Shattered By Broken Dreams

The next morning, still disconcerted over the phone message, Savannah had a quick shower and dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans and her Misfits t-shirt before heading out to the living room area of the bus, phone in hand.

Erica and Kyle were sitting on the couch eating cereal when Savannah emerged and both stopped with spoons half way up to their mouths when Savannah appeared, obviously agitated.
“What’s happened?”, Erica asked her, placing her spoon back in the bowl. Savannah sat down on the sofa beside her and opened up her messages. She quickly showed her two band mates the message.
“I got this really early this morning, and I can only presume that it’s from Gena,” Savannah said with a heavy sigh. Erica and Kyle’s eyes widened as they looked at her. Savannah ran a hand through her hair as she placed her phone beside her.
“It sounds like it could be from Gena, but how would she get your number?” Kyle asked with a frown.
“I don’t know, but it’s kind of convenient that out of all the restaurants in town she just happened to show up where everyone was at.”
“You think someone’s told her?” Erica asked her, her eyes wide. Savannah shrugged, drawing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them. She didn’t want to think that somebody would be in cahoots with Gena, but really what were they trying to prove? Zacky had dumped Gena because she was a money hungry whore, but what hurt most was that someone in their group seemed to want to cause more friction by having Gena turn up to create more tension around herself and Zacky.
“Who would do something like that, though?” Kyle asked the girls, his brow knitted in a frown. “Everybody was there, and I know how much the girls hated Gena. I don’t think there’s any way that they’d do something like this.”
“There’s new people around, though,” Erica replied thoughtfully.
“Katie has met everyone before but she never liked Gena either,” Savannah replied, “and Shannen hadn’t met anyone before this. Lee hasn’t met Gena before either, I don’t think.”
“I doubt it would be one of the guys,” Kyle stated. “They all think Gena is the anti-Christ.”
“No-one else but us knew where we were going, though,” Savannah said pensively. Sighing, she got up to make a coffee and as she was standing beside the urn she suddenly turned to look at Erica and Kyle, who eyed her with interest.
“What have you just thought of?” Erica asked her. Savannah was about to answer when her phone beeped again, and she bit her lip slightly before she opened her phone. Her features lightened considerably when she saw the name, but then she frowned again when she read the message.
“What’s up?” Kyle asked her, putting his bowl down on the coffee table and moving to stand beside Savannah.
“Jimmy just said that he had a similar message, telling him to make sure that I stayed away from Zacky.” She typed in a response, then waited a few moments until her phone beeped away. She waved off the others’ questions whilst she waited.
“Okay, I asked Jimmy if it was Gena’s number, and apparently he showed the number to Zacky and it’s not. She could have got a new sim card though, so it might still be her.”
“I’d still like to know who told her where we were going to be. It’s like somebody told her that you had slept with Zacky,” Erica said, her expression thoughtful.
“I don’t know, but I have my suspicions,” Savannah said, her lip curled slightly.
“Care to enlighten us,” Kyle asked. Savannah shook her head.
“I’m not really certain and I need to check some stuff first.” Without another word, she turned and left the room, leaving Erica and Kyle to look at each other with eyebrows raised.

For the rest of the ride to the next venue which was in Fargo, North Dakota Savannah stayed sitting on her bunk, hunched over her laptop. She was startled slightly when her curtain was pulled back and Tommy stuck his head inside.
“Hey net freak, we’re here,” he smirked. “Get your ass off the bunk.”
“Aye aye Captain,” she replied with a sarcastic smirk and a salute.
“That’s right and don’t you forget it,” he said with a wave as he moved off toward the front of the bus.

As the bus pulled in behind the Fargodome, Savannah closed her laptop and pulled on her ratty Vans. She grabbed her make-up case and her stage outfit bag and walked out to the front of the bus. The guys had already decamped the bus, and only Erica was waiting for her.
“Did you find anything?” Erica asked her, and Savannah shook her head with a sigh.
“I don’t even know what I’m looking for,” she admitted.
“You want to tell me know that the guys are gone?” Erica asked.
“I think it may be a member of the crew and not someone out of either band,” Savannah admitted, “but I don’t know for sure so until I get some further information I’m not going to say anything further.”

Three hours later, after the sound checks were complete and both bands were ready to perform, Savannah was standing to the side of the stage with Erica and Tommy. Kyle was up on stage with Mike doing a last minute adjustment to his kit. Savannah glanced around and her glance landed on a woman in a badly fitting brown wig who was standing near the backstage entrance area.
“I don’t fucking believe it,” she sighed. Erica followed her glance, and her eyes widened slightly.
“Is that Gena?” she asked. Savannah rolled her eyes.
“Looks like it is. Damn whore must be desperate for the cash to go to those lengths.”
“What’s with the trench coat?” Tommy asked. “She looks like fucking Inspector Gadget!” Savannah took a closer look and giggled at the amount of make-up that Gena had applied to her orange skin.
“There’s a fine line between wearing make-up and looking like Crayola gang banged your face,” Tommy laughed as he noticed what Savannah had been sniggering about.
“You guys ready?” Sebastian asked them as he walked over with Savannah’s bass.
“Does the Pope shit in the woods?” Tommy smirked.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Sebastian laughed, with an eye roll thrown in for good measure. A couple of local policemen walked past, nodding at the band as they went past, checking the teenagers clustered in the front row for illicit drugs.
“Mmmmm, gotta love a man in uniform,” Erica smirked, nudging Savannah with her elbow.
“Woman always say they love a man in uniform, but when I go clubbing in my McDonalds outfit no-one will even talk to me,” Tommy interjected. Both girls looked at him with eyebrows raised and shook their heads sadly.

