Death Threat (An Owl City Fanfiction)

Chapter 15

   "Good morning, Sleepy Head!" A girl's voice said softly. It was Breanne. I stirred a bit and groaned. I hadn't slept well at all last night. All I could think about was the impending doom waiting for us.
"Are you kidding?" I heard Jasper blurt out. "I tried everything, and couldn't get a peep out of him!"
"That's because you don't know how to wake people up properly!" Breanne retorted smoothly.

I tried to roll over and go back to sleep, but a hand caught me by the shoulder and pulled me back onto my back.
"Ooooh no. I don't think so." Breanne said. "You have a big day to get ready for."
"And a long night to make up for." I retorted groggily, turning over again.
"Okay, fine!" Breanne exclaimed, matter of factly. "If that's how you're gonna play it, bring it on!" I heard her stalk off, the clack of her high heels against the floor echoing in my head as I drifted off to sleep once more.

   Moments later, I gasped, shocked, as something ice cold poured over my face. It entered my nose and mouth, making me feel as though I were drowning. I scrambled into a sitting position, coughing and sputtering.
Breanne stood beside me, a cup in hand. She smiled innocently.
"Are you trying to drown me?" I cried once I could breathe again.
"Well, you brought it on yourself!" She replied. "How else was I supposed to wake you?"

   "How about taking my blanket away or anything other than pouring water on my unsuspecting face?" I challenged hotly.
"Oh you'll feel better once you hear what's for breakfast." She replied.
"I don't think—"
"It's french toast with bacon!"
I paused. That did sound really good.
You had me at 'breakfast'!" I exclaimed moments later, unable to hide my elation. Breanne left the room and I wasted no time in getting ready for the day.

—    —    —

   My thoughts of last night had been forgotten as I happily ate away at my breakfast.
"How many slices of french toast do you have there, Adam?" Jasper laughed.
I paused to count them.
"Five." I replied simply.
"Oh my gosh! That's your second plate!" Breanne exclaimed.
"What?" I pretended to be hurt. "A man's gotta eat!"
Then Jasper nudged me with his elbow.
"You gotta admit," He started, "what he lacks in sleep, he makes up for in appetite! I think he's set a record for this restaurant!"

   Suddenly his phone started ringing. He pulled it out.
"Hey, it's Steve!"
"Really?" Breanne, who was sitting across from the two of us, leaned in closer for a better view.
"Yeah!"
"Well answer it!"
"Okay, okay!"
Jasper answered the call and put it on speaker phone.
"Hey, Steve! What's up?" He asked.
"Where are you guys?" Steve's voice blasted through the speakers.

Jasper winced and quickly turned down his volume, looking around to see if anyone had heard.
"At a restaurant. Why?" He replied, being overly quiet so Steve would take a hint to settle down. He didn't.
"Because I've been at the address you gave me for the past fifteen minutes, and I can't find you anywhere!"
"Wait. You're at the hotel?"
"Yes!"

We all exchanged surprised glances. Steve was out of the hospital!
"But...when did he...?" I asked, incredulous.
"I don't know, man but I'm stuck here with nowhere to go, so get over here!" Steve interrupted.
We agreed to go back for him, hung up, and
ten minutes later we were back at the hotel.

—    —    —

"Finally!" Steve exclaimed as we approached.
"Well it's good to see you too, Mister." Jasper muttered sarcastically.
"Hey!" Steve yelled in return.
"Knock it off, guys!" I intervened quickly. "Let's just get Steve set up, okay?"
The other two nodded and we walked into the hotel.

We brought Steve to the room Jasper and I were in. There was only one problem: Both beds were already taken.
"Well," Jasper started, smiling sheepishly "looks like you get the couch, Steve."
"C'mon, guys!" Steve groaned. "You've been here for, like, two days already! Can't one of you let me have a bed?"
We both shook our heads.

Then he looked at me.
"Adam, I took a bullet for you!" He coaxed. "Please?"
I gave an almost imperceptible wince at the jab. I knew the remark was only meant to be a joke, but it was a soft spot to me nonetheless.
Steve must've noticed, though, because he immediately bit his lip after saying that.
"S-sorry." He murmured, scratching his head awkwardly. "Too soon, wasn't it?"
"A-a little." I nodded.
"Well," he started, his mood quickly brightening, "just for that, you get to keep your bed, and Jasper can be demoted to the couch!"
"Noooo!" Jasper cried, and we all laughed. Grudgingly, he shuffled his bags over to the couch.
"So, Steve." I started when we had all settled down. "How did you heal so fast? Normally gunshots take weeks to heal from."

"It's incredible, actually!" Steve replied. "See, they took an x-ray, and the way the bullet entered my shoulder, it didn't do a terrible amount damage to the muscles in it! Now, of course I have to be extremely careful with it, but it could have been a lot worse!"
"You said it!" Jasper exclaimed.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"You guys ready to go for rehearsals?" Breanne's voice called.
"Yeah, yeah!" I called back. Then I turned to Steve. "Are you playing?"
"Of course!" He replied "I just have to be careful, and not get too excited."
"Yeah, good luck with that!" Jasper joked.
I laughed as we got up and walked out the door.

— — —

"Alright!" I exclaimed, as we left the concert hall for a quick bite to eat. We'd just finished rehearsals, and I was feeling stoked about it.
"We sounded totally awesome!" Jasper declared, high-fiving Breanne. As we continued on, I paused to turn and look at the concert hall we'd be performing at in just a few hours.
This is the last show! I reminded myself.
What a tour this had been. The past few months the band and I had spent together had really strengthened our friendships! I was kind of going to miss touring with them!
As I gazed at the establishment, a smile crept across my face. It had been a fun tour filled with memories, good laughs, challenges and, ultimately, good food.
Excluding the whole death threat ordeal, I had really enjoyed myself on this tour!

It was just as I was thinking all this that I caught movement going on out of the corner of eye. I looked in that direction, and saw the silhouette of a mysterious figure on the roof of the concert hall. As I peered closer, I noticed they seemed to strategically placing little objects everywhere. I looked on, unsure of whether I should intervene.
In that instant, the figure turned and looked directly at me. I felt myself go tense, and I seemed to freeze on the spot. Even my breath got caught in my throat. The figure and I stared at each other for what felt like hours before finally, they broke contact and ran off.
I swallowed a lump in my throat as my own words from the night before came back to me:
I've got a feeling that this isn't the end. That something bad is going to happen. Something worse than before.

I swallowed hard a second time.
The calm before the storm...

"Hey, Adam!" Breanne's distant voice interrupted my thoughts. "You coming?"
"Yeah." I replied, not turning around. "I-I'll be right there."
Hesitantly I turned on my heel and ran to join my friends. All the while, one question burned in my brain: who was that person up on the roof?