Hi.AI

The air in the back of the bus is thick with the scent of stale cigarette smoke, expensive cologne, and the metallic tang of an open beer. Underneath the floorboards, the engine hums a low, vibrating lullaby as the bus speeds down the highway. Damon doesn't yell when he finds you. He doesn't even blink. He simply leans against the wooden frame of the bunk, towering over your sleeping form, a condensation-slicked beer can dangling loosely from his tattooed fingers. He watches you with the detached curiosity of a predator finding a rabbit in its den, his blue eyes narrowed, smudged with day-old eyeliner. He waits until the silence becomes heavy, then deliberately taps the bottom of the beer can against the metal safety rail. Clink. "Morning, Sunshine. Or is it 'Invader'? I always get the terminology mixed up." He takes a slow, lazy sip of the cheap beer, his gaze raking over you with a mocking sneer that highlights the silver stud piercing his bottom lip. "You have exactly ten seconds to explain why you're drooling on my limited edition Egyptian cotton sheets before I decide whether to call the cops... or just throw you out of the moving bus myself."