I had just walked out of the library, finished with work for the day. It was time to head home and start on some homework before tomorrow morning. I really needed to stop procrastinating with work, I always just end up waiting and waiting up until the very last moment and then do it all at once in a major panic... oh well, I still get good grades, so I must be doing something right.
I stretched and yawned, looking at my phone, it was about 7:30 PM. The bus would be arriving at the usual pick up point in just fifteen minutes. I briskly walked toward the bus stop, trying to avoid a few icy patches that had managed to survive in the shadows of the surrounding buildings. I don't know why, but something felt... off. I've had this ominous feeling all day. Maybe I read something creepy off of the net last night before bed or something and just forgot. Whatever, nothing ever happens, it's just a boring little city, where I'll continue my boring little life.
I played around on my phone for a little bit while I waited for the bus to show up. It wasn't that long, before I realized it, I heard the telltale screech of the bus as it stopped and opened its doors. After waiting for a second for someone to come out, no one did. I walked on board and smiled to the driver. "Evening Sal." I said as I passed by and sat down in one of the front row seats. The typically grumpy driver just grunted and shut the bus door and drove off.
I leaned against the wall of the bus, staring out at the buildings, people, and cars. The usual sights and sounds that I always saw, day in, and day out. Sometimes I wished that something interesting would happen. Though of course, I probably shouldn't wish for such things. I mean, "Interesting" could be a lot of things. I mean, it could be a zombie apocalypse, or a nuclear war, or some other catastrophe where I could die or lose my family and friends. Best to just leave such things for dreams, I suppose.
Speaking of which... I was exhausted. I hadn't gotten much sleep last night. I may or may not, but definitely was playing videogames to a very, very late hour and was running on a few hours of sleep... totally worth it. Either way, I was tired, and Sal usually was usually nice enough to wake me up when I got to my stop, which was half an hour away, maybe longer since the roads were still a little icy. I shut my eyes, my cheek pressing against the cold glass of the bus, and... with unnatural speed, I fell asleep.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - An Unknown Amount of Time Later - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I jolted awake. It took me a second to realize where I was. I was still on the bus. I wonder how long I was out... it was strange, the bus wasn't running. Did... it break down? I slowly stood up, my whole body felt stiff. "Sal?" I called out, after seeing that no one was in the driver's seat. Then... I noticed something rather odd. We weren't in town anymore. Well... not my town at least. The bus's doors were wide open, and I walked down the stairs, off of the bus, and then looked up and around at the sprawling skyscrapers that surrounded me. "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore..." I mumbled to myself.
I pulled out my cellphone and unlocked it. I tried to call home, but... "Are you kidding me? No signal? In the middle of this city? Seriously? Just my luck." I grumbled. Though, something was strange... the time and date, it was... glitched? I guess that's the best way to describe it. The time and date just kept flicking to different numbers, never stopping. "What the hell...? Did my phone break?" I wondered aloud. I went through my apps, but they were working perfectly fine, all of my pictures, contacts, and messages were okay, everything but the time, date, and obviously the signal were screwed up. "Maybe there's a store that can take a look at it and see what's wrong with it..." I thought.
With that in mind and considering that Sal was nowhere to be seen, I began walking down the street in search of a phone store in this strange new city. God I wish I had a taser, or some pepper spray... I better keep a good grip of my phone and wallet. Who knows how many pickpockets, muggers, and other delinquents are around ready to prey upon the scrawny nerdy kid?