several months ago a friend of mine alerted me to a puzzling incident on an inner city bus being a bus driver himself he'd heard many of the usual generic stories that would be exchanged around the depot muggings broken windows the occasional couple attempting drunken escapades some drivers even spoke of ghostly passengers who would pay their Fair take a seat on the upper deck and then vanish Without a Trace those latter stories were of a Kind which my friend enjoyed hearing but never took seriously considering them to be merely fictitious entertainment shared amongst co-workers alleviating the
tediousness of an empty Depot at night that was until a fellow driver told him about Ruby so intrigued by the account was I that I took the time to contact all involved piecing together what occurred as best I could Ruby was a pleasant woman even though she had reason not to be in her early 40s life was much harder than it should have been each day a struggle burdened by relative poverty since a child she was compelled to spend most of her time scrimping and saving via two endless jobs both of which she found neither
well pa paid nor enjoyable but her Current financial situation dictated the need during the day she worked as many hours as possible at a supermarket stocking shelves and occasionally bagging groceries at the checkout for customers at night she would attend her second job as a cleaner at a factory Manufacturing of all things cleaning products the irony was not lost on her and neither was the tediousness of it all at the end of each drawn now tiresome day Ruby would return home at night by a long and vapid bus Journey with just enough time to kiss
her 13-year-old daughter Angela on the head Whispering sweet dreams to her as she slept before turning herself in this short private moment of affection was what carried Ruby through her day as it was for her daughter that she struggled Angela's father had abandoned her when she was just 2 years old and with no other family to speak of at least none who could be relied upon Ruby was left to work her fingers to the Bone every day clothing and feeding her daughter while paying for a series of crippling medical bills brought about by the child's
severe asthma she of course did not Grudge the situation for her daughter's condition had improved markedly and that sentiment meant more to her than any amount of work or hardship ever could one night Ruby was asked to work a few extra hours at the factory while she was perpetually exhausted and yearned even for the most meager of rests she accepted the offer gratefully as more hours meant less debt she simply could not afford to decline the opportunity at 11:37 p.m. following the end of her shift she stood at the nearest bus stop illuminated by an
overhead Street Lamp in the darkness waiting with heavy eyelids for the last bus of the night to arrive thankfully the wait wasn't long and soon the elongated vehicle cumbersomely inched its way up the road before stopping slowly opening its hydraulic doors with a hiss and welcoming her into its embrace the driver a baling and irritable man who appeared equally as tired as she did grumbled for Ruby to pay her Fair which she did after rifling through her handbag for what seemed like an age finally producing the desired amount of loose change much to the driver's
annoyance in a day's lethargy she wandered down the aisle taking a seat next to a window at the back as she prepared herself for the long boring routs home the vehicle shuddered back into life pulling away from the pavement as the doors sealed shut stumbling with unsure progress on the last leg of its Journey for the night the engine growled the vibrations climbing up the frame of the bus rattling the windows slightly and causing the seat which Ruby now slumped in to quiver in response the vehicle had seen better days and was clearly reaching the
end of its life the Grime on the windows and floor was a congealed reminder of the countless thousands who had sat in each of the seats weary and thinking of Home discarded gum stuck to a shoe the murmured grievances of its passengers vented daily yet at night the enclosed frame of rusting and neglected metal seemed almost Serene in its apparent emptiness with each turn of a corner the bus juddered from side to side and while the bright fluorescent lights which beamed down from sterile fittings in the ceiling above were enough to keep anyone awake Ruby
found that sleep still lay at the Forefront of her mind but for the driver the bus lay empty as best as she could tell without climbing the coiled stairs to the upper deck which remained obscured as is quite common of weary commuters Ruby lay her head against the vibrating window to her side and persuaded herself it would be acceptable to rest her eyes for a moment just for a few minutes enough to find some Solace from the tiredness which forever haunted her as the bus turned yet another Corner the soothing shaking movement rocked its lonely
passenger slowly gently and finally to sleep how long her eyes had been closed for Ruby didn't know but as her conscious mind came back sharply into Focus from its Slumber the concern of having missed her stop presented itself she detested leaving her daughter alone at home in the first place never mind for any longer than was necessary this worry however was soon replaced by something else an uncomfortable sensation of personal boundary and social convention broken of the air displaced by the form of something close for as Ruby's eyes adjusted to the jagged fluorescent lighting once
