The Devil's Carnival

Stranded

“Well f**k me!” Danielle sat upright and as she spoke the cigarette fell from her mouth. Leaving a very shaken Amanda in the presence of Mina and Danielle Brian ran to the front of the bus to check on Bob. The women were worried and Brian had all the right intentions but Allen, Tom and Michael were more concerned with their own health. “Are you serious? Do you have any idea what this will do to my heath?” Allen shouted as the three of them set into a hasty retreat, but it didn’t stop there. They kept right on complaining about harmful emissions, the effects on their health and something about cancer. “You know what?” Tom pointed a finger in Bob’s direction just as Brian had a grip on his arm and pulled him to his feet. “You and your boss can expect a lawsuit.” Allen and Michael cheered him on but Bob and Brian hardly heard. “Are you ok man?” Bob rubbed his eyes as he nodded. “No worse for wear. Thanks.” Brian helped Bob back to the bus where he disappeared inside. Mina felt her heart sink from her throat and she relaxed once she saw the driver was back on his feet. Now calmer, she felt a little twinge of guilt at not going over to help or see if he was alright. “You know what?” Danielle spoke up after relighting her fallen cigarette and both Mina and Amanda turned to look at her. She tapped her heals together as she pointed at the bus. “All this is old lady credo’s fault.” She said it just loud enough for everyone to hear. Despite having realised Danielle had a ‘strange’ personality the comment caught everyone just a little off guard. Mina stared at her for a good while before she spared a glance at Mrs. Gimble who clearly heard her as well. She had her nose in the air and a frown contorting her face. “How the hell do you make that connection?” Amanda asked as her face grew red. She had recognised Mrs. Gimble although it didn’t look it and although she had her opinion of the woman she did feel the comment a little unnecessary, Danielle on the other hand saw nothing but truth in it. She narrowed her eyes and stared into the bellowing smoke before she raised a finger. “The big man hates a hypocrite.” Mina rolled her eyes and looked in the opposite direction as Danielle giggled to herself. “And if she didn’t have that book shoved so far up her ass the sheer weight of it wouldn’t have blown out the bus.” This time she burst out laughing and very nearly fell flat on her back. As for the rest of them, they either didn’t share her humour, which didn’t bother her at all, or simply had their own worries. When Bob reappeared from inside the bus all eyes were on him. “I’ve managed to find a tow company that can get this thing back to civilisation and I have arranged for a new bus to collect everyone. Bob removed his glasses and cleaned the on the edge of his shirt. There was unanimous relief amongst all of them, finally this was almost over. “But...” The word was barely uttered before there came the moans, groans and cemetery from the crowd. “What kind of service are you running here?” Tom yelled. “How long are we going to have to wait here? It’s cold and dark and what if some maniac starts picking us off one by one?” Amanda was slowly becoming hysterical. Seeing this Brian hurried right over to her side and wrapped an arm her. She trembled slightly as she attached herself to his arm. “Yeah, or all at once.” Michael said sharing her thoughts. “Don’t worry, the bond’s always the first one to die.” Allen said laughing as he elbowed Michael in the stomach. He may have been making jokes but Allen saw no humour in it. Danielle, also blond, took immediate distain to the remark although it was meant for Amanda. ”There is no way some leather face freak’s getting anywhere near me!” She leapt to her feet and stomped out her cigarette before she crossed her arms on her chest. Brian was, understandably, fuming, knowing the remark was targeted at Amanda but Danielle’s outburst seemed to have disarmed the situation just enough for everyone to calm down, well almost. All but for Tessa Parker that is. “This is pathetic. I have never in my life had such bad customer service. Of course one can understand things can go wrong but this is just ridiculous! I do hope you don’t intend to bill us for the second bus?” Once again it wasn’t a question but a demand. Silently Harold feared for what might happen should anyone answered the question incorrectly. “Everyone please stay calm. Ma’am you will not be charged.” Bob said with his hands raised in the air, something which was quickly becoming his default gesture. “Now it will take our ride a while to get here so everyone please stay close. If you wonder too far they won’t wait for you.” Everyone was more than a little unhappy, everyone except Danielle that is. She shifted from her right leg to her left and lit another cigarette. Again she held the pack out to Mina and after her polite ‘no thank you’ quickly returned it to her pocket. “s**t sorry, you don’t smoke. Why do I keep forgetting?” Mina smirked before looking up the dark road. Bob sat on one of the bus’s steps, Amanda and Brian huddled to one side, and Tessa was giving Harold a piece of her mind while Allen, Tom and Michael wondered off in the opposite direction. As time dragged on Mina sat down on the side of the road. Danielle fished her flask from her pocket and held in up in the air as she joined her. She gently nudged Mina ot get her attention before she pointed the flask at the three bodybuilders. “Here hoping those three get eaten by the maniac first.”