Bad Melody (Seven Deadly Sins #3)

Right Now...

"Thank you, Columbia! And good night!" Cody yelled into his microphone before striking all the strings of his guitar in one final thrust as he leapt in the air. The crowd at the Blue Note, mostly made up of college students, went crazy as Cody was carried off the stage by his bandmates. "Go Tigers!" he screamed even as the curtains came down and signaled the end of the show.

Backstage Cody and the others whooped and hollered as they celebrated the best show they'd ever played. They were all so jacked and high feeling they could've gone back out and played for another hour, maybe two. Who needed booze or drugs? The emotional high could keep them going for days. One of the club's sound tech guys even said something about some guy from a major record label being in town. He'd been checking out different bands over the weekend, popping into shows unannounced. 

Maybe he'd even caught their show tonight.

"Hey, man..." Ricky shouted, cursing as he gave him a toothy grin. He shook out his long hair, the sweat from the hot lights flicked off in thick cloud while some poured down the side of his neck, making the collar of his AC/DC shirt damp. "I can't freaking believe you sped up Lightning Boy like that! Damn, man! Next time let someone know before you pull a stunt like that!"

Tim and Bo, the other two members that made up Broken Wonderland, shouted their agreement.

Cody shrugged. He hadn't told anyone what he was planning.

"We killed it though," he pointed out

Ricky laughed his high pitched donkey laugh as he slammed his hands down on Cody's shoulders. Luckily his hands were empty since he'd thrown his drumsticks out into the crowd as they'd finished the final song of their set. He always carried a spare set in the back pocket of his jeans. They'd watched dumbstruck as four hot girls fought over the cheap ones he'd tossed off the stage. "Damn straight we killed it!"

If Cody was being totally honest, even he hadn't known he was going to change Lightning Boy until he'd struck the first chord. It was the band's only real ballad but the second he'd started, something inside him told him to play it faster, harder. It was like he knew it would work even though he had no idea what it would sound like. He hadn't cared. He'd shouted the lyrics, speeding up and praying the rest of the band would figure it out and catch up.

His friends had and together they'd brought the whole roof down on the club.

Now standing backstage, he could hear the club crowd chanting for an encore. It was Broken Wonderland's first real venue show, but for Cody it was just the first stop on their World Domination Tour – that's what he secretly considered it since the day he left The Emporium with his purchase.

And just like that ancient Devillier woman had promised, everything was starting to fall into place. His friends thought they'd finally found their stride after playing together for the better part of four years in crappy bars and even crappier garages, but Cody knew the real secret to their new found success. Inside his head he felt that weird slide again, like a snake slithering around, making its presence known. 

After she'd taken his money, that witch Devillier had explained he'd feel strange from time to time, like there was someone (or something) else living inside his skin. She'd assured him the foreign feeling would go away after a while.

For the most part she'd been right. It was only when he thought about it that the strange sensation stirred up inside him. Usually he was so caught up in the music he only felt the bass thrumming through him. But now, surrounded by his friends, listening to total strangers calling for them to play some more, he could feel the sensation as keenly as he felt the heat of the stage lights or the salty taste of his own sweat on his lips.