Chapter 7 – All Blackened Sky

The aggression was only mounting more. Kim felt it within herself, and in the air within the cabin. She thought it would blow up at some point. She had checked the cell phone; apparently Ian was headed their way.

Erik had responded with a laconic "Fine." reply.

It was easy now when they could converse with text only. So that their voices would not reveal the boiling anger. Kim was actually afraid what would transpire once Ian would arrive. Or if something might even happen before that.

Nothing was certain at this point. Except that mentally, she was being driven against the wall. In theory there would be an easy way out, to just say "I'm done," when it came to the doom band, but what then?

The rehearsal space opened up before Jo just like the last time. The musicians were also mostly the same as before, just the vocalist – Anthony – was dressed in a more subdued manner than before. Instead of the ruffled white shirt, it was a plain purple shirt instead, hanging over his leather pants.

"Let's do the round of introductions properly this time," Anthony said.

It turned out the drummer was Trey. The bassist was Scott. And the keyboardist was Kevin.

Jo connected her effect pedal and headphones to the mixer. She had adjusted the sound to be much stronger than last time. It was a simulation of a Mesa Dual Rectifier, which she thought the pedal to simulate the best.

"Should we play Rising Force again, just to warm up?" Kevin asked.

Jo thought Kevin wanted to show off his Jens Johansson imitation skills. Well, this time she would also be ready. She had set up a rather perfect middle-heavy solo sound with delay that was adjusted just right to add thickness to the sound, while still keeping clarity.

They played the song with extra tempo. And Jo did not really miss a note. The part before the solos could now definitely be played only with triplets instead of sixteenth notes.

With the light of the day just beginning to fade and turn into the evening, Ian arrived at the town of Rocks Falls. By now the route to the cabin had already burned itself to his mind. He turned to the narrow forest road and had to slow down just a little.

The radio was on, and Ian had tried to find the legendary stations he had found on the last times. The random metal DJ, who had talked of ultra-commercial shit that would empty the listeners' souls. Ian had met him again surprisingly many times.

But now that voice could not be found. Instead there was random hard rock and country, which was not very inspiring.

Was that a bad sign?

Well, soon Ian would reach the cabin, and then what was on the radio would be irrelevant.

After playing through the songs from Jo's last audition, they began playing less progressive songs, that everyone would know. Metallica. Iron Maiden. The arrangements were just a bit funny, with keyboards instead of two guitars. After playing through enough songs, Jo and Kevin were starting to build a kind of a musical connection, though in the dual-guitar songs there was a bit of fumbling of who would play the upper part and who the lower.

And of course, Anthony sang like he was a reincarnated god of metal, never missing a high note.

Finally they had played through enough songs. At this point only the truly bad "standards" like Paranoid or For Whom The Bell Tolls would remain.

They all sat down.

"So, Jo, do you want to be in?" Anthony asked.

Jo was still not yet a hundred percent sure. But everything pointed to "yes" at this point. She was just a bit scared of the workload of learning the band's own, very much progressive material. But Jo thought of it almost like infiltrating enemy territory, learning what to do and what not to do, to aid the true line-up with Ian, Erik and Kim. Jo still wanted to think that it would rather be the four of them. All who had fought and bled.

If she would, out of some reason, need to quit Black Flame of Sin fast, the negative reputation would circulate, but so what?

"I'm in," Jo said.

Ian arrived to a somewhat odd scene in the cabin. Erik opened the door, a bottle of beer in his hand, but his mouth was curled downward, almost in hatred.

The initial feeling of the last drinking session had been somewhat reserved too, but this was like entering whole another dimension. Kim was further back in the cabin, also drinking.

What had Ian stuck his head into? Was this how Erik and Kim lived from day to day? Compared to last time, the cabin looked much more cramped with the drum kit and the bass and PA equipment inside. Of course that was at least good, that there was gear for venting the aggression.

No words at all were exchanged for the first minute.

Ian thought all his interpersonal skills could possibly be worth nothing at this point. What could he say to them? He had come to discuss the doom band's musical direction, but would he now be needed to be some kind of therapist instead?

Honestly, he hated that idea.

"Fucking doom," Erik said at last.

"Yeah," Ian replied, not meaning anything.

They sat down at the wooden table. Ian could well remember the time here, back when he had been an active Agent. Then it had been just the two, when Ian had come to recruit Erik to become an Agent. Mostly, to get Jo back from enemy hands. It had been an extremely precarious situation, but in the end absinthe and Ian's humility had won the day. And they had proceeded to kick ass in every way imaginable.

But now, after all the battles were over, and everything should in theory be fine –

What the hell had happened since the rehearsal?

Kim took a deep drink from the bottle, and slammed it on the table with force. But yet she did not say anything.

"So, the direction," Erik growled finally. "You have some ideas you want to discuss?"

Ian had thought of the classic-heavy-doom direction. But when Erik and Kim were in such state, it felt just wrong. Like he had no right to dictate to them.

Fuck. It was a failure.

The only thing Ian could think of, was misdirection, delaying, and observation.

"I could use a beer first."

"Fine," Erik grunted. "There's more in the fridge."