The highway stretched endlessly ahead of them, a silver ribbon unspooling under moonlight and amber floodlights. The Feral Eclipse tour bus hummed steadily along a quiet stretch of desert highway somewhere between Albuquerque and Flagstaff. The stars outside were sharp and plentiful, casting faint glints through the windshield like the world was watching from above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a long overnight drive\u2014a fifteen-hour haul broken only by fuel stops and caffeine binges. Most nights, the crew would doze in their bunks or sprawl in the lounge, lost in music, gaming, or half-asleep banter. But this<\/em> night?<\/p>\n\n\n\n This night was a \u201cDiesel Story Night.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It started, as they always did, with Gabriel sliding into the passenger seat beside Diesel with a sly grin and an extra-large hazelnut espresso.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStory time, old man?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diesel gave him a long side-eye, took the coffee like tribute, and sipped. \u201cWhat kind of story?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe kind where someone gets humiliated and you almost got arrested,\u201d Gabriel said with glee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That was all it took.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Within minutes, the front of the bus was crowded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cassie sat crisscross on the floor with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Jonah leaned over the armrest with a snack bag in one hand and a flashlight aimed dramatically under Diesel\u2019s chin. Maya sprawled across the dashboard like a cat, one boot dangling in the air. Mark sat on the side stairs with a quiet smirk, and Rico had somehow wedged himself upside-down in the passenger footwell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane stayed standing, arms folded just behind the cockpit, watching the whole scene with calm interest. Emily sat on the edge of the stairwell, already giggling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diesel cleared his throat and took a deep breath like a man preparing for war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA\u2019ight, buckle in, pups,\u201d he rumbled. \u201cLemme tell you about the time I was driving for Vandal Saints.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The whole bus groaned in unison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel choked on his coffee. \u201cThose whiny alt-rock tryhards? The ones who threw a tantrum because our pyro scared their fog machine?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diesel grinned. \u201cThat\u2019s the ones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He shifted in his seat, eyes on the road, but his voice dipping into full dramatic mode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo this was, oh, \u201909, maybe? Back when Vandal Saints were riding high on that one hit\u2014you know, the song with all the auto-tuned howling and the music video where they burned a couch in slow motion?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Ashes in Stereo,\u2019\u201d Mark deadpanned. \u201cStill used in cheap whiskey commercials.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRight!\u201d Diesel snapped his fingers. \u201cSo, I\u2019m their driver. We\u2019re on a multi-band tour. They\u2019re headliners.<\/em> Or so they think. Second-to-last gig is in Vegas, and the openers are this no-name group of wolf-themed punk rock weirdos called \u2018Pack Howl.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone turned and stared at Gabriel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He raised both paws. \u201cNot related.<\/em> Swear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diesel continued. \u201cSo these Pack Howl kids? They go on, no pyro, no light board, just raw talent and duct-taped guitars. Crowd loses their damn minds. I mean mosh pits, bras flying, people crying.<\/em> They walk offstage to a standing ovation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cassie whispered, \u201cI already love them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diesel chuckled darkly. \u201cVandal Saints lose it. One of their guitarists is pacing, muttering about \u2018getting upstaged by feral mutts.\u2019 Their lead singer throws his vape at the wall and demands we \u2018erase the openers from the lineup poster.\u2019 Like it\u2019s Men in Black<\/em> or something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maya cackled. \u201cOh, I wish<\/em> I had seen that meltdown.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo the set starts,\u201d Diesel went on, \u201cand they\u2019re trying to go bigger\u2014lighting crap on fire, fake blood, screaming into the wrong end of the mic\u2014and the crowd? Totally dead. One guy in the front yells \u2018Play Ashes in Stereo!<\/em>\u2019 and they haven\u2019t even finished their first<\/em> song.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The entire bus burst into laughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jonah practically fell into Emily\u2019s lap, wheezing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diesel sipped his coffee again, deadly serious. \u201cAnd then, the best part. Their fog machine jams full open. The stage fills with smoke\u2014just<\/em> as the lead singer tries to jump off a riser.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He paused for effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane raised an eyebrow. \u201cLet me guess.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMissed the landing,\u201d Diesel said. \u201cStraight into a lighting truss. Face first.<\/em> I watched it from the side curtain. Like a majestic, useless goose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHONK!<\/em>\u201d Gabriel shouted, mimicking the fall with dramatic flailing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emily had tears in her eyes from laughing. \u201cDid he get back up?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh yeah,\u201d Diesel grinned. \u201cAnd then blamed the crew. They fired two techs before the encore. I gave one of them a ride to the airport. We stopped for tacos. He said it was still the best night of his career.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark just shook his head. \u201cYou attract chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diesel sipped again, smug as a wolf in the chicken coop. \u201cI drive<\/em> chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cassie raised a hand. \u201cNew band rule: If we ever tour with Vandal Saints, we play Field Notes From the Stars<\/em> during their soundcheck.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhile gently setting a couch on fire,\u201d Gabriel added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jonah held up his phone. \u201cI\u2019m tweeting that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane finally cracked a smile. \u201cWe\u2019ll need a better fog machine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone laughed again\u2014long, loud, and free\u2014as the desert night rolled by around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The stars above twinkled like they were listening too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The highway stretched endlessly ahead of them, a silver ribbon unspooling under moonlight and amber floodlights. The Feral Eclipse tour bus hummed steadily along a quiet stretch of desert highway somewhere between Albuquerque and Flagstaff. The stars outside were sharp and plentiful, casting faint glints through the windshield like the world was watching from above. 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