A True Tale of Supernatural Terror: Cicada Nexus ("Rated" PG13)

20. "Next state, Texas"

V. NOWHERE, TEXAS: Attack of the Trolls

God only knows where we ended up in Texas, but, pardon my expression, this place scared the s%@t out of me. The whole town looked like the Bates' Hotel, with burnt-out, crumbling buildings whose gaping mouths were horrendously silenced in death. Even the bus driver seemed horrified at the prospect of leaving the terminal in the dead of night.
The last thing I recall before passing out was the hundreds of troll dolls in the lobby, poised for attack....

21. "Haunted Texas town"






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22. "Nnnooo!"

23. "Gift shop clerk"





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24. "Troll army"




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25. "Troll army marches towards human prey"



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VI. THE OZARKS: The Armpit of America

On our third suffocating day, Silverdog buslines generously bestowed upon us a thirty-minute rest period. At last, a hot meal was at hand.
Or so we thought. :bnghd:
What presented itself was a pinch-faced, cross-eyed, inbred troglodyte who thought she was God's gift to the intercontinental snack bar--and I'm using the term snack bar expansively. The reality consisted solely of the ubiquitous vending machine and a four-foot counter behind whch a row of, at least possibly, fresh candy bars were set in a proud display.

The desperately needed nutrition tantalizingly out of reach, the Ozark aborigine lorded over the counter awaiting the slightest excuse to pounce on the rightfully grouchy travelers, deny them access to the forbidden fruits, and thunderously announce "That does it: you're off the bus!!!"
This toothless thicket-woman was deranged enough to imagine she had the manic, criminal power to abandon hapless passengers in a desolate wasteland....just un-blinking-believable. By now, anyone with diabetes would have lapsed into a coma from lack of nutrition, and these ghouls seemed all-too-ready to "handle" any missing passengers (shudder).


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26. "Ozark denizens--was that a banjo I heard?"

27. "A third day without basic nutrition"

VII. THE MIDWEST: Two Punch-Drunk Loudmouths

"Blah, blah, blah, blah."
Slosh.
"Blah, blah, blah, blah."
Slosh.
The new, boxing-fanatic bus driver and his near-brain-dead boxing companion wouldn't shut up all through Missouri, Illinois and Ohio.
My mom had had enough: "Would you please be quiet? People are trying to sleep!"
On the plus side, they shut up and we got a couple hours' rest.

On the downside, he driver refused to stop for food for 14 hours, too hopped-up on No Doze to notice the passengers' suffering. And too high to drive the speed limit, which naturally resulted in 1) a high speed chase with the cops, and 2) the putrid spill of the overflowing toilet when the driver finally, but recklessly, halted the bus.
Sssssskkkkkkiiiiiddddddddddd!
Slosh.


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28. "St. Louis, Missouri"

29. "Midwest bus driver and his punch-drunk, boxing companion"





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Circles VIII. & IX.: THE ALLEGHENY AND APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS

Another wave of pestilence: this time savage Allegheny bees chased a hysterical passenger into the ladies' room. And right as we were about to grab some hot dogs, which smelled like the finest steak to our famished souls. So we were all rushed back into the bus without so much as a packet of relish!

There were nine circles in Dante's Inferno, right?

That left only one circle to go, and sure as clockwork, we got lost in the Appalachians. (Donner party anyone?)
"The bus is going the wrong way!" an elderly lady warned in increasingly panicked tones.
But after several hours, we were back on track and blessed with a wondrous sight!

30. "We realize we've been trapped in hell"









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31. "The Appalachian mountains"

--------CONCLUSION---------

I gasped when finally granted the vision of Pittsburgh's water-dappled metropolis, like Frodo returning to the Shire after the horrors of Mordor.

My mom and I hadn't seen our relatives in years, and we all thankfully sat down for the first hot meal we'd had in, it seemed, an eternity.

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32. "Water-dappled Pittsburgh: the end is in sight"









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Great story! I loved it.

If I'd been in the story, I'd have purchased the biggest bug light known to man and hung it from the tree. That would have pissed the bugs off something fierce.

Write On!

Bob

^ Thanks Bob, I really appreciate the boost. Hey everyone, how about some FLAGS for this thread???!