Bus Stop 2 “The Thing in the Rain”

“It was just one of those nights, when the weekend pours over into Monday. I had a bad day, and I was drinking, something I seriously regret now. The fact I was drunk means that what I saw is just going to be immediately dismissed. But I am not stupid. Alcohol does a lot of things. I would know. But it won't make you see something that isn't there, unless of course you see stuff like that anyway. And I have a clean bill of health, psychologically speaking at least. So when I say I saw something in the rain, something big...well, I wish people believed me.

I had just gotten off a long day at work. One of those days where the boss asks you to work the weekend because he can. I wanted to unwind, so I went to the local bar and had some drinks. Turns out a few drinks were a lot more than I thought. Got to the point where the owner told me to leave. At the time I was sure I was a bit pissy at him... Had I a better mind at the time I would have called for a cab. But my house wasn't that far away so I decided to walk.

It was raining that night, and since it was near the end of the year, it was one of those cold rains that sits a bit heavier on your skin than it should. Helped me sober up a bit, but I was still having trouble walking. Thankfully, it seemed the weather was bad enough to keep most people indoors, including cops. I began my trek home, but in no time flat I was starting to get soaked. I was still at least ten minutes off, so I looked around for something to go under. It was late and I didn't know anyone in the area but I got lucky when I saw a bus stop in the distance. It was raining pretty hard by then, and the alcohol was starting to hit me hard as well.

I stumbled over to the shelter and sat down, suddenly feeling very dizzy. I steadied myself with my hands and kinda lost focus for a while. The last thing I remember was one of the posts of the structure shifting to the left. I suppose I fell asleep because they next thing I knew I was laying on my side. It was growing brighter, though the sun hadn't risen yet. The rain had also stopped, the few drips here and there indicating that it had only ended recently. I looked around, slightly stunned that a cop hadn't come by to bust me. I was cold, but no more wet then I was when I sat down. After a few seconds looking around, I noticed something big was missing.

The bench was the same bench from the night before, but the structure I had taken shelter under wasn't there anymore. I figured I had simply imagined it being there, but the ground around me was dry. Somehow the overhang had disappeared. I realized that I wasn't near the bus stop, just a random bench along the street. I looked around, my eyes a lot clearer from the night before.

Even in the light of the morning, it was easy to spot the thing heading into one of the alleys. It didn't look back at me, but I knew well enough to leave well enough alone and count my blessings. It had long limbs, grayish flesh, and it was similar in size and shape to the shelter I had taken refuge under the night before.”