Don't Be so Scared

Third Person POV

Jaedyn let go of the discomfort and got into character just like when she was in high school theatre.

Jack crept onstage in a crouched position that he thought would be the perfect defensive vampire pose and held his cape out like wings then began dancing to the creepy organ music as he imagined Dracula would if Dracula ever had the urge to dance. He was already into his character. He was the Jackula who struck horror into the hearts of millions.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, are you ready for the main event of the evening?” He practically growled into the mike he continued moving, not standing in one place for too long.
The crowd shrieked, eager for the band to take the stage.

“I would like to introduce you to some of my very good blood curdling buddies!

”Coming out first, the one, the only, Esmarelda the dead tranny hooker!” He looked to stage left signaling that would be the side of the stage ‘Esmarelda’ would enter from.

“Dude looks like a Lady” blasted though the speakers as Sisky strutted across that stage in a very masculine fashion (for someone in a dress) and tossed his arms in the air.

He walked all the way across the stage stopping at the edge of the drum riser and began dancing and rubbing his faux breasts.

“Look at him strut. Give me a kiss.” Jack hissed and moved to meet Sisky halfway.

They gave each other a peck.

The crowd cheered even louder.

Sisky sat on the right edge of the drum riser with leg wide spread.

The song changed to the Batman theme.

“Oh no, who could it be now? Who could it be? The one and only Dark Knight! Batman!”

Michael came on stage and darted back and forth across the stage with purpose, as if he were searching the streets of Gotham for evildoers, finally coming to rest standing to Sisky’s right.

“I’m very afraid to show you what’s coming up right now. I don’t know if you can all handle it. Can you handle it?” He was asking the crowd to scream again.

Jaedyn knew she was up next. She shifted to a more upright position readying herself for that treacherous walk across the stage.

“I’d like to introduce you to a man with a P.H.D. in Death, Dr Fear!”

Circus music now filled the room as Carden dashed on stage with his creepiest clown smile waving at the crowd. He was fleetingly hoping that someone in the front was afraid of clowns.

Mike walked toward Jack and Jack dropped character.

He ducked away from Mike.

“Oh, Jeeze. I’m actually really afraid of him to tell you the truth.” He was no longer the feared vampire he was just Jack again you could hear it in his voice.

Mike settled by his setup.

As Nurse Johnnie Blood’s song started to play Jack reacted instantly.

“It sounds like Dr Fear brought his assistant. She needs no syringe to draw blood, Nurse Johnnie Blood!”

She strutted across stage to,

She said I love the night
The day is OK and the sun can be fun
But I live to see those rays slip away
I love the night

She smiled cruelly at the crowd at center stage she bent down and growled to really show off the fangs and made her way to help Mike tie the balloons down.

“What is this?” Jack said as the Superman theme came on. “We’ve got a special guest tonight. A man who’s saved many, stolen the hearts of women across the planet and the universe. It’s Superman!”

Mikey came on stage carrying Butcher the mummy in his arms.

Butcher just laid in his arms feigning dead.

Mikey lay Butcher down center stage and stepped back taking the true Superman pose.

“But what does he have with him? It looks like a dead corpse’s grandmother’s uncle’s beast’s cousin.” It was obvious he was just pulling that out of the air. “How can this man be saved? Not even Superman can save him”

“Walk like an Egyptian” became audible.

“There’s only one Shaw great enough to waken the dead mummy. The curse of the Jobra.” Jack said as he stood up and moved away from Butcher slightly.

David (Jobra) made his way out, walking straight to Butcher, waving his cobra staff over Butcher as if employing some sort of magic that resided within the staff alone.

Butcher started moving his body as if it was an empty shell only pulled up by the invisible tether to the staff. Slowly his body rocked up finally stumbling to his feet standing at his full height. He kept the body language of being unable to truly control his own movement.
Michael as Batman pulled Butcher to his side to ‘aid’ him.

William’s music began playing as Jack spoke. The kids reacted to The Nightmare Before Christmas’s “This is Halloween” (the instrumental version) instantly.

“And last but not least, my friends, you know the man I’m talking about. You’ve seen him before. He’s ready to put on a show for the ages. I present to you, The Skeleton King!” Jack moved back from center stage knowing that’s where William would go.

