I think it's really weird how Daily Kos has infiltrated my regular life. I had an experience tonight that was so utterly bizarre and disturbing that, while it was happening, I thought to myself, "I gotta diary this shit and get some feedback. No one's even going to believe it".
Here's the sit:
I live in the greater Denver area and I take the bus quite often. I pretty much adore our RTD system, and I've diaried before about my bus experiences (most of them have been positive, honestly), but tonight I had to take the Scary Bus™. The Scary Bus™ is the 15 or the 15L, and it runs along Colfax Avenue until 2 or 3 in the morning. The reason why I call this the Scary Bus™ is because, after dark, there are some really weird characters who get on and off that bus. And I don't mean, like, a little strange or a tad off-kilter or not doing well, personally or emotionally or mentally. I mean fucked the hell up. You name it, I've seen it.
Needless to say, I do not enjoy taking the Scary Bus™ at night and by myself.
Having said all that, you have to understand that I wasn't even remotely prepared for what I experienced tonight.
The bus was half-full, and the bus driver was the really sweet chick who drives the 15 at night. I've seen her before, and she's so pleasant that I kind of want to just hug her. She puts up with way too much bullshit and she doesn't deserve it.
I always sit on the right side, because I am a fucking directional moron. I would get lost even if I lived in the same neighborhood for 25 years, I swear to God. I gotta see the street signs so I can adjust. I usually sit 2 or 3 seats back (if possible), so I have a pretty good view of what's going on in the front.
Up on the left, in the spaces usually reserved for the elderly or the disabled, there "sat" this kid who could not have been a day over 16. I say "sat" because he wasn't sitting, in the traditional sense. He was listening to something I can only assume was death metal, because of the thrashing guitar sound coming from his phone/iPod. I have been known to do some grooving to the beat on the bus when the mood strikes, but this kid was in. that. shit. deep! He was thrashing his head as if trying to get a spider out of his hair, only it wasn't a momentary thing - he head-banged for a solid 10 minutes, and his body was crazy, and holy shit, I realize how old I sound even describing the scene this way.
(GET OFF MY LAWN!)
Anyway.
That wasn't the disturbing thing about the scene. The disturbing thing was that the head-banging kid was holding a Nerf gun, one about the size of a Super Soaker water gun, and pointing the fake gun at things, and people, and shooting. Over and over again.
And then reloading. Again and again. Even though it was empty.
It took me a solid minute to process what was happening.
He shot the bus driver, more than once. He shot people sitting at the back of the bus. But he mostly shot at the windows, maybe at his reflection, and several times, he got up from his seat to shoot people on the street or on the sidewalk.
There was a nice-looking couple ahead of me, and they were ignoring this kid, and laughing. I couldn't figure out what the fuck was so funny, and how the hell they could ignore this disgusting display. I couldn't figure out why no one was saying anything, and why the bus driver was allowing this, and why I wasn't saying anything.
In total truth, I was scared. The kid looked fucked the hell up; I don't know what that boy was on, but I can guarantee he wasn't sober. I was afraid that, if I confronted him, he might hit me or, even worse, pull out a real gun.
I am not a huge fan of concealed carry, thank you very much.
The head-banging, Uzi-loving kid got off a few stops before I did, thank God, without incident. The entire bus ride with him was an utterly unbelievable display of misplaced anger and violence, and I kept asking myself, "When would I have said anything to get this kid to fucking quit it? Would I have said anything if Little Shiz was on the bus with me? Would I have said something if I had other adults with me, because there is safety in numbers? Should I have talked to the bus driver, or the other passengers, about it first?"
I don't know. I don't have the answer to any of those questions.
Even though there was some good news in Colorado today, this graphic experience tonight seriously harshed my buzz.
What would you have done?