The Route 23 Night Bus has a rule: No woman named Sierra is allowed on board. Every time you ride, you have to pass a facial recognition scan before you can even drop your coins in the box. It doesn’t matter if you’re the Mayor’s daughter; the driver will throw you to the curb. Even a mother desperate to get to the hospital to see her sick child gets dragged off without mercy. I didn’t buy it. I forged an ID and hopped on, challenging the driver: "Why ban women named Sierra? This is public transit, man. Isn't that discrimination?" The driver just smiled, a cold, thin expression. "If a Sierra is on board, everyone on this bus will be dead within three hours." My hand tightened around the fake ID in my pocket. Chapter 1 "What's wrong?" The driver shot me a glance. I waved my hand quickly. "Oh, nothing!" I took a seat and shook it off. There’s no way someone’s name could kill a busload of people. That’s insane. He was probably just messing with me to dodge the question. Curiosity kills the cat, but it also sells tickets. The Route 23 Night Bus had become an urban legend, a TikTok hotspot. I was just another thrill-seeker here for the ride. I closed my eyes, drifting off. Suddenly, a woman with curly red hair behind me spoke up. "How much longer to Hollow Creek? Feels like we've been driving forever." I opened my eyes. Outside, it was pitch black. No streetlights. I had no idea where we were. Someone else chimed in. "Yeah, driver. Hollow Creek is the next stop. We’ve been rolling for thirty minutes." I looked at the driver. He was gripping the wheel, his expression grim. "Are you sure none of you are named Sierra?" "No way. You checked all our IDs, didn't you?" "Something's wrong," the driver growled. "One of you is lying. Whoever is named Sierra, stand up now." My heart skipped a beat. I checked the time. Thirty minutes had passed. Hollow Creek should have been a ten-minute ride. Was the rule real? I shook my head. Impossible. "Driver, quit joking. We passed the facial scan. You think we can trick a machine?" "A Sierra has her ways!" the driver shouted, startling everyone. "Thirty minutes gone. You have two and a half hours left. If you don't want everyone to die, confess! Or turn her in!" I was glad I came alone. But I still couldn't wrap my head around it. "Hey! That's Hollow Creek Station!" I pointed ahead, relieved. The redhead grabbed her bag. "Finally! You're driving so slow today. I'm filing a complaint!" But as the bus approached the station, the driver slammed the gas pedal to the floor. "Hey! What are you doing? That's my stop!" The redhead hammered the stop button. "Look outside! Do you really want to get off?" She looked. So did the rest of us. "Ah!" She shrieked and collapsed into the aisle. Everyone scrambled to the left side of the bus, away from the window facing the station. "Why are there so many people?" Hollow Creek flashed by. It was 9:30 PM. Usually, it’s a ghost town. Now, the platform was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with people. They stood with their heads bowed. As the bus flew past, they all snapped their heads up in unison. Their eyes glowed green. They lunged, trying to grab the bus, but we were moving too fast. "Oh my god!" I gasped, pressing my back against the glass. In that sea of green-eyed monsters... I saw myself. "Sierra?" A familiar voice. My boyfriend, Clay, was staring at me in shock. "What are you doing here?" Chapter 2 "What did you just call her?" The redhead whipped around. Her eyes went wide when she saw me. "Sierra!" "J... Jade?" I stammered. My jaw dropped. Jade was supposed to be studying abroad in Europe. She wasn't due back until next year. What was she doing on a bus in the middle of nowhere? "Sierra?!" A guy with a buzzcut stood up. "Mr. Stone?" I was floored. My old neighbor? I stood up and looked around. My elementary school classmate, my kindergarten teacher, my high school nemesis... even an online tutor I’d used once. I knew everyone on this bus. "You called her Sierra? Is that her name?" The driver didn't turn around, but his eyes in the rearview mirror were predatory. Clay hesitated, staying silent. But Cliff, my high school bully, lunged forward and snatched my fake ID. "Kimberly Steele? Since when do you have a fake name? You're Sierra! Sierra Mason!" "Throw her off!" the driver roared. Everyone flinched. Since