Stranded

Something ominous was out there

Image created via Google Gemini

I could feel a damp chill surround me as I stared out at the empty parking lot. Only one street light lit the entire parking lot and every now and then, it flickered.

Being just a half hour more until we reached our destination, it was just our luck our tour bus had broken down.

I leaned against the tour bus half for comfort and half for protection.

The sun was slipping under the horizon. In less than an hour, it would be dark.

I looked out at the empty parking lot. There was not one vehicle there. I then shifted my attention towards the rest stop. Weeds protruded out of the concrete. Poison ivy claimed the rest stop snaking up all sides of the building. Boarded up in various places, it looked like it hadn’t been in operation in decades. As a matter of fact, it looked like no human had stepped foot here for that long.

An ominous chill fell over me and I turned my attention back to the group.

There was an uneasiness cemented on everyone’s face. The same ominous feeling I felt.

“I am terribly sorry for the delay, everyone,” the bus driver apologized. “Hang tight. Another bus will be here shortly. I just need to make a quick phone call.”

A mother clutched her young five year old daughter close. “I don’t like the looks of this place.”

“What hell kind of luck is this!” exclaimed a young college age girl. “I hope we don’t get murdered.”

I couldn’t tell if she was joking or being serious.

A young man, college age and the girl’s boyfriend had taken a few steps away from the bus for a quick smoke. He turned back to the group and let out a brief laugh.

But he wasn’t fooling anyone. Behind his tough act, as subtle as it was, I could hear the fear in his voice.

“Let’s just get back on the bus,” the young college age girl said her voice wavering in fear.

“You scared, Miranda?” her boyfriend joked.

“Oh, cut the act, Kyle. None of us really want to be here.”

I shifted my attention in the direction of the road hoping that the next vehicle we saw was the bus to get us out of here. A shiver fell over me as I realized that I couldn’t remember the last time I saw a car go by.

Another young man in his twenties nodded in the direction of the abandoned rest stop. “Might as well do some exploring until our replacement bus comes.”

“Are you freakin’ kidding?” Miranda exclaimed.

The mother with the young daughter shook her head and laughed nervously. “Yeah, that’s not really a good idea.” She turned to her daughter as the tone of her voice grew strict. “Do not wander off. Stay where I can see you. You hear me, Hannah?”

Her daughter nodded.

Each second that went by waiting felt like an eternity. I didn’t move one inch from the bus.

My breath caught in my throat and I couldn’t speak. I swore I caught a glimpse of a figure go behind the abandoned rest stop. My eyes darted from every broken window down to the boarded up door waiting to catch another glimpse of someone or something.

“What are you looking at?” Kyle asked, his voice thick with amusement.

I nearly jumped out of my skin sure that I had lost a few years off my life.

“I thought I saw someone walk behind the building.” I kept my voice low to a whisper.

“Who would even be here?” Miranda replied. “There’s not a car in sight.”

“Want to go check it out, Cody?” Kyle dared eyeing toward the rest stop.

“I was just kidding,” Cody quickly replied. “Don’t feel like getting murdered tonight.”

Another feeling crept over me. It started the very moment we all stepped off the bus. I tried to ignore it, but it only grew stronger the longer we stayed.

We were not alone. Something was watching us from the shadows.

“Where is our bus driver?” Miranda asked. I jerked my attention to the last spot our bus driver stood and came to the sudden realization that he was no longer there.

“He said he was going to make a quick phone call,” the mother replied as she stared out into the empty parking lot nervously.

“The cell service sucks out here,” Cody said. “He probably just stepped further out to get better service.”

I scanned the parking lot but there was not a sign of a soul around.

For the first time, a glimpse of fear shone in Kyle’s eyes. “Well, we’re fu-”

“Oh my god! I saw it too!” Miranda shrieked.

My heart raced as I was too afraid to turn my attention back to the run down rest stop. I didn’t know whether to be relieved that the figure wasn’t just my imagination or horrified that we weren’t really alone.

“Let’s just get back on the bus and wait for help there,” the mother said.

The bus doors were open and waiting but I knew the bus would serve little protection from what I saw out there.