Dark Rock Chronicles

Marco Guadalupi

A paranormal tale of babes, booze and battle rock

SIDE A

Copyright © Marco Guadalupi, 2012 Copyright of the English translation © DieGo Comics Publishing, 2013 All rights reserved Cover © Denise Di Prima 2013 Translated by Juliet Haydock Cover art by Denise Di Prima

This novel is a work of fiction.

Names, characters, places, or events are the result of the author’s imagination, or at least intended solely as fiction. Any resemblance to real events, places or people is purely coincidental.

DieGo Comics Publishing Limited 9 Seagrave Road SW6 1RP London Readers who are interested in other titles from DieGo Comics Publishing are invited to visit our website at www.diegopublishing.co.uk

To those who believed in us And to me, who was the first

Members of DRC (in order of appearance)

MATT – the loser, drums DUFF – the rude one, bass SAUL – the cool one, guitar AXL – the stoner, vocals MEGAN – the babe, female vocals CHARLOTTE MICHELLE – the smart one, the customizer

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

7

1

Heaven’s gates

I had every good reason to protest.

«We’ll be the first rock band in the world never to have played in front of an audience. They’ll kick us out before we set foot on the stage!»

But Duff wasn’t ready to give up so easily.

«We’ll run the risk. Do I have to remind you what a pain he is? It was his fault that we didn’t play on Friday! » «Yes, but…»

«No buts. Are you with us or against us? Stop whinging and drive».

Take me beyond the gates of heaven Where the fields are vast oceans of green And the girls… And the girls…

The girls…

The tape player in the car sometimes got stuck.

«I should fix this thing. Can I turn it down a bit?»

«Why the fuck do you have to turn it down? Like, I’m really enjoying it and you want to stop me listening to the music?»

My friend Duff: always so polite.

«I didn’t say I’d stop you listening. I’ve got a headache».

«You’re always whinging. I mean it, worse than at school and during rehear-sals. Keep driving, we nearly there».

I was going slowly, my foot poised over the brake pedal, I could barely make out the road. It felt like driving through nothingness…

«Have you ever driven in nothingness? You have never driven in nothingness» said Duff.

«But that’s how I imagine it. All blurred and just behind the mist…

Darkness, the void».

8

Duff took a few seconds to digest that, then asked «Do you believe in aliens?»

«What have aliens got to do with it?»

«They live in the void. And if you believe in the void, you believe in aliens as well».

No, it wasn’t like driving in nothingness. It was like driving in Duff ’s head, and we were probably lost as well because our goal wasn’t in sight yet.

«Just to be clear, Duff» I explained, as I tried to keep my mind on the mist and avoid the potholes. «I do believe in aliens. But that’s got nothing to do with what I was saying. It was a figure of speech, okay?»

Another pause. Duff wiped the condensation off the window and stared out into the dark. «I just hope the aliens don’t jump out any minute now».

Our goal loomed up out of the fog, battered and parked on the side of a de-serted road. It was one of those evenings when it was better to curl up at home with a film or a good book, or stare at the ceiling and think great thoughts.

Our meeting point was lit by two big spotlights. The light was deflected by the thick blanket of fog that hung around in that deserted place.

«They’re already here, stop behind the van» ordered Duff.

«I can see, don’t tell me what to do. Just a second, give me a chance to pull in. Here we are, let’s get out».

We left the warmth of the passenger compartment for the cold, clammy air. Duff jammed his crumpled beanie over hair that fell smooth and long to his waist. He stretched his legs and arms, scratched a bit… then he yelled in the direction of the van. “Hey, we’re here! Are you there?»

No answer. «Perhaps they’re asleep» I suggested.

Duff muttered his disagreement. «They’re smoking, you can bet.

Let’s go and look».

I followed his jerky progress, wondering how he managed not to die of cold wearing only an old T-shirt and a pair of worn jeans. It was three degrees and he wasn’t even pissed.

We looked through the half-open windows. The van looked empty.

«They must be around here somewhere, the keys are still in the ignition” I ob-served, while a heady, sweetish smell tickled my nostrils. «You’re right, I can smell weed».

9

«What did I tell you? Disgusting stoners. Where the fuck are they!»

«Shall we wait for them in the car?» I suggested, hopefully.

Duff looked at me scornfully. «Are you going to give up that easily? Of course, if they decided to come out we could get moving.

But assholes always have to fuck about!»

«I want to wait in the car» I insisted. «Where are the keys?»

«That’s just great, you were the one driving».

I checked my jacket. Nothing. But I remembered having them on me. «I can’t find them!»

I turned out my trouser pockets (liquorice mints and the score of our songs jotted on a sheet of paper) to prove that I didn’t have them.

«Look harder, check. They must have fallen out somewhere surely?»

I looked around. Suddenly irritated, I raised my voice. «Don’t you get it? they’re not here!»

«Hey, dude, keep your voice down, fuck. Stay cool» answered Duff angrily, propping one shoulder on the van and crossing his beefy arms. «They’ll turn up. You had them just now, didn’t you?

You pulled in, you turned off the igni-tion and you locked the doors when we got out, didn’t you?»

«Yes, but I can’t find them».

Duff ’s tolerance threshold was thirty point three seconds.

«Don’t you piss me off as well! We’ll carry on looking for them and stop whin-ing like a little girl».

«I’m not whining» I replied, annoyed. «I’m just pissed off, it’s mum’s car. She hasn’t got a clue that I took it without telling her, don’t you get it?».

The fog complicated the search. We could hardly see a thing and there were only stones and wet grass on the ground.

«She’ll kill me» I groaned as I carried on looking, bending over the ground. «Or even worse, she’ll ban the drums».

We retraced our steps to the parked car. Duff wasn’t really putting much effort into it. But a least he hadn’t stayed propped against the van with his arms crossed, staring into space.

Suddenly we heard a noise not far behind the mist. Both Duff and I stopped at the same time. «Did you hear that too?» I asked.

The noise, like shuffling footsteps, took shape and surfaced from the mist. It hit us full-on. Black-and-white faces striped like wild animals. We screamed back at them.

10

I fell back, tumbling with my full weight on Duff, who reacted instinctively with a stream of abuse. I put my hand to my face to fend off our attackers. But the inhuman screams slowly turned into laughter…

Familiar laughter.

Duff exploded with rage. «I said that smoking doesn’t do you any good, dick-heads», he yelled waving his arms around. «And take off those masks!»

Perhaps we should have expected it, but we were still terrified. Well, they would have scared anyone: the night, the silence and the mist were straight out of a horror story. «You could have left it out» was my feeble protest. We’d been suckered, fuck it.

We calmed down when we saw the faces of our friends Axl and Saul, un-masked. «It was too much, you should’ve seen yourselves.

Your faces!» Saul grinned.

He continued to chuckle and pointed at us. «And the keys disappearing made it all the more… scary? Totally bleak? Anyway, here they are, dude, you’d dropped them in the gravel near the van». Saul jingled the keys under my nose.

«Thank goodness» I said, relieved, but still with my heart pounding.

«I was al-ready imagining my mother… But where did you get the Paul and Ace masks?»

«In Axl’s garage, dude» answered Saul. «There was loads of cool stuff».

«Well, it was dad’s stuff» answered Axl. «Even though I can’t stand him, I ap-preciate his good taste. It’s the only thing I regret about the divorce» he said suddenly sad, then regaining his usual good spirits added «once we found a box full of old issues of Rock Planet, didn’t we Duff ?»

«Yeah, asshole, it’s true. There were even a few issues of Tits in Bra» ans-wered Duff, still despondent. «Anyhow. We’ve already wasted too much time, we have a mission to accomplish».

«Duff, stay cool. We’ve got all night to steal Antony’s instruments» I reminded him. «It’ll be fine!»

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

11

2

Infinity

Stealing musical instruments isn’t easy. The most complicated part is stealing, transporting and above all not damaging the amplifiers, the heart of any rock band. We wanted the best and that’s why we had our sights on Antony. He was a cool dude who could afford the best of everything – and for us the best meant one hundred watt tube amplifiers: an old-school, warm and powerful sound.

Stealing musical instruments isn’t easy. None of us had ever done it before; it was our first theft. It wasn’t as though we lacked anything, but our instruments were worn and a bit battered and also we wanted to get our own back on Antony.

That might have been justifiable, seeing as he had the nerve to stop us playing our first gig at Mr Brown’s.

My name is Matt and I am the DRC drummer. I get good marks at school and everyone says I’m a good guy. I think they’re right but I started to have my doubts at the very moment when our story begins.

Mission “Antony” had come to fruition, and I was supposed to be the lookout.

«Why do I have to be the lookout?»

«Because you’ve got a very special job, remember? Plus you’re the quickest, the smartest and… come on Matt don’t piss me off! Stay put: at least you get out of the dirty work, don’t you?»

I pointed out that even being the lookout was technically “dirty work”. «We are thieves. You and me».

«You were cool about it, now why are you moaning?»

Then Duff had to have a go as well. «Want to know something, Matt? You’re a pain in the ass. Fuck you!»

«Cool down guys» interrupted Axl. «Do you want to blow everything now we’ve got to this point? Matt, Duff does have a point. We’re here, let’s try and stick to the plan. If they find out, you’re the last person they’ll blame; probably no one would even catch you. And we’re not ogres, we won’t rat on you. Right, guys?»

12

Just as in Axl’s garage (that’s where we met to discuss the plan) they managed to persuade me. «Okay» I answered, bracing my shoulders with an unpleasant cold sensation behind my neck. Remorse.

At that point Duff, grinning like a lunatic, jumped on me and planted one of his pervert’s kisses on my forehead. We laughed and then went back to concentrating on the theft.

The others got ready to head off into the misty countryside and drive to Antony’s house. Duff, Axl and Saul rummaged behind the van in search of balaclavas and tools for the robbery.

Axl wore the balaclava shoved down onto the inseparable bandanna that he tied around his head to cover his flowing light brown locks and wound a heavy scarf around his mouth. He was also wearing jeans and a T-shirt but, unlike Duff, he was tightly done up in a heavy studded leather jacket. Before leaving, Saul inspected himself in the van window. He patted down his ruffled hair and finally covered his face with the balaclava. He was wearing a flame red body warmer and a checked shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing wrists covered with wristbands and chains.

«Are you going to stop admiring yourself and get going?» snapped Duff, annoyed.

«Just a minute, man. What the hell! He protested but allowed himself to be pushed away from the van.»

All three were swallowed up by the fog. They had to walk a little way before reaching the gate.

I couldn’t see anything though we had stopped several times in front of the house in the afternoons leading up to the burglary, memorising every detail.

It was big, with a large garden and a wall a couple of metres high around the perimeter. It was an old house, straight out of a ghost story, but it had been done up and now looked more like a house inhabited by a slightly freakish ghost. The instruments were round the back in a garage that Antony used as a rehearsal room, a prefabricated building tacked onto the stone house.

Once they reached their destination, Duff, Axl and Saul had to get over the boundary wall.

My job was to wait alongside the van and the car, trying to ignore the night-time noises and rustlings.

The wait was killing me. I thought about the second part of the plan – full of uncertainties, of course – but now we’d got this far, I could only hope that everything would go smoothly.

13

I was about to shut myself in the van, determined to turn on the heating for a few minutes to stop myself freezing, but the wrench I was supposed to use had been left in full view on the front seat. It was rusty and had seen better days, like everything inside that van, which belonged to Axl’s father. I grabbed the tool without enthusiasm and closed the sliding door again, for a moment imagining myself inside enjoying the warmth with the heating on.

The lookout’s job was to watch the only approach to the house, in other words the gate, and then open it for the others. That’s why we needed the wrench.

Enveloped in nothingness, I emerged in a country lane. The lights of the house showed me the way. All was quiet. There were no alarms. None of us had come up with a good explanation for this during the planning process but it didn’t bother us because it made our work easier.

Every step was accentuated by the sound of my shoes sinking into the damp grass. I went to the gate and went to work on the padlock with the wrench. It took a while to break it and then I let it drop to the ground with a thud. I picked it up, looked round and turned back.

I came back out on the isolated road.

At that point I had to drive the van to the house entrance and wait.

I threw the padlock onto the back seat and started the engine. The engine sputtered into life, suffering from the cold.

I drove carefully up to the wall, then turned off the van engine and locked the doors, preferring to be suffocated by the smell of smoke in the passenger compartment than freeze outside.

The house seemed immune to the fog. Above it, the sky was clear and a few stars even shone. I began to count the seconds.

After a while, two masked figures headed in my direction, through the gate I had broken open. I popped open the safety locks.

«Aha! Padlock out of action. Well done Matt!» yelled Axl as he got back into the van.

Saul crammed three flight cases (two guitars and a bass) into the back, together with a mixer, some microphones, cables, jacks, multieffects pedals, cymbals and snare drums.

«Done. It’s all quiet, we can go. Let’s go and load the amplifiers.

Duff has stayed in the garage to check. Come on Matt!»

I waited for Axl and Saul to get back on board and carefully eased out the throttle to drive the van to the garage.

14

I broke out in a cold sweat for a few seconds. To reach Duff and pick up the last load we had to drive under the lighted window of Antony’s room.

Luckily there were no hitches, but I wasn’t happy, unlike my companions: Axl and Saul were revved up, partly due to the effect of the weed and partly due to the thrill of the theft.

The brakes hardly made a noise, the van stopped. Duff had unplugged the amplifiers and was waiting for help loading the big beasts on board.

«These will blow our minds, guys. Do you realise? Fuck, I can’t wait!»

«I still have to figure out how that shithead doesn’t jump out of his skin when he plays in this hole of a garage».

I began to be infected by the excitement as well. Getting one over on Antony under his nose was so cool! Not so much for the theft alone (he brought instruments like other people shop for food at the supermarket), but being there without him knowing pumped waves of adrenaline into us: we’d never felt like that before.

The most delicate part of the first stage of the plan was about to finish without major hitches. The amplifiers were in the van, all we had to do now was get away without being discovered.

«You can take your balaclavas off now, guys» I said, passing our dear enemy’s window for the second time. «How can you breathe with those things on your face?»

«Shit you’re right. Matt, that’s why I was sweating like a pig. Even my ass is sweating… it must be the tension» exclaimed Duff in amusement.

We laughed out loud, feeling great about what we’d done. It looked as though we had got us some new instruments to customise.

But while we were driving to the gate and leaving the confines of the house, I caught sight of Antony in the rear-view mirror. He was looking out of the window and I swear I saw him smile. I was the only one to realise. I kept driving, retreating into silence.… … Until they realised I was acting weirdly.

«Why are you so quiet? If you don’t talk, I’ll burp in your face for the rest of the trip» threatened Duff.

«Don’t keep it to yourself if you’ve got a problem» begged Axl. I continued to sit in silence.

15

Saul was the only one who didn’t care about me; he was messaging on his mobile and his head was obviously elsewhere. You couldn’t blame him; he had a fair amount of girls willing to do anything if they could get a date with him.

Outside the house, I stopped the van to let someone else take over the driving. Duff – even though he was unreliable – was supposed to take my place and I was supposed to go back in the car.

We all got out of the van. The visibility was so poor at that point because of the fog that I didn’t notice the broken windows, punctured tyres and scratched side of my mum’s car until I was a few inches away.

«Man, what the hell…»

«Holy Shit!»

«Fuck!»

«They even left their signature» I spoke through clenched teeth, pointing to the windscreen: «Antony & Co. Boys» in purple spraypainted letters. «Assholes, motherfuckers!»

In my anger, I found Duff ’s expressions just right for the occasion.

But of course! Antony wasn’t bothered about the instruments, he just wanted to humiliate us yet again! How had he found out?

«Matt… Matt, we’ve got to go.». Axl was next to me with the others, but his voice sounded far away, like an echo1 .

All I wanted to do at that moment was to wipe myself off the face of the earth and become as one with the infinite: to disappear in time.

We all got back into the beat up van. I didn’t want to carry on with the plan, even though we still had to get to phase two.

Saul, who had finished fiddling with his phone, tried to cheer me up: «man, you can deal with your mum when you get home. Don’t think about it now. Cheer up. I’ve just heard from Roxy… She’s looking for a date for the dance. I can put in a good word for you, so you can take her. She’s cute, you know. She’s got two…»

«Saul» I interrupted him sharply, tightening my hands on the wheel. «Thank you, really. But now isn’t the time. I just want to find out why Antony knew we were coming. I hope one of us didn’t tell him». No one spoke.

That’s when I made my mind up, thinking a little about Roxy and the chance of taking her to the dance.

1

Axl was actually still smoking and he added a reverb to every word he spoke.

16

I drove the loaded van away from the house, driving between banks of fog and roads that were off the beaten track. I concentrated on driving, but most of my thoughts were still on my mum’s car, abandoned and wrecked. Duff ’s voice brought me back to reality like the shrill whistle of guitar feedback in a small studio. «You’ve gone the wrong way, we should have gone that way».

«I’m not wrong. I’ll get you home» I answered. I waited for Duff to kick off as usual. Just a few more seconds… then it came: «Have you got shit for brains? After we worked our asses off, you’d blow off the whole thing because they got to you by wrecking your mummy’s car? I haven’t got a clue how he knew about the theft.

But none of us let the cat out of the bag! I never wanted to say this, Matt, you’re a pussy. React, face up to your old lady, take your fucking punishment, but don’t spoil the plan!». Straight after one of his outbursts, Duff normally turned the radio to full volume but in this case he decided to have a few tokes with Axl who was collapsed between the instruments and amplifiers. «We’ll be home in half an hour. It’s all over. You can make up your mind about the instruments.

I don’t feel like carrying on» I announced loudly, more to myself than to the rest of the group.

We were nearing the residential area and the fog was gradually becoming less dense. We began to see the first houses and the first lights. Yellow, dim, bright… red, red and blue flashing…

«Why are we slowing down?» came the grumbled question from the back seat. «Police» I answered. «They’re telling me to pull over. You’re still smoking, right?» I slowed down until I was a few yards from the checkpoint. I pretended to stop, then I gunned the accelerator. This sudden action took the police by surprise. The van squealed and we sped away at full throttle.

«What the…?»

«Are you out of your mind, Matt?» Among the confusion and the roar of the engine, the last to notice the squad car at our heels was Duff. «Have we got a police escort back home?» He mumbled, half unconscious. Out of the windows, the images of the houses and streets were a mass of moving lights. The van shuddered alarmingly; in the state it was in, it couldn’t withstand high speeds and I was terrified we would stop at any moment because the fuel gauge was broken. Had Axl filled the tank? I veered right to leave town again.

The police were still on my tail. I was surprised at my cool reaction to the unexpected turn of events and I wasn’t sorry. I had been fucked 17

even before I drove through the check point; a police chase would be my last and finest adventure so I might as well live it to the full.

I turned on the radio.

Enjoy the lights‌ Enjoy the lights and the freedom‌ Loud music. Speed. Recklessness. And an end, sooner or later.

18

3

Turbo!

Duff ’s head cleared only when the police started shooting at our tyres. «They’re not escorting us home! They’re not escorting us home!» He repeated in a shrill voice, still stoned. «Matt, where the fuck are you going?»

«I have no idea, I’m trying to lose them» I answered calmly. Pedal to the floor, sweaty hands on the wheel, eyes fixed between fog and asphalt…

«I’ve known you for a lifetime, Matt, but I’ve never fucking understood you. You’re like that character in that book by Stefenson, the freak with the split personality».

«Stevenson, RL Stevenson» I corrected him, aware of stretching my friend’s patience to the limit.

«That’s the one!» He boomed. «You’re like that character, Mr Huid.

You give me the shivers! Shit».

«His name was Mr Hyde. Great book, by the way. Shit, they only just missed us!» I barely managed to control a skid. A bullet had splintered the wing; it produced a spray of red sparks.

«Shitshitshit… MATT! You start talking about crap while they are shooting at us in broad daylight? I don’t want to end up with my ass full of holes! And your mum knows about it, that’s why she’s always on your back: she’s controlling you!»

I allowed myself another calm response: «you’re the one who brought up Stevenson and Mr Hyde».

No one else replied.

The chase continued. I just managed to veer away in time to avoid a ditch. «Axl, how long is it since you changed the tyres on this van?»

I shouted, I didn’t expect my friends to answer as he was caught up with his weed. The music made it even more exciting. I let myself be carried away by the thrill of the chase. It was more powerful than me. Was Duff right? Was I really like Mr Hyde.

19

After the song, someone called Benny Sharp started goofing about on the radio, talking about the rock battles at the next tournament.

In the meantime, the squad car was still on our tail. I was doing the best I could with the steering wheel, but that beat-up old van and the high speed meant that we were at risk every yard of the way. I jammed on the brakes, swerving several times. One bend came out of nowhere at the last second and the instruments went crashing against the metal wall of the van. I broke out into a cold sweat, thinking for a moment of the delicate amplifier tubes.

I managed to engage gear with a grating of the gearbox and shoot off. The squad car also swerved suddenly, restoring the gap with the van going at full throttle.

After more shots and shrill screams from Duff, the police began to slow down and stop firing. I saw the blue and red outline of the squad car holding its position about twenty yards away in my left wing mirror.

Saul leaned unwisely out of the window. A sudden blast of icy wind burst into the passenger compartment. It will be crawling with police cars if we don’t do something. They’re calling reinforcements».

«I really hope not. At least they’ve stopped shooting at us» I answered. My tone was so relaxed that I was even scaring myself. A coldbloodedness that felt almost alien to me. Saul said no more, closed the window and took up position again between the instruments and Axl’s weed fumes.

We had just reached the built-up area. The streets returned, dark and deserted. I was forced to slow down due to the fog, with occasional sudden bursts of speed in less misty areas so that I could keep the police at a safe distance.

«Where are we?» asked Duff. He had begun to chew his fingernails.

«Somewhere» I answered.

«What sort of a fucking answer is that? And turn down the volume, it makes me nervous».

Picks! Speed! Turbo!

Oh! Fuck! Gas! Brakes!1 I turned down the music, watching the squad car in the rear view mirror.

1 [Car Chase City – Tenacious D]

20

«I’m only doing that because I don’t want any arguments» I answered. «You blew me off when I asked you to turn it down because I had a headache».

«What the fuck has that got to do with it? I’m not complaining.

And having a headache doesn’t mean you have to turn it down.

Look at me, right. When I get one I make it go away by blasting loud music through my headphones». I decided to ignore Duff. I didn’t know where we were. Except that we were lost for sure because I had never seen those houses on the road, or further away the lights of an airport (apparently abandoned) but at that moment I didn’t care.

The prospect of going to jail and being punished until the end of my days made me unhappy; I’d lose the best years of my life.

Why had I let myself get mixed up in this? I’d driven through a checkpoint and now I was being chased by the police. Oh my God! Were the chase and the theft really worth a life sentence? Were they really better than a…

«Shag! Did you really shag her?»

«Yes…Duff. Why would I fuck with you? Tell you one thing ...when I meant another?»

«Because you’re stoned out of your brains?»

Axl and Duff, who had abandoned the passenger seat, were whispering in the back. I listened to them so that I did not have to think about how sad my life was about to become… all too soon.

Axl’s voice went back to normal for a while. «We did it at her house.

Her parents were out, she called me while I was watching the TV in my room. She asked me if I was free, so I was at her place within five minutes».

«She lives on the other side of town, how did you get to her place in five minutes?»

«Um. Maybe it was ten?»

As I was driving up a tree-lined avenue, I noticed that the squad car had stopped following as and had disappeared (“Fuck, where’ve they gone?” yelled Duff, occasionally peering out of the windows). We could expect to be stopped and arrested any minute. A roadblock, another… ambush. Weapons pointed at us… hands up, handcuffed!

In the cold of that lost corner of the universe.

The whole mess took another turn for the worse when a cloud of white smoke hit the windscreen. The van had given up.

21

«The pistons have gone» Duff said bitterly.

«I hope they come back» Axl grinned from behind.

Everyone except Axl got out to see if we could do anything. But the smoke just got thicker, mingling with the surrounding mist.

«Now what, man?» asked Saul. «We’re in deep shit, might as well give ourselves up» «It wouldn’t change anything. You were right, we’re screwed» I said sadly. «You’re the one who got us into this mess. You could have stopped at that roadblock, man. For all we know the cops wouldn’t have noticed the instruments. For all we know, they would just have asked us the usual crap and let us go».

«Saul, that roadblock had been set up for us! Antony was the one who called the police, get it! He was having fun behind our backs, he smashed up my mum’s car and nearly got us arrested. The police are on our trail. I acted on impulse, okay? I was hoping to get away with it».

«So?» «So nothing. What do you suggest?»

Struck by inspiration, Duff interrupted, pointing beyond the treelined avenue where the night was even blacker. «Guys, I can see lights over there».

After the robbery, dumping the amplifiers in the middle of the wood made us feel like four total idiots. Actually three, because Axl had collapsed into his own world, in his dad’s old banger. Leaving the instruments there after risking everything, only to push the van toward those lights in an attempt to repair it and get help…

«We’ll get them back» Duff promised gloomily. He went on repeating it another three or four times in the same monotonous voice.

We parted with the instruments, abandoning them under the roots of a tree like cast-off rubbish. Our hearts were heavy; too heavy to bear, too heavy to push towards the lights, for minutes on end… … the lights of the house. The house… Our house… The second part of the plan!

«A stroke of luck!» said Saul. «Man, are you sure you didn’t know where you were going?»

I pulled on the van’s handbrake. «Quite sure» I answered.

22

Only our panting broke the silence around us. I had no thoughts; tiredness had absorbed all of them. My legs and feet hurt and sweat was dripping into my eyes.

Clarity returned. It was unbelievable, but there it was in front of us.

The chase, the unknown streets, the fog and the bullets had led us where we wanted to be all along: B. House.

23

4

Mrs Hate & Mr Love

«Don’t you notice anything strange?» I said to attract my friends’ attention. Saul looked at me with the same expression he uses when his mobile phone needs charging and shook his head.

«Duff ?»

«Something strange? What, Matt? Tell us!»

I sighed. «Come on, guys… The lights! They weren’t there before».

In all our reconnoitring in recent weeks, those lights had never been there. We had chosen B.House as a hiding place precisely because we thought it was remote and uninhabited; no one would ever come near it.

Our enthusiasm evaporated into the moist air. I wished I hadn’t said anything. Never mind, I tried to stay calm and think. «The road we’ve always taken to get to the entrance gate is on the opposite side» I explained looking around me. «We’ve come out at the back of the house this time».

My friends were still looking at the lights. Saul took a cautious step back.

I didn’t want to sit there speculating after everything we’d been through. If there really is someone in the house, that someone could help us. «Let’s knock» I said.

«Are you crazy?» exclaimed Duff, waving his arms around and also taking a step backward. «One minute you’re crapping yourself and then you’re trying to kill yourself ? I mean, what if it’s haunted? The spirits of the dead… oh shit the hairs are standing up on my ass».

I stepped forward, forcing Saul and Duff to follow me toward the house entrance. «It won’t make a lot of difference if we stay here».

We left the van and slowly approached the door.

B.house gleamed like the moon. The white outside walls stood out against the dark garden. The single storey house was elegant and simple in design. The large windows on each side were covered with thick curtains that hid the inside. It stood on a hill at the edge of a wood.

24

«The lights are on in the kitchen and dining room» announced Duff.

«How can you tell?» asked Saul who did not seem to agree.

«The smell of smoke coming from the chimney».

«Ah. And the dining room?»

«It’s the part of the house with the widest windows. It usually is».

Saul looked him up and down as though something wasn’t quite right. “Duff ?»

«What?»

«Are you okay?»

«I’m fine».

After this brief exchange, we continued to draw closer to the entrance, still taking small steps. Who or what would we find in the house?

«Let’s hope we find someone to help us». I felt tense, excited. My heartbeat was throbbing through my veins.

«No, Matt, I don’t hope for fucking anything. You know why? Because we’re too unlucky! Everything went far too smoothly».

«I’m sorry to repeat myself, dude, but we should have stopped at that roadblock» Saul said in a low voice behind me.

When we were almost at the door of the house, I began to reconsider the idea of asking for help. What if it was an ambush staged by Antony? I was just about to pull back. A thousand questions froze me in place.

«Everything will be fine» I said. «Everything will turn out all right.

We’ll find someone who will help us fix the van, we’ll go home and we won’t ever try to steal anything again. Everything will be fine» I repeated, trying to placate my tormented subconscious.

«Your mum getting an artificial dick graft would be more likely».

«Vulgar and disgusting, dude, but I have to agree with you» was Saul’s response.

We were really close to the door. Despite the lights and the smoke, no sound seemed to be coming from inside the house.

In the end we knocked. The lights went out.

Sound of footsteps.

The door opened.

«Good evening” intoned a honeyed voice. «Have you come for tea?»

The man in front of us was tall and thin. His long grey hair was pulled back. His face was haggard and full of wrinkles, thin and unkempt, like his hands, with their skeletal fingers.

Now it was my turn to speak. I breathed in deeply and tried to play my part.

25

«No» I said stammering. The voice that came out of my mouth was completely unrecognisable. Stuttered syllables like a drunk trying to cope with a hangover the morning after.

I breathed in deeply for the second time, turning to see if Saul and Duff were still behind me. «We’re not here for tea. We had problems with our van and we were wondering… Well actually we were wondering if you could help us in some way. Do you live here?»

The man smiled slightly. «I live here» he answered. «Today I got back from a… let’s say I got back from a holiday». His smile broadened. «Don’t worry, lads, I’ll look after the van. But first of all come in, please. Make yourselves at home. Would you like a slice of cake?

I just made it».

Saul got up his courage and stepped forward. «Listen, dude, we are in a bit of a hurry. We’d like to get home before it gets light».

«I see» the man replied. His smile faded immediately and the corners of his mouth curled down. «Well, then. Wait here, I’ll go back in to get… some tools».

The man turned his back and was swallowed up by the darkness inside the house after a few steps. The door was still ajar. We looked at each other, waiting. «Do you think he’s crazy?» asked Saul.

«I don’t give a shit if he’s crazy or not» said Duff with conviction.

«As far as I’m concerned he could be a serial killer or whatever. If he helps us to fix the van, he’s okay».

«I just hope that at least he knows how to hold a wrench. But did you see him?» I was sceptical, but what else could we do? I tried not to think about the fact that if he really repaired the van, Duff would cover him with slobbery kisses.

After a while, the door of B.House reopened. «I’m here, lads» said the old man. «Where’s the van?»

He was holding a wrench in one hand and a cup of tea in the other.

We walked with him to our wreck. «Here it is” I said, looking at the van. Our troubles hadn’t even begun.

Axl, who we’d left sleeping, was no longer in the back of the van.

Duff gritted his teeth like a rabid dog. «Now where the fuck has he gone?»

He said nervously pushing the creaking door of the vehicle, cursing our vocalist. After a good five minutes of total panic, we tried to calm down and think about what to do.

«He must have walked round the other side of the house while we were coming back» I said hopefully. The man with the wrench 26

did not speak or react in any way. He had plunged headlong under the bonnet and was fumbling around with the engine, the cup of tea resting on the half smashed-in bumper.

«We’re going back to look for our friend» I told him, and went back to the house entrance without waiting for an answer. I didn’t expect to find Axl there and I wasn’t wrong.

«What if he went somewhere for a piss?» said Duff. “He could have gone into the wood».

«He could be anywhere» I answered, when I noticed the door of the house was still ajar.

I wouldn’t have done it under other circumstances, but this was Axl and we couldn’t have him wandering round drunk and stoned.

On the other hand, we were already in trouble; we had to find him as soon as we could. I opened the door slowly and motioned to Saul and staff to follow me. They stared at me as if to say «are you crazy?»

«Do you want to find Axl and leave, yes or no?»

Saul – and Duff agreed with him – said no. Axl could be lost and we might not find him again, he might have been captured by some weird creature or by a murderer or abducted by aliens.

«Okay, so if you don’t want to follow me, wait here». They looked at each other. «Come to think» continued Saul, “better inside than outside with that guy. Duff ?»

«Go ahead, I’ll follow».

The house was dark and completely silent. I felt my eyes adjust to the darkness. After a few small steps, I smelt the sweet and creamy smell of the cake mixed with the stink of stale air and mould.

ZZZTTT! «My phone’s vibrating, dude,. It’s Megan! Sorry, but I really have to answer her. I found out that… Megan! Hi!» That was classic Saul; picking up phone calls at the least appropriate times. Megan’s voice, which sounded tinny down the mobile phone, was superimposed over another voice that was closer and inhuman. Just like that, all of a sudden. It sounded far away as if filtered through some device.

Groping in the dark, I finally found a switch. The room lit up, revealing mouldering old furniture, faded paintings and yellowing walls…

«Just like the haunted houses in that programme on Sunday evenings» said Duff.

A shiver of fear suddenly gripped my neck and then ran down my spine. I picked up my ears.

27

«The noise seems to come from the living room».

Saul continued to talk to Megan on his mobile, deep in conversation. He had retreated into his natural habitat and was the only one who wasn’t crapping himself.

«Matt, mate. Why don’t we go back?»

«I would love to, Duff. I swear. But we have to find Axl. We’ve got to. Do you really want him to be lost? None of this would have happened if I hadn’t agreed to take part in the robbery, I’m sorry to repeat myself. But now we have to move on and… hope for the best, right?»

«If you say so. Okay, let’s go».

We spoke in low voices, while the inappropriate, cheerful and unlikely sound of Saul on the phone continued to override the incomprehensible sound that reached us from the dining room.

We cautiously went into the room. On a dark and musty sofa, with their backs to us, two people were watching the TV, their outlines highlighted by the artificial light of the screen.

Duff brightened and I relaxed; it was just the TV. A quiz show with prizes was on. The people were motionless and sat close together. I looked closer: a man and a woman, both elderly.

Duff made our presence known. «Er… excuse me? We’re looking for our friend Axl».

We were stuck in the middle of the room half way between the sofa and the door of the dining room. Saul had finished chatting to Megan and was back among us. «Sorry, but I had to. So», he said, getting back to reality, «who are these people?»

Yeah, who were they? Another bad feeling.

«They’re not answering» said Duff, adjusting his beanie on his head.

Tension began to creep back into our minds.

«Maybe they’re deaf ? If we shout in their ears they might hear something». Saul approached the sofa.

Then came the scream. Chilling and frightened. I stared at Saul, who was transfixed in front of the sofa, the fine lines of his face distorted.

And I am not frightened of dying, any time will do, I don’t mind. Why should I be frightened of dying?

There’s no reason for it, you’ve got to go sometime.

I never said I was frightened of dying1 1 [the great gig in the sky – Pink Floyd]

28

They had deep gashes in their stomachs, their eyes staring with their pupils upturned, the skin of their faces purple. They were holding hands. Their clothes were covered with their own blood, which had dripped down to the foot of the sofa.

«My dears» said a voice behind us.

«Meet Mrs Love and Mr Hate».

With the wrench dangling from his hands, the old man from the house stood immobile at the entrance of the room and smiled. «You lads are all the same», he teased us in a different voice from the one he had welcomed us with earlier. Hoarser and more remote.

«Always sticking your nose in where you shouldn’t, right? But you won’t get far. In a few minutes you’ll be keeping these old people company. You can be sure of that» he added, still smiling.

He brought the cup of tea he was holding in his other hand up to his lips. He swallowed the last sip, then threw the cup on the ground, where it shattered. The wrench was much scarier at that moment, clasped in the man’s skeletal hands. «No holes in the stomach for you.

I’ll split your heads open. I’ve got the wrench».

29

5

Holy Guitar

The old man, who looked more like a gremlin than ever at that moment, had heaved up the wrench with all his might and was pointing it at us. Bizzare? It was, I swear. Staring death in the face while the TV threw its homely glare onto your murderer’s weapon couldn’t be anything else. A long procession of absurd events had led us to that mouldering living room in the company of two bodies and the voice of the quiz presenter shouting «Right answer! You got the jackpot!»

Alone, far from home, by the time our families noticed our absence it would already be too late; we would be lying here, dying in a pool of blood and breathing our last, with them out hunting for us.

But hang on, we were three against one.

Three… against an old man who could barely hold up the wrench he was threatening us with. Oh no, we weren’t about to be guinea pigs for his sadistic little games!

Duff and Saul must have been thinking the same, because we all jumped on the old bastard at the same time, taking him by surprise.

The wrench fell to the floor. «… And now it’s up to contestant number sixteen!»

The audience sat back with bated breath, trying to fidget.

«You shit, what the fuck were you trying to do?» Duff ’s voice wavered slightly. We immobilised the old man but not before we had laid into him with punches and head-butts.

The outburst passed straight away. «Where’s the phone? I’ll call the cops» said Duff, panting.

«But they’re looking for us!» I yelled back at him, while I struggled to keep the old man’s hands still.

«Oh, yes. Then forget it» said my friend in apparent confusion. In the struggle, the old man had managed to land a punch between his ear and his jaw.

30

Saul held our attacker’s legs, but was once again sucked back into the black hole of mobile communication. «A message from Rebecca!» Just as he tried to take the mobile out of his pocket, the killer grabbed the opportunity to break free.

I felt his bony fingers scratch my neck and smelt his sweetish breath. The old man spat in Duff ’s face and managed to sneak away from the dining room. We saw him stumble in the dark of the hallway, waving his arms and legs to keep his balance. He was screaming gibberish, perhaps because of the shock, I thought. He hadn’t come out of it too well, after all.

Me and Duff threw ourselves into the pursuit, but it was too late.

Without anyone to stop him, he threw himself out of B.House continuing to scream. Among the phrases he slurred I could make out words like “blood”, “pay” and “death”.

Then he disappeared into the night.

Me and Duff carried on staring at the wood beyond the boundary of the house. Blood debt? What bullshit.

We went back inside with our heads down.

«Bloody hell» snapped Duff. «Always fiddling with that fucking thing! He got away» «Sorry, man, but Rebecca…»

«I don’t give a fuck about Rebecca, I don’t give a fuck about Megan and all the others!» Yelled Duff «you’re just like my grandad with his porn mags in the bathroom! Would you sell your soul to the devil for a piece of ass?»

It was in Saul’s best interest not to answer and while Duff was yelling at him, he’d received another message in any case.

«We’re screwed» he said, interrupting the yelling. «That guy was really off his head. What will we do with the bodies?» I couldn’t stop staring at them, in spite of my churning stomach. United even in death.

Saul stuck the mobile back in his pocket. «When they catch us, we’ll tell the cops about the mad murderer and the dead as doornails old lovers. I think we should get a reduced sentence for that, don’t you? By the way, how many years do you think we’ll get?»

A reduced sentence? We would have to explain away a whole load of things. Believing «a series of unfortunate events» wasn’t my style but after all we’d been through, it now seemed perfectly natural to believe the impossible. «I wonder why the old man suddenly ran away. He wanted to kill us, then he changed his mind?»

31

«Dude, he was a psychopath! Why do you think he did it? He must have lost his nerve when we disarmed him» said Saul with a shrug as if this was the most logical explanation in the world. «Now why don’t we carry on looking for Axl? These bodies are beginning to smell. Can you smell it or is it just my impression? Oh shit and double shit!»

Someone shouted. It was the unmistakable voice of our lost friend. We were certain our vocalist was inside B.house but there was no trace of him anywhere. We overturned every room, ripping apart every corner of the house, turning on any lamps and lights that were still working. There were several empty rooms where the echoes of our breathing seemed louder; corners of disused rooms that altered our voices, making them sound like wails. In some places, the wallpaper was peeling or worn – it looked as if it had been stuck on to cover the original walls. I didn’t investigate.

«AXL! Where are you, asshole? You better hide, because if I find you…»

«We’re looking for him because he is hidden, Duff».

My friend always reacted in the same way, his emotional gauge only had one setting, which was “being pissed off ”. When he was sad, he was pissed off; when he was happy he was «pissed off with joy», he explained to us once; and when he was scared, he was mightily pissed off.

«I’ve got something here!»: it was Saul.

We groped around until we had joined him. Duff also arrived, covered with dust and cobwebs.

We discovered a little old room. Saul was there. Once I set foot inside, I noticed a yellowed poster with the wording Houses of the Holy that almost entirely covered one wall. There were signatures below the image: letters destroyed by mould, incomprehensible names. Some gold and platinum discs plus several awards hung on the left. In a corner, as if lit by an unworldly light1, lay an authentic solid body electric guitar in the shape of a figure eight; the classic model used by the sacred monsters of rock ‘n’ roll, honeyburst flame coloured.

We admired it. Saul in particular stood motionless staring at it and he was almost certainly unaware that he had fallen on his knees to worship the instrument as if he was praying in a trance-like state.

1 There wasn’t really any light, it was just our imagination at work.

32

«Guys it’s…»

«Wonderful?» Suggested Duff softly, out of respect for the instrument before him.

«No…» «Lovely?»

«No…» «Dusty, then!»

«No» repeated Saul for the third time. «It’s HOLY!» He cried, with a wild-eyed look. Then he began to croon to the instrument. «Fate meant us to meet. Oh I’d just love to play those strings». Then he kissed the guitar’s headstock, barely brushing it with his lips.

Not even the taste of dust could bring him back down to earth.

He was like a zombie. Sometimes that happens to him. The first time I had seen him in that state was at Mary’s birthday party. She was a schoolfriend and the only girl who until then had ever been able to reduce Saul to a state where he was shy, awkward and anything but talkative… a doormat, in a nutshell. And the same thing happened when he found himself in front of a beautiful guitar.

He didn’t even flinch when a guttural sound startled me and Duff.

It was followed by a nasty crash.

THUMP! «What was that?»

«It came from in here» he answered. «Axl is that you?»

The whitish hand of our singer appeared from a pile of old clothes: a built-in wardrobe full of stage clothes materialised as if by magic in the gloom. I pushed my way through the malodorous fabric and the clouds of dust, breathing in stale air. Duff helped me, cursing.

«Were you sniffing dust, bitch? We’ve looked everywhere for you. A disgusting old geezer was about to beat in our heads with a wrench! Once a dickhead, always a dickhead. I’m one too, but you really take the prize you bloody vocalist! I hope you die of dust poisoning, motherfu… » «Get out of the way, Duff. That sucks!» I yelled in exasperation.

«Hey! Don’t tell me ‘that sucks’, pussy!»

I ignored the challenge, hoping that Duff ’s anger would go off the boil soon. Instead I focused on Axl. He was curled up like a sick cat among the mouldy clothes, his eyes half-closed.

«GueSs… WhO’s dRuNk?» He shouted all of a sudden, raising a fist in a victory salute.

33

«Axl, I suppose», I answered him.

«WeLl doNe MaTt! YoU’ve woN a bOx of coNdoMs!».

Leaving aside the condom remark, at least he had recognised me.

«I’m glad. But you stink of vodka. Did you pour it all over yourself ?»

The smell was terrible, luckily he hadn’t thrown up.

«Can we set light to him and mix his ashes with all this dust» suggested Duff with clenched fists.

«Help me lift him» I replied, pretending not to have heard. It was enough to make him realise he’d gone too far. We lifted Axl by his arms, pulling him out of the wardrobe first and then out of the little room. His head lolled on his chest. He reminded me of the bodies in the living room.

«How’s it going?» asked Duff.

Axl said “fine” in a whisper, like a whistle, with a slightly lob-sided grin. Duff smiled too.

As this tender scene unfolded between the two, I went back to the little room to retrieve the other missing member of the group.

«Saul, are you there?»

«HOLY!» I went toward him slowly, avoiding sudden movements. I had to break into that crazy mantra. I briefly admired the prizes and the posters on the walls again. Then I tried to distract Saul by putting myself between him and the guitar. But he kept repeating “holy” at regular intervals.

«Hey!» called Duff, followed by Axl, who had finally come round.

«Axl here says he found something in the wardrobe».

Both of them shuffled back into the small room. Our singer’s shocked face looked like a Picasso painting. «How did you manage to snap out of it?» I asked.

«Duff gave me a slap» he said seriously, then turned to his companion. «Thanks mate. It worked. Without you I would still be… be… I don’t know what I’d still be, but I would».

«Naaa!» said Duff dismissively with a wave of his hand. «Don’t mention it».

Between the dust and the old stuff Axl pointed to a sliding panel.

«How did you find it?»

«I remember… although I’m not sure, that I found myself in a room… like a recording studio. I just remember that I got out of the van, then I was in the studio. Then nothing. Just like that. After that I don’t know… you found me. I’m here».

34

After this quick resume, Axl slid back the panel to reveal a passage. A few draughts of air and a flight of stairs leading down into a dark basement.

«You want to go down there? You mean you haven’t had enough?»

I was exhausted.

«Matt-pussy, I think we should have a look around down there.

Now we’re by ourselves, we can do what we want. Are you scared?»

«No» I lied.

«Just a look, go on. Something tells me that this wardrobe is the gateway to heaven! Let’s just go with the flow here. We are already half-fucked, what have we got to lose?»

«You’re so poetic, Duff. I just wanted to avoid any more bodies and half-crazed nutcases».

Duff looked to Axl for support. «Dude? We’ve got nothing to lose, right?»

«Just a quick look. I think it’ll be worth it».

35

6

Hot girls BANG! The sound of a shot. Immediately after that, an artificially amplified voice forced its way into our brains: «come out with your hands up!

No false moves or you’ll make the situation worse!»

The police had surrounded B.House. They were waiting for us.

I imagined very vividly the feeling of cold metal round my wrists and the hands of the policeman pushing me into the squad car.

Giving ourselves up was one option. Perhaps it would have been the best thing in order not to make our situation any worse, but if we had a chance to escape…

Who wouldn’t have done the same? Right?… Right?

We pushed on hastily into the secret passage full of hope. Once inside, we quickly closed the rusty panel only to reopen it immediately.

We’d forgotten about Saul, still dazed in front of the guitar.

«Fate brought us together!» He warbled as we dragged him into the hiding place. «It brought us together! You can’t shatter my dream…

My dream! My love! I have to play you, your strings!»

«Come on, Saul» I objected. “I thought your mobile was the love of your life?»

We closed the panel again. SPRANG! The tunnel was low and narrow; we could barely get into it and our heads brushed the ceiling. The musty smell was sickening and the damp stone walls just made it more unbearable.

«We’re outlaws» said Axl. «Like in the movies. We’ll be famous!»

