"So, when are we going to stop?" Kevin asked his mother.

"Soon Honey. The next tour location is just few miles up the road. Then we'll have a couple hours before we have to worry about the concert" She replied from the front of their bus.

"Good." he replied. It had been a long day. After waking up at an ungodly hour, Kevin and his two brothers, Nick and Joe, hadn't had a moment of peace all day. It had been non-stop packing, photo shoots, and rehearsals, before the first show on their new tour. He couldn't wait to climb into a soft hotel bed and do nothing at all for the four seconds before he fell asleep. Right now, his brothers were in the back of their bus, sleepily fiddling with the lyrics of a new song. Kevin was looking out the window watching as the high way flew away underneath the wheels of their bus. Funny, but it looked as if it wasn't flying away as fast as a minute before. Were they slowing down? It definitely felt like it. He heard the groan of the brakes against the tires and he looked at his brothers for an explanation. They looked as confused as he was.

"Why are we stopping?" Nick asked, looking up from his guitar. "We can't be there yet."

"I'll go and ask." Joe offered. As he got up to walk to the front of the bus, they heard their dad's voice shout from the front of the bus "Everybody out!"

"I wonder what's going on?" Kevin asked, as they filed out of the vehicle and into the grassy, weedy, rocky, steep ditch beside the edge of the highway. His question was answered as soon as he looked at the back wheel.

"A flat!" Nick exclaimed, "What are we going to do? There isn't anyone on the road to help us."

Kevin and Joe looked up and down the highway. It was true. They were all alone on the strip of asphalt between California and Nevada.

Their dad stepped out of the bus and surveyed the damage. He then turned to his sons and said, "Don't worry boys, your old man knows a thing or two about changing tires, even the ones on a tour bus. We'll be back on the road in no time."

"And how long exactly is 'no time'?" Joe asked.

"About half an hour."

Joe and Nick groaned in unison. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's had a long day" Kevin thought.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad," Kevin said, "We just have to find something to occupy ourselves for a bit."

Nick grinned and ran into the bus. Moments later he emerged with a softball in hand and three baseball gloves in the other.

"How 'bout this?" he asked.

Kevin and Joe shrugged. They walked a ways away from the bus and farter into the ditch and soon they were laughing and throwing the ball at each other. "Try and catch this one!" Joe yelled as he launched a ball high over Kevin's head. It landed somewhere in the tall weeds behind Kevin.

They heard a voice behind them, "Are you boys ready to keep moving or are we going to stay here all night?"

"Be right there," Nick shouted back. "We'd better find that ball."

"Kevin's the one who missed it, he should get it," said Joe.

"Yeah, because you threw it ten feet over my head." Kevin replied.

"Come on, let's just all look. I want to get to that hotel." Nick said and he started looking in the weeds. Joe sighed and ran after him to help. "Maybe I'll start near the highway," Kevin thought. He walked around until he was at the edge of the weeds, which was still a few feet from the road separated by grass. He was about to enter the weeds when something caught his attention. He walked over to the spot and saw a jagged, sharp rock with blood on it. "Oh my God,"He gasped and took a step back. Then he noticed a trail of blood starting at the rock and going down into the weeds. Kevin followed it until it ended in the bottom of the ditch and he saw the source of the blood. He stood there in shock.