more and the bus itself Shook and grunted along the darkened concrete below she stared at her reflection in the window a mirror image now altered from what it had been before a chill crept up her spine as she viewed the appearance of her own overworked sleep-deprived and worried features alongside the strange impression of the person now sitting in the seat next to her as the city lights flashed by from outside Ruby stared at the window momentarily then nonchalantly turned her head to look around deliberately avoiding staring at the individual beside her but this only added
to the sense of unease for other than herself the driver and the passenger there was no one else present this wasn't unusual as public transport was never that busy at night except for the weekends the city quite happily asleep or readying itself for bed only to wake in the morning for work but what concerned her was that a person would choose to sit next to a perfect stranger on an empty bus at night when they were surrounded by vacant seats not wishing to be rude she continued to gaze at the reflection as the passengers appeared
appearance captivated her attention being unusual somehow head bowed as if staring at the ground features obscured by the hood of a dark green jacket this also added to the peculiarity of the individual as it was a summer's night and yet they were clothed as if for winter for a little while they sat in silence but as the continued on its Journey Ruby felt increasingly agitated partly by the proximity of her unwelcome companion but more so by an unknown factor she couldn't truly identify why she was so anxious but a nervousness had begun to overcome her
and the vocal silence which proved the only buffer between them poked and prodded at that sense of discomfort pulling away at it like a scab as seats rattled and the floor vibrated with each uneven depression of the road she peered out of the window once more attempting to allay her unquestionable yet unexplained trepidation the street they were currently on was familiar to her and with a welcome sigh Ruby realized that she hadn't slept long long enough to miss her stop the sense of relief was enough to momentarily overcome her apprehension and while caught in a
more positive frame of mind she began to consider simply talking to her unexpected traveling companion to break the uncomfortable Silence of one sitting so close slowly she turns to the passenger laying her eyes upon the figure their appearance was far removed from the distance and unreality of their Mirror Image immediately Ruby felt frightened as if staring at someone who should not be the dark green jacket was dirty and scuffed in places accompanied by a damp smell with a blackened material around the rim of the hood where once a lighter color had ruled and it occurred
to Ruby that she hadn't seen anything like it for many years made from waxed canvas a raincoat in style yet seemingly Untouched by water for some time the passenger's gender was a mystery as what could be made out of his or her features implied neither yet both with head still bowed staring down at the ground the tip of a nose could be seen the impression of a chin given yet nothing more it's getting a little cold in here said Ruby half statement the rest a question she was surprised herself that the words flowed out of
her mouth but the peculiarity of the situation urged her to break the ice for conversation is The Melody of the mundane yet the passenger did not answer remaining focused on the floor beneath their feet the bus shuddering once more as it negotiated the city streets almost completely devoid of Life a few minutes passed before anxious at the lack of a reply Ruby spoke once more remarking that the the driver had seemed a bit grumpier than usual concluding the observation with a nervously gentle laugh yet again the passenger said nothing watching the world pass by outside
she decided that two attempts of conversation were quite enough she would leave him or her alone and hope the rest of the journey didn't drag too much as a desire to be away from the strange person sitting beside her grew then a sound an unnerving noise one which crawled under the skin of nail upon wood turning slowly to face her unwelcome companion once more she found them staring down at the ground as they'd always been yet the sound was coming from that seene scratching tearing the passenger's hands were now poking through the gap between his
or her own legs dragging Nails up and down against the wooden underneath which supported the cushioned material on which they sat in a horrible stuttering Jagged motion the sound pierced air and E drums alike increasing in volume until Ruby tired and now irritable could no longer endure it could you stop that please she asked yet it continued please stop that Ruby said this time in a forceful tone sharpened by exhaustion the passenger ceased and yet did not move nor face her nor even acknowledge her presence agitated yet relieved in a sense Ruby gazed out of
the window once more trying to extinguish the growing sense of annoyance which was now Building inside of her she took a deep breath in and calmed herself with the knowledge that she'd be home soon rumaging through her handbag she found a half eaten packet of mints and began to unravel them before popping one into her mouth looking up what she now saw froze her to the core the passenger's face peered out from behind her head eyes deep and blackened mouth deformed and skew gaping wide captured hideously in the glass reflection she screamed at the sight
