The Drive-In: The Bus Tour

 The Drive-In: The Bus Tour, Joe R. Lansdale, Subterranean Press, 2005

Part three of a series, this is about a group of people living at a drive-in theater after an unspecified apocalypse.

Their school bus has some gas in its tank, so some of them decide on a road trip to see if anyone else is out there. A very swollen river picks up the school bus, and deposits it in the ocean. Way off in the distance is what looks like a suspension bridge, like the Golden Gate Bridge. The current is slowly sending them in that direction. Before they can get there, the bus is swallowed by a giant catfish. 

The travelers find a group of humans living inside the catfish. The fish is partly artificial, like the builders didn't finish the job. The humans have also reverted to cannibalism. As the days go on, the travelers get the impression that the natives (for lack of a better word) are looking at them, not as friends or allies, but as lunch.

There are only two ways out of a giant fish, or other large animal. Going through the mouth means fighting their way past the natives. The travelers choose the alternate route. Do the travelers make it out of the fish alive? Is there to be a Part Four to this series?

Here is some serious horror, so this is not for the faint of heart. It's nice and weird, with lots of satire, and good writing. It is also full of poo, lots and lots of poo. For horror fans, this is very much worth the time