"We are on our way to The Dead Hand concert!" Adam shouted from the back of Morty. Him and Clare were talking very fast paced from their overload of excitement.
"How much more time do we have until we get there? I want to show off my new outfit." Clare said. I must agree Clare's outfit was hot. It was a black off the shoulder blouse and a pair of jeans that were somewhat tighter then her usual preference.
"The only showing off you're going to be doing is for me," I said from the front keeping both hands firmly on Morty's steering wheel.
"Eli's jealous," Adam snickered.
Clare joined in. "Pish posh, Adam. Eli knows I only belong to him."
"Damn right," I called out. I heard Adam and Clare collapse in a fit of laughter.
I caught a glimpse of what appeared as a giant night club with a bright sign that read, "The Header." I turned towards Adam and Clare. "Okay guys, this is it. Just let me try and find parking around here." Every spot was filled for blocks. After about a half hour or searching I pulled Morty into a cozy corner spot about ten streets away.
Clare and I walked hand in hand, Adam trailing beside us unable to stop talking about The Dead Hand. We made our way to 'The Header' and got in without hesitation; skipping the main portion of the line. The club was decked out with a huge stage in the middle, at least six sets of speakers with amplifiers, a banner that welcomed everyone to The Dead Hand reunion tour and a giant collage of lights that radiated all colors in each corner of the club. Waves of people were making their way in. Clare, Adam, and I proceeded to the front of the stage avoiding the possibilities of getting pushed, shoved, or mobbed by desperate fans who had not won V.I.P. tickets. After about a half hour of endless chatter, the lights dimmed and darkness engulfed the club. The concert was starting and my adrenaline was racing.
There were sparks from the stage that just missed my head. Clare grabbed onto me seemingly frightened, but I held her close. The Dead Hand emerged from behind a velvet curtain all dressed in black, guitars ready, and microphones checked. The lights in the corners turned on flashing red, green, blue, yellow, purple, and pink spotlights throughout the crowd. A piercing sound rang through my ears as the base played began followed quickly after by the guitarist. My feet were vibrating, my heart was thumping, and my ears I knew for sure would hurt later, but it was worth every minute.
The song was already a minute in. Adam was jumping up and down waving his hands in the air wildly. A massive amount of people were doing the same so Clare and I joined in. I wasn't particularly sure that Clare even liked The Dead Hand, but I knew she wanted an excuse to spend time with me which I didn't question at any point. Her being there with me was only making the concert ten times more enjoyable to watch.
A hardcore solo from the base came on and I could feel my ears tingling. The sound was incredibly amped through the speakers. Adam was clutching his ears, but somehow managing to still dance around like a maniac. He began screaming out the words to the song when it replayed. I began head banging as the ending melody played; my hair tossing from side to side. The song ended with a high cord from the base and the audience was a mist of high pitched screams, whistles, and claps.
Clare looked at me. "THIS IS INSANE!" she yelled out.
I faintly heard her. "I KNOW! ADAM LIKES IT A LOT!"
Clare glanced at Adam whose face was in utter awe. "I NOTICED. HE WAS JUMPING AROUND LIKE CRAZY!"
I would have responded, but the music started up again, louder then before which I didn't know was possible. It seemed that even more people had showed up because I was compressed closer to the metal fence that was blocking people from being too close to the stage. I took a hold of Clare and let her stand in front of me so she wouldn't be forced into the fence by any strangers. She was thankful as I could tell by the way her eyes landed upon mine. I wrapped my hands around her waist and squeezed ever so lightly. We turned, rocked, jumped, and collided with the music for the next hour and a half.
As it got closer to the end Clare and I were both pretty tired and sweaty. Adam, although he looked the same as we did, his energy was still blazing through him.
The Dead Hand's lead singer spoke into the microphone. "Alright everyone, this will be our last song for the night. It's a slow song, but in my personal favorites so, grab a partner and dance."
Clare and I instantly got together. The song began to play. She rested her head on my shoulder and I was leading her as well as I could. We swayed to the beat, our feet never once stepping upon each other.
"You're beautiful in every way. I just can't believe your mine. Let our fingers intertwine and don't let go of me tonight." As I danced with Clare, the music was only background noise. Halfway through the song I saw Adam who was standing alone.
I picked up Clare's head and whispered in her ear, "There will be plenty of more times to dance with me. Give Adam a shot." I kissed her sympathetically on my lips and she agreed.
"May I have this dance?" She asked Adam bowing sweetly.
Adam's somber face turned into a delighted one and he took Clare as his partner. I watched them dance until the song ended; my eyes never leaving Clare.
"Okay everyone, we, The Dead Hand, want to thank you for such an amazing show tonight. We're glad you all could be with us and for those of you in the front –"The lead singer pointed to me, Clare, and Adam. "We will give you guys signed guitar picks, posters, and t- shirts from the band."
Adam and I hopped the bars at the same time, Clare laughing hysterically, and we took the items in our grasp.
"I got a guitar pick from The Dead Hand," Adam said his hands unsteady as he stared at it.
I kissed my guitar pick and took of my chain necklace. With a quick slip through the hole, The Dead Hand's guitar pick was now dangling from my neck.
Clare admired it and twirled it between the edges of her fingers. "Someone must be happy," she said, her voice slightly raised. The majority of the loud crowd had vanished, but due to the V.I.P. passes we stayed behind receiving our gifts from the band before we exited.
After walking the ten blocks, I climbed into Morty with Adam and Clare directly behind me.
"Wow, just wow, I can't believe it. I have The Dead Hand's guitar pick," Adam exclaimed taking a peak at it from the glare of the streetlight. It sparkled blue.
"I know," I said taking hold of my necklace. "That was the most amazing concert I've ever been to. Did you like it Clare?"
"Not particularly my taste, but I got to spend it with you and Adam which made it all worth the while. Now let's get home before the early morning hours." Clare tapped at her watch furiously which read one o'clock am. I hadn't realized how long the concert had been going for.
Trying to make a good impression and get Clare home at a somewhat decent hour, I sped a little bit as I drove along the highway; whizzing by cars faster then I should have. Before I knew it, I heard the blaring of sirens and flashes of red and blue.
"Damn it," I said pulling over to the side of the road. There was no point of running from the cops.
"None of us are drunk or stoned. You'll just get a ticket and this will be over," Adam's tone was hopeful as he spoke.
An officer tapped on my windshield so I rolled it down. "License and registration," he commanded. I opened up Morty's glove compartment and handed it to him. He headed to his patrol car to scan it.
"Good job, daredevil," Clare said rolling her eyes.
"This daredevil was trying to be a good boyfriend by getting you home." The statement came off as rude which was not my intention, but I was tired and agitated by having to stop.
The officer returned. "Sir, I need you to step out of the car."
"Is there a problem, officer?"
"Sir, just please step out of the car." Adam and Clare looked at me fearfully; eyes wide with a sense of trepidation and anxiety.
As I got out of the car, my arms were briskly thrown beneath my back and handcuffed.
"What the hell is going on?" I demanded as I felt myself pushed into the side of Morty.
"You're under arrest for the murder of Bryan Wilson." At that moment, I felt my heart stop.