Chapter Text
The bus was huge. Bigger than any car they’d seen before, anyways, though most of the cars they’d been seeing since they left were. All they’d had back in the village was a motorized cart with no doors, no windshield, and a large basket in the back that just about fit someone Flicker’s size.
They crept towards the hulking machine, crouching to get closer to the ground, sticking behind what limited foliage there was at the rural bus stop. They did what they’d always been taught: checking where their limbs were, staying conscious of their surroundings and what could make noise, what was casting shadow where.
The driver was a human. They seemed to be glued to the door, considering how long they’d been standing there to check tickets, watching passively as people loaded their own luggage into the underside carriers. Flicker was almost worried this one would be a bust too - another night in the forest, waiting for the next bus to come around and hoping that the next driver might be less attentive.
They mentally counted out the distance. Less than thirty feet...thinking quickly, manipulating and twisting their hands while they whispered, a disembodied hand appeared by the legs of a young couple as they stepped to put their luggage into the bottom of the bus. With perfect timing, one fell, her luggage hitting the side of the bus just before her head did.
They waited until the driver hurried over to the couple to check that they were alright. They pulled the hood to their dark cloak up, tightened the buckle around the collar, and took a deep breath. Finally, carefully, they slunk on the bus.
If a scared teenager clinging to their backpack straps like they’d fall apart if they didn’t was out of the ordinary, Flicker couldn’t tell from the reactions of the other passengers. They settled down in a seat near the back, wrapping both their arms around the camping backpack that neatly blocked their face off from anyone who wasn’t sitting directly next to them. From there, the only thing out-of-the-ordinary about them was their shaky breaths, coming in short pants as the short burst of adrenaline wore off.
They spared a glance out the window, jolting in their seat as the luggage doors slammed shut and the front door screeched closed. Sounds that were completely foreign to them. It looked like they wouldn’t be getting anyone in the seat next to them, which was good. Made them less likely to get spotted.
Once the bus started moving, and the lights above turned off, Flicker finally let their shoulders sag. They finally let themselves feel the weight of the last few days sink in, and while their eyes drifted shut they felt their dagger in its sheath at their side. The pit in their chest sunk deeper, and they shifted to make the weapon just a little less noticeable on their thigh. Leaning their head back, Flicker took a deep breath, and went to sleep.