by Dan Cash
After a while, everyone joined together to talk whilst Jimmie took Max off to a separate practice room. Although Haze had advised Jimmie against this, he knew why they had gone in there. Jimmie was warning Haze about the plan to get him on stage to say happy birthday and then to invite his other friends to join in with the final song.
He was not going to tell him about the rest of the evening, but he wanted the boy to be prepared for at least a part of what was sure to be a hectic night.
Haze also knew that Jimmie wanted to find out whether Lornea had a boyfriend; as soon as she had walked into the room, Jimmie whispered in Haze’s ear that he thought Lornea was extremely attractive. And even though Haze told his friend that it looked like she was with the tall blond-haired boy, Freddie, once Jimmie wanted something he would always try his hardest to get it.
The hour with the seven young friends went much quicker than meet and greets usually went, Haze thought, and soon enough Graham had given the five-minute warning for Susie to open the show.
When the boys told the seven to keep in touch, they genuinely meant it, and each of the musicians subscribed to their new acquaintances before they went on stage. As they watched Max and his six friends head out of the music room, the band members began to whisper to each other, conveying their sadness that the young adults’ lives were about to change drastically.
Without allowing themselves to get too distracted like they did during rehearsals, Light on the Landing began their vocal warm-ups and did their pre-show routine that consisted mainly of jumping up and down, giving each other words of encouragement, and listening to energetic music.
Graham entered the room, the sounds of screaming filtering through the doorway. “Ready when you are.”
The boys grinned at each other and Zaak led the way onto the stage. The audience erupted into applause and even louder screams as one-by-one the band stepped into the blinding light. They quickly became reacquainted with their instruments.
Haze approached his microphone and shouted “Pipton, are you ready?!”
The crowd yelled “YES!” and Light on the Landing began to play.
Haze smiled, forgetting about everything else in the world. He was performing on the first stage that Light on the Landing had ever played on. He was the happiest he had been for months.
PART TWO
Sofia
Sofia was having the best night of her life. As if being at the first gig of Light on the Landing’s tour wasn’t enough, she had also met her idols and was with Max, her boyfriend that she loved with all her heart.
Everyone in the hall was going wild; jumping, dancing and singing, screaming “I love you” to the five musicians on stage. Sofia, Anne-Alicia and Lornea spent the entire concert doing all of those things, while the boys were happier to simply sing along and bob their heads.
When they played the opening riff to Sofia’s favourite song from the album, Fire and Desire, she screamed so loudly in Max’s ear that she thought she may have perforated his eardrum. Not that it mattered. The group of seven friends was having an excellent time.
The band also seemed to love every second of the gig. They dedicated their songs to their fans, their families, their manager Graham, and their old music teacher Mrs Pittaway who first put the band together.
At one point, Sofia could have sworn that Naithian wiped away a tear, but then she supposed it could have just been sweat. All the boys were bouncing energetically around the stage emulating their fans’ euphoria. For the penultimate song, Haze told the audience that they would be performing a new, acoustic song that they had written especially for their Pipton gig called Home.
Some crew members brought five stools onto the stage and the boys sat in a circle with just Naithian’s guitar accompanying them. They waited until the room was almost completely silent before they began.
Max wrapped his arms around Sofia, their heads turned towards the stage while they swayed along to the slow music. They were completely lost in each other and the lyrics.
Haze
We walk through these halls but they’re empty now
The classrooms and stairwells are burnt to the ground
Memories keep us alive within these walls
And all that is different is nothing at all
Jayke
Our lives they started here
There’s nothing left to fear
All
‘Cause we are five brothers
Best friends, significant others
And we’ll keep on lighting
Your hearts, we’re igniting the world
And we thank you
The dream we are living
Just carries on giving
And we’ll keep on lighting
Your hearts, we’re igniting the world
And we love you
Jimmie
Yellow fields and clear rivers tell us we’re home
The town we were born in flows through our bones
The circle that stands on the edge of the forest
All these little things that for years we have missed
Jayke
Our journey started here
In the place that knows no fear
All
‘Cause we are five brothers
Best friends, significant others
And we’ll keep on lighting
Your hearts, we’re igniting the world
And we thank you
The dream we are living
Just carries on giving
And we’ll keep on lighting
Your hearts, we’re igniting the world
And we love you
Naithain
Yesterday we were just five lonely boys
(Today we’re together, on the landing for ever)
Tomorrow we keep on making our noise
(The future is brighter because of our Lighters)
And we thank you and love you and we will ignite you ‘cause
Haze
We are your brothers
Best friends, significant others
And we’ll keep on lighting
Your hearts, we’re igniting the world
And we thank you
All
This dream that you gave us
In many ways saved us
Today we’re together
On the landing for ever
The future is brighter
Because of our Lighters
And you keep on lighting
Our hearts, you’re igniting our world
And we love you
Naithian gently strummed the last chord and the boys all stood in a line downstage centre, looking out into the crowd.
