The van accelerated through space at a brisk pace.

Saylee watched out the window as the van quickly passed the stars and planets.

She shrugged off any thoughts of trying to make any logical sense of it.

Carl glanced back at the passengers through the rear view mirror, “anyone wants to hear some music? We should be there in eight hours, more or less. You know what I love that starts with eight? The eighties. Is anyone down for some eighties music? Your choice between the classic eighties and the new eighties?”

A middle-aged-looking woman towards the front, spoke up, “What do you mean, new eighties?”

Carl shook his head, sounding slightly annoyed, “There are the classic 80’s hits, and then there are the new 80’s hits. Didn’t you ever wish for some new 80’s music? Well, I got great news. there are new 80’s hits”

A man behind Saylee yelled, “That doesn’t make a lick of sense”

Carl bashed a button on the dashboard’s touch screen, “New 80s hits it is, your ears are in for a treat”.

New wave-style music played from the speakers. Saylee didn’t recognize it but she did find the music a little catchy.

She leaned in and tapped the shoulder of the woman in front of her. No response. She tapped on her shoulder some more until the woman turned back towards her and barked, “Leave me alone, I praying”

Carl yelled over the music, “You all behave back there, or I’ll turn this van around and kick you outside the planet Curbulous”

Saylee was trying to keep it together, she leaned in towards the young man on her right and whispered, “Excuse me, I need a friendly face to talk to. Can I talk to you for a bit?”

The young man finally lifted his head and slowly turned towards her.

The first thing she noticed was the red forehead from him resting on the seat, but when he fully turned to look at her. She noticed his left eye, which was swollen.

She gasped, “Oh no, what happened to your eye?”

The man glared at her, “What? Out of all this, that is what you want to know?”

She retracted, scooting a bit away from him without falling off the edge of the seat.

The young man pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, “I’m sorry. It’s been a long day. I got pissed off at the driver. I found myself dead and he didn’t answer any of my questions so I shoved him. Well, I tried to. He was quick, he dodged the attempt and popped a quick fist to the left eye of mine.”

The young man put his fist out towards her, then opened his hand, “I’m Gabe”

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Saylee casually shook his hand, “I’m Saylee”

“What? That’s a nice name”

“Thank you. Do you have any idea what’s going on?”

“I was the second one in the van. You appear to be the last. I’ve heard the others discuss but let me tell you. It felt like we’d been in here for hours. None of us have any possessions but somehow the gal up front got to keep her phone. She doesn’t speak, probably a mute, but she did point at the clock on her screen. The time on her screen and the time on the van never change. They read zero zero zero. I can’t tell how long we’ve been here. I-”

Gabe was visually shaking, his tone rising. Saylee patted his shoulder. Gabe looked at her in surprise, his shaking abruptly stopped. She caught him slip a small smile.

His thumb flicked his nose, before straightening up. He continued, “I had a moment there, sorry. What I was about to say was…focus on what we know. What we can gather is that we are going to some new place. Supposedly to live a new life. He said it ain’t Heaven, nor Hell. We can’t return to our old lives. The driver Carl keeps saying “new this” and “new that”, I don’t get it”

Gabe took a deep breath before continuing, “Before you joined us, me and the other passengers, pestered the driver constantly for more answers. He got really annoyed, really fast. He just said a Captain would at some point answer all our questions. Carl says he’s not a reaper but he takes us to our next destination. I tell you, this all gives me a headache. We didn’t push further because he did snap. He physically pulled some mental dude out of the van who kept jabbing Carl’s shoulder for answers. Carl locked the doors and just drove away. That angsty-looking girl in the front passenger seat said nothing, she just used her phone to record it all. I can’t believe they just left the angry man behind. Carl was muttering something about that dude regretting the wait”

He stared at her, waiting for her to say something. She kept silent, her mind had a thousand questions along with negative thoughts she was trying to keep compressed to the back of her mind. She was trying to keep her emotions and sanity in check.

She stared out the window, watching the colorful shapes that sped past the window. She could only assume the specks of light that passed were stars and planets.

Maybe I am losing my mind? She thought grimly.

Gabe, took the silence as an indicator for him to continue, “I’m thinking…if someone gets left behind? Are they ghosts?”

Saylee sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, “I don’t know”

A thought struck Saylee. She realized that she never checked if she had anything with her. She patted and searched her pockets. The pockets contained nothing, “I have no ID and no money”, she mumbled.

Gabe pulled the pockets of his jeans inside out, “What does it matter? No one does. Before I left, I tried to grab my backpack and my hand went right through it. Carl told me it wouldn’t work and I didn’t listen. I was still gonna try. I’m guessin’ we’re currently ghosts”

“What about the teen girl upfront, the one you said had a phone? Do you know if it has a signal?”

“I don’t know, why are you asking me? You should go ask her. We’re out in space, working phone signal doesn’t make sense, but then again…none of this makes sense. You go ask her because I’m going to try to sleep”. He pulled a hood from his hoody over his head before pressing his forehead once again onto the seat in front of him.

Saylee looked towards the front, there was a bench of passengers between her and the teen in the front passenger seat. Saylee intended to get closer to the teen to ask to use her phone. She unbuckled her seat belt-

Carl turned his head around and gave her direct eye contact, with a higher-than-normal tone, he snapped, “You better put that buckle back on before I leave you hanging on this van’s bumper the rest of the way there. Do not test me. Gods, I’m at my limit right now. I’m already late and I need you all to behave. I’m done with today”

Saylee quickly snapped her seat buckle back in place.

The van was silent. Everyone around her avoided eye contact. The other passengers were deep in their thoughts.

She firmly planted an elbow onto each thigh, then covered her face with both hands.

She quietly wept.