Saul winced. «You are such an idiot! If we don’t end up in the papers as victims of a ridiculous murder, we’ll end up there anyway. As thieves, burglars and attackers. Crap» he sighed in irritation, probably allowing his thoughts to return to his ‘beloved’.

36

I turned my attention to the noises upstairs. Some slight pattering like mice running away. Then silence and a feeling of loss, as if my companions had disappeared in the darkness of the hiding place.

I almost began to believe that Duff wasn’t there any more.

«Duff, are you there?» I asked with a voice with slightly too much alarm in my voice.

«Here» he muttered. Because of the echo effect, I could tell he was just behind me.

The tunnel was low and narrow; we could hardly get into it and our heads brushed the wall above. Darkness, only darkness. Growing darker.

«I’ve got an idea, dudes. It won’t be much but better than groping our way around». Saul appeared with his mobile phone in hand. He had bounced back completely from his trance and come back to earth. «A little light!» and immediately afterwards added: «oh [beep beep], a message!»

The underground tunnel seemed even narrower in the eerie blueish glare of the mobile. About ten minutes later, we emerged in the studio Axl had described. Small, dank, dirty. And full of instruments.

«Claustrophobic» I commented.

«You what?»

«It means that this hole is scary, Duff» I explained.

«Ah» he muttered in a small voice. «Well, you’re right. Without these instruments it would be like a prison. Weird isn’t it? The cops are looking for us but we’re already cooped up like chickens». He laughed.

I couldn’t hide my irritation. «Glad you’re taking it so well».

«Should I whinge like you, pussy?»

«If they lock us up, you’ve got nothing to lose. Your family wouldn’t even worry about you. You don’t care, you’ve never cared! So what does it matter to you?» I shouted the last words. I’d had enough. I stopped to collect my thoughts, to calm down. But instead I went on. I yelled at him and offloaded everything, telling him what was really on my mind.

«Have you got a brain, Duff ? Sometimes you’re just an idiot!» The stress was taking over. He didn’t say a word. He hadn’t expected this.

Crap, I didn’t expect it either.

«Come on, calm down!» intervened Axl. «Dudes, listen» he gestured with his hands as though he was singing a solo.

37

«Why don’t we all have a good jam session? To calm ourselves down. That is, look around at these fucking instruments! Don’t you reckon they’re made for rock warriors at the Tournament?»

I looked at them for the first time. They seemed fossilised by time, or by an evil spell. A thick layer of dust sparkled in the dim light of Saul’s backlit mobile phone. «For God’s sake», he exclaimed, «look here!»

He blew on the fingerboard of one of the guitars. I’d seen symbols carved into the wood as inlays, but nothing like these.

«They look like runes» I said, moving closer for a better look.

«Dunes? They looked to me like those figures on the lighted balls outside Chinese restaurants» retorted Duff.

«Runes, not Dunes. They are too simple to be Chinese characters» I clarified.

Saul blew again on the fingerboard, down to the 12th fret. The symbols continued right down the fretboard. «Really cool» he pronounced, moving the mobile phone up to the strings to shed light on them. «Who knows how long they’ve been here. They must belong to those guys we saw on the poster in the little room?»

«They look as if they’ve been here at least twenty years» answered Axl, tapping the microphone with his index finger. The rod was caked in rust and surrounded by sticky filaments. «I hate cobwebs. It means there are spiders as well and I hate spiders» stammered my friend «Hang on a minute, Axl, weren’t they here earlier? When you got here» I asked sarcastically.

«Mmm, I wouldn’t know. I was drunk before».

«Right. In any case, you won’t end up mummified in a cocoon and then eaten by a giant spider, don’t worry».

«If you say so».

Duff fiddled with the volume of an amplifier, a box more than a metre high, all in black with red inlay and lettering. «What year do you think this was made?»

«Thirty, forty years ago. Or twenty. Maybe even ten. It’s certainly better than your fifteen watt amp» said Axl in disgust, moving away from the microphone.

«It must be out of production now. It’s probably broken as well».

I answered. Apart from the faded lettering on the gain and volume controls, there was no brand name.

Strange symbols like ancient runes were engraved on each instrument. Spiky markings in purple.

38

They were also engraved on the dust-covered black keyboard sharp and flat notes. None of us was a keyboard player, but I’d learned a few chords from my father who was a would-be pianist. I tried to play something. The keys creaked beneath my fingers. Puffs of black smoke erupted from the grooves and…

My friends screamed. «Matt, what the fuck are you doing?»

«What’s the matter? I was just trying to...».

«Burst our eardrums?»

«What?»

«What… What?»

«I just pressed the keys».

«Our ears!»

«What are you on about? There’s not even any power. Are you crazy?»

They looked at me agitated and fearful. What the hell was going on?

«Listen. Let’s try and relax by playing something?» Axl exhorted us again.

Duff looked nervous. «Holy shit. I can see there’s no power in this shithole. How did that keyboard…»

The switches suddenly snapped on. Bangs and sparks rained down on us. A lamp hovering on the ceiling revealed the room’s outline.

We were beneath a cone of buzzing light. ZZZHH… ZZZHHH… «Oh s-h-i-t! That is, the power is still on», yelled Axl. «Up my ass, you bassist, do you see? Now, will you pick up that bass down there and play?»

«Who does he think he is», muttered Duff We didn’t care if someone was spying on us and had turned on the power to scare us (had the murderer come back?). Now we could try out the instruments.

They had won us over, or rather they had bewitched us. Yet that moment of general celebration was about to cost us dear, but by the end of the story you will understand how it important it was for the DRC. There was a song that we liked a lot and listened to until we got sick of it. It went like this: Take us to hell’s mouth Where the fire burns And the girls are red hot

39

There were no girls or hellfire but what happened next shocked us. We grabbed the instruments and started to improvise.

Once the jack was connected and the volume had been adjusted, Saul took the lead. He pulled a plectrum out of his jeans pocket.1 «Dudes, we break here! solo in A minor. Duff, follow me. Matt, go with the beat!»

ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR! Slowly Duff memorised the notes and began to follow the guitar riff. I kept the beat. The padded drum seat was really uncomfortable. Every beat on the worn skins threw up thick clouds of dust and debris.

The power chords rang out; ultra-powerful bass lines joined with the drum to set up a driving rhythmic structure, aided by Axl’s high and thrilling voice. Lost in the woods, in that house, under that little room, where no one could see or hear us, we were The Best Rock Band In The World!

Duff ’s grimace and Saul and Axl’s concentrated expressions gave me extra charge. The band followed the drum’s back beats without any mistakes. The improvisation turned into a real song, worthy of the great rockers who were our idols. I wasn’t thinking about anything else except the music. Yeah, just the music.

It was great.

Saul started with a wailing solo that developed until his licks got heavier and heavier. The overdrive whistled, scratched and tore at the unhealthy air in the room. The plectrum screeched over the strings. Billions of musical subtleties worked their way into our ears and tightened our chests and heads. Goosebumps behind our necks.

Sweat. Closed eyes and darkness…

It happened in a flash. Axl sung about us and our passion, about sex and the girls we could have. For a split second I thought how great it would be to take the music out of the basement. Drops of sweat on my forehead dripped into my eyes. I opened them. They burned.

The scene came into focus as my eyelids flew open. Hundreds of symbols identical to those engraved on the instruments appeared on the stone walls. The dust cloud was gone.

No one had noticed except me. Duff carried on shaking the long hair that stuck out of his beanie, rocking away with the bass. Saul continued his solo with his guitar behind his neck. And Axl… 1 He always had one handy.

40

A disembodied voice started to emerge from the walls. The rune-like symbols now shone like hot blood. The lyrics of the song changed.

The voice began to sing of occult rituals, omens of doom and death.

The howl of pain that followed forced us to stop. I threw down the sticks and ran away from the drum kit. Saul and Duff threw down the guitar and bass on the ground. We joined one another back to back in the middle of the room, staring at the scarlet symbols pulsing on the stone.

As Axl continued to perform, the disembodied voice drowned his out. ÂŤLeave the microphone, Axl! Come AWAYYY!Âť But a grating noise and a blinding light sucked him into the microphone. It was like a special effect; blurred images, glowing and an incredible commotion. Then suddenly it all ended and everything around became clear again.

Silence. Axl had gone.

41

7

Deamon

I woke up as if from a nightmare, sweating and with my stomach churning.

Axl had vanished suddenly with a resounding CRACK followed by a red glow, a dust storm and the THRUM THRUM of the symbols emerging on the walls of the room.

I saw Duff and Saul lying on the pavement. «Guys?» I yelled.

Saul had reopened his eyes. «What just happened?» He asked, lifting himself up slowly on his elbows.

«That shitface Axl» answered Duff, still on the ground. «He disappeared again».

«Are you okay?»

«Yes, right, never been better, Matt. I would almost rather have been thrown into a cell by the cops».

«Duff, just be happy that you’re alive» I answered. «And that it happened to Axl and not to you».

«Poor thing» he repeated in a perfect imitation of my voice.

We got up again. The cloud of dust had already settled back onto the instruments and walls. The scarlet symbols had disappeared, sucked back into the black stones. The guitars and sticks had stayed were we had thrown them.

«That old man will pay for this», said Duff, brushing the dust off his beanie.

«I don’t think it’s the old man’s fault, man» answered Saul. «It’s something much darker. Did you hear that voice?»

Duff gave him a look. «Are you trying to scare me? If Axl really disappeared into the microphone then I’m a millionaire».

«So find him then».

42

Duff looked around him for a moment cautiously, putting his beanie back on his head. «He must be here somewhere, stands to reason.

There, can you hear that noise? It must be him, the shit».

We heard a roaring flush, or a special effect like those you hear in thriller and science-fiction TV series, but this was clearly for real.

«HE’S TRAPPED IN MY DIMENSION. YOU WILL NEVER FIND HIM!» The flushing sound tapered off into silence, then a voice – the same one that sang just before Axl got sucked into the microphone – spoke from a dark corner of the room.

We leapt away in unison, flattening ourselves against the opposite wall. Not a breath or a whimper. Our minds were working but… our words had got stuck somewhere between throat and tongue.

It shuffled towards the middle of the room and stopped under the cone of light. It was a little half-naked man with flame red skin. Two black horns sprouted on his forehead. His raven-black hair was tied up in a Samurai ponytail swept back from bony temples. I would have mistaken him for a funny sort of elf if it hadn’t been for that deep and guttural voice. He spat on the ground as if he was disgusted by our presence. Afterwards he took up a stance with his hands on his hips: «do you know who I am?»

«A sprite?» stammered Duff.

The creature trembled with rage. «Idiot. I AM A DEMON!» He gave a violent wave of his hands, with their dark and pointed nails.

«Were you in the microphone?» asked Saul, when the small demon had regained control of himself.

«In the microphone, yes, and in the walls, in the dust, in the air… I was asleep», he croaked, «and you little white beings woke me up». He stretched his arms and closed his fists like a sulky child.

«Are you… working with the crazy old man?» I asked him guardedly.

«I don’t know what you’re talking about». The demon yawned loudly, showing a row of stumpy black teeth.

«The old man. The owner of the house» I explained. «He wanted to kill us».

«I don’t know him» and said the demon, showing everything in a second disgusting yawn. His tongue was flame red like the rest of his body. «The only real owner is standing in front of you. The legal heirs to B. House, some distant relatives of mine, have never shown their faces. NEVER. I don’t know the old man you are talking about.

Just as well for me that he didn’t kill you».

43

He looked at us maliciously, crossing his arms over his wizened chest and fixing us with his yellowish bloodshot eyes. «Nice music, hey? I know it got you going. I can still see it on your faces».

«Listen, little thingy. Sorry if we touched your things», Duff tried to explain lifting himself off the wall. «It really got into us. Perhaps we’re already dead and this is a fucking nightmare. The other side, or whatever. But if you have Axl», he paused before yelling. «Where the fuck is Axl?» The demon assumed an almost amused expression. «Dearest young white-skinned being. Firstly: this is not a nightmare. Try slapping yourself if you don’t believe me» he suggested, sniggering. «Secondly: your friend, the boy you called Axl, is with me now. And he’ll stay here unless you do what I tell you to do».

Duff slapped his face with the back of his hand. «Okay, okay, so this is the other side. Where have you hidden him… Where is Axl?» He asked the little man again. «I can’t see him. Can you see him guys?

Little thingy, stop taking the piss!»

Duff ’s answer got the little man mad again and he pulled himself up to his full height1 , inflating the muscles of his chest and arm like enormous inner tubes. The room again became a bedlam, full of noise and tension.

«SIX SOULS OF SIX MUSICIANS FOR SIX INSTRUMENTS! YOU’LL GET YOUR VOICE BACK, I’LL HAVE MY GROUP!” The metallic echoing shout of the enormous demon bounced off the walls again and again, deafening us, striking us, forcing us to shout.

«DO YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT THE BIGGEST MOST POWERFUL BEING ON EARTH!?”

He aroused fear, but it was a bizarre sort of fear. Maybe a part of our frazzled brains thought we were dealing with someone who was trying to frighten us dressed up in a red costume with foam rubber muscles.

Duff found the courage to react. «I don’t want to bring you down, little thingy, but if you really are the biggest being etcetera, etcetera” he chanted, how come you’re trapped in here?»

Just as he had inflated himself, the demon returned to the size of a child or rather a slightly plump child.

1 He shot from just under three feet to well over six feet. Bent over clumsily, he could hardly keep his footing in the room.

44

Instantly, his guttural tone changed to a comedy wail. «I… can’t take it any more?» The little crimson midget squeaked between sobs. «I can’t… I can’t… I really can’t take it any more! I’ve been shut in here for fifty years and I can’t… and I can’t… and I can’t manage to… I no longer have… I haven’t…»

«Withdrawal symptoms?» suggested Duff.

The little demon, with his bulging eyes full of tears, shot a peevish glance at the bassist. «No, what sort of idiot! I don’t… I don’t… I don’t play any more!»

«Did you used to play?»

«I haven’t always been like this» explained the little being. «No, no!

I love music so much that it ended up destroying me. This hideous body is the consequence of my choices… and it’s so complicated to live with it, if you can believe me».

«Don’t mess around with us» mocked Duff. «You’re not saying that the guitar and all those prizes in the room are yours?»

«From first to last». The demon stuck his nose up in the air proudly.

«They all belong to me and my group. My former group» he corrected himself, unhappily.

«The guitar is shit-hot” commented Saul. «Really, really shit-hot!

So smooth, with its honeyburst colour…»

«Thank you» answered the demon, opening a horn and pulling out a handkerchief.

PRRRR! He blew his dripping nose. «It was my favourite. I was the soloist in Zed Lep».

«Never heard of them», said Duff.

The demon pulled back his tears and his snot to swell up again and yell at the top of his voice. «AND YOU CALL YOURSELF A ROCKER?! I’D EAT YOUR HEART OUT! YOU’VE OFFENDED ME, KID! ZED LEP MADE HISTORY!» Duff took it in his stride. «Man, I’m only seventeen years old.

When you were playing my parents were still using contraceptives”.

«Why ever did they stop using them?» sniggered Saul.

Duff turned on him. «Do I have to smack that pretty face, you little shit?»

«Well, at least I know who Zep Led are. I must have heard my father mention them sometime» the guitarist defended himself.

The demon shot back to his miniature self in an instant. PUFF! «Stop that, you idiots. When I think you laid hands on my friends to play…»

45

«Laid hands on? We didn’t lay hands on anyone, except for those instruments».

«Laid hands on, exactly». He stabbed his finger at us, puckering his thick eyebrows. «The souls of the other Zep Led members are contained in the instruments. And you insulted them with your filthy great hands!»

«No, wait… WHAT? Were we playing corpses changed into guitars? Don’t tell me that the drum skins…» Duff did not finish his sentence. He chewed his lip and pulled his beanie down until it nearly covered his eyes.

We didn’t have to slap ourselves or pinch ourselves to understand.

What we had before us was reality, not a film or cartoon. Oh God, why can’t this be a nightmare?

«So it was them… your bandmates who gave us that energy? We played… we’ve never played like that».

«Like gods, man» replied Saul. With a dreamy expression.

The demon grunted his agreement. «They were victims of my choices as well; becoming the greatest cost me everything». He stuck his nose in the air again, but not for pride this time.

Strange things happen in life, like agreeing to steal from your worst enemy or finding yourself in a little room arguing with a demon. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference between reality and imagination; the two things often overlap, surprisingly, like the sky and the horizon.

We all wanted to know. «How did it happen?»

And so the demon began his tale.

46

8

Six souls

The beast stuffed his handkerchief back in his horn. Really heavy trash music began to play at a click of his fingers: a terrible strain on our eardrums.

The sound of a double drum pedal beating out the time began to hammer into the foul air. We couldn’t understand where it was coming from.

We put our hands over our ears even though it didn’t make any difference.

«WE WERE ZED LEP» resounded the booming voice of the demon, «WE WERE THE BEST!» While the trash track and the double drum pedal carried on hammering into our brains, the demon clicked his fingers again. Images began to appear again on the wall behind us. Dark shadows, stylised and disproportionate figures. They contorted as though an invisible hand was drawing them at that very moment…

«We were the best», repeated the demon. The drawings on the stone shifted until they formed a group of musicians, packed with energy. «Loads of bread and loads of chicks. Everyone loved rock.

Concerts, albums, exclusive events. I» he stressed «was the only one to want something else».

On the wall, the group’s guitarist moved away from the other musicians with his head down. «I couldn’t see it» the little man resumed his story, with a slight note of melancholy. «I couldn’t manage to appreciate what we had gained through our talent. Such a fine, pure achievement. We were almost divine. We had everything, but I wanted more. I wanted musicians to bow to me. I wanted to reign over the music. To be the best, the rock ‘n’ roll supremo».

At the demon’s last words. His alter ego etched into the stone lifted his hands heavenward and his disproportionate face broadened into a wicked smile, enough to give you goosebumps.

47

«At that point, my predilection for the dark arts came into play. I had always been passionate about it, but it became a real obsession at that time. I carried out my research for years, even though I carried on playing with the Zed Lep. I specialised in the occult and necromancy.

As time went on, I acquired spiritual wisdom and knowledge; I even wrote some songs for the Zed Lep that concealed obscure messages for no reason, out of sheer fanaticism.

«This meant that my live performances began to fall off, with a damaging effect on me and the group. We went into decline: we got booed and people said I’d let myself go».

On the stone, a squiggle representing the Zed’s fans pushed the guitarist away.

«Despite the support of my bandmates, who didn’t suspect anything, I left the band. I felt like an irresponsible traitor: my heart still craved absolute power».

We listened with rapt attention and watched the images scrolling over the stone, protecting ourselves against the background din by instinctively pressing our hands over our ears even though we soon realised it was pointless. Seated on the frozen, dirty floor, we were like urchins around a campfire.

Duff couldn’t refrain from a cheeky comment. «Wasn’t it enough to enter the rock Hall of Fame?»

The demon drew his sharp nails down the wall. «That’s only a TV prize. It’s worth less than a piss in the wind. Can I carry on, or are you going to interrupt me again?»

«Go on, man».

«Excellent. Where was I? Oh, yes» the squiggles behind the demon’s back reformed to create B. House and the surrounding landscape.

«Well, I was looking for a remote place to cut myself off. I bought this house. It cost me a load of money, but I wasn’t bothered about the expense».

«Because you had shed-loads of money», interjected Saul. «Sorry, man». He added immediately in response to the demon’s answering glare.

The little red man gritted his huge jaws and then resumed his story.

«I began to prepare the final act of my plan. After years of research, the ritual that was to give me extraordinary powers was nearly ready.

All I needed was the Zed Lep. «One evening I got back in touch. I invited them over to the new house and they agreed despite their commitments.

48

After a drink, I bought them down to this basement to show them the studio I’d set up. I explained that I still played from time to time, on my own, to keep in practice. It was such a great little place that it didn’t take much to suggest a jam… just as I wanted. For a moment I forgot my plan; the thrill of picking up my gorgeous guitar and playing with the Zeds was about to play a cruel trick on me. But I stuck to my plan, to hell with the memories! That was when everything changed».

«The instruments were out of tune, right? Oh balls, that always happens to us as well» interrupted Duff again.

The demon’s rage manifested itself as a series of little clouds puffing out of the creature’s nose and ears. «I swear that if you weren’t so important for my plan I’d pull your head off your neck and use it as a headstock for my guitar!»

«What plan?»

«ARRRRGHHH! I’M GETTING THERE!» the demon huffed, his nostrils flared and contracted quickly. Then he carried on “So then. The tragedy».

The shadowy landscape on the stone faded away. A formless splodge slowly reorganised in sequence, following the story.

«To get to the end, the ritual required the sacrifice of my bandmates. A song to be performed as a group, in an environment impregnated with negative influences and invisible engravings on the walls and instruments. It would have unleashed enough energy to invade every cell of my body, changing me into an ultra-powerful spirit. Invincible.

«When I could already taste victory the drummer – a dear friend – lost his beat, the song came to a sudden stop and all the Zed Leps were killed in an instant by the unforeseen effects of the runes I’d engraved. I saw their souls, glowing opalescent balls, flow into the instruments and disappear».

The demon turned to look at the animation reflecting his words.

The sketches showing the musicians disappeared while the guitarist began to writhe around in fury. Then he shrank and a pair of horns began to emerge from his head.

«See? I was desperate» sighed the demon, «what a pain about those horns, the changed skin colour…»

The drawing changed again, the guitarist, transfigured into a demon, was sucked back into a deep scratch in the stone that was meant to represent a microphone.

«A miniscule living space» commented the red man. «I would do anything to play again. Even though I can be summoned by the 49

sound of the instruments, I have still been stuck in this room for fifty years». He stopped a moment to blow his great dripping nose. «And this is where you come in». He wrung his knobbly, pointed hands, his yellowish eyes gleamed.

«Six souls for six souls… and all the rest?»

«Exactly. We already have an agreement, because if you don’t do anything your friend Axl will stay here with me for eternity. I can’t die. And the contract you will sign…»

«In blood?» Asked Duff, half curious and half in terror.

«It’ll be your blood if you try to sabotage my plan. The contract that you’ll sign with me involves the theft of six – and I mean six – souls for your friend’s life».

At the third click of his fingers, the demon turned off the trash music playing in the background and the animated figures disappeared into the stone.

«I don’t see how we can manage it, man. We haven’t got any powers like sucking up souls with a kiss or any crap like that» answered Saul.

«Get all that stuff out of your tiny mind, stupid boy» and said the demon impatiently. «All you have to do is to beat a rival band when playing a brand-new piece in a battle between bands. A song that you write, words and music, to show what you’re worth».

«We’re worth a lot», pointed out Duff.

«He’s right» I said encouragingly.

«Yeah, man, we’re fucking worth it!» confirmed Saul «A lot? Are you worth a lot? Have you seen yourselves? You kids suck». The demon spat out viscous saliva onto the floor. He began to laugh at us in an obscene way. «Haven’t you wondered why I didn’t just capture you? I could have forgotten about pacts and contracts and used you to play; musicians for eternity. For me».

We protested vehemently. That little monster didn’t have the right to treat us like that. He reminded me of Antony and his idiot friends.

«But we played brilliantly before!»

The demon signed, rolling his eyes and showing his yellowish teeth.

«It was the instruments that you were playing, not you».

«Oh. Fuck. I see. Shit» Duff enunciated carefully.

«I want my life back» said the demon, «I want to play with the group again. And you are going to help me» he intoned in honeyed tones and then with a jerk and a strange movement of his stubby neck he yelled «FOR ALL THESE SOULS, I WANT ROCK BACK AGAIN!» 50

«Are you okay? Is it your hormones? It’s not normal to get so excited all the time».

Saul’s joke was the last, poisonous straw. The demon puffed himself up as big as he could, taking the roof of the house. A vortex of wind, lightning and splinters catapulted us into the starry sky until we landed heavily on the lawn near the wood. Among the ruins of the house, the imposing outline of the red monster arose before us. «BRING ME THE SIX SOULS OR YOU WILL NEVER SEE YOUR DEAR AXL AGAIN! THAT’S ALL. AND NOW GET LOST!»

51

9

Rock Warriors

When I woke up on the lawn at the edge of the world, it was nearly dawn.

An infinite spread of pale pink started to stain the horizon beyond the trees, beyond the lake. Yes, there was a lake too: on the west side of B. House. I forgot to say so before. The stars had gone out and the moon had lost its brightness, faded by the morning light.

I had a vague memory of recent events. Out-of-focus shots and nightmarish scenes, a mixture of a noir comic and a horror series. I struggled to my feet and passed a hand over my neck. It really hurt, as though I’d been hit with a guitar and crushed my head between two crash cymbals!

I looked around. Not far away I saw Saul’s body stretched out on the ground beside the van, with his arms and legs forming strange angles.

I opened and closed my eyes and rolled my head around. The pain behind my neck got worse and I fell back on my knees on the grass.

I found the strength to get up again and looked back in Saul’s direction. He’d come round and was getting up slowly, holding onto the van.

«Did that really happen?» I asked myself. It was strange to hear my voice again. I murmured those words into the unpolluted silence.

Saul staggered, his hands flew to his temples. Then he lifted his head and we looked at one another.

«Are you okay?» I shouted. My voice was swallowed up by the space around us.

«Could be better» my friend shouted back.

The fresh air of early morning was like manna from heaven, the healing infusion we needed. A breeze lifted off the wood, ruffling the treetops. I closed my eyes and regained a shred of the life that had been torn from me.

52

«Man, have you seen Duff ?» shouted Saul, dragging himself toward me.

Duff, of course! I had nearly forgotten about him. Where was he?

As though conjured up by my thoughts, the foul-mouthed bass player appeared behind a bush, in terrible state but alive. Twigs and leaves were sticking out his knitted beanie. His cheeks were red from various cuts.

«I’m fine», he answered in a hoarse voice. «What about you?»

«Fine» I said.

Saul continued to hold his head. «My head is about to explode, man. I feel like throwing up».

Once we were together again, we exchanged confused glances with B. House in the background. No one had the nerve to say it out loud.

It had really happened, but it didn’t make sense.

Deep down in our souls, though, in our thoughts and in that area of the brain where all your memories are stored, we knew that Axl was no longer with us, that the demon had sucked him into its world and that we had to complete a titanic task to save our vocalist.

And this was the worst bit of all. There was no way out of it. Our experiences under the house meant we had to take part in the tough and legendary Rock Warrior Tournament battles.

«No, absolutely NOT. No, no and NO again!»

«Duff. It’s Axl, don’t you get it? It’s the only way» I tried to explain.

In actual fact I thought exactly the same as my friend, but I couldn’t leave Axl to be the demon’s slave. «Do you want to leave him there in that little room together with that red thing? He’ll kill him!» I spoke with a conviction that I didn’t really feel.

«You want me to die for a drunken stoner? Is that what you want?

And where’s all this courage come from, Matt?»

Rage got the better of me, filling my chest, and found an outlet in a hiss forced out between clenched teeth. «You’re a shit. A coward and a shit».

In any other situation, Duff would have jumped on me and showered me with punches and head butts, but he knew he was completely in the wrong. And I knew that he was frozen by fear. That he wanted to save Axl, but that he was terrified by the rock battles. And who could blame him, come to that.

53

«Know something, Matt? In this case, it’s better to be a shit and a coward than fresh meat thrown onto a stage to entertain the public.

I like watching the Tournament from the sidelines, just like you do».

I couldn’t get mad at him. It was my word against his, we were both right. I understood. Duff was always up for it, the first in line when the time came to run a risk, and the burglary from Antony’s garage was yet another demonstration.

I couldn’t get mad, because the Tournament wasn’t for everyone.

Participants fell into two categories: the really good ones who blew everyone else away and the clueless idiots who threw themselves on the stage for their ten minutes of fame even though they knew the consequences were serious – and could even lead to death.

We didn’t fall into either of those categories. We were… the outsiders who were going to take part to save our friend imprisoned in Hades. An infernal limbo… or wherever he was.

I tried to mollify him. «I wouldn’t take part either, if I wasn’t forced to».

«Are you going to go along with it as well, pussy?»

I saw him smile, at last. «Yes» I allowed. «But I know we have to do it. We are a group. Let’s show it! These are the times when the bond between us is tightest».

«You’ve always been a smooth-talking bastard. The best at thinking things through».

«I didn’t say it for effect, Duff. You know that».

«I know». He started picking the twigs and leaves out of his beanie and drying his scratches on the edge of his denim waistcoat.

«But, what the fuck! I don’t want to have anything to do with it. The Tournament is cool, but who’s going to make me play to my death?»

Saul had stayed quiet until then. He was messaging on his mobile.

«Sorry, it was Megan again. What were you saying?»

«That we’ll play a great gig, Saul. Are you up for it?»

Saul’s preoccupied expression – bad news from Megan? – cleared in a split second. «Woo hoo! I can’t wait, man!» He lifted his arms skywards.

Dawn had brought storm clouds. The first raindrops started to fall slowly, but it did not take long before the rain was falling thick and heavy.

«It’s decided, then. We’ll save… we’ll try to save Axl by taking part in the Rock Warrior Tournament». I corrected myself for obvious

54

reasons. The possibility that we could all end up stone dead was nothing less than the truth: an inglorious end to the DRC. «Tournament… WHAT?» Saul’s voice could be heard even over the pouring rain.

«You didn’t tell me that, man. Don’t even think about! I’m sorry, Matt, but I’m out of it. Do it without me. I want lots of girls and I can’t go on dates if I’m dead or with parts of my body missing».

«Aren’t you missing something already, when it comes to girls?»

Duff asked sarcastically with his eyes on our guitarist’s trouser zip.

I laughed at the joke, and reminded Saul that he‘d already promised to take part.

«But you were talking about a gig, not the Tournament massacre!»

«Next time don’t pay so much attention to that mobile phone».

His face was hidden by a lock of hair. «I hope you’re not just doing it to show off to Charlotte Michelle he shot back, but both of us knew, luckily, that this was all there was to say on the matter.

I still felt uncomfortable. I unwillingly felt myself looking around, seeking something I could focus on: my toecaps. «For Axl. I’m doing it for him» I explained. It was my last word.

Paradoxically, we knew yet we didn’t know what we had let ourselves in for. Living or dying (or ending up horribly mutilated). If you thought of it as a movie, the prospect was hardly appealing. But on the other side of the barricades, beyond the risk and the adrenaline, the Tournament could be the start and the termination of our career.

And of our young lives.

Cool, or what?

Let me get something straight: I don’t believe in fate. Taking part in the Tournament wasn’t just to do with saving Axl. Some people might believe in a chain of events forming an actual plan. A force that drives us forward. Someone making decisions for us, creating a design; that not everything happens by chance, etc etc…

Just like phony fortune-telling!

Just like… phony fortune-telling?

We ran away off the lawn. The rain was turning the ground into a huge puddle.

SPLAT… SPLAT… We reached the drive leading to the house in long strides, sinking into the mud, .

55

Despite the sheet of water formed by the huge raindrops, we still realised that we’d suffered another inexplicable stroke of bad luck: Axl’s van had gone.

«Shit, that’s not possible!»

«What a bummer. It was here before!»

«It was that crazy murderer. He must’ve used it to get away».

I looked around for clues, my eyes slitted to see through the downpour. Had it been stolen or what? Was this Antony’s doing as well?

My gaze stopped on an area of the drive not far away; tyre tracks.

«Look, guys» I pointed starting to feel cold. Our clothes were soaked. «They lead into the wood».

«I’m not going in there, man» said Saul. Taking no notice of the rain, he went and sat on the steps leading up to B. House. He lowered his face onto his crossed arms and knees but then his hand immediately shot into his jacket pocket. The lighted screen of his mobile phone was a fluorescent spot visible through a goldfish bowl.

Duff joined him in this moment of reflection, sitting down on one of the steps. I stayed under the driving rain in the middle of the drive.

Beaten. Sure felt like it.

Soaked and disheartened.

What got me out of it? The thought that by taking part in the Rock Warrior Tournament we could not only save Axl but also get rid of Antony & C Boys forever.

56

10

Dream a little dream of me

«Fucking shit» Duff had said, «they stole our instruments».

«They would be the ones we stole ourselves» sighed Saul.

They were still sitting on the steps. The rain slackened off, revealing a leaden sky that threatened further showers imminently.

«Guys if you don’t want to follow the tracks of the van, let’s go home».

Duff leapt to his feet, wringing the water out of his beanie. «And what will we say to the cops?»

I shrugged. «No idea, I don’t want to think about it. But we can’t stay here forever».

«So call your mummy and get her to pick us up».

«No use. The car is wrecked, do you remember». I remembered only too well. I also had to think of a reason why the car was completely wrecked. What a bummer!

Duff was resigned. «So that means we’ve got to walk back?»

«There’s no other way, unless you want to stay and keep the demon company».

«What a fuck-up» he exclaimed, wringing out his beanie some more.

I looked at Saul, hoping to involve him in the conversation and see what he wanted to do. «Like Matt says, we’ve got no more business here» he answered, shoving his mobile back in his pocket.

At last a bit of cooperation. «Fine. So shall we get going? It’s a long way».

Duff couldn’t resist poking fun at Saul as well. «You’re always huddled up with that fucking telephone: couldn’t you, like, call someone for a lift home?»

«Man, I wouldn’t know who to call at this time».

«What about your sister?»

«She’s asleep. And she lost her licence».

«What happened to her?»

57

«An accident. She was drunk».

«I see. Is she okay?»

«Chest injury and grazes on her bum. Matt, man, where are you going? Hey!» I had already crossed the drive when Saul’s voice reached me.

I yelled back without turning, hunched up in my jacket in an attempt to keep out the cold air. “It’s a long way!»

I slowed down and let them catch up. I heard my friends panting at my back.

Saul was gasping. «You could have waited, man. You could have waited!»

«Perhaps. But I want to go home, okay?»

We walked with our heads down, our eyes half closed and the rain drove relentlessly onto our heads like another punishment.

«Look who’s starting to snivel again».

«I’m not snivelling, Duff. I’m tired, I’m cold. If you liked it that much, you could have stayed sitting there for a bit longer».

«Are you frightened of your mummy? Are you scared she’ll find your bed empty?»

«Shut up».

«Suit yourself». He paused. Then: «so are you afraid of the cops then?»

I didn’t feel like arguing so I mustered the little energy I had left to concentrate on putting up with him.

Luckily, as we set off down the tree-lined avenue that had taken us up to the house, Saul put a stop to Duff ’s complaints: «guys, our amplifiers are still here!»

Antony’s cases were still where we had left them, wet and sunk into the mud, but we managed to contain our feelings and carried on walking down the avenue in silence. An icy layer of melancholy found its way in through our soaked clothes.

«We’ll pay Antony back at the Tournament» I said after a while. I couldn’t stop my mind going back to those tube amplifiers that had ended up as fertiliser.

«If we don’t end up as dust or dead meat» added Saul.

«Fuck» exclaimed Duff with a sneeze. «Matt is right. At last, we’ll have a chance to shit on that bastard! I hadn’t thought about that.

This is starting to get interesting».

«I thought you were scared, man» objected Saul.

58

«And who isn’t?» I answered. «We just have to go about this the right way; otherwise we won’t come out of it alive. Okay?»

Saul jerked his head up. «Was that a joke, man?» He asked.

«What?»

«What you said about getting out of this alive, the right way…»

«I don’t think so, no, what was funny about it? It just came out like that».

We got to the end of the tree-lined avenue. The long country road stretched before us as far as we can see, leading to the town that was lit only by the watery mid-morning sun.

Dawn had been devoured by rain and black clouds. We took our first steps onto the road in our bedraggled shoes and trousers.

There were no cars but I still asked the others to keep well away from the road. They teased me for being worried, but took the advice.

«Will we soon be there?» said Duff with his tongue hanging out.

«By tonight» answered Saul. «If we don’t collapse on the way».

Faint beams of sunlight were finding a way between the huge clouds, but they weren’t enough to warm us up. I felt another icy shiver and then sneezed. I pulled myself together. «I hope there’s a bus stop nearby. There should be one around here. I must have a ticket somewhere. What about you? Please tell me you’ve got one».

«I don’t think so» answered Saul who hadn’t even bothered checking his pockets.

I looked at Duff. «You think I use tickets, Matt? The service is so bad; they should have to pay us».

I couldn’t help swearing at him.

«I don’t see the problem» he exclaimed. «We’ll get the bus anyway, won’t we? That’s what I’ve always done, haven’t you?”

«And you get a fine every time».

«I’m just saying that I don’t see the problem. I don’t use tickets and I don’t pay the fines. It’s a matter of principle».

More sneezes. «I was forgetting that that’s why you spent two years in the Prison for Out-of-Line Rockers».

A brighter beam of sunlight shone down from the sky. It wasn’t our imagination, nothing compared with the celestial cone of light in the little room shining down on the guitar. It simply fell from the clouds and pointed straight at the bus stop; a little ray of hope on our blustery walk.

Loaded down and keen to pile into the warmth and get a place on the bus, we walked faster, crossed the road and hunkered down like 59

three stray dogs looking for food under the roof of the bus shelter.

We weren’t alone. Two girls were also waiting, standing smoking in front of the timetable. They were dressed in the shortest miniskirts imaginable, shoes with very high heels, heavy makeup and latex tops with necklines that plunged to their belly buttons…

Saul checked himself over as well as he could in the screen of his mobile. Then he spoke brightly to one of the pair. «Hey, do you know what time it is?»

The girl took a drag on her cigarette. She turned round ponderously, peering at us through the black fringe that covered half her face. She dismissed Duff and me with a grimace and bestowed a half smile on Saul. «Do I look like a clock?»

«Not at all» my friend answered in his deep voice. «It was an icebreaker. Girls always fall for it». He smiled too, showing a perfect row of gleaming teeth.

The girl giggled in amusement, with one hand she stroked her thighs accentuated by the miniskirt while with the other she attracted her friend’s attention. They carried on like that for a while.

I turned my thoughts to the Tournament. In our current situation, they wouldn’t even let us register. We had to find other instruments, and before that, we had to find a Customiser1 who was willing to give us a hand.

Two huge undertakings; who would be willing to take a punt on us?

A honking bus aquaplaned to a halt. Flame red, with two decks of padded seats. It looked more comfortable than my own bedroom given the state we were in.

It was almost empty inside. An old man2, two old girls who must have stayed out all night and a strange boy wrapped up in a leather jacket covered in buckles and laces, with a top hat so big that it fell down over his face to the mouth. He was sitting with another two strangely-dressed guys.

Saul and the girls continued to chat and flirt. They were taking up two pairs of seats meant for four. I stamped my ticket and joined Duff one row behind the two guys, looking straight into Saul’s lively eyes, which wore that annoying expression of someone who’s aware of his effortless good looks.

1 2

A kind of mechanic/inventor of musical instruments.

What the hell was he doing out of town at that time?

60

«Don’t be jealous of him. Don’t be jealous of him. Don’t be jealous of him.

You’ve got no reason» I repeated to myself “they’re just two chicks with sky-high miniskirts, luscious lips, half naked…»

«Matt, mate. You okay?» It was Duff ’s voice.

Sneezing and coughing I tore myself away from those ridiculous thoughts. «Fine, thanks. I think I’ve got a bit of a temperature, but it’s all okay».

Duff cocked an eyebrow. «Is it because of those two?»

«The girls?» he made a noise with his mouth, halfway between a raspberry and a sigh. «No, of course not, I’m fine. He can keep them» I answered, meeting Saul’s gaze between the seats in between the tits… heads of the pair of chicks.

The bus had set off in the meantime. I curled up against the window, closed my eyes and enjoyed the song on the radio coming out of one of the speakers. It was a droning but enjoyable song, that made me feel drowsy.

The evening breezes seem to whisper Oh, baby, you’re so fine!

Dream a little dream of me The bus stopped suddenly and I woke up again with my face squashed against the seat in front. It might have been because of the sudden stop or because I was asleep; the fact is I ended up rammed against the seat belonging to the girl with the fringe. A sweet fragrance rose from her raven locks to my nostrils…

«What the fuck! The driver can’t use the brakes» exclaimed Duff.

I looked toward the entrance, rubbing my nose. A boy wearing a black bowler hat and a girl in a kilt got on and sat in front of us.

The bus set off again. Out of the window, I began to spot the first familiar landmarks on the road. Bends, trees, the first cottages.

We were nearly there.

You undoubtedly met strange people on buses. But I didn’t let my mind wander any more. Sometimes I could get really paranoid; I just had to stop it.

The music and the heat lulled me back to the world of semiconsciousness, between sleeping and waking. The best place in the world, in my opinion.

I woke again with Duff ’s elbow in my ribs. «Wake up, pussy! This 61

is where we get off».

Unwillingly (I would have happily stayed there in the warm as long as I could, from a few months to my entire life) I got up and walked towards the exit. Saul said goodbye to the girls, not before getting both of their phone numbers. While we were waiting for the automatic doors to open, I spotted a man in a raincoat standing stiffly near the bus stop. He was terrifyingly tall, dressed in a black raincoat with his collar up to hide his face. The guy was also wearing big sunglasses and leather gloves.

Now I have to report another unhappy event. Before we even had time to get off onto the pavement and take one step, the man in the raincoat came towards us and drew out a badge, barring our way.

«Stop where you are. You’re under arrest, in the name of the law!»

62

11

Ten feet under Fucked. Absolutely fucked.

«It was them who didn’t have their tickets!» I shouted, pointing at Duff and Saul. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the boy with the bowler hat and the girl in the kilt getting off after us. I thought for a moment that they were going to help us, and then they moved away.

«What a shit, pussy and motherfucker! And you had one and didn’t stamp it!» Duff poured insults on me but stayed put, staring at the gleaming badge, in the imposing shadow of the guy in the raincoat.

They seemed to know one another.

«So we meet again», said the man, putting the badge away in his pocket. «The one who doesn’t use a ticket and doesn’t pay his fines».

Duff puffed out his chest. “In person. If the service stinks, don’t blame me. Us I mean.

The man scratched his eyebrows. «You’re also guilty of stealing magazines, selling non-compliant plectrums and dealing fake bass tuners» he intoned. Then he took off his glasses. One eye was the colour of the sky reflected in the rain, while the iris of the right eye was an amazing golden shade and… it was moving! More precisely, it revolved and expanded to form abstract shapes, like a miniature kaleidoscope. When he realised I was staring at him, he turned his eye (the normal one) on me. He raised his voice to speak to me. «I’m an officer of the Prison for Out-of-Line Rockers. You are under arrest for stealing musical instruments, infringement of privacy and failure to use tickets on the bus. As well as driving through a police roadblock and» he shut his eyes for a moment «dangerous driving». The weird eye reopened and the iris examined me from head to foot, creating small black patches on the golden background. …

Completely, completely fucked. It was all over! We’d got away with it for so long.

«Apart from Duff, we have Saul» continued the man as though he 63

were consulting an invisible list, «and Matt, both with no records.

But we are missing one. An individual called Axl. The stoner. Where is he? Out with it».

«Tripke is just out to get us». Duff clenched his teeth. «Don’t listen to him. He’s just a fucking jumped-up no-one».

«Officer Tripke», he qualified. And if I were you, I’d keep your mouth shut. He repeated the question: where is this Axl?» What could we say, that he was locked in a little room and had become the slave of a demon musician?

«Lads, it’s for your own good. If you cooperate…»

«What? We get a discount on our sentence? You know very well that we are in the shit up to our necks, Tripke! Officer”. Duff snorted, sat on the edge of the pavement and crossed his arms. «I’m not shifting from here».

The dome of clouds brushed the rooftops. Patches of faded blue glimpsed in the glowering sky breathed life into the few beams of sunlight that had struggled into life that morning.

Officer Tripke’s iris began to spin quickly. «The game ends here.

Now come with me. Get into to the car. Another word out of you and you’ll wish you’d never been born».

Duff snorted again. «He’s always like this. His bark is worse than his bite».

The officer’s massive shadow grew, blocking our view. It grew in height and width. We were bundled like insignificant twigs into the back of a dark car parked nearby.

The officer sat down next to the driver, another man in a raincoat and glasses. The engine was already running. The car set off noiselessly on the wet road.

Tripke lit a cigarette. A tendril of smoke tickled my nostrils and throat. I coughed.

«Did you say something, lad?»

Anger and smoke blended together, making me choke out my reply with seething rage. «Nothing».

«That’s just what I wanted to hear. Nothing. When we get to the station, we’ll have a nice chat. I want to know what you were doing in that house and where you were when the patrol squad broke in to find you».

From Axl and Saul’s stunt with the masks, to the bus trip. Everything concentrated into a flash: colours, sounds, distorted expressions, shouts and the rain. Even the chicks’ tits. EVERYTHING. My mind 64

spliced the scenes into a fake video clip, psychedelic and cheap.

We were driving away from our homes, again.

I thought about the little talk I was going to have with mum with a sense of unnatural calm. Stuck in the car with two officers, my fears were all focused on the interrogation that was about to shake up our lives very shortly.

The road took us to the other side of the town. We began to feel as if we were packed in too tightly. It wasn’t because of the seats, which were comfortable and roomy. It was because we felt pressured by our anxiety.

ZZZZZZZZ! Saul’s telephone vibrated. He pulled it out of his pocket, but he wasn’t in time to read the message.

«I’ll have that» said officer Tripke, yanking the mobile phone out of Saul’s hand. My friend was left open-mouthed and also had to contend with a sly chuckle from the agent with the kaleidoscopic iris. «You can have it back if you decide to cooperate. Oh, we’re already here».

The car swung to the right, leaving the main road and driving through a wrought iron gate. The Prison for Out-of-Line Rockers was set in a cherry orchard; the building had three wings and two storeys and was built entirely out of red brick.

Officer Tripke opened the door. «Get out».

A slight breeze stirred the avenue in bloom, puffing hundreds of pink petals up into the air.

The guy at the wheel stayed in the car. Me, Duff and Saul followed the officer with our heads down. At the entrance, Tripke knocked, striking the enormous knocker in the shape of a musical note on a stave three times. The door opened.

It was a short step from the blooming cherry trees wafting in the breeze to the prison. We found ourselves in a dilapidated old college building. Once Duff had mentioned to me that years earlier the prison had been the country’s first university building. It had only been the Rockers’ prison for a few years. What a wonderful addition to the town…

We approached the sentry post. A muted, yellowish light lit the hall.