A few moments later, the band took to the stage, and Savannah momentarily forgot about Gena skulking about in the shadows in her Inspector Gadget outfit as her stage persona took over and she played the first bars of Wait & Bleed. Tommy stepped up to the microphone and began belting out their newest song.

I've felt the hate rise up in me
Kneel down and clear the stone of leaves
I wander out where you can't see
Inside my shell, I wait and bleed

I've felt the hate rise up in me
Kneel down and clear the stone of leaves
I wander out where you can't see
Inside my shell, I wait and bleed

Goodbye

I wipe it off on a tile, the light is brighter this time
Everything is turning blasphemy
My eyes are red and gold, the hair is standing straight up
This is not the way I picture me

I can't control my shakes, how the hell did I get here?
Something about this, so very wrong
I have to laugh out loud, I wish I didn't like this
Is it a dream or a memory?

I've felt the hate rise up in me
Kneel down and clear the stone of leaves
I wander out where you can't see
Inside my shell, I wait and bleed

Get outta my head 'cause I don't need this
Why didn't I see this?
Well, I'm a victim Manchurian candidate
I have sinned by just makin' my mind up
And takin' your breath away

I've felt the hate rise up in me
Kneel down and clear the stone of leaves
I wander out where you can't see
Inside my shell, I wait and bleed

I've felt the hate rise up in me
Kneel down and clear the stone of leaves
I wander out where you can't see
Inside my shell, I wait and bleed

Goodbye

You haven't learned a thing
I haven't changed a thing
The flesh was in my bones
The pain was always free

You haven't learned a thing
I haven't changed a thing
The flesh was in my bones
The pain was always free

I've felt the hate rise up in me
Kneel down and clear the stone of leaves
I wander out where you can't see
Inside my shell I wait and bleed

I've felt the hate rise up in me
Kneel down and clear the stone of leaves
I wander out where you can't see
Inside my shell, I wait and bleed

And it waits for you

Just as they finished playing, Savannah happened to glance up and saw that Gena was removing something out of the pocket of her Inspector Gadget trench coat and her eyes widened in alarm when one of the stage lights glinted off the gun now in Gena’s hand. Tommy glanced over toward her, seeing that Savannah had missed the opening bars of Tumult and his eyes widened in alarm when he saw Gena raising the gun toward Savannah. He threw his microphone to the floor, and sprinted over towards Savannah. Kyle’s drums petered out and he stood up, his eyes wide.

The sound of the gunshot was barely audible as Tommy crashed into Savannah and took her down onto the stage floor. She landed with an audible “oof” as her body took the brunt of Tommy’s weight. Erica screamed and threw her guitar at Sebastian, who barely managed to catch it before she sprinted over to Tommy and Savannah. She frantically looked up toward the front of the stage area but couldn’t see Gena anywhere. Tommy was struggling to his feet, and Erica collapsed to her knees in front of Savannah.
“What the hell!!!!”, she shrieked.
“Gena had a gun!” Tommy exclaimed. Erica’s eyes fell open in shock and she hurriedly checked Savannah for injuries. Savannah was slowly sitting up, her eyes dazed.
“Are you hit?” Erica asked her frantically.
“No, but I think my underwear is shot,” Savannah shakily replied. The crowd was looking on, dazed and confused, as to what had just happened. A few people in the front row had seen Gena and were busily pointing out which way she had gone to the policemen, who took off running.
“Should we continue?” Tommy asked. The sounds of stampeding feet could be heard, and within moments the guys from Avenged were spilling out onto the stage. Jimmy ran over to Savannah immediately.
“What the hell happened?” he shrieked, pulling her into his arms. “Jason said somebody got shot!”
“Gena had a gun and she tried to shoot Vannah,” Tommy replied. Zacky stared down at Savannah, his eyes wide with horror. She waved his concern away, indicating that she was alright. He fell to his knees in front of her, and pulled her into his arms. She struggled briefly to get away, then relaxed and let him hug her.
“I’m so glad you’re alright,” he breathed in her ear. “I’m so sorry that she’s turned up here.”
“Right now I don’t care. I just want to get on with the show,” Savannah said, moving to stand up. She accepted Jimmy’s hand and got to her feet. The crowd in the front row yelled and screamed as she waved at them.
“I’m OK, guys!” she called into her microphone.
“Are you sure you want to continue?” Erica asked her.
“Well, I don’t particularly want psycho slut to come back and shoot me, but these kids paid money for a show and that’s what I’m going to do.”