Kill Tone

by Lance Winkless

  Without warning, the lights go down and a loud buzzing sound starts from the direction of the main stage. The whole audience around Jack and beyond screams and cheers, their hands waving in the air ready to welcome the headline act.

  Jack decides to settle in for the duration, take in the show and wait for Veronica to emerge from the door only a few feet away. He even starts to work out how he can pretend that it’s a complete coincidence when he sees her. That they just happen to be in the same place at the same time, which to a certain degree is the case.

  Managing to wheedle his way in. Jack gets a spot right next to the barrier so that at least he can lean on it while he waits and take some weight off his aching feet. The only thing he is missing now is a fresh beer to get him through, but he will make the sacrifice. Veronica is worth it.

  The buzz continues, the anticipation builds and the excitement reaches fever pitch; it can only be a matter of seconds until the show starts. Some of the crowd are getting quite delirious in their wait, Jack notices, especially the younger members of the audience. They jump up and down, trying to get a better view, whilst waving their arms in the air as if Lady Kai will see them. Jack watches them with interest, chuckling away to himself. The joy of youth, he thinks. He remembers it, even if the memory is slowly fading with every passing year.

  The patience of the crowd thins as the buzz goes on. Lady Kai must be running behind, Jack thinks, she is probably applying one last vital coat of lipstick before she can perform. Jack chuckles to himself again. And then it happens. The buzz stops and blinding lights erupt from on top of the main stage. Here we go, Jack surmises.

  Nothing happens. No music follows the crescendo of the buzz and everybody looks around at each other in confusion. Jack turns to look in the direction of the main stage, perhaps it is more than Lady Kai’s lipstick that is stopping the show. They must have a technical fault. A quiet lull ensues; the rest of the crowd must be thinking the same thing and waiting for the crew to find the problem. The lull doesn’t last long, however, the audience soon becomes restless and start shouting and screaming, as if that is going to help matters.

  The security guard that is at the entrance to the sound tower, stands on his tiptoes to look over the crowd. He then puts a foot onto the bottom of one of the barriers and pushes himself higher, his neck craning to see. Jack wonders what has caught his attention. Somebody must be in trouble in the crowd or possibly a fight has broken out. Jack doesn’t pay it much mind and leans back onto the barrier, waiting for the fault to be fixed.

  Without warning, the audience next to him is pushed back as a wave of pressure travels back from the front. Still, Jack isn’t concerned, as waves of pressure travelling around an audience of this size is nothing unusual. That’s how pressure is relieved if people get too packed in together in one area of the crowd, but what does prick Jack’s concern are the terrified screams that are increasing and getting closer. They aren’t screams of excitement. They are screams of distress.

  Jack himself starts to crane his neck to try and see what is happening in front of the sound tower. He can only see the tops of heads though, but they don’t look normal. Instead of being still and waiting for the show, the heads are moving about, the packed audience in front braking up. There must be a fight going on, what else could it be? And the fight must be a big one. Jack goes to put his foot through the railing at the bottom of the barrier so that he can stand on it to get a better look.

  Just as he goes to push himself up, another wave pushes the people around him back. This wave is far more violent though, the crowd stumbling backwards, hitting Jack’s backside and knocking him sideways. His foot nearly jams in between the railing, threatening to trap it and break his ankle. Luckily, his foot flips out from the railing as Jack starts to fall. Only him keeping hold of the top of the barrier stops him from falling over, but others aren’t so lucky.

  The crowd travels back farther as Jack holds tightly onto the barrier, keeping his position. He sees people go down, falling under the feet of the crowd. They are trampled on, whilst others trip up parts of the crowd and get buried beneath the falling people. What the fuck is causing this stampede, Jack thinks, people are getting seriously hurt. They are getting trampled on and crushed under other falling people.

  Some of the audience turn and move out of the way, many piling into the relatively safe area behind the sound tower to get out of the way of the torrent of people. Or they keep going back as far as they can to the more open spaces at the back of the field.