The Skeleton King sauntered straight to the center with his scepter held above his head, moving with the majesty of true royalty.

He had the whole audience in the palm of his hand.

Not only the audience but the girl he truly wanted couldn’t take her eyes off of him.

Jaedyn knew she was outright staring at him but she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. He had captured the royal presence perfectly he captured attention without even seeming to try, but that was something that Beckett could do without the character being involved.

He moved back to stand with everyone else and Jaedyn and Mike started moving toward the center where they had all gathered.

“And in honor of this special, very, very special, show for you tonight these five men would like to share with you a shot of the same blood.”

As Jack spoke Tony entered from stage left in his gladiator costume and walked to the side of the half circle closest to stage right with the tray of shots balanced on his left hand.

“This is Halloween” faded out then eerie Halloween took over as Tony started going around the half-circle each person taking a shot off the tray.

In order, Jobra, Butcher, Sisky, Chislett, Mikey, William, Jaedyn, Mike, and Jack.

As Tony started going around with tray Jack said the toast, “To love and death and everything in between!”

As soon as the word love slipped though Jack’s lips William’s and Jaedyn’s eyes met and he held his shot higher.

The look he gave her made her weak in the knees. She could feel it even through his contacts.

She just redirected her attention to the crowd and he did the same.

As they all went to put the drink to their lips Jaedyn’s eyes wandered back to the bartender.

The bartender creepier than ever seemed to be speaking or chanting but no one was at the bar to speak to her.

Jaedyn’s drink still went to her lips as did everyone else’s and they threw ‘em back with freakishly amazing synchronization. Even Tony who drank his from the side of the stage.

They all felt the drink burn down their throats like any other liquor but it also sent a strange energy into their veins but they all wrote it off as the excitement to play a show or for the show, except Jaedyn.

“Let’s get this party started!” Jack shouted into the mike for the last time before passing the mike and all the crew clearing the stage.

“Tony,” Jaedyn grabbed Tony as she got offstage to him. “Was there something strange about that drink or was that just me?” She sounded paranoid.

“The drink was fine Johnson. I got them from the bartender myself, don’t worry.” He said in attempts to soothe her, then went back to watching the guys incase anything went wrong and he had to run out there.

She just nodded and walked away still ill at ease.

She returned to the merch table to take over for whoever had covered for her.

At shows you can always feel the energy of the crowd, or the band, flowing through you.

This show though the guys felt the energy of everyone so much more, the show was crazier than usual.

Even Tony was vastly aware of the energy exchange. He usually didn’t even feel like a part of it.

Jaedyn felt it from every kid who wandered out of the crowd to buy merch. She could feel the kid’s mood, she probably could have told you the band they were most excited about even if they were buying a shirt from every band.

When Gabe came on stage (now free of his costume) to sing “Black Mamba” with them, William could feel Gabe beside him without touching him, he didn’t even have to look over to know he was there. He could feel that Gabe had already had a few beers since their set ended.

The audience felt the guys energy too. More than any crowd ever. It flowed from one row of kids to the next.

The energy just got traded throughout the room until everyone felt it then it was as if the room was so full of the energy it began flowing through the cracks below the doors into the streets going into the rest of the city.

Their set ended soon enough, the crowd chanted “one more song” just like every crowd does, even though they knew there’d be another song.

Bill returned to the stage closely followed by Michael ready to play “40 steps”.

Jaedyn loved this song she always at least paused for a moment but there were no kids at the table so she hopped up and sat on it to watch Beckett sing this song because he always put so much into it, it was his favorite.

The crowd sang along as if they all shared the plight that inspired that song.

They began reaching the high point in the song and Jaedyn began to feel the burn from the drink again only this time not in her throat but her whole body. She looked about the crowd, at William, at Michael, at the rest of the guys who were easing their way onto the stage to help play the heavier part of the song, and she knew they all felt it.

She looked back to the bartender and there she was again alone and chanting.

Jaedyn then knew she had been right, the whole time, from the moment she looked to the sky, to when she felt suspicious of the bartender. Now it was too late to do anything about it.