«They’re with me, Franky. We found them at last. I’ll take them through for a few words. Has he arrived» «He’s waiting for you, sir» replied a bald man absentmindedly, concentrating on reading a gardening magazine.

«Very good» chuckled officer Tripke rubbing his hands together.

65

«Follow me» he ordered then, examining us yet again with his golden eye.

«And if we don’t?» challenged Duff. «You’re pathetic, Tripke. You haven’t got any power, you’re not the chief! You’re frustrated, that’s what you are».

The officer lit another cigarette, the picture of calm, his eyes fixed on Duff. The expression he turned on our bassist said something like «you’re worth less than a dead cockroach». He took a drag of his cigarette. «I wouldn’t advise you to act the wise-ass. Didn’t you learn anything during the months you were locked away here?»

«Of course. I learned to tell the difference between the shits and the extra large shits. I’ve got one of them right here in front of me».

The cigarette was already half burnt away. The iris lit up. «One day you’ll find out the difference between talking tough and acting tough».

«I’m trembling in my boots, just watch me».

After leaving the hall, we walked the length of the west wing. We followed the officer’s long strides, passing any number of signs on the noticeboard in the long corridor, relics that still bore the old university crest. Photos of kids, numbers, lists of banned items and even cash rewards for the capture of criminals at large hung from those pieces of rotten wood.

«We don’t hate rock, only those who do it wrong», I read on the door indicating Tripke’s office, halfway down the corridor. His name was etched on the grass. His name was written out in full under the sign : Bryan L. Tripke.

We went in like condemned men.

Inside it was small enough to be uncomfortable but big enough to be stuffed with instruments and items of all kinds. The four walls were packed with confiscated guitars; non-compliant drumsticks1; shuriken plectrums; pentagrams with violin clefs drawn upside down; pedals dismantled into all the parts and rusty synthesisers. Other numbers and mugshots filled the empty spaces between one item and the next.

«Here’s our revolutionary» Saul indicated with a nod of his head, his hands in his pockets nervously hunting for something that was no longer there, unfortunately for him. A mugshot stuck to the wall between the case of an acoustic bass and a guitar pedal set. A red ink stamp on the black-and-white photo, covering Duff ’s face, warned: «highly dangerous».

1

They looked more like very sharp knives than sticks.

66

The officer’s desk was very untidy. Some drum skins were prominent among the items.

«What’s the matter with them; too worn for your hi-hat?» asked Duff sarcastically.

Tripke smiled, taking as his cigarette. «It’s human skin» he answered slowly. «I confiscated them from a girl. She confessed that it was the skin of her dead grandfather, flayed in the mortuary before the coffin was closed. The case has been shelved and her life is ruined forever».

He spat out the last mouthful of smoke, then threw the stub among the paperwork on his desk. «We always have a lot to do around the Tournament». After that he lifted his gaze to a point behind us. The office door had opened.

«Did you get the little thieves?»

It was absolutely impossible not to recognise Antony’s voice. It would’ve been like admitting that the earth was still flat and the sun turned around it. Or that Duff knew the book of etiquette off by heart, or that he would not have punched our worst enemy in three seconds… two… ONE. When Antony came round, a trickle of blood was dripping from his nose. «You’ll end up in here for life» he said, passing a hand through his gel-streaked locks. He shrugged the collar of his pink shirt back into place and cinched his belt. Antony was a “five star dandy”, in the words of Duff.

«Don’t worry, I’ll be dealing with them, sir» answered Tripke, turning to Antony. Oh God, the slimy respectful way he spoke to him was revolting.

«So you like being hand in glove with the people in the prison?

You are such a shit». Duff was about to take a second swing at him but officer Tripke stopped him in time and…

CLICK, CLICK. With handcuffs on his wrists, Duff was immobilised and calm was restored. «You’re getting a bit overheated. Calm down now. let’s have a chat».

Duff and Antony were ordered to sit down on the only two chairs available. Tripke went back to his place behind the desk. The redfaced prisoner started to struggle, but calmed down straight away, forced to accept the fact that it was impossible to free himself from the handcuffs like a certain famous illusionist.

Tripke wagged his finger under Duff ’s face, which was contorted 67

with rage, and spoke. «The truth will make things go more smoothly.

Well, then. Reasons for the theft?»

«We needed new instruments and we didn’t have any money to buy them, man» answered Saul.

«We wanted to pay him back» I answered, looking at Antony.

«Because he’s a motherfucker». Duff.

Antony remained impassable. The officer went on to the next question. «Where is the van with the stolen instruments?»

We exchanged rapid glances and then answered in turn: first Saul, then me and lastly Duff.

«We left the amplifiers under the roots of a tree».

«They disappeared in the woods near the house, with the rest of the instruments».

«Up the ass of this great motherfucker…AAAAHHH!» Tripke’s taser struck Duff in the neck, stiffening his body for a few moments. Then his head flopped back onto his chest.

Antony laughed, spasmodically twitching the neck of his shirt.

Nervous, excited. Perhaps scared because of the effect of the officer’s weapon.

«What have you done to him?» I exclaimed, going over to Duff. I tried to bring him round by slapping him a couple of times. The mark that was left on his neck was bleeding, like a vampire bite.

«He’ll be fine» answered the officer, almost bored by my reaction.

He let the electric gun drop onto the desk. «Let’s go back to the questions. What was in that house? Where were you hidden during the raid? We combed every inch of all the rooms».

Duff lifted his head, his eyes unfocused. « Shitty...filthy...» He articulated softly. He seemed to have lost all his strength because he didn’t say anything else.

«We wanted to hide the instruments» I answered, worried about my friend. “ Saul began to stammer something in response. Luckily he lied, which was the right thing to do. Mention the demon? Never! «In the woods, man. That’s when we were, not in the house».

Tripke carried on firing off questions. «What can you tell me about the bodies? Who was it? According to our files, B. House is officially uninhabited, but occasionally someone with mental problems hangs out there».

«It was him» exclaimed Saul, lighting up suddenly in realisation.

«Him! We saw him. He wanted to kill us too! He promised us help, 68

but then he wanted to kill us like dogs».

«What happened to him? Help you do what?»

«He ran away» I explained. «We disarmed him, but he managed to get away. The tracks of the missing van led into the wood, we think it could have been him. In the beginning, he offered to help us with the van. We had broken down. We pushed it as far as the house.

That’s the reason we left the amplifiers under the trees, we couldn’t have managed it with all that weight on board».

«Idiots» exclaimed Antony in disgust. «I’ll have to buy everything again. They cost me a fortune. All those lovely tubes».

«Just you buy them again, you shit». Duff ’s body jerked. «Money comes out of your ass, doesn’t it?»

«So much that you’ll be able to pay for the damage to my mum’s car» I added.

Antony puffed himself up. «Four losers rob my house and expect me to pay for the damage to their mummy’s car?» he laughed conceitedly.

Officer Tripke brought his fist down on the desk, muffled by the skin of the dead grandfather. «That’s enough. You too», he addressed Antony as well. «You could have stopped at the roadblock». He was addressing his questions to us again. He wasn’t giving us a piece of advice.

«That was exactly what I said, man» Saul echoed him.

«You are a bastard, Saul» I exclaimed in disgust, then remembered that I had behaved in exactly the same way before the bus stop. But whether or not he was right, he was turning me in to Tripke! Deliberately? He was turning me in. Would he manage it? He was turning me in.

«You are pathetic» sighed the great oaf in the pink shirt. He was there just to humiliate us, licking the officer’s boots.

«Shut your face». I could hardly contain my rage. «You’ll pay for everything you’ve done, beginning with the gig at Mr Brown’s».

«Aha!» He sneered. «Are all of you going to pay me back at once, or take turns?»

I stared at him and my eyes began to burn: without batting an eyelid, I officially threw down the gauntlet. «The whole group, at the Rock Warriors Tournament!»

Antony burst out laughing under the officer’s shrewd gaze.

And he laughed.

And he went on laughing. «I didn’t know they’d changed the rules.

They accept losers now, do they?»

69

«You shit, son of a whore in heat! We’ll whip your ass. We’ll blow you away. We’ll cut you up. We’ll dice you, we’ll shred you. You shiiiit!»

Duff had lost control. It was the effect of the handcuffs and the bronzed face of his pink-shirted enemy.

I tried to soothe the bass player’s rage. «Come down, Duff! We can’t do anything right now. We’ll show him at the Tournament».

«No, wait. I need to understand this. Are you serious? No, that is, really, you’re going to play at the Rock Warrior Tournament?»

Antony’s red-face was still shaking with laughter, tears were streaming from his eyes.

«We’re gonna shred your ass!» Duff yelled again.

Antony got up. «You’re the most stupid people I’ve ever met in my life».

«When it comes to stupidity, you’re second to none» I retorted.

«Have you ever heard the phrase ‘don’t underestimate your enemy’?»

«If all my enemies were like you, I wouldn’t have any problems. I’ll pay for your funerals after the first rock battle. No coffins, it would cost too much. A communal grave will do just fine. At least you’ll serve some purpose as natural fertiliser for the soil».

Duff ’s animal roar encouraged Tripke to let off his taser again.

The electric projectile stuck into Duff ’s neck. Blood spurted out.

«Lad, keep your friend under control unless you really want him to get hurt» he yelled at me with his gun still cocked. The officer’s kaleidoscopic eye spun anticlockwise, creating small black crosses on a gold background.

Using the same firmness I had used to challenge Antony I answered. «Striking him when he can’t defend himself, handcuffed as he is. Charming. Examine your own conscience, if you’ve got one».

The officers armed hand trembled, he was about to strike again, but at me this time.

«Timeout!» snorted Antony, pissed off, his hands on his collar.

«Let’s put an end to this now. I’m really bored. As you wish, I’ll see you at the Tournament. It’ll be amusing. I’ll bet on your death with my friends. Before or after you set foot on the stage?» He gave an idiotic smile. He put his hand into the pockets of his designer trousers and pulled out a wallet, a designer one naturally. «Here you are,Tripke. I want the DRC out of this place. With all charges lifted».

The officer hesitated when he saw the money.

«What are you doing, don’t you want it? Are you holding out for more?» Antony added another substantial wad. «That should be 70

enough now».

Tripke struggled against the impulse to deny the oaf in the shirt the opportunity of corrupting him. «Out of here. Everyone. Now» he said in slow, measured tones, pocketing the dosh.

That made it one nil to the god of cash!

«Good, that’s all settled» said Antony making for the door. «I’ll see you at the Tournament. You too, Tripke. Will you be part of the Security Team? Good. Matty and you others, I’ve let you get away with it this time on the grounds that your performance will at least give us a laugh. I hope so. Otherwise, I’ll take great delight in dispatching you to the other side. The prospect of not having you under my feet any more is attractive. Good luck, losers».

Antony strutted out of the room with his thumbs in his belt.

The big oaf in the pink shirt had confounded everyone, including officer Tripke, who goggled at the door for a few moments.

«Can I have my mobile back now, man?» asked Saul breaking the silence. «In any case, everything’s settled, like your rich friend said».

Saul’s barefaced cheek would have earned him more than a pair of taser strikes a few minutes earlier.

«OUT» thundered the officer, throwing the mobile into my friend’s hands. Then he undid Duff ’s handcuffs. «Out» he repeated.

We left Tripke to his thoughts and his dosh. The west wing corridor was as empty as when we had arrived. Prisoners’ cries echoed down from the upper floors.

The little bald man in the guard’s office watched us go past openmouthed.

«Did Tripke let you go?» He shrieked in a piercing voice.

«You didn’t expect that, did you baldly?» chuckled Duff, giving him the finger. «Read my lips!»

We were greeted by cherry blossom petals outside. The late afternoon was cold and windy, clouds still scudded across the sky.

Saul’s mobile phone started to receive messages again. Duff held his neck marked by the taser “bites” and I gradually calmed my racing thoughts as I enjoyed the chilly breeze. Thoughts that might put me in the ground if we didn’t win at the Rock Worrier Tournament.

I have to admit, some of those thoughts already had me ten feet under.

71

Click: STOP – Click: INSERT SIDE B…INSERT SIDE B…INSERT SIDE B… Click.

This is Benny Sharp, your radio DJ! Our date with the Rock Warrior tournament is approaching!

You can expect another scorching competition this year!

Want to blow your worst enemy’s brains out with your guitar?

Want to beat a rival band with a power chord riff ?

Want to rip out your rival’s soul with an infernal solo?

And would you like to be the coolest rock star of the moment?

Above all, are you brave enough to fight?

Sign up for the WARRIOR ROCK TOURNAMENT where anything goes!

And now, some music, This is Benny Sharp, signing off!

72

A paranormal tale of babes, booze and battle rock

SIDE B

73

12

One step at a time

Outside the former college, once we’d gone back down the avenue and emerged from the gate, we saw Antony’s sports car in the car park. He watched our arrival from the rear-view mirror. His big head stuck out of the lowered window. «Want a lift?» he mocked us like a great overgrown baby. Then he suddenly sped off, his manic laughter made even more strident by the squeal of his tyres on the asphalt.

We stood still, silent and impotent.

«At the Tournament, guys. He’ll pay for it». My voice was only just audible. «Right?»

«I don’t know how, man, but I hope you’re right» answered Saul.

«If it’s true that all stories have a happy ending and the good guys always win, then luck will have to go our way for once».

«Are we the good guys?» demanded Duff.

I shrugged my shoulders, thrown off track by the question. «Well, I suppose so, Duff. Antony certainly isn’t».

«Too right» grumbled my friend, rubbing the marks on his neck.

«And is it true that all stories have a happy ending? I don’t think so.

That is, in comics, something bad always happens to the main characters or the heroes».

I answered him as though talking to a child. «It’s the price you have to pay» I explained.

«Nobody gets something for nothing. It doesn’t work like that. The good guys win in the end ninety percent of the time, but something bad always happens to them».

«Like us losing Axl?» «I hope not. We’re taking part in the Tournament to save him».

«And to shove it up that bastard’s ass».

«Because of that as well».

The sunset was sucking the sunlight out of the day, giving way to the artificial light of the streetlamps; the ones at the prison entrance 74

came on with a buzz.

The dusk soon turned into night and none of us found anything else to say on the way home. We reached the centre before midnight, massacred by tiredness.

We separated at the roundabout, at the entrance to the residential area. The few lights that were on in the surrounding houses were indiscreet eyes in the darkness.

It felt weird saying goodbye after all the time we’d spent together and all our troubles.

«Matt, I hope your mum doesn’t give you too much grief. If you need anything, you know I’m here».

I couldn’t help smiling. «Thanks, Duff. See you».

«Bye, man. ‘Night!» «’Night, Saul. See you soon».

And so we went our three separate ways, soon to be swallowed up between the houses.

A fine layer of dew half hid my own little road, lit by lamps close to the grass. No lights were on at home.

I crossed the lawn to go in the back way.

I glanced up to my bedroom window. How high could it be? Four, five amplifiers stacked on top of one another?

And so I began to climb.

Don’t look down, Matt. One step at a time, you’ll get to the top.

I looked down The feeling of emptiness was like a jet of compressed air shot into my stomach. Drops of icy sweat trickled down my back. But I didn’t stop.

It’s not a mountain.

I’d got into my bedroom by climbing on the house wall for the first time in my life! When I got to the window, I pressed myself against the glass, trying to balance on my feet. I lifted the sash to get. But before I found the switch on the desk lamp and before allowing myself to feel safe at last, I realised there was someone in the room.

«Where have you been? Where’s the car?»

She was there waiting for me, sitting on the bed with her arms folded, her eyes red with tiredness. My mother.

«I’m tired, mum» «You disappear without saying anything, no trace of you for nearly forty-two hours, you steal my car and all you have to tell me is that 75

you’re tired?» She got up off the bed, standing over me, her lips in a thin line. «Tell me where you’ve been, Matt. Off with those misfit friends of yours? No, that description’s a bit too good for them. All they really are is criminals. Was it them who took the car?»

My answer was: silence and eyes down on the floor.

«I’m waiting for an answer, Matt».

«I’ve been with the others» I stammered. «I’m fine».

«Where? And, for God’s sake, the car… What happened to it?»

The answer I should have given, the truth, was overcome by a lie and the desire to throw myself on the bed and blot everything out with a good night’s sleep.

«Out» I answered. «Out, in Axl’s van».

My toe caps have never been so interesting.

«Matt, don’t tell lies. I didn’t bring up my son to hang around with criminals. That Axl is the worst of the bunch as well as the one with long hair down to his backside! God only knows what end he’ll come to». She breathed on me. Booze and smoke mixed with the smell of pills. «The car, though. Where is it?»

«We went out of town. And I knew you would have stopped me, that’s why I didn’t tell you anything» I answered ruefully. «The car got wrecked».

My mother breathed in deeply. I heard her gasping in exasperation.

«Stopping you would have been the least of it! I would have chained you to that bed for God’s sake! Haven’t I been a good enough mother, Matt? For heaven’s sake! I’ve brought up a son who’s irresponsible and a would-be thug!»

I raised my glance to find myself looking into my mother’s livid face.

«I’m not a thug, mum, I know what I’m doing».

«You never did anything like this before. THIEF! How could this have happened?» She began to shout holding onto herself as if she was possessed. «For Christ’s sake, the shame of it. Where did I go wrong? How have I been so stupid? After all my efforts to get you off to a good start…»

«Come on, mum…» «… I’ve failed!»

She went off her head, it often happened. She shrieked at the top of her voice, pulling at her greying hair. She obeyed the neighbourhood rule of silence scrupulously, but when things went wrong… she was so beside herself that she was about to go off and leave me there in the room without punishing me.

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She went off with her hands still in her hair, slamming the door.

The walls shook.

Only five seconds went by. The door opened again. My mother composed herself again in instant, but one corner of her mouth was still contorted with rage.

«You’re grounded» she stated in a flat, balanced and vaguely evil voice.

«I know».

«Three months. No drums. No TV. And above all not going out with that lot. For three months».

She stalked out with her head held high, after which the door slammed for the second time and stayed closed.

I looked at the drum kit in the corner near the window: it would be covered by a layer of dust like the one in the demon’s room. Embalmed for months and weeks.

I would have liked to shut everything that had happened over the last few days out of my bedroom. I collapsed like a dead weight on the bed. Tiredness overcame me. The posters plastered all over the walls were the guardian angels of my little refuge. I closed my eyes and went to sleep. I dreamt of independence and a life without my mother, far from home.

RRRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGG! The alarm clock went off too early: 7:35.

I really struggled to find enough concentration to force my body out of bed. My arms and legs were dead weights. My neck hurt and my eyes didn’t want to stay open. I peered out, the sky was a monotonous layer of dull grey.

In the bathroom, I splashed some cold water on my face; I felt my eyes screw up and burn. I wanted to be out already to see my friends, but I had to go to the kitchen for breakfast. «Hi, mum».

My mother muttered something in response. She was still in her dressing gown and smoking standing up in watching the little TV on the fridge. The day’s news was on. «… And so the band was knocked out. And now for the other news: it’s now only a few weeks to the start of the Tournament…»

«Hey, I was listening!»

«Rubbish» grumbled my mother. She turned off the TV. «Finish breakfast and go to school. Make sure you come home» she said as though she was disgusted by my presence.

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Burnt toast without any butter and fruit juice. Nothing else on the table.

«I’m going to take part in that Tournament, in any case».

My mother’s nostrils smoked like a dragon’s, her lips tightened. Her voice croaked. «Just try and repeat what you just said and I swear… I swear that you’ll be marched off to college! Those thugs have a bad influence on you, but I won’t let them ruin you completely».

I threw down the burnt toast with a gulp of orange juice. «I’d better go, it’s late» I said, feeling the blood drain from my face. «See you later».

«You can count on it».

The bracing morning air was exactly what I needed to blow away the smell of cigarettes in the kitchen and the burnt toast, even though the taste of orange had already taken away the bitter flavour of the burnt crusts.

It was reassuring to see the little terraced houses on the road by daylight.

I really had gone back to my everyday life.

The bus arrived punctually. Getting on board, I carried on enjoying the dear old monotony: shouts, glares and mocking smiles1, laughs, grumbles and swearing.

«Hey pussy, where the fuck are you going? Here, mate there’s room here!»

«Hi, Duff».

He was the first to get the bus in the morning. Then I got on, and Axl and Saul got on two stops after that. They didn’t live far from one another.

«So, how did you get on with your mum?» asked Duff.

Before answering, I asked him to keep his voice down.

«Just about as bad as you could imagine» I replied dejectedly. «I got back in through the bedroom window. I wanted to go to sleep without any hassle, you see? To get out of the telling off. But she was there waiting for me».

«Oh,fuck» interjected Duff, incredulous «it gets worse, mate. You have your moments and sometimes I understand why your mother gets on your case. But this time…fuck you didn’t deserve that! The window was a great idea though».

1 Particularly the girls

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«Well, it’s never happened before. I was partly expecting it, but… well. Not like that».

The bus stopped, it was Saul’s stop. I saw him getting on without Axl with his head down and his thumbs jabbing quickly over his mobile phone keypad.

«Hi, man. Duff» he said without taking his eyes off the screen.

«Sorry, but it’s Megan. She’s pestering me. She’s just moved here and hasn’t settled in yet. She hasn’t got many friends, so she’s always on at me to chat».

«You don’t have to explain» answered Duff. «How was it when you got home? Matt says he had a tough time».

«And I haven’t even told you what the punishment was» I said gloomily. The bus had set off again.

As I got off at the bus stop, I started to think about the Tournament.

«Guys, if we don’t want to be butchered, we’ve got to get moving». Saul seemed so sure of himself, but I didn’t have much faith.

He’d been ready to sell me out to officer Tripke.

«That goes for all of us. Perhaps you should begin to use that mobile phone a bit less» I answered, but keeping any hint of accusation out of my voice.

Saul nodded. «You’re right, man. But you should stop going all dopey over Charlotte Michelle».

I was struck dumb when I heard that name. Duff saved me from embarrassment by answering for me.

«Right» he agreed smoothly. «No phone calls and no Michelle. And no comics and no TV. And no videogames and no role-play games.

And no wanking over magazines».

«That goes for you» Saul and I answered in unison.

Duff chuckled awkwardly. «I’ll try to stop, if I have to for the Tournament».

«If nothing else, it will help to wean you off Carpal Tunnel».

«Carnal what? For fuck’s sake, Matt. I’m no genius! I don’t spend all my time with my nose in a book looking for stuff like a scientist».

The babble of the school playground was forced into the background for a few minutes by concerns over the Tournament. I felt removed from that herd of roving kids, but over the years I had learned to fit into the jungle fairly well.

As long as you didn’t run into that idiot Antony, that is. He was 79

there, near the main entrance, all dressed up in a tight blue shirt and surrounded by his boys and a few bimbos.

«What a scrotum» grumbled Duff, jamming his beanie on his head.

«I’d really like to rip off his balls and fry them in disgusting oil from a hamburger joint».

«We’ll get our chance» I answered, pulling Duff away from the sight of Antony.

«Now we’ve got to worry about the instruments. We need a customiser as soon as possible».

«Tell me about it! But who would be crazy enough to help us “we can’t even offer money in exchange».

«Mr Montgomery isn’t a profiteer. He’s cheap» suggested Saul.

«But we still can’t afford it» I answered.

We had a few minutes before the beginning of lessons. We stayed talking near one of the low walls round the football pitch.

«What about stealing a design from one of the Customisers? We could do the work ourselves».

«I won’t steal anything at all» I answered again. «And even if we could get our hands on a design, who would do the customisations?

None of us can even hold a screwdriver».

I felt the air move behind me.

«C-could I do it?»

My throat went dry in an instant and invisible flames burned my ears. I went suddenly rigid and forgot my name, where I was and… who were those two kids sitting on the wall next to me?

I stood stiffly, unable to turn. Behind me, the delicious voice of Charlotte Michelle spoke again. «I don’t want any money. If you’ll have me in the group, I’ll happily be your customiser».

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13

Stand by me

Subtle and sweet like being gently cradled by an angel. Charlotte Michelle’s voice always had that effect on me.

We didn’t go out together and our only shared experience was once in the canteen, when we sat at the same table on the first day of school a year ago. It was a lightning bolt and I’m not ashamed to say so. From that moment, I found out everything I knew about her from student gossip. If you were cool, the whole school knew you, which is more or less what happened with Saul. But everybody talked about you if you were a weirdo too, and Charlotte Michelle certainly was; that’s why I was in love with her.

«Get lost!» Duff turned on her, spitting at her feet.

I tried to move my legs to turn round but I felt clumsy and ugly.

After a while, I finally managed to move again. I met her huge eyes – made even huger by the lenses of her thick emerald green spectacles.

Her long black hair contrasted with her ultra-pale skin. Tight worn jeans and a black and red checked shirt that was too big for her tiny body. Different from all the others; my ideal girl.

She moved her small lips, accentuated by a slick of lipstick. «Hi, Matt».

I managed to articulate some sort of greeting. It was difficult, and Saul and Duff ’s chuckling didn’t help me at all. «’Oh, my love! My balls tremble when you’re so close’» said Duff, in an excellent imitation of my voice. «Guys, you make me sick. What a load of crap. And you, sweetie, why don’t you trot off to your classroom? Lessons are about to begin».

Charlotte stayed where she was, rocking on her heels, as embarrassed as I was, waiting for an answer.

«Man, but she wants to help us. Perhaps we should listen to her» answered Saul. I could have grabbed him and kissed him! But I didn’t do anything because that sort of kissing was another of Duff ’s rather 81

questionable habits.

«Perhaps we should listen to her. Yes we should» I repeated automatically.

«He already said that», Duff got off the wall and snorted. He moved closer to Charlotte but also spoke to me. «I can see that when she’s around, your brain, like, goes to pieces, doesn’t it?»

Could I deny it?

«So sweetie? The bell has rung».

«I… um. I’d like to know what you think of my suggestion». I admired Charlotte’s perseverance. She stood her ground. «I d-don’t want money in exchange. Nothing» she clarified politely. «I heard that this year there will be a prize for the best Customiser at the Tournament. So I was thinking of… looking for a group so I could take part in the contest».

Duff burst out laughing, screwing up his nose in a grimace and involuntarily imitating my mother’s hard expression. «I can see that your brains are scrambled too, sweetie. I told you to get lost. Trot off to your little lessons now and leave us in peace. We’ve got a load of hassles to sort out, and we don’t want any honeys under our feet».

«Duff, give us a break, okay?» That impulsive reaction loosened all my inhibitions. «Hasn’t anyone ever taught you to be polite to people who are polite to you? She wants to help us and given that we’re in the shit up to our eyeballs, it would be a good idea to listen to her».

Duff frowned nastily. «The cock fluffs up its feathers near the hen.

When you think with your dick I can’t stand you».

«And you think with your ass».

We were face to face. I knew that I would have gone for him even at the cost of some broken bones, but how dared he insult Charlotte?

«Hey, hey! Calm down. Duff, you behave too. What can we lose by trying? As Matt says, we got no options» he added lowering his voice and looking Charlotte over from head to foot. «Can you see any other solution?»

«Dying» growled Duff, with his thick eyebrows drawn together like a cartoon character who is mad as hell.

I turned to Charlotte, moving away from Duff. «It’s better if you go now. I’ll let you know, okay?»

It was cruel, but I couldn’t leave her there waiting for my friend to commit suicide. Duff really didn’t want anything to do with the idea. He would have quite happily gone on behaving like that all day.

«Okay» she answered, going up and down on her feet: «I’m count82

ing on you. So…s-see you soon».

«Yes, soon».

«Bye then» «Bye».

«Bye».

«I’m off».

«Yes».

«Bye».

She took a few steps backwards, then turned round and walked away quickly to go to her lesson.

So pretty. Too pretty. She could be our salvation, and this made her even more beautiful in my eyes. And sexy, too.

«Hey pussy, come back to earth or do I have to bash you in the head?»

It was a psychological battle to persuade Duff. He didn’t have a great brain, this was clear. His head was as hard as granite, and persuading him to do something he didn’t want to do was like betting that we’d win at the Tournament. For three whole days, Saul and I tried to persuade him that there was no alternative to having a girl on the team.

I had never personally considered Charlotte simply because I didn’t want to look like a total imbecile all the time. It would have been too obvious. I would have chosen her because I liked her. But I had learned to compromise when we found ourselves in critical situations like the one we were stuck in right now.

«Do it for Axl» we went on repeating, or: «we haven’t got any money to pay any other Customisers». And: «Charlotte would do it for free!»

When even Jack Beater1 said no because ‘we were so ridiculous we would shame a tramp, Duff was forced to yield to fate.“Axl” he complained, chewing on his beanie. «It’s his fault! When it comes back, I’ll make him pay for this. If it wasn’t for him…»

Now that we’d persuaded Duff, all I had to do was give Charlotte the news. In the two days following the standoff with my friend near the wall of the football lawn, I had seen her hanging around furtively in the corridors. She followed us everywhere to eavesdrop on our movements and conversations about the Tournament.

1 An old school friend of Duff who had left school to work full-time as a customiser

83

She made my heart melt and I felt a total bastard having to ignore her in order to concentrate on Duff ’s frustration.

So I waited for her at the school gates to tell her that she was one of us.

It was a formality; she had probably already worked it out for herself while we were talking around the school or outside, being the topclass spy she was.

I was nervous, excited and happy at the same time. I waited near her bike, a two-wheeled frame converted to a jet-propelled racer.

That was another reason I liked her; she was so far ahead. With those wheels, she could pulverise all the guys who made fun of her if she really wanted.

When I saw her arriving, walking on her tiptoes as usual, my heart began to beat loudly. I straightened my back, chest out. As I watched her approach, I noticed for the first time that she had a great body as well. I checked for bad breath quickly before she saw me.

What an idiot, it’s not as though you’re going to kiss her.

«M-Matt? Hi, what are you doing here?» She smiled.

«Charlotte. Um…hi? Hi».

How could I suppress all those thoughts and images running through my head? Lines from films and TV series, with stupid lovers and stupid actors.

«You see, I… I’m here to…»

«Yes?» She encouraged me.

God, what eyes. Now where do I look? Oh what a lovely tree! Very… brown and green.

«Ijustwantedtotellyouthatyouareour… Youaretheofficial customiserfortheDRC!» Her smile broadened. You could see she was really happy. Her porcelain skin flushed with embarrassment.

«I knew it» she said in that small sweet voice of hers, laying both hands on her chest.

I pretended to be surprised. «Oh, so you already suspected?»

«Actually, I… listened in on your conversations» she answered with a worried look. Her smile faded. «Sorry».

«Oh. No problem!» I clumsily flapped my hands about to show her that she shouldn’t worry at all. «Really, it’s all okay».

Charlotte smiled again. «I’ll do the best I can, I promise».

«Fantastic!» I felt as though all the muscles in my face were heavy and not flexible at all, as if they had withered and set under their 84

layer of skin.

She said she had to go home to finish a project. We said goodbye and I told her that we would organise a meeting with the whole group as soon as possible. God knows how I’d manage to go: I was still grounded for three months.

Charlotte changed her glasses when she was seated on the bike. She slipped on a motorcycle mask. She looked really pretty like that as well.

«Will you be able to see?» I asked.

«They’re graduated lenses. I fitted them myself» she replied in amusement. Then she let out the throttle using buttons on the handlebars and shot off.

It was the best day I‘d had recently. Time passed so quickly that I missed the bus home. When I finally got going I could still hear the roar of the motorised bike in the distance.

Walking home, I took shortcuts through roads that I didn’t know very well but they were still just the same as all the others, with little houses and perfectly tended gardens.

When I got home, I found my mother still in front of the TV, a cigarette dangling from her lips.

«I’m back, mum».

«Good for you» she answered absently, absorbed in an episode of her favourite reality show. She didn’t even realise I was late: thank goodness I could go to my room without getting told off again.

I threw my backpack in the corner beside my drum kit. Another ninety-two days of not being able to play…

Ninety-one Ninety This was the third afternoon in a row without playing. At school we always discussed the Tournament in our free moments. Charlotte had begun to draw up the first plans. She had taken Saul’s guitar and Duff ’s bass to check out the electronics; that might have been the reason why my friend no longer called her “sweetie”.

That afternoon, I opened a book to start studying. Unsurprisingly I was unmotivated and my attention wandered. As my eyes wandered all around the room, I noticed a small padlock on the window. I examined it to make sure it was really there. The old girl had really gone too far this time!

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I’d never felt so trapped.

Time passed. I had read a paragraph of the book over and over again without understanding anything. At a certain point, my mother came in without knocking.

«I’m going to your auntie’s. I’ll come back this evening» she announced. She was already dressed and ready to go out.

«Okay» I answered shortly, without taking my eyes of the book. I didn’t say anything about the padlock, even though I could feel my rage building inside. That rage was about to boil over, but I wanted to resist; I didn’t want to give my mother any satisfaction.

«I won’t hang around telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. Just behave».

«I’ve got to study, don’t worry».

«Good for you. See you later».

And she slammed the door.

As soon as I heard the car leaving the road, I flung myself downstairs and grabbed the phone.

0118…

«Come on, Duff, answer!»

Nothing.

I tried to call again a few minutes later, but the phone was off the hook. I decided to ignore Duff and called Saul on his mobile.

«Saul? Listen, could you make it to my house to rehearse? My mother’s gone out and she’s coming back this evening. We’ve got a bit of time».

«Man, we’re outside your house. Open up!»

I found all three of them outside when I opened the door. All three, because Charlotte was with Duff and Saul. «Hi» she said, her cheeks crimson. She was wearing red lenses over work goggles, welding gloves and a lab coat. Our customiser!

We didn’t waste any time on idle chit-chat and went up to my room.

«Just one thing. Can you explain how the hell you managed to be outside my house straight after the phone call?»

«It was her» Saul said in admiration, setting down his guitar case.

He opened it, revealing his beloved battered instrument. It was inspired by one of his favourite guitarists, the one they call The Boss.

It had seen better days. The amber colour was faded and scratched.

I looked at Charlotte without understanding. Her red lenses hid her green eyes.

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«I heard you’d been grounded», she started hesitantly, fiddling with the edge of her shirt. «We can’t allow you to be shut up at home, so I decided to keep an eye on your mother. I know it’s illegal… I did it for you… for the group. I… I began to check the phone records» she answered in a voice that got smaller and smaller. «I’ve been listening in on your mother’s calls for two days. I knew she would be going out today at this time». She pulled a gadget like a mobile phone out of her lab coat pocket. She showed it to me.

«So you knew she was going to see my aunt and you told the others so you could come and rehearse at my place? You could have told me at school». I took care to make sure the phrase didn’t come out like an accusation.

«Um, yes. Sorry. I should have, but I didn’t want to…»

«She didn’t want to seem as if she was interfering, man» explained Saul gently. «I would’ve done the same thing. It was great».

Hearing Saul’s appreciation felt good.

«So» I got back on track, «um… You found out from the records?»

Charlotte’s explanation soothed my concerns. «Like you said, you’ve got to win this Tournament at all costs to save your friend, right, so I thought that um… you wouldn’t mind me using illegal methods.

Otherwise I wouldn’t have done it» she quickly added. «And anyway your mother hasn’t gone to your aunt’s… ooops!» Her hand through to her mouth, as her eyes flew open. «I don’t think I should have said that». Her open face went the same colour as her glasses.

«Matt’s mother is doing it with the gym teacher, everyone knows that» sniggered Duff, tuning his bass.

I answered in shock: «I didn’t know anything about it».

If my mother was doing it with one of my teachers, I had the right to know. I wasn’t mad with Charlotte or even with Duff, who went on laughing unrestrainedly, writhing about on my bed.

«Well, it’s her own business». I tried to change the subject, but couldn’t help feeling angry. «Let’s just forget about this and start to try out new instruments, okay?» Playing would distract me from the image of my mother bonking in a car with Mr Talinski. One thing was for sure, the first chance I got I would use this bit of information to bribe her or even just to pay her back.

I saw that Charlotte had turned to stone and was looking lost. «It’s all right. I’m not angry» I reassured her. I would have liked to have done it with a kiss.

«Come on, let’s get going!» shouted Duff standing up again. He 87

passed the strap2 of his bass over his shoulders in excitement. His instrument was huge and pitch black; scratched and worn, like Saul’s guitar. Duff was particularly fond of it because the group had given it to him for his birthday a couple of years ago.

To soundproof the room, the customiser applied four balls of foam to the corners. «They trap the sound» she explained. «From the outside it will sound as if no one is at home».

«And the amplifiers?» I asked. There was nothing except Saul’s guitar and Duff ’s bass. Charlotte had her little case, but there was no way the amplifiers could be inside.

«Pre-installed in the instruments» she answered, beginning to set up a remote control she took out her pocket. «This is used to control the instruments remotely. You could say it’s a precautionary measure, just in case of sudden faults like short-circuits or small explosions».

«Explosions?» exclaimed Saul. He was ready too, guitar slung over his shoulders.

Charlotte turned on the instruments. A very faint high-pitched sound bounced off the walls of the poster-lined room. «It can happen» she answered with concentration.

«Sorry about that».

«Hey pussy, are you going to get moving? Your drum kit’s there!»

Duff was impatient. And who could blame him? These were our first customised instruments.

I took up position behind my instrument. Duff and Saul tried out their tuning for one last time.

«What shall we play?»

«Knocking on heaven’s door?»

«Go on, that’s for shitty little pop singers».

We pulled out a list of songs and couldn’t agree on any of them.

«Um. Can I say something? A recommendation?». Charlotte got our attention by putting up her hand, «like the swats at school» Duff would have said if I hadn’t held up my drumstick in warning.

«Could you play… Stand by Me? It’s one of my favourites by Ben E. King. Only if you feel like it, that is».

«That’s so gay!» thundered Duff, taking off his bass. «If you want to stay with us you can’t tell us what to do, okay? You can work on our wrecks, but the thing is you’re the customiser and we play. And we decide what to do».

2

A bit of worn rope, to be more accurate

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«I like it» I answered, feeling my ears get hot «we can play it».

«Come on, guys!» Saul cut in. «It’s fine with me too, we just need to get going».

Duff would have liked to tear us apart, except that every minute counted.

I gave him the beat and at last we began to play.

It wasn’t the greatest. And if it hadn’t been for Charlotte (“When the night has come and the land is dark ...stand by me”, she sang to herself just moving her small lips), adjusting volumes and distortions remotely, we would literally have sounded rubbish. Neither our will to succeed or the converted instruments were enough. We didn’t have enough talent, guts, stage presence.

We ground to a halt at the same moment, mangling the end.

«I hope Axl forgives us, guys. He’s going to have to stay and be that monster’s bitch».

«Saul, that’s not the right attitude». I knocked the drumsticks together while my friends sat on the floor.

«It wasn’t bad» came Charlotte’s little voice.

«If you compare it to total rubbish! They’ll slaughter us» judged Duff gloomily. «We’ve only got two weeks until the first battle and we can’t play for fuck. Shit!»

«Calm down» I ordered them. «This was just a general check. It was the first time with customised instruments. What you expect?»

«I expected to play something else, first of all. Something powerful, fuck, not a girlie song. We’ve got to decide what to play in the first round».

«We’ll decide, stay cool. Let’s not get down about it».

Charlotte Michelle’s device started to ring. «Um, guys… Matt’s mother is arriving. We’ll have to stay here».

«WHAT?», I threw my drumstick in the drawer and shot up from the drum kit. «How do you know?»

«This recorder doesn’t just trace the telephone calls, it marks the position of your mum’s mobile phone as well. It’s moving quickly.

She must be in the car». Charlotte chewed her lip. The gadget’s display flashed red.

«She told me she was coming back this evening».

«Talinski must have stood her up! Hehehe!»

«Duff, this isn’t the time! You’ll have to disappear or she’ll ground me for even longer».

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«Okay, okay! But, fuck, Matt. You’ve got to find a solution. We need you out of here. How can we rehearse? If she’s broken up with Talinski, you’ll always have her on your ass».

«I said, not now. We’ll think about it later».

Charlotte Michelle raced round furiously packing up the soundproofing balls and her little case with the equipment.

We ran down the stairs quickly and stopped at the entrance.

«I can see the car coming round the corner of the road» I said peeking out from behind the living room curtain. «Now!» Saul threw open the door, followed by Duff and Charlotte at top speed. They didn’t have time to get out of our little road because my mother was nearly there. From the window, I saw them diving into the bushes in the garden with all the instruments.

The car stopped. I heard mum’s footsteps climbing up the porch steps.

«Your aunt was busy». I wasn’t happy to notice the veiled disappointment in her voice. She found me sitting on the sofa watching the TV with my heart still beating wildly in my chest.

It was two weeks to the Tournament. I had to find a solution. This was going to be the first and last time that I hid the DRC in the garden.

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14

Bye-bye mummy!

The most interesting thing that happened in the next two days was a visit from officer Tripke on our way out of school. He stopped us at the gates while we were on our way to get the bus. Charlotte was with us too.

«Hello there, crazy eye» Duff greeted him.

«I have to talk to you» said the officer, spitting out smoke from his cigarette.

«I have to get the bus» I interjected. «I have to go home» I said nervously.

«I’ll take you» Tripke answered briskly, flipping the stub into the school flower bed.

«You don’t get it. I have to go home in ten minutes. I absolutely have to». I couldn’t be bothered to tell him why, but Duff wasn’t so reticent.

«My friend is grounded, Tripke. He can’t be late or his mummy will tell him off».

The officer stifled an odious chuckle. «I won’t keep you long. I only want to ask you about your friend». He got serious again. «You told me that he disappeared. We can’t find him. We’ve combed the wood behind B. House from top to bottom».

«Have you tried looking for his body in the lake?» Duff didn’t realise what was saying. It was fine to lie, but not to go right off track.

«What did you just say?»Tripke’s eyes lit up, the golden kaleidoscopic one began to form black splodges of all shapes and sizes.

I tried to straighten things out. «Nothing, officer, he doesn’t know what he’s saying. We don’t know where Axl is, I’m sorry. He disappeared in the wood, but apart from that we don’t know anything».

Saul cut in as well. «Why do you want to find him?»

«Is that supposed to be a smart question?» answered Tripke sarcastically. «It’s my job to find him. Live or dead».

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«Will Axl go to prison?»

«I think about that when I find him. Don’t you want to see your friend again?»

There was a brief, embarrassing pause. «Of course we want to» I answered. «Right, guys?»

Duff and Saul nodded their heads. Charlotte didn’t say anything; she didn’t even know Axl. Instead she was observing the officer’s eye. He looked her up and down, little black dots forming on his golden iris.

«Mmm» said Tripke as he lit another cigarette. The iris went gold all over and the black dots disappeared. A spark transformed his eyeball into a small pool of bright light. «I know you are lying» he said frowning. «And I will find out why».

I swallowed the little saliva left in my mouth. Tripke left us and disappeared into the dark car that had taken us to the prison.

I had to run after the bus, which had just left.

Saul was going to Megan’s and Duff was going to mend an old lady’s porch to earn some pocket money, while Charlotte – I could see her from the window as I sat down after running to catch the bus – was going home, burning up the road on her pimped up bike.

I bolted down a little food when I got home. I left my mother in the living room smoking and chatting with friends on the phone. Who knows whether Charlotte was listening to those conversations…?

In my room I felt peaceful and happy to be away from the cigarette smoke. Despite the padlock, which made it seem like a prison, it was still my refuge.

Duff was right; I had to find a solution. I couldn’t stay shut at home with the Tournament just about to start, but talking to my mother would have just sparked off more arguments.

I spent all afternoon on my bed thinking, the radio playing at volume in my ears until I dozed off. Adverts for the Tournament were now playing on all stations. They were also broadcasting some announcements about the search for Axl by agreement with the officers of the Prison for Out-of-Line Rockers. I had really enjoyed the build-up to previous Tournaments. I’d gone with the others to queue up at the ticket office all night, camped in front of the gates, with everyone fired up with adrenaline.

The time of the Rock Warrior Tournament was our favourite part of the year, better than Christmas, better than the school summer holidays. As rock battle spectators, we spent all our savings for the 92

year on useless knick-knacks like event merchandising and junk food.

Now we were still fired up with adrenaline, but this year we would spent all our savings on medication and post-traumatic rehabilitation.

Or a fine mahogany coffin with a chamois leather interior. What a bummer!

The sun’s rays went out behind the row of little houses. I even considered breaking the padlock off the window and running away.

No point; I didn’t fancy taking the risk and making things worse.

As I closed my textbooks and exercise books, I reached an important conclusion. Being grounded was nothing compared to the freedom of a friend chained up by a demonic creature. I had to take some sort of action. Get to the root of the problem.

It was time to get dirty.

Before I went downstairs, I drew in a deep breath, focusing on the consequences that were just about to change everything.

I went down the stairs, sure I was doing the right thing. My mother was still on the phone, with a cigarette stub smouldering between her tobacco and saliva-encrusted lips. I looked her in the eyes, speaking in a firm voice «from now on I’m no longer grounded. That’s enough”.

Her eyes flew open when I threw that in her face. «I’ll ring you back, Edna. My son’s here and he’s gone off his head» she said quietly, fluttering her eyelids quickly, her voice indistinct and the stub still dangling off her lips. She hung up the receiver.

«Did you get that, I’m no longer grounded».

The corner of my mother’s mouth began to tremble. I repeated for the third time that I was no longer grounded and that «I will take place in the Rock Warrior Tournament. My friend is a prisoner of an unscrupulous demon who’s red all over with yellow eyes and talons.

I can’t say at home. I have to rehearse the songs, write them and spend time with the group. You can’t stop me! The car? Well, I’ll pay you back. How and when I don’t know. If we win the Tournament, perhaps when we strip the souls from the C. Boys and give them to the demon in exchange for Axl. We’ve only got two weeks… ROCK ON, MUM!» I hadn’t fallen asleep on the bed with my headphones on and I wasn’t dreaming all this. I was shouting into my mother’s face and actually giving her the finger!

The cigarette slipped out of her hand and fell onto the immaculate Indian rug. My mother went dead white. She stayed staring at me for a few seconds then her mouth dropped open as if she was about to 93

yell, but no breath emerged. Only her heavy breath, a combination of smoke and pills.

