Pitch Perfect Harmony

The Nightmare Of Brazil

It felt like the time flew by until Travis had to leave again. Taylor would play one last show in Buenos Aires and then head over to Rio de Janeiro. The weather was still messing with them and a big heat wave would hit the country very soon. They were scanning the reports constantly trying to anticipate how bad it would become. Taylor's team also tried to evaluate if they could postpone in case it would get really intense. They wanted to find a temperature limit with the local organizer at which they would postpone and prepare contracts. However, the organization was not willing to compromise at all. They didn't seem to care about the high risks of a concert like this during a heat wave. Of course, noone wanted to postpone but Taylor's team wanted to be prepared.

Until the first show, they didn't manage to get any kind of compromise and Taylor had to play the concert no matter what. Even Taylor herself was scared of this immense heat. It was almost unbearable already and it wasn't even noon yet. She had no idea how she would manage to sing and dance for more than three hours. It didn't feel like half an hour would be possible. And her crew felt the same way but there wasn't anything they could do about it. Tree and the rest of the business team were mad at the organization but still trying to contact them about a postponement. At the same time, they prepared for the show. Medical teams were doubled and also a few medical care stations were sat up right behind the stage. Taylor couldn't believe that they had to play tonight. "Please text me as soon as you can after the show, okay? I'm really worried", Travis texted her later. They had a short call earlier and she had told him about the situation. He didn't understand why the organizers wouldn't let them postpone and he was incredibly worried. He had played games in the heat before but nothing compared to the temperature they had down in Brazil right now.

Tree purposefully stopped to give Taylor updates about an hour before the concert. People were fainting already and the local crew wouldn't give out enough water. Tree and Taylor's team were constantly in contact with the locals trying to make it all work. "If I see anyone that needs water or medical care, I will just say it out loud and get them there", Taylor told Tree before the concert. "Of course! There's no point in ignoring it. If anything goes wrong, say something immediately. Also, if you need water or oxygen, say something! Don't wait!", she told her. Taylor nodded. The whole atmosphere behind the stage was tense. They were all scared of how today's show would go.

And then the horror movie started. Taylor went on stage and the immense heat hit her like a wall immediately. People were still screaming and applauding and the energy was there but everyone was sweating and gasping for air after the first few songs. The second Taylor was backstage, she grabbed water and got as much as she could. This would be rough. Era after era went by. This time everything felt like slow-motion. Taylor could see that people were not doing okay in the crowds and she had her team get water out and navigated medical staff from the stage. It just felt like this wouldn't be enough. Her own body felt like it would collapse any second. Her skin was wet from sweat and at the same time, it felt like she was burning alive. Her dancers looked just as exhausted as she did and in the last few transitions, they all didn't only grab water. Some of them, including Taylor, got additional oxygen from the medical staff. It felt like a nightmare that didn't want to end.

Numerous times, Taylor was gasping for air before switching back to show mode and continuing the concert. She had seen fans faint multiple times today and was hoping they would all be okay. After the last song was over, she felt her body getting weaker and weaker with every second. As soon as she was out of sight, she let herself collapse to the ground. Her chest was rising and falling at high speed, she had closed her eyes for only a second. "Taylor! Taylor, look at me!", Tree instantly yelled. The medical staff was running over too and they gave her oxygen again while propping up her feet. Taylor tried to calm herself down. She concentrated on breathing while looking at Tree who was still next to her. "Do you need to go to the hospital?", she asked but Taylor shook her head. She would just take a while. And she was right. After a while of lying there and just breathing, her mind got clearer again. She could almost feel the oxygen reaching her muscles and brain. So she took the mask off. "Give me another moment, then we can head to the hotel", she said tiredly. Tree nodded. "Is the crew alright?", Taylor wanted to know. "As far as I know, yes. I'll give you an update on everything later. Just get back up again first", she told her.

When they finally made their way back to the hotel, Taylor fell onto her bed after a very short, cool shower. The air conditioning felt like heaven. "This was a nightmare", she said to herself. "Absolutely. We won't do that again tomorrow. And if I sell my kidney for that", Tree answered obviously pissed. "Why weren't they giving out water?", Taylor wanted to know. "I have no idea! I was constantly on the phone but at some point, we just gave up because they wouldn't listen. We went out ourselves", Tree explained. "I saw that. Thank you for everything. You did what you could", Taylor sighed. "Can I leave you alone? Do you need anything?", Tree wanted to make sure. "It's okay. Go to bed", Taylor told her, so they said good night and Taylor was left alone.

Posting another chapter because I felt like it 🤍