Nightmare on Third Street - Chapter Eleven

The concert went smoothly enough, with me playing my solo and Joey had fun banging around on the drums, giving us the heartbeat of the entire performance. Jake was smiling at the girls when he played his bass, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him. He was such a lady's man, he always had girls chasing after him. Kim was in the front row, cheering us on the loudest, her eyes deadset on me for most of the show. She was dressed in a light red strapless shirt with a strapless bra, and it fit her curves gorgeously. I winked at her as we played, and the concert went on. I couldn't help but think about Dominic as we played, couldn't help but wonder how he was doing.

I also couldn't help but think about Elrick, home and putting up precautions. Would he be all right there alone? After what the voice had done to me countless times, I began to worry, and nearly missed a note when the song sped up I was so into my thoughts. I should give him a call, I decided. I would call him after the concert was over and make sure everything was okay.

Something in the audience caught my attention. It looked like a black, misty fog as it settled over everyone, coming toward the stage where we were playing. I shot an anxious look at Remmy, who was nearest the front, singing smoothly, but he didn't seem to notice it. I glanced back at Joey, but he was too busy with the drums and flipping his drumsticks to give it much thought, and Jake looked uninterested. The crowd didn't notice it either. I was the only one who could see it.

'This is crazy,' I thought to myself, swallowing thickly, trying to keep my thoughts on the music. 'I can't have this happening right now. It's not real, it's just in my head. It's not real.' No matter how many times I told myself that, I just didn't seem to believe it with my heart. It was too real to ignore, the voice was always an uneasy presence in my head, and I could feel the chill that the fog brought with it. It was real, or at least real enough for me.

I swallowed hard and tried to keep my voice straight as I began to sing. I guessed it sounded okay, for people didn't take notice of the slight waver as I got started. I had to close my eyes so I wouldn't see the fog and could convince myself that it wasn't real, that the only reason I was feeling kind of chilly was because the a/c was on. Soon enough, I finished my part and Remmy took over. Thankfully.

I swallowed and counted out the beats to my rest, and then started playing again. I had to lower my sound when it said piano, and then bring it up again when it said forte. I did this smoothly, gratefully, and before I knew it, the song was over. It was the last song of the night. The concert was over. And not a moment too soon, for the fog was growing darker. I couldn't wait to get off of the stage.

We left the stage quickly enough, and headed to the back, where be began to pack our instruments and take a break. Jake tossed me a bottle of water, which I accepted gratefully and took a long guzzle of it as sweat popped up on my neck and began to trail down. I was nervous, anxious, and slightly terrified, like I usually was when we were about to begin a concert, but never after. If they saw this, then they would know something was wrong.

Joey was in a hyper mood, as he usually was before and after a concert, and any other time, for that matter. He smacked me on the back with a laugh and saluted me with his drumsticks. I smiled and tried to laugh, but it came out kind of weak. Joey almost frowned, but must have wiped the issue aside, counting it as my nerves.

Remmy was talking with the stage manager, and after a few moments, he turned to us with his blue eyes and smiled. "Great news, excellent news."

Jake rolled his eyes. "And? C'mon, don't just stop talking and leave us hangin', Rem."

Remmy smiled again and said, "They want us to go on tour and make cd's. They want us, guys! It's our dream come true."

Everyone began to cheer, but I could only do it half-heartedly. I was excited, sure, as I had been wanting this as long as they had, but suddenly I didn't want to go on tour. Not right now, anyway, not with my life in this turmoil with the voice and the pain and fog and Elrick waiting at the house.

My eyes widened. Elrick. I had to call him. "I gotta make a phone call," I said to Jake as I got to my feet. He nodded wordlessly, listening as Remmy told them about the tour we were going to take, and when. I didn't hear when it was, but figured Jake would tell me all about it later. I searched the back for a phone, and finally found a payphone near the backdoor.

I put my money in and dialed my number, waiting patiently for someone to answer. No one did. I nearly choked on the dread that was forming within me, and then tried again, putting more money in. Still, no one answered. It just kept ringing and ringing, and finally my voice said into the phone from the answering machine, "Hey, you've reached Bryan Randall, I'm not in right now but I'll be sure to give you call." And then there was the beep.

I hung up slowly, and my hands fell to my sides limply. 'Elrick...' I thought, frowning. 'Why aren't you answering?' Was he not answering because it was my house and he was just a guest? Did he think it wasn't his place to answer my phone when I wasn't there to tell him it was okay? Or was something wrong? Was he okay, had the voice gotten to him?

Filled with a newfound fear for someone I hardly knew and had only just met, I left the building in a rush, forgetting about my guitar and music and Jake and the others waiting backstage. I only wanted to get home and see if everything was okay. Though I knew nothing about Elrick and didn't necessarily trust him that well, I didn't want to be alone in this. I didn't want to be on my own again, alone and scared and confused, with the voice picking on me whenever it wished, always stating that I was his. I shivered at the thought and hopped a cab when I could, and told them to hurry to Third Street. The faster they got me there, the more I'd pay. That got the cab driver into action in a hurry, and soon I was home.

I paid him well and ran to the front door. The lights were on in the windows, so I knew Elrick had been okay long enough to turn them on, if something had happened. Swallowing thickly, I prayed that everything was okay. Throwing the door open in a hurry, I called out, "Elrick! El, are you here? Hello?" I ran to the kitchen almost immediately, sure that if anything had happened, in had happened in there. "Elrick? El-" I broke of with a startled gasp at what lay before me. I had to put my hand on the wall for support, or I would have fallen down from the shock. "Oh no...oh, please no..."

I felt like I was going to vomit, the scene was so intense and unnerving. I could only stare in disbelief, not wanting it to be true.

"No...please...I'm so sorry...." I whispered brokenly, taking shaky breaths. "God, no..." I clenched my eyes tightly closed, feeling a stinging sensation behind them. "Oh God, please, don't let this happen." If there was a god out there, this wouldn't have happened. "This is all my fault...God, please..." I sunk to my knees, my back sliding down the wall. I felt something sticky on it, and opened my eyes enough to see what it was. My breath caught in my throat. "I'm so sorry..."

The wall I was leaning against was stained with blood. And it wasn't mine. Indeed, lying just a feet in front of me, behind a chair, was Elrick, his dull, glazed, sightless eyes staring up at the ceiling, bloodstains running from the corner of his mouth.

"No," I whispered again. "Please no."