Bus Stop

The Bus Stop It was almost midnight when Daniel reached the bus stop. Rain poured from the dark sky, and the road was completely empty. He checked his phone. 11:57 p.m. The last bus was supposed to arrive at 12:00. Daniel waited under the broken shelter, shivering. At exactly midnight, he saw headlights coming toward him. He stepped forward and raised his hand. But the bus didn't stop. It passed him silently. Daniel looked at the route number. 13. He froze. Everyone in town knew that Bus 13 had been taken off the road years ago after an accident that killed every passenger on board. Suddenly, the bus stopped farther down the road. Its doors opened. A man standing inside slowly turned his head toward Daniel. Then another passenger looked at him. Then another. Their faces were pale and wet, as if they had just climbed out of a river. The driver stared directly at Daniel. Daniel ran. He didn't stop until he reached home. The next morning, he told his mother what had happened. She went completely silent. "Daniel," she whispered, "you couldn't have missed the last bus." "Why?" She pointed at the calendar. It was the anniversary of the Bus 13 accident. Then Daniel noticed something lying on the floor beside his shoes. A wet bus ticket. He picked it up. Printed on it were three words: ONE SEAT LEFT. That night, at exactly midnight, Daniel heard a bus stopping outside his house. The doors opened. And someone whispered from