As Leo and Rudo headed toward the nearest bus stop, the night air felt unusually still. The streetlights hummed faintly, casting pools of pale yellow over the cracked sidewalk. Leo walked in silence, his thoughts heavier than his steps.
I know I'm not supposed to jinx it or anything, he thought, rubbing the back of his neck, but I've got a bad feeling this trip won't be as simple as it seems.
"Yo, Leo! What do you say to taking a little break?" Rudo called out, jogging ahead to a nearby bench.
"I mean… sure," Leo said, dragging his voice a bit. "It's not like the bus will get here any faster."
He plopped down beside Rudo, exhaling through his nose.
"So, what time's the bus supposed to come?"
"Hell if I know."
Leo unzipped the top compartment of the backpack Sarah had given him and began rummaging through it. Hopefully, she packed something useful — snacks, drinks, maybe a phone.
Sure enough, the essentials were there: bottled water, a few snack bars, and, sitting at the bottom, a smartphone. He pulled it out, thumbed the power button, and saw the screen light up. The time read 8:58 p.m. He typed in a code, and the lock screen slid open without issue.
The first thing that caught his attention was the call icon at the bottom. For a moment, his hand froze. His chest tightened. Mom, Dad… I'm sorry for worrying you. He could almost hear their voices, frantic and angry. They're probably already interrogating Sarah to find out where I am.
He gripped the phone a little tighter. I just don't want them dragged into this kind of danger.
"Yo," Rudo said, nudging him lightly.
"What?" Leo replied, snapping out of it.
"Nothing much," Rudo said, leaning back against the bench. "Just… isn't it nice?"
"The night sky?"
"The stars," Rudo said, smiling faintly. "You ever just look at them?"
Leo tilted his head up. The sky was dark, scattered with countless stars blinking through faint haze. "I guess I don't really pay attention to them like that anymore."
Rudo chuckled. "Say, what's your favorite constellation?"
"I guess maybe the Pegasus constellation," Leo said after a moment. "Looks cool. Kinda reminds me of an angel."
"Good pick," Rudo said. "Mine's Cassiopeia."
Leo raised an eyebrow. Is it just me, or has this conversation gotten weird? He scratched his cheek. Then again, it's been a weird day… and I was never good at small talk like this.
Rudo leaned forward a bit, voice quieting. "Hey, about that place you're taking me — will I really be safe there?"
Leo turned to look at him. There was something off in Rudo's eyes. Not fear… something closer to calm resignation. It unsettled him. Seriously, what's wrong with this guy? I mean, yeah, I saved him, but trusting me this fast? Shouldn't he be calling his mom or something instead of trusting me to bring him to this so called 'safe place.'
"Hey, Rudo," Leo said.
"Mmh?"
"Why… why do you trust me so much?"
"That's easy," Rudo said, smiling again. "You're my friend."
"That's not what I mean. You're trusting me to take you somewhere safe instead of calling your mom for help.Doesn't that seem strange to you? I know what we've seen today is insane, but still…"
Rudo went quiet for a moment, the smile fading slightly before returning softer than before.
"It's not that I didn't think about calling her. But I doubt she'd believe me if I said three reception ladies turned into a dragon-like thing and tried to kill me. I trust you because you risked your life to save mine. Unless…" Rudo laughed, "you're secretly some mastermind using me for a super secret evil world busting plan later."
Leo blinked at him. "…You're one crazy guy, you know that?"
"Yeah, I get that a lot," Rudo said, grinning.
Leo shook his head, smirking faintly, and scrolled through the phone.
"So, got any games on there?" Rudo asked, leaning in.
"Personal space, dude." Leo pushed his face away.
He sighed, flicking through the phone's menu. Jeez, Sarah, you couldn't throw in a few apps to kill time? Then he noticed something: a single app.A novel app.
He tapped it open. Well, if there's nothing to play, might as well see what this is.
The app loaded slowly. After skipping through a wall of terms and conditions, Leo hit Accept. The screen blinked, revealing one lone title on the front page:
"A Blessed Journey into This World We Call Hell."
