The bus was carrying only two passengers, and they were not together. The young woman, Payton, was twenty-three, tall and fit, and projected a commanding but grouchy, “stay away from me” exterior. She was heading east to make a new start.

The other passenger was an eighteen-year-old boy, Arden, who was small and slender, unsure of himself, and was fleeing an unhappy home situation.

A heavy thunderstorm was pounding the bus as it navigated up a steep and winding lane in the mountains. Mud had seeped onto the road, and the bus slipped sideways a few times, causing the driver and passengers to gasp and wonder when they would finally hit level ground. All they could see was tall trees on either side, crowding the road. They looked scary in the darkness, at least to Arden they did. He was just wondering what he was going to do with himself when they got to the town when the bus slid again, and then, horrifyingly, plummeted over the side.