The heavy exhaust dancing from the back of the bus furled the autumn leaves in a whirlwind of gases and amber nature. And in a blip of lost time, a rumbling diesel engine took off down the winding trail. Music blaring, Jeremy didn’t bother to take notice of the vivid fall landscape built around him. Like a barrier from reality, he was trapped on this droning bus ride for the rest of his sanity, while life continued about its ways without him. He looked around at his fellow passengers: a strange, middle-aged man lost in thought, staring into the endless aisles in front of him; a younger woman giggling and laughing, sharing jokes with what appeared to be her daughter, and finally an average looking man, completing some sort of tasks on his laptop. Although he was sure there were many more people in the rows towards the front, Jeremy was too lost in his music and laziness to bother studying his surroundings. The thought of trekking all the way across the Rockies from Denver to Grand Junction with the only incentive being a chance to get yelled at by his condescending aunt for a weekend was altogether one of the worst experiences of Jeremy’s life. And yet, his mother would always go off on a rant, claiming that “we have to keep the family together, this is your only opportunity to see her, she misses you,” and all of the associated business that he couldn’t stand to listen to. In fact, this trip is the main reason why Jeremy had a tendency to hate all of his relatives. Loudly sighing, he turned the volume up and clunked his head against the shimmering window.
	Up ahead, miles and miles down the road, lay a fragment of dusted, cragged metal, jutting out softly into the crisp mountain air. It rose from the broken pavement in a breeze, skittered along past the faded yellow line, and rested once more. And then, a distant rumbling broke out, vibrating with a lull over the rocky crest of the incline. It was coming, and fast. Running, flying, engines roaring, it finally struck into the foreground with a burst of unexpected energy. And the very next moment, the sound of a tire ripping and hissing, lost in the mayhem of sound. A creak, a bend, and a buildup, until finally the breaking point. It had all happened in a matter of seconds, and Jeremy had not even realized until the bus was lying wounded, tilted and mangled on the side of the mountain pass.
	The sudden rustling of dry pines lured Jeremy out of his daze. Although he’d been awake for quite some time, the stagnant atmosphere held him from being alert. He pulled himself out of the warped bus seat and into the twisted steel cabin, searching restlessly for an alternate exit, besides the shattered glass windows. Not even daring to stare into the eyes of the dead passengers on the way out. Morning sun and crisp air filled his body outside, yet there was nothing that could make Jeremy feel better. And without a thought, he headed into the woods at a brisk pace.
	Keeping his head low, all he wanted to do was get away from that bus. The one thing that he found comfort on before the worst weekend of the year was now even worse than the visit with his aunt. Sneakers tearing along the soft pine floor, eyes being shielded from the Rocky Mountain sun. And it carried on.
	Jeremy looked up for the first time in at least an hour or two, and smiled. A hundred yards away lay a noticeable break in the forest, which most likely meant a road of some sort. He quickened his pace up to an eager jog. Trees swept by him in a blur, and rocks jutted out from the earth underneath his quick feet. And finally the woods gave out to the harsh sunlight and a patch of tarmac. What Jeremy saw nearly made him choke; further down the lane, perhaps a few hundred yards away, was a familiar stretch of highway and a crumpled bus.
	Mesmerized by this cruel déjà vu, Jeremy could only feel shock as his hands passed along the steel grooves on the outside of the bus. And as he thought about it more, there was nothing he could do about what was happening to him; it was like being trapped in an alternate reality that is stuck in a perpetual loop. For the second time today, he headed towards the same path through the darkening pines.
	Twilight carried along bursts of chilling, soothing wind that floated about the clearings and rock outcroppings dotting the vast woods. The sun was no longer visible; it left behind a disc of red light fading into dark blue on the other side of the sky. A sudden pain of emptiness struck Jeremy, almost knocking him over. He hadn’t had anything to eat since a peaceful lunch at the bus station in Denver. An awareness rolled into his mind, and he thought about his family in a distant manner. Yet the need for food had swept away his thoughts and replaced them with a primitive need for survival. At this point it was nearly too dark to carry on; the mountainous wilderness provided no natural light. Jeremy gave up, and laid himself on a deep bed of pine needles. He began to shiver.
	Dawn struck him with more urges to eat and drink and he knew that he needed some sort of nutrition if he wanted to carry on. Still in a tired daze, he reached into his pockets and found a crumpled bag of chips. In a matter of minutes, this makeshift breakfast had been consumed. Jeremy dreadfully recognized his surroundings. However, off to the far left of the narrow meadow lay another trail into the forest. He sprinted off towards it more of a means to wake himself up than eagerness. Different surroundings brought a more positive outlook on his future, and he carried off down the path.
	As the sun rose higher into the sky, so did Jeremy’s hopes. The new trail would lead him to a new road, and hopefully a new rescuer. Soon enough, the telltale signs of civilization scattered the landscape; trail markers, benches, and even a cabin or two. With a quickening step, he eventually came upon a new trail, which headed straight for a prominent clearing. Jeremy’s heart raced along with the quick strides of his legs, and for a second time he burst into the right shoulder of a state road. As soon as he gazed at his surroundings, he fell onto his knees and threw jagged blows at the rocky pavement in frustration. There was a large, damaged tour bus straddling the side of the pavement, glistening in the sun. Fighting away tears, Jeremy sprinted forwards into the woods. He didn’t care what happened next. All he needed was to get away from this desolate atmosphere. After losing breath ten minutes later, he slowed to a jog and carried on, dodging tall trees and fallen logs. With a quick decisive action, he shifted his direction 90 degrees to the left, and never looked back. A new path would lead to a new destination, away from the hellish sight of the bus.
	After clearing his head, Jeremy looked around him. It was a typical woodland scene, complete with fresh, green undergrowth and squirrels scrambling up trees. There was a soft chirping of birds in the background and a rustling of gentle breezes that swirled the sunny air. It was almost funny how such a beautiful landscape could hold his mind and body prisoner in such a strange way. Jeremy never really wrapped his head around the current situation he was trapped in, an infinite loop that would hold him forever. He almost laughed when he stumbled across a trail marker, a dusty cabin, and a clearing just out of sight. And as he stepped out onto the curving road, the sun blinded him once more, dragging him out of the shadows of the woods. The bus was straight in front of him.
	Jeremy’s head was screaming and his body was trembling. This wasn’t supposed to happen. A dizziness swept over him, and he fell in and out of thought. More screaming and yelling that seemed to translate into solid noise and static. There was nothing he could do. He had failed to escape, and it was all over. His dirty shoes crossed over the cracked yellow line, and he approached that disgusting bus once more. The world seemed to fade, and his body numbed. Jeremy slowly lowered his back against the crumpled steel, and he sat down on the hot pavement. The numbness sharply gave way, and he was overcome with tragedy and hopelessness. He turned his body away from the sun, lay down in the westbound lane, and closed his eyes.