Haze spoke into his microphone, “Thank you so much guys, that one was just for you. We love you all so much!” The hall erupted in screams and cheers. “We now want to invite a special guest to the stage! We met him earlier today and he is a lovely guy and it’s his sixteenth birthday!”
The rest of the group all looked at Max in surprise while he grinned back at them.
“Max Myers, get up here!”
Max stepped forward where a security guard helped him to climb over the barriers and clamber ungracefully onto the stage. The five boys greeted him with a group hug and began to sing the birthday song.
The entire hall sang to a very excited, if not slightly embarrassed, Max and erupted into applause once more at the end.
“Thank you everyone,” Max mumbled shyly into Haze’s microphone.
Jimmie took to the mike this time but before he could say anything the hall was suddenly engulfed by darkness. Sofia looked around but she couldn’t see anything, not even Anne-Alicia who was standing right beside her.
Murmurs started to fill the hall and the band had fallen silent, indicating that their microphones had also stopped working.
“What’s going on?” Anne-Alicia asked in Sofia’s ear.
“I don’t know, maybe a power-cut. I guess we just wait for the lights to come ba
ck on.”
Then, without warning, there was a flash of light near the back of the auditorium followed by a shrill scream.
The crowd began to panic. Everyone pushed their way towards the exits as more flashes and screams filled the hall. Sofia tried desperately to cling on to Anne-Alicia’s hand but they were broken apart by the surge of the mob.
She felt herself being carried towards what she hoped was the way out; she was still blinded by the blackness. The small girl lost her footing. She fell to the ground with a thud. Someone stood on her leg but they couldn’t her scream. She tried to push herself to her to feet using her hands, but a foot crashed into her side, leaving her winded.
Tears streamed down Sofia’s face as she tried to scream again but no sound came out.
Matthew
Matthew did not have time to think before Russell had grabbed his arm, yanked him towards the barrier, and shouted to him to climb over. Obeying his friend’s orders, Matthew resisted against the crowd pushing into him and fell clumsily over the metal railings.
He got to his feet and yelled out for Russell, but there was no reply. Around him he could hear people screaming and calling out for friends that they were unable to see as the hall was pitch black.
A few others had the same idea as Russell and joined Matthew on the other side of the barrier, safer from the flood of panicked people. Flashes of bright white light appeared sporadically around the room. The screams that followed were hard to distinguish from ther general screaming of everyone else.
Filled with fear, Matthew decided that his best option was to hide. He walked blindly towards the stage with outstretched arms and lifted himself onto the raised platform. Crawling on his hands and knees, he headed towards the wings, where he could remain unseen by whomever or whatever was responsible for the darkness, the bursts of light and the screams.
Sitting with his back against the wall, he focussed on controlling his fast and heavy breathing.
He had lost all his friends. He had lost Russell. Matthew did not know what was happening; all he knew was that he should be scared. The only way he could contact his friends was via Scribbler, but he had left his ScribblePad at home.
Matthew wrapped his arms around his knees and buried his head, trying to not let his fear take over. Russell helped me before thinking about himself. If anything’s happened to him I’ll never forgive myself.
A loud bang caused Matthew to lift his head. It sounded close. Too close. He shut his mouth firmly, his loud breaths threatening to betray him. Footsteps. Somebody had joined him on the stage.
He could hear the sound of heavy shoes on wood, getting louder and louder. Matthew’s body tensed as he held his breath, trying to remain silent and still.
The footsteps stopped. A blinding flash of light and a scream flooded the stage.
Russell
Russell waited until he was as sure as he could be that Matthew had reached the other side of the barrier before climbing over himself. When he landed in front of the stage, a hand was clasped over his mouth and an arm gripped his waist.
He struggled to break free, kicking backwards but to no avail. His captor dragged him forcefully and threw him to the ground.
A deep, gravelly voice asked him, “Where is Max?”
Russell was shaking with fear. He opened his mouth but he had lost his words.
“Where is Max?” The man repeated.
“I – I don’t know who Max is,” Russell replied, his instincts warning him that he needed to lie. He regretted it as a hard boot crashed into his chest, pinning him against the wall.
“You lie. Where is he?” The man sounded more aggressive, booming over Russell’s cry of pain.
“He – I don’t know! I lost him,” Russell shouted back.
“You lie. You are with him. I see you help him.” The pressure of the boot against Russell’s chest increased, making it difficult for him to breathe.
“I’m not… lying. I don’t know… where… he is.” A fist flew at Russell’s jaw causing another shriek of agony to erupt from the trapped boy.
