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The bus rattled along. He had no idea how long he had been out, but when his eyes opened, something felt... off.
The first thing he noticed was the silence. The steady rhythm of conversation and occasional laughter that had filled the bus earlier was gone. Blinking exhaustedly, Elion rubbed his eyes and sat up straight.
"Where...?" His voice was hoarse, barely audible.
Every seat around him, once filled with passengers, even the driver was missing.The bus was completely empty.
Elion's stomach twisted. He stumbled out of his seat, gripping the headrest of the one in front of him to steady himself. "Hello?" he called out, his voice echoing faintly till it faded into nothingness. No response.
The wheel spun gently, as if moved by unseen hands, guiding the vehicle on a road that stretched endlessly forward. The bus gave a sudden jolt, causing him to fall back into his seat. The wheels screeched as the vehicle came to an abrupt stop. Outside, the world looked... wrong.
The vibrant colors of the world he had left behind were gone.It looked just like his world but like it's been centuries old vines crawling onto the buildings that he once knew. The sky was a deep crimson, swirling with dark, ominous clouds. A faint wind howled, though the bus remained still.
Elion's breath quickened as he scanned his surroundings, hoping to see someone, anyone. But the only thing visible was the unsettling vastness of the cracked roads and old buildings.
He forced himself to move, stepping hesitantly toward the front of the bus. The driver's seat was empty, the door wide open. A chill breeze swept through, carrying with it a faint, metallic scent that made his skin crawl.
Elion hesitated. Maybe they all left somewhere, just forgot me. Ellion tried to reassure himself, they will come back for me. But even after waiting a few minutes that felt like hours, there was no sign that someone was coming for him. Good thing I had a watch otherwise I would've been lost in time. Ellion thought trying to distract himself from the thought of him being alone in this wasteland. After waiting for an hour, he needed to do something but, the idea of stepping outside felt like crossing a line he couldn't return from, but staying in the bus didn't feel any safer. His instincts screamed at him to keep moving.
"Okay, okay... don't panic," he muttered, gripping the doorframe as he stepped down onto the cracked ground. The crunch of his shoes against the earth echoed unnaturally, the sound felt too loud in the silence.
He looked around, North, South, East, West. The landmarks seemed to remain in the same place they were before. The horizon was uneven, dotted with distant mountains that seemed to loom closer than they should have. The air felt heavy, thick with something Elion couldn't quite name.
"What is this place?" he whispered, his voice trembling.
As he took a cautious step forward, something on the ground caught his attention. A faint glow, almost imperceptible, pulsed beneath the cracks in the earth. He crouched down, reaching out hesitantly, but the warmth emanating from the light made him pull back.
Before he could think more of it, a faint noise broke the silence. It was distant, almost like a whisper carried on the wind. Elion froze, his heart pounding in his chest.
"Hello?" he called out, though he immediately regretted it. The whisper grew louder, sharper, turning into what sounded like words, though he couldn't make them out. They seemed to come from every direction at once, surrounding him.
His pulse quickened as he stood, backing toward the bus. But when he turned, the bus wasn't there anymore. The empty space it had occupied was now nothing but barren ground.
"No, no, no..." Elion spun again, his breath coming in shallow gasps. He was alone—completely and utterly alone.
The whispers stopped abruptly, leaving a deafening silence in their wake. Then, the ground beneath his feet began to tremble. Cracks spread outward like veins, glowing with that same faint light he had noticed earlier.
Elion stumbled backward, barely managing to keep his balance as the earth split open. From the chasm, a dark mist began to rise, twisting like living tendrils.
He turned to run, but his legs felt heavy, as if the air itself was holding him in place. The mist spread quickly, encircling him. Panic surged through him as he struggled against the invisible weight pressing down on him.
"Stay calm," he told himself, though his voice shook. He closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing. He couldn't let fear control him, not now.
When he opened his eyes again, the mist was closer, swirling around his ankles. It wasn't just smoke—it felt alive, almost as if it was watching him.
Trying to move. His hand brushed against the necklace around his neck, the one his sister had given him years ago. It felt warm, warmer than it should have been.
As the mist began to climb higher, Elion gripped the necklace tightly, holding it like a lifeline. The faint warmth spread through his fingers, and for a moment, the mist hesitated, recoiling slightly.
Elion's mind raced. Was the necklace protecting him? Or was it just a coincidence? He didn't have time to figure it out. The ground beneath him trembled again, and he stumbled forward, narrowly avoiding falling into one of the cracks.
In the distance, something shifted—a shadow moving against the crimson sky. It was far away, but its presence was unmistakable. Whatever it was, it was massive, and it was moving toward him.
Elion didn't wait to see what it was. Summoning every ounce of strength, he forced his legs to move, running blindly across the cracked terrain. His breaths came in ragged gasps, the air burning in his lungs.
The mist followed him, relentlessly, but the warmth of the necklace seemed to hold it back, creating just enough space for him to keep going. He didn't know where he was running or if there was even a way out, but he couldn't stop.
In the back of his mind, one thought repeated over and over: I have to survive.