I was still standing with my arm in the air, index and little fingers raised in one of the most sacrilegious gestures in the armoury of any great rocker; a pose designed to drive any mother mad. Mine also had a particular revulsion for anything I did and that concerned my friends. In any case, she was already half out of her brain; TV had already scrambled her last neurones together with the pills she took on the advice of her friends. She dropped tablets as though they were fresh breath mints. I’d never investigated, but that stuff certainly wasn’t healthy. She said she took them for high blood pressure.

As things stood, I didn’t feel so great. Actually I was terrified. I would have liked to burrow down safely under my bed covers but I carried on waving that defiant fist under my mother’s nose.

It was like spraying holy water on a vampire with a garden hose.

My mother’s skin did not dissolve or burn up or peel off, but every corner of her face was distorted with madness, even her eyes, which were sticking out on stalks.

«What have they done to you?» She gasped. «What? Those thugs you follow everywhere. They’ve sent you crazy!»

«I’m not the crazy one here».

My mother’s bulging eyes narrowed as I wondered why she hadn’t started to yell yet. She was still a terrifying sight!

«You sound just like your father» she said sliding her tongue tip over her dry lips. «Arrogant and selfish».

I lowered my arms slowly. I was trembling. «If you weren’t such a mess, maybe you wouldn’t talk about dad like that. And in any case, have a bit of respect for someone who isn’t here any longer!»

My mother smiled without answering, or her expression might just have been an involuntary reflex. An evil grin. It was far from friendly and I was well aware that she would never forgive me for what I had just done. I hated the silence, it put me at a disadvantage, so I spoke up: «you can’t stop me doing what I want. You might not believe any of it but I have to save my friend».

My mother lowered her eyes. The stub on the rug was still smouldering slightly. «Look what you’ve done» she said with a sort of strangled sigh. «It’s your fault». She stubbed out what remained of the cigarette with her shoe. She turned to me again, looking me up and down. Whatever punishment she was about to dish out, it wouldn’t stop me!

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She focused her little, protruding eyes again. «You know what?

Save your friend if you want. Do what you want. I’ve had enough».

I couldn’t resist it. «I could say the same thing» I answered, challenging her. She looked at me with her tiny eyes. She had suddenly got terrifyingly calm, even though one corner of her mouth was trembling. «I’m going over there to watch a film». She went away from me, trailing a fog of stinking smoke behind her. She didn’t add anything else, at least until she reached the sofa. «But don’t tell me that I didn’t warn you, Matt! One day you’ll find yourself in prison or worse, out on the street, begging!» She yelled from the other side of the house.

The argument finished like that. From that moment on, we were strangers under the same roof. I was relieved that at least I hadn’t been punished again and of course because I had regained my freedom – one way or another.

I went into the kitchen to eat something. She carried on watching a TV programme and then the phone rang. «Hello? Oh, Edna».

After a few minutes, my mother came into the kitchen preceded by a cloud of smoke. I was still eating my dinner with my back to her. «It was Edna» she said. «She asked me to go and stay with her.

I don’t know how long I’ll be gone».

«Good» I answered without showing any emotion, but I wanted to explode inside. «What will you do, smoke and talk about TV soaps all day long?»

«Don’t get cheeky. It isn’t any of your business».

«Right. Everyone is free to make their own decisions. Right?»

My mother didn’t answer, she just said that a taxi was coming soon to pick her up.

She went to pack her bags. I saw her from the kitchen going upstairs and then back down. She lit three or four cigarettes, chewing gum at the same time. She was ready after half an hour. She took the suitcase to the front door. The taxi was already there.

«I warned you, Matt. You didn’t want to listen to me. You’ll come to a bad end».

She looked at me for the last time then threw open the front door and left, together with her nauseating smell.

«Bye mum, see you around».

The silence transformed the afternoon into a surreal out-take of daily life. I stayed in the living room, reliving what had happened in my head. I’d found a solution that Duff wanted. I wasn’t grounded 95

any more, I didn’t have mum under my feet and the house was completely available for DRC rehearsals.

Like any normal person in the world, I’d always dreamed of having the house to myself and doing what I wanted. Gradually I managed to see the positive side of the situation. In the space of two hours I vented all the cynicism that I’d bottled up over the past few years. My conscience wasn’t affected by the resentment I felt. I felt great: to hell with my sense of guilt! I didn’t owe my mother anything. She’d never taught me anything, never given me anything; I owed everything to my father, who wasn’t with me any longer.

I ordered a pizza, watched a film and TV1 and stayed up late playing videogames. Totally free to do what I wanted.

I went to bed a few hours after midnight. I hoped with all my heart that I wouldn’t come down next morning to find my mother drunk and stoned as had happened other times. She had to stay where she was at Edna’s, at least until the end of the games.

Seeing Charlotte again, starting to play again and taking the padlock off the window so that I could be completely free were my last thoughts as I drifted off to sleep.

I waited until we were all there to tell everyone what had happened the previous evening. We met on the football pitch wall, waiting for our customiser to arrive.

«Fuck. Grounded for another month?» exclaimed Duff.

«No. Something happened» I answered evasively.

«Man, are you kidding me?» said Saul. Now he was using his mobile much less and listening to and taking part in discussions.

After a few minutes, Charlotte arrived as well. She turned off her bike motor and came over to us at the wall. «Sorry I’m late» she said catching her breath. «I had to mend something for my granddad. So, what have you done to your mum?»

She asked as if she was worried about me. How sweet! My ears began to get hot.

«That’s what I wanted to talk to you about» I answered. «I’m not grounded any more. My mum’s gone. I got so mad that she couldn’t take it any more. No, please, don’t kiss me!»

1 A group of kids who went in search of treasure to save their village from the evil plans of a businessman.

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But I couldn’t get away from Duff. He jumped on me like a rabbit on heat. «Son of a bitch! How did you manage it? So you can stand up for yourself when you want to, eh!»

«The rocker’s fist» I explained trying to shake him off my back.

«Come on, give over!» He was slobbering worse than a dog. I saw Charlotte’s embarrassed expression out of the corner of my eye. She was beginning to fiddle with the over-long sleeve of her shirt.

«Brilliant, pussy! That’s amazing, fuck. You really did get rid of her! Ah, I would have loved to see it!» Duff jumped up and down, stamping his feet heavily. Half the school must have heard him.

«Well done, man». Saul complimented me as well, giving me a slap on the back. «So now we can rehearse properly?»

«That’s right. We can play at my place».

«You’re really great, fuck!»

Duff carried and jumping up and down like an idiot. «Great, great, great! Hey, haven’t you got anything to say?» he asked Charlotte.

Charlotte began fiddling with her shirt more insistently. She was with us but far away. Too embarrassed? She was scared by Duff ’s unrestrained delight. The idiot jumped on me again to kiss me.

I was distracted for moment as I tried to wriggle away from all that slobbering. Charlotte was walking away.

«Charlotte? Hey, where are you going? Wait!» I managed to get out of the over-affectionate grip of my friend by elbowing him as I ran to catch Charlotte up before she went into the school.

«Is everything okay? Sorry, but he’s always like that».

«Always?»

«Charlotte, can you hang on a minute?» I put a hand on her shoulder. «Duff is just an idiot. It’s the only way he knows how to show his affection».

«I…» she started uncertainly «… I hope that… that you aren’t…

I mean…»

So that’s what it was all about! What had she got into her head!?

I was about to yell at her, but I stopped myself in time. «No» I explained. «Obviously there’s nothing between me and Duff».

«Alright. I don’t want there to be any secrets in the group. Of any kind».

«There won’t be» I assured her. I tried to smile.

«It’s better that way. Now I have to go. I have to carry on designing your instruments».

«Haven’t you got a maths lesson?»

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«Yes, but I’m ahead of the syllabus. I can skip Finnegan’s lesson to go to the library».

«Thanks». It was all I could manage to say and I knew it wasn’t enough. She gave the ghost of a smile, pulled up the sleeves of her shirt and then started to walk up the entrance steps.

«I am single, though».

She turned with her eyes glowing green. «Good for you. Girls are a great waste of time». She turned her back on me and went into the school.

The mighty advertising campaign had officially marked the start of the build-up to the Tournament. The posters spelt it out: ROAD TO ROCK! In the meantime, the school, which had organised the last three editions, had opened the registration booth in the garden. Only a few groups had registered so far. It went without saying that the first was Antony with his C. Boys. But not even his slappable face drove us to fill in the application form; we still lacked the courage. Who wouldn’t have hesitated in our position?

«Let’s wait a few more days, guys. We’re in no hurry» Saul had said.

Two days of ‘withdrawal’ from his mobile and he was glued to his favourite accessory again all the time; his relationship with Megan was on again.

Apart from the posters, the organisation began to plaster the streets with huge blown-up photos; characters with really long white hair, naked torsos, brandishing guitars and basses in the air, summoning fire and flames from the black sky.

The shops had begun to sell the first merchandising; foam rubber guitars, posters, caps and even protective masks to cover your face against explosions, poisonous fumes, blood splatters and mangled bodies.

«What I would give to go back to being able to spend all my money on rubbish» grumbled Duff as we emerged from our usual Saturday afternoon trip to the comic shop.

«All great rock stars live their lives under the footlights, man» said Saul, seriously. «Feeling the heat is part of the show».

«You’re right» I answered, flicking through the pages of my purchases. «We have to make the best of it». I was trying to put a brave 98

face on it, but I was the first one to need something to bolster my faith. With the aid of Charlotte, I felt more certain, although from time to time I still wondered whether she had been put off by that episode with Duff.

«I can’t wait to try out the new customised instruments» I said as we passed a shop window full of TVs tuned to adverts for the Tournament.

«You can’t wait to screw her, the customiser» retorted Duff.

«You are a shit».

«Has throwing your mummy out turned you into a hard case?”

I was getting ready for one of his attacks, but his threatening look turned into a smile.

«Fuck, I like you like this! But I don’t like you when you call me a shit». He scrunched up the knuckles of his hand. I tried to distract him by talking to him.

«In any case thanks to you, Charlotte was practically about to believe something completely different» I said, stowing my comics into the backpack.

«Get it out of your head mate. She doesn’t think about certain things. Boffins like her don’t have time to waste with all that frivolous stuff».

«I think you’re wrong. She’s a sensitive girl» I answered, almost as if I didn’t care, but I needed a different approach if I was going to get anywhere.

I was really confused, I liked Charlotte, but did she feel anything for me? How could I find out? I had to accept that she would never have approached us if she hadn’t been after a prize. And then they had been her whispered comment: «Girls are a great waste of time» she had said. And if…

«Lesbian? She could be» conjectured Duff pulling off his beanie to scratch his head.

«And she’s frustrated and has had enough of it» added Saul, joining the discussion. «In any case, man, it’s like Matt says. You can see she’s sensitive. I really don’t know. Maybe you’re right, she doesn’t think about certain things».

«Can you just shut your filthy mouths?» They had got me mad.

It was frustrating trying to sort out my confusion and also have to listen to those stupid conjectures. I didn’t know what to make of Saul. I was in no doubt that I would have liked Duff out of the way, repairing old ladies’ porches.

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We hadn’t heard anything from our customiser for a whole day.

She hadn’t come to school and she hadn’t contacted us.

«If she dumps us, I swear on Axl’s prick that I’ll make her swallow those glasses she wears» warned Duff while we were waiting for the bus to go back home.

«She might just be working on our instruments. Stay cool, man» answered Saul saying goodbye. He didn’t go out with us. He had to meet Megan for a date. In the meantime he had started to chat to two blondes who gazed at him in admiration as they hung on to every word.

I tried to talk to Duff as little as possible on our way home, but it was him who brought up the problem again.

«Matt, mate, really. Can we really trust Charlotte?

You should’ve listened to me in the beginning, but you wanted to think with your dick and not with your head».

«She’s great» I answered, shortly, watching the grey sky out of the window.

«Great, my ass, Matt! And even if she is, shouldn’t we have an alternative plan? I don’t know, asking someone else to help. My ass is sweating knowing that we’re in the hands of that weirdo without any backup plan».

The legendary “plan B”. He was right, we didn’t have one. «Don’t forget we’re broke», I said as smoothly as possible. «No one would do us the favour of being our customiser, or did you forget?»

«I hate to say it, but Charlotte did do us the favour».

«Well, she was smart to ask us because we were desperate, otherwise she couldn’t have competed for the prize. Only we would have accepted help from someone like her!»

I spat out the truth like a child. I had just admitted Duff was right without realising, blowing away the few certainties and hopes I had been nurturing over the last few days. And I felt a shit for saying bad things about Charlotte.

The bus was nearly at my stop. There was no need to spending hours or a whole afternoon mulling it over. In short, I explained what I had in mind to Duff. «Let’s get back to B. House. It’s the alternative you wanted. The only one. Those instruments could save our skins».

It gave us all the shivers to set foot on the tree-lined avenue again.

The sun was already heading back down toward the horizon on that bright day.

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«Where were they?»

«What?»

«The amplifiers».

«Down there» I showed Saul. Brambles and creepers had grown up to form a natural cocoon around Antony’s amplifiers, which were half buried in the ground.

«They might grow into mutant trees and plants in the shape of amplifiers» said Duff darkly.

As we got to the house, we slowed our pace. We found the entrance door ajar.

«Didn’t we close it last time?»

«Are you sure you want to go in?»

«Hey pussy, it was you who wanted to come! After you».

I crept slowly toward the door. I turned to look at the wood, then to look at the lake. Despite the sunlight, the water was black and flat as oil.

The door barely creaked and we went in. At first glance, all seemed as we had left it a few weeks earlier; furniture all over the place after the police raid and spattered blood encrusted on the floor after the scuffle with the elderly murderer. We went into the little room and Saul was just about to go back into a trance because of his holy guitar.

Duff grabbed him forcefully and flung him into the passage.

CLANG! We closed the passage again and began to go downstairs, as I wondered whether we were doing the right thing or whether I’d brought my friends – me included – there to die.

The instruments were underground where we had thrown them.

The walls were just waiting to be covered with runes and blood.

«And now what do we do, guys?»

«I think we’ll have to use an instrument to conjure him up» I answered Saul «Being as it was your idea to come back, it should be you, shouldn’t it?» said Duff, taking a step backward.

I went up to the drum kit uncertainly. I hit the cymbals twice, three times.

Nothing. I stopped. «Maybe we can’t do it without all playing together».

Duff and Saul looked at the bass and the guitar on the ground.

«If I change into a fucking ghost or anything like that, I swear I’ll haunt you as long as you live».

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«Me too, man. You’ll never escape me».

«If we play together we’ll die together »I answered nervously. «But nothing like that will happen. As soon as you hear his voice, let go the instruments, right? Ready?»

ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR! And there we were, starting to play as if we were possessed. The beat was frenetic. Under there, we could take anyone on. Thinking about the Tournament when we were playing that drum kit was a completely positive thought; I could have won any rock battle between Warriors!

And then we heard him. The voice emerged from the walls calling up the scarlet runes. A red light filled the basement, forcing us to go on.

I ordered my hands to let go of the sticks but my arms carried on hitting the cymbals and snare drum. The pedal struck the bass drum crazily.

I look at my friends and they were also struggling against the paranormal force that they knew was the soul of the old trapped rockers.

There was an instant when we looked one another in the eyes…

«Now!» I yelled, diving well clear of the drum kit. Duff and Saul did the same thing. We ended up in a heap in the middle of the room, banging our heads together hard.

«Fuck, that really hurt…»

«All okay?»

«Yes. Just in time».

An invisible force pressed us against the walls that were still seething with runes. «WHERE ARE MY SOULS ? » Hearing that voice again and seeing the little red man pop out of a dark corner was just as frightening as the first time.

«You want them, you shit?» Duff had banged his head hard, but he recovered straightaway. He adjusted his beanie «in that case, give us the instruments».

The demons yellow eyes blazed. He brought his little finger up, pushing it halfway into his ear. «I didn’t hear that, could you say it again?» pulling out his finger. A greenish phosphorescent substance was left on his nail. Demon earwax!

«The Tournament starts in a few days» I said, getting to my feet. «If you want the souls, you have to help us, you have the right, and you have a duty to do it. If we don’t win, you won’t get your group back!»

«I haven’t got any right» yawned the Demon, revealing his black 102

mouth and yellowish teeth. «It’s not my problem and you’re not good enough. In your position, I’d roll up my sleeves and get to work. In my day, that’s what you did when someone was in difficulty» he spat on the ground. «Do you want Axl back?»

Duff was just about to jump on him and start punching him.

«Man, stop that» Saul grabbed him, holding his shoulders. «Don’t be an asshole. We need you intact. He’s powerful. He’s just winding you up, man».

«I’m flattered» answered the former Zed Lep member, rubbing his nails on his chest. «You’d better start planning something else.

What made you think that I would give you the instruments, or rather my bandmates?»

«Well, this is to do with you as well». I looked him in the eyes boldly.

My legs were trembling and, shit, I could feel myself going under.

«I never said that the instruments could leave this place freely.

You agreed to the pact».

«It was you who trapped us, man!» Saul pointed his mobile phone in his face. If he had it in his hand, it must mean that he’d just got a message.

«You are the ones who came to disturb my rest. We’re even».

«But you took advantage of us. You kidnapped Axl, so you owe us something» I answered.

The Demon gave him a wicked grin. «I gave you the chance to release him. We are still even».

«Why don’t you want to give him to us, motherfucker?» Duff was down on his knees with his fists up, ready to strike.

«I can’t, that’s why». The Demon’s muscles swelled up, but he didn’t grow up to the ceiling like last time. «I am bound to this place.

Would you dig in the ground to unearth a corpse? I doubt it. It’s the same thing for the instruments. Technically they can be taken out of here but you, wretched and unrepentant humans, aren’t able to do so.

They don’t belong to you» he emphasised, licking his lips.

The demon had taken up position behind the drum kit and started to hit the drums with his nails. It was an unbearable noise, like chalk being scraped down a blackboard or cutlery against a plate, but worse.

«Well, I’m going to take it and carry it out». As usual, it was always hard work with Duff. «Demonic dickhead! Red bastard! Give us Axl back, you pervert… He’s not your bitch!»

The Demon took a deep breath. «Take them and play them and Axl will never see your ugly, horrible human faces. Get out of here 103

and bring me the SOULS!» And with that the Demon left, disappearing in a spiralling puff of red smoke.

«Sorry, guys» I said as we walked along the drive to B. House. It was nearly sunset. The wood was even creepier at that time.

«It’s not your fault, man» Saul encouraged me. «We tried. We’ll have to put our faith in Charlotte».

Duff, on the other hand didn’t say a word. I tried to think of any subject to talk about; it would help me find out what was going on in that twisted mind of his. But something hit me suddenly from behind, making me fall to the ground.

Before passing out, I saw Duff and Saul fall to their knees before their faces smacked onto the paving stones in the driveway. Then I closed my eyes and everything went black.

ShhhhZzzzzz ShhhhZzzz

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Ghost Track

Inheritance

«You mean that all this is mine? The house, these instruments?»

«Everything”.

«How do you know who I am, monster?»

«Your blood. It’s the same blood I feel running through my body. Now what will you do?

Free me, damn it!»

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15

Splat

When I regained consciousness, sharp stabs of pain made my breath come raggedly. Everything hurt: my back, my head and my legs. I could taste a disgusting metallic fluid in my mouth. I spat it out with a cough. In the light of the full moon I could see the grass was stained with my blood.

I tried to get up but tight cords held me bound to a tree. In the same moment, I saw Saul and Duff also lashed to a trunk; their heads lolled onto their chests and blood dripped from their swollen faces.

My heart leapt in fear. Had the murderer come back? He’d got his revenge! He wanted to kill us to finish what he’d started. He could still be around… he could still be watching us. That must be it. He was here somewhere…

«What you want to do with us… BASTARD!» I yelled, struggling wildly against the ropes but all that happened was that the bonds got a little tighter. My skin burned and I started to cry.

«You killed them» I hiccupped.

A mobile phone started to ring in the silence.

The volume of the ringing rose, but Saul did not move and whoever was trying to reach him decided to hang up.

«Tears mixed with blood» was something I had only read about in books and comics.

I was very capable of distinguishing between fact and fiction, but the feeling on my skin changed everything. It wasn’t as thrilling as it sounds in the adventures of our heroes; it simply hurt like hell.

The sound of swishing bushes drove out those thoughts like smoke blown away by the wind. All my senses were on high alert. The old lunatic was toying with us.

«Come out!» I shouted again. I realised my lip was split. I didn’t want to challenge him, but the sheer terror that had made me soak my trousers made me want to find out whether it really was the murderer; 106

a sort of masochistic comfort.

But no murderer was hiding in the bushes; perhaps it was some nocturnal animal seeking shelter or I had imagined everything. The old man wasn’t anywhere around because it wasn’t him who had reduced us to a mass of bruises.

Our attackers showed themselves, emerging from a dark corner next to B. House. I didn’t recognise them straight away. My eyes were burning from the tears, because of the blood, but I held them wide open to see Antony and the C. Boys approaching at a brisk pace armed with iron bars and chains. «Hi, Matty. So we meet again».

His pink shirt was red with blood. «I’ve just had a nice chat with the creature in the house, you know. It told me a very interesting story».

«Die». I swallowed blood and saliva, trying to stop myself crying.

Antony wielded the bar. One powerful stroke near my ear.

«I’m fed up of you, Matty. Did you really think you were going to steal our souls and kill us? What a story!» He laughed, poking his bar into the bloodstained grass. «You’ve always been pathetic, but I didn’t think you’d go this far. I thought that the wrecked car and everything else would’ve been enough to teach you a lesson».

He hit me again, this time in the stomach, taking away my breath and any dignity that was left.

Why there? Why like that? If I really had to give up my life, why not the Tournament? Being beaten by that shit made me feel as if I was already dead.

My ear was hunting, but I could clearly hear the amused laughter of Antony’s henchmen. A tide of blood and sweat had made its way inexorably down into my eyes. I remembered I was tied to a tree trunk, but dizziness had taken me to the limit of a bottomless abyss.

«I saved your ass with Tripke. I wanted us to have it out at the Tournament. I gave you a last chance, but I don’t like the story of the demon, Matty. Oh no! And I would never have discovered it if I hadn’t followed you. Is this house your secret hideaway, Matty?»

The third hit sent me to another world. There I made love to Charlotte Michelle; she returned my deep feelings and in the end we got married. We were happy, but it was a nightmare. I felt the hits as I was kissing my wife. The spirit of the happiness I shared with the imaginary Charlotte was vanquished by the heavy hammering blows.

«So you wanted to kill all of us?» Antony couldn’t contain his rage.

I felt my head splitting in two. I hoped it was just an impression… I hoped it was going to finish soon.

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The rage of the five-star dandy granted me a moment of calm.

The pain had time to penetrate deeper into my body.

I spat out blood yet again and begged. «Stop it… Please… Stop it».

When you feel as if everything is lost, your whole life runs through your head in a flash; cartoons without any speech balloons overlap one another at supersonic speed. All your saddest memories come back, before any happy thought. Life and death are all packed into those flashes of reminiscence. Your sight becomes one with the shadows and it doesn’t make any difference whether your eyes are open or closed. «… Please…» I implored for the last time.

Antony stopped as if he was savouring and considering my state.

I felt his excited breath really close to my face. «I am the heir to the house» he whispered in my ear.

Those words overcame the sharp whistling that continued to hammer my eardrums. They even overcame the pain and the fear and the wish to die that had subconsciously become wedged in what remained of my consciousness.

«I’m as surprised as you». I heard him laughing and throwing the bar onto the grass.

Everything was still black. «Finding yourself to be the owner of such a nice home and all its contents… All thanks to you, DRC».

Even in my most pessimistic moments, I’d never imagined an epilogue like this.

«Forget about saving that drunkard Axl» Antony’s voice exclaimed, dragging out the words. «Now it’s me who lays down the rules».

I felt him move away to parlay with the Boys.

In the muddle of pain, shadows and sharp whistling that tore through my eardrums, I heard a chink of metal.

«Please…NOOOO!» Shouting injected more pain into my body. It cracked behind my neck, spreading upwards and finally exploding in my skull.

«Your little friends have already had a taste of the chains» cackled Antony. I heard his footsteps on the grass again. He was nearby. He was watching me.

I didn’t see him pick up the rod. The blow arrived suddenly, for the second time in the pit of my stomach. I had no more blood or air to spit out.

«This is for the amplifiers» exclaimed Antony with suppressed rage. His voice no longer seemed to be his own.

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I was in agony like a zombie riddled with a thousand bullets. I couldn’t carry on. I couldn’t struggle to survive. I would really have liked to say sorry to my friends for taking them there to die.

Antony stopped. “Have you taken them?»

«Yes, Lionel and Dwyath are taking down the drum kit. It’s the only thing left».

«Good. And the demon?»

«We left him the microphone, like he told us. He’s… stayed there where he was, stuck inside. He frightened me! He suddenly got huge».

The conversation went on for a bit longer. Antony’s voice was excited. «These will be our instruments for the Tournament. This year those illiterate barbarians with the horns can forget all about coming first».

I managed to re-open my eyes. The Boys, a coloured kid and a skinny kid with light skin were obeying their leader. I’d never seen them before. I only knew Lionel and Dwyath. They’d once been good kids, before they started playing with Antony.

Suddenly the action got more frenetic. I heard a car arrive from far away. It screeched to a halt on the drive of B. House.

«Come on, get moving, load everything into the jeep!» Antony gave orders, the others carried them out. Then, suddenly, he shut that disgusting mouth of his.

I started to tremble. The tree trunk shook and a rumble of thunder shook the air. Then a pall of darkness dropped back over my swollen eyes and I couldn’t understand what was going on.

«Everyone in the car!» I heard Antony yell, while the thunder continued to shake the ground.

When the demon’s heart-rending shriek emerged from the bowels of the house1, Antony and the Boys were already far away with their instruments. I heard the car pass the wood and start back along the tree-lined avenue.

«BRING MY FRIENDS BACK! BRING THE ZED LEP back here!»

He said those words over and over, as if by repeating them without a break what had been taken away from him could be returned.

When everything seems lost, something often happens that saves the hero’s skin. An all-powerful hand that gets the story back on track, that tips the balance in favour of the good guys. No, no one 1 At least that’s what I thought

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came to save me. No one freed me from my bonds. I simply found the strength to answer the demon.

«They’ve gone away» I yelled through my pain. «They stole them.

The heir… is the one we wanted to steal the souls from!»

I waited for an answer. The natural silence of the night had returned.

«Are you there?» I yelled. It cost me an explosion of pain in my mangled head.

The demon answered. «Boy-Matt?»

«Yes… It’s me… Matt!»

«THEY HAVE… TAKEN THEM… THEY HAVE TAKEN THEM… AWAYYYY!» «I know» I answered, sympathetically. «The pact… Tell me, demon.

Is our pact still on?»

«I WANT THOSE INSTRUMENTS BACK».

«And you’ll free Axl?» «BRING THEM BACK TO ME».

«Axl» I tried to explain again. He was really upset about the theft of the instruments. «Will you let him go? Answer!»

I heard his heartbroken wails. «BRING MY FRIENDS BACK AND I’LL LET HIM GO».

Those were his last words. The thunderous voice imploded and a column of air hit my back from inside the wood, releasing me from the bonds. The current of energy sucked everything up and restored calm to B. House.

Charlotte Michelle was kissing me. With her tongue.

I felt her saliva wetting my mouth. The warmth of her pale skin against my own. Naked bodies and sweat sticking us together.

What was it? A bed. Where was I? In my room.

I was about to have my first real, big orgasm, instead I was interrupted by six horned, hairy and repulsive beasts bursting in.

Charlotte Michelle’s body vanished from under my own. The damp sheets began to wind around me, bonds tightening around my wrists; my back against the bed, then I smacked against something harder and rougher.

Ropes tied around the tree trunk held me trapped.

My head had dropped onto my chest. I open my eyes again to see my piss-soaked trousers. Fear. Sadness. What despair! But my pain was stronger than any other emotion.

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There was someone not far away, I could see him out of the corner of my eye. I barely turned my head, trying to move as little as possible to keep the stabs of pain at bay.

The image was out of focus, but I still recognised Duff and Saul’s bodies tied next one another like me, to the roots of the tree.

I moved my dry, bloody lips to call their names, closing and opening my tired eyes slowly. All that emerged was a groan.

My eyes closed again heavily and I went back into the black tunnel of my agony.

Charlotte Michelle yelled in fear2.

«What have they done to you? Can you hear me, Matt? Wake up!

I’m here. I-I’m … so sorry, Matt» she said through her sobs. I felt her hands sliding over my face. «I’m sorry I didn’t get here in time».

She disappeared from view. Another nightmare.

No, she was untying the ropes behind the tree. The bonds loosened and fell to one side. The soft grass cushioned my fall.

Some time went by, because when I came to I was lying in a smelly, moving vehicle. Duff and Saul were immobile in front of me, lying on one side as though they were asleep. Whoever was driving was not managing to keep to the road very well.

«I’m not used to four wheels» answered the voice of Charlotte Michelle, as if she had read my thoughts. She could only just reach the steering wheel. «How are you?» She asked, looking at me in the rear-view mirror. Her green eyes gleamed.

«I don’t know» I answered. «What happened?»

Her voice changed. She found it difficult to hide her dismay. «Loads of things. Rest now though, now’s not the time to talk».

«Did Antony steal the instruments?» I started to remember something.

«Antony did a lot more. I’ve been following him and his boys for a while».

My shoulders hunched. Recent events poured back into my head.

Now I remembered. «It’s the end» I said at a certain point. Charlotte had just driven onto the road leading to the residential area, zigzagging along the carriageway. I looked at my friends who were breathing feebly. «Where are we going?» I asked, probing my bruises and head wounds.

2 Later we discovered that Charlotte had been secretly tailing Antony.

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«My house. I’ll help you keep up with your lessons in the time we’re not training for the Rock Warriors. No more school from tomorrow».

Charlotte’s eyes switched back to the mirror again. I could have done without a barrier of any kind when I looked at her, but at that moment it was fine.

«Thank you» I sighed.

«You d-didn’t … do anything. I was hopeless». I revelled in her sweet voice. Sweet even in our predicament. «I couldn’t even give you the surprise I planned. In case you hadn’t already realised, this is Axl’s missing van».

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16

The new, hard instruments

Charlotte Michelle explained that she had found our van by chance while she was looking for spare parts in the out-of-town dump.

«It would have come to a bad end» she explained regretfully. «I had to take it apart piece by piece and take it to my garage. I thought it would be a surprise for you. I was going to make some more small changes, but I couldn’t come on my bike. At least I managed to get it going».

I was confused. «How did you know it was our van?»

Michelle’s eyes evaded the rear-view mirror. «There was a sticker with your favourite guitarist on the dashboard, and… the seats» she explained as her voice tailed off and trembled «were impregnated with smoke and alcohol. And I found a bass plectrum this big».

I didn’t want to embarrass her any further. Half-guessing her answer1, I still asked the question: «how do you know all this stuff about us?»

«I know the group I’m working for» she answered smartly. «It’s a good customiser’s job to know who she’s dealing with». It was a perceptive, opportunistic, slightly mischievous answer without a trace of her previous stammer.

«Excuse me for asking, but do you see us as your clients? We’re not. You’re part of the group as well».

I wanted to make it clear for once and for all, but Charlotte stopped the conversation at that point. She didn’t answer and I reluctantly accepted her silence.

We had just passed my house, the school and the prison.

«I wonder how it got to the dump». I was thinking out loud. It 1 It was beginning to dawn on me that Charlotte’s gifts for espionage were out of the ordinary.

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wasn’t a question, but Charlotte felt bound to answer.

«If it disappeared from under your nose and the engine wouldn’t go, maybe it’s better not to investigate».

Not investigate. What did she mean?

I was about to ask for an explanation when the van suddenly came to a halt. I smacked against the front seat.

«Ooops! Sorry» squeaked Michelle disoriented. «Really sorry!» She repeated bringing her hands to her mouth in alarm. «I didn’t calculate the braking distance properly. Anyway, we’re. Sorry again, Matt.

Sorry».

«No worries» I answered, lying. My nose started to bleed again.

«One bump more, one bump less…»

Charlotte undid her seatbelt and made as if to get out. «Can you manage, do you need a hand?»

«I can manage, don’t worry. You’ve already done enough, really» I added in response to her vaguely resentful expression. «Thank you».

I started to move one leg, then the other. The dormant pain came back with a vengeance. I just about managed to open the sliding door.

«I can manage, see».

My foot landed badly, my ankle went CRACK and I landed like a sack of manure on the garage floor, spraining the shoulder that had been mangled by the blows.

Ow! I made a mental note that it was a really, really bad idea to try and brave it out at the least opportune moments2.

«Did you hurt yourself ?» exclaimed Charlotte, coming to my aid.

But it wasn’t her who lifted me to my feet. I grabbed the hand held out to help me. A familiar bony hand. I came up slowly to find myself face to face with the old murderer from B. House.

Did I shout out in fear? Of course, and more than that. They had to stop me running out onto the road screaming «the murderer’s here!

The murderer’s here!»

The old man and Charlotte held me by the legs and feet. «Shut your mouth or all the neighbours will hear us».

The lunatic forced me to hold my arms still against my body. His bony hands gripped my wrists. «Matt, it’s all okay. Calm down» Charlotte tried to explain while he held me. «He’s my granddad».

This time I knew very well I wasn’t in a nightmare. I was lucid and 2 Especially in front of a girl. Particularly in front of a girl you like.

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terrorised, but the man in front of me could only be the killer of the couple on the sofa, the same one who had tried to do away with us. This same one who had suggested repairing the van. It wasn’t a hallucination. It wasn’t anything of the kind!

«Was it you who stole the van?» They continue to hold me but pain and tiredness had worn down my resistance. “Explain what’s happening, I don’t understand anything any more!» I yelled to Charlotte.

«Matt, calm down. Your… really, you’re safe, I swear». Her pupils were dilated. I must have really frightened her. I stood still and listened.

«He is granddad Mortimer. He’s not the owner of B. House and above all he is not a murderer».

Before Charlotte could go on, the van door opened. Duff and Saul came out like two zombies attracted by fresh meat, their eyes barely open… just enough to paralyse them with horror.

«Calm down» I found myself saying paradoxically. «We should be safe. I hope».

Apart from the horrifying paradox, it was an indescribable joy to see my friends on their feet. I still felt guilty for what had happened at the house with Antony. I would never have forgiven myself if they‘d come to a sticky end. Things were bad enough already.

«Are you saying that this guy here is an impostor? No, I mean, I need to understand».

Duff had a bleeding ear and several bruises on his face «You’re the impostor» answered the old man testily, passing a hand through his grey hair. «I’ve got a few problems, that’s all. Who hasn’t?»

Charlotte interrupted, «Granddad Mortimer suffers from amnesia and sleep walks. He takes a lot of medicines». She bit her lip, balancing prettily on her toes as usual. «When he forgets to take his medicine, he disappears. Sometimes I find him in the bathroom, fishing from the toilet. Other times he’s out of town pretending to be characters from his favourite books».

The man answered pompously, for all the world like a theatrical characters trying to upstage the other actors. «What happened in B. House wasn’t in any book, Charlotte. Unless memory fails me, that time I was acting out a famous board game. You know it?»

«I don’t think so. Those games are tedious» answered Charlotte, looking at her granddad over her glasses.

«What about the bodies?» Asked Saul, with a tremor in his voice.

He’d probably come off the worse. Apart from the bruises on his 115

face, his eyes were stuck together and his head was cut. His perfect hairstyle was plastered with dried blood.

«Those were real».

Everyone’s eyes, including Charlotte, stared at the old man. Then the lines around his mouth twitched up, transforming it into the murderer’s crooked smile.

«You were about to believe me! Come on, I’m a good person» he exclaimed with fake vexation. “I’m just a granddad who loves his granddaughter, an unfortunate victim of tedious old age».

Should I believe the story of the amnesia and sleepwalking or not? I wasn’t reassured, even when the old man explained that what we’d found in the dining room had been dummies. Dummies made up to look like bodies that he’d found there by chance? It didn’t sound right, to me or my friends.

«Where did you get the blood, Morty?» asked Duff. He was resting on the van with his arms folded «I invited you in for tea and a piece of cake». The old man’s grin grew even broader.

«What the fuck does that have to do with the blood?» snorted Duff. «Nobody is telling me the truth here».

«The cake did come into it, lad. It was a nice cake with honey and jam. Jam, get it?»

«The fuck I do».

«Jam, Duff» I intervened. “He used it for the blood. And anyway, I don’t believe you. Not completely, I mean. It looked like real blood to me» I gulped, thinking of the scene with the bodies. “Something else: how do you manage to remember everything you do when you’re sleepwalking and have lost your memory?»

The old man stared at me. His mouth open and he slowly began to laugh. He carried on guffawing until he ran out of strength.

«Granddad, come on» his granddaughter admonished him. «Come into the house and make yourself comfy on the sofa. I’ll deal with this».

«Deal with what, Charlotte? What’s going on? I don’t believe you».

It was the first time I’d raise my voice against the girl I loved and I immediately regretted it. I would have preferred more blows and the dark tunnel of unconsciousness.

«W-what… do I have to do to convince you, Matt? You need medical treatment and the most important thing to you at this moment is whether or not you should believe someone with health problems?»

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Charlotte’s pale face flushed slightly. Her eyes became darker green, I could see it despite the dim light in the garage.

«I… you’re right. I’m sorry» I stammered, lowering my eyes.

«You boys always think that two words are enough to put everything right».

She spoke softly, still in her usual gentle tone. Charlotte was hurting me.

«I know it’s ridiculous. Please believe me though».

I might be mistaken, but I thought I saw the dark green well up with tears. I wasn’t really angry with Charlotte Michelle. It had just been an instinctive reaction. How should I have reacted? Until anyone came up with any proof to the contrary, that old man was still a murderer as far as I was concerned and not our customiser’s nice old granddad.

«You’ll soon realise that he wouldn’t hurt anyone» said Charlotte watching her granddad go back into the house, disappearing through a door into the darkness.

Smile, Matt. Come on, a nice smile.

I listened to my thoughts and smiled. Not at that moment, but I promised myself to try as hard as I could to believe that weird story of fake bodies covered with jam.

In silence, the girl who made my heart race began to patch us up.

Before taking a first aid kit out of the drawer, we saw her moving some levers fastened to the front wall of the garage. Electric sparks started to run on metal tracks running round the perimeter of the wall, all to the accompaniment of a very light buzzing noise.

«Fantastic» exclaimed Saul. «So this is your secret laboratory?»

«Yes» Charlotte answered in her little voice. She pulled bandages from the first aid kit. «But it’s not secret. Anyone can go in» she added peeping from underneath her glasses.

«How many people have gone in before us?» Asked Duff.

«Um… My granddad and, well, I don’t think anyone else. And you, now… you’re here».

«Shit, so why did you say that anyone can go in?»

«Because anyone could go in, if they had a good enough reason».

Duff sighed noisily and grunted to indicate he’d had enough of the discussion.

«What with you and that pussy…»

When the light was on, we could see that Charlotte’s workshop was half old car workshop and half guest room. Among the tools 117

positioned meticulously on the walls, glass flasks, test tubes, Bunsen burners and saws and other strange devices, there was a wrought iron bed and an armchair made out of a material like denim. It made me think of Wollheim’s minimalist art slides. Her workshop was nothing like I had imagined it.

Charlotte was more normal and practical than she…

«Is this where you sleep?» I asked curiously.

«Yes» she answered, smearing a yellowish ointment over Saul’s face. «I’ve just got books in my bedroom upstairs. I had to choose between them and me».

«Is your room that full of books?»

«Um… that’s right. The expression that Charlotte had first shown to the DRC made a fleeting reappearance.

«Oh, far out!» yelled Saul. «Wicked!»

«It’ll be better with the bandage. Sorry. There you go».

Saul ended up hating the ointment, but thanked Charlotte for patching him up.

He was so tightly bandaged that he could hardly see where he was putting his feet. His hair was still matted with blood though. «I’ll have to wash it» he said looking at himself in the van windows. «With a special shampoo. And conditioner to make it shine».

Then it was Duff ’s turn. He gritted his teeth and didn’t move an inch. Charlotte cleaned the scabs on his wounds and smeared on more ointment. «I didn’t expect this from that bastard. He must’ve been in training». He spoke in a low voice and I knew he was ashamed that he had been beaten by big brat in designer clothes.

«It’s my fault». I went up to my friends. Charlotte was closing up a cut on Duff ’s eyebrow again, applying some stitches with a firm hand.

«Stay cool, pussy». You couldn’t have known that shit was there».

«You could’ve died. We could all have died. Look what a state we’re in».

The echo of that phrase floated in the air together with the pungent smell of ointment.

«The Tournament is nearly here» answered Duff resolutely. Saul agreed with him.

«Right. That’s enough of this, man. It’s water under the bridge».

I smiled, thanking them. The metallic taste of blood was still in my mouth. The garage door was still half up. The pinkish reflections on the dew-covered asphalt were the first signs of dawn.

It was my turn for the ointment… hell, it stung! My face was aflame, 118

then the fresh bandages partly soothed the fiery surface.

When I had been patched up as well, we went to the middle of the workshop.

Charlotte replaced the first aid kit on one of the many shelves.

«Can you close the garage? The button is there next to the bike». She pointed to a corner near the blind. I went to press it, shutting out the encroaching dawn and the sounds of the first cars leaving the little roads to go off to work.

In the meantime, our customiser had disappeared between the workbench and the machine she used to work on the instruments.

After a while, she emerged all hot and bothered, trying to lift up a worn bass case. Duff ran to help her, more out of curiosity to get his hands on the new instrument than out of politeness, I think.

«I hope you like it» ventured Charlotte, smiling timidly.

«How’d you open it?» Duff was trying to work out how to undo the rusty hooks on the case.

«The plectrum. Just fit it into the back. Here, like this». Charlotte revealed the presence of a small plectrum-shaped hollow. The groove.

Duff immediately felt in his pocket, «here it is! What did you say you had to do?»

«Put the plectrum here and then take it out. It works like a key».

«Oh. Cool. Like this?»

The case sprang open, revealing its contents.

Duff ’s jaws dropped open, his tongue almost hanging out from between his teeth. From the way it looked, the bass gave me the impression of being made out of several materials, including iron, wood, plastic and…

«The keys are shark’s teeth. The headstock is inspired by magic wands. I called it the Four-String Whipper» explained Charlotte seriously.

«Incredible, man, that’s amazing» exclaimed Saul enthusiastically.

«Where’s my guitar?»

«Just wait» interrupted Duff. «Are you having me on, darling?»

«Um… No. They really are shark’s teeth» she answered, made tentative by my friend’s exuberance.

«I don’t know if you knew» I cut in patiently. «Charlotte was part of the staff at the school’s Natural History Museum». She looked at me almost in surprise, nodding in confirmation3.

«Um» mumbled Duff . «Okay, pussy. You ‘re a know-all and she’s a 3 Well, I’m not so bad at spying myself!

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tooth robber». He took the bass out of the case. It already had a strap.

«If you’d rather have another, I can change it. At the shop they told me I had a month to take it back».

No-one had ever taken Duff by surprise. Disoriented, he tried to find something to stay instead of the obvious: «thank you Charlotte» or «that’s really kind, I really like the strap». With his bass in hand, he walked away with his head down, struck dumb.

«I think I’ll tell you how it works later» said Charlotte sweetly.

Me and Saul chuckled at another while she disappeared under the bench again. This time it was the new guitar’s turn to emerge from its case. Saul pressed his plectrum into the groove and the catches opened. The guitar was in the shape of a figure eight, just as Saul likes them. I don’t know how she managed it, but Charlotte had come up with a nearly faithful copy of the Holy guitar in the basement of B. House. Saul brushed it with his finger. «Am I allowed to cry?»

Charlotte laughed. «I’m sorry it’s not hardwood, but I tried to reproduce the same consistency and the same fibre to improve the resonance and frequency of the strings. You can fire off powerful impact waves using the potentiometers. I called it the Guit-Wave Thrower» «Holy!» Yelled Saul with his eyes ablaze. «Holy!» And putting the strap behind his head, he began to try out chords and riffs, leaping from one side of the workshop to another.

«You’ve been really great». I thanked Charlotte while my friends got to know their new musical companions, our future weapons.

«It’s my job» I heard her answer. «In the hope they’ll help us win the Tournament and the Customiser’s prize». She began balancing on her tiptoes again and fiddling with the sleeve of her blouse. «Feeling better? How’s the pain?»

«Oh, um» I spluttered. «Fine, now. I thought I’d had it».

«You were unrecognisable, Matt. I was… scared». For a moment, I thought she would fall into my arms. «Antony really is a horrible person». I waited for an answer, but it never came. «Now… do you want to see your drumsticks?»

«My…? Oh, yes of course, the drumsticks. I’m really curious».

It was incredible how she managed to switch from one subject to another so quickly. Breaking away from that enchanting emotional chemistry, that atmosphere of glances and delicious thoughts…

She took them out of the bench drawer. They were ordinary wooden drumsticks.

«They are the cheapest, if they’re used as normal sticks. But now 120

you can let off electrical shocks according to how hard you press the handle. They’re touch-sensitive. The harder you grip them, the more powerful the electrical shock».

«Electric Shockers?»

«I haven’t chosen a name yet, but I think that would be fine». She smiled uncertainly. «What do you think? I’m always scared you won’t like what I’ve done».

Her green eyes shone in the glow of the lighted panels that ran along the garage. «Are you crazy? You’re fantastic, Charlotte. You really got us out of a mess by offering to join the group. And you saved us from Antony, as well. I’m saying that because I mean it, not because I…» Freeze. It was as if my tongue was stuck to the top of my mouth.

«Don’t say anything». Her angelic voice filled the gap instead of my confession. Duff ’s cry didn’t give me a chance to tell her what I thought.

«Hey, pussy. Look here!»

He was shaking his head violently, his beanie flew off but he carried on jumping from one side to the other, rocking away with his bass.

His fingers were moving swiftly and surely over the last chords. The notes did not produce sounds, but for Duff it was like being on a stage in front of hundreds of delirious fans. How could you fail to empathise? Saul joined him with his new guitar, picking infinite riffs of silent notes.

