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A horn blared from another lane as a mix of gasps, a small squeal, and curse words filled the air.
I gripped the leather headrest in front of me to stay planted in my seat. Once we were moving forward steadily again, I quickly checked over Gracelyn and Melantha.
“What was that about?” Maverick wondered aloud.
As if to answer him personally, the music stopped, and the driver’s voice came through the overhead speakers. “Uh, really sorry about that, folks. The usual route’s shut down. I guess we’ll be taking a small detour.”
Someone up front, a man with greying hair, began to complain.
The driver cut him off, still broadcasting his voice through the speaker.
“Rest assured this will only add about ten minutes to the ride.
I know you’ve all got flights to catch—you can count on me to get you exactly where ya need to be.”
He clicked off, and music began to play once more.
“He guesses?” a twin scoffed.
Ciaran said something in response, but I was hardly paying him attention. I was too concerned about our suddenly reckless driver. Gracelyn gave me a tight-lipped smile, attempting to downplay her own concerns for my benefit.
We cruised past the turnoff we should’ve taken and continued for a good ten minutes before the shuttle turned onto a side road. After another two miles or so, it became apparent that all signs of civilization were being left behind.
It took me another five minutes to notice there were no longer any other cars accompanying us.
“This isn’t right, Lana,” Gracelyn whispered.
I didn’t have a good feeling about this either.
I wanted to chalk it up to us being overdramatic, but I knew to always trust my instincts. The further we ventured, the worse my nerves caused my stomach to twist. This was more than acute paranoia.
There was a sign coming up on the right. I peered around Gracelyn to get a clearer look at it. “Route Six-One-Six,” I read out loud as we zipped passed it.
Gracelyn turned towards Melantha. “GPS how far the airport is from here.”
“Already on it.”
The shuttle took another turn, and someone up front demanded to know where we were going.
“What the fuck’s that?” one of the twins asked. I peered over my shoulder and then straight ahead to follow his gaze, poking my head around the seat in front of me so I had an unobstructed view.
We were heading straight for a tunnel. A rather large one.
Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t have been anything to panic over, but it wasn’t dark enough to overlook the vast blanket of white that seemed to be emanating from within it.
The driver kept going, his speed gradually increasing. I didn’t understand why. There was no way he could see inside. None. Low murmurs filled the air, a few more people beginning to voice their concerns.
“My phone isn’t picking up our location, and this route isn’t on my maps,” Melantha said, leaning forward to show us her screen.
Gracelyn brushed her hair away from her face, tucking the blonde ombre locks behind her back. “Is that normal?”
No.
“I’m sure it’s fine,” Ciaran reassured her.
He didn’t sound as if he believed it.
I wouldn’t say he seemed worried—more aware of the fact that things were looking extra sketchy.
As the front of the shuttle drew closer to the tunnel, the radio crackled. Ozzy Osbourne was replaced with an audible static, and then a rhythmic voice began to speak.
Ave Satanas, something wicked this way comes. It’s time for the reckoning to begin.
If you enter the Devil’s Playground be wary where you tread, for demons are lurking with trickery up their sleeves. Here good and bad cease to exist, and not all will make it to the end.
The price of freedom will be revealed only after bloodshed and rapture. A claiming of one and purging of others.
The voice stopped short, and the song resumed. I shared a look with the girls. That didn’t seem like regular station interference.
There was no mistaking what was said. Each word had been precise and clear as crystal.
“What’s going on?” someone yelled at the driver.
The radio cut off entirely just as we entered the tunnel. A loud bang erupted, the sound carrying inside. A scream tore through the air as the bus rocked from side to side, swerving through the fog.
I’m pretty sure we bumped the side wall, sending us careening to the left. Someone was flung into the aisle, crying out as they hit the floor. I dug my nails into the back of the seat in front of me, holding on as tightly as I could.
There was another bang, lodging my heart in my throat as we began to zigzag aggressively, brakes screeching as the driver tried to stop.
Everything thereafter seemed to happen in the longest seconds of my life.
The shuttle emerged from the tunnel.
We tilted.
I lost my hold, ripping a nail clean off as I fell from my seat.