  Jack, pulls himself upright again, using the barrier, he is shaken but uninjured. Panicked screaming is constant, but it doesn’t mask completely the crying and moaning of the people hurt.

  Looking at the security guard at the barrier, Jack hopes to see some kind of reassurance, but he doesn’t. The big man is face to face with another man, whose face is contorted with anger and hatred. The security guard’s massive biceps are managing to hold his attacker at bay but Jack wouldn’t like to bet for how long.

  The torrent of people keeps coming, threatening to sweep up Jack with them. All the people he was standing next to moments earlier seem to have vanished, washed away. Jack has had enough, he flops his body over the barrier to the safety of the other side. The security guard is too busy to protest, and he can go fuck himself anyway if he has anything to say, Jack thinks.

  Pandemonium reigns as the crowd panic to get away from the trouble and the crush. Hundreds if not thousands of concert goers are scrambling past Jack, desperate to evacuate and to find safety, their faces covered in shock and fear. Jack’s face is no different, even from behind the barrier. His anguish at seeing the bodies on the ground that aren’t moving unless they are hit is horrendous.

  He can look no more. Jack wants to help but what can he do, risk going back over the barrier and back into the chaos? Jack looks to his right at the people getting away. That is his escape route, get over the barrier behind the tower, out of the arena to Big Dave’s to retrieve the cash and then get to his car.

  Jack moves, he moves left to the door to the tower, opening it quickly.

  “Veronica?” he shouts up the stairs in front of him. There is no answer, so he shouts her name again, louder.

  Just as he is about to shout out again, there is movement on the stairs.

  “Who’s that?” a man’s voice asks.

  “Is Veronica there? Tell her it’s Jack.”

  “Jack who?” a female voice asks, a voice Jack recognises.

  “Veronica, it’s Jack, from the other night. I saw you come in here just now.”

  “Jack, what are you doing here?”

  “The same as you,” he replies, deciding to be selective with the truth. “We’ve got to get out of here; everyone has gone crazy and it’s spreading.”

  Somebody starts to descend the stairs and then suddenly, Veronica stands at the top of the flight of stairs in front of him. Jack’s heartbeat increases even further when he sees her; she is a vision. Even in the chaos, he doesn’t know what to look at first, her beautiful face or her stunning legs.

  “We were just deciding whether to leave or stay up here?” Veronica informs him.

  “I’ve seen an escape route, back to my car. I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay in here. It’s only a matter of time before they get in. The security guard won’t be able to stop them.”

  A man appears behind Veronica, the man who met her outside. “We’re going for a van in behind the backstage area, Jack,” he says as if he knows Jack.

  “What, go against the flow of that crowd? That’s not happening, my friend, no way,” Jack tells him.

  “How far is your car?” Veronica asks Jack.

  “It’s parked in the staff car park, the other side of the campsite. I’m working security this weekend,” Jack answers.

  “You don’t look like it?”

  “I’m off shift,” Jacks tells Veronica awkwardly. “We need to leave before this tower gets swamped.”

  “W
hat do you think, Bobby?” Veronica says, turning.

  Bobby, Jack says to himself, why does he recognise that name? Does he know him, or has he met Bobby before? He can’t recall, but this isn’t the time to think about it, since there are more pressing matters.

  “That’s a long way, through the campsite. Rory’s van is much closer, but Jack could be right, it’s chaos between here and the backstage,” Bobby says. “Let me talk to Rory.”

  Bobby goes back up the stairs and Veronica follows him. Jack debates what to do for a second before going in, closing the door and running up to follow them.

  When he arrives, Bobby and Veronica are in a heated discussion with a group of people gathered near the front of the tower, next to an opening that looks down to the main stage. Jack goes over to join them and takes a look out from the opening for a moment.

  The lit-up main stage is in front of him, but it isn’t that that draws his attention, it is the crowd in front of the stage. The scene is like a horrific war zone, the area is still packed with people, and running battles and fights are taking place all across the sea of people. Jack’s shock is instant at what’s happening; it’s carnage down below and there are bodies on the ground, too many to count. Why are so many people going crazy, viciously crazy? What happened only a short time ago with Rouben in The Chasm had freaked Jack out, but violence below is on another level; it is terrifying.

