Chapter
1
"Have a
good night," the cashier said as Brian headed out of the gas station.
"Thanks,
you too!" Brian called, pulling open the door and walking out into the
dark, rainy night. He climbed into his car and yawned. He opened the bottle of
Mountain Dew he had just purchased and took a long drink of it. Then he set it
aside and started up his car.
"Why
didn't I just take a plane?" Brian thought, as he pulled out of the nearly
empty parking lot of the gas station. He was driving all the way from Orlando
to his parents' house in Lexington, Kentucky. He was somewhere in Georgia now,
about halfway there.
Brian glanced
at his clock. It was 10:30 at night. He decided he would drive a little further
before stopping at a hotel to spend the night. He wanted to get as far as he
could that night so he wouldn't have to drive as far the next day. He had just
gotten done with the Backstreet Boys' tour and was looking forward to some time
off.
Brian yawned
again and took another drink of Mountain Dew, hoping the caffeine would kick in
soon. He leaned over and turned on the radio. He flipped through the stations,
trying to find some music that would keep him awake. He stopped when he heard
"Livin' La Vida Loca" and began to sing along. After a few minutes,
the song ended and another began. Brian rolled his eyes when he realized it was
'N Sync's song, "Bye, Bye, Bye".
"Bi, Bi,
Bi, is right," Brian muttered as he leaned over to change the station. But
suddenly, his disgust turned to horror as he looked up to see a pick-up truck
in the wrong lane, coming right for him.
Brian jerked
the wheel, trying to swerve his car, but the truck was coming too quickly. In
an instant, it slammed into Brian's car.
Brian heard
screeching tires, shattering glass, crunching metal, and the sound of his own
scream. Then, everything went black, and he heard no more.
***