“You lie!” The man shouted angrily, retracting his foot only to crash it once more into Russell’s throbbing torso. But before he could cause the boy any more pain, the stage was lit up by a bright white burst of light. Just as quickly as the light disappeared, so did Russell’s interrogator.
He knew he had to run but he was in too much pain. He struggled to his hands and knees and crawled towards the barriers. Russell clambered onto his feet and leant against the railings; his chest and jaw throbbed and his entire body trembled.
The young Hurburtan shouted out for Matthew but there was no reply. What if he’s on the stage? What if I led him to danger? He began to cry, completely overwhelmed with panic.
He wasn’t aware of the hands that had closed around his biceps.
“Russell, let go of the barrier,” a familiar female voice whispered in his ear. He blindly obeyed and released the steel railings. He looked up and could make out a face. Slowly, he could feel himself rising up into the air, guided by a girl he thought he knew.
“Lornea?”
Anne-Alicia
Anne-Alicia tried to flee as soon as she heard the blood-curdling scream that followed the flash of light, but Sofia had grasped her hand tightly. She yanked her arm away from her friend’s grasp with force and began to weave between the hundreds of people that had begun to rush towards the door at the side of the room with only one aim: to escape.
A short distance ahead, another girl screamed as she was hit by a stream of white light. Anne-Alicia changed course, hoping to avoid bumping into whatever had caused that cry of pain, and aimed instead for the exit on the back wall.
Her hands remained outstretched, ready to push away anyone who threatened to block her path. Someone accidentally barged into her, knocking her sideways. She swore loudly and carried on moving forward blindly, her eyes still not adapted to the darkness.
Trying to guess her exact location in the hall was impossible; she was completely disorientated. Faster and faster she moved, her search for the exit becoming more frantic. She turned around, trying to see what was happening.
Another bright flash seemed to appear on the stage and the girl was momentarily filled with relief that she was far away. She turned and tripped over an object on the floor, struggling to stay on her feet.
A hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back, preventing her from crashing into the ground. Relief washed over her for the second time but it was short-lived. Her body was still being dragged backwards with a strength against which she could not resist.
“Let go of me!” she shouted angrily but her plea went ignored. She felt a heavy hand on her shoulder and plummeted on the floor with a thud. As soon as her body landed on the hard wooden floor, she was blinded by a burst of white light.
Lornea
Lornea knew that she would be safe as long as she stayed with her boyfriend. As soon as the hall was plunged into darkness, Freddie went into protective mode. He shouted to everyone, telling them to stay close to each other, but a loud, shrill scream meant that nobody except for Lornea heard his command.
Before she could work out what was happening, all of Lornea’s friends seemed to have disappeared and Freddie was guiding his girlfriend not towards an exit, but towards the nearest wall.
They came to a stop and Freddie told Lornea to be as quiet as possible. He didn’t explain his logic, but Lornea could see what his plan was: to stay hidden. Everyone else would be trying to escape and would therefore be left waiting in an open space, surrounded by other people but still extremely vulnerable.
Freddie, still holding his girlfriend’s hand, began to move silently towards the ground until they were both in a sitting position.
“We have to stay low, remain invisible. They might be able to see through the darkness,” Freddie whispered. Lornea squeezed his hand in agreement, scared of even breathing too loudly and being seen.
Suddenly, Freddie’s w
hole body went rigid. Lornea felt him tense and looked over at him. In the pitch black, two small fierce red lights had appeared. Although they weren’t really lights, they were Freddie’s eyes.
“Stay here, Sofia’s in trouble.” He launched himself off the ground and then he was gone.
Lornea was completely alone. The hall was buzzing with fear, bursts of light and deafening screams punctuating the shouts of people trying to escape. There was another flash but Lornea was disoriented. She thought it had come from the stage but she couldn’t be sure.
What if it’s Max? What if it’s one of the band?
She started to worry even more, panicking that someone she knew could have been attacked by the mysterious forces that had penetrated the school. She stood up, without planning what she would do. She breathed slowly and deeply, building herself up to run to the stage and try somehow to help whoever had been attacked.
She counted in her head, three… two… one!
As her left foot left the ground, her entire body followed. She floated up and up into the air, towards the ceiling. Lornea was stunned. How was this happening? She was flying. It was impossible and yet it was happening. That was all that mattered, she could figure out the rest later.
Filled with a sudden sense of power, she began to look over the hall but in vain. Everything was still covered in a black blanket of blindness. Lornea began to control herself in the air, focussing on one point and allowing her body to fly in that direction.
It was by chance that she found a friend. She heard a dull clang of the railings signalling that someone must be below her. She swooped down to investigate and, after making sure that the figure was not an enemy, she grabbed their arms and spoke.