Midnight. It had to be midnight when it all started.

I was dead tired but couldn’t sleep. I was half awake and leaning against the couch. Oh! Oh, how did I envy those nine around me who could pass out and would be dead asleep for hours longer but not wake. I was the one who was in charge of watching the others.

Great.

Just.

Great.

But as soon as the hand on the wall clock struck midnight, Autumn started to stir. Her mass of blue hair shook and quivered, yet I watched on through tired eyes. She propped herself up on her elbow, leaning over the driver’s seat with a sly smile. I think there were remnants of the effects of the Bud in her system.

As if on cue, Turtle started to wake as well. He held his hands as if he had a bad headache. I watched in the dim lights as the two stumbled towards one another, as if attracted by invisible magnets. Autumn fell into Turtle’s arms for a moment before she looked up at him.

“Pillow Fight?” She asked quietly. Mike snored loudly as if in agreement. I didn’t move, didn’t disturb the horrors I would soon witness.

“As always, sweetheart.” He giggled softly. Autumn went to the couch. Turtle went near me. They each grabbed a pillow by the soft corners. As if in silent agreement, both lifted the weapons high over their head, choosing a target. The couple nodded, each counting down without noise.

And then all of drunken hell broke loose.

Tony whacked Rian.

Autumn smacked Vic.

“FIGHT US, WEENIES! IF YOU DARE!” Tony yelled. I leapt up in shock and ran to the back lounge before Autumn could even blink. Everyone sprang into action as Tony and Autumn had a hayday in the front part of the bus. Jaime made a mad scramble behind me, but I had already locked the door.

“Willow! Willow! Help MEEEE!” he screamed as Tony dragged him back and began to ferociously beat him with the couch cushion.

Oh, so this is what they meant by Vic saying that Tony and Autumn took pillow fights to an extreme level. I watched from the little window as people found shelter, took weapons, or began to scream. I’m pretty sure Canada could hear us.

When Tony wasn’t looking, I snuck out of the back and grabbed the pillow from my bunk. I made a hit-and-run on his head, knocking him towards Zack.

Well, when I ran to the front lounge, it went a little something like this.

Jack was on top of Alex’s shoulders, crouching so he couldn’t hit the bus roof. Jack had a pillow and so Alex was holding onto Jack’s legs. Mike was yelling bloody murder as Vic smacked him in the leg with a pillow. I saw Jaime’s leg disappear as he crawled under the couch and whimper like a coward. Zack and Rian were having an epic duel Rian jumped on Zack’s back and ran around like a knight on his steed. Rian was just squealing and Zack was ramming into Alex repeatedly until Jack jumped ship and nearly landed on Mike. He rolled onto the floor, trying to crawl into Jaime’s hiding spot. Himes proceeded to shove Jack into the way of Autumn, who nearly fell onto Vic.

Meanwhile, I was cackling like a hyena and holding my pillow out like a barrier, running into everyone.

It was havoc, but it was fun!

“YOU SHALL ALL PERISH, YOU BUTT-QUEEFS!” Autumn screamed at the top of her lungs and jumped on Tony’s back. He held her legs as she slammed everyone with her pillow, continuing to bruise people with soft sleeping objects. We eventually all fell to the floor, panting heavily. The duo of doom stood triumphant.

“Are we done?” Jaime whined from under the couch.

“Ding?” I asked them.

“HIDE-AND-GO-SEEK, BITCHES! Y’ALL GOT THIRTY SECONDS BEFORE I BEAT YOUR ASSHATS!” Turtle promptly shouted. Vic let out a scream of horror as Tony closed his eyes and loudly started to count.

If you though the pillow fight was chaos, this was devestation.

Jaime continued to hide himself further under the couch, taking a blanket and blocking up the hole so it looked like nothing was there.

Vic took the shade off the lamp and shoved it on his head, turning off the lights in the process. (He was still pretty drunk, so don’t ask me why his rational thoughts would lead him under a lamp shade.)

I saw Zack and Rian dive into the front of the bus, under the driver’s consol. The darkness was enclosing all of us.

Autumn rushed to the back lounge.

I heard the front door slam shut so I assumed that either Jack or Alex was out there.

Mike crawled through the top hatch to the roof….It was eight feet off the ground.

And I was left standing in the dark. I ran out of the bus, silently closing the door behind me. I stood out in the open Arizona air, trying to decide.

“Shh…It’s Tone!” Alex whispered loudly.

“Bitch, Ding!” I growled and looked around. Bush, no. Cactus, ouch. Roof, taken. Jack and Alex were hiding behind the wheels, attempting not to be found. They sounded like they were whispering, so they didn’t realize where I was going when I saw the perfect opportunity.

Undercarriage? Open!

I opened the door and crawled inside, closing the door and tucking myself between Jaime’s bass guitar case and my suitcase. I was safely tucked away.

“THIRTY, WEENIES! YOU SHALL BE FOUND, PEASANTS!” Tony screamed loud enough for the boxes to rattle.

For the next ten minutes, I evened my breathing. The door of the bus opened.

“Imma gonna get chu.” Autumn growled alongside her boyfriend. I paled, even in the dark, and felt myself freeze. I was curled up in a little ball.

“Ha! Found you, lover boys!” Tony chuckled. Jack and Alex whined before stretched. I heard them lean against the metal exterior of the bus. The cold started to seep into the undercarriage. I was getting cramps.

Why, oh why, did I have to hide here!?

“Who do we have left?” Jack asked. There was a moment of silence.

“We found Mike?” Autumn questioned.

“He was on the roof, that ninja. All we have is Willow.” Turtle announced. I heard voices join him outside.

“Where is she?” Jaime asked.

“Undercarriage?” Vic suggested. The door opened and I knew I was discovered. Closing my eyes, I saw light of the moon start to flood the small space. The breeze covered me like a blanket.

Yet, I heard nothing.

“Hmm…nothing. Where is she? It’s too small for her to fit in here anyways.” Tony grumbled more and slammed it shut. I winced from the loud noises.

“She’s probably fallen asleep in her bunk or in the back lounge, again.” Mike suggested. It’s true that I fall asleep back there a lot. There was a stampede of footsteps as they all walked up the steps and closed the door.

Wait, they didn’t see me!

They didn’t see me!

I grinned, knowing I was the ultimate champion. Now that I knew I was the last one left, I should’ve just revealed my location, but it’s much more fun to keep on hiding and let them find me. I heard the muffled voices, but one was clear.

“Don’t forget to lock it, Tone.” Jaime reminded him. My eyes popped open. When I got in here, it wasn’t locked. Wait, there’s no way out!

There was a little pop as the key locked it in place. I tried to squirm away, but I couldn’t get out. I had gotten myself stuck in here! Great, just great. I’m stuck in this smell area until someone comes to get me. That might be another ten minutes.

There was more rustling noises above me until they stopped. I felt my eyelids grow heavy with sleepiness. There was silence above. No one was moving.

I think they all fell asleep.

Uh. Oh.

“Ding! Ding! Jaime! Ding!” I tried pounding above me, but I couldn’t get a good knock. The roof of the undercarriage was low to the ground. I couldn’t raise my fist up so high. One of Mike’s drum cases fell on my arm, trapping it.

“Ding! Ding!” I yelled, but my voice was too muffled. With a sigh, I realized that maybe this was for the best. At least Vic wouldn’t whine at three in the morning that he had to go pee again. He always did that when he was hammered.

So I slept there that night in the undercarriage of the bunk with Jaime’s smelly bass case, Mike’s snare case on my arm, and my own little darkness starting to creep into my mind.

Notes