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Chapter 15


Shadows were cast about the walls when his brown eyes first snapped open.

“Damn it, Nick!” He mumbled, hearing the heavy breathing in his left ear. He had just
suspected the boy found his way into the wrong bunk after getting up in the middle of the
night to go to the bathroom.

That’s when he remembered. They hadn’t shared a bus in years.

The next few moments would send a ball of reality whirling towards AJ . When he had finally
gained the consciousness, he turned his head to try and wake his friend. His head pounded
ferociously and memories began to rattle the harsh space in his brain. AJ forced the vomit
down as he remembered the vision of Nick and Jenn when he had found them, before his
world had been faded to the deepest shade of black. Tears, though, could not be hindered
as AJ blinked to find one of his best friends lying pale before him.

“Nick…” AJ found his voice was hoarse and far from his own. He involuntarily reached out a
hand and ran it through the front of Nick’s hair. “No…” He heard himself gasp as he drew
his hand back to find his fingers damp with sweat and blood.

The tattooed man stiffly turned his head again, this time, to focus of the ceiling above him.
He couldn’t let this happen to them. Not again. The Carters and The Littrells had been
through too much already, especially Jenn and Brian. AJ shut his eyes tightly, hoping it
would block out that roaring noise, also known as too many thoughts. He knew what he had
to do. It was time to be superman.

AJ sat up as slowly as he could. He didn’t want to draw attention to himself if there
happened to be any unseen figures lurking about the corners. AJ wasn’t sure if he could
move quickly anyway. When he had moved just slightly earlier to touch Nick’s hair, AJ had
realized it had taken longer than it should have for the command to come from his brain to
his arm.

Finally feeling the ground stable underneath his feet, AJ gained his balance and squinted,
beginning to make his way through the dark ways of the bus. He had almost made it to the
front when a turn in the road shook the bus and sent AJ down to the floor again.

“Mother fuck-” AJ cursed, his head slamming onto the hard floor. His rant was interrupted
by a foreign voice.

“Thought you were gonna continue to be the rebel, huh? Hm, you should’ve learned earlier
with the rest of them that there is no room for rebellion in this game.” The shadow fell
across the thin man in a way that made him suppress a whimper of fear. Rick, he guessed.

“Listen to me, shitface…” AJ cringed, not knowing where his strength was coming from.

“No! YOU listen to me you moth-” Rick jerked AJ up harshly by the strap of the wife beater
he was wearing.

“PUT HIM DOWN!” The voice was recognized by AJ as Brian’s. “He has nothing to do with
this. He’s not involved at all.”

“Shut up, pretty boy. THIS doesn’t involve YOU, does it?” Rick growled.

AJ turned his head to see Brian limping over, his eye black in the dim light from outside.

“Put him…fucking…down.” Brian was speaking through clenched teeth now and AJ had
found himself too scared to speak.

“So you think you’re Mr.Big Man now, huh?” Rick dropped AJ promptly from his hands and
started moving towards Brian.

Brian, however, had other plans and punched Rick square in the face, an action he
immediately regretted.

“Oh, you bitch.”

In one second’s time, Brian and Rick were both fighting each other on the floor of the bus.
AJ watched in horror as he watched his friend to become horribly defeated.

“Bri, man, stop!” He tried to coach his friend. He knew Brian thought he was doing what was
best for all of them but, he had a family involved in this too. AJ knew he wasn’t thinking
rationally. He could see it when he caught a glimpse of those eyes. Those blue eyes filled
with hatred.

AJ entered the battle as well, fighting to keep conscious. Fighting to keep Rick off of his
weak friend. Fighting….

…until the gun was shot from behind.

~-------~
When the shot was fired all was quiet, no one sure if they were shot or not.

AJ's cry soon broke the deafening silence, "Oh god," AJ gasped as he grasped his shirt
that was beginning to stain with his own blood. The room began to spin as he began to sink
to the floor. He quickly felt Brian's arms wrap around him and lower him down slowly.

"AJ, don't do this man. Stay with me." Brian said with a choked sob. Brian moved AJ's hands
and tried to inspect the wound in the dim light. "Turn on the fucking lights!!!"

Brian was surprised when his wish was granted and the lights flickered on. Brian quickly
went to work to pull AJ's shirt off, he was surprised when Nick suddenly appeared at his
side.

"Oh shit, Bone." Nick said as he looked at the damage. Nick was swaying from side to side,
but the sound of the gun shot had managed get him out of his stupor.

Brian wasn't sure if Nick would be upright for too long, but decided that he needed his
friend’s help. "Nick, I need you to take his shirt and put pressure on his chest." Brian
handed Nick the shirt and got face to face with AJ.

