Zero Draft — Volume One
I ride the bus.
Without a fuss.
Pay your fare.
If… you… dare.
Watch Bus Eyes:
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The bus beeped four times as it lowered to let me on.
I reached to pay, and the bus driver covered the meter with his hand, blocking my card. He shook his head, slowly, back and forth.
Back and forth.
“Way to make it weird, my dude,” I said.
No response. A blue bandanna covered his face, leaving only his expressionless eyes exposed.
It was too early for this.
I walked to the back of the bus.
The seats were empty. The sun wasn’t even up. Why wouldn’t they be?
I sat in the back. The plastic seat cushing my tush. The bus roared to life, the engine rumble massaging my back as I fought off the stubborn bits of last night’s sleep.
Outside, I could see the lights of houses. Other cars. A business.
Inside, I stared at a poster. Some kid’s poem.
“I RIDE THE BUS, WITHOUT A FUSS, PAY YOUR FARE, IF YOU DARE, IT IS SO FUN, GOT TO CATCH IT RUN RUN RUN.”
Cute stuff.
The lights flickered.
And the seats were full.
The passengers stared at me with bus eyes from every row.
The same eyes as the driver who refused to let me pay.
Then they sucked in their lips.
The lights flicked back on, and the people were gone.
I had five more stops to my destination.
I’d seen enough.
I hit the cord and waited at the door for the bus to stop.
“Thanks, my dude. Have a good day.”
The bus driver lifted his hand, the hand that had refused to let me pay.
Unrelated, I recently bought a car, and I drive to work now.
Story #3 of Zero Draft
Behind the Draft
Bus Eyes has become a sleeper favorite in our household. So much so that I briefly considered converting the entire Zero Draft concept into a Bus Eyes universe.
2026: Bus Eyes
2027: 2 Bus, 2 Eyes
2028: Bus Eyes 3: Third Eye Blind
2029: Bus Eyes 4: An Eye FOUR an Eye
2030: Bus Eyes 5: The Eyes Have Grown Eyes
2031: Bus Eyes 6: The First Eye
2032: Bus Eyes 7: The Eye Opening
2033: Bus Eyes 8: Eyes in Space
2034: Bus Eyes 9: Pink Eye
2035: Bus Eyes 10: The Final Blink
Extreme? Maybe. But there is something inevitably enjoyable about someone turning the living room corner and meeting them with an expression locked into Bus Eyes.
Thankfully, the origins of this one are slightly less creepy than the final product. I wrote it while literally on the bus as an assignment for a writing class: “Take an everyday situation and make it feel like a scene from a scary story.” The final story is about eyes, but I think it has some legs too.
And for the record, Bus Eyes are very real. Take a look around the next time you ride public transit.
STAY IN THE LOOP.
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