The loss of his wife had left them in desperate grief and a black dog followed their every step. The freezing night that enveloped the city seemed to have gone on so long that it would never end. The light above the kitchen table where they had eaten so many meals as a family, once so cheerful and warm, now flickered and muted erratically.

When his daughter asked him if it would ever be day again, something changed in him.

He reached a decision. He couldn’t stand the darkness for another minute.

”If we go fast enough, we can catch dawn.”

They sold everything they owned and bought a bus. Someone was always awake in this city. Soon they had passengers - the hopeless, the depressed, the lost, from every walk of life.

Starting off slow, he set off in the right direction and felt his despair turn into a sense of purpose. He had forgotten what it was like to have hope.

“We’ll never catch dawn at this pace,” said a haggard passenger.

He picked up speed. He knew the city was still gasping for breath, but you’d never know it from the dilapidated buildings, dark, unmaintained streets, and empty chill in the air. It was impossible to determine which buildings were abandoned and which contained people who still believed in this place. The roads were frozen solid, but he had no trouble driving on them.

By the time he reached downtown, he had maxed out his speedometer, but still, his passengers cheered him to go faster. It was loud on the bus, as they urged him on with exhilaration and the wind shrieked past the windows.

They exited the city a short while later, having broken the sound barrier.

The bus hurtled down empty road after empty road, finally reaching the highway. Still, he pushed the bus even faster. It felt like they were on a roller coaster. They traveled across the country at break neck acceleration.

The people fed on each other's rising energy, feeling as though they understood each other and were understood themselves. They were so healed by the increasing spirit of well being on the bus as they hurtled closer to daylight that it was like a meal to the starving.

Five minutes after they exceeded the fastest speed ever achieved by any kind of vehicle on Earth, they caught dawn.

[ I wanted this story to be about getting yourself out of depression, like you should get on the bus and not wait for dawn and seek the support of people who understand. I hope that comes across right.]