James Porter had always imagined his life would be different. Maybe not in a “chosen hero destined to save the world” kind of way, but at least he’d hoped for something beyond endless pizza boxes and all-night gaming sessions. But at twenty-eight, he was stuck. Stuck in a cluttered, one-bedroom apartment that smelled faintly of grease and old takeout. Stuck in a dead-end job working IT support for a company that didn’t even know he existed. And, above all, stuck in his own head, where the real adventures seemed to happen.
As he sat at his computer, scrolling through another forum post about the latest patch for his favorite RPG, he took a deep breath and leaned back in his squeaky chair. His body, soft and round from years of sedentary living, slouched in defeat. The screen glowed in front of him, filled with bright fantasy landscapes, strong heroes, and epic battles. But outside his window, the real world was far less exciting, just the sound of distant traffic and the dull hum of city life.
“If only life were more like a game,” he muttered to himself, picking up a half-eaten slice of cold pizza. “Where’s my magical adventure? My epic quest?”
He took a bite, cheese stretching in a sad line between his mouth and the slice, before sighing and letting it drop back onto the plate. As much as he wanted to believe in some grand destiny, the reality was that James was just another nerd with too much time on his hands and not enough going for him. Sure, he was decent at video games, and he knew more about fantasy lore than most people cared to, but when it came to real life… well, not so much.
His phone buzzed, snapping him out of his thoughts. He glanced at the screen: a notification from his favorite fast-food delivery app, offering him a discount. Tempting. But as he stared at it, something inside him felt tired. Like even ordering another burger wouldn’t fill the void he’d been feeling lately.
“Maybe I should get out of here,” James said aloud, pushing himself up from his chair. His joints cracked as he stretched, and he groaned in response. “Take a walk, get some fresh air. You know, live a little.”
It wasn’t that he was completely antisocial. James had friends, well, online ones. The kind who were always ready to group up for a raid or spend hours discussing obscure fantasy novels. But real-life interaction? That was a bit trickier. Still, even he knew when it was time to leave the apartment before he fully morphed into a couch potato.
Grabbing his worn hoodie off the back of a chair, James shuffled toward the door, throwing a glance over his shoulder at his small, cluttered domain. The stack of unwashed dishes in the sink stared back at him, but he shrugged it off. “Later,” he told himself, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door behind him.
The cool air outside was a refreshing change from the stuffy apartment, and for a moment, James thought maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. A short walk to the grocery store, maybe grab a few essentials, and then he could go back to his cozy little world without feeling completely useless.
The sun was already setting, casting a warm, golden hue over the street. People bustled by, heading home from work, chatting with friends, or just enjoying the evening. James stuffed his hands into his hoodie pockets, keeping his head down as he walked. He wasn’t exactly the social type, after all. Still, there was something nice about being out here, away from the glow of his computer screen. It made him feel… almost normal.
As he passed by a small bakery, the smell of fresh bread wafted through the air, and for a moment, James’s stomach growled in protest. He hadn’t eaten anything today except that cold pizza, and now that he was thinking about it, food sounded pretty good.
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“I’ll grab something on the way back,” he muttered, glancing up at the sky. It was still light enough to make the trip quick.
But little did James know, this was no ordinary evening. The wheels of fate were already in motion, and the world as he knew it was about to change forever.
In the distance, a strange, shiny bus appeared, rounding the corner at an unnatural speed…
James was lost in his thoughts as he strolled down the sidewalk, still trying to convince himself that getting some fresh air had been a good idea. He glanced at a nearby convenience store and considered stopping in to grab a snack, but something nagged at him. A weird sensation, like the feeling of being watched.
He stopped in his tracks, frowning. The street around him bustled with the usual evening crowd, but there was something… off. The air felt thicker, and an odd, faint hum seemed to fill his ears. He turned his head to look behind him, but nothing seemed unusual. Just cars rolling by, a few people walking their dogs, and,
HONNNNNK!
The loudest, most obnoxious bus horn James had ever heard suddenly blared through the street. Startled, he jumped back, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest. He spun around to see what the noise was about, and that’s when he saw it.
A bus, a massive, shimmering bus, barreling down the street, heading straight for him.
“What the hell?” James muttered, blinking rapidly. The bus was impossibly fast, gleaming with an ethereal glow that certainly didn’t belong in the normal world. His brain struggled to process what he was seeing. It wasn’t just any bus, this thing was different. The paint was too shiny, too perfect, the wheels seemed to glide rather than roll, and the headlights shone with an almost magical intensity.
And it was coming right at him.
James’s instincts kicked in, and he jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the speeding bus. “That was close!” he gasped, his pulse racing. But before he could relax, the bus let out another deafening HOOOONK and swerved, towards him.
“No way…” James whispered in disbelief. He stumbled backward, watching as the bus followed his movements like a predator tracking its prey. Every time he shifted, it adjusted its course, creeping ever closer.
“Are you kidding me?!” he shouted, spinning on his heel and breaking into a run. He dashed across the street, weaving between pedestrians and dodging cars, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and the rogue vehicle.
But the bus wasn’t about to let him get away. It roared after him, screeching as it turned, effortlessly following his every step. James looked over his shoulder and saw it speeding up, the front of the bus gleaming ominously under the streetlights.
“Not today! I’m not dying like this!” he huffed, panic setting in. Spotting an alleyway up ahead, James made a sharp turn and sprinted into it, thinking the narrow passage would be enough to throw the bus off his trail.
He was wrong.
The bus barreled into the alley, scraping its sides against the brick walls, sending sparks flying everywhere. The grinding sound of metal on stone filled the narrow space, and James’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“How is this even possible!?” he yelled, his feet pounding the pavement as he ran deeper into the alley. The alley was so narrow that the bus barely fit, its mirrors and sides scraping against the walls as it forced its way toward him. Sparks flew from the walls, showering James in a rain of glowing embers.
He was running out of room. The alley ended in a dead end, a high brick wall too tall to climb. Panic surged through him. The bus, undeterred by the tight space, inched closer, its horn blaring like a twisted death knell.
James skidded to a stop in front of the wall, his back pressed against the cool brick as the bus ground to a halt just a few feet away. The headlights beamed at him, impossibly bright, and for a brief, absurd moment, James thought the bus looked… triumphant.
“This is it,” he muttered, panting, his mind racing. “I’m gonna die. I’m gonna die because a magical bus wants to flatten me into the pavement.”
Just as the bus lunged forward, closing the last few feet between them, a strange feeling washed over James. His vision blurred, his body went weightless, and the alley around him seemed to dissolve into shimmering light. The last thing he heard was the bus’s horn, echoing like a distant bell, as everything went dark.
And then, nothing.