I let myself get carried away, forgetting unrequited feelings and unspoken words for a moment. I was striking out at the air… the cymbals were there… the hi-hat was there…

A stream of sparks flew out of one of the sticks. An electric fire seared the door in a flash, bouncing off the roof of the van, where it extinguished.

«LOOK AT THAT!» DUFF’s demonic shout at the sight of the electric ray charged the atmosphere. I know playing air guitar is really cheesy, but who cares, it’s great!

Duff did not even need Charlotte’s explanations. He worked it out on the spot. He loosened one of the shark’s teeth, turned a lever next to the potentiometers and an E flat pinged out like a whip. Brilliant!

And it made a killer combo when combined with the power wave from Saul’s guitar.

Despite the collective excitement, I was cool-headed enough to call the group to order. If we’d gone on like that we would have destroyed 121

the whole workshop.

«Fuckfuckfuck!» Duff was the most euphoric. He took the bass and lifted it up like a trophy to his head. Saul was just as proud, with the guitar he’d always dreamed of.

That short burst also satisfied Charlotte, who was laughing as our enthusiasm. I wanted to grip the sticks harder than I should to indicate my full approval. I obviously didn’t let that fantasy go any further, but I couldn’t wait to put my weapons to good use.

«Not bad for the first test» said the customiser, bringing the sleeve of her shirt up to her lips. She studied us with interest. «In the afternoon we’ll try them out with the amplifiers. I’ve got a couple.

They’re small, but they should still be fine. Now you’ll have to leave me your instruments for a few minutes though, I wanted to carry out some checks».

As the adrenaline drained away, the pain of the beatings magically reasserted itself. We stopped in a corner to get our breath back, awaiting Charlotte’s report. Bright orange morning light streamed in through the workshop windows.

«So no more souls, eh?» Said Saul. His mobile phone was back in his hand.

«We’ll save Axl» I answered. «It should be easier than killing off an entire rock band, shouldn’t it?»

«We’ll still make those shits suffer for what they did» shouted Duff with relish.

«Now we’ll have to decide on the covers for the first two rock battles».

«What will it be?! We’ll play Sweet Baby and It’s so easy. We know them off by heart, we’ll stick with what we’re sure of».

«Mmmm, yes, good idea. But we shouldn’t rule out Bang Bang lick my **** 4. It’s not bad at all and we’d have a fair division between all the instruments».

«Pity we’ve only got two guitars».

«We’ll manage. Other groups only have one guitar. You’re good, Saul”.

«Thanks, man! You too».

Our excited chatter was interrupted by a resounding, ominous roar that made the workshop entrance vibrate. A distant animal noise. Our egos deflated like balloons at the end of a birthday party.

4 Male genital organ.

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«They’re here» said Charlotte. «This year they’re a bit late». She shoved her work goggles up into her dark hair, looking up toward one of the garage windows.

We opened the door. Five enormous black dragons flew over the town centre against a flame-coloured sky, their long shadows spreading over the roofs of the little houses. The musicians riding those beasts were the indisputable winners of the last five editions of the Rock Warrior Tournaments.

They were the legendary Vikings.

«We’ll have to compete against them and beat them even if it’s not until the final» I said gloomily. We all stood there looking up to the sky, watching the majestic dance of the winged beasts.

«Guys, there’s still one thing that we need to sort out» said Saul answering a message. «Swapping Axl for the microphone».

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17

Rock Rocket

Over the next few days, we stayed well clear of school and the school bus routes. Duff was over-excited: he saw our abandonment of lessons in favour of rehearsals as a personal victory, even though it had been Charlotte’s idea.

The customiser had drawn up a table with set timetables for each of us so that we could plan the hours we could devote to the Tournament during the day. At first, we were daunted by the workload but as Charlotte rightly said: «it’s the best way to make up for lost time and look for good strategies as well as not ending up dead in the first round».

«She’s only with us to win that prize. She’s a – what’s the word – an opportunist, don’t you reckon?» Duff threw out the accusation in the hour we had off for lunch. We would have to start rehearsing again soon.

«Man, maybe you’re right. But whether she’s an opportunist or not, she’s getting us out of a load of hassle» answered Saul as we emerged from a fast-food joint in the centre with our pizza slices in oily paper. «What do you think, Matt? You seem to know her better than everyone. You’re so close, man. Are you an item?»

He didn’t mean it sarcastically, but I still didn’t like Saul’s tone.

«I don’t know» I answered deep in thought. «That is, it’s okay. And what harm would it do if she was just doing it for the prize? We’ve got a Customizer, she’s got a chance to win. None of us loses out».

Obviously those weren’t exactly my thoughts and I’d only said it to save face. In fact, I didn’t have the faintest idea of Charlotte Michelle’s plans; she wanted the prize, she could win it, if she wanted, but she continued to keep her distance from me… us and the group.

She still saw us as clients, not as friends. Was this part of her intrigues?

Was she plotting something with the aid of her granddad? If so, had we brought it on ourselves? But she didn’t seem to treat us coldly…

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unless you counted Duff, who still made fun of her a bit.

A small, threatening area of bad weather had gathered over the town. It was a windy, damp day. We really had very little time to eat lunch and we tried to finish as quickly as possible.

We savoured the slice of pizza sitting on a bench in a deserted square near Charlotte’s house. There were a few people around. One or two couples out with their dogs, an old man reading the newspaper1 and several pigeons scratching around near a little fountain.

BURP! We heard from Duff as he threw down the last mouthful.

«The only song that sounds really good is What do you do for money, honey. Matt, you’re too lame. The sticks have got to blaze away, fuck!»

«You know how it is, I’ve got to get used to them» I answered, finishing my lunch as well.

«You’re still lame» insisted Duff. «And you, dude. You’ve got to make more of the guitar. If you only play three power cords, that shouldn’t be too complicated, should it? Fuck, guys! We haven’t got the shitty instruments we had before. Put some balls into it!»

I didn’t want to get into an argument. If Duff was so excited, it wasn’t just because of the instruments. Skipping school to play all day had always been his dream, even though he would rather have done it without having Axl’s life at stake and without Charlotte’s timetables.

«Come down, man» said Saul. He was endlessly patient. Dealing with girls must have softened him as far as that was concerned. He rolled up the pizza papers and added: «Hey, you look done in! We giving all we’ve got, don’t criticise. We’re all in the same boat».

Duff was too revved up to listen to him. «My Whipper will lash a few dickheads! This year I won’t be a bystander. Come on, you Viking assholes! I’ll make you lick the nether parts of those fucking dragons.

Shits. They’re already dead, I swear on this finger that I can waste them now!» He stuck his middle finger up in the sky like a glorious sword, sniggering evilly. The pigeons flew away in fright, disappearing among the dark clouds and the forest of rooftops.

I got up off the bench and Saul did the same. «Guys, we’ve got to go» he said. «Megan has just sent me a message. She’s outside the workshop».

The fact that Megan was our only chance of finding a vocalist said it all. We’d thought about it too late, and this was the result.

1 I noticed a front-page article on the Tournament. “Rock Warriors, list of bands competing”.

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Zero choice.

We were waiting for Saul’s girlfriend for the afternoon rehearsals.

We knew that she would be our singer whatever happened.

The first drops of rain began to fall. I thought I heard the echo of a roar borne to my ears on the wind. No. I was just thinking of the Vikings and the dragons, an attraction for the audience, and nemesis of any bands that dared to stand in their way.

We hardly got wet but the worst thing was the cold wind that sliced down the neck of my jacket and through the holes in my jeans like cold blades. Five minutes of walking across the increasingly deserted square took us back to Charlotte’s garage. Megan was waiting for us.

Squeezed into a silvery top and a pair of skinny jeans that emphasised her generous figure, she ran toward us to throw herself into Saul’s arms. She only had eyes for him. «Babe, I missed you!»

She was the sexiest teenage girl I’d ever seen. There was just no contest, and Duff thought the same thing judging by his reaction; he tried to conceal a bulge that had popped up unexpectedly in his trousers.

«Honey, are you okay?» Saul held her tight round her slender waist.

She smacked a noisy kiss onto his cheek, lifting one foot off the ground. She was tall and her spike heels added the two extra inches she needed to look amazingly statuesque. Her long, straight hair dyed electric blue made her look like one of those pop princesses that come from nowhere for a few minutes of fame and then disappear just as quickly.

«Thanks for coming» said Saul suavely.

«I couldn’t have done any less, babe» Megan certainly had a penetrating voice. «I can’t wait to begin. Are these your friends? Hi, I’m Megan!»

Megan’s expansiveness was scary. Detaching herself from Saul’s arms, she offered me one cheek and then the other without touching, kissing the air with lips plastered with silvery glitter. She repeated the same ritual with Duff, who remained turned to stone with his hands pressed protectively over his unruly bulge.

«My babe told me about your friend Axl. I’ll sing to save him» squealed Megan, throwing herself back into Saul’s arms. «I’ll be your legendary, one and only singer!»

One and only, that’s for sure, I said to myself. We had no choice and would have had to put up with her strutting, whether we like it or not.

We knocked on the garage door. The workshop entrance opened 126

slowly. Charlotte said hello to everyone, unrecognisable in her long, bulky lab coat and protective goggles. «Hi» she said, scrutinising Megan for a few seconds, then she immediately turned her back on us to get back to work.

«Babe, is here that you rehearse?»

«Yes» answered Saul, inviting her in. «It’s Charlotte’s house».

«She’s our customiser» I explained, but Megan ignored me.

«She works on our instruments, honey» Saul tried to explain. «She’s really good, you know. She’s bound to make something fantastic for you as well for the tournament».

«I don’t think so, not for the time being» Charlotte answered in her tiny voice, surrounded by sparks from her welding instruments.

Judging by what she had in her hands, she was adapting the pedal of a bass drum that looked very like mine. Her pupils were dilated like an addict…

«Baby, what did that weirdo say?»

Saul opened his mouth to answer but I was quicker than him.

«Weirdo? She could say the same thing about you».

Megan emitted a temperamental whimper. «Baaabe!»

«It’s all fine, baby. Matt wanted to tell you that you’ll soon have your weapon for the Tournament. Isn’t that right, man?» said Saul encouragingly, hoping that I’d back him up. He tried to tell me something by signalling with his eyebrows.

«More or less» I grudgingly replied.

Our collaboration with Megan hadn’t got off to the greatest start.

Nobody would ever replace Axl, ever.

In the meantime, Duff had gone off in an attempt to attend to a certain situation that had arisen in his trousers.

«When you’re ready we can begin», Charlotte said presently, putting her welding machine away. «The drum kit is ready, Matt. I’ve just finished adding a small pellet gun2 to the bass drum. It’s pedal-operated».

I went to the workbench. «So… I wasn’t wrong, it really is my drum!»

«It really is yours».

«But how…»

«Granddad» answered Charlotte briskly. «It was him. He’s the best at breaking and entering».

2 Firearms had been banned fifteen years earlier after a competitor had installed a silenced gun in the neck of his guitar.

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«You mean that he went into my house without permission?»

«And I helped him. He couldn’t have managed to carry all the parts on his own».

That last statement left me momentarily speechless. «Are you going to help me to put it up there in the middle?» resumed Charlotte as though nothing had happened. «I’ve built a wooden platform as well».

And so I helped her to move the drum kit from the bench to the platform. She’d also managed to find a pair of amplifiers for the Whipper and the Guit-Wave Launcher.

«Where’s the van?» I asked as we put together my instrument.

«I told Granddad to test the new tyres and the hydraulic system.

He’s gone for a drive around town. You don’t mind do you? He had to go into the school office as well to hand in your registration. You hadn’t filled in the form» «Um, no» I answered. I felt a complete idiot. She’d become our nanny!

CRKKKKKRRKK...Charlotte?.... CRRRKKKRKRKR....Charlotte, can you hear me?

Charlotte dug a small radio receiver out of her shirt pocket.

«Receiving you, Granddad. Is there a problem? Over».

«Mission complete, Charlotte. I’m coming home. Over».

«Great work, Granddad. Over and out». Charlotte shoved the radio back in her pocket.

With a satisfied smile, she told us that the van had passed the test.

«And you’re officially registered in the Tournament» she added, beaming.

My legs were shaking. We were officially fucked. There was no going back now: «Shall we begin?»

I hope that Megan’s sheer front was directly proportional to her singing abilities, but all too soon came face to face with the sad reality. With everyone in position, we were ready to play What do you do for money Honey.

«Where’s my lovely microphone?» Megan exclaimed several times before Charlotte could give her one.

«And what’s this? Where’s the bling?»

The customiser’s eyes glittered underneath the protective goggles.

«I don’t… don’t understand what you mean. This is a microphone.

The best I’ve found».

Megan snorted, swinging her arms, incredulously. «The bling, the 128

BLING! sparkles, little lights, pretty colours! Where are they? This thing is all black, I don’t like it».

Charlotte was unruffled «You might get your bling, but for now you’ll have to make do with this» she answered calmly. «Now, um, I really think you need to start. You’re already eight minutes late».

Megan pouted, stamping her heels.

Saul did what he could to persuade his girlfriend. «Honey, it’s only for a few days. Charlotte will come up with something». He kissed her.

I heard Megan stage-whispering in my friend’s ear: «I’d like to go back in time to this summer and never have left you».

«Now we’re together, forget the past» Saul answered in the tones of a soap opera.

Disgusted, Duff pulled everyone to attention. «It’s all very nice and passionate, but fuck, can we just begin? Matt, you start and I’ll follow you».

When Megan finally decided to pick up the microphone…

ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR! Duff supported the drumbeat, Saul tied his riff to the bass line.

The music immediately became mesmerising, but the words were missing. Megan was still standing in the middle of the workshop, microphone in hand. She was waiting for her turn. She didn’t look too sure of herself. I wondered whether she knew the words of the song.

When she started singing, her words covered the sound of the music. Shrill, out of tune sounds that forced us to a halt. The amplifiers whistled.

«Sorry, guys. I’ve still got to get used to the key». Megan’s explanation seemed all fake, a parody of a parody of a simpering modern actress.

«Can I try again, babe?»

«Of course, honey».

She cleared her voice with an artificial-sounding cough and beat time. The drum started, the bass as well. The guitar played the main riff again.

Honey, whaddya do for money? Honey, whaddya do for money? Yeah, whaddya do for money honey, how you get your kicks? Whaddya do for money honey, how do you get your licks?

It didn’t go too badly, if you compared it to the drunken wailings of a country singer. She sashayed and wiggled, brushing past first 129

Saul and then Duff3. A pathetic showing.

Charlotte kept well out of it all behind the bench. I could see her fiddling with some electronic gadgets. Was it a way to get away from that torture on the eardrums?

The one encouraging thing was that we had managed to master the instruments fairly well in that short time. Saul had managed to calibrate the waves of the Guit, recreating small, studied air movements; Duff managed to lash out the whips more skilfully, moving the bridge lever with a sure hand. As for me, I limited myself to sprays of sparks, avoiding gripping too tightly.

What do you do for money honey went down brilliantly, if you didn’t count Megan. Once the song was over, she had to get out of the way.

She gave Saul a lingering kiss and left her place so that we could try an extra warm-up. Charlotte wanted to test the instruments one by one.

The order was: me first, then Duff and lastly Saul. We tried out our weapons by practising on targets set up in the middle of the workshop.

The sticks’ electric shocks struck one of the wooden shapes right in the middle, to Duff ’s uncontainable delight – and obviously mine too.

The Guit’s waves blew away three of the five targets Saul was allowed, but while he was firing away, Megan performed an improvised lap dance without the aid of a pole in her delight over her boyfriend’s performance. Duff got distracted; our new vocalist’s prominent breasts bounced up and down, causing yet another hormone surge in our whipping bassist.

He put up a good show as well though, breaking the targets set up by Charlotte into a thousand pieces. That marked the end of the afternoon’s rehearsals.

«Next time I’m hoping for a glam microphone!» said Megan, starting to snog Saul again.

Me and Duff left them to their passionate embrace, concentrating on Charlotte’s post-rehearsal test. She began to oil the handle of the Whipper bass, to check the shark’s teeth and clean the knobs of the potentiometers on the Guit. My Shockers ended up in a small incubator to be recharged.

«They work by battery» explained Charlotte, her face flushed with the heat from her work lamp. «It’s the only drawback. I think that I’ll manage to install a small recharger on your sleeves for the Tourna3 His bulge was back.

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ment so you can check how much charge is left».

«Thanks. You’re amazing!»

«It’s my job» she answered automatically. «I hope that’s not a problem» she added then, lifting her gaze from the bench. Her green eyes flicked to indicate Megan’s attempt to strangle Saul by sticking her tongue down his throat.

«Shit, I really hope so» muttered Duff, holding a hand to his trousers. «Look, I was hoping that the Tournament rules would, like, have something that stops out of tune singers from taking part. Plus I don’t want to have to be worrying about my friend in my underpants when I’m playing on stage».

He said it without embarrassment, which made me realise that the situation was really serious. I still couldn’t stop laughing. «You’re terrible!»

«Don’t fucking laugh, pussy! This is no laughing matter».

«I advise you to imagine Megan’s tits flaccid and wrinkly» Charlotte interrupted taking off her white lab coat. «It’s a good way to contain your libido».

«What would you know about it?» grunted Duff, staring at her.

«A bit strange to get advice from a virgin boffin».

Charlotte left the lab coat on the bench and walked away with her head down.

I snorted, glaring at Duff.

«It’s not my fault if it’s true» the bassist protested.

Megan left the workshop after a long snogging session with Saul.

«Can’t you do that somewhere else?» asked Duff. «That bimbo will be my ruin».

«Man, stay cool. Keep it under control». Saul’s gaze fell on the bulge in his trousers.

«It should be her who has to keep that backside and those big tits under control».

«You’re both perverts».

«Listen who’s talking. The pussy who’d like to bonk the boffin!»

«Shit».

Duff ’s stream of insults and curses was drowned out by the roar of an engine from outside the workshop. Charlotte opened the door and, framed against the sunset and the rain-washed road, we saw our van and granddad Mortimer.

«Hello everyone» shouted the old man, the fake murderer.

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«Hi, granddad». Charlotte ran to hug him.

«Hey, I’ve only been away a few hours».

«It seemed much longer. So, how did it go?»

«Oh, really well I’d say. The new engine drives like a dream!»

The van was still ticking over. Now practically nothing on it was broken and white clouds no longer emerged from the bonnet. The body had been restored; it was striking in gleaming metallic grey with air-brushed tongues of flame forming the words DRC. We were speechless. Duff leapt forward to kiss the bonnet, while me and Saul opened the sliding doors; the passenger compartment had been left just as it was and as smelly as ever.

«I thought you might have been sentimentally attached to the worn seats and rust. I’ve left everything as it was inside. I just mended the radio» said Charlotte. The setting sun lit the lovely smile on her delicate face.

We went back to the workshop all excited, thanking our customiser until she’d had enough. Charlotte went into the house to make something for dinner while me and the others were entertained by granddad Mortimer’s chatter.

«I’ve got some interesting news» he exclaimed solemnly, waving one of his bony hands in the air. «You want to know what it is?»

«Out with it, Morty. As long as it’s not a ridiculous story like the one about the corpses» yawned Duff lying on the floor.

«I’ve taken my medication» answered the old man testily. «The last thing I expected from you greenhorns was warm thanks». He admonished us with his skeletal finger. «I wanted to bring you up to date with some regrettable events to do with the Rock Warriors. But if you’re going to take it like that, I’ll go and keep my dear granddaughter company in the kitchen».

«Mr Mortimer» I stopped him as he was about to turn his back on us, «I’d be interested to hear. What’s happened?»

Drawn in by my attention, the old man was ready to get it off his chest. «Well, you brats. Something inexplicable has happened. I heard about it at the school office and got confirmation from the newspapers. Don’t you read the newspapers, brats?»

«Not much» I admitted honestly.

«I stopped reading them when I was six» answered Duff.

Granddad Mortimer’s face dropped. «I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. I was talking about the Tournament. We don’t know how yet, but some bands in the competition have pulled out for no apparent 132

reason». He paused, observing our alert expressions. «And, worse still, others have dropped out of circulation». He spoke as though the surrounding walls had ears.

«What bands?» asked Saul.

The old man put his chin on his hand, thinking. «I can never remember those wacky names. But two friends who go to the pub in the centre told me that their grandchildren had vanished into thin air. They played in the bands that dropped out».

I exchanged glances with Saul. Duff continued to ignore us, lying in the corner.

«Mmmm» said the old man scratching his chin. «Something happens every year. In the final last year, the Vikings’ Dragons broke the enclosures round the pit, do you remember? I was there».

«I didn’t take you for a fan». For a moment I forgot the man who welcomed me to B. House with a cup of tea in hand.

«I like talking about interesting things» answered the old man. In an apathetic town like this, the Tournament is the best topic of conversation around. Nobody’s talked about anything else at the pub lately».

He tried to cover the last few words by pretending to cough. «In any case, I think that the people in the Prison for Out of Line Rockers will investigate the kids’ disappearance».

«You bet! Tripke is always under your feet» exclaimed Saul, annoyed. «I can’t bear him, man. He’s a first-class shit who tries to put a spoke in everyone’s wheel, just so he can get ahead».

«Well said, lad. The person who should be making sure you respect the law is the worst criminal of the lot» agreed the old man.

At last Charlotte came down to tell us dinner was ready. She’d made succulent hamburgers for everyone. Her granddad – or presumed murderer, as I still believed – went out. «I’m going out to make some soup».

«It’s ready, granddad. You just have to heat it up. It’s spicy, as you like it».

«What dearest granddaughter» his voice got faint as he went through the door leading to the upper floors and stairway.

We stuffed ourselves with hamburger and chips, washing everything down with ice-cold coke. The best food in the world! Manna of the gods, as Duff said4.

In the late evening, the automatic door of the garage opened onto 4 I doubt if he knew the true meaning of “manna”.

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a dark and silent night. Out there somewhere, kids had disappeared, Dragons and Vikings were sharpening their horns, ultra-powerful weapons were in the hands of a group of idiots and something had put out the starlight in the cloudless sky. Plus there was a desperate demon who wanted his friends back.

I thanked sweet Charlotte for everything she had done for us. After that we got into the van to escape the usual blanket of moisture, agreeing to meet next day. With a light touch on the pedal, the engine started and we left Charlotte’s little road to join the main road after travelling down another couple of identical little roads.

My house had turned into a free bed and breakfast. Duff and Saul had volunteered to stay with me every evening. Rather than sleep alone and stay awake every night until the beginning of the tournament, I was happy to go along with their suggestion. My mother’s immaculate living room had turned into an improvised dormitory.

That’s where we met and spent our free time once we’d finished rehearsing in the workshop.

It had been a really hard week. We had to put up with Megan and her bum notes; Megan and her spoilt antics; Megan and the kisses and pouts she threw out to right and left; Megan and her snogging with Saul at the least opportune moments; Megan and her breath-taking curves – though this was admittedly Duff ’s problem and had a lot to do with his animal instincts.

«They’re too big» he sighed, burying his head in the embroidered cushions on the sofa. «Sorry, mate. I feel disgusting telling you all about my desires».

«I’m not offended, man» answered Saul, sitting comfortably on my mother’s valuable rug. «Just that… well, I think you could do with a girlfriend. Not just for shagging, man. You know, in general I mean.

It would, like, do you good».

I agreed with Saul but didn’t want to go into it. It was better to keep Duff well away from certain topics. He would undoubtedly have ended up taking the subject too far, talking about me and my interest in Charlotte.

The evening went on with TV, video games and junk food that we forced down.

At a certain point, tiredness took over our remaining vital forces and we collapsed into a collective sleep.

The following morning, I was the first one to open my eyes, woken 134

up by the TV that was still on. They were broadcasting the local TV news. A middle-aged woman was talking about mysterious disappearances and murders: «We have breaking news of three bodies found outside town. The completely disfigured victims appear to be members of a rock band who have travelled here to take part in the legendary Rock Warrior Tournament, a contest for young bands that is known chiefly for its extreme encounters. A special team from the Prison for Out-of-Line Rockers is investigating the event to find out whether there are any links with the upcoming event. And now, the weather…»

«The only thing missing was the phrase ‘you’ll be next’». Saul’s voice was still muffled by sleep. Duff was still snoring, submerged by cushions.

«We’ll have to watch our backs. They might doubt there are any links between the murders and the Tournament, but I certainly don’t» I answered. «Bands withdrawing their registrations. Musicians dead or disappearing without trace. What more evidence do they need? It’s obvious that someone intends to sabotage the Tournament».

«Why should they sabotage it?»

«I don’t know. The only person who comes to mind and could have something to do with it is Antony. But why? There’s no sense to it».

«What if it was the demon? He’s getting his revenge, Matt. Antony stole his instruments and became the heir of B. House. Man, it was all he cared about».

«The demon can’t come out of there; he’s stuck in the basement, remember? Antony could carry the instrument out of the house because he’s the blood heir. But the demon is a prisoner down there».

«What the fuck are you talking about?» Duff had woken up. He granted us an exclusive view of his internal organs as he opened his mouth wider and wider to yawn.

«Nothing» I said shortly. «Let’s have breakfast and get ready. The train is leaving for the stadium in two hours».

«Yes, fuck. I’m dying of hunger. But is Megan coming on the train as well?»

«I think so, man. Why?» «Well that’s goodbye to a peaceful trip».

We ate breakfast in the kitchen, in silence. The voice of the middleaged woman continued to echo round my head.

In just under half an hour, we packed our stuff into our backpacks; a quick trip to the bathroom to siphon off the last drops of liquid tension and we were off, out of the house.

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«I hope we come back alive» I said bitterly closing the front door.

Duff and Saul were ready behind me. They didn’t answer.

It was a sunny morning, hot enough to sit out in the park. My mum would have spent it going around gossiping with her friends. I thought of her, a distant memory that popped out at the worst moment. Was she okay? Would she forgive me? I mustn’t think about it.

Charlotte arrived punctually, accompanied by granddad Mortimer.

«Hi» I greeted them.

«Hi. Granddad has decided not to come» she explained, but her eyes betrayed her understandable disappointment. The old man by her side hugged her to himself and smiled.

«Too exhausting, brats. I’ll follow you from home. These are your train tickets and the registration receipt. Take care and keep your eyes peeled». He smiled at us too, a smile that I unfortunately considered a negative sign.

«Good luck, rocker!» He shouted with his tongue stuck out, clenching his fists up in the air.

We laughed at him in amusement, including Charlotte, who jumped on her granddad to hug him.

We walked with our backpacks toward the station. Bands traditionally had to arrive at the stadium on the Rock Rocket, the official Tournament train. Our van was still in the road outside my house; would it be all that was left for posterity after our death?

«I took the instruments to the station yesterday, they should already be on the train» Charlotte told us. «They’re all catalogued in my portable database with a satellite positioning system».

«So the instruments are practically theft-proof ?» What a brilliant mind! I couldn’t just not say anything and nod as Duff and Saul had.

«It’s what I hope», she answered impassively. After days when she had dressed only in a lab coat, seeing her wearing her checked shirt was a joy to the eyes. «It was Charlotte’s official “uniform”; the one that made me blush at school.

The shadows of the trees in bloom shaded us from the increasingly hot sun. We walked through the underpass near the park to come out at the entrance of the small railway station. Under the red brick arches and colonnades, a sea of rockers the same age as us waited for its departure.

The gunbarrel grey Rock Rocket was standing at platform 9-34.

The names of the bands who had competed in previous editions of the Tournament and the names of dead musicians were engraved 136

along its length, on every wagon. Red writing on dark metal.

The station was reserved for rockers for the whole morning.

There was no trace of the commuters who had been forced out of circulation.

In the midst of all that, we felt like prey thrown to a pack of hungry wolves. Charlotte’s little voice told us the way. «We are in carriage number six. It’s over there» she said, forcing her way through the hundreds of faces that were eyeing us. We followed her like obedient children.

My head became an unpleasantly seething cauldron. The thought of having to beat Antony and get back the stolen instruments began to gouge out huge holes in my stomach! For Axl, I repeated, we’re doing this for Axl. Hold on, mate!

«Cheer up, man. At least we don’t have to steal anyone’s souls any more».

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18

The tournament

Reading Railway train 9831 is departing at 11 am, bound for Les Paul Station. It will not be stopping on the way.

The voice from the speakers made everyone spring into action.

It was 10:48.

Charlotte was swallowed up by the crowd, shouldered aside by a group of punks; they all wore huge purple crests apart from one girl who had a completely shaved head and was covered with piercings.

«All okay?» I asked, extricating her from the throng.

«I-I’m … fine. Thanks» she answered reappearing. Amongst the crowd, she really did look like a child. «Shall we go? We’re nearly there».

Her glasses had slipped down to the tip of her nose. She pushed them back, gulping a mouthful of air before she plunged back down into the scrum.

We had to elbow and sweat our way to the carriage; we were lucky we didn’t have to carry the instruments. I knew that until a few years earlier, the bands had been forced to carry their guitars and basses on their backs. It was only in recent editions that the organisation had set up a check-in system that could be used up to the day before the departure of the Rock Rocket. Our stuff and that of the other bands was already stowed away and safe in the cargo wagon at the end.

Reading Railway train 9831 departing at 11 am for Les Paul Station...

10:58.

The carriages started to judder. The train started up and was ready to set off.

In the heaving human tide, Charlotte managed to get herself carried along by the kids getting into the carriage. She was crammed into a little corner, in the part of the corridor leading to the compartments.

We went with the flow and managed to get on in time.

I heard Duff swearing behind me, joined by some other foul138

mouthed passengers. Saul had managed to sneak in between two tall, bearded guys. I don’t know how he’d managed it, but he was still hanging on to Megan, who we’d met among the throng in the station.

The singer was like a living passkey. No one was left indifferent by her passing, not even the girls. She smiled like a diva, casting contrived simpers and smiles about her. Saul seemed to take it philosophically, not jealous at all.

At the Rock Rocket’s whistle, the mechanical door closed behind our backs, pushing in anyone who was still on the carriage entrance steps. Another whistle and the wheels began to turn on the tracks.

I saw the empty platform from one corner of the window.

«Fuck, that was hard work! Bloody hell» gasped Duff. «I feel ready to flop, guys. Hey, where are you going, pussy?»

While Duff was collapsed on the ground and Saul and Megan had begun to snog undisturbed, I went ahead to look for an empty compartment together with Charlotte.

I elbowed my way through the little space available to pass a compartment occupied by four guys clad in jackets and ties, identical pudding basin haircuts and dark glasses. They looked at least twenty years older than us. Further on, a couple had started to go over the words of a country rock song. They were dressed in old-fashioned clothes, shirts with tipped collars and braces holding up trousers rolled at the ankle.

Further on, the places were almost all taken but Charlotte, who had slipped in even further on, managed to find a free compartment.

«Here!» I heard her yell, waving a hand to get my attention.

I managed to thread my way through three kids who had got onto the wrong carriage and were blocking the passage. I went into the compartment. «Here I am! Let’s wait for the carriage to empty. Then I’ll go and call the others».

«Okay» answered Charlotte, taking off her backpack and putting her metal case under one of the seats.

The compartment had a strong smell of flowers1. The walls were covered in purple wallpaper and the seats were made out of worn leather. I closed the glass door to shut out the continual hubbub coming from the corridor.

«Is everything okay, Charlotte?» She had rolled up the sleeves of her shirt and was cleaning her dresses with a blue handkerchief she 1 It smelt like a mortuary. Who knows why…

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had taken out of her pocket.

«Apart from the people». Her eyes were watering. She was fluttering her eyelashes repeatedly.

«Don’t you like people?»

«That’s not what I said» she corrected me, putting her glasses back on, but the tone wasn’t acerbic: it was her usual practical and sincere voice. «I have problems when there are too many people. I always get to school late or really early. Haven’t you noticed?»

I would have liked to answer yes, of course I had noticed, but I decided to be honest. «To tell you the truth, no. Well, now we are well away from the crowd». And this is where I should have edged a bit closer to her, focusing on her lips…

«But I wasn’t at death’s door» she answered seriously. «I just wanted to find somewhere to sit and be quiet. I find it difficult to deal with more than five or six people for a long time. I’m sorry, Matt, I can’t…

I don’t feel at ease».

«Oh, I understand» I answered like an idiot. I couldn’t think of anything else to add and so I said nothing and put my backpack on the luggage rack above my head.

Once that was sorted out, the responsible part of me decided that the time had come to go and get the others. «I’ll be straight back» I announced. I couldn’t manage to hide a touch of disappointment when I saw a taciturn Charlotte sitting next to the window.

«See you in a bit» she answered, distracted by the view out of the window.

By the time Saul, Megan and Duff had settled into the compartment, the Rock Rocket had already left the built-up area behind it.

Countryside, copses and streams flew by out of the window. The sun struggled to be seen behind huge fluffy dark clouds that threatened rain before we arrived at the station.

The compartment door opened onto a corridor that was empty and quiet at last. «Good evening kids. My name’s Nath Podollack» we were greeted by a guy of about thirty dressed in phosphorescent orange overalls. «I’m part of the Rock Warrior staff. These are the official rules. I advise you to read them carefully. In the first section, you’ll find the pairs for the first round and the full running order of the Tournament». He said everything in one breath. «Relax and enjoy the trip. Goodbye». He gave me the sheet with the rules, closed the door and carried on his rounds to the next compartment.

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I turned straight to the last part of the document.

«Well, man, how we fixed?» asked Saul by my side, peering at the sheet.

Charlotte was lost in her thoughts. Duff and Megan were hanging off my words. «Well?» shrieked the glamour puss in agitation.

«Hang on a second» I replied running my eyes down the list of contests. «Here we are: DRC against… Splash Inc! Do you know them?»

«Never heard of them» answered Duff, sinking into the seat.

«That’s a good sign, isn’t it? It’ll be some useless band that no one has ever heard of».

«Knowing the names of a few bands who play in the pub in the town centre doesn’t mean we know all the groups around, Duff» I said hesitantly. «Bands arrive from everywhere, even abroad, to play in the Tournament. Who knows where they all come from; look at the Vikings».

«We’ll beat all of them» exclaimed Megan pointlessly. «Isn’t that right, babe?»

«That’s what we hope, baby. We have to save Axl, that’s why we are fighting, but none of us wants to break our necks» answered Saul.

I noticed puzzlement on Charlotte’s face for a moment and then carried on reading. «Listen to this» and began to read out loud: «One fundamental rule to be scrupulously respected is that you should realise that there are rules to be respected once you are on stage. The Rock Warrior Tournament is one of the most ancient creative arts tournaments ever established in our country by our founding fathers. Because the rules have never been reviewed, the safety of participants is not a priority and the event still retains all the excitement and cruelty of a bygone age. In order to avoid unpleasant consequences, the educational board and the local radio, which are the event organisers, therefore call on all bands in the competition to be aware of this and take action to avoid tragic fatalities. The following rules must indisputably be respected off the stage and throughout your stay in the campsite near the stadium. Anyone infringing these rules will be punished by special teams from the Prison for Out-of-Line Rockers.

1– Do not steal instruments from other bands; 2 – Do not play outside the stadium at non-permitted times…» And so it went on for dozens of boring pages, plus a load of equally boring and pointless footnotes.

I passed the rules to the others, but nobody wanted to sit down and read through them and so I continued to flip through the folder.

The final page showed the complete running order of the Tournament; it had been altered by hand due to the sudden disappearances 141

and deaths. The chart shows the old pairings, with the twelve original rock bands. Eight appeared now, including our battle with Splash Inc. We were overcome by a general torpor. We couldn’t keep our eyes open any longer. I gazed at the view out of the train window for a last moment. Dark figures flitted by beyond the deserted countryside, threads of black clouds scudded faster than the wind…

I closed my eyes. …

My senses reactivated and I woke up, but I still kept my eyes closed.

«Do you think that the demon’s instruments are a few carriages away? We could get them and jump off the train. And no Tournament-slaughterhouse!»

It was Duff ’s voice.

«If you don’t mind me saying so» interjected the voice of Charlotte who was sitting by my side. «If I were you I’d rather be torn apart live in a rock battle than break my bones by throwing myself off a moving train».

Duff indicated his disapproval with a grunt.

«We can’t steal anything outside the stadium, man. It’s written in the rules, didn’t you hear Matt earlier?»

«The prison, Duff» I said opening my eyes. It started to rain, the drops were striking and running down the windows of the moving train. «You want to go back there?»

«Fuck, no» answered my friend with a tremor in his voice.

«They’d throw us in there straight away». Until then, I hadn’t even thought of it. What was the prison like, for a prisoner? «We’ll get them back by competing on the stage» I said decisively.

«We’ll beat their asses?»

«You can bet».

«You’re brave, pussy, or an idiot. But I like it when you talk like that. You should do it more often».

I smiled miserably.

The train was travelling slowly over an old bridge that crossed a wooded area. The late afternoon and black clouds had done away with the sun and blue sky. The electric light came on in the compartment.

«Don’t you ever change that horrendous shirt?» Megan was drowsing on Saul’s shoulder. Woken by our voices, she had thrown down a sort of… provocation? Statement of intent? Charlotte Michelle’s pale skin flushed.

«E-excuse me? Why? It’s… clean».

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«It’s an old rag» protested Megan, gesticulating with yellow varnished nails. «You should come with me and go shopping! I can think of little dresses that would look great on you, darling. A nice pink top and low-rise jeans would look good on you as well, isn’t that right babe? Glam forever!»

«I wouldn’t know, honey. Charlotte’s got her own style» answered Saul vaguely. He had put his hand on Megan’s bare thigh.

«My shirt is absolutely fine» said Charlotte, trying to get the upper hand. «I-I go through my wardrobe once a year, I’ve got no time for fashion on the other three hundred and sixty-four days».

Megan snorted but did not stop. «If you come with me, you won’t regret it. And you’ll thank me when all the boys are after you. You’re pretty, but I could change you into a sex bomb».

«I’m sorry but… I don’t want anything of the kind». Charlotte hid as much of herself as she could in the folds of her roomy checked shirt.

The trainer had gone over the bridge and the compartment door opened again. It was another guy from the staff. «Hi, guys. Leonard Perkins. Which group are you? I have to give you your identification wristbands».

«We are the DRC» I replied. «And our customiser».

Leonard Mott wrote something on a card. «Perfect, here you are.

Marked down. And these are your wristbands. This is the badge for the customiser. Train tickets? Perfect, perfect. Fine, everything is in order».

«Thank you».

«Same to you. Good luck with the battles. See you later!»

They were red rubber wristbands. The badge to be worn around the neck showed Charlotte’s full name. She put it on straight away. It was a relief to see that Megan was too busy sucking Saul’s tongue to resume the discussion about fashion. In that moment I thought of something: I would have given my right arm to see Charlotte dressed up in jeans and a top.

«We should be there by now, shouldn’t we? Fuck, we’ve been travelling for about twenty million hours».

«Yes, we shouldn’t be far away now» I told Duff, who was standing with his nose stuck to the window, looking out.

«What a bummer. I would really like to have beaten that shitty 143

bastard already and to be on the train back».

«To be honest, I didn’t even want to be involved in the robbery.

That’s what started everything» I said gloomily.

Duff was just about to come up with one of his epoch-making curses, but message over the loudspeaker stopped him. It was a woman’s voice (a woman or a man? Difficult to tell) was speaking.

DING DONG. In a few minutes will arrive at the Les Paul station with a delay of forty-five minutes. We apologise for the inconvenience.

«Fucking hell!» barked Duff. «Asexual bitch».

The train began to whistle and the wheels squealed. The drops on the window jumbled the reflected lights of Les Paul station.

The corridor was as packed as it had been when we set off. We grabbed our backpacks and went out, ending up being squashed against the carriage windows.

A group of heavy metal rockers with studded leather jackets and shocking pink trousers were talking about kittens.

«Have you got a problem, little guy?» The biggest of them said, realised that I was listening in on their conversation.

«Absolutely not. I…um, adore kittens!» He laughed, a sweet and captivating laugh hidden behind a thick and unruly beard.

After a few minutes queuing, we were welcomed by fresh air and the smell of wet earth. Luckily it had stopped raining.

Les Paul station was also very small. The platform filled with hundreds of kids within a few seconds. A team of men in orange overalls were waiting for us in the only clear area of the platform, next to the carriages at the head of the train. One of them brought a megaphone up to his mouth. «Listen up everyone! Make orderly lines and don’t lose sight of our group. I will read out the pairs for the first heat in order. Please could the first two bands that I call come over here for the identification check. Then all the others can come».

Next to the group in orange overalls, I glimpsed the shapes of three prison officers, including Tripke. He looked worried and was wearing sunglasses despite the gloom.

«Creep» exclaimed Saul between his teeth. «And sell-out» «Who is he?» asked Megan curiously. A group of boys was already looking at her with their eyes on stalks.

«One of the vultures from the prison, honey. The one that was about to throw us inside. The same one that allowed himself to be corrupted by that arse-licking shit Antony».

The man at the megaphone started to talk again. «Rock War144

rior Tournament, one hundred and fiftieth edition. First round, first battle. The bands that will face one another in the opening battle are Splash Inc and the DRC. Over here, please! I repeat: DRC, Splash Inc, over here!»

I heard Charlotte’s voice from very far away. She was next to me and she was shouting to attract my attention, pointing to the man with the megaphone. I couldn’t understand her and the little dumb show seemed full of anxiety. A whistle that started quietly and then became louder and more insistent confused me. Then I felt dizzy and lines of cold sweat broke out behind my neck and on my forehead. All these symptoms you feel just before you’re about to pass out. I stayed standing, though, making an effort not to drop onto the ground.

People continue to pour out of the carriages. I was in the middle of the flow of people, more and more crushed and overcome by waves of panic. I really felt bad, my vision was blurred.

I was barely aware of the presence of the others by my side.

Pressed by Charlotte («Matt, they’ve called your band!») I began to move. It was an effort to peel my feet off the ground and I dragged them as though my shoes were full of lead.

«DRC?» The man on the megaphone in the orange overalls spoke and now I could hear sounds and voices again. Someone answered.

«Sorry, what’s that you said?» asked the staff member in confusion.

«I think so». Raising my voice made me feel slightly lightheaded.

Was I making too much of it? How would you feel if you’d just got off the train where you’d been shoved around like a billiard ball and then were suddenly called to be thrown like puppets into a stadium to fight? I’d had quite a lot of time to prepare myself mentally for the Tournament but being there was different. I was already taking a big risk.

«Let me see the wristband. The badge. Good. You’ll be on stage in an hour. Follow the path and you’ll get to the campsite and your tent. It’s number eighty-five. Your instruments are already there. May the Warriors’ path light your way!»

The man with the megaphone spoke the last phrase with fake solemnity, indicating a footpath a little further down.

It was completely dark, that suddenly dozens of tongues of fire erupted from the ground on either side of the unsurfaced footpath, marking a track that was lost in the darkness of a wood.

«Before you go on stage», the man with the megaphone resumed «you’ll be searched by prison officers. Please. Splash Inc, it’s your 145

turn, over here!»

Before taking another step, I turned round. Splash Inc. was the punk group we had seen when we started out. The girl covered with piercings had an ugly look. She said something to her companions and came forward.

«Here we are again, face to face» said an unpleasant voice. Tripke took off his glasses and laughed sarcastically with his colleagues, a tall man and a short man with his jacket collar pulled up.

«Unfortunately» sneered Duff. «There’s no getting away from you dickheads».

The officer took something out of his pocket. «Don’t give me a reason to use this again, lad». He was gripping the taser in his hand.

Duff ’s hand instinctively flew to his neck.

«I could decide to pull you in for the disappearances and murders over the last few days». Tripke replaced the weapon and told us we could go, without searching us. The other two officers raised their sunglasses enough to enjoy the spectacle of Megan’s miniskirt and cleavage.

The fiery footpath wound over a hill. Beyond the flames, we were watched by the curious eyes of owls, visible in the darkness through the interwoven branches.

«Man, what are you doing? Watch out!» Saul yanked me towards him, pulling me out of my darkest thoughts. «One more step over there and you would’ve caught fire».

«Oh… thank you… I stuttered uncertainly, and continued.

Charlotte led the way. The metal case glittered in the glare of the waves of heat and fire.

«What’s that you’ve got?» demanded Duff, taking off his beanie to fan his sweat-soaked face.

«Your pedals» and Charlotte. «Overdrive for the guitar and effects for the bass».

«Is that all? What the fuck. I expected something like support weapons».

«Oh, well» resumed Charlotte, «They’re not ordinary pedals like the ones you had in your backpacks».

«Who told you I’d got pedals in my backpack? Hey, and what the fuck do you mean by had?»

«In the station, two guys opened your backpack and took something out. I saw what they took.

Duff stopped and flung his backpack on the ground, finding that 146

the zip really was open. «You’re nothing but a little shit» he yelled.

«Why didn’t you tell me?»

Charlotte shrugged her tiny shoulders. «I… didn’t want to be the cause of arrests and disorder. If I’d told the officers about the theft, I would have got at least a couple of bands expelled from the Tournament».

«But that means I haven’t got my pedals any more!» Duff was furious. He threw his backpack back on. «You’re not normal. I don’t know which of you is worse, you or the old man. Now what am I going to do without my effects pedal? What a pain. And what right have you got to be part of the DRC? Our customiser? I shouldn’t have listened to you, pussy. I shouldn’t have!»

Charlotte’s lips starting to tremble. She stuck her nose in the air.

Her eyes shone as green as her metal case. «You won’t need them» she said, with a slight catch in her voice. «Did you think that… did you really think that I’d leave you without your instruments? I’ve got all the pedals you’ll need. I… I think you hate me! What have I done to you? Leave my granddad alone!» She let herself fall to the ground on her knees. The fire of the footpath filled her tears with a host of tiny reflected flames.

I cursed myself again and again because I couldn’t find the courage to give her heart, to tell her that everything was going fine and that Duff was an idiot.

Megan took charge of it, detaching herself from Saul. «Darling, stay cool. Don’t take any notice of that prick». She held her and consoled her as though she was her best friend. My heart warmed to her, but I still felt like a bastard without a shred of courage.

Duff was glued to the spot, without opening his mouth. Just at that moment of embarrassment and gloom, our adversaries arrived at the end of the path. They did not even grant us a glance. The girl with the piercings steered the group past Charlotte and Megan.