we all knew each other, they hesitated. "Come on, driver. It's probably a coincidence. A name can't kill people." The door hissed open. The bus was still speeding. "I said, throw her off." At this speed, I’d be roadkill. And with those things outside... "Don't panic!" Clay pulled out his phone. "The next stop is Riverdale. I've called the cops to meet us there. Everyone just—" He froze. We all crowded around his phone. Jade covered her mouth. "We're moving towards Hollow Creek? But we just passed it!" "GPS must be glitching," Cliff said, pulling out his own phone. His face went pale. Everyone checked their maps. We were all showing the same thing: The bus was driving from the start terminal back toward Hollow Creek. "Decide! Or it's too late!" the driver screamed. "It's her! She's the only Sierra, and she lied about it!" Cliff grabbed my arm. "Driver! Stop the bus! I'll throw her out!" "Once the bus starts, it only stops at the station," the driver said coldly. Cliff gritted his teeth and started dragging me toward the open door. "Are you crazy?" Clay blocked him. "That's murder!" "She won't die! Just get her off!" Jade pushed Cliff. "You believe this supernatural crap? If you throw Sierra off, I'm throwing you off!" "AHHHH!" A scream from the back. My kindergarten teacher was curled up in her seat, shaking violently. In the seat in front of her sat a bloody corpse. Jade gasped. "Where... where is his head?" "Rocky!!" Cliff screamed. Rocky was his best friend. "His head... and his legs... where are they?" Cliff's eyes were bloodshot. The teacher sobbed, "I... I don't know. He just... became like that in a blink..." Rocky’s torso, unsupported, slumped into the aisle. Missing a head. Missing both legs. Cliff turned to me, eyes wild with rage. He lunged for my throat. Chapter 3 "You're insane!" Clay kicked Cliff away. Cliff pointed a shaking finger at me. "Sierra! It's the name! Sierra represents the Earth! It's burying us!" "Stop talking nonsense!" Jade yelled. "There could be a million reasons. The driver is lying!" "You don't get it?" Cliff laughed maniacally. "The rule says 'No Sierra'. Think about the names! Look at the dead guy! Rocky! Rock! Earth!" People started whispering. "Wait... Clay. Jade. Stone. Cliff. Even the teacher's name is Sandy." Cliff pointed at Rocky's corpse. "The driver... his name is Forrest. Forrest means Wood. In the cycle of elements, Wood conquers Earth. Roots tear the earth apart. That's why his head and legs are gone! He was ripped apart by the roots!" "It's Hollow Creek Station!" Jade shouted, pointing out the window. The station glowed with a ghostly green light in the darkness. "Don't stop!" she screamed. We all saw it. Among the crowd of monsters waiting at the platform, Rocky was standing in the front row. He was smiling at the bus. "AHHH!" Another scream. The teacher looked to her left. Another corpse. Headless. Legless. "Peter!" She cried. Peter... Rock. Cliff pointed at me again. "I told you! It's the Earth names! She's Sierra! Mountain! She's the biggest target!" "We have two hours," the driver said through gritted teeth. The teacher, broken by fear, rushed up with Cliff to grab me. "I'm sorry, but you have to go!" The mob mentality took over. "It's your fault for sneaking on!" "Sorry, kid. It's us or you." Except for Clay and Jade, everyone closed in. "No! Stop!" I struggled, but there were too many of them. They dragged me to the open door. The wind howled like a banshee. The asphalt blurred beneath us. "Stop it!" Clay threw himself over me. Cliff punched him in the face. Clay's head slammed into a seat back. The metal buckle on his bag gouged the upholstery. He groaned, sweat pouring down his face from the pain. "Clay!" I reached for him, but Cliff grabbed my hair. He yanked my head out the door. One shove, and I was gone. "NO!!" As I screamed, the grip on my hair vanished. Warm liquid splattered my face. I looked up. Cliff’s head... was gone. Jade hauled me back inside and shoved me into a seat. "Nobody move!" Jade stood in front of me, fierce as a lioness. "Don't you see? Anyone who tries to kill Sierra dies!" Clay struggled to his feet, standing beside her. "You saw what happened to Cliff. If you want to try next, go ahead." The mob hesitated. Cliff’s death might have been a coincidence, but nobody wanted to roll those dice. Jade yelled, "Think! Who