Leo stared blankly. "That's… a hell of a title."
He typed in the search bar, trying for some of his favorite novels. Nothing. No matter what he searched, the same story appeared.
"The hell?"
He frowned, refreshing it again and again — still the same result. This can't just be my bad luck again, right?Why is there only one book on here?!
Curiosity won out. He clicked the title. The description was empty. The only visible stats showed 1 viewer, and the comment section was flooded — by the author themselves.
"'Best chapter so far,'" Leo read aloud. "'Thanks for your support'—wait, what? They're just talking to themselves?"
He stared for a second, blinking. "I mean… dedication, I guess."
The bus's headlights washed over the street, cutting him off with a loud hiss of brakes.
"Finally!" Rudo jumped up, stretching. "It was starting to get boring out here."
Leo looked up as the bus rolled to a stop, groaning slightly as its doors opened. A handful of passengers filed in. The driver gave them a tired look — the kind that said isn't past your bed-time, why are you out this late? — But decided to say nothing.
Leo handed Rudo a bus pass and pulled another from his bag. "Guess Sarah was more generous than I thought."
The machine beeped twice as they boarded. They walked down the aisle and found seats near the back.
"At least we're finally on," Rudo said, plopping down by the window.
Leo took a seat across from him beside an old man who clutched a large briefcase. The hum of the bus filled the air, mingling with the faint rattle of the road.
Not a bad time to relax a bit, Leo thought, pulling out his phone again.
Then—
Crack!
Pain shot through his foot.
He covered his mouth to muffle a yell and looked down. The old man's briefcase had slipped and landed square on his toes.
"Excuse me, sir," Leo whispered.
No response.
He poked the man's sleeve gently. Still nothing.
"...Sir?"
The old man's eyes were open, unblinking. Leo froze for a second before realizing the faint zzztz sound — snoring.
"Great," Leo muttered. "This'll be fun."
As he tried to nudge the old man back upright, the man suddenly slumped over, drooling onto Leo's shoulder. A warm glob landed on his shirt.
"Gross. I just got this dried." Leo grimaced, gently pushing him back upright.
Across the aisle, Rudo was tracing constellations in the window reflection with his finger, smiling to himself.
The bus hissed to a stop again. A few more passengers climbed aboard. When the doors opened, a gust of cold air rushed in — sharp enough to make Rudo shiver. Something felt off.
Then he saw him.
The security guard from before — human disguise and all now wearing a long sleeved sweater,worn out pants,hook where his monstrous hand used to be,stepping onto the bus.
Rudo froze, his stomach tightening. He turned toward Leo, who was still trying to adjust the sleeping old man's head.
"Leo," Rudo whispered.
"What?"
"We have to get off."
"Why? We just got on."
"Listen," Rudo said, his voice trembling, "the guy who just boarded… he's bad news."
"I'm sure he won't try anything with this many people around."
"I mean monster bad news."
Leo went still. "You've got to be kidding me. We just escaped a hydra, and now you're telling me another one's here?"
He quickly rummaged through the backpack, whispering, "If we get off now, we'll just lose time. And I doubt we've got enough cash for a cab."
The bus rocked gently as the man walked down the aisle with a grumpy look on his face that screamed,"I will have my revenge."
Rudo's hands were shaking. "Leo, if we don't get out now, we're dead."
Leo whispered, "We're not at a stop yet, so we wouldn't even be allowed off. Just stay calm. Try to blend in." He handed Rudo a hat and sunglasses from the bag.
The guard sat down between an old woman and a mother holding a baby. He sniffed the air slightly, eyes narrowing, then turned his head upward and pinched his nose.
Rudo exhaled shakily. "Must've smelled a stinky diaper," he muttered.
"See?" Leo said under his breath. "Told you we'd be fine."
Still, his fingers drummed nervously against his leg as he looked out the window. The stars outside flickered faintly through the glass, their light broken by the movement of streetlights.
Leo took a slow breath. Just a normal bus ride, he told himself. Just a normal night.
But he couldn't shake the feeling that the stars were watching back.