Hello readers, as always thank you for all of the positive feedback. It makes me so happy to see how many of you are enjoying my story. Here were going to see more of the band's moments as well as some build up to the Halloween concert. Some of you asked about the specifics of the Slipknot outfits and what era, it will all be explained in the story. Anyways, enjoy the newest chapter of finding peace.
"Hello Misfits, we are Hysteria and this song is called Seek and Destroy."
Lincoln gave the devil horns as the crowd erupted in applause, Anthony counted off with his sticks as Lincoln started the riff of the song and got close to the microphone next to him. They continued playing and Chris grabbed the microphone.
We're scanning the scene in the city tonight
We're looking for you to start up a fight
There is an evil feeling in our brains
But there's nothing new, you know it drives us insane
Running, on our way, hiding
You will pay dying
One thousand deaths
Running, on our way, hiding
You will pay dying
One thousand deaths
Searching
Seek and destroy
Searching
Seek and destroy
Searching
Seek and destroy
Searching
Seek and destroy
There is no escape and that's for sure
This is the end, we won't take any more
Say goodbye to the world you live in
You've always been taking and now you're giving
Running, on our way, hiding
You will pay dying
One thousand deaths
Running, on our way, hiding
You will pay dying
One thousand deaths
Searching
Seek and destroy
Searching
Seek and destroy
Searching
Seek and destroy
Searching
Seek and destroy
Our brains are on fire with the feeling to kill
And it will not go away until our dreams are fulfilled
There is only one thing on our minds
Don't try running away 'cause you're the one we will find
Running, on our way, hiding
You will pay dying
One thousand deaths
Running, on our way, hiding
You will pay dying
One thousand deaths
Searching
Seek and destroy
Searching
Seek and destroy
Searching
Seek and destroy
Searching
Seek and destroy
The band finished the song as the crowd erupted in applause. The 4 boys gave the horns as they walked off the stage. It had been 2 weeks since Hysteria agreed to play Slipknot, Halloween was just around the corner and they would be playing in less than two weeks. The 4 boys had gotten to meet the other 5 guys and Tabby's father, they all were kids from surrounding towns and were all very nice. They practiced together in a studio that Tabbys father owned and they all seemed to have good chemistry. The two percussionists were crazy, jumping around and swinging from their giant drums. The DJ and sampilist were also very nice guys as well. Lincoln got along with the other guitarist that was going to be Mick, he was around the age of Max and was a very skilled guitarist. All 9 members agreed to go for the look of the early days and agreed on wearing the jumpsuits and masks from the dynamo concert. Tabby said her father reached out to his friend who made replicas the day they decided and he said they would be ready in 2 weeks.
Lincoln was devoting a lot of time to practicing. When he wasn't doing school work, he was practicing the set list. Jim was a really good guitarist, so it took a lot of practice. Anthony was having a lot of difficulty due to how crazy Joey Jordison was as a drummer. He said he broke multiple sets of sticks while practicing.
But even though the 4 members of the band were really busy for Halloween, they still had time to meet up and jam as well as play live. Hysteria had become a regular band that played at the Misfits. The 4 boys realized they needed more experience playing live, so they played at Misfits a ton. They just finished playing on a Saturday. Sam and Tabby showed up to a lot of their shows, Anthony would always go and talk with Tabby and Max had a group of older teens that he would talk with. Lincoln noticed something about Max, he started to change. He used to dress very nicely, comb his hair, wear collar shirts and Khakis. Now he wore a lot more band shirts, wore jeans and cargo pants, and seemed to be growing his hair longer. But out of everyone that showed up to Misfits, Lincoln was most surprised that Luan was at almost every one of their shows. She and Chris would go off and do whatever once they finished playing. Lincoln usually just ordered some sodas and sat with Sam, talking about music or how their lives were going.
