," they muttered to themselves, coughing into their elbow, "This is better than running into video game characters."