Bus Stop 13 ➼hood

The One That Six Is Afraid Of

|Calum|

❝ but i could hear the voices telling me to kill myself and end the pain before they did.❞

***

The illusion starts the moment you look at the sign above the bus window.

Bus 99.

The holes of the numbers 99 is the pinpoint of the whole thing. I felt tingles run down my spine when I set my eyes on it. And I only saw Rosalyn after that, which explains that part.

I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. It all makes complete sense now.

I have a strong feeling that the bus driver was around this. He was a master illusionist but to trap a bunch of people in their own minds, to trap these individuals in such a way and manipulate them into doing things against their nature and making others see this- is just plain cruel.

But I do not deny how impressive it is.

"Congratulations, Calum. You have solved the puzzle." Not Rosalyn. This voice; I recognize it as the bus driver's. It was mocking me, cold yet I found myself allured to it. 

Don't Calum. Don't.

"Yes, I figured it out." I say, trying to sound stronger than I really am. 

"Good. Very good. Very few people have managed to work through my signs." He says again. "But you have seen through me."

I can almost hear Rosalyn in my head, chiding me and trying to get me to get a grip on my willpower. She's telling me that the only way to break through this is through sheer willpower and strength of mentality.

"You will not control me anymore, bastard." I say firmly. I force my whole being to tell itself that I'm strong. And I can fight this illusion. I must try to break these walls trapping me inside.

Before my very eyes, the darkness seems to evaporate slowly, my surrounding turning grey all of a sudden. There were faint cries for help that can be heard.

I try my hardest to stand up but something holds me back, some force that's trying to keep me here. Forever, I'm sure. I thought that figuring this all out would mean that I could finally escape.

Suddenly, I am taken by surprise and metal shackles trap my feet. "Aargh!" They tightened around my ankles and I can feel the warm blood trickling down as they scratch my skin.

"I cannot let you get away. You are going to tell the world." The voice says slowly.

"Why are you doing this, you bitch!?" I yell at the unidentified force. I'm not sure what the bus driver is at that point. "What are you trying to get?"

"I like seeing people in pain. It reminds me of how powerful I am." The voice snickers in such a way that I feels as if he's right here beside me and it's not just the feeling of his presence.

"Sicko." I remark, biting my lip and trying to stop the tears threatening to fall. I will be strong. I've already cracked the code. I just need to be strong enough to escape this.

"I've been called worse."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"I give you a choice. Choose to your liking. What you choose will take a turn to your fate."

Three items appear suddenly before me, a faint flicker of light illuminating and hovering above them. Just enough for me to identify what they are.

The first is a mirror. The second is a piece of yellowish paper. The third is a knife.