  “It’s worse than I thought down there. We’ve got to get out of here,” Jack says forcefully, surprising himself. The tower vibrates as something, or someone, hits it, reiterating Jack’s words. “There’s no way through that crowd. We have to go back and through the campsite!”

  “The campsite is massive, it’s at least a thirty-minute walk to get through it. And that’s in daylight when everybody isn’t doing the same thing and going mental at the same time!” Rory insists, looking at Jack.

  “Well, what do you suggest?” Jack barks back.

  Rory moves and looks out of the opening next to Jack who turns to join him. They both survey the area and their options.

  “We go back until we can get to the side over there,” Rory says, pointing to the right. “We can get in behind the bar and catering area and then circle back to the backstage area where my van is.”

  Jack looks over to the side that Rory is talking about. The long bars and multiple food counters run down the whole side of the field and Jack has to admit it is quieter over there. Rory might have the best idea to get out of danger, but it will mean not getting his bag of money from Big Dave’s. Jack instantly decides to worry about that later; he knows where it is and if it moves, he will find Big Dave. Jack is more concerned about his safety right now, and about seeing his daughter again.

  Jenny! Shock hits Jack as he suddenly remembers that Jenny is somewhere here too. Both of his daughter’s parents are in danger, and Jack’s urgency to get to safety suddenly multiplies exponentially. I fucking hope Jenny is safe, but if she isn’t and I don’t make it…

  “Okay that’s it then, let’s do it,” Jack agrees urgently. “I’m Jack, by the way,” he tells Rory, offering his hand.

  “Good to meet you, Jack, I’m Rory,” Rory says, taking his hand before they turn to speak to the others.

  “We can’t stay here,” Veronica pleads with Rose, who really doesn’t want to go outside.

  “Veronica is right; we will stick together and we don’t have to go far,” Bobby adds.

  “We’re best to ride it out here,” the man from the TV crew says.

  “If you want to stay here, that’s up to you, dickhead,” Veronica snaps. “Rose is coming with us, aren’t you, Rose?” Rose looks frightened and unsure. “We can do this, Rose, please come with me.”

  “Okay,” Rose says nervously, looking at Veronica.

  “Have we got anything we can use as weapons?” Jack asks, wishing he had the gun he had acquired with him.

  “There is a toolbox over here,” Rory says, moving quickly to the back of the platform.

  After raiding the toolbox for anything they can use as weapons, Jack cautiously leads the way down the stairs. He grips a hammer in his right hand, debating with himself whether he will actually have it in him to swing it at somebody if he has to.

  Rory, who Jack has decided he likes already, follows Jack down the stairs. Behind him are the two women, then the chap called Bobby and two other men, who were also on the platform. The man Veronica called a dickhead didn’t change his mind and has been left behind.

  Reaching the door, Jack starts to open it cautiously, not wanting to draw any undue attention. As soon as the door is cracked open, noise from the anarchy outside, made up mainly of screaming, bursts into the stairwell. Jack hears gasps from behind him but he isn’t deterred, and he takes a look through the partially opened door.

  Under the man-made white light, people mix with unnatural shadows and they run in all directions, but mostly away from the main stage and towards the darkness beyond. Deathly screams hit Jack’s eardrums, sending fear and terror through him. There is no sign of the big security guard who was manning this entry, and the barrier is wide open. Contorted bodies are strewn across the ground, lying in with the empty food cartons and paper cups that litter the whole area. Right next to the barrier, a crazed man grabs hold of a woman from behind, grabbing her shoulders as she tries to retreat. She is pulled back and thrown to the ground, a chilling scream escaping her as she falls. The man jumps down on top of her and through the railing of the barrier, Jack sees the man’s head lower into her neck where Jack is sure he bites into her. The woman’s legs kick violently into the air and smash into the ground until they suddenly stop.

