Chapter 1

 

Brian woke up with a throbbing headache. The worst he had ever had. Brian glanced up at the clock and groaned. The bus was leaving in five minutes. He didn’t even know if he could get out of bed in that amount of time. Reluctantly, he shoved the warm covers off of him and crept towards the bathroom. By time he was done with everything, he was fifteen minutes late. Dashing down the stairs, Brian climbed onto the bus, he received several glares.

 

“Sorry, I kind of slept in…”

 

Kevin rolled his eyes and Nick just turned back to his game boy. Howie and AJ weren’t anywhere in sight. Throwing his bags down, Brian headed towards the bunks. He stopped immediately when he saw Howie sitting with A.J. talking to him. He then realized he would never get any sleep at this rate. Besides that, he wanted to give them privacy when they had their conversations about Taylor. But, he then decided that he wasn’t about to go sleep in one of those seats. Instead, Brian just lay down in the bunk, and drifted off to sleep.

 

The bus swerved, waking Nick from his sleep. His eyes fluttered open and his head nearly collided with the window as the bus came to a halting stop, sending all in to the ground, roughly. Nick screamed and everything shook, and the unmistakable sound of glass shattering was heard. A few seconds later Nick reopened his eyes, the bus had crashed into something. Kevin rushed to see that everyone was okay. He helped Nick out of his seat. The snow fell rapidly, causing a complete white out.

 

“What happened?”

 

“We crashed, oh God, I gotta go check on Kristen,” Kevin replied, off to search for his wife.

 

“Brian, oh my God, are you okay,” Howie asked, bending over Brian. He had fallen out of his bunk when the bus swerved.

           

“My head…”

 

“Yeah, let’s go Bri,” AJ stated helping Brian to his feet.

 

Just then, Nick walked in. “Everyone okay?”

 

“Yeah, I guess…”

 

“Look at it out there!” Nick said, looking out the window. Brian, Howie and AJ then glanced out.

 

“Wow, no wonder we wrecked,” Howie replied.

 

“Well guys,” Kevin started walking into the bunk area with Kristen. “Someone is going to have start walking, once the snow calms. The cells aren’t working and we are really far out.”

 

Hours went by and the five of them sat around the bus, waiting impatiently for the blizzard to slow down. They finally decided that someone needed to start out for help.

 

“Guys, we need to decide who’s gonna go,” Kevin said sitting down. “I can’t go, cause of Kristen….”

 

No one dared to suggest AJ. He didn’t seem to look up to it. Howie had a cold, which was slowly turning into the flu, and Kevin was staying behind with Kristen.

 

“That leaves, Brian and Nick, you guys up to it?”

 

Brian looked at Kevin, shocked. Did he actually believe that he was in the state to walk miles in the snow? He didn’t object though.

 

“C’mon Bri,” Nick said, throwing Brian his bag and coat.

 

They then set out for the nearest house. Only an hour and a half had passed and Brian began feeling awkward. He had a tugging feeling in his chest, and felt light headed and dizzy. Nick kept on, talking with Brian, not sensing anything was wrong. Fifteen minutes later, Brian’s eyes began to droop, and he began to tremble. Nick noticed immediately.

 

“Oh my God, Brian are you okay?”

 

“Yeah,” Brian weakly replied.

           

“Are you sure?”

           

Before he had a chance to respond Brian’s eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the snow covered ground, unconscious.

 

“Brian, Brian! Can you hear me? Brian,” Nick screamed, his voice wavering, as Brian continued to lay on the ground unmoving.

 

Nick found it hard to see, as the wind howled and the snow fell relentlessly, making his face, hands, legs, and arms feel completely numb. He closed his eyes briefly. Trying to regain his composure, knowing that Brian needed help and fast. Nick then gingerly placed his hand under Brian’s neck. He gently placed his other arm under Brian’s legs and lifted him off the ground. A wave of dizziness hit him, causing Nick to stumble. His only goal being to get his friend out of danger, Nick continued forward. He barely made it a few steps, when he couldn’t walk anymore. Setting Brian carefully on the snow he ran his fingers through his thick blond hair. Trying desperately to come to a solution to the problem they were in. His thoughts were interrupted, as a soft moan drew his attention to Brian.

 

“Bri…can you hear me,” Nick asked, his voice drowned out by the howling wind. Nick exhaled a deep breath, relief washing over him as Brian’s pierce blue eyes fluttered open.

 

“Hey, are you okay? You scared me man….”

 

“Nick,” Brian asked softly struggling to sit up.

 

“Yeah, it’s me Brian, here lemme help.”

 

“Why’d you pass out? What’s wrong?”

 

Brian brought his hand to the back of his head and mumbled that he was cold and that he just couldn’t keep walking. He felt bad for lying to Nick. Knowing very well that it wasn’t the cold that had caused him to pass out.

 

“Oh…okay Bri…”

 

“Do you think that you can keep goin’ Rok? I don’t really wanna leave you here alone.”

 

Brian bit his lip, thinking. Knowing that he’d never be able to walk in this blizzard. “I’ll be fine Nick, the others are depending on you…”

 

“No way am I leaving you here alone Brian. Not after you just passed out. Who knows what could happen to you…”

 

Brian sighed, “Maybe, maybe I could.” He pulled himself up and fought off the dizziness.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

“They are taking way to long,” Kevin stated, beginning to pace. “Something’s wrong. I should have never let them go…should have just waited it out.”

 

“Kev, relax I am sure they will be fine,” AJ reassured.

 

“I dunno either guys,” Howie started. “It’s been a while, and they haven’t gotten back yet, hopefully they are okay though…”

 

“The blizzards gotten worse too,” Kevin informed, his tone worried. The three Backstreet Boys, said a silent prayer, hoping to God, that their band mates would return, safely.