As Lincoln walked into the crowd of people with the rest of the band, some people gave them high fives and fistbumps and told them how good they were. They became good friends with a lot of people at the club as well as some of the other bands. Soon enough, all 4 members were separated from each other doing what they usually did. Sam was sitting by the bar and she saw Lincoln walking towards her.
"Hey Linc, good job on Seek and Destroy, you're making James and Kirk proud." Sam said patting him on the shoulder
Lincoln smiled at her before turning to the bartender. The bartender looked up and smiled at the two.
"Hey you two, I'm guessing two sodas."
Lincoln nodded but Sam interjected, "Actually 3 sodas today."
Lincoln was surprised, was Sam just more thirsty today. The bartender shrugged and got out 3 glasses and filled them up with ice before pouring the sodas into each of them.
Sam grabbed the two and Lincoln grabbed his. Lincoln followed her to their usual spot but was surprised to see who was sitting there. Luna Loud, his older sister, was sitting at the table along with her bandmates Mazzie and Sully. Luna saw the two and smiled, Sam put the drinks down and gave Luna a hug. The two sat down at the table with Lincoln facing Luna. Lincoln was a bit on edge right now. Chris told him about what happened when he auditioned for Luna's band and what Sully and Mazzie said. So he wasn't super happy that he now had to sit at a table with people who insulted his friend.
"Hey bro, that was incredible. You guys were great." Luna said ecstatic.
Lincoln simply smiled at her and started to take a sip of his soda.
"I'm honestly jealous of your drummer, that little dude can really play." Sully said
"Anthony, yeah he's good. Thanks." Lincoln said simply
Mazzie then said, "Your bass player was also good, though Chris needs some work."
Lincoln almost choked on his drink when she said that. Swallowing the rest of the soda in his mouth, he then spoke a bit harshly.
"What was wrong with Chris?"
"I mean, he was okay. But he just doesn't have that presence that a singer should have."
Lincoln gritted his teeth at what she was saying, she obviously was trying to insult Chris because she still looked down upon him. How the hell did Chris not have a presence? He spoke to the crowd in between songs and moved around a ton.
Lincoln was about to fireback at her but Sam beat him to it. "I don't think so Mazzie, he was moving around the stage a ton. I thought he was great."
Mazzie shrugged, "I guess so. But Andy captures it better when he plays with us."
Lincoln was holding himself back from reaching over the table to attack the high schooler. But it seemed Lincoln wasn't the only one pissed. Luna rose from her seat to stare at Mazzie dead in the eyes.
"Mazzie just shut up. Can't you just leave Chris alone. It's because of you and Sully that he's not in our band. I'm honestly shocked you're still holding a grudge against him considering what you said."
Mazzie glared back at Luna and scoffed, "I never wanted Chris in the band. Andy is much better than that loser."
That was the breaking point for Lincoln. He jumped from his seat, ready to fight. But Luna beat him to it. She raised her hand and slapped Mazzie across the face. Mazzie and everyone else looked at Luna, stunned at what she just did.
"DON'T YOU DARE CALL HIM A LOSER." she yelled, causing a few people to look at what was going on.
"Apologize."
"What" Mazzie asked confused
"Apologize to Lincoln for talking bad about Chris, or I swear I will take your bass and shove it up your ass so far it will be coming out of your mouth." Luna threatened
Mazzie looked like she was thinking before sighing and turning to look at Lincoln. "I'm sorry for saying those things about."
Lincoln knew but the way she spoke that she wasn't really sorry. But I just wanted to get out of the situation.
"It's fine." he muttered before getting up and leaving the table.
Lincoln chose to step outside. He took in the coldness of the night as he just leaned against the wall. He felt footsteps walk up to him, turning to see who it was. He saw it was Luna. The rockstar leaned next to him before speaking.
"I'm really sorry about Mazzie."
"It's fine, I just don't like it when people insult my friends."
Luna chuckled "Who does"
"You guys were great tonight. You don't know how proud I am to see you playing up there."
Lincoln looked up at her shocked, she said it. She was proud of him. Lincoln was so happy that he enveloped her in a hug, which surprised the rocker.