  “Are we good to go?” Rory asks from behind Jack.

  Jack is no longer certain it’s a good idea to go outside; danger is everywhere. Might they be better to hold up inside and take their chances, like the man upstairs is doing? No, they have to go; the tower is in the middle of the chaos, these fuckers are already showing an interest in it, and it will only be a matter of time before they breach into it.

  “Yes, let’s go,” Jack replies in a low voice.

  Jack eases the door open wider and slips out into the open air. He holds the door open and lets Rory take the lead, indicating for him to go down to the back of the tower. Jack doesn’t watch the others come out, but holds the door, keeping his eyes on the surroundings in case they are attacked and he grips the hammer.

  Releasing the door as the last man gets to it, Jack makes his own way down. Rory is just climbing over the barrier as Jack arrives at the back of the tower, which almost feels like an oasis of calmness in the carnage. He hurries to get to Veronica’s side to help her over but he is too late. Bobby has already taken hold of her hand. Jack realises he is being ridiculous. This is no time for petty jealousy or points scoring, all that matters is that he gets out of here in one piece and to his daughter.

  Jack quickly climbs over the barrier to join Rory, and he helps Rose descend onto the ground next to him. A horrifying screech sounds from Jack’s left and he turns to see what he can only describe as a monster running at them from around the corner of the barrier. The thing doesn’t look human, it runs in a hunched-over position with its head down in front. Its torrid face is up and staring in Jack’s direction, its hateful eyes fixed, while its mouth is hanging open, its bottom jaw jerking from side to side. The wretch is definitely coming for them and Jack steels himself to defend them all, his knuckles whitening around the hammer’s grip.

  Another deadly screech releases from the creature's mouth as it closes in, its arms reaching out, ready to pounce. Jack swings the hammer through the air in perfect timing to meet the creature’s arrival. He keeps his eye on his target and with all his strength, smashes the hammer into the side of its head with a sickening thud. The creature’s motion goes left as the hammer hits and Jack is sure that the head of the hammer has penetrated the beast’s head, sinking into it. The creature falls forward, nearly pulling the hammer out of Jack’s hand.
Thankfully, the head of the hammer comes away from the hole it has made and stays in his hand. Crashing into the railings of the barrier as it falls with an almighty, ringing bang, their attacker ends up in a pile on the ground next to the barrier at Jack’s feet.

  Motionless for a moment, Jack is shocked by his actions as he looks down at the dead thing he has just killed. It was necessary, he tells himself as he lifts the hammer up to inspect.

  “Fuck me, well done,” Rory says from Jack’s side, as Jack looks at the moist, red head of his hammer. “Are you okay, Jack?”

  “Yes bud, I’m good thanks. We’d better get moving.” Jack says, surprising himself by how unfazed he is by his actions.

  “That was amazing, Jack, frightening, but amazing,” Veronica tells Jack as he turns away from the dead body.

  Jack plays it cool and gives Veronica a wink, and then immediately thinks it’s the most uncool thing he has ever done. For fuck’s sake, you had to fuck it up, he tells himself as he looks away from her, embarrassed.

  “Okay, keep your eyes peeled, stay together and follow me,” Rory says.

  Rory leads them away, holding the long wrench he has between his hands in front of him. He stays in line with the sound tower and goes straight back to start with, as it is the least busy part. He jogs slowly and deliberately, giving all of them the chance to keep up and to keep scanning the area around them. Jack is on his left, with the others to his right. Jack glances over at Veronica, wanting to see how she moves. She is graceful, even with danger threatening her and whilst holding a wrench smaller than Rory’s, but still a hefty weapon.

  The sound tower doesn’t afford cover for long. Soon, they are jogging in amongst the rest of the panicked crowd. They crisscross in front of them, some sprinting in the direction of the Arena’s exits, whilst others seem to be running around aimlessly, their fear having got the better of them. The one positive is that the farther they go from the main stage, the less screaming there is. Whatever is happening to the crazed people, they seem to be staying where the chaos started, in the main packed audience.