Hi guys! This is my first ever fic and I really hope all goes well mainly with the end of my high school year coming ever so close! If all goes well I may be able to update more than twice a week, but no promises. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER - I do not own Zootopia or any of the music featured. Any band names similarities are completely coincidental.

The Calm Before the Storm

"Yo Nick, wake up!" yelled Joshua in my ear. I quickly shot up, headbutting him in the face and sending him into the side of the van.

"Dude, what the fuck is wrong with you! Ever heard of a tap on the shoulder!" I yelled, rubbing my ear through my jet black hair.

"Today's the big day! We finally get to perform the big gig we've been dreaming of for years now!" Joshua responded, unable to suppress his excitement any longer. "There's going to be more people there than we've ever had before and I can't wait!" His blue eyes glittering with hope and happiness.

"Will you two shut the hell up!" screamed a very distorted and half-awake Caleb, although with his platinum hair sticking out everywheres it was hard to take him seriously. "Jesus Christ almighty we don't even have to be there until 1!" I leaned over and looked at the clock attached to the front of the van and saw that it read 9:00 A.M. Getting up from the makeshift bed in the oversized van that belonged to our lead guitarist Samuel, I jumped out the back to catch some fresh air. The sun was just over the roofs of the oversized towers. I quickly let out a loud huff as I walked over to the café just a few blocks down the road.

I quickly pushed through the front doors of the café and instantely the sweet aroma of fresh coffee hit me, lightening my mood. Smiling, I walked over to the counter and greeted the caffeine induced cashier, who looked like he needed it much more than I did. "What can I do for you this morning, Nick?" The cashier asked me happily as every employee there knew me and my band all too well. That and I frequented this particular café way too often.

"I guess I'll have the... expresso, two shots of energy and a fritter please." I told the cashier politely.

"Comin right up! Feel free to take a seat, I'm afraid the fritters ran out about an hour ago, but there's more being made as we speak. I'll call you when they're done." The cashier quickly spun on his heels and made his way to the back. I glanced around the room and found an empty booth to the back of the room and sat down. Tapping the desk, I decided to go over the big event tonight. We didn't have to be there until 1 but it didn't start until 9 so that gave us plenty of time to get everything set up, including the pyrotechnics, fireworks, and of course our music gear. I pulled out a crumpled up piece of paper out of my pocket and opened it. The top read our band name, 'Second Chance'. Underneath read all the band members and their roles, as well as their age. It read:

Joshua Caroline - drummer. Age - 20

Samuel Wilson - lead guitarist. Age - 22

Jack Hallmark - bass player / backup singer. Age - 22

Nick Yuhfer - lead singer. Age - 23

I went over the location which just so happened to be city hall. Sighing, I set the paper down, smiling. The fact that we all went out last night didn't help my sleep, but Joshua insisted that we go see a movie called 'Zootopia'. Samuel quickly fell asleep in the theatre and Jack and I just stared at the screen forcing ourselves to stay awake and look enthusiastic as to not upset Joshua. Personally, I didn't like it. I mean, a world full of walking and talking animals? Rediculous. Joshua though looked so, forgetting about his popcorn and staring at the screen in awe throughout the whole movie. Yawning, I stretched my limbs out and stared blankly at the roof until I heard my name.

"Nick!" The cashier yelled out as there was noone else in the café.

"That would be me" I chuckled as I took the fresh fritter and cup full of black liquid from his hands and made my way back to my seat. As I sat down I checked my phone and looked at the time, 11:00 A.M. I figured I'd have enough time to finish my breakfast and walk back before we had to get dressed and leave. Quickly downing the hot beverage and scarfing down my food like I always do, I paid and began my treck back to the van. As I approached it I saw a very tired Jack sitting on the back of the van, which had the name of our band messily painted on the back doors. I grinned as I approached him and gave him a pat on the back. "You ready bud?"