made the rule? Who is driving this bus? Why are we attacking each other instead of the guy named Forrest?" The realization hit them. I sat there, gasping for air, shaking. I looked at the seat Clay had hit. The fabric cover was torn. Underneath, there was a deep scratch from his bag buckle. I reached out to touch it. I froze. There wasn't one scratch. There were thirteen. Identical scratches. Right on top of each other. Chapter 4 Clay and Jade were arguing with the passengers, but my world had narrowed to those thirteen scratches. Clay only hit the seat once. Unless... this wasn't my first ride. Wait. Why did I get on this bus? To challenge a rule? That sounded stupid now. I pulled the fabric cover back down, hiding the marks. I stood up and walked to the driver. "Hey. Show me your ID." Forrest gripped the wheel, silent. "You keep saying the name 'Sierra' kills people. But Cliff's theory about Wood eating Earth... that applies to you, not me." Forrest stayed silent. "Clay! Jade! Help me!" They didn't hesitate. They pinned the driver's arms. I reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. ID Name: Forrest Graves. "Graves?" The passengers gasped. "Sending us to our graves..." someone whispered. "He's the Grim Reaper!" "He's the Wood element! He's the one killing the 'Earth' passengers!" "Throw him off!" A guy rushed forward and grabbed the wheel. "I can drive! Get rid of him!" They dragged Forrest out of the seat. He didn't fight. He just looked at me with a chilling, knowing smile. His lips moved. See you soon. I kicked him out the door. He vanished into the dark. No sound of impact. We waited. Silence. No more heads popping off. "Where are we?" Clay rubbed his head. "I feel like I blacked out." "Look! Lights!" Streetlights flickered on. Hollow Creek Station appeared ahead. No ghosts. Just a normal, empty station. No police, though. We were stuck in a loop, but we had survived this round. "We made it!" People jumped off the bus, hugging and crying. Those who tried to kill me apologized profusely. I didn't blame them. Survival instinct is ugly. A few locals waiting at the station looked at us weirdly. "Hey," I called out, high on adrenaline. "It's late. What are you waiting for?" "The 23," one said. "Isn't it due?" "The 23 just..." I turned around. The bus was gone. I checked my watch. 9:30 PM. The exact time I boarded. "Here it comes!" someone shouted. Headlights cut through the fog. The red LED sign read ROUTE 23. I looked at the driver's seat. Forrest Graves was looking right at me. I collapsed onto the bench. "No... the name change wasn't enough..." "Sierra? What are you doing?" Clay and Jade grabbed my arms. "Bus is here. Last one. Let's go." I looked around. The people who were just celebrating survival had reset. They were lining up like sheep. Forrest shouted the warning: "No one named Kimberly allowed! IDs out!" I understood. I stepped onto the bus. This time, I was going to break it. Chapter 5 "Name?" Forrest asked. "Marina Waters." I stared him down. Clay and Jade looked at me, confused. I shot them a look to stay quiet. I had forged a dozen IDs to get on this bus. Marina was one of them. We were in a time loop. But I was the anomaly. I remembered. Forrest checked the ID. He paused. In Chinese philosophy, Water nourishes Wood. If Wood (Forrest) destroys Earth (Sierra/Clay/Jade), then Water (Marina) feeds him. He let me pass. I sat down and picked at the seat cover. Thirteen scratches. It all flooded back. The metal buckle. The scratch. The loop. I remembered the previous attempts. Attempts 1 through 12: Everyone died except me. Attempt 13: I changed my name to Kimberly Steele. Metal cuts Wood. I threw Forrest off the bus. We survived the ride, but time reset. We didn't break the cycle; we just delayed the inevitable. Attempt 14: This time. Fighting him (Metal) didn't work. Feeding him (Water) might. I looked around. Clay, Jade, Rocky, Cliff, Sandy... All Earth names. All destined to be consumed by the Forest. Except me. My real name is Sierra. Earth. But I cheated. The 12th time, I realized why I was the only survivor. He couldn't kill me because I wasn't technically "Sierra" when I boarded. I was using fake IDs with different elemental associations. I looked at Forrest in the mirror. He looked back and smirked.
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