End
Part Two
It was two days later when the tour bus finally pulled up in front of 1334 Beechwood. Slowly, the band and the three crew members they hadn't dropped off previously heaved themselves off the bus that had been their home for the past four months.
"Man, am I glad that's over," Lou commented as he stretched his back and flexed his arm and leg muscles.
"Me, too," Micky agreed as he stepped out of the bus. He carried his large duffle bag with him and dropped it with a thud on the concrete sidewalk in front of the house. "Haven't been here in a while," he commented to no one in particular as he surveyed the Pad.
Micky turned around and grabbed the end of a particularly heavy amplifier that Davy was trying to shove out by himself. It was obviously too big for the short Englishman, and Micky and Lou asissted him in heaving it down the steps of the bus.
Jenny and Sarah, the last remaining crew members besides Lou, stepped out of the bus next, carrying a few of the boxes that held Micky's drums. Davy and Lou assisted them both in unloading the heavier ones.
Mike stepped off the tour bus with his back-pack in one arm and his guitar in the other. He stood for a moment in the middle of the sidewalk, breathing in the air and enjoying the sunlight. "Man, it's good to be off that bus," he said to no one in particular.
"'Ey Petah, are you coming?" Davy called. He stepped up on to the bus and observed their bass player attempting to carry several things at once. In his right hand he carried a bass and under his arm a guitar, while in his left hand he had a small bag while a large duffle bag was strung over his left shoulder.
"I'm coming, Davy," Peter replied with a grunt as he somehow managed to heave the heavy duffle bag off the ground.
"Petah, if you need some help," Davy offered, looking worried. There was no way Peter was going to be able to carry all that off the bus.
Peter brushed it aside. "I got it, man," he assured Davy and started to walk forward. Davy nodded and took a few steps backwards out of the bus.
Unfortunately, just before the steps exiting the bus, someone had dropped a candy bar wrapper that was somewhat slippery. Davy stepped on the candy wrapper and fell backwards down the bus steps, head first towards the pavement.
Mike, with in visual range of the incident, rushed forward just in time to catch the diminuitive singer, but not before Peter, oblivious to Davy's problems, slipped on the same wrapper.
With a loud scream that could have awakened all of Malibu Beach, Peter slid and landed on top of Davy and Mike, who were now in a pile at the bottom of the steps.
The bass and the backpack dropped harmlessly on to the floor as Peter tried to brace himself for the fall, but the guitar and duffle bag traveled with him.
Davy let out a groan as a heavy duffle bag wacked him in the head.
Micky, Lou, Sarah, and Jenny just stared for a moment in stunned and shocked silence. Then all four began talking at once.
"Are you okay, Davy?" Sarah asked as she helped Davy up from where he was sandwiched between Mike and Peter. Lou and Micky assisted Peter from atop Davy, and then helped Mike up from the bottom of it all.
"What happened?" Jenny asked, trying to get the whole story. "Are you guys okay?"
"I think so," Mike replied, trying to unstiffen himself.
Davy rubbed his head and nodded silently. "Man, 'ave I got a 'eadache," he commented. Sarah went searching for the first aid kit to see if there was any aspirin.
"Uh, me too," Peter groaned as he picked himself up. Sarah handed him a few aspirin, and he downed it quickly. Davy did the same.
"Okay guys, lets see if we can get the rest of this stuff unloaded without anyone else getting hurt, okay?" Mike decided. The others nodded in agreement.
Together the group worked to unload the bus, and, a half hour later, it was completely emptied of all musical equipment and anything else.
"Not bad," Mike commented, and the rest agreed.
"I think we did okay," Peter agreed.
Just then a car drove down the street slowly and pulled into the driveway next door. Mike glanced at his watch involuntarily. It was 3:21. That must be Nicole getting back from picking up the kids at school.
He glanced towards Peter to see his reaction but it wasn't visible in the flash of white light.
Nicole stepped out of the car eagerly and looked in the direction of the bus. She could clearly make out seven individuals standing with a load of cargo that had been unemptied.
Suddenly, there was a flash of bright white light. 'Wonder who's got a camera that powerful,' she wondered as she shielded her eyes.
Joanne ran around to the other side of the car. "Mommy, what's that?" she asked. Nicole didn't answer, she just shook her head. Slowly the light died down, and then she glanced towards the bus again. They were all rubbing their eyes and she realized the light must have hit them harder then her.
Then, Nicole did a double take, because there were not 7 people now but only 5.
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