"Hell no, but hey, no rest for the wicked right?" Jack tiredly scoffed. Making my way in the van I saw that Sam was already dressed and tapping away on his phone like he usually was found doing whenever he got bored. Joshua was in the corner, fighting with his shirt. Cute. I thought. Jesus Christ, did I really just think that? Shaking my head to clear the thought, I walked over to the hanger that was dangling off a steel bar that was hastily welded onto the side of the van. Stripping down, I poked at my abs which were showing signs of fading. Really need to lay off those fritters I thought as I pulled my shirt over my head, which had the name of the band on the front. Throwing on my pants and shoes, I yelled over my shoulder.

"Ready when you all are!"

"Dude, we've been waiting on YOU" Joshua chuckled as a gave him a stern look. Then, it happened again. I found myself staring at Joshua. His blue eyes, his brown hair, his- "Are you alright dude? Do I have something on my face?" he asked as he checked himself in the mirror for any marks. What the hell is wrong with me? I thought. These feelings have been coming up for the past week now, and every time I clear my head of them, they come back whenever I'm around him. Am I gay? The question crossed my mind but I dismissed it. Hiding the red on my face, I was quick to respond, maybe a little too quick.

"N-no just... nervous." I lied.

"Come on now, this is the moment we've been waiting for! A chance to get big!" Joshua was giddy with excitement and as I tapped the clock which read 12:00 P.M. his eyes went large. "Guys we have to go, now!" Joshua was always one to either be where he needed to be early or on time, althought most of the time it was the first.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go then!" Sam yelled hopping in the drivers seat and revved up the engine. It was a good 30 minute drive to the city hall so we all got comfortable. Joshua was steadily dumming on the windows, which were replaced with shatterproof glass on the insistence of Jack, who claimed noone will be able to break in if such standards were met.

But, fate always has its cruel way of making jokes.

About 10 minutes into the drive, we noticed something that looked like smoke coming from the hood. I quickly pointed it out only for Sam to dismiss it as he stated he just put new oil in and might have spilt some. But, 5 more minutes in the smoke got worst and I swore I could have seen a flame lick out from the crack of the hood. Sam must have seen this as well, as he quickly yelled 'Shit!' and cut the wheel while slamming on the brakes to get out of the road. Bad move. The large vehicle quickly turned over and rolled a few times, tossing its passengers around. Panic insued, and I knew we had to act fast, knowing all to well the dangers of a hood fire, as my parents were killed by one as they were driving to California for a vacation, although the fire started for a different reason.

Looking around the large van, I looked to my left to see blood trickling down Sam's face, who was out cold. Shit. That was all I could think. I unbuckled him and drug him to the back of the van as the passenger and driver door locks were both busted prior to the wreck, Sam just never got around to fixing them. Am I going to die here? I shook the thought and got lower as smoke started to fill the inside. Shit. Shit. Shit. As I stepped into the back with Sam in tow I saw a bloody, cowering Joshua in the corner balling his eyes out. He must have been flung around the van a few times as neither him or Jack were buckled in, and seeing him like this broke me as I felt a tear stain my cheek. That's when I looked down.

Jack was just lying there, neck bent in a very unnatural way. No... He was clearly dead, he must have broken his neck when he was thrown when the vehicle had flipped. Forcing myself to move on, knowing that mourning over him at a time like this was going to do little to help. I crawled to the back door as the smoke was starting to get thicker and tried to open it. Nothing. This can't be happening. I shielded my eyes and looked through the back windows only to gather that the back was against a wall. Infuriated, I started punched the window, but all I got was a bruised up hand. Fucking windows. Coughing, I brought myself back down to the floor. It was getting hot. Very hot. I just layed there in misery, reaching towards Joshua, whos head was now limp against his chest which stopped moving. I felt like crying, screaming for him to get up, that everything will be alright, but all I could do was cough my lungs out and give rasphy shouts to him. I reached up and out and touched his face. I never deserved this, WE never deserved this.

Then, a flash, an immense pain, and then nothing.

I really hope you guys enjoyed reading, and if all goes well expect more within this week or next! I don't know much about car fires so I'm not sure if I was too spot on about that but I tried my best to capture what the final moments of dispair a person knowing they're doomed is like and seeing someone they love meet the same fate.

Update: added horizontal lines