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Chapter Five

"We have to break a window." Kevin instructed, already grabbing a foldable chair while the rest were still trying to grasp the idea of standing on the side of the bus.

"Looks like WWF live." AJ said in a daze. Everyone ignored him and Kevin slammed the chair to the glass window as hard as he could but nothing cracked.

"It's made to withstand millions of fans." Brian reminded him.

"Damn it!" Kevin cursed under his breath.

"Wait, we nose dived right? So the driver's screen must have cracked." Brian pointed out.

Everybody's face lit up.

"Quick, this bus could blow up at any time!" Kevin shouted out his orders.

Nick saw Joe's lifeless body crushed on his seat, his eyes still open, in shock he assumed. He turned his head, unable to accept the truth.

"Oh my God, Joe's dead?" Nick said, tears stung in his eyes.

"Nick, concentrate, we have to get out of here." AJ consoled him as he watched Kevin say a silent prayer and close Joe’s eyelids.

Howie gave a hard kick and a small portion of the windshield broke into tiny glass. Another kick made a decent hole for a person to pass through.

"Try one more time, let's make a bigger hole." Brian said. Nick secretly thanked Brian for that. He wasn't sure if he could pass through the hole.

Howie tried one last time but it didn't budge. Kevin tried too but to no avail. "There's no time, we have to make do."

Nick watched as Howie threw their bags out and then passed through himself, followed by AJ. Both went out unscathed. Kevin was next and as big as he is, he didn't get stuck.

"Okay Bri, let's go. Watch for the glass, some is quite sharp." Kevin said.

"Why don't you go first Nick?" Brian suggested.

"No, I'm not even sure if I can pass through that, it's too small for me." Nick said.

"No way, if Kevin can do it you surely can too."

"I've got big ass." Nick whined.

"Girls love that." Brian said.

"Now it sucks." Nick cried.

"I'll help, come on." Brian urged.

"No, I might slow us down, you go first." Brian didn't argue and went through first without any difficulties.

"Okay Frack, your turn. I'll be out here to catch you, come on."

Nick went through head first, like Kevin did. Brian and Kevin held each arm as he tried to wriggle his way out. But true to his prediction, Nick got stuck from the waist down.

"Come on Nick, why are you stopping?" Kevin asked. Howie had gone to the back of the bus, checking the engine.

"I can't, I'm stuck!" Nick screamed in panic.

"Okay, we will pull you." Kevin said. "Brian you pull the other side."

"Okay, on my count," Brian said. "1…2…3…" They pulled Nick out but stopped when he screamed.

"Stop, that really hurts!" Nick shouted.

"Come on Nick, just bare with it for awhile okay?" Brian consoled him.

"No, the glass is poking on my stomach!" Nick wailed.

"We've got no time, the gas is leaking and I saw sparks, it's gonna blow. Pull him out of there now!" Howie shouted.

Kevin looked at Brian and he nodded. "I'm sorry Frack, you'll thank us later." Brian whispered. Without any warning, Kevin and Brian forcefully pulled him out. Nick screamed with all his might but they took no notice of it.

They dropped to the ground, panting. Nick was grabbing his stomach, crouching in pain.

"Get up! It's gonna blow!" Howie screamed as he and AJ made a run for safety.

"Come on Frack!" Kevin shouted, pulling Nick up with Brian's help. Nick tried his best to run; he didn't want to burden his brothers more than he already had.

"Over here!" AJ shouted behind a huge boulder. Kevin was behind Nick, pushing him all the way to run faster. A second after they made it there, the bus blew up into flames. Kevin, who didn't quite manage to make it behind the boulder, dropped to the ground from the force of the blast.

"Kevin, you okay?" Brian came out from hiding to get his cousin. He felt relieved when Kevin stirred. He smelt the fumes that fed the blaze and found it hard to breath.

"My arm." Kevin whined. His left arm was burnt, black soot covering edges of the seared skin. Raw, scorched skin revealing pure red blood.

"We need to get out of here." Brian said. Kevin nodded and broke into a staggering run to get to the boulder. His eyes felt stung and his lungs raw and scorched, but he still ran for dear life.

"It could have been us." AJ said to no one.

"It could have been me." Nick said. "Thanks guys." Brian and Kevin nodded.

"You sure have a big ass." Brian agreed. The boys laughed as they made their way into the woods, trying to find a way up to the highway again.

Meanwhile, up on the highway, three men were watching them closely.

"They made it, now we have to stop them." Brad said with clenched teeth. "We can't have witnesses that will not be good for us."