of the face shock turned to fear and fear leap to panic as she yelled and pleaded for the driver to help the reflection leaned in as a rasp of cold breath climbed down the back of her neck body quivering in revulsion as the passenger placed a shriveled hand on her shoulder two of the fingers long since removed at the knuckle the touch was cold and it awoke a sense of fear that Ruby had never known claing for survival she shrieked as the distorted hand pulled her close with effort steeped in Terror she tore away from
the abhorent grit leaping into the seat in front scrambling over the AR and falling to the ground bashing her cheek against the floor the bus vibrated and rattled and hissed and groaned as the passenger Rose slowly to its feet head bowed shrouded by Hood dark green and tattered please God help me Ruby screamed pulling her herself along the floor by her fingertips the passenger followed intently stepping out into the aisle proceeding slowly towards her scrambling and terrified Ruby pulled herself to her feet but as she did so the bus veered wildly Untamed across the road
she stumbled against the momentum but the hooded figure remained rooted and firm the engine now roared and growled as it tore down the wrong side of a main road and then swerved around a corner onto a side street yet the passenger stepped assuredly ever forward as the vehicle raged onward Ruby screamed for the driver to stop but then it occurred to her the bus had long since left left its planned route it screeched across concrete before hurtling down a lane which was barely wide enough to house a car let alone anything more substantial then just
as suddenly the driver slammed on the brakes as the bus lurched to the side before coming to an abrupt hold thrown by the force Ruby grasped onto a seat to brace her fall she Twisted her wrist painfully through a safety handle in the process the engines Roar diminished to a weak whimper as the passenger stepped forward once more bruised and shaken Ruby stumbled to the front of the bus bashing her hands in desperation against the closed sliding doors desperate for escape no matter how loud she yelled no matter how many times she struck with the
sides of her fist against the metal and glass it would not yield she was trapped turning to plead with the driver to open the door to his cabin and shield her from the monstrosity bearing down upon her she saw that it was too late there he lay draped across the wheel uncons ious or dead his body inent tuned in the glass cubicle the release button for the bus door goding her from the dashboard on the other side escape was inches away yet denied by a panel of safety glass which she didn't have the strength to
break a hush then fell as the figure continued towards her please leave me alone Ruby begged fighting back tears yet the passenger did not answer the head remained bowed as each footstep cleanly and clearly knocked on the floor one after the other closer nearer what do you want from me but again no answer for a thing which should not be needs no justification tears now flowed down Ruby's face as Terror spread like a cancer clouding her thoughts and steming her actions yet the passenger Drew closer still unmoved by her pleas in a fit of utter
desperation Ruby turned to the driver once more wake up please God damn it wake up she cried but he remained motionless however the passenger did not it was upon her standing only inches away the mudded green raincoat Sheltering a grotesque being implied inside raising it shriveled def formed an incomplete hand into the air Ruby cowered but as the figure came violently at her a moment of utter Instinct took over she ducked out of the way at the very last second countless shards of glass rained over her as the passengers half fist impacted against the driver's
cabin with brutal force sh in the protective shell thrust by opportunity Ruby poked her hand into the cabin battering the release button next to the driver's head the doors seeed open and just as the passenger raised its hand once more Ruby escaped into the night the police were Co and quickly attended the scene only to find the driver covered in glass dazed but alive and well he remembered very little of what took place as the last thing he recalled was Ruby paying her Fair before he then passed out there was no memory of driving the
bus on the final leg of its Journey nor did he possess any knowledge of the hooded passenger who'd smashed the driver's cabin with no small amount of digging on my part I was able to contact Ruby who after a little persuasion spoke to me in detail about that night the entire ordeal had taken its toll upon her but she was not thankless for the experience for despite not being on its route the bus had mysteriously stopped outside of her home stricken with Terror she instinctively entered her tiny apartment un locked the door behind her but
before phoning the police she quickly called for an ambulance her daughter had suffered a terrible asthma attack and lay moments from Death on the floor thankfully she survived the police found no evidence of the passenger no CCTV footage nor eyewitnesses it was as if the hooded figure had vanished Without a Trace all but for one chilling reminder that it had indeed been there for at the seat where it had once sat was a message clawed into the wood underneath two words which simply read not yet in Ruby's mind those words have haunted her more than
any hooded figure ever could for if not yet when for more terrifying creepy Pastor horror stories check out the playlist or the video on screen