When our little customiser had recovered, we continued along the fiery pathway. After a few minutes, the hilltop where the stadium stood loomed out of the night, backlit by a sky now clear of clouds and full of stars.

The stadium was so big that it occupied the whole hilltop: a familiar immense, futuristic oval shape.

When we arrived at the campsite, which had been set up right under the stadium. The entrance to the tent city, lit by more fiery torches, was marked by an iron fence and a rusty gate.

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«Hello, guys. DRC, is that right? Your tent is the third at the end of this road. Get your instruments and go to the entrance to the pits on the east side of the stadium» explained another staff member in orange overalls near the gate. «May the power of the Warriors enter your bones!»

And so we went on. There were about a hundred tents of all sizes.

The other bands in the competition began to arrive behind us. I recognised the country music couple I’d seen in the train.

I didn’t want to think about why I hadn’t consoled Charlotte when Duff sounded off. I was still tormented by a sense of guilt and a thousand and one considerations at that moment. I was so far away that I didn’t even realise we’d reached tent number eighty-five. My consciousness deserted me after the megaphone announcement and I skipped several scenes.

Something happened in the tent but I wasn’t there to experience it with my friends. The next thing I knew I was holding the Electric Shockers in my hand and following my group between the forest of tents.

I lifted my eyes skyward. Seen from close by, the stadium was as imposing as I remembered it. Previous editions I’d seen as a spectator seemed decades ago.

I skipped more scenes. Now I was following Saul and Megan and Duff into an underground tunnel. Where was Charlotte? There she was; at the head of the group.

As thoughts and memories continued to gel in my brain, the noise of hundreds and hundreds of voices invaded the tunnel under the stadium. Above my head, I noticed iron grates communicating with the stands. The stamping of the spectators made the walls tremble and the after-shocks of those vibrations went straight to your heart.

At the end of the tunnel and the grates, yet another team in orange overalls, aided by some prison agents, gave us more instructions.

«DRC? Your adversaries are already in the pits. This way».

We showed our wristbands and badges before entering a narrow section of tunnel. None of us took a breath. At a certain point, it felt as if I was walking by myself. Duff sneezed by my side and I remembered I was with my group. You bastard, I could hit you! How could you allow yourself to insult Charlotte?

Another shift in time and there I was in the pit, under stage level.

This was where all the participating groups were stationed, together with the staff and the officers, as well as the reporters.

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The roar became more insistent and thunderous.

I tried to concentrate on what was happening in our pit. All the instruments were laid out on the workbench available to Charlotte for pre-and post-battle modifications and overhauls.

«A quarter of an hour to go, guys» announced Saul, checking his mobile phone display.

Duff had started to chew his fingernails. Megan was calmer than any of us. «I know you’ll make us look brilliant, darling» she said to Charlotte. She smiled and winked like a consummate pop star.

The customiser smiled politely. «I did my best». She’d opened the metal case. «This is for youC. She pulled out a microphone encrusted with silvery glitter. «Just like you wanted. Do you like it?»

Megan squeaked and jumped, shaking her new microphone. «It’s too bling for words! Darling, you’re just the best! Kiss» and she airkissed an extremely embarrassed Charlotte profusely to thank her.

Saul and Duff were given their special pedals. The guitar pedal was not only an overdrive but could apparently simulate a small earthquake on stage while the bass pedal created an incandescent gas cloud.

Charlotte also explained how the microphone operated to Megan.

«You can set all your adversaries’ amplifiers to stand-by for a few seconds if you press this key. The battery will only let you do it once per battle».

I wasn’t very good at encouraging my band mates. My condition at that moment made everything harder. Still, I tried to say something.

«Guys, we’re about to make our debut».

«In the Rock Warrior Tournament» completed Charlotte. She spoke without bitterness.

«I’m not saying this to get on your asses, I just want to remind you that we have to win this battle if we’re going to meet Antony in one of the following battles» interjected Duff, with his bass already on his back.

I nodded without much conviction, praying we could win; stay alive; still be in a good enough condition to gaze into Charlotte’s emerald eyes.

While we were waiting Megan, who was still in her dressing room getting changed. I stuck my head out of the pit. The electric lights turned to light the packed stands, while the gigantic metal mesh that covered the stage emitted an alarming buzzing noise. In the middle of the complex, the security teams combed every inch of the stage.

An incredible shout went up when the announcer introduced the 149

opening bout.

«After weeks of waiting and, unfortunately, unexplained deaths and disappearances, here we are! The show must go on. The one hundred and fiftieth edition of the Rock Warrior Tournament is about to begin!» yelled the rousing voice from the speaker. «A few more minutes and the first rock bands will appear on stage”. Another roar.

«In accordance with tradition, we will see two brand-new groups performing in the opening bout!»

Yells, whistles and anxiety inexorably spread out to strangle me from within. I was about to regret that I hadn’t heeded mum’s warning. I imagined her with some friend or distant aunt smoking and talking about any personal thing that came into their heads.

I drew my head back into the pits.

«Hey over there! Look over here! What do you think?»

Megan had come out of the dressing room. Duff ’s jaw dropped.

Saul admired his girlfriend with his eyes wide and shining. She was wearing a little black dress in shiny leather. Torn fishnet stockings and knee-high boots with really high wedges. Her vertiginous plunging neckline emphasised her over-abundant breasts. She had woven bright pink glittery strands into her dark wig of teased hair. The heavy make-up and long eyelashes made her unrecognisable.

«Double amazing» answered Saul.

«Double amazing» echoed Duff.

«Good» was all I could say, shifting my gaze to Charlotte. She was examining Megan’s costume. «You’ll be an excellent front girl» she commented, slightly intimidated by the over-the-top effect.

«You can say it out loud, darling!» SMACK! She threw kisses to everyone and sashayed out of the pit, with Saul and Duff trotting obediently behind her.

«They’ve forgotten their instruments. Will you tell them?» asked Charlotte sulkily.

I observed the scene. «They don’t deserve you. I’m sorry. Forgive me» I added, thinking back to what had happened on the fiery footpath. «For before, I mean. I should have told Duff where to get off».

Charlotte looked at me sympathetically. «You have no reason to be sorry. It wasn’t your job to intervene. You were anxious about the battle, I understand». She started to rock up and down on her tiptoes and fiddle with a button of her shirt.

«Well, in any case I should have let him know he was going too far».

«It’s okay. Really, it wasn’t up to you. I was in a bit of a state as well.

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Now I’m fine. Go, now. Go and waste those punk rockers!»

She gave me a beaming smile. The thing that was gripping my stomach relaxed and stopped gnawing at my soul.

A moving platform lifted us up from the level of the pits to above the stage. We emerged from our station and an avalanche of yells, voices, sounds and colours poured onto us from all sides like molten lava. Our silence contrasted with the terrible din on the stands. I stopped there, facing our adversaries.

«Ladies and gentlemen, the first rock battle!» announced the commentator’s voice, boosted by hundreds of speakers positioned everywhere, even on the metal mesh of the cage above.

«The two bands facing each other in this challenge are slightly wet behind the ears but we have no doubt that they’ll sell their skins dearly to take home victory and get through this round!»

The crowd shouted even more loudly. I felt tension in my cold hands holding the sticks. The drum kit I had to play was huge. The commentator resumed: «In the first position, already warmed up for battle…Splash Inc!» Some applause, some booing. A delirious mix. «And in the second position, with the delectable Megan at the microphone2… The DRC!» Loads of yelling, a tide of whistling (partly excitement from the slavering fans). Indecent suggestions.

Then the lights went out. The noise level fell to a frenetic buzz.

My band mates looked about them. I did the same, with my sticks in hand. A spray of sparks flew from the tip of the Shocker that I was holding in my right hand.

The amplified voice of the announcer officially opened the challenge.

«As is usual in the first two heats, the performance involves playing cover songs. Which one will our warriors have chosen for this battle?

Are you already? Let the Rock challenge begin!»

Beams of coloured light came back on to light the stage, blinding us. The Splash Inc set off at top speed. One, two, three, four! A bark came from the drummer, a big muscle-bound guy with piggy ears.

The quartet shook their crests to work themselves up, except for the girl with the piercings, who was at the microphone. … Three, four! I set the rhythm with my sticks and Saul miraculously began the intro to Sweet Baby. But his fingers didn’t move 2 I’ll spare you the yells and comments from the stands.

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smoothly, his plectrum got stuck on the strings and the notes merely formed a couple of out-of-tune phrases. We had rehearsed the song so many times in Axl’s garage. We knew it off by heart. Exciting music that always got us really revved up. For the first time in our lives, we felt the terrible block that blights inexpert musicians when thrown on the mercy of an audience. A pair of eyes multiplied by the hundred thousand present, plus the spectators who were watching the TV news at home, not to mention the ones who were listening to us on the radio.

I lost the beat at least three or four times, I tried to catch the bass lines, but Duff wasn’t doing very well either. The words sung by Megan were the only safe anchor; which was really ironic, considering how things had gone in the workshop.

Sometimes she got stuck, but she was able to pull out of it: her sheer stage presence made up for her almost total lack of singing ability.

Your eyes are the colour of the sky as if they were thinking of rain I hate looking into those eyes and seeing a trace of pain…

Strumming amidst the din produced by a hundred thousand yelling mouths on the stage as legendary as that of the Rock Warrior Tournament was different from playing in the garage3 Whatever the outcome of the battle, could we feel satisfied? Given the mess we were making of it I would have preferred our first time to have been in a pub where we would only have had to put up with a bit of spitting, a few broken bottles and perhaps a few kicks up the backside.

The Splash Inc organised the first real attack of the battle. The two guitarists with their peaked crests harmonised the chords of their cover song. Clouds of pale blue smoke spat out of their guitar pickups and ended up surrounding us with a curtain of colour.

«It’s tear gas!» I shouted to my band mates. Saul and Duff were gradually overcoming their musician’s block. The chords and notes weren’t coming smoothly, but there were no more embarrassing gaps.

We were capable of playing Sweet Baby even with our eyes shut, but not there and not surrounded by fumes. The punk’s attack forced 3 That’s putting it mildly!

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us to stop.

Megan stopped too, overcome by the blue clouds. I saw her coughing and wheezing, while our adversaries didn’t miss a beat.

Me, Duff and Saul couldn’t react. Megan was the only one who tried to salvage something from the situation. The smoke cleared and, with her microphone held in clear view, she started to sing again. She didn’t do too badly: it might have been the affection of the audience, adrenaline of the moment, a spirit of revenge for the attack she had experienced or whatever, but her ear-splitting bum notes were increasingly less evident.

Saul yelled something into her ear, she laughed and began to dance. Sexy moves and kisses aimed at the front rows drove the audience wild: boys (the girls as well) started to yell at her as if they were possessed.

Even the announcer commented on our front girl’s amazing performance. «The DRC are fighting off the attacks from Splash Inc! The amazing Megan is pulling out all the stops, and what a brilliant sparkly microphone! Amazingly enough, the ‘Sweet baby’ kids are ahead of their rivals!»

I would have liked to send out some shocks with my drumsticks but I was scared of my band mates losing the beat just when they were getting up their courage again as a result of Megan’s crazy antics.

Saul went into his solo, his rival counterpart imitated him. Gradually the succession of notes became unbearable.

«I can hear fuck all! I can hear fuck all!» Yelled Duff, tossing about the locks that were sticking out from under his beanie. He tried to attack the punks by lashing out an ‘E flat’ with one of the four handles on the bridge installed by Charlotte. Unfortunately for him and for us, he was too impetuous and ended up whipping himself right in the chest. He fell to the ground, cursing.

«Hang on in there, you have to work that lever carefully! Saul, carry on like that! You too, Matt! Come on, guys!» Charlotte tried to encourage us from the edge of stage. She was the only real fan of the group unless you counted the choruses and whistles of approval for Megan’s tits and her pelvic thrusts.

I loved Charlotte’s encouragement. I tried to use it to my advantage.

Saul had finished his solo. Now all that was left was the outro.

«The rock battle between Splash Inc and DRC is getting more and more exciting and even!» said the announcer. «The winner will be decided by the final part of the cover!»

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Splash Inc attacked us with another cloud of teargas.

«Is that all you know how to do, you big fuckers?» yelled Duff.

«Aaaahhhh!» He tried to let loose the Whipper’s string again. His attack didn’t go as planned, but at least he avoided a second bout of self-flagellation.

Megan had the stadium in the palm of her hand as she improvised a lap dance with the microphone stand. Sweet Baby! Sweet Baby! She was giving it everything she had.

The amplifiers behind me whistled. Splash Inc had finished performing their song and were making an improvised attack, but Saul was quicker. He struck his guitar strings energetically with a double swooping movement and, controlling his potentiometers, shot an impact wave against the pair of guitarists that was powerful enough to disarm them. The two guitarists from the rival band flew through the air against the metal cage. The drummer with the piggy ears began a drum solo while the singer tried to hit a high note, operating some buttons on her microphone.

At last Duff managed to set off the Whipper properly. He turned the handle, aimed the key forward and struck. The released string darted from one side of the stage to the other, reaching its target.

The sticks flew out of the hands of the piggy drummer. The same fate awaited the weapon of the bassist, an awkward guy who had passively undergone everything that happened throughout the battle.

The punk singer tried to get back on track, gesticulating and yelling abuse at the fallen drummer in attempt to make him pick up his sticks.

It was all in vain, because the Splash members stayed on the ground.

The final announcement sent us to heaven and back. «And the winners of this battle… THE DRC!» Saul kissed his Guit-Wave Launcher. Duff yelled, his eyes red with his unsuccessful efforts to overcome the din made by the spectators.

I saw him jumping on me at the last minute. «I could kiss your butt, I feel so happy! Brilliant, Matt you pussy! We were really great!»

Megan allowed herself to pose for a few shots with the fans. If it hadn’t been for her, I don’t know whether we would have won the battle, but at the moment that was the least of my thoughts.

I hugged my band mates with tears in my eyes. At the same time as I was hanging on to Duff with joy, I saw Charlotte frozen at the entrance to the pit. She was smiling tightly, surrounded by the commotion of the groups and the Tournament staff, who had stayed to catch our performance.

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I lost sight of her immediately, submerged under the hugs of my fellow warriors.

I would have liked her to be on stage to celebrate with us. It was the only bum note of that interminable evening.

The last chords of Sweet Baby resounding in the amplifiers mingled with the general shouting. Some were still booing us, but we had won!

We had won the first battle of the Rock Warrior Tournament! Our first live gig! You couldn’t ask for a better debut.

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19

Antony & C. Boys

None of us had any intention of going to sleep.

The stadium emptied a few hours after the end of the battle. The only people left were the cleaners and some prison officers.

We celebrations until morning, from the pits to tent number eightyfive. The tournament staff had soundproofed our sleeping quarters – two guys in orange overalls told us at the end of the battle – so no one had any reason to complain about Duff ’s cries and Megan’s shrill and wanton screams. They couldn’t have said anything to us at all even if the tent hadn’t been soundproofed! We had the right to celebrate the way we wanted, didn’t we?

«Guys, I can’t believe it! We won!» shouted Saul, punching away at his mobile phone to tell his friends about our feat. Since we had left the stage, Megan had remained glued to his side. I was beginning to see her in a new light because she was so much more approachable than I expected. She messed around with the fans, she was a born exhibitionist but she had been the one responsible for our victory, without detracting in any way from the others… From Charlotte, in particular.

I appreciated the fact that she didn’t look at us scornfully, as often happened with the snobbish bimbos at school, who hardly deigned to look at us when they met us in the corridors. With her performance style and her in-your-face exhibitionism, she had brought out the best in us to put Splash Inc out of the running.

«Who’d have thought that those fucking punks were such limp dicks?» exclaimed Duff, drunk with laughter.

«Just like us, man. But they didn’t have a singer like ours» answered Saul beaming. He kissed Megan passionately much to the exasperation of Charlotte, who sat silently in a corner.

«Do you think I was good, babe?» she wasn’t that good at pretending to be surprised. It was just the way she was, she probably didn’t 156

even realise that she was like a spoiled brat who was big enough to know better.

We helped ourselves to containers of crisps and soft drinks provided by the organisation. We filled our glasses and toasted Axl. «To our friend, to our vocalist, bitch of the red demon trapped inside B. House!»

Duff ’s toast was accompanied by more laughter and cries of victory. I felt good and finally relaxed. No Tournament stress. No brainmangling thoughts. At least for that night, our fears seem to have been left outside the tent, on the damp field at the foot of the stadium.

But, for Christ’s sake, I couldn’t help watching Charlotte in her little corner, lost in the pages of an old book by the light of a glass lamp that she had put together herself. A few hours later, I felt asleep on my camp bed, leaving her absorbed in her reading.

The earth began to shake and I woke up.

Everyone woke up and we ran out of the tent. The sun was already high in the sky.

We were the only ones out of our own tents. The ground shook again under our feet when, for the second time, we heard the roar of the dragons from the stadium.

«What’s-on-earth’s-happening?» asked Megan, rubbing her eyes.

She was even more sexy when she had just woken up with her blue locks all mussed up. I couldn’t blame poor Duff, who was forced to hold his stomach in to try and hide his bulge.

«Honey, go inside, you’ll get cold». It was the only time I saw Saul in the grip of a brief moment of mild embarrassment caused by his stunning girlfriend.

«But babe! It must be at least twenty degrees» protested Megan.

Saul had no answer to that and was bound to accept the presence of his scantily clad girlfriend.

Charlotte had also run out of the tent. She was holding her book in one hand, with her finger marking where she’d got to on the page.

«Have you been reading until now? I asked in amazement. «It’s all okay, though. We had all forgotten about those dragons».

«I was reading, yes. I… I wasn’t sleepy, that’s all” she gave a sketchy smile. «If I can avoid sleeping, I do».

«Avoid it?»

«I think it’s a waste of time» she answered simply.

My expression encouraged her to expand. «If it wasn’t a biologi157

cal necessity, I wouldn’t sleep at all. Too many things to do and too little time to do them all properly. I’m going back in, but I’ve nearly finished». She pointed to the book and disappeared into the tent.

While Charlotte finished her book, me and the others decided to go over and see the dragons. We showed our wristbands at the east entrance and went into the tunnel.

Going into the stadium as a spectator was creepy and marvellous at the same time. We certainly haven’t become overnight celebrities, seeing things from the other side of the barricade caused a slight tingling in my belly button. The sensation was neither positive nor negative. I would say… just powerful. So intense that it made you want to get back on the stage and play.

The stands were half-deserted. In the middle of the stadium, the staff members tried to keep the great winged beasts under control.

Four imposing monsters who didn’t want to know anything about staying still. I found out that they were due to pose for a photo shoot for the official Tournament magazine. Real rock stars!

I saw the photographer gesticulating toward one of the Viking guys who was on his dragon’s back, then asking the staff to put the dragons closer to the centre of the stage.

«They’re frightening» said Duff. «I hope we’re not faced with them in the next round».

«Man, you’re right. We’re like mouthfuls of prime steak to them» answered Saul, with a tremor in his voice.

«But I think they’re lovely» said Megan, leaning over the balustrade.

Duff watched her bottom lustfully, like an old man pretending to read a newspaper on a park bench when he’s really there to drool over the girls who are out jogging.

The dragons finally took up position and the photographer began to snap away in a frenzy. The Vikings never changed their expression: sullen, unchanging and unfriendly.

«If they’re allowed into the stadium, they must be fighting in the afternoon» I reasoned. «I’d like to see the battle, though perhaps it would be better if we decided to rehearse the next song. What do you reckon?»

«That you’re right, pussy. The first went fine, but now we have got to get serious» answered Duff, tearing his gaze away from Megan’s backside.

«I agreed too, man» said Saul.

«And I’ll do what my baby wants» exclaimed Megan, raising her 158

hands in a victory sign.

We went back to the lawn, passing through the east entrance tunnel. It was a couple of hours after morning and the afternoon light had lightened the blue of the sky: now it was pale turquoise.

Before going back to tent eighty-five, we dropped in at the canteen for lunch.

«We just about to close». We were greeted by a girl in an orange uniform. «Oh, you’re the ones who won yesterday», she added raising her eyebrows. She smiled in recognition.

«We were watching them filming the dragons» I answered as an excuse. «Can we eat something?»

When I was resigned to walking out without anything, the girl’s expression changed.

«Go on, come in. Something must be left. Tell the cook I let you in».

«That’s really nice of you».

«You reckon?» she winked, letting us into the now-empty canteen tent. «May luck aid your power chords!»

«May it help us as well» added Duff. We indicated our approval with high-fives. A bit pathetic in that context, but at least it was spontaneous.

«Darling, there you are!» squeaked Megan, going forward, Charlotte had just finished having lunch.

«Hi» she said politely, fiddling with the usual button on her shirt.

She explained that she had managed to avoid the crowd and that she was going back to the tent to check the instrument electrical system.

«I’ll see you later» she added. And she went out of the marquee.

«Well played», snorted Duff. This time I agreed with him, but I didn’t say anything.

Not much was left on the canteen counter, but there was enough for everyone. The cook was a big, chubby woman with three chins and arms like a superhero. She filled our trays a bit reluctantly. She gave Megan a good look over and gave a grimace of disapproval.

On the table, I found an issue of The Daily Rocker, the Tournament daily paper. A forthright article on the front page had more to say about the disappearances. There had been no new murderers, the investigations continued into the cases that had been found before our departure for the Tournament.

«Autopsies on the bodies have not revealed anything of use to investigators from the Prison for Out-of-Line Rockers» I read out loud, but all my band mates had their heads over their plates and 159

were stuffing themselves hungrily. I went on all the same «… Officer Tripke did not want to make any comments. We are not ruling anything out…».

The case had been side-lined, relegated to second place by the opening of the event and the arrival of the bands, but the matter was serious. How could all this go on without any comment? Those criminals had to be punished. This wasn’t one of the consequences of what happened on stage… where anything was allowed.

«What do you think?» I asked, biting into my hamburger and folding the newspaper.

«I haven’t got a clue» answered Duff indistinctly, spitting out bits of salad. «Why bother? Stay cool, pussy!»

Another roar shook the ground as we left the canteen. The dragons were celebrating certain victory.

Some milk-white clouds left a shadow on the lawn, where various Rockers and fans were mixing with people who were walking round to look at the stalls full of merchandise.

«Babe, will you buy me a T-shirt go on go on go on go on!» Megan’s jumps almost made her boobs jump out of her low-cut top.

«Anything you want, honey», answered Saul with a radiant smile.

They were enough to make you sick, but things were not at all as I had imagined before seeing them together: they were obviously deeply in love. Saul must really have thought a lot of Megan. He had never left a girl and then got back together with her again a few months later. It was serious. I envied him.

It was almost impossible to get near to the stands. There were so many people that you could only move if you allowed yourself to be carried along by the crowd.

When we got back to the tent (Megan was going into ecstasies over her new T-shirt) the sun was beginning to drop down behind the hill on which the stadium stood. We found Charlotte working on Saul’s «Holy» Guit-Wave Thrower. «Hi» she greeted us.

«Everything okay?» I asked, trying to conceal a certain apprehension. «Why didn’t you stay with us?»

«I had to look over the instruments. Didn’t you want to rehearse the next cover?»

«I suppose so».

«You suppose so? Aren’t you sure?»

«Um… Yes, rehearse the cover. So we can’t take the instruments?»

«It was just a general check-up, I could do it later as well. Take 160

them if you want, it’s not a problem».

«Guys, how about going to rehearse on the hill?» suggested Saul.

«Let’s go! Let’s go! It’s very dull here, no bling!» answered Megan, all happy.

«Is that okay for you, Duff ?» I asked.

«Can do».

Looked at Charlotte. «You joining us?»

She thought about it a bit, replacing her little battery-operated welder in its metal case. «I suppose so. Thank you».

With our instruments on our backs, we reached the north part of the stadium, a hilly area opposite the small Les Paul station. The scenery was improved by the magnificent view of the lake, now streaked with the colours of sunset.

Everything was so perfect, going there as a group to rehearse the cover. Years later when I was an old man, I would remember that day as one of the best of my life. Apart from this thought, I didn’t ponder too deeply about anything else. At the moment, all we had to do was rehearse the cover (It’s so easy), my friends, having a laugh, Charlotte nearby trying to communicate with her granddad using a gadget set up for video calls and a view that was the perfect backdrop for chatting and preamplified music at the right volume.

I kept the beat with the Electric Shockers and struck hard on the small wooden drums that Charlotte had invented for emergencies like this.

We stopped rehearsing only when the last ray of sunlight was extinguished by the night sky. = The stadium was heaving with people.

«Who’s competing tonight?» asked Duff.

I had retrieved a copy of the Daily Rocker. «Here we are» I said opening the newspaper. «The first round running order. Eight battling bands, with four groups missing, including the ones that disappeared and the ones that pulled out».

«They must have worked hard to draw up new groupings».

«Right. And you know who is on shortly?»

«The bastard?»

«Exactly» I answered folding the newspaper. «Against the Metal Kittys».

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There was no room on the stands so we decided to follow the battle from our pit. We showed our wristbands to the guard post at the entrance under the stage and took up position. I overheard two staff members say that the permitted capacity had been deliberately exceeded, which would lead to safety risks.

«Cool, isn’t it? Getting here at the last minute and having a fine place in the front row. If only our bloody vocalist was here». That was the first time Duff had mentioned Axl since the competition had begun. Even though they fell out with one another, they were great friends. Duff wasn’t the sentimental type, certain things didn’t bother him, but at that moment that even he felt the absence of a friend.

The presenter took up position in front of the microphone and the first aid teams. «Good evening, rockers!» boomed out the amplified voice.

The audience gave up a collective «OOHHH».

«Welcome to this new appointment with the Warrior Rock Tournament, one hundred and fiftieth edition. This evening the bands that will meet one another on the ‘stage of death’ – to quote one journalist writing this morning in the Daily Rocker – are the big boys of the Metal Kittys and Antony’s boys, in other words C. Boys and Antony!»

Antony. We would have to support him if we wanted to meet him on the stage and “legally” steal his instruments.

The Metal Kitties hoisted themselves up from the mobile platform.

They were the bearded kitten-loving metal glam rockers that we had met on the train! A substantial group of fans welcomed them with applause and shouts.

«Here’s the first rock band» announced the presenter’s voice. «Brutal and destructive, but they can’t conceal the soft centres under those studded leather hides, !» A few mocking laughs, then the presenter continued with his introduction. «At their fifth consecutive attempt at the title… people, I give you the Metal Kittys!»

The metal rockers raised their arms in the air to salute their fans.

The stylised face of a white kitten with a red bow on its head stood out on the shoulders of their jackets.

«What deviants» muttered Duff as he watched the members of Metal Kittys weaving towards the stands. «If I ever get as crazy as that, you’ve got my permission to shoot me in the ass».

The Kittys took their places at the instruments. Now came Antony’s turn.

«With his sports cars and his fashionable clothes, he’s the coolest 162

rocker in our country. His boys go everywhere with him …»

«Always, yes, to lick his arse» commented Duff, between clenched teeth. «… Two years ago, they had to abandon their dreams of victory in the final. So far it’s their best placing. A big hand for Antony and the C. Boys!»

The only shouts were from the fan clubs organised by the school bimbos. The rest were only boos and whistles.

«Antony and the C. Boys!» The presenter shouted into the microphone again. But Antony did not appear from anywhere.

«They think that they can arrive late if they want. What shits. Honey, thank goodness you didn’t go out with someone like Antony” said Saul, taking Megan by the hand.

«I never would, babe!»

The Metal Kittys waited on the stage. Like everyone else, they looked around them in puzzlement. A low, continuous murmur rose from the stands and the galleries.

«Are you there, Boys? Antony? The regulation only allows you to be fifteen minutes late. In five minutes we will have to exclude you from the competition!» Even the presenter was beginning to get impatient. He announced the name of the big brat who had humiliated us and beaten us to pulp three more times.

«What an asshole! If that prick doesn’t get on stage we’re fucked.

Axl is fucked!»

Then, just twenty seconds before the deadline, Charlotte pointed to something high up, above the metal cage. One by one, everyone present lifted their gaze in a kind of domino effect.

Deformed figures with broad shoulders and muscular arms were hunkered down on top of the metal mesh. One of them ripped open the steel mesh as though it was made of rubber. The gash got bigger and bigger…

The noise from the audience began to grow. In the pits, the staff members looked at each other helplessly.

«Ladies and gentleman, we’re seeing something extremely unusual» stammered the presenter, as incredulous as the rest of the stadium.

«Some monsters, or at least that’s what it looks like, are trying to break through the protective screen!»

A set of spotlights pointed upwards. In the artificial light, the creatures had a very marked humanoid appearance. No greenish skin like monsters in comics and films, but bodies so pumped up that 163

they looked fake.

The monster that had made the opening in the cage dived onto the stage. The heads of the spectators followed the spectacular flight of the humanoid, which landed on its feet with chilling grace.

A few people yelled, but no one tried to leave the stadium. The creature, bare-chested and the size of a werewolf, flexed its pectoral muscles, drew its shoulders back and roared louder than the Viking dragons. The other monsters also jumped down from the cage so that they stood on the stage together with the one who seem to be their leader. There were six of them and they wore battle rock instruments hanging behind their muscular backs.

In the pits, the staff in orange overalls still didn’t do anything «Monsters» said the presenter slowly, his voice thick with fear.

«Antony? C. Boys?»

The creatures responded with a unanimous roar. Then the leader gave a step forward, approaching the Metal Kittys singer, who was miniscule compared with the beast. The enormous mouth opened in a familiar leer and it was then that I recognised Antony.

«Ugly motherfucker!» exclaimed Duff. «But what the fuck…?»

Antony looked the Metal rock singer straight in the eyes. Compared to the mutant C. Boys, the Metal Kittys looked for all the world like bearded five-year-olds.

A satisfied smile broke out on the exaggerated features of Antony’s face, just before he lifted a hand to shoulder height, snapped his fingers into a fist and discharged a set of flashes that slaughtered the rival band at one stroke.

The stadium held its breath for a few seconds. The presenter grasped the microphone with both hands, trembling like a leaf. «The winners… of this challenge… are the C. Boys and Antony».

The burnt bodies of the Metal Kittys smoked like roast meat. The C. Boys shouldered their instruments… the ones we were supposed to win back for the demon.

Nearly one hundred thousand people had been struck by a surreal silence. The monsters left the stage through the perforated metal cage just as they had arrived. They reached the top of the stadium with one bound and disappeared.

All those present shared the same evident state of incredulity. They looked towards Tripke and the officers, dark glasses and collars pulled up well over their necks. They had remained immobile as well. They couldn’t have done much. But something told me that they wouldn’t 164

have moved a muscle in any case.

It was left to Saul to reveal the apocalyptic news: fate had played us the worse hand possible. He pointed upward at the running order. ÂŤGuys, if the pairs for the second round are right, those monsters will be our next opponentsÂť.

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20

It’s so easy

The lighted scoreboard had automatically calculated the pairings for the second round. It flashed and warned us that we had three days to rehearse the cover we would take onto the stage against Antony and his new mutant Boys.

«Guys, I never said it before but now I’m sure: one of us brings bad luck, incredible bad luck» said Saul with his head hanging as we joined the flow of people leaving the stands. The men in orange overalls, on the other hand, had the distasteful task of putting the Metal Kittys’ toasted bodies into black plastic bags. The bodies were then enclosed in two cold metal coffins and transported out of the stadium in ambulances.

It had all happened so quickly. First the uproar and the joy of victory against the Splash, then this evil puppet version of Antony.

Once we were back in the tent, our fear took shape, and the awareness that we were facing death triggered a series of gloomy forecasts, each more terrible than the last.

«If we don’t make it, at least we made our debut in front of an audience» I said, sitting on my camp bed. The words left my mouth, accompanied by the sound of hysterical laughter. «Scatter my ashes on my front lawn».

Duff snorted in agitation and didn’t answer. He was staring up at the tent lying on his back on his camp bed. Saul and Megan had joined in a silent embrace, while Charlotte was nervously scribbling something on a notepad in her corner. The glass lamp that lit the page cast long shadows on the tent walls. Mutant monsters, sharp talons, severed heads and smoking bodies…

The light continued to cast a host of shadows for a long time. The tent was full of anxiety and nothing else. After an uncertain period of time, Charlotte decided to turn off the lamp and tried to sleep.

The shadows disappeared.

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No nightmare snatched me from reality because I didn’t close my eyes. My watch said it was three o’clock in the morning. My camp bed began to feel too uncomfortable so I left the tent.

The sky was full of celestial bodies that glittered with apparent life.

But those stars were already dead: the light was just the reflection of an extinguished beam reaching the earth and our eyes light years later.

I looked towards the wood, the gate and the fiery footpath. The outline of the Rock Rocket looked like a supernatural projection recreated by my disturbed subconscious. They would engrave our names on one of the metal carriages, followed by our dates of birth and our date of death.

«Do you like escaping into your imagination?» asked a voice.

I jumped and turned round quickly. Charlotte appeared, with her hands hidden in her shirtsleeves and her deep green eyes behind her thick spectacle lenses.

«What, sorry? How did you…»

She looked at me bewildered and a bit indignant. «Don’t say you’re being weird with me as well? Let’s say I managed to guess». She put her head on one side. «You’re very thoughtful».

«Well, I’d say more worried than thoughtful. I’m scared» I added without embarrassment.

«You’re right to be scared, Matt. Only fools aren’t scared or rather they pretend not to be scared. My granddad always says that. And characters seem to be forever saying it in fantasy stories».

Without realising what we were doing, we ended up walking through the field among the tents. Whispers and moans were coming from the places where the other rock bands were sleeping. At a certain point, I could hear somebody crying desperately.

«That one» said Charlotte softly «must be the Kitty’s tent».

«We won’t have a chance” I said, quickening my stride to avoid hearing the sobs of whoever was mourning the memory of the fallen rockers.

«I actually think you could beat them».

«Don’t be silly. Didn’t you see them? They killed five rockers with one blow. ONE! Not to mention the bands that disappeared and those kids that were found murdered. It was them, it must have been».

«That’s what I mean. Learn from what happened and react accordingly. In ninety percent of cases an enterprise fails because of the fear of making a mistake. Would you ever have managed to get through the first round if Megan hadn’t believed she could do it?»

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«Well, all Megan wanted to do was show off» I said lowering my voice and shrugging my shoulders.

«Say what you like about Megan, but she wasn’t scared. Not even a bit. Never».

We reached the end of the campsite, on the stadium hill. A few yards further down, the Rock Rocket left the Les Paul station carrying the bodies of the Metal Kittys.

«I didn’t think you had that great an opinion of Megan» I said as the noise of the train faded into the distance.

«Nor did I» answered Charlotte frankly. «She doesn’t judge me» she added firmly. «Apart from that time in the train about my shirt.

But all things considered, she’s cool».

«I like your shirt» I answered immediately. «It’s great. And I don’t judge you either» I said firmly.

The dawn light was obliterating the night and the stars from the sky. Little by little, we retraced our path to tent eighty-five.

«I don’t know if I can carry on» I admitted, forcing back the tears.

«I hope Axl would forgive me but how can I concentrate and just think about playing It’s so easy without imagining myself as a piece of smoking charcoal?»

Charlotte’s little voice of encouragement seemed to come directly from the skies above. «You can avoid it, first of all by remembering that you’re not alone and you’re not the only one risking your life. If you beat Antony you will save a load of innocent lives, apart from Axl and you will get your revenge for just as many others. Don’t you think?»

I smiled bitterly. «Fine words, but I can’t get my head round it and get the strength I need».

«Matt». I felt a knot in the pit of my stomach when she spoke my name. «I’m speaking with knowledge of the facts. It’s no use and I’ve never been very good at encouraging people, but… who knows where Axl is and he’s counting on you. Open your eyes».

We were almost there. The sun was beginning to light the first tents.

«Why don’t you open your eyes to find out it’s not so bad reaching out to people, making friends?»

«In my case» she said, fiddling with her shirt as usual «I’m not the one who has to open them».

In the first hours of morning, the campsite was besieged by local reporters and TV crews looking for scoops on the accident that cost 168

the heavy metal rockers their lives. A journalist armed with pen and notepad blocked my way when I was going to get something to line my stomach».

«What did you see? What did you hear? How many of them were there? He rattled off these and other questions repeatedly, followed by a light-skinned hunchbacked photographer who was trying to take photographs with an old-fashioned camera.

«There were six of them, I told you» I answered impatiently, trying to get away from them. The photographer had his sights on Duff, who was trying to get away from the lens1. It happened suddenly.

One strike and… please, leave us alone» I blurted.

After the canteen, we went straight to the stadium for the afternoon rock battle: the Bastards against the Bone Duo Orchestra.

It wasn’t full, so we decided to forget about our guaranteed places in the pits to mingle with the sparse numbers of fans on the stands.

It was Charlotte’s idea: it would distract us from thoughts of the battle against Antony and be good for our nerves, or at least that’s what she said.

It partly worked. Going back to being an ordinary spectator took me back a year, but the peace of mind guaranteed by our customiser was a fantasy beyond my reach. It must have been the same for the others because Duff and Saul both sat in silence with their faces dark. Only Megan seemed to have followed the advice of her ‘friend’ Charlotte to the letter. She smiled and skipped between the empty seats, stopped now and then by some spotty fan who haltingly asked her for an autograph.

«Doesn’t it annoy you? Those little shits drooling over your girlfriend?» asked Duff, scratching his head under his beanie.

«Why should it, man? They’re not doing it with her. It’s cool for me» answered Saul, watching his girlfriend absentmindedly as she signed one boys T-shirt.

«Look who’s poking round in the pits» I said pointing to a spot under the VIP stand. It was Franky, the bald guy from the Prison for Out-Of-Line Rockers. He was chatting with the officers and with Tripke.

«Foot and arse licker» snorted Duff, massaging the knuckles of his closed fists.

Charlotte broke into the conversation. «Have you been there?»

1 As well as hating cool dudes, Duff also hated being in photos.

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«I have once. Why?» Duff ’s tone wasn’t very friendly.

«Curiosity» answered Charlotte. «They say you have to have spent at least six months in the prison before you can be considered a true rocker. Erm... How long were you in for?»

«Six months. And six days».

«So, you’re a real rocker». Charlotte smiled and a minor miracle happened: Duff also answered with a smile, pleased by the compliment.

«Thank you», he added happily.

Just before the battle I went up to Charlotte. She had just closed her notepad. «Did you do it on purpose?» I asked in her ear.

«What?»

«Ingratiate yourself with Duff».

«What makes you think that?»

«Well, nothing really. Not long ago he seemed… I’ve never heard the story of the six months and the real rockers».

«I’m not manipulative. I just said what I thought and I’ve often heard it said. Have you ever been there?» She smiled at me too.

I tried to make something up. «Well, I reckon so. Not six months, though. And not after being found guilty. That is, I was guilty, but then I was let out. Is that the same?»

Charlotte didn’t have chance to answer. I was just about to add that Saul had never been there either, or Axl. The same went for Megan, as far as I knew, but the battle had just begun. The presenter’s voice was commenting on the first moves on the stage.

«Maximum distortion for the Bastards! The tonal structure in the air seems to be giving the likeable Bone Duo Orchestra a tough challenge».

The Bone Duo was made up of only two musicians. They were the kids rehearsing the country song in the carriage. They stood out because of their antiquated and scruffy clothes. The words of the song weren’t bad. It spoke of freedom and life’s small satisfactions, but they certainly weren’t as good as their opponents musically.

«Perfect harmonisation by the guitarists from the Bastards!» yelled the presenter who seemed to have given his support to the stronger band. «The words of a song aren’t enough to carry a battle at the Rock Warrior Tournament» he added with a touch of sarcasm.

«Poor things» commented Megan, pouting. She had stopped signing autographs and allowed herself to be enfolded in her boyfriend’s arms.

«Honey, the guy with the microphone is right. They might have a 170

cool song, but it’s the guitars that win the battles!»

The Bone Duo carried on strumming undaunted. They tried to get back at the Bastards with a short burst of natural harmonics. A set of sound waves rose up from the pair of guitars. All it took for the Bastards to launch a sufficiently powerful enough counter-attack was a couple of fifth chords. The duo’s natural harmonies faded out halfway across the stage and the country rockers were struck head-on by the counter-attack.

THUMP! The Bone Duo fell in defeat. They guitars burned to dust and disappeared in the warm afternoon air.

«And the winners of this round are the fearsome Bastards!» yelled the presenter at the top of his voice.

«It’s not fair» squealed Megan regretfully. «They were good. Look how sweet she is, smiling at her boyfriend even though she’s lost.

Isn’t it romantic, babe?»

«Of course, honey». Saul pretended to be feeling the same as his girlfriend. Duff was just about to add a comment, but a loud harmonica sound stopped him.

The guy from the Bone Duo had got back on his feet and was pulling a harmonica out of his sleeve. With a mechanical movement, he bought it to his lips and played a catchy and powerful tune. The girl accompanied him, singing of a young girl who had moved to the city for love.

«Fuck, look at this stuff!» Duff has jumped to his feet.

The speaker immediately picked up the microphone again. «Ladies and gentlemen, an amazing turn of events. The Bone Duo are back in the competition. We thought they were beaten, and now look!»

«What a little shit» squealed Megan in the direction of the presenter.

«You were the one that thought they were beaten». She railed, throwing both her arms into the air, annoying a guy wearing a bowler hat who was sitting nearby. He moved away with a girl in a kilt to look for a place well away from Megan’s force field.

«Honey, you’re so sexy when you get mad» chuckled Saul.

In the meantime, on the stage the harmonica was shooting very fine needles at the Bastards, who were taken by surprise by the diversion. I could only see the minute projectiles because they glittered in the sunlight. The gleaming needles gleamed ended up skewering all the members of the Bastards.

«Astounding!» said the presenter; he couldn’t manage to keep the 171

irritation out if his voice. «The battle was decided, but the Bone Duo pulled right back… oh no! Incredible, ladies and gentlemen, the Bastards… The Bastards… Bastards, what are you doing? There’s nothing to be done, the Bastards are on the floor».

It had taken under a minute. The battle had been overturned.

«The needles must have been poisoned to have laid them out in a few seconds» said Charlotte. «Clever». She opened her notebook again and took notes.

The bodies of the Bastards were paralysed on the floor, their instruments still in their hands. This time the battle really was over.

The spectators yelled and the emergency teams moved in to clear the bodies and mess from the scene.

It had been a great and unexpected rock battle, one of the best.

In other circumstances, we would have gone back on the train, still buzzing, talking over our day in the stadium. Instead the victory by the Bone Duo Orchestra just bought us one step closer to our great battle with Antony.

It was only two days away.

The round was finished and the first bands had been eliminated… and carbonised.

From that moment onward, we hardly followed the rest of the Tournament. We spent most of our time rehearsing It’s so easy in the tent but when it got hot we moved to the hill overlooking the station.

It had become our meeting point. As it was just before summer, the weather was perfect for being in the open air.

«Watch out… Watch out… aaand GOOOO!» Duff was practising with the Four String Whipper, trying to improve his game and, first of all, release the lever gently so that he didn’t repeat the self-harming experience of the battle against Splash Inc. THWACK! The third string of the bass whistled close to Saul’s eye, splintering a tree branch.

«You’ll have my eye out, man. Watch out!»

I tried the bass drum pellet gun for the first time. I hadn’t used it during the first round because Charlotte was still not sure that it worked. Now it seemed to be all in order and ready for battle. I tried it out on some targets that I had set up myself on the grassy slope of the hill. Not bad! But I had to be careful not to shoot or hit Saul, or Duff or Megan…

In any case, I still had the Shockers. As I kept time, I tried to make 172

most of the counterstroke on the cymbals to let the electric shocks fly as far as possible. After a few attempts, the blue sparks even sailed over the hill, fading gradually as they fell along the slope, like fireworks at New Year.

«You’ve got better» Charlotte complimented me, coming closer to set the bass drum.

«I’m trying» I answered with conviction. «That last shot wasn’t bad at all, was it?»

She chuckled in amusement. «I think… I hate to admit it but, Matt… You’ll have to do better than that with the Boys».

«I know» I answered, shrugging. «I know. It will be different there.

I don’t want to face those monsters. What happens if I can’t react?»

«Follow Megan’s example» exhorted Charlotte. «Like I said, she’s not scared. Look at her».

The singer was duetting with Saul, skipping and giving high-fives to an imaginary audience.

«I don’t want to count on her alone, it doesn’t make sense». I answered, a bit offended and disappointed, but fully intending not to have to depend on our singer.

«That’s all done, you can carry on training» Charlotte interrupted.

«I’ve adjusted a few things, now it should work better. Matt…» She changed her tone, resuming our discussion, «don’t think you’re the only one risking your life. I, I’ve never told anyone, not even granddad.

I… I even used to be frightened when I had to go to the bathroom at school». Her cheeks flushed. «But I didn’t let it get the better of me».

«Scared of going to the bathroom?»

«Terry May. He was always there annoying everyone. He used to smoke there in secret and liked to make fun of people. The bathroom was his kingdom» she explained. She curled up on her knees and sat on the grass. «I put up with it from when I was three years old. But one day I told myself that it wasn’t fair, that he couldn’t carry on… torturing me». She sighed, letting her head flop onto her minute legs.

«Do you know what I did?»

«I imagine you got your revenge». I went close to her. I wanted her to stop crying right away.

«I… burned his car one evening. I don’t know if he knew was me, but from then on he stopped annoying me».

«Fantastic». I smiled sincerely, congratulating her on her stunt.

«Really wicked! I can’t wait to hear more».

«Don’t mention it».

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We didn’t speak for a while. Instead I watched the others who were putting everything into their training. Duff had gone off at a tangent: he was at one with his Whipper.

«The other evening I was wondering whether all this is real. The Tournament, the deaths, do you see? I’m permanently scared. It’s a constant factor, Charlotte». I shoved the drumstick hard into the soft earth.

Charlotte withdrew into her checked shirt. «You know I understand you. But don’t act the coward just because you don’t feel like taking a risk this time. And sorry for saying you’re a coward».

I looked at her with understanding. I knew she was right. I knew.

«No problem! It’s a good description for me».

