The bus came to a quick stop, causing me to wake up abruptly. Shortly after, the extra-large and burly driver grunts out of his seat and turns to walk down the aisle. Confused, I look outside of the dingy window that I've sat beside for the last seven hours. It was dark and looked cold, the sight making me shiver involuntarily. I wasn't sure what time it was. Through the spotted glass I saw a small dingy building. It looked abandoned, no lights were on inside and it appeared as if the door hadn't been opened in years. Next to the building was a tall sign with only a few of its lights still working. It read, "Welcome to Torn." In the distance, I could see other lights and buildings representative of a big city but couldn’t make out any more detail.

​

     I sat back in my chair; confusion evident on my face. "Did we break down?" I thought in my head.

 

     "Hey, you!" The bus driver said loudly.

 

     I looked up; he was standing in the aisle looking straight at me. "Me?" I squeaked out in both fright and confusion.

     

     "Yeah, you," he growled, "Dispatch just called and said your payment was declined. Pay for your ticket now or get off my bus!"

 

     I knew my credit card was maxed out when I paid for the ticket, but it was my only option to start a new life after what I've done. My goal was to start a new life in a new place where no one knew me. After a few minutes of staring at the locations of the departing busses, I chose Tallahassee.

 

     Flustered, I put on my best innocent face and looked up at him. His big hairy face was twisted in a grimace that did not do much for the guy’s already harsh features. “Sir, there must be some mistake. Is this something I could handle once we get to our destination?”

 

     “Don’t give me your big worded excuses,” he snapped, spittle flying from his words and hitting my cheek. He then put out his hand, palm up, “How much you got on you? You pay me now or get off the bus with my boot stuck in your ass!”

 

     I put up my hands, part in fear and part in defense. “I don’t have any cash on me. I’ve only got the clothes on my back. Please sir, just let me ride on to Tallahassee,” I pleaded in the most pathetic voice I could muster.

 

     The bus driver reached over with one massive arm, grabbed my jacket, and ripped it off of me over my head. The move also threw me to the floor and ripped my shirt in two. My head hit the bus floor hard and I saw a few stars floating in my vision as if they were making fun of me. The few other passengers in the bus made various noises of surprise, horror, and muffled laughter as the action took place. After the initial shock wore off, I turned over on my back and stared up in surprise at the man. I could only see the top of his head as his stomach covered most of my view.

 

     “Leave your pants and shoes and get off my bus!” The large man exclaimed as he bent over slightly to look in my eyes.

 

     My face went pale. I was already missing my shirt and jacket. The bus floor was an unforgiving cold and I was sure the outside wasn’t much better. Stammering, I replied, “How about I just give you my wallet and leave? I don’t want any more trouble.”

 

     The large man’s belly rumbled as a laugh began to form. It was a deep horrible laugh mixed with a light rain of more spit and whatever he ate for dinner. After a few seconds of experiencing his evil joy, he stopped laughing and pulled out a small knife from a hidden pocket deep under his stomach. “Do you value your life more than your clothes?” He questioned with a slight smile.

 

     I jumped up, adrenaline filling my veins at the sight of the knife and bolted for the front door of the bus. “There was no way that fat asshole could catch me if I just run out the door,” I thought to myself.  I leaned into my shoulder in a full run at the door. The plan was to simply power through the door and run with what little I had left out of the bus and into a new city. “First I’ll find a place to lay low, then I’ll work on getting some money together,” I planned to myself as I barreled down the aisle.

 

     My shoulder contacted the door with a solid crunch. To my dismay, the door didn’t budge. It was as if the door was barred from the other side. I was sure that those flimsy bus doors from my childhood bus rides would just burst open. I realized I was wrong as I flew back to the floor of the bus, landing on the back of my head. The world spun around me as I hit the hard floor once again. Though my haze I could hear the driver’s evil laughter in the background and felt the rumbling of his steps as he lumbered down the aisle.

The bus driver chuckled, “Those must be some expensive pants my small thief.”

 

     Before I could respond, he grabbed my legs and stripped my shoes, socks and pants off as if he was defeathering a chicken. I felt helpless as I went through the de-pantsing experience but was unable to stop the large man. Still holding me in the air by one leg, the giant bus driver used his other meaty hand to trigger the front door release. With a large grunt, I was hoisted into the air and into the cold night. The floating feeling and crisp air felt nice for a few seconds. R Kelly’s “I believe I can fly” popped into my head as I enjoyed the moment of freedom of naked flying into the night. However, the ground came all too quickly for my taste. I felt the impact of the cold dirt and rocks on my cheek first but thankfully was saved the rest of the fall as everything turned to black.