Next stop… your soul.
The Last Shift
It was a dark and stormy night when a telemarketing attendant left her workplace after the last shift. Unfortunately, she missed the final regular bus of the night. Living in an isolated area, she didn’t have many options left, except waiting for the infamous last ride of the night, known as…
“The Ghost Bus.”
It only runs at 11 PM, stopping at the very last point in the darkest part of the city, usually carrying no more than two or three passengers.
Smiles in the Dark
She headed to the last bus stop, but quickly regretted it. The place was dark and unnerving. She wasn’t even sure anymore if regular people still waited there. That’s when a few random people began to show up. Relieved at first, she began to feel safer… until she really looked at the people arriving. These “people” moved in perfect coordination. Each of them had a disturbing grin on their faces. When they sat next to her, she noticed none of them ever stopped smiling. Then a little girl approached her and handed her a small card that read:
“On our faces, we shine with joy to welcome you.”
The streetlights suddenly went out. And then… the bus arrived.
Smiling for the Dead
She tried to talk to the driver about the blackout, but he barely seemed to hear her. At that point, she had only two options:
- Get on the bus.
- Stay alone in the dark.
She chose the bus. Behind her, all the smiling faces boarded too. But just a few meters ahead… the bus began to slow down, then came to a stop. She called out to the driver. No answer. Frozen with fear, unable to see clearly in the low light, she tried desperately to get off the bus. That’s when she heard it.
The soft shuffling of the smiling passengers standing up, each step bringing them closer. She screamed for help, but no one answered. Then… the little girl whispered close to her ear:
“On our faces, we shine with joy!”
Her mouth was slit from one corner to the other, forcing her to wear the same eternal smile… offered only to death.