«That’s not true. It’s just a mental attitude. You bring it on yourself and it’s a mistake. You can react as well. You did it with your mother.

Didn’t you learn anything by tackling her head-on?»

«I could say the same thing about you, come to that. You should stick your neck out too. Why not Charlotte? Don’t tell me it’s because others have to do it for you. Open your eyes».

Time stood still. I know this tired old phrase always gets trotted out when things get exciting. The comics I read are full of it. Agreed, it’s an expression for smartasses but in my experience I still don’t believe there are any better words to describe certain situations.

Charlotte had said something, but my ears converted the sound into a piercing whistle, as though shells had exploded a few metres away from where I was sitting.

«What did you say?» I asked, staring at him with my eyes open.

«What?»

Her mouth moved again. Charlotte repeated the words: «I love you».

Time started to move again, this slowly, faster, until it reached its normal pace. She stood up, balancing on her tiptoes, rocking to and fro as if she wanted to take flight and leave the hill with me. I felt an idiotic hope that this would happen any moment.

«Really?» Of all the things I could have said to her… hell, I could’ve just said nothing and not made a fool of myself yet again!

But Charlotte smiled, lowered her eyes, then hid her tiny hands in the sleeves of his shirt. Nobody could have heard her say yes, even from close by, but for me it was though she had yelled into the presenter’s microphone in the stadium.

It was a weird afternoon. We stayed on the hill for another two 174

hours rehearsing the cover. Nobody had realised anything. Just as well, because I didn’t want Duff to start teasing me about my first relationship, which had just begun. But I was scared again, because no one, except me, could prove that Charlotte’s unexpected confidence had really happened.

«Aren’t you going to say anything to me?» she asked me as we went back to the tent.

I tried to stay away from the group, hanging back with Charlotte. I spoke as though I’d got a dozen ice cubes stuck in my mouth. «Um… That thing you told me earlier. I think the same».

«I hope you’re not saying that because you’re sorry for me» said Charlotte. «I don’t want you to feel obliged to say it because of circumstances. Just tell me one thing, and then we won’t mention it again until the end of the Tournament. Are you being honest?»

I didn’t need to think about it too much. «I would never lie to you»I answered.

I whispered it to her intently as I kept an eye on Duff, Megan and Saul walking between the tents on the campsite, hoping to find a better moment to open my heart to her, between kisses with any luck.

Charlotte smiled. «You promise me that we won’t behave like them». Her eyes shifted to Megan and Saul, who were concentrating on slobbering all over each other.

«Promise».

«Good. None of that duh-brain stuff with tongues stuck together all day. Agreed?»

«More than agreed».

We didn’t go back to the subject. By mutual agreement, we decided that we’d be each other’s non-boyfriend and girlfriend. We didn’t have to pretend. It was like keeping a present to open on Christmas Day. Enjoying the expectation, getting excited, waiting for the fateful day and exploding with happiness, which in my case meant putting everything into beating Antony and holding Charlotte Michelle in my arms. At last.

Tent eighty-five had become a furnace in the heat of the afternoon.

We stayed outside for a couple of hours, waiting for the temperature to improve before we went back into our sleeping place.

«Guys, we’re going to have a look round the stands» said Saul.

Megan smiled foxily by his side, holding his hand. «I hope I find what I’m looking for» he chuckled.

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«Are you looking for something in particular?» asked Duff slouching by the foot of the tent.

«Yes» said Megan, continuing to chuckle. «Isn’t that right, babe?»

«More or less, honey». He pulled Megan after him and said goodbye.

«See you later, guys». They walked off.

«Who knows what they’ve got to hide» wondered Duff. He was bare-chested due to the heat. It wasn’t a great sight.

«If I’ve understood it properly» said Charlotte in her little voice, «a hard sex stand arrived today».

«Oh» exclaimed Duff in shock. «Did Megan tell you?» He said quickly, picking up his T-shirt and throwing it over his bulge.

«No» answered Charlotte, but I could see she was lying.

The evening finally arrived and with it the cool, my new non-girlfriend managed to contact her granddad with a video-phone gadget.

You opened it like a notebook, but it was solid and didn’t have any pages.

«Hi, granddad! So, can you make it for the day after tomorrow?»

Mortimer’s voice was metallic and faraway, like the sound of the old TV in the sitting room at B. House.

«The day after tomorrow? I’ll try and remember, Charlotte. What train did you say I had to take?»

«The one at 6:35 pm» answered Charlotte patiently. «Have you taken your pills for the amnesia?»

«Before dinner… in a while».

The video call broke off because was no signal. «It’s the only problem with videodex» explained Charlotte. «At least I managed to speak to him for a while. I hope he comes to see us».

«I hope so» I answered, banging the ground with my drumsticks.

«Fingers crossed» she said looking hopeful. «Now I have to go. In ten minutes the tests begin for the second round band instruments.

All the Customisers are expected in the stadium. See you later».

I gave her my Electric Shockers, then helped Charlotte to load the rest of the instruments onto a trolley she was going to push over to the stadium. It was the last image I remember before the start of the super challenge against the Boys.

The day after tomorrow Charlotte had spoken about in the phone call to her granddad Mortimer came all too soon, like the closing credits of my favourite films.

The evening was cool and calm, but a faraway monstrous chanting charged us with all the fear and tension that we had so carefully kept 176

at bay over the last few days. Saul clapped a hand on my shoulder. I jumped. «Man, I don’t want to put any pressure on you, but try to get the beat right. Sometimes I stopped because I couldn’t follow you?

We’re going to get on top of it, man» he added speaking into my ear.

«I’m with you, man. I’m counting on you».

Clouds were beginning to gather over the stadium. A whitish halo high in the sky was all that remained of the moon.

I nodded to Saul the Lionheart. The hubbub of the campsite got noisier minute by minute. The over-heated spectators were heading in the direction of the entrance turnstiles. We reached the tunnel for the pits in tomb-like silence.

The surrounding sounds faded away until they vanished. I could hear only my heart knocking in my chests and reverberating in my rib cages, and then deep down, a knot in my stomach that twisted near belly button.

We got our instruments back in the pits.

With the Shockers in my grip…

Antony, I’m going to shove this right up your…

«Bum! My bum looks awful in that, I’ll wear these trousers». Megan shrieked in the dressing room. Charlotte was trying to be nice and patient with the vocalist, but it was evidently trying. «This suits you, really. It goes with your blue hair».

«But it doesn’t go with my shoes! Ooof!»

A guy in orange overalls appeared at the entrance of our pit. «Hey, are you there DRC? You’re on in five minutes. Make sure you’re ready!»

«Have Antony and his lot arrived?» I asked.

The boy checked his list on his clipboard. «Um… Not yet». He looked at me sympathetically, then asked us to hurry up and went away.

The episode with the Metal Kittys was still an ugly, vivid and intense memory. Shortly before throwing ourselves into the infernal bedlam of the stadium, Charlotte’s eloquent smile lifted me up, just a bit. We didn’t hug as I’d have liked: it was part of the non-boyfriend and girlfriend agreement.

My eyesight blurred as I sat behind the drums. My mind separated from my body. I felt it floating in my skull like a hot air balloon in a murky sky. My subconscious tried to tell me something, while my unfocussed eyes sought something amongst the stands, faraway.

Beat Antony, beat him at all costs!

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«Ladies and gentlemen, once again welcome to the Rock Warrior Tournament. This challenge officially opens the second round. The first winners and the first losers, now we are really getting down to it!» The presenter’s voice got the fans all whipped up. We had more fans rooting for us now. All Megan had to do was take a few steps or move an arm for all hell to break loose. KISS KISS! She pouted at her admirers in the front row.

The black clouds grew thicker and thicker above the metal cage, with its rip repaired and reinforced. A sudden roar made the stadium tremble again and our opponents prepared to make their entrance.

Antony and the Boys, transformed into beasts, emerged from an opening in the stage with their instruments on their backs. They were grunting and drooling. The drummer’s gritted jaws looked like vices capable of crushing tempered steel…

Prompted by an unexpected inner strength, I began to play. I caught them by surprise and all it took was a well-placed electric shock to fry the entire band and win the battle! My band mates rose into the air to celebrate Axl’s liberation. He was there too, celebrating, together with the red demon, who congratulated us on the success of the enterprise. Charlotte arrived from the pits and jumped on me, squeezing me in her embrace.

«At last, my hero!» she whispered in my ear in my mother’s voice.

Charlotte’s face changed, her pale skin darkened, wrinkling over pronounced cheekbones. My girlfriend grew in height, a skeletal figure that blocked all my movements; she began to spit cigarette smoke out from between her arid lips.

My other mother had changed into a witch, uglier and more evil than usual, because, well, she already was a witch. She cawed hoarsely like a crow. «And now run for home!»

Home... Run for home!»

Home…

I opened my eyes and closed them again straightaway. The lighting engineers were shining the spotlight on me. Red lights, red and blue lights.

Déjà vu.

I got my sight back slowly, opening my lids on reality little by little.

Antony and the boys had taken up position, climbing from the chasm in the middle of the stage. They were waiting to make their first move.

«Hey, man! What the matter? The beat!» Saul’s voice reached my ears clearly despite the shouts, whistles and lustful cries raining down 178

from the stands.

I looked towards the pits to find the emerald eyes I was seeking.

So many good reasons for fighting.

«PLAY!» Antony’s huge transformed voice nearly disarmed me.

I felt my blood rise quickly to my head, my heart missed about and constricted as though hiding away in my chest. Our enemy’s tone of voice didn’t have anything human about it any more, even though he still retained his slimy tone. The C. Boys stood still. And they seem to want to give us a little advantage, just so they could hand out one more humiliation. … THREE… FOUR! I gripped the drumsticks so tightly that an electric shock spat out accidentally, extinguishing itself on one of the spotlights that was still focused on me. Without meaning to, I had got rid of that dazzle in my eyes.

None of my band mates seemed to be intimidated. We were all trying to make the most of the cowardly merciful advantage that our opponents had granted us. Antony sneered, showing a row of pointed, yellowish fangs. «PLAY» he repeated in the guttural voice of the former pink-shirted oaf.

All that was left of his clothes was his designer belt, which was now gleaming more than ever under the imposing system of lights that roved around the stadium. He didn’t even have his shoes any more as they had been torn apart by his lumpy feet.

«Hey pussy, remember your promise?» shouted Duff going back into the riff from It’s so easy.

«To whip his ass?»

«To the last hair!», My friend was charged up and all the time we’d spent practising on our free afternoons on the campsite was giving the hoped-for results. His fingers shot up and down on the bass with impressive certainty. He may not have been the brightest spark2, but failing to grasp the mechanics of music was one thing that you couldn’t criticise Duff for: he learned quickly.

It’s so easy, easy when they try to make me happy even just for the time it takes to get drunk every night cars crash 2 It’s not a very nice thing to say about a friend… but it’s true!

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set fire to the roads while I find my baby If Duff was going for it, Megan had already gone into rockstar mode. No bum notes and the audience was loving her. The dress she had chosen barely covered her private parts, leaving very little to the imagination. She now added a high standard of singing to her delectable moves and expressions. I was beginning to think that the Megan we’d heard the first time in the garage must have been someone else.

The Boys were also impressed by our vocalist’s exhibition. Antony approved, tapping his great foot to the beat, staying immobile and watching our actions.

My friends had let themselves be carried away by the music and the beat. Drunk with noise and fear-banishing sweat. No one had tried to attack yet, were they frightened?

I try to make myself heard by Saul, who was nearest to the drum kit. «Attack, do something!»

Saul gave a nod of agreement, but he had not understood at all.

He swung his «Holy» Guit-Wave Thrower behind his back and started a little one-man show.

Duff was too far away and hidden behind his dark locks to hear me. Megan was the same, but apart from her singing and her polished nails that slid over her entire body with choreographed voluptuousness, they did not show the least interest in attacking the monsters on the other side of the stage.

How long would they let us go on like this? I was beginning to think that something supernatural was at the bottom of all this, something that was connected with Antony’s transformation and the history of the cursed instruments.

I gained courage and began to consider how to strike. If the others in the front row weren’t getting it together, it was up to me to make the first move. One good strike and I might be able to move the situation on.

Focusing on not losing the beat, I pointed the right Shocker towards the Boys’ guitarist. With his open mouth and blankly staring eyes, this guy looked like the most vulnerable band member. His muscular arms were folded and he wore an idiotic expression.

Before I loosed the bolt, I had to aim the tip of the drumsticks very carefully: one small deviation in my line of fire and I would hit Saul full on.

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«This challenge between DRC and C. Boys is unreal» commented the presenter amidst the murmuring of the crowd. «Antony’s monstrous boys are waiting for their brilliant opponents who have surprised us all by reaching the second round. The music is unbelievable, but so far we haven’t seen any fighting. Come on, people, give the rockers a hand!»

Fingers tight on the weapon, I took aim. Before launching the shock, I waited for the end of one of the first solos in the song.

Saul was lost in the music, the overdrive stretching out the first note through the wall of amplifiers to the sides of the stage.

I let out a yell of rage, liberation, fear and love for Charlotte. The bright blue electric shock sizzled along the entire length of the stage without weakening. It found its way between Saul’s shoulder and strap, flew over the chasm from which the monstrous boys had emerged and hit its target right in the middle, burying itself in the guitarist’s huge arm. It was followed by a discharge of pellets shot out from the bass drum: I’d operated the pedal by instinct and had hit the bull’s-eye!

The crowd was silent. Our rock music dominated the stadium.

«A sudden shock from the DRC drummer. The attack found its mark!» shouted the presenter and the public applauded sportingly.

I saw the monster crumple onto knees that were as big as footballs, while the lightning continued to play on his arm. His skin smoked and his thick fingers buried themselves in the wound, trying to tear out my small but deadly lightning bolt.

I felt like a story book hero who realises he has aroused the rage of the Titans. I responded to that attack with another and yet another.

My Shockers were rattling off lightning bolts and I was amazed by the accuracy with which I could shoot without losing the beat of It’s so easy.

Antony bared his fangs. He drew in a breath with the aid of his powerful shoulders and shouted: a roar that would have put even the Viking’s great dragons to shame. A spray of saliva and sticky drool soaked Megan, who was most exposed to the enemy. In disgust, the vocalist stopped singing for a moment, taking time to clean off the filth.

«My dress… how disgusting!»

«Honey, watch out!» Saul’s warning arrived slightly too late. Megan was struck full in her face and fell to the ground stunned. Antony’s

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microphone was an ordinary one, but in his hands3 it was like a club.

Antony raged and grabbed Megan with his other hand. He lifted her up easily and effortlessly as if she weighed nothing. With a roar, he flung her body far away, beyond the chasm.

Megan ended up tangled in the cables of our instruments.

«Honey! Oh my God, honey! Saul leapt to the rescue of his girlfriend. Megan had fainted but she was still grasping the microphone.

I would have liked to stop everything and help my friends, but we had to carry on. I started shooting the electric shocks again, but now they were less accurate than before. With Megan and Saul temporarily out of action, just me and Duff were left.

«And the battle is finally coming to life! Friends at home, can you believe your eyes? If you were here you would feel the earth trembling under your backsides! The C. Boys are still the monstrous creatures we saw at work during the first round, but there is everything to play for in the challenge against the DRC, although sadly it’s not nearly as interesting without Megan».

The audience whistled at the presenter’s last remark, chanting Megan’s name. But the vocalist lay immobile on the cables without any sign of coming round.

The C. Boys guitarist continued his personal struggle against the lightning bolt stuck in his arm. The drummer grasped his big sticks as though they were spiked clubs and started to strike the drum kit that had turned me into a rockstar in the basement of B. House for a few moments. The mutant C. Boys were no longer looking.

«PLAY» bawled Antony, sputtering out more saliva. He pulled up the microphone like a trophy. He used it to knock down another part of the stage. Holding it with both hands, he threw his weapon to the ground. The base of the stadium trembled.

I was hurled away from my drum kit. Duff stayed on his feet, but it had interrupted his riff. «What the fuck shall we do?»

«The pedal. Use it!» I got up easily, but Antony let loose another blow with the microphone. Some of the speakers disintegrated and then toppled into the chasm in the middle of the stage. This marked the beginning of the musical performance by B. Boys and Antony.

The piece was very similar to the one we had played in the basement of B. House, a horrible mixture of hard rock and trash metal: there was no competition at the moment against It’s so easy.

3 Talons.

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The drooling creatures gained renewed strength from the notes of the song, which became increasingly heavy, chord after chord.

The power chords and the bass strings were like an orchestra of voodoo drums, a dismal sound that sapped enthusiasm and energy even from the stands.

The bass player repeated the same three notes again and again, a throbbing downbeat and upbeat that was going to drive me crazy. I couldn’t manage to start playing again. The vibrating stage made my position unstable. I’d lost one crash cymbal that had toppled over, flown away and been sucked down into the crater.

Saul was still nursing Megan. He was holding her head and rocking her, pleading with her to open her eyes. I fought the desire to go and help my friends.

I gave up the idea of trying to play It’s so easy again. Who knows how long after the first attack, I managed to regain control of my weapons. The electric shocks shot out wildly but when I tried to aim my bolts at Antony, the beast was on me.

It was impossible to get him off me. I put my arm to my face and his fangs ripped away skin and shirt. The blood sprayed onto Antony’s yellow teeth, which were just about to attempt another murderous bite.

His mutant, red-stained saliva stank of rotten fish. His jaws were just about to close on my arm but at that moment I acted more quickly out of instinct. I shoved a Shocker into the open jaws of the monster, against the roof of his mouth. He wounded my arm with his fangs, but at least I didn’t lose my whole limb. My drumstick stayed in one piece until it bent, when it broke into pieces.

«PLAY» roared Antony yet again, spitting out splinters of wood.

Couldn’t he say anything else? What power had made him even more stupid.

He tried to immobilise me with a second leap. The music played by the Boys formed the soundtrack to our struggle. I did everything I could to hide behind the wall of amplifiers, but nothing could withstand the destructive force of the monstrous Antony.

«PLAY!» Slipping and sliding over the cables, I managed to climb onto an amplifier, but as I was going up, my leg was injured by a swipe.

«I liked you much more in your pink shirt», I exclaimed feeling the cut burn. I pointed the one Shocker I had left into Antony’s eyes.

Weak blue electric sprays fell onto the deformed face of the creature, 183

which wailed with its mouth open. I was covered with more sprays of evil smelling saliva. «That’s for making us miss the gig at Mr Browns!»

On top of the wall of amplifiers, I glimpsed disappointment on the face of Tripke, who was standing at the pits with the other officers.

He was hoping we would die, so that he could carry on pocketing more bribes from the rich oaf undisturbed.

I cursed the prison officers and jumped on the stage to avoid Antony’s talons. He was even more enraged than before and starting to climb up after me. He saw me fall and run away.

I landed near Saul and Megan. My friend didn’t realise I was nearby.

«Saul…» I tried to say, but my breath went out of me and my words disappeared in a puff of air. Antony had landed with all his weight on my back, launching himself off the wall of amplifiers as I had done. I felt my spine bend. Fear went CRACK and pressed down in the middle of my back.

I found the strength to look back towards the pits and seek out Charlotte eyes again, but the creature’s hand grabbed my head, blocking my attempt at eye contact.

I willed myself to react, but I was immobilised. The only response I could make was to yell, but this was obviously pointless. The bass line of the Boys song was a merciless backing track to every move by their leader.

Antony threw a punch with his free hand. His hot, stinking breath was just behind my neck. What did he want to do, tear my head off with his teeth?

The hand holding the Shocker had a limited range of movements.

I just managed to move my wrist, but not enough to let off a strike.

I could feel Antony’s pleasure in the fangs pressing against my head.

The pain in my back had not gone away. All my attentions and defences were focused on that bite…

Suddenly, a hot foul-smelling fluid caressed my back. Gas and fire.

Antony quickly detached his teeth from my skull, causing more pain and more wounds, also pulling away a few tufts of hair.

I got away on all fours more quickly than I was able and saw bright red flames burst out over the muscular forearms and chest of the former five-star dandy, forcing shrill, animal-like cries of terror out of him.

Duff ’s attack had saved me. A burst of inflammable gas from his pedal had got Antony off my back, which was still creaking.

«I… couldn’t… hang on any longer… Thank you» I said, regain184

ing my breath.

Duff made an eloquent gesture with his hands to say that everything was fine, then he continued his attack with the pedal without losing a beat. To the accompaniment of his bass notes, he pumped gas into the air, enveloping Antony in a circle of flame. The Boys continued to play, literally spellbound by their instruments.

«If they’re not attacking us, we’ve got to make the most of it, Duff.

I’m going back to the drum kit. Follow me with the riff!»

Alone against Antony in a stadium that was packed but silent except for the sounds of battle, me and my friend put our heads down and went on the offensive.

I resumed the beat of It’s so easy. Slowly, the faith of our fans began to be restored, even though the cries of encouragement were all for Megan, who was still out for the count.

«Counter-move by the DRC! Yay! These guys are something else!

Rock Show, Rock Show!» The presenter’s voice fuelled the attacks to the sound of shocks and gas attacks.

The battle could have ended there, with Antony’s slow writhes of agony and our triumph, but the boys concluded their piece with a blistering solo by the guitarist. Another battle had begun.

With their instruments still hot, the monsters arrayed themselves for a combined attack, with bass and drum supporting harmonies from a series of power chords flung from the two guitars. Flashes of incandescent light flew over to our side, like missiles.

«Take cover!» I yelled, hiding behind my drum kit.

Duff threw himself on his bass behind the bass drum, landing badly on one arm. «Fuuuuuck that huuuurt! You inflated bastards, let’s see how you like a blast of gas up your ass, Matt, cover my back!»

While the power chords struck what remained of my instruments, I exchanged glances with my friend. I wasn’t convinced, but I certainly wasn’t about to stop him. «Okay» I answered. «Take care».

«Easy. We have to whip his ass don’t we? And this pedal is a bomb, isn’t it? I’m coming, you slavering shits!» He kissed the keyboard of his bass and catapulted himself out into the open.

Playing the rest of the cover track from memory, Duff leapt to the offensive like a machine gun. I caught him up.

I was just behind him, with my stick in both hands. I loaded up a huge electric shock and shot it from one side of the stage to the other, dodging three explosive bolts in a bilious acid green; the last one singed my shirt colour.

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We leapt from one side of our position to the other. We were putting everything into it, but it was the most we could do and it wasn’t much use except to keep them at bay for a while. Two small humans against five rock monsters.

The improvisation that the Boys were attacking us with now sounded like classic grooves, a bit like the blues. The soloist went off into a catchy fingered arpeggio; I nearly lost my concentration, caught up in the tune. Duff had stopped pumping gas.

«Why did you stop?»

«Matt… It sounds great, doesn’t it?»

I notice that he was trying to follow the creatures’ guitar riffs and he had abandoned his pedal on the edge of the chasm in the middle of the set.

«Play! Duff, play our song and attack them! Don’t listen to them!»

He moved his head gently in time to the beat of the Boys’ ballad.

At one point, the soloist drew his plectrum over the strings to create a strange effect: an ancient song, like women’s voices chorusing.

«Don’t listen, don’t play their music… Duff!» I threw myself on to him with a shoulder lunge. We rolled about between the cables and the beat-up amplifiers. The ballad continued, but the spell was broken.

«Shit» said Duff. «Have I done something stupid?» His voice was still shrouded in wonderment.

«You were just about to» I warned him. «Are you okay now? Can you manage to start It’s so easy again?»

«Shit, of course. We’ve only whipped half of their asses!»

We rolled to deflect the blows. Duff skidded up to the chasm to get his weapon back. Unfortunately for us, the last spray of flames drained the pedal, taking away our last possible defence. «Shitshitshit.

Not now!» yelled Duff.

«Down!»

Just in time to prevent our heads exploding. I got away by dragging myself behind an amplifier case, but Duff lost part of his ear. Letting out a stream of curses, he let the bass fall to the ground so that he could clasp both his hands to his head. The blood flowed between his fingers, glittering in the spotlights.

I’d never seen Duff cry. The tears were already covering his face, dirty with the dust of battle. At the very moment I was trying to push him off the stage to remove him from the path of the rival power chords, something grabbed my ankle. I fell and jerked myself round.

Antony was holding me by one foot with a hate-filled expression.

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The humanoid body was still burning, even though the flames covering him weren’t as bright as before. His face was slowly turning back to normal, he was dissolving in the heat of the fire engulfing him.

«H....h...help me» he implored.

We were lying close to the chasm. I heard the voice of the presenter, the shout of the crowd and Duff ’s cursing over the powerless pedal and the wound to his ear. Antony’s dissolved skin fell away like molten wax revealing his cheekbones and teeth without fangs.

«He...lp me» repeated the dandy. The hand holding my ankle loosened its grip: his teeth had returned to normal like the rest of his body. I reluctantly drew close to Antony’s disfigured and unrecognisable face. I stretched out one hand, the one armed with the drumstick. I pointed it between the eyes of that huge piece of shit, the motherfucker who had reduced us to pulp and bruises. I trembled, but my grip was firm and the sparks began to flow from the tip of the Shocker.

Then I lowered my weapon. «You’re already dead. Farewell».

When I got up, the presenter’s comments turned me to stone but I derived a perverse satisfaction from hearing the amplified voice saying to the stadium: «the monster’s stopped moving. The Boys have lost their vocalist!»

But they, the Boys, did not seem to have grasped what had happened to Antony. They were still drugged by the music from the instruments.

«Matt». It was Saul’s voice. He was hanging onto his guitar. I saw that Megan had come round but she stayed on the ground her eyes unfocused.

Music can enslave you, for good or for evil. If you decide to get mixed up with devilish instruments, sooner or later you’ll have to take the consequences, which is what had happened to our Axl. You’ll lose control and carry on playing until death carries you off.

All we had to do was put our opponents out of their misery, as they inexorably lost their strength, sucked away by music and black magic.

Saul tapped out the beat, smiling at his girlfriend as she lay on the edge of the stage. Megan raised her microphone in the air, smiling back at him, and a general roar marked the start of the end of the battle.

Saul performed a riff that was all flourishes and posturing, playing the finale of It’s so easy. I didn’t have any more drum kit or any more strength. I leant on what was left of a drum to enjoy the disintegra187

tion of the C. Boys.

It’s so easy It’s so bloody easy Easy!

The Guit-Wave Thrower and Saul’s improvised licks swept away the Boys’ desiccated bodies. The guitar produced a tide of energy that was enough to blow our disarmed and beaten opponents off the stage.

I paid little attention to the announcement by the presenter, followed in turn by the yells of the crowd; they were talking about a long drawn-out but well-deserved victory and other pointless, trite phrases. My attention was all on Charlotte, who had come onto the stage, approaching us with tiny steps. We hugged in silence.

When we drew apart, the stands of the stadium were empty. Me and Charlotte were a few inches from the chasm in the middle of the stage.

«Guys, we’re shutting up shop here in five minutes» warned a guy in an orange uniform who was carrying away burnt bits of amplifier and jack leads on a trolley.

The pit area was also practically deserted. Only Duff and Saul were waiting for us. We went up to them.

«Megan?» I asked.

«They’re looking after her. She’s fine, man» answered Saul with a relaxed expression.

«Yo, Duff, how’s it going?» He had his head bandaged up to bind up the wound on his ear and he was using his bass guitar as a walking stick to stop himself falling over.

«Just great» he answered.

You can hate an enemy to the point of wishing him dead. This is what had really happened to Antony, and we’d done it. But we didn’t celebrate his downfall, particularly Duff, who no-one had carried in triumph after the decisive action with the multi-effects pedal.

We had fought for personal defence, to show that we were good enough for the legendary Tournament and to get our own back: as far as I was concerned, it was like doing it for love. At the end of the day, only one thing counted though: freeing Axl. «Shall we take these back to the tent, guys?», asked Saul, in between messaging Megan. The demon’s instruments lay still hot and smoking 188

on a trolley placed in the pit.

At last we were ready to leave the stadium. We took the tunnel pulling the squeaking trolley behind us: guitars, bass, keyboards and parts of the drum kit were still boiling hot.

«Fuck, I find it a bit disgusting knowing we’re carrying human remains» said Duff.

«Instruments with bits of soul inside» corrected Charlotte. I was holding her by the hand. Duff, behind us, grunted his disapproval over the correction.

Outside in the night on the campsite, total silence and a clear sky reigned. Surreal as our undertaking.

Risking being torn in pieces and eaten by slavering monsters without a brain is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. On the other hand, experiencing an improbable rout at the Rock Warrior Tournament is something I would heartily recommend.

«What do you know» I said spotting tent number eighty-five.

«We’re in the final».

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21

Delirium

The following morning, we were ready to leave on the first train.

Saul had stayed all night in the first aid post with his girlfriend, who was still recovering and covered in bandages and band-aids.

«Don’t worry about me, babe. Go with them» Megan had said. But Saul insisted that she came with us. I could appreciate my friend’s concerns: leave her at the mercy of her admirers? They’d already filled her bed and bedside table with get well messages.

«Can you really not get up, honey?»

«I could…»

«It would best if you didn’t strain yourself, miss», said the nurse, coming in, she was short and tiny.

«She told me she could» insisted Saul. «Isn’t that right, honey?»

«More or less» answered Megan, and a little smile turned up the corners of her mouth. «You don’t want to leave me even for a moment, do you? How adorable you are my gorgeous babe!»

The vocalist left the first aid post supported by her boyfriend, satisfied he had extricated her from that tide of messages in dubious taste. Before going, the nurse had patiently insisted on at least tightening the bandages round her head.

The fresh morning air alleviated the heat of the fiery footpath.

The flames flicked at us until they nearly burned our clothes: they moved as though responding to our presence. In the daylight, though, and with two victories behind us at the Tournament, the footpath seemed less frightening.

None of us had much to say. Apart from some cursing from Duff about the flames on the footpath, our group was silent. With Charlotte by my side, I wondered how likely I was to really forget the death of Antony and the rock battle. I’d often heard that time heals all wounds, and about slow and gradual psychological healing. We’d achieved our main goal of eliminating the C. Boys but the whole 190

band was upset. We hadn’t expected to feel like that at all. Now it had really happened, I understood that dreams and conjecture are one thing and reality is quite another.

«Shit, I’m going to end up burnt like they did!»

Duff yelled out suddenly, taking long strides forward. «Why the hell do we have to go down a path like this? The Tournament people are real sadists».

The fires got more and more hostile and we ended up fleeing from the flames towards the station.

The Les Paul station was deserted, the Rock Rocket already at the platform.

A guy in orange overalls with protruding eyes was waiting for us near the entrance to carriage number six. We showed the wristband and Charlotte showed her customiser badge.

The boy put two fingers in his mouth and whistled, at which point two men, still in orange overalls, emerged from the instrument store carrying a steel flight case sealed with at least twenty big padlocks.

These manoeuvres went on like a top-secret mission. The two men loaded the flight case on the train, told the colleague with the protruding eyes that everything had gone to plan and disappeared back into the store.

«The train is about to leave. Get on and goodbye». The boy loped off the platform.

Duff adjusted his beanie uncomfortably. «Bloody hell» he exclaimed, «it’s not as if we were carrying the Lost Ark» The instruments sealed into the flight case were not golden and had never forced the faithful to their knees. All the precautions might have seemed over the top, but the organisation was responsible for taking care of the cursed instruments now that they were no longer in the hands of the humanoid creatures and that the whole story of sudden disappearances and deaths could finally be considered a closed chapter.

I took it philosophically, trying to see the fun side of the whole operation. All this was due to us and it was just as exciting as in an adventure or spy film.

«Cool, isn’t it?»

«Yes, Matt, it’s cool» answered Duff in annoyance. «Take it easy, though. Until I see those instruments in their rightful place, my ugly ass will still be in danger. And Axl. Until I see Axl live and well, we don’t have much to celebrate».

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«He’s right, man» Saul echoed him, hugging and holding onto Megan. «Axl is still a prisoner in the house».

I snorted nervously. «I’m well aware that Axl is still a prisoner».

The train whistled and set off slowly. Far away, the outline of the stadium became smaller and smaller until it was submerged in the treetops together with my attempts to release the souls. No celebrations, but neither should we be sad for someone who had nearly killed us and humiliated us any number of times.

More or less halfway through the trip, when we crossed a wooden bridge over a lake, the silence was broken by an unexpected comment from Duff. He spoke with a faint and trembling voice. He was sweating as well. «He didn’t have to die. I’m a murderer, just like him».

And that very moment, I saw someone moving in the corridor. Five kids passed our compartment. I recognise them: they were Antony and the Boys’ most ardent fans. They were going home as well. One girl was baring her teeth with rage while another punched a window hard. Despite this, their intentions weren’t hostile and they walked away immediately with their heads down.

Duff said what he thought in a monotone, his head down on his chest and his arms crossed. I looked at Charlotte for support, but she was as unprepared as I was. How do you console a musician who’s knocked out a band at the Warrior Rock Tournament? I began with the most simple and obvious thing. «You’re not a murderer» I said.

«You’re not» parroted Megan.

Duff jerked his head up. «So what do you call someone who kills someone else?»

«I know what you’re getting at, but it’s got nothing to do with the Tournament» I answered. «You know. The rules say that anything goes when you’re on stage. You should have expected it. Why are you taking it like this? It’s not as if you’re going to go to prison».

I didn’t realise I’d been struck until Duff ’s punches landed on me.

I fell on Charlotte.

«You piece of shit!» He yelled in my face. While I was trying to sit back up, the compartment door opened wide.

It was the prison officers. «Everyone hold it right there!»

Tripke was armed with a taser. Had they been spying on us from the next compartment? Another two of their colleagues were standing just outside the corridor.

«Always in a mess» pronounced Tripke drawing out his words. «And we’ve even got a penitent. Are you taking back your victory, lad?»

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He aimed his weapon at Duff, but my friend didn’t respond and didn’t move an inch. «Should I throw you in a cell?» exclaimed Tripke, savouring his words. «Redemption, lad. Is that what you want? You wouldn’t have a dead band on your conscience».

«He’ll have that anyway» I yelled, standing up and pressing a hand against my nose to stop it bleeding. A bout of dizziness from Duff ’s blow nearly made me sit down again, but I managed to stay on my feet and corrected myself. «What is it you wanted to say… What are you intending to do to us?»

The tip of the taser switched from threatening Duff to intimidating me. Tripke’s contorted features were just an inch from my face. I could count the hairs on his nose; or maybe from his nostrils. «That boy you knocked out used to give me a load of money. He was the only reason I carried on being an officer of the Prison for Out-of-Line Rockers. Give me a good reason why I shouldn’t make you pay for it».

Out of the corner of my eye, I realise that Charlotte was fiddling with something. I glimpsed the reflection of a golden gleam in the compartment window. Tripke was waiting for an answer, the case was activated and ready to roll…

«It’s not… It’s not our problem» I said gathering energy and courage.

«We’ll tell everyone at the Tournament organisation about the threats and corruption» I threatened in a nasal voice. The blood between my fingers was getting sticky.

«Yes but it is your problem, lad. I can exclude you from the competition and from the final if I want» he said, waving his finger in the air «you can tell anyone you want, but they would believe you?

You are a group of little losers who have won two rock battles due to sheer divine good luck».

Tripke acted as if he was possessed. He liked humiliating us, just as Antony had. He carried on: «the illegal activities at B. House. Those bodies, the murderer you told me about in my office. All I have to do is turn it all round against you and I know what to do with those instruments in the flight case now I realise what you need them for».

He laughed evilly, rubbing his hands together.

«Hey, man, you can’t do that» interjected Saul. «They’re ours, we need them!»

«Don’t tell him anything» I shouted, keeping my eye on the tip of the taser.

«Tell me what? Don’t make me waste any more time and lose my 193

patience. You, talk». At last Tripke moved the taser away, but extended his arm in the opposite direction and began to threaten Saul. «Talk» he repeated.

Saul challenged him by keeping his gaze up, protecting Megan, who was curled up in the seat next to him, as best he could with his body.

«It’s best if you all talk and tell me the truth seeing as you’re all involved in it. I won’t say it again. Talk». His finger quivered on the trigger of his electric gun.

It would only take a slight pressure. The taser would have struck Saul, disfiguring his good-looking heartthrob face for ever.

«If they don’t believe what we say, they won’t be in any doubt when they listen to this recording».

Tripke turned slowly, releasing his grip on the trigger. Then he lowered his weapon; the golden gleam of Charlotte’s gadget shone in his eyes.

«What the hell is that used for?» he asked in agitation.

«I use it for video calls to the B. House murderer» answered Charlotte with the tone and expression of someone who has the situation in hand. «To store data and record sounds. Leave us in peace and I won’t give this recording to the tournament staff».

Tripke took a step backward toward the compartment door, his forehead beaded with sweat. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. He tried to say something, but no sound came out.

We’d crushed that molester together with his stooges for once and for all.

«Let’s hope that’s the last we see of him» I said to myself, when Tripke and the officers had gone away. The last bond with Antony has finally been broken.

«You were really great!» I primly hugged Charlotte, who accepted my compliments along with praise from Saul, Duff, who was still somewhat silent and gloomy, and Megan, the most effusive of all.

«You’re lush, love, lush, ultra-lush!»

Charlotte blushed. «It’s nothing» she answered, putting away the golden gadget.

«You’re too modest» I said relieved. «You saved us again».

«Keep your voice down» she said putting hand to my mouth. «I said I didn’t do anything because my gadget isn’t actually a recorder.

I haven’t got any conclusive evidence recorded. I just made that up».

We looked at each other. I approached the compartment door in silence and opened it carefully, just enough to look out into the cor194

ridor. Tripke and the two officers were far away, at the end of the carriage and were engaged in an animated discussion, gesticulating like angry monkeys.

«Everything is okay» I said closing the door again. «They’re over there and we’re not about to go and tell them».

Relieved but still subdued, we spent the rest of the trip drowsing, kissed by the warm mid-afternoon sun. Charlotte stayed awake the whole time, jotting down some words in her notepad. I was too drowsy to ask what she was writing. I closed my eyes properly and didn’t open them again until we arrived.

The station was empty. The same men in orange overalls who had put the flight case on the Rock Rocket now off-loaded it onto the platform. «He’ll be here in a few minutes» said Charlotte.

We carried the instruments to the underpass. The temperature there was cooler, but it wasn’t a hospitable place: too many bad smells and dodgy people looking at us covertly. That’s all we needed now: someone attacking us and stealing the flight case.

We struggled to get up the stairs to reach the park outside the station, but we managed to pull the flight case to the top with the aid of the men in the orange overalls. Granddad Mortimer had already arrived and was waiting for us with the van in the cool shade of the trees, confounding the expectations of Duff who not long before had been attacking the old man and his memory.

Charlotte broke away from the group and ran off to hug her granddad.

«I followed everything on the radio», shouted the former-murderer enthusiastically, getting out of the van. «I can’t tell you how many times I nearly died of a heart attack. You really took a big risk». His voice betrayed his concern, but the joy of seeing and holding his young granddaughter again took precedence.

«Now we’re here» and said Charlotte smiling. «And in the final».

«With every chance of winning the prize for the best Customiser, is that what you mean?» Granddad Mortimer looked her over carefully, as if to check she was still in one piece.

«Um… right» replied Charlotte, starting to smile.

The men in orange overalls went away. «We’re off. Here are the keys to the padlocks. Goodbye».

I took the keys off him and kept them in my pocket.

«Maybe they should have offered to escort us to the house» com195

mented Granddad Mortimer seriously, watching the two men go back down into the underpass.

«Until just now, it seemed like an ultra top-secret mission» said Saul, also looking puzzled.

«Not really, otherwise how can you explain why these shits are hanging around?» answered Duff, alluding to the discussion with Tripke.

The former murderer cocked an eyebrow. «Let’s not waste our time chattering now. Let’s load the fight case on the van» he said.

We each took a hand, staggering under the weight and heaved the instruments into the back of the vehicle.

While the others were getting on board, Charlotte came close to me. The sun was shining and there were no shadows on my girlfriend’s face. She rocked on her shoes, and her little hands disappeared into the sleeves of her shirt again. She spoke to me hesitantly.

«I want to… I want to drop in at home to get some things. I’d like to come to the house with you. I know it’s your business but… I feel the need to be close to you. Please don’t… don’t take it the wrong way».

That way she had of taking me to one side and confiding in me, something I’d never experienced with any other girl… making me feel important and worthwhile. Special.

I got close enough to brush against her body. «You can» I answered.

I would have liked to stroke her cheek with my hand, but I had spotted Duff spying on us from the back of the van. Not to mention Granddad Mortimer, in the driver’s seat, who was pretending to fiddle with the rear-view mirror.

«We’ll drop off at your Granddad’s house and then we’ll go on to B. House together».

«Are you sure you don’t mind?»

«I’m sure. But I hope I’m not putting you in danger».

«It’s just a question of dropping off the instruments, isn’t it?»

«In theory, yes, but can we really trust the demon? From what I’ve heard, they are first-class turncoats».

«It’s because I don’t trust him that I want to go home to get my equipment».

I smiled. «You’ve always got a solution to everything. What have you got in mind?»

«You’ll see».

I didn’t want to break my contact with the green of her eyes. Have you ever tried losing yourself in the eyes of the person you love?

Feelings that powerful literally make you lose your mind!

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The sunlight and the thick lenses of her glasses made her irises look like limpid pools of seawater… sparkling minerals straight from the bowels of the earth… precious gems…

«Are you going to get moving?» bawled Duff, banging on the van window to make us get on board.

«What a lout» I complained.

«Forget it» said Charlotte, reassuring me with a smile. “Let’s go».

As we drove down the tree-lined avenues and looked at the little houses, I felt as though I was returning, even though everything was exactly the same. I felt exactly like characters in fantasy books are supposed to feel once the adventures and apocalyptic wars are over.

Everything had gone well and we were returning to everyday life, licking our wounds.

The van stopped. «Fancy a slice of cake before we set off again?

I just got it out of the oven before going to the station» said Granddad Mortimer.

«Um, no. Thanks» I answered the murderer. Former, former murderer, or whatever he was. «We want to get this over with as quickly as possible».

Grandfather and granddaughter got out of the van and went into the house. They came out shortly after. Charlotte was carrying a case, similar to the one she carried out the Tournament. They got back in the van and we set off again.

I believe that Time loves to play around with our lives. It’s a really, really cool super-power1. It messes around with memories, creating memorable situations, sometimes, or moments you could well do without: boring afternoons, homework, parents yelling at you that you can’t go out because you’re in trouble…

Setting off in the van again – Axl’s van – was a sort of middle ground.

Like the night when it all began, the burglary, the police chase… ending up at B. House. A memorable experience, but as Duff had said, until the instruments were returned to their proper places, we had to consider ourselves exposed to risk.

As we turned off onto the country road, the heat got more intense. The asphalt was burning and the road surface flickered in the heat haze.

1 That’s why I talk about it such a lot.

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«Man, we need some water» said Saul, sitting by my side with his window completely lowered. «My hair is all dry and dehydrated, isn’t that right baby?»

«Just a bit» answered Megan, who had been silent until then. «But you still look really great, babe!»

Saul unleashed an artificial-looking smile. «I know, I know!»

«You’re off your head» exclaimed Duff from the back seat. «You’d die of dehydration so that you can moisturise your fucking hair?

You’re just sick. Are we nearly there?»

«We must be near the avenue of trees» I answered.

And the trees began to appear gradually, becoming increasingly high and dense.

The shady avenue welcomed us and we left the main road and the white-hot tarmac. Granddad Mortimer slowed down.

«Is it here?»

«Yes, but they’re not here any more. It must be that mound under those roots».

The stolen amplifiers had disappeared, devoured by layers of earth and vegetation. All that was left was a huge mound at the foot of a tree to our right.

The van tyres crunched over the gravel on the drive and B. House appeared before us, gleaming white. We left the cool avenue, parking a few yards away from the house, facing the lake, magnificent and calm.

«Guys, listen up. When are we going to begin writing the song for the final?» asked Saul, getting out.

I opened the back of the van. «We’ll think about it after we’ve dealt with this business. But it’s a good job you remembered it. Any ideas?

I’m a total blank. I don’t want to have to deal with it».

«What about if we find the words of a song no one knows and we play a few fucking chords on top?»

«We’re not at the pub, Duff. They’d realise».

«You pussy! Did you know that millions of folk songs have become rock legends? Anonymous, written by some peasant who had fuck all else to do but sit out on his porch. And no one had anything to say about copyright and that sort of shit! All you have to do is find the right words».

«Man, there’s no such thing as an anonymous singer-songwriter any more. It used to be different. People didn’t used to be such shits.

Now if you try to copy someone’s song, you can be sure that they’ll find out in a day and make you regret it».

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«I can ask my friends for one of their songs» suggested Megan, throwing her arms around her boyfriend’s neck. «They wouldn’t mind.

They would think it was fab to give us a hand!»

«We don’t need disco tracks» I answered, aware that I’d damped Megan’s enthusiasm. «Can you give me a hand?» I added, getting to work on the flight case.

The air was damp and still warm. We sweated buckets as we dragged the heavy steel flight case inside the house and finally got our breath back when we were out of the merciless sunlight inside the house.

Before I closed the door again, I noticed Duff ’s gaze linger on some patches of dried blood on the lawn and the pieces of rope Antony had used to bind us before he beat us up.

«I’ll wait for you here» announced granddad Mortimer cheerfully.

«I’m going to enjoy this fantastic lake». He winked at his granddaughter, then he headed away from the drive and van to go for a walk.

Everything was how we had left it and how I remember it. Yellowing walls, mould and nasty smells. We pushed the flight case as far as the little room.

«It would be better if I went in first» I said.

«Since when did you get so brave?» said Duff.

«I have to do something» I persisted, «wait for me a moment».

I went in, with my eye on Saul who had guessed what I was up to.

Megan looked at him uncomprehendingly.

Once I was in the little room, I was covered in dust immediately.

The smell of stuffiness was really strong. I looked for something in the mess to cover the “Holy” guitar that had driven our guitarist crazy. I found a red jacket with gold buttons that had lost their lustre over time.

I went out.

«I’m sorry, Saul. But this way we won’t waste any time. It’s for Axl» I explained.

«It’s cool by me, man».

Before we all went back into the little room as a group, we were faced with another problem: the flight case was too big to go down the passage that led to the studio in the basement.