AJ grimaced as Nick put pressure on his chest and began to wheeze. He tried to focus on
Brian's face, but found it harder and harder as each second went by. "Bri..." His voice was
hardly above a whisper.

"I'm right here man, you're gonna be ok." Brian tried to reassure his friend.

AJ swallowed hard, he was beginning to taste blood. "Bri man, I...I need you...to....to tell.."

AJ let out a few racking coughs that soon caused blood to drip from the corner of his
mouth. "Lori...tell Lori that I love her...and...and..." AJ suddenly gasped and struggled to get
in a breath.

Tears rolled down Brian and Nick’s faces at this site, no one wanted to see a friend die.

"Don't you dare die on me, AJ! Don't you dare!" Brain yelled out as AJ's eyes dropped
closed. Brian quickly checked AJ and noticed that he was still breathing, barely, but still
breathing.

“Is he..." Nick asked in a small voice.

Brian quickly looked up and looked across the room at the one that held the gun. Kara.

"Stay right here Nick. Whatever you do, don't stop putting pressure on it." Brian shakily
stood up and began to stalk his way to his target.

Rick quickly stepped into his path, "Don't touch her Pretty Boy!"

Brian stopped, he knew his friend’s life was in the balance. "Just please, get him to a
hospital. DO IT!" Brian yelled. The silence that followed seemed to last forever, then he
heard her.

Very faintly through the door, "Oh God, please, what happened?" Sara cried.

Brian was torn, he knew he had to stand his ground and get AJ help, but his heart ached to
see his wife.

"Calm down baby, I'm all right." Brian answered her.

"What happened? I'm scared." Sara's voice was heard through the door.

Brian paused there, he didn't want to tell her. He didn't even want to say it out loud, that
would mean it was all real. That one of his best friends was lying there, possibly dying, he
didn't want to believe it.

Kara quickly began to make her way over to Brian. She was pissed that the Bitch was talking
to HER Brian. Brian had been so focused on the door that held Sara, he didn't notice the
quickly approaching Kara.

Kara roughly grabbed a handful of Brian's hair and pulled his face to hers. "If you don't stop
talking to her, I will put a bullet through her head. YOU GOT THAT???!!" Kara said through
clenched teeth.

"Brian, answer me...please." Sara said, trying to be heard.

Brian winced from the pressure of Kara pulling on his hair. He really wanted to answer her,
but with the woman threatening her life, he knew he couldn't. So as much as he hated to, he
gave in.

Brian's attention was diverted as Nick cried out to him. "Bri, I...I can't do this...much..." The
blonde never finished his sentence as his eyes rolled back and he crumpled to the ground.

Brian pulled himself out of Kara's grasp and sat down between his two fallen friends. He
quickly took over Nick's job and continued to put pressure on AJ's chest.

Looking over at Nick he saw that his friend was breathing erratically. He hoped that he was
okay, but he knew that he had to continue to help AJ. He let his eyes wander to where Rick
and Kara were talking quietly. Never in his life had he felt such hatred burn through him.

Then he let his gaze fall to Jenn, still laying there, in the same position for almost two days.
He willed her to move, to do anything that would help him to believe that she was alright.
He wouldn't get his wish though, she never budged.

Brian pulled AJ up against him, leaning up against the side wall. He could feel the ragged
breathing from his friend easier this way. It helped to ease his worries a bit. Now as Brian
sat, holding his friend, he couldn't help but once again stare at the door that his wife was
behind.

"Be strong baby." Was Brian's last thought before he drifted asleep.
~*~
Brian's eyes quickly snapped open when he heard someone cry out for him. With cloudy
eyes he scanned the room, and felt his heart stop. Everyone was gone, the door to the
bedroom was wide open, Jenn and Nick were no where in sight.

Then just as quickly, he realized something else. The man that was still lying against him,
wasn't breathing.

He rolled AJ off of him and quickly gave him a look over. AJ's eyes were still closed, his
face, though, was now a shade of gray. His lips were blue, and stained with blood.

Brian felt around for a pulse and found a very weak one. That gave him some hope. Brian
felt the bus shift and knew he didn't have much time. That's when he saw it, lying there as if
taunting him, AJ's cell phone.

He scrambled for the phone and hit the power button. Dialing the number he wanted, he
was able to conceal the phone in AJ's pocket just in time.

"Littrell, nice to see you're awake! Now I won't have to carry your ass to." Rick bellowed as
he sauntered over to Brian. "Wow, he's one ugly lookin dead guy."

"Fuck you!" Brian spat as Rick harshly pulled him up.

Soon, the bus was still, no one moving about, no one breathing. But if you were to listen
closely, you could hear the sound of hope.

"911, what's your emergency..."