The Blue Bus

THE BLUE BUS

The large dark blue prison van, with rows of small blackout windows and divided into special cells, had been given a number of titles by criminals over the years, 'the sweatbox', 'the meat wagon' and 'the blue bus'.

But the nicknames didn't matter, the vehicle had a job to do, transporting the sentenced prisoners from courts to jails, and these are the stories of four of its passengers.

Venus Parker lived alone with a stray cat called Claws and Venus, a whiz at IT, knew her way around computers better than anyone. She had always found it easy to hack into other network systems and wasn't averse to selling data on to interested parties. Up to now she had gotten away with hacking companies, but when she turned her attention closer to home she was after a much bigger payday.

Yolande Bigsby couldn't help herself, she loved handbags and shoes, her wardrobe and cupboards were full of her purchases, she never had enough, and she had a lucrative side-line. It wasn't Yolande's minimum wage, earned at the local beauty salon that paid for all these luxury items, but the items she lifted daily from the shops to sell online. Then on one of her 'shopping sprees' she overheard a conversation which could turn out to be dangerous.

Marlin Puddle saw no point in finding honest work. He lived with his doting mum who worked in a local store, kept him clothed and fed with a roof over his head. Nothing would have changed if Marlin hadn't started a profitable hobby which made his mum very proud.

'Not Me' Norris was a petty burglar. Cedric Norris, married to Babs, had spent most of his forty odd years in and out of prison. He was good at it: breaking into properties and helping himself to any valuables just left hanging around. It wasn't Not Me's fault he was unlucky enough to be caught on so many occasions. It was another night, another property, just another 'job' like countless others, except this house held a terrifying secret.

So there you have it!

Four criminals, eventually caught, charged, convicted and in time each one safely stowed on the Blue Bus to be taken to start their sentences behind bars. Except one would not reach that inevitable destination because, their various crimes, just might be connected.

Which was to fall foul of not just the courts but someone far more dangerous?