«Now what do we do? I wouldn’t like something… inconvenient to happen if we open the flight case here» I said looking at my friends for their reactions. Saul continued to hold Megan close to him. He was near the “Holy” guitar but resisted the impulse to lift the red jacket off the instrument.

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Duff gave me one of his looks. «Get the keys. We can’t stay here with all this stuff».

Resigned, I reluctantly took my keys out of my pocket. I rested a hand on the cold steel to open the padlocks. There was a pop like a bottle opening and a rush of warm air that made us jump. The flight case opened. There were the instruments, in pieces, half burnt and scratched by the creatures’ talons.

«They’re in really bad shape» said Charlotte, craning her neck.

«Right. I hope they work» I answered, worried.

Saul got ready to go down first, holding onto the cursed guitar.

«Honey, can you manage to walk?»

Megan wasn’t absolutely sure. But when she saw Saul standing ready on the steps, she suddenly became serious. «I’ll try», she said frowning.

With Duff ’s help, I managed the keyboard, the bass and the parts of the drum kit. Complicated manoeuvrings and curses2 accompanied our descent to the little room.

The sweat was pricking my back; a form of bodily torture I couldn’t stand any longer. My T-shirt was stuck to my skin and every step was unbearably uncomfortable.

Every noise in the little room was deadened by the stone walls.

Saul turned on the light switch …ZZZZZ, ZZZZ buzzed the bulb.

«Now what?»

«Well, we’ll try to put them back as they were». «… And then we’ll see what happens».

Looking out for possible, sudden paranormal manifestations, we put the instruments back in their places.

Nothing happened and no demon reappeared to take that possession of them.

«Red thingie? Axl? Fuck, show yourselves! After all this effort…»

«Maybe we have to play them like we did that evening?» I suggested.

«Right» exclaimed Saul, brightening. «That’s how we called him up, man!»

Without wasting any more time on chat, everyone took up position and Time played with our lives again. We can call it Fate, if you are fed up of me talking about Time.

Megan and Charlotte had stayed some way away, near to the stairs.

My girlfriend had taken an instrument like an analogue tester out of her case. She aimed the instrument into the air and began to collect 2 I have to admit I was partly responsible

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data.

«What is it?» asked Megan curiously, tucking back a lock of blue hair that had come loose from its fastening.

«An indicator of Incorporeal Presences and Paranormal Activities» said Charlotte, but was forced to add a more down to earth explanation. «It will tell us if and when the little demon is about to jump out».

«Oh» said Megan, one hand flying to her head and the other to her breast. «How does it work? I don’t think it’s very cool. It’s very dull-looking».

«When we get out of here, I’ll cover it with glitter». I was the only one to find Charlotte’s remark funny.

Sarcasm?

The rest of us were ready to play. We exchanged glances to give each other the okay.

Saul blew a kiss to Megan, who caught it and blew it back. I didn’t send anything of the kind to Charlotte, but saw her working with the Presence Indicator, which was much more interesting than the nauseating goings-on between Saul and Megan.

Sticks in hand, volumes adjusted, plectrums at the ready. ONE… FOUR! The scarlet runes immediately emerged on the walls. We followed those symbols like the notes of a score, creating a stunning music and performance. If I could have found a way to save the chords and the beat… if I could have found a way to play that song in the final…

My body and mind were taken over by the spell, but a glimmer of lucidity made me think of Charlotte who was just a few yards away from me. Maybe she could capture at least the chord sequence! But at that moment I wasn’t capable of asking her to do anything: there was only room for the music and euphoria.

The disembodied voice at last made itself heard when we were well into our playing.

The first words started to blend into the song, guttural utterances that even overcame the high notes of the guitar and the low notes of Duff ’s bass line at certain points.

Somebody yelled. A girl’s voice. «Get away from there!»

Charlotte! She was waving the Presence Indicator to show the pointer veering crazily around the display.

I don’t want to stop. What amazing music…

I wanted to stay there, playing for ever, forgetting my tiredness.

A white light all around us was enveloping everything… everything 201

that bordered on my limited field of vision.

In the confusion, I also saw blue locks shaking in the middle of the room. And there was a girl with a checked shirt and big glasses.

Did I know them?

Mesmerised by the incessant deep voice, my mind gradually emptied of all thoughts and the white light became increasingly intense. The sticks slipped from my hands and I decided to let myself go into the white universe that was enveloping my being.

Having lost all strength, I was jerked back from the nothingness that was annihilating me. My eyes sought the shadows of reality. I was holding my sticks in my hand again. Charlotte was close to me.

«Let them go» she said. «Let them go, please».

I opened my hands, my fingers relaxed and the sticks fell hard and black to the floor. I saw Saul and staff moving away from their instruments. They were safe and well too. The guitarist threw himself into his girlfriend’s arms while the bass still kept the beat, chanting the echo of the notes like the beats of a dying heart.

The little room filled with familiar grating noises. Then the walls and floor trembled.

TUM, TUM...

TUM. Axl was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the little room. He was awake but his eyes were unfocused. Behind him, fiery horns, talons and fiery skin gelled to form the half-naked creature in the gloom.

The demon then spat out black saliva and spoke. «IT’S ABOUT TIME». He stroked Axl’s head sensuously with his sharp nails, but Axl did not move.

«What have you done to him?» I raised my voice fearfully. Our friend’s eyes moved from one side of the little room to the other, slowly, watching.

«Spending time in my dimension causes side-effects» answered the demon, passing a knobbly finger over Axl’s shoulder. After that he moved away from the vocalist to examine the instruments carefully.

«You kept your word. I didn’t expect it. It’s unbelievable».

«Make sure you keep yours too, you little red prick». Duff pulled off his beanie to wave it angrily in the demon’s direction. He took a few steps toward Axl, moving away from the cone of electric light.

The reddish glare of the symbols on the walls began to fade as the runes were sucked back into the stone.

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As the demon was lost in his examination, Duff attempted to establish contact with Axl. «Are you there, you stoner? Hey?» «He’ll come round» murmured the demon. He turned his back on us, bent on his knobbly knees checking the bass drum in the drum kit.

«Wake up, fuck. Wake up!» Duff struck Axl with a well-aimed slap.

The vocalist head swung like a rubber puppet. He opened his mouth thickly and spat out saliva, just like spoilt babies do when they have to eat some disgusting pap.

«He’s still on the Other Side… What the fuck have you done to him? We kicked ass to respect your shitty pact and he’s still only half here. I killed» shouted Duff through clenched teeth, «I did it for him». He pointed at his friend on the floor, who in the meantime had started to examine his hands. He turned them over and back and then opened them and closed them, discovering that he could bend all his fingers at the same time.

Duff couldn’t contain himself. Rage and dismay forced him to react, launching himself instinctively against the demon like an animal. «I’ll kill you!»

«Stop, man, stop». Saul was quickest and got there before me, leaping toward Duff who had grabbed the shoulders of the odious demon, still bent over the drum. His shook, hit out, yelled. Soon we realised that the horned creature had vanished and Duff was punching the air.

«UNGRATEFUL HUMANS» the voice struck us like a gust of wind in a storm. The demon was at the other side of the room next to one of the guitars and really close to Charlotte and Megan: Megan was paralysed by horror, with her hands pressed to her head. The creature cast a glance at her cleavage. «Not bad» he commented passing the tip of his tongue over his thin lips. But he managed to keep his instincts under control. Then he raised his voice again. «YOU» he enunciated pointing at Duff. «NOW I’M GOING TO PUNISH YOU!» «We won at the Tournament, we bought your friend here» I interrupted, struggling to hang on to Duff who fully intended to charge again. «We fulfilled our side of the bargain. It’s what you wanted.

Let us go!»

The demon didn’t listen, he blew up his chest and began to grow.

His horns scratched the ceiling and his voice dropped an octave. He uttered a singsong chant in a strange language and joined the tips of his four fingers and thumbs to form a triangle with his talons.

Duff got away from me and charged him with heads down. The 203

punch he intended to land with all his strength did not reach its mark.

The demon took his fingers away and broke the triangle, paralysing my friend, who fell onto the floor as stiff as a statue.

The creature stood over him. His jaws opened in an amused grin.

He rubbed his talons against the stone. «You’ve won two rock battles at the Tournament. And you even overcame my instruments’ powers!

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to use you to bring my old band mates back to life». He suddenly started to sigh. «I’ll finally be able to tell them I’m sorry and… and… start playing again!»

He took a handkerchief out of his hollow horn to dry the black tears that were welling up in his yellow eyes. He blew his knobbly nose3. After this he scowled fiercely and went back to his ranting.

«Prepare to give up your souls» he threatened.

Saul ran to Megan to protect her and I went to Charlotte. «Thanks for what you did before. Any ideas now?»

3 Imagine an elephant with a cold trying to blow its trunk.

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22

The show must go on

Does anyone feel like carrying on?

The show must go on I think I believe…

In the darkness I have a burning desire to be free!

Megan was so frightened that she probably didn’t realise what we were risking.

«I’m here, baby» Saul told her to reassure her. But Megan had both hands over her ears and was shaking her head vigorously and screwing up her eyes.

«We’ll have to leg it» I suggested.

«How can we do that, man? He looked at Duff.

I tried to think of a solution quickly. I took Charlotte’s hand. «Have you got anything useful in your little case? If I had my Shockers…»

«You wouldn’t be able to do anything» she answered, keeping down her panic with admirable poise. «The demon, Matt. You can’t put it down with a few fireworks».

«So how? Hurrrrryyy… Aaaaah!»

I ended up banging my back and head on the ceiling. I fell onto the big black amplifier near the base. The demon had struck me with a powerful stroke of his arm, knocking me away from my friends.

I lifted my head just in time to see the second attack coming. The demon joined his fingertips as he had done with Duff. I avoided the blow by a whisker, jumping and moving closer to Charlotte.

«Ideas, anything new? Now we’re really stuffed!»

«Kneel down» she said softly, kneeling down and keeping her hands open with the palms facing up. I thought I’d lost her for ever, ensnared in the negative forces that were gravitating toward the little room.

I drew in a sigh of relief when she looked at me over her thick 205

glasses.

I didn’t speak, but understood that I had to do the same as her because it was the right thing: this was the message. Trust.

Saul and Megan remained standing clinging onto one another.

«Man, what are you doing?»

I didn’t answer; I wanted and had to concentrate. I imitated Charlotte’s movements with my hands stretched forward. My knees touched the ground and my hands touched the cold stone.

I don’t know what she’s got in mind, Saul, but you do it too. Megan as well.

The demon didn’t attack again. From my position, I could only manage to see the creature’s retractile claws. «The little girl knows what she’s doing» he said with a flick of his tongue. «It will be an honour for you to offer your souls to me. Is anyone still undecided?

Do you prefer to die?»

Saul disentangled himself from the embrace. Holding her by the hand, he invited Megan to kneel down. He’d got it! He knelt down and lowered his head.

«I hope this isn’t a bad joke, man» he said in a low voice looking me in the eyes. With his voice still low, he added: «I was just about to propose to Megan. I’ve got a ring in my pocket, you see. I bought it on a stand near the stadium».

So Saul really meant it. An actual ring. The most he had ever given to a girl was a bracelet he found in a crisp packet years ago. And he had only given it to her because he didn’t want to keep it for himself.

«Everything will be fine» I answered.

The demon started to speak in that incomprehensible language again. He had gone back to his normal size, deflating his muscles and shrinking in height and width. His chanting included stomach rumbling and effects produced using his lips and tongue. I could see that he was glad to see us on our knees before him.

Charlotte, are you sure you know what you’re doing?

«Lift your heads, look me in the eyes» croaked the red monster in excitement.

I lifted my head. Saul, Megan and Charlotte did the same. Moving his fingers nervously, the demon ordered the bodies of Axl and Duff to join the sacrifice. They lifted up, spellbound by the prodigious effects of black magic. Invisible forces make them fold over and kneel down. Our friends were like puppets!

«Six SOULS» exclaimed the demon rubbing his talons. «Not all musicians, but it will be fine in any case. I have been forced to stay 206

down here for too long…»

I was waiting for a signal from Charlotte, but so far nothing.

Apart from the usual buzzing, the lamp hanging from the ceiling began to flicker and go out. The demon was now sitting cross-legged with his knobbly fingers pointing at his protruding temples. The power continued to fluctuate, the shadows trembled and the dying light finally went out altogether.

Two yellow dots and a pair of pupils watched us. I brushed Charlotte hand; she was sitting on my right. She grabbed my wrist, squeezing hard. We were nearly there, but Charlotte signalled with small gestures that we had to stay calm and immobile.

The demon had closed his eyes, the two yellow dots disappeared.

Or had he moved? Was he behind us? I would rather have faced Antony in humanoid form at the tournament a hundred more times than have that tight-chested feeling that I’d lost my bearings!

I had hardly realised that Duff had come round. «Son of a bitch.

Bloody helI. Hey, turn on the light!»

«We’re here, man. Here. Here I am».

«Where the fuck are we?»

«We haven’t moved. We’re still under the house».

«Axl?» «He should be near you, man».

«Axl, fuck, are you there? Axl?» «Hmmmmhhfff».

Now that my eyes had adjusted to the dark, I could see that the runes were emerging from the wall again. The little room was now partially lit again.

Then the demon went to the instruments and grasped his guitar.

He examined it closely, handling it with care. Once he was satisfied that everything was okay, he held it under his arm by the strap and started to play.

He stumbled, got the key wrong and fumbled clumsily in an attempt to find the right pentatonic scale. He clicked his tongue in irritation and carried on.

Shortly before touching the strings, the demon began to chuckle.

Incredulous and still on our knees, we listen to him play a heavy metal number at extraordinary speed. Some of the riffs were familiar, but I couldn’t connect them to any of the songs I knew.

«Diminished scales» said Saul with his eyes wide open staring at 207

the demon. Megan wasn’t too happy about it, but her boyfriend ignored her, too intent on admiring the monster who was performing a few yards away.

I had never been over-interested in guitars. That was the first time I listened with intent to someone playing a six-string instrument.

If this was part of the ritual, I was probably allowing my soul to be sucked out without a struggle, seduced by the music of a demon rocker.

I can never thank Charlotte enough for taking my attention away from the spectacle. While the others were all goggling over the notes as our captor plied his plectrum for the second time, she pulled me away from the group. Now we could act undisturbed.

Charlotte began to fiddle with the collar of her shirt. I felt myself blushing, even though I knew that she wasn’t about to strip before my eyes.

«Can you see this?» And she showed me a small hourglass containing golden sand.

«Are you going to take us back in time so that you can put everything right?»

«No» she snapped. «It’s a Spirit Catcher . I bought it at the Tournament. I thought it might come in useful».

«What for?»

«It’s used to countermand spells, cure the evil eye and seal arcane symbols. You should know all about that, you rockers».

«We should?»

«Well, um… as far as I know rock groups have always gone mad about this sort of thing».

«I didn’t know you knew anything about magic junk» I answered in puzzlement. «Anyway if you’re talking about the demon, all that happened fifty years ago. Now the charms and talismans for rock bands are comics and TV, at least for me and my friends».

Charlotte raised her eyebrows, then went back to her plan. «Listen, Matt. We have to seal those symbols on the walls. We have to do it now while he is busy playing. By removing the energy from the runes, we will take away his powers and, if things turn out as I hope, we’ll take the power out of his instruments as well. They are bound to him by the ritual he carried out half a century ago. Do you see?»«So the demon would become a harmless little creature?»

«Unfortunately it’s not exactly like that. But he will be vulnerable to rock battle attacks. We will get rid of all his defences».

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«And you reckon it will work?»

«As I said, the Spirit Catcher should also work on instruments. The souls of the musicians would be sealed and you could play without risk”.

«I’m not entirely convinced, but being as we have no other plan…»

«Exactly. There’s no other plan». Charlotte looked at me about her glasses and smiled nervously.

Megan was still sulky with Saul, even though I saw her secretly tapping her foot in time to the metal riff. Axl was playing with his toes1 and Duff was shaking his hair and waving his beanie round above his head to the beat of the music.

The runes appeared even more vivid and prominent. The black stone was overflowing with fiery symbols.

«I really hope it works. Fingers crossed» I said examining the reflections in the hourglass. «After all this effort I’d like to face the Dragons in the final now we’ve got this far».

Charlotte’s small but heartfelt smile was as encouragingly as ever. «I will be there rooting for you» she answered. Her green eyes switched from me to the demon, who was continuing his performance. She threw the small hourglass against the wall, gathering up the mound of sand in one hand from among the shattered pieces of glass.

I grasped her around the waist as Saul was doing with Megan, resting my chin on her shoulder. Charlotte let me do it, intent on the sand. «Whatever happens, don’t go too far away from me» she said.

Then she blew…

She blew hard and the sand flew away, depositing itself on the walls.

Nothing happened for at least five seconds, then the floor began to shake and the runes shone even more brightly.

The demon raised his yellow bloodshot eyes. The riff ended and everyone woke from the spell, disoriented.

«Bummer» exclaimed Duff. «Is it finished already? I’ve never adored the guitar so much».

Saul went to hug Megan as if nothing had happened. By the time everyone in the group felt the vibrations under our feet, the roof of the house had already been lifted off by a vortex of air. We could see the sun setting in the sky above us.

The demon’s skin expanded to adapt to his bones and muscle mass, which grew and grew.

1 He had taken his shoes off and was sucking his big toe…

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«Grab the instruments and out of here» I yelled. «Out!» Charlotte had stayed close to me. We helped one another up the stairs, careful not to let ourselves be carried away by the furniture and parts of the house that were whirling round everywhere.

The red monster had grown five times as big as before, but he was also slower and clumsier. Consumed by rage, he spat out streams of black drool, grasped part of the roof that was still in place and chucked it far away towards the lake. A column of water rose into the air; tiles and wooden beams were quickly submerged.

Granddad Mortimer was climbing back up the hill at that moment.

He immediately looked for his granddaughter. «Charlotte, Charlotte!” he shouted.

Hand in hand, we ran toward the former murderer, away from the house, which was falling to pieces. We had only retrieved the sticks and one of the cymbals from the little room.

Saul and Megan were far away enough from the debris that continued to fly to right and left. I saw them run past the van towards the wood with an effort. Duff dragged Axl, who was still in an infantile state. They were on the threshold of B. House and struggled against the resounding chaos created by the effect of the Spirit Catcher’s sand.

The demon had lost his power of speech and merely grunted. The size of his brain was not directly proportional to the stratospheric size of his body. His shoulders blocked out the sun and his head was half as big as the house that had been destroyed.

All that was left of the old home was its solid foundations and mountains of debris scattered over the lawn. I really didn’t want to see the pair of bodies that had ended up on a tree together with the sofa. They stayed hanging there, dripping… jam.

«Are you convinced now, lad?» interjected old Mr Mortimer jerking his head in their direction.

«They are exactly what you think they are».

Another blow from the demon’s hand struck the tree and everything that was trapped its branches. The sofa flew into the air. Up, up… and fell in front of me, with the couple hand in hand.

CRACK! Both their heads broke into pieces. Their skulls were full of tangled stuffing. I didn’t have time to comment, because the demon uprooted himself from the basement and the debris that had piled up ruinously on his guitar.

«Sweet merciful crap» yelled Duff from the other side of the lawn. The guitar had grown huge as well! It was casting a shadow 210

over the whole wood.

The demon uttered a deeper sound, gritting his jaws and grinding his teeth. He raised the instrument in the air and resumed the metal arpeggio using the longer nail on his gnarled forefinger.

The basement was blasted into the air at the first note. We immediately tried to hide from the shower of debris. The black amplifier emerged from the crater of the house like a tombstone, rising higher than the trees in the wood.

«Shiiiiit!»

We were blown away by the blast of power thrown out by the amplifier. Duff and Axl flew in front of me waving their arms and legs in a desperate attempt to grab hold of something. They were dumped straight into the lake.

In the meantime, me, Charlotte and her granddad had managed to hold on to the roots of the tree while Saul and Megan were using the van as cover: it had stayed just where we had parked it, in the drive leading to B. House.

The sound of the giant guitar, which was more powerful than a wall of one hundred thousand amplifiers connected in line, would soon reduce us to dust. The creature was out of control.

«We have to play» I yelled to make myself heard. The blasts of wind and power were gradually becoming more insistent. «We have to attack him. But I’ve only got my sticks and this cymbal. The others are even worse off. Duff hasn’t heard me, he hasn’t even got his bass with him, oh man».

Charlotte was holding onto a root for dear life. She also had to shout to make herself heard. «Your old instruments are in the van» she said.

Saul and Megan’s protective cover was about to fly away any minute now with all the instruments… and that would be goodbye to everything!

«I’ve got another idea I said. «Maybe we won’t even have to play.

If the demon’s powers have gone, all we have to do is knock him out, isn’t that right?»

Charlotte doubts didn’t stop me. «More or less, yes. What have you got in mind?»

«To beat him» I yelled as a Power Chord struck me full on. I wrapped my fingers round the roots with all my strength and was lifted off my feet, flapping like a flag, but managed not to fly away.

«First of all we’ve got to rescue the others though».

«Start up the van, lad». Granddad Mortimer yelled until he was red 211

in the face. «We can’t stand up to this much longer. You go, Charlotte and I will go and fetch the other two out of the lake. Here you go!»

Mortimer threw me the keys and I grabbed them in mid-air.

I didn’t want to go far from Charlotte, I’d promised her. I didn’t want to!

But the old man took me by the hand, taking her away from the tree and from me. They walked down the hill and disappeared amidst the foliage and the blinding reflections from the water.

The demon had momentarily stopped playing and this gave me the courage to start to run towards Saul and Megan who were hiding behind the van. The shadow of the guitar fell over the lawn right at the spot where I was standing.

I drove my heels into the ground and stopped just in time: the rounded part of the huge instrument struck and buried itself in the ground, raising clods of earth and soil.

«BREEEEFHH» bawled the demon, spitting out a spray of black drool that soaked the roof of the van. A drop fell on Megan’s head as well.

«How disguuuusting! Babe! I’ll have to re-do my highlights».

«Down!» Saul lifted her bodily away from the path of the second strike of the guitar. He slid close to the front wing for shelter and Megan fell into my arms with perfect timing.

«Guys, let’s go… let’s lure him into the wood». I was struggling for breath and I could hardly string two words together. The blow had unnerved me.

«Is that a good plan, man? That thing will knock over the trees with one kick».

«Not if we trap him in the middle of the wood. Can you think of anything better? We’re not armed. The instruments have lost their powers and ours are pieces of old firewood. Come on, get in!»

The huge guitar fell heavily to the ground. THUMP, THUMP! And again, THUMP! Dozens of small craters had nearly stripped the entire lawn surrounding B. House.

«Come on, man, you can do it!»

I put the key in the ignition. The engine started, I immediately let out the clutch and engaged reverse.

«Where are you going?» squealed Megan in bewilderment. Despite her experiences in the Tournament she was the group member least able to cope with this situation.

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«Out of here» I answered as I reversed and avoided ending under the blows of the biggest guitar in the world. «Saul, we’ve got to rescue Duff and the others. Open the tailgate».

«Right away, man. I hope it works. That is, I trust you, man. Since you freaked out with your mother, you’ve got more balls».

The demon hurled the guitar in the direction of the van’s wake. He nearly got us. Back at the wheel, I regained my clear head and quick reflexes. Even though it wasn’t like the car chases you watch from the comfort of your sofa, all my practice with video games hasn’t been in vain. At that moment, all I could think of was getting out of that situation alive, and of Charlotte.

From the rear-view mirror, I could see granddad Mortimer coming up the hill. He was carrying Duff under his arm. I braked suddenly, the van skidded slightly.

«Charlotte, where is she?»

Where are you! Where are you, Charlotte?

«There she is, man. She’s with Axl».

From the side window, I saw Charlotte’s diminutive form struggling under Axl’s weight.

The demon had left the confines of the house. His yellow eyes were hunting for the guitar, which had become wedged in a rift in the ground after he’d wielded it like an axe.

«I nearly drowned» said Axl, getting into the van. His dip in the water had taken away the final shreds of his infantile behaviour.

«Because you’re a fucking stoner» answered Duff, dripping wet.

He was spitting out water and mud.

«Get going, lad. Take it away» exclaimed granddad Mortimer as I shifted to first gear. The demon’s enormous lower limbs, knobbly and hairy, hid my view of the wood.

The rear wheels was stuck in loose ground, but the engine, retuned

by Charlotte, propelled the vehicle out of the pothole.

If we had been in a popcorn movie, the van driver would have tried to slip away between the demon’s legs and, in the same scene, dodged a slap that would have sent the vehicle off course. Instead I steered well clear of him, making the most of that huge brainless giant’s clumsiness. The wood was nearer.

Second and third gear, I floored the accelerator. The demon wasn’t as fast as the police flying squad, but in half a stride he could have got behind us and tried to sink his talons into the metal.

«I swear I won’t call you pussy again» shouted Duff, wringing the 213

water out of his clothes.

«You already made that promise once, but you broke it». It wasn’t me that answered him but Charlotte. Duff, embarrassed (embarrassed!), didn’t utter a squeak.

I steered abruptly so that I didn’t end up in one of the craters on the lawn. The van teetered on two wheels then regained its balance and finally entered the wood.

Our pursuer’s sharp, black talons tore away branches and leaves from the treetops. Some of his swings were stronger and more accurate than others. Driving in the wood immediately became a problem.

I had not considered the difficulty of driving and dodging boulders, roots, tree trunks and brambles. Obstacles everywhere!

«Can you tell me what happened? And who are these people?» asked Axl, obviously referring to Charlotte, her granddad and Megan.

«Where are the instruments we stole from Antony? And above all…

What’s that thing following us?!»

In the rear-view mirror, I could see the knees of the demon and his talons moving about wildly, but also Duff ’s face working as he struggled to come up with an explanation. «Shit. Do you really not remember a fucking thing?» He asked at last, incredulously.

«I can remember something, yes» said Axl stolidly. «We are instrument thieves and the police are looking for us!»

Duff clapped a hand to his forehead in desperation.

«She’s our singer, man» answered Saul. «Maybe, Axl. Axl, honey…

I mean Megan».

«Your girlfriend?» asked Axl, not at all happy about becoming acquainted with the vocalist. «You telling me that she’s taken my place?»

The demon’s heavy steps were just about to destabilise the back of the van. I couldn’t let him do it; if he dragged us into a ditch it would be the end. I shifted up to third and fourth and lifted my foot off the brake.

«Where did you learn to drive like that, lad? You’re a phenomenon».

Granddad Mortimer’s compliments pumped more adrenaline into me, my heart was beating in time with the engine and the juddering chase. Cool or what?

I had the situation in hand, everything depended on me. I was the dirt track king. A really great feeling, similar only to the one I’d experienced on the stage during the first rock battle.

Now we were deep in the wood. The trees and brambles were getting thicker and thicker. The dim light barely filtered through the 214

leaves and the demon had no intention of giving up.

«When will we get out of here? I’m getting carsick. Have you got something to settle my stomach, babe?»

I hit a bump full on. The van jumped frighteningly. Saul hadn’t got a clue what to do so contented himself with holding onto Megan even more tightly to calm her down. I gave a brief glance in the rear-view mirror: Axl had flattened himself against one side of the passenger compartment in annoyance and began to relay information about the demon’s position to me.

At last I was gaining ground on the frenzied creature.

«It looks like your boyfriend’s got us out of this mess» I heard granddad Mortimer say. Right on cue, bad luck struck.

When it happened, I couldn’t stop the van in time, all four wheels skidded and we left the ground, flying through the air for several yards.

A leap into space.

The embankment was hidden by brambles and brushwood and we had driven straight into it!

«HEEEEEEEE...lp!»

CRASH! SPLASH! CRACK! We’d landed in a swamp, quickly sinking into a pool of black slime.

The horrible stuff was already up to the windows.

«Quick, let’s get out» I yelled. «Charlotte!»

It was already too late. Everything went black and I lost contact with reality.

«I’m here….I can’t… Matt…»

The black sludge had already penetrated into the passenger compartment. Charlotte was about to be suffocated, stuck between the seat and the van body.

«Charlotte!»

«Matt…»

I undid my seatbelt and grabbed the seats to reach her. Her granddad had already been thrown clear by the impact, he had tried to help her but he was far away covered in slime in the middle of the swamp.

He was waving his arms around in an attempt to get out.

«Help, someone help me!» He shouted, but I had no ears for him.

«Granddad… Save granddad…»

Charlotte had lost her glasses. She was also waving her hands about, moving her head… But her struggles were getting slower, more ineffectual, and useless.

I grabbed her under her arms, she carried on slipping away from 215

me deeper into the van. «Help me… Help me to pull her out!» I yelled and carried on doing it as long as I could.

The level of the slime rose, the van was full of it. I looked around but there was no one there. «Help!» I yelled for the last time. Charlotte had closed her eyes.

A pair of hands and arms joined mine. My lips were coated with black slime. It had the bitter taste of death.

The other pair of hands wrapped Charlotte’s head. «I’m here, Matt. I’ll help you».

Filthy with slime and with his hair plastered to his face, Duff managed to hold Charlotte so that she could still breathe.

«She’s stuck, Duff… I can’t manage it… She’s not moving any more, and…»

Duff ’s slap made my eyes water. «Stop that and pull yourself together. We’ll save her, you and me».

It might sound over-dramatic but I could never have done it without his help. By now my tears were dripping into my mouth, inevitably mixing with the black and slimy sludge.

I pulled Charlotte hard yet again, as Duff continued to hold her head firmly with one hand and open the van tailgate with the other.

My girlfriend’s little body was released and all three of us slid slowly out of that brackish tomb. It took our last ounce of energy to avoid being sucked down by the van, which sank out of sight.

Once we were out, I saw the others safe on dry land. Granddad Mortimer, injured but alive, threw himself in to help us, sinking into the slime up to his waist with his eyes wide open and skin pasty white.

«She’s alive, Morty» Duff reassured him. «Get out of the way, let us past».

Me and my friend laid Charlotte down near a boulder on dry land.

If it had been a popcorn movie, we would have had a cheesy scene of artificial respiration, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation between boy and girl. In a blockbuster novel, the description of the rescue would have finished with a detailed account of the first kiss between him and her.

Charlotte coughed out black slime and started breathing again.

The howl came spontaneously, bursting out into the silence of the swamp, bringing down a landslide of branches and brambles from the embankment. The demon’s cry stopped only when the creature ended up bedraggled and face down in the slime. He stayed floating 216

like that for a few minutes. Then his body started to shrink and his skin paled, gradually becoming a lighter shade of pink. His arms as huge as tree trunks reduced in size, his knobbly legs adapted in proportion to the rest of his body.

A white-haired man had taken the demon’s place. The spell was broken and all the years that had gone by suddenly wreaked their havoc on what was left of his body, ageing it at one stroke.

We watched him for a long time, in silence, frozen in place.

We never saw his real face. He sunk and disappeared without trace in the swamp.

My heart is broken Everything is lost But I keep on smiling.

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Bonus Track

At Mr Brown’s

Is there anyone who believes?

That everything that glistens is gold.

The first lines of our victory song.

At this point you must be wondering what happened in the rock battle against the Vikings, about the brand-new track we had to play in the final, how we got out of the swamp and the fate of instruments that had been left powerless with the souls sealed inside for ever. I’ll go straight to the end without further ado1.

Three days after the final, we met at Mr Brown’s to celebrate our victory officially. The club was packed and everyone was waiting for us. That’s right, the story of our first attempt at winning the legendary competition for rockers had a fairy tale ending.

Can’t you believe it? Did anyone have any doubts? I think you expected it.

We deserved a bit of luck after all, after all the trials we went through from the evening of the burglary. Did any of you really think you would read a different version, where we came in second or even worse? We had learned a lot from what we went through with the demon and we could hardly have been frightened of a herd of dragons written by warriors armed with war-hammers for instruments.

When stated baldly like that, it may seem a titanic undertaking, but I can assure you that no member of the DRC, including me, quailed in the face of the enemy, in the final, on the stage. We were all too fired up to fail. Winning against Splash Inc may have been sheer good luck, I admit, but beating six humanoids, risking being crushed to death by a demon and emerging unscathed from the fumes 1 Curious but true: that’s why I didn’t give a blow by blow account of the final and the dragons.

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and slime of a swamp was something few could manage. We’d gone through trials to the death with increasing levels of difficulty, like in a role-play game. Mind you, having said that, beating the Vikings was hardly a stroll in the park.

Duff ended up with a scar on his back that ran the length of his spine, “like a shark bite” as he said at the end of the competition, displaying the cut like a trophy of war. Saul lost his guitar: he threw it against one of the dragons to avoid losing both his arms and… well you can imagine the rest.

Megan had given up her place to Axl for the final. Halfway through the competition, she managed to set the Vikings amplifiers to standby during one of her high notes by putting Charlotte’s modified microphone to good use. Charlotte was justly awarded the panel’s prize for the best Customiser of the Tournament.

For her the victory was as overwhelming as it was unexpected.

Like us, she had never been under the spotlight and above all she had never taken part in a competition where she had to show her workshop designs. I went up into the stadium with her, overcome with embarrassment, to receive her special plaque. She gripped my hand tightly. In reply to the presenter’s inane question («a comment about this victory?») she had simply answered “thank you”. It was enough. Her instruments had beaten off competition from more expert and prize-winning Customisers due to their originality as well as their strength, given that we still use them today even though they have been through no fewer than three rock battles2.

The swamp ended up being the demon’s grave and the end of our adventure at B. House. When Charlotte came round, we started to climb up the embankment, fighting our way through the brambles.

We only went back to the house to bury what remained of the instruments as a mark of respect to the sacrificed musicians.

We got back home at about three o’clock in the morning. I slept at Charlotte’s house, camping out in one corner of her workshop.

The following day, I went back to my house to discover that it was still empty.

The evening at Mr Brown’s was a success. This was our debut in a nightclub, another dream come true. Believe me, to me and my friends, it was as important as appearing on stage at the Rock Warrior Tournament.

2 Apart from Saul’s guitar.

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«How you getting on with the tuning?» I asked Saul as we got ready. Megan had bought her boyfriend a new guitar with money she’d saved up out of her allowance.

«This baby’s ready, man. Whenever you want!»

The audience yelled. Duff gave me the okay too, pulling his beanie down over his eyes. Charlotte was at the console not far from the drum kit. She gave me a thumbs up to let me know it was okay to start. I smacked the old sticks together.

ONE… FOUR! The shouts of the fans and our song brought back all the emotions we’d felt in the studio. I felt better not having to deal with the pieces of enchanted soul. We were the DRC, plain and simple, warriors who had gone down in music legend.

The notes will make everything right And a new day will dawn For those who have waited so long The song was sung in the searing voice of Axl, who was jumping up and down on stage in the middle of the club. I saw him laughing incredulously at certain moments: I hope it was because of the infectious delight we were conveying to the audience and not because of some spliff he’d smoked earlier or because he was drunk.

There was still room for Megan. Now she had been accepted as a new band member, she duetted with Axl, underlining the chorus with her powerful harmonies and if the kids were shouting so loudly around the stage, it was partly due to her presence. It pains me to admit it, but one of the reasons we were such a hit with the audience was Megan’s cleavage and short skirts.

In the end the melody will come to you To show your eyes The way to heaven Our song, the brand-new number we played in the final: playing it for the second time without having to worry about getting killed any minute was a huge satisfaction. The simplest, most natural thing in the world.

It’s impossible to do proper justice to Saul’s final solo .

He held his guitar upright, resting one side against his leg. He played 220

the way he was feeling. The final riff met with exultant applause from all over the club. «I love you!» screamed a woman’s voice from amidst the crowd, much to Megan’s disgust.

I belted away as though I was possessed, releasing all my joy. I twirled the stick between my fingers, throwing it up in the air and catching it mid-flight. In the crowd, the faces of Antony’s fans were like ghosts. They chewed bitterly, maybe plotting revenge. I held up my middle finger and jabbed it proudly in their direction. «Do you want it plain or with knobs on?»

Charlotte didn’t approve of the gesture. She looked at me sideways, but I would have exploded if I couldn’t have let off some steam.

The night was ours, we’d won it by rights with our song as a finale.

Axl tried to end by screaming out the note to accompany Saul’s last chord, but Megan stole the show by doing the splits sexily and then going to French kiss Saul, thrusting her pelvis against his… guitar.

The song ended. I threw a stick into the audience.3 Someone caught it as it flew through the air; one hand stretched higher than the others. It disappeared into the melee and I couldn’t see who the lucky person had been. Lucky… now I was thinking of myself as a rock star!

We stayed on the stage to pack up as the club emptied.

«Look, Madam Long Legs, it was my job to finish» said Axl to Megan.

«Sorry» she said, «but I got caught up in the groove. Did you see how everyone looked at me?»

«They were bound to, you’re a…»

«There’s someone looking for you, Axl». I pointed to two girls who were shyly but deliberately devouring him with their eyes. Anyone who plays rock music is cool, even if you’re ugly: it’s a golden rule!

And so Axl went off to keep the girls company, leaving us with the job of getting our stuff off the stage.

«You needn’t have given them the finger» Charlotte scolded me as she packed up the console.

«I couldn’t help it, I’m sorry» I explained. I explained that the music had taken away my better judgement. «I couldn’t stop myself.

And then, you have to admit it, they did deserve it».

«I’ll only forgive you because everything went okay».

3 Every drummer’s dream.

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«Right. Your song is amazing. But it was different in the final.

Playing it again made me really appreciate it. I was watching you when you wrote it on your notepad, did you realise? I knew it was a song you were writing».

«How?» Charlotte raised her eyes from her cables and buttons, curious, waiting for my reply.

«Intuition, I think. The words are deep. The things we write are about… frivolous stuff».

«Everyone is entitled to their own impression. It’s the performance that counts. My words could well seem frivolous to someone else. I wrote it because it meant something to me. Maybe it doesn’t mean anything to you».

«I just said the opposite. I’m just starting to appreciate it. Are you mad?»

She clicked the case catches closed. The console was all packed up again.

«Don’t give anyone the finger again» said Charlotte, seriously. «You mustn’t think you’re better than anyone else». She came closer to that she could look me in the eyes properly. We hugged each other.

«Fancy a drink, man?» Axl came back and the two girls left the pub giggling together behind his back.

No one was left in Mr Brown’s. We left the instruments in one corner and sat down at a table. The clatter of broken bottles against the wooden floor was the only background noise.

A girl with bags under her eyes came to our table to take our order.

«JD for everyone!» yelled Axl. «I don’t want it» answered Megan. «I want loads of strawberries and loads of cream. A really smooth smoothie!»

Axl looked at her incredulously. «Does anyone else want a smooth smoothie?»

The girl with the bags under her eyes wrote down five JDs and a smoothie and while we were waiting for our glasses, we congratulated Charlotte again for her customising work and the song.

«Hey, Matty. Isn’t that your mum?» Duff asked presently. I turned toward the counter.

Recognisable even from behind, my mother was draining a bottle of whiskey sitting at the bar with her shoulders curved and a cloud of cigarette smoke round her head. I stayed in my seat. Should I go to the bar to speak to her?

“Hi, mum. How are you? Did you know that we’re about to sign a 222

six-figure recording contract?”

Then, just before I turned round and carried on chatting to my friends, I saw my drumstick protruding from my mum’s bag.

They came in with long strides, the hard heels of their stylish shoes clicking on the floor. We choked on the JDs we were gulping.

The pair in black were looking for us; they rushed up to our table as soon as they saw as, a good-looking man and woman of about forty.

«Hello» started the woman, who was holding a briefcase that matched her dark suit. «Rock Warrior Tournament Rocker Contract Office. We are here on behalf of your school».

«What time is it?» asked Duff. «Fuck, is it that late?»

The man jerked his wrist round and raised his jacket sleeve with two fingers. His gold watch gleamed. «It’s morning. six thirty-two to be precise».

«And what exactly do you want from us?»

The man turned towards his colleague. He took the briefcase out of her hands and opened it.

«It’s the recording contract for coming first at the Tournament».

He waved it under our noses. He observed us for a while before tearing it in half. «It’s cancelled».

«It’s not the first time it’s happened» said the woman, speaking with fake disapproval. «But rules are rules».

Duff bashed his empty glass down on the table, chipping it. «We won that fucking tournament, what did we do wrong?»

«You’re Duff, aren’t you?»

«Yes, what you want from me» The man pulled another sheet from the briefcase. «This is the form with your school report, hot off the press. It came out yesterday. As you can see, Duff, your marks mean you are being held back a year».

«Fa-il-ed» said the woman, enunciating the word carefully.

«I agree, most humbly» answered her colleague.

Duff glanced at the sheet and then threw it on the table near the chipped glass. «What the fuck, as if I didn’t know already? Can you tell me what that’s got to do with our victory at the Rock Warrior tournament?»

The man coughed, irritating me more than a little. «You’re aware that rules should be read carefully. And these» he said pulling something else out of his briefcase «are the Rock Warrior Tournament rules for this year. And the other bit circled in red» continued the man, complacently «is the footnote that gets us out of any contractual 223

relationship with you. The record company has already got in touch with the second prize-winners: that’s in the rules as well».

Duff read the text circled in red out loud4. «Whenever one or more members of the winning band fail to be admitted to the next educational year, in accordance with the rules laid down in the Rock Warrior Tournament Regulation the band shall be subject to immediate exclusion, abandonment and termination of the prize. The victory and the contract for the production and distribution of a brand-new album is consequently declared officially null and void».

Duff ’s hands trembled. He screwed the sheet up in a ball and stuffed it in his mouth, chewing with his teeth. The pieces of paper mixed with his saliva and sprayed everywhere. He threw himself after the Rocker Contract Office administrators. The chase continued outside the nightclub, along the road, along the entire block, as the new day dawned.

«Well, penniless again» said Saul disconsolately, while the girl with the bags under her eyes took our glasses away. «Have you got anything to say, man?»

I hugged Charlotte. «I feel responsible. I should have read the rules properly».

«It wouldn’t have changed much, man. Duff would have failed in any case».

«Yes, but we wouldn’t have got our hopes up. A contract… When is that likely to happen again?»

«Nobody can take away your title of winning band» said Charlotte.

«Now you’ve got a name. Before no one had ever heard of you. Did you see how many people you entertained tonight?» She nestled into my shoulder.

My mother was still drinking when we got up from the table. She didn’t turn round.

«Who’s going to get him?» I asked at the doorway of the pub, pointing to Duff who was hotly pursuing the man and woman down the road. At that point tiredness overcame me and the alcohol was playing havoc with my nervous system.

«Not me, man. Let’s go home».

«See you around». «’Night, man».

«Sweet dreams, darling. See you soon» said Megan to Charlotte.

«See you soon».

4 Loud, really loud!

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We stayed there, sitting on the ground near the window of Mr Brown’s, watching the morning shadows lengthening over the world.

You may be wondering whether this was when we kissed for the first time, if we snogged. Sorry to disappoint you, but that’s something that will stay between me and Charlotte.

We had finally graduated from being scorned amateur strummers to a band. I could see that things wouldn’t be easy now that we no longer had an opportunity to record an album, but as I sat outside with Charlotte, I fully appreciated the glory we had earned by suffering and risking our necks.

«I can’t wait for our names to be engraved on the Rock Rocket» I said, and we walked away from Mr Brown’s.

ShhhhZzzzzzz.......

ShhhZzzz

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Ghost Track

Hugo & Helly

«The Tournament winners? I’m Hugo and she’s my sister Helly.

Pleased to meet you».

Two kids in school uniform appeared after a few yards, surfacing from behind the club. He was carrying a black bowler hat and walking stick, she was wearing knee-high socks under a kilt.

«We listened to your song» said Hugo, as his sister stood stiffly silent by his side with a vacant stare. «And we heard about the contract. A real shame».

«What do you want?» I asked in confusion.

«To offer you an opportunity to carry on riding your wave of success! Too many artists are lost because they’re not appreciated. We can give you a hand, we are the right people» said Hugo fiddling with his stick. «The Rock & Roll College is just waiting for you».

Click: STOP-

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Acknowledgements

I am extremely proud that my first novel was published in English.

Compared to gratitude that the original version’s ‘Dark Rock Chronicles’ received, I have a few more names of thanks to add to the list. First of all the staff of DieGo Comic Publishing - particularly Giuseppe Pennestri, who believed in myself and my story. I also want to thank Marina Lenti, without her help and her professionalism I would have been lost in a thousand problems. I also want to give thanks to Massimiliano and Vanessa for their support, especially during the different presentations of the book. Thanks to Pia, always.

And also thank you to everybody who has given a great contribution to the readers, young and old, who shared with me the excitement and adventure of Matt and the other members of the DRC. Marco Guadalupi September 2013

Final word by the publisher As a Publisher I have a rule: I don’t publish anything that I don’t enjoy to read myself. When I first had my eyes on the Italian edition of DRC I was intrigued by the well plotted and carefully-written text, which is rare for new writers. Immediately I decided to contact Marco to talk about a translation into English of the novel. Marco has an innovative potential which I tested on few articles commissioned to him for Kingdom of Fantasy magazine. I am sure our readers will enjoy this book as much as I did. I will be proud to have the opportunity to publish more of Marco’s works.

Giuseppe Pennestri

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Contents Track # 1 Heaven’s gates Page 6 Track # 2 Infinity 10 Track # 3 Turbo!

17 Track # 4 Mrs Hate & Mr Love 22 Track # 5 Holy Guitar 28 Track # 6 Hot girls 34 Track # 7 Demon 40 Track # 8 Six souls 45 Track # 9 Rock Warriors 50 Track # 10 Dream a little dream of me 55 Track # 11 Six feet under 61 Track # 12 One step at a time 73 Track # 13 Stand by me 80 Track # 14 Bye bye mummy!

90 Ghost Track Inheritance 104 Track # 15 Splat 105 Track # 16 The new, hard instruments 112 Track # 17 Rock Rocket 123 Track # 18 The Tournament 137 Track # 19 Antony & C. Boys 155 Track # 20 It’s so easy 165 Track # 21 Delirium 189 Track # 22 The show goes on 204 Bonus Track At Mr Brown’s 217 Ghost Track Hugo & Helly 225 Acknowledgements - Final word by the publisher 226 Contents 227

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