Hanging on

'What did that conductor say, that I can't board the bus?' Miguel thought as he started running behind the bus, the bus had just started and was slowly picking up the pace.

Miguel reached the back of the bus, maintaining the same speed as the bus. He looked under the fogginess, there was definitely something that looked like he could grab onto it. But if it was touchable or just fog was something he would ponder later.

He hadn't once in a life, had tried doing something stupid like that. Miguel leapt to grab onto whatever was behind the bus. For a moment he was in the air, thinking whether what he was doing was right or wrong. But even as he pondered over it, he felt that it was meaningless. Because for the first time in a whole lot of time he was this excited. His hand grabbed on something, when he felt his body weight as it tried to bring him down the bus.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaah"

Between screams for strength, Miguel lifted his body up as he took one of his feet on a bar. Taking another foot onto it, he realized he was clinging on the back of the bus with his life on the line. And it was freaking exciting.

He looked back at the speeding scenery getting farther and farther away from the view. The place where he had first met those creatures looked like tiny dots that he was able to see only due to the sheer presence of the fire that was still visible from this far away. Miguel was hit with the nostalgia of the place, the first place he had found other creatures from this world. He tried finding another place he could hold onto. Even though it was an awkward position as he was clinging to the back of the bus, much like a lizard, he found it much better than being left behind.

The fog acted as a shroud of some kind. He wasn't able to see anything inside the bus, even as he craned his neck upward for the window. The speed which followed later wasn't something he had thought was even possible. The bus which had started as slow as a snail, was now like a bullet train that rocketed the surroundings, the scenery passed as a blur. Everything around him was like a canvas, that was being shifted rapidly in succession. He was freaking scared by the experience, he was regretting his decision, but it was also his only choice at that moment. The only thing he had to make sure of, was to not let go of the bar. He couldn't guess what would happen to him if he let go.

The fog of the bus darkened to obscure everything such that it felt illusory and not something real. The bus was gradually losing its dimension, growing more and more of becoming illusory by the moment. There was only one thought in Miguel's mind that if even the handle and the grip on his foot became illusory, it won't be long before he fell off the rear of the bus. And that meant a certain death.

Miguel tried to go to the side, each inch was a struggle, little by little he shifted his foot, such that only one of his hands supported his entire balance on the bus. It was a stupid decision, he wanted to see if there was something on the sides of the bus that would help him in some way. But he had to return disappointed back to his position.

Time passed in a blur, his hands and feet had grown numb to the sensation. He was trying hard to not let go. His back had started to hurt pretty bad, and there was only one thought in his mind that propelled him to let go. 'I can't let go.' Miguel thought trying to renew his determination, but even that seemed to be struggling hard against the fatigue of his body.

He recalled everything that had happened to him after arriving in this world. This place didn't give him a moment of rest. It always pushed him toward certain death until he was now clinging to his life very dearly.

Whooshing and wheezing sounds came from everywhere. Miguel had closed his eyes, for the fear of motion sickness. But even then he opened one of his eyes to look in front of him. There was a face staring back at him from the glass of the mirror. Its face as of distorted signals. It looked at him in curiosity. Miguel's legs slipped at the moment. It horrified him to no end. Even as he struggled to get back on the bar, the distorted face didn't do anything to him. It just stood there, looking at him in amusement. Finally after repeated failures, he was able to get back his legs on the narrow edge.

"Mufufufufu" The distorted face laughed in amusement looking at him. Even if it was only laughing in Miguel's pure misery, it didn't make it any better. Miguel could feel his whole body tingling from inside.

"I want to see how long you can hold it," A distorted radio sound assaulted his senses. Like that of a child. Miguel wasn't in the mood to talk with whatever was plastered on the other side of the bus window.

With his eyes open, he had to look at the being in front of him. In case it attacked him from somewhere. Miguel wasn't even sure if he could do anything if it happened. He fastened his hands again on the bars. It was slipping more and more. He had to hang on to it until the next stop arrived. At least he hoped that there was a next stop.

Thinking of all the things that seemed totally uncertain at the moment he couldn't help but sigh at himself. His luck had been pretty bad, since he had touched that damned mirror. He would make sure to shatter the glass, once he is able to return to his world. If that damn thing could even be shattered. That was to be added to the list of uncertainty.

The face seemed to grow more and more distorted until it was part of the fog. Miguel was carefully looking at the transformation.

"You need to be careful. You don't have much time." With the childlike laughter, the distorted face spoke again. And then he saw that it wasn't just the face that had distorted in the fog.

The whole place was within the fog. The bus was traveling in it, having mixed with that fog. Gradually losing its definiteness. It started from the bottom of the bus. The lower part had disappeared, the bar was on the verge of losing its definition.

"No, please no." Miguel prayed for it to not happen. THe bar disappeared, both his feet were hanging in the air, his hands had to bear the whole weight of his body.

Slowly but certainly he could feel that he wasn't even able to feel anything about his stomach anymore which had been plastered onto the rear of the bus surface. He realized he was swinging in and out of the bus. But he didn't have time to see what was inside of the bus. Because the next moment the grip from which had been able to hang till now, was starting to disappear.

"Please no," For a fact, he was losing his hands from the grip and for another fact, the grip had almost disappeared. He could only ask the distorted face for help.

"Please help me." Miguel said, looking at the being. He saw that the being wasn't even smiling anymore. It just looked calmly at him. For an instant both just looked at each other. And then it happened. The bar disappeared and he felt himself falling.

He still looked at the distorted being, the feeling of horror present on his face. He saw the distorted being saying something to him. But what did it matter anymore, when he was going to die. Miguel fell until he was lost in the fog.

Worlds are unique in their own way, each with their own special traits that make them a wonder. Such was the world in which a young man had fallen, losing himself in the process.

Meanwhile on earth in a house three persons were sitting together. Each one of them had tension visible on their faces. Their eyes sunken were identification of the fact that they hadn't been able to sleep properly. How could they when the son of the family had gone missing for 15 days straight.

The phone rang. For a moment their faces were lit up with a hope, hope that it might have been from their son, the man in spectacle and a sharp nose, looking at the phone in his hands. It was an unknown number. He received the call, taking it to his ears. He said, "Hello."

A voice came from the other side. "Hello Mr.Vikshar it's me. Officer Malkolm."