The cold sat and ate upon Erik’s fingers like rabid dogs. Nibbling away at the nerves as quickly as they could as he stood outside the bus stop waiting for the five o’clock Red line. Erik had lost his gloves and his pockets were full of rocks. Rocks collected from his quarry, for the last few days. The rocks, a minor compulsory addiction for Erik when he couldn’t feed his other toxic addictions.
The Red line bus was a two story monster on six wheels. The driver sat on the bottom right side behind a large front window. The doors, two of them, sat on the left side. One next to the driver and the other near the back. The driver slowed the monster. It growled and jerked and finally stopped with an angry burst of smoke from a metal pipe in the back.

Erik shook his hands, willing the dogs from his fingers, picked up the duffel and stepped inside.

The driver stopped him.

“Blessed by the Omnipresent No’doer , you are,” the driver said. His chest and head human. His body was covered in black fur. His hands and feet large and clawed.

“How have you not lost your fingers?”

“There is still time,” Erik said as he placed the duffel on an empty seat and placed his bare hands under his coat.

“The bus is a bit empty this morning Harry. Did you scare them all off with your ugly face and fierce temper.”

“Ey, ridership has been falling off lately. This old Bear has nothing to do with it.”

“The vampire population is growing again. It makes it hard to trust anything. I done no’ how you survive in these conditions. You need to settle somewhere.”

“I haven’t…” Erik began. “I don’t… never-mind.”

“How do you drive this thing being a taur and all.” Erik add.

The bear/man laughed as he closed the bus door and put it into Drive. The Red Line bus growled and lurched forward.

“Where u heading tonight?”

“I’m off to get arrested,” Erik said.

“You can get arrested trespassing, which you do often. Where are you headed?”

The bus begins to slow, it jerks to a stop. Harry opens the bus doors and a pair of gaunt men step upon the bus from the back door.

Erik knows what they are immediately and he begins to stand.

“Sit down!” Harry growls. “No judgement on my bus, ever. Everyone is allowed a ride on this bus.”

“I’m not riding a bus with them on board!”

Erik shouts as he steps toward the front door.

“They are the sole reason for the death of my family!”

Erik glared at the pairs elongated, muscular jaws and bulges beneath the loose fitting clothing.

“Why are they here Harry? They can fly. I thought you were smarter then this.”

Harry stood over Erik, who was not a small human, but was smaller then the human-like bear.

“Sit down Eric,” Harry said, exposing large teeth and a powerful human torso.

“On my bus, you are my guest and will be treated as so, understood.” He adds then repeats the statement to the young vampire. The vampire nod and sit near the back door.

“No one is leaving till they reach the destination. Erik, please finish this plan of you wanting to get arrested.”

Erik sits down.

“Where are they going?” Erik asks.

“I don’t ask. They have passes.” Harry replied.

Erik sat quiet for several moments as the Red Line bumped along roads that had not been maintained in 5 years. Traffic had all but stopped while the vampire-infected humans known as Resurrected prowled the streets.

The North Eastern Territory didn’t used cars much anymore. The Red Line and other buses filled the need mostly.

The bus hit a large patch of trash lying in the street and the bus lurched left then right tossing the passengers around like dominoes.

“Fine… Harry. Fine, I’ll tell you. Stop hitting shit in the road.”

Harry smiled, slowed the bus and it stopped with a jerk. Harry opened the doors. Outside the door, a half mile away was a large stone wall. Erik watched as the two vampires stepped down. Through the grim covered glass he could see them unfurl a pair of wings each and begin to fly. The headed to the wall.

“For the gods sakes, tell me the plan,” the bear/man growled as his claws scraped the metal floor. If it wasn’t for you mother I wouldn’t care less but I promised I would take care ya. Spill it boy.”

“I need to get into the Zoo Harry there is someone I got to find.”

“The Zoo? Are u mental? You know what’s in their, right?”