In The Dark

64 - November 5th

The bus pulled into the truck circus around the back of the concert venue just as the sun was beginning to crest over the horizon. Dennis stood up to stretch out his back and crack his neck, his body feeling the effects of sitting in the same position for hours. He quietly opened the door and stepped outside, locking it behind him before joining the other bus drivers who were gathered near the crew's bus, waiting for a taxi to take them to a nearby hotel to sleep.

Melanie peeked out from behind the curtain over her bunk, making sure no one else was up before carefully climbing out of her bunk and going to the toilet. She had slept for a few minutes at a time throughout the entire journey, unable to sleep for too long. With everyone in such close quarters, she hadn't been able to duck away to retrieve the pain killers from her bag, so her head had been throbbing painfully for hours.

She closed the door of the loo behind her and turned on the light, instantly regretting what she'd done. She squeezed her eyes closed as an intense pain bore through her head. She instantly felt dizzy and nauseous and she quickly threw her head over the toilet to puke. She turned off the light and opened the door a crack to allow the dim lighting from the bus's interior to light the loo enough for her to see. She pulled open the medicine cabinet, tucked behind the mirror over the sink, and she desperately searched through the various bottles and containers for anything that would take the pain away.

Not finding anything, she quietly walked through the sleeping area toward the kitchen, careful not to wake anyone. She sat at the table for a few minutes, clutching her head tightly and squeezing her eyes closed, silently begging the pain to go away. The pain had been increasing from week to week and the pain killers she'd been taking weren't helping the way they'd used to. Sometimes they dulled the pain, sometimes they only gave her relief for a short period of time.

Unable to take the pain any longer, she stood up and looked out the window, observing the numerous lorries parked around the bus, keeping it hidden from the eventual crowd that would be gathering by mid afternoon to line up for the show. She watched as the bus drivers all climbed into their taxi and she observed the crew that was working through the night to set up the stage. They were unloading enormous panels and cases from the lorries and wheeling them into venue through a massive overhead door. Hoping she could find some medication in the dressing rooms, Melanie pulled her jacket on and sank her feet into a pair of boots before quietly opening the door of the bus and stepping outside.

None of the crew seemed to realize who she was as she walked amongst the crowd. There were dozens of people working swiftly to get the stage set up so the two bands would be able to rehearse in the morning. The base of the stage was already set up and lights were being pulled into the rafters, dangling by heavy chains. Melanie quickly stepped aside as a gruff man ordered her to move. He was pulling a large cable, followed by ten other people all helping with the weight of it.

"Hey, you!" a man in a red jacket shouted, pointing at Melanie. "Don't just stand there. What crew are you on?"

Melanie looked at him worriedly and timidly stepped back, trying to duck away as the man began approaching her.

"You can't be in here without your gear on," said the man with frustration. "What's your name?" He had a clipboard in hand and quickly caught up to her, looking through his list for any of the crew that hadn't yet signed in. He had a lanyard around his neck with a tag reading 'Larry'. Melanie softly gave him her name, still trying to inch away to get back to the bus.

"Your name's not on the list," said Larry. "How'd you get in here?" He took her by the arm, firm but not aggressive, and he pulled her back outside out of the way of all the people. "You a fan that snuck in?" he asked, irritably. He'd clearly had experiences with fans sneaking in before. She shook her head and gently pulled at his fingers to get him to let her go.