The last bus to Pyatty

Arjun boards a mysterious bus to Pyatty, only to realize he doesn't belong with eerie passengers.

Arjun shivered and drew his jacket closer. The sun was setting, taking with it the warmth of the day. His uncle James had told him to make sure he took the 6 o’clock bus to Pyatty. He had wandered around in Coonoor, and lost track of time. In the falling dusk, a quietness crept into the air. Far up in the mountains, lights were coming on.

“I better call Uncle James and let him know I’m late,” he thought. But his phone was dead. He contemplated walking. But the roads were dark, and there were leopards, bears and gaur roaming the hillsides. Just then he heard a sound… the low hum of an engine.

He smiled as he watched the twinkling lights of the bus approaching. Its headlights cast long, flickering shadows as it emerged from the darkness. Arjun read the faded board on the top: No 13 — Pyatty. He waved the bus down. With a hiss of its brakes, it came to a halt in front of him. He climbed in. The driver was an old man dressed in a khaki uniform. He had a small towel on his shoulder.

“Late night for a boy like you,” he muttered as he looked straight ahead. His voice was dry, like leaves rustling in the wind.

Arjun hesitated. The bus started up. He walked down the aisle. It was icy cold inside. The passengers were silent, their faces turned away. There was a little girl in a long skirt and blouse holding a weather-beaten teddy bear, a woman in a white traditional tribal costume, a man with a coat over his veshti, a boy his own age… Arjun walked to the end of the bus and sat down.

It was pitch dark outside. Arjun could barely see the trees that lined the road. Soon, a grey swirling mist came up from the valley. He glanced at his co-passengers. A chill crept into his bones. There was something strange about them. They sat so quietly, barely moving and… not breathing?

What was this bus he had boarded?