Lim Chu Kang Cemetery, one of the largest cemeteries in Singapore, has long been cloaked in eerie tales and whispered secrets. Nestled in the north-western part of the island, it houses graves of diverse communities, from the early Chinese settlers to Malay Muslims and even British soldiers. The sprawling grounds, lined with old trees and misty undergrowth, exude an atmosphere ripe for ghostly encounters. Among these, the legend of the last bus at Lim Chu Kang stands out.
It was the 1980s, a time when Singapore was rapidly modernising, yet certain places remained steeped in the old ways and lingering superstitions. Mei Mei, a modern young woman and a sceptic at heart, found the ghost stories her friends loved to tell utterly ridiculous. To prove her point, she accepted their dare to take the last bus from Lim Chu Kang Cemetery, confident that the only thing to fear was fear itself.
That Friday night was especially humid, with the air thick with the scent of wet earth and rotting leaves. Mei Mei stood at the small, nondescript bus stop, barely illuminated by a flickering street lamp that cast long, eerie shadows on the ground. Her group of friends had accompanied her to ensure she actually carried out the dare, and they all stood together, giving each other courage.
When the second-to-last bus came along, they hopped onto it, smirking at Mei Mei, thinking she would abandon the dare and join them. But Mei Mei stood her ground and watched her friends leave, feeling their gazes lingering on her as the bus pulled away, leaving her alone at the bus stop waiting for the last bus.
As the minutes dragged on, the surroundings grew quieter, the usual hum of distant traffic replaced by an unsettling silence. She glanced at her watch; it was almost midnight. The last bus should have been there by now.
Suddenly, she heard the low rumble of an engine. She looked up to see an old, decrepit bus approaching, its headlights piercing through the darkness. The bus came to a screeching halt, and the doors creaked open. Mei Mei hesitated for a moment but then stepped inside. The interior was dimly lit, and she noticed that it was nearly empty, save for a few passengers who sat eerily still, their faces obscured by shadows.
She approached the driver and paid her fare with a handful of coins, the metallic clinks echoing in the otherwise silent bus. The driver, an old man with a weathered face and hollow eyes, gave her a nod before she moved to take a seat near the front, clutching her bag tightly. As the bus started moving, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. The road through Lim Chu Kang was narrow and winding, flanked by rows of graves that seemed to go on forever. Mei Mei's unease grew as she noticed that the bus didn't follow the usual route. Instead, it took a turn deeper into the cemetery grounds.
Her heartbeat quickened as the realisation sank in. She looked around at the other passengers, hoping to find some reassurance, but they all seemed wrong. Their features were flat and lifeless, resembling the paper effigies burnt during the Lunar Ghost Month. One woman was dressed in an outdated cheongsam, her face a painted mask of sorrow. An old man clutched a walking stick, his eyes mere black dots fixed on the floor. A child sat by the window, her vacant stare directed at something unseen outside, her limbs stiff and unnatural.
Desperation set in, and Mei Mei mustered the courage to approach the driver. "Excuse me, sir," she said, her voice trembling, "I think there's been a mistake. Can you let me off at the next stop?"
The driver didn't respond. Instead, he slowly turned his head to face her, revealing hollow eye sockets. Mei Mei stumbled back, her heart pounding in her chest. She ran towards the back of the bus, but the passengers seemed to close in around her, their paper-like hands reaching out.
Just as she felt her consciousness slipping away, the bus jolted to a stop. The doors opened with a hiss, and Mei Mei found herself ejected onto the ground. She gasped for air, her surroundings coming into focus. She was back at the original bus stop, the flickering street lamp the only source of light.
The bus was gone, and the night was eerily quiet again. Shaken, Mei Mei scrambled to her feet and ran towards the main road. When she finally reached safety, she looked back one last time. The bus stop stood empty, and the silence of Lim Chu Kang Cemetery was all that remained.