Arjun sat slumped against the window, watching the city slip by, his eyelids heavy with fatigue. The occasional flicker of a streetlight cast fleeting shadows inside the bus, creating eerie patterns that danced across the empty seats. He rubbed his eyes, trying to stay awake after a long shift at work.

The bus stopped abruptly, jolting Arjun from his drowsiness. He watched as a woman in a red saree approached, her face hidden beneath a veil. Her bare feet made no noise as she glided down the aisle, and she settled into a seat directly across from him. Her posture was unnaturally rigid, her hands resting limply in her lap.

Arjun felt a creeping unease as the bus continued. The driver’s eyes met his in the mirror, filled with an unspoken warning. The woman in red remained motionless, her presence unsettling. Arjun couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

The bus slowed as Arjun pressed the bell for his stop. Just as he was about to stand, the driver’s voice broke the silence, tense and urgent. "Don’t look at her," he said. "Step off the bus. Slowly. And whatever you do... don’t turn around."

Arjun nodded, his heart racing. He stood and moved toward the exit, feeling the woman’s gaze piercing his back. Every step was a struggle against the primal urge to look back. As he stepped onto the pavement, the bus doors slammed shut behind him.

Arjun turned instinctively, just in time to see the woman standing in the middle of the road. The veil had slipped from her face, revealing a hollow void where her features should have been. The bus disappeared into the night, but she remained, slowly advancing toward him.