The Stop Button

Flash Fiction

I don’t think I will ever have an experience like that again. It happened on my way home from my part-time job. It was my routine to take the bus from the station to my house. When I boarded the bus that day, there were only three passengers, including myself—unusually few. Thinking it was just one of those days, I decided to play a game on my smartphone until I reached my stop.

After a while, the bus pulled over at a stop. There was no one there. Assuming someone was getting off, I waited absent-mindedly for the bus to depart. Then, the driver shouted.

“Hey, aren’t you getting off?”

Suddenly, I realized that all the other passengers were gone. Had they all gotten off at the previous stops? However, this wasn’t my stop, and I hadn’t pressed the stop button.

“No, it’s not me. This isn’t my stop,” I said, confused.
“But you’re the only one here. Didn’t you press the button?” The driver sounded slightly irritated.
“No, I didn’t press it,” I insisted.
The driver sighed, closed the doors, and prepared to drive on.

“Hey… why… aren’t you getting off?”

Startled, I looked toward the source of the voice. There, standing at the bus stop that was supposed to be empty, was a person. I screamed when I saw the face.

Standing there was the driver.