The Last Passenger

The Last Passenger

Transcript

00:00It was just past midnight when the last bus rolled through the fog-drenched streets,

00:05its tired headlights slicing through, the mist like weak candles in a cathedral of grey.

00:11The city had long since fallen silent shops closed, windows dark, only the occasional echo

00:17of dripping rain on pavement. Inside the bus, there were only two passengers,

00:23a young man named Alex, heading home after a late shift, and an old woman sitting near the back.

00:30Clutching a tattered handbag, the driver, a heavyset man with weary eyes, didn't speak much,

00:37just kept his gaze fixed ahead, hands gripping the wheel like the road might vanish if he blinked.

00:43The hum of the engine and the rhythmic squeak of the wipers filled the silence.

00:48At the next stop, the bus shuddered to a halt, though there was no one waiting.

00:53The door hissed open anyway. Fog poured in, curling around the seats like ghostly fingers.

01:00Alex frowned and looked toward the driver, but the man's expression didn't change.

01:05Then, quietly, footsteps echoed from the mist outside slow. Deliberate.

01:12A figure stepped aboard, tall and thin, wearing a long black coat and a wide-brimmed hat that hid his

01:18face. He didn't look at anyone as he walked down the aisle and sat directly behind Alex.

01:24The air grew colder instantly, heavy with the scent of damp earth. The driver's eyes met Alex's in the

01:31rearview mirror. A silent warning. Rough night, huh? Alex said nervously, trying to break the tension.

01:40No response, just the faint sound of breathing behind him. Too slow. Too deep. The bus rumbled

01:47forward again. At the next stop, the old woman stood, clutching her bag tightly.

01:54This is me, she whispered to the driver. Though the bus hadn't stopped anywhere familiar.

02:00The driver nodded quickly. Too quickly. And she hurried off into the fog without looking back.

02:07The doors closed. Now it was just Alex, the driver, and the man in the black coat.

02:13The temperature dropped so sharply that Alex could see his breath.

02:18Sir. The driver said finally. Voice trembling. End of the lines coming up.

02:25Silence. The man didn't move. The driver glanced in the mirror again, his eyes widened,

02:32his knuckles white on the steering wheel. He's gone, he whispered. Alex turned around and froze.

02:38The seat behind him was empty. But it was soaked. As though someone dripping wet had been sitting

02:44there. The smell of soil was stronger now. A voice came from the back of the bus. Quiet but distinct.

02:52You missed your stop. Alex turned slowly. The man was standing at the very rear. Head tilted.

03:00Face still hidden beneath the hat. What? Alex managed to say, his throat dry.

03:06You should have gotten off when you had the chance. The lights flickered. And in that split second of

03:13darkness, the man was suddenly closer. Another flicker and closer still. His hat lifted just

03:20enough for Alex to see what was underneath. The face was pale, hollow. Eyes black pits.

03:26Mouth stretched too wide as if it had forgotten how to smile like a human. The bus screeched to a halt

03:32and everything went silent. When the driver turned around. Alex's seat was empty. Only a wet patch

03:40remained where he'd been sitting. And on the fobbed window beside it were three words drawn by

03:45an unseen hand. End of the line. The driver quit that night. And the bus was later found abandoned on

03:52the side of the highway. Its headlights still on. Engine running. Door open to the mist. Passengers say

03:59that on foggy nights. If you take the last bus through the city. You might notice an empty

04:04seat in the middle that always feels damp. And sometimes just. Sometimes you'll see a man

04:10in a black coat reflected in the glass. Even if no one's there.