"Thanks Luna, I appreciate it."
Luna smiled and ruffled her brother's hair. "Anytime little bro."
Lincoln separated from the hug and pulled out his phone.
"It's getting late."
"Yeah, we should head home soon. You got a ride."
"Yeah, Max is gonna drive us home."
"Cool, me and the band came here. We also gave Luan a ride."
"I don't know what's up with her. She's so happy now and pulling less pranks on us."
Luna shrugged, "Who knows."
Scene Change:
"Alright this one will be easy for you, favorite comedian."
"Dave Chapelle of course. He's a comedic genius. I love watching his skits"
"Yeah he's great."
It was sunday afternoon, and Luan was currently hanging out with Chris at his house. Emily was at a playdate so it was just him and her. The two were in his bedroom cuddling on his bed. They were just firing away questions at each other about what their favorite things were.
"What's your favorite comedian Chrissy"
"George Carline for me. I have never heard someone swear so much." He said grinning
Luan raised her head to look at him and smiled.
"You make my comedic heart happy."
The two just laid there, both content. Luans face was snuggled in the crook of his neck and Chris had his hand wrapped around her waist. They had been dating for more than 2 weeks now and were very happy together. They still had Lunch together, but the both of them would spend a lot more time outside of school together. Hanging out at the park, having picnics together. Luan going to his shows and Chris going to her stand up act. But what they were doing right now was what both teens loved the most. They both felt so happy around each other. Like nothing could go wrong. They did this often, just the two of them laying together in each other's embrace. Talking or just cuddling, sometimes making out. Luan started tracing his tattoo with her finger, which was something she did often.
"Alright your turn Chrissy, favorite band."
"Definitely Ozzy Ozbourne, my dad took me to see him when I was 10 and he's what got me into metal."
Luan was a bit surprised at the response, Chris barely spoke about his parents. All she knew was that they were often busy and away. She decided now might be a good time to ask.
"You never really told me much about your parents. What are they like?"
Chris simply shrugged. "I mean I love them, their great parents. But they both are always busy with their jobs and travel a lot."
"Was it always like that." she asked
"Not always, they used to be around a lot. I used to do everything with my mom and dad. But it changed when I was a freshman. Both of my parents work at the same business and ended up getting promotions. It was great because we had a larger income, but they were out so often I barely saw them. They always flew from one part of the world to another on a business trip."
"That sucks."
"Yeah, I mean it's not like they're neglecting us. They're just busy, but I still wish I saw them more."
Luan didn't know what to say, but Chris chose to speak.
"But then I met you Luan, and honestly I've never been more happier than now. You're like a big sister to Emily and I love spending time with you."
Luan blushed at the comment. She tilted her head so the two were looking at each other.
"Well I'm really happy too, so I think it's a win win." she said before putting her lips on his as the two started to kiss.
Scene Change:
That same sunday afternoon, Lincoln was in his room playing his guitar. He was still practicing the Slipknot songs and was really starting to get the hang of it. Suddenly the door to his room burst open and Lynn walked in.
"Come on Lincoln, we're going to my soccer game."
Lincoln looked at her before responding, "Sorry Lynn, I need to keep practicing."
Lynn was surprised at his response but knew she wasn't going to give up. "I said come on Stinkcoln, you're going to my game."
Lincoln glared at her, "And I said no, I need to keep practicing my guitar. I can miss out on one game."
Lynn was surprised at Lincoln's assertiveness. Realizing she was going to be late for her game if she kept arguing, she scoffed. "Fine, Leni's also home so if you need anything go to her."
Lynn left the room slamming the door. Lincoln resumed playing and a few minutes later he heard the sound of Vanzilla leave the driveway. Lincoln continued playing guitar, but around 30 min later. He heard the doorbell go off. Lincoln quickly dashed downstairs. Wondering who that could be. Opening the door, she was surprised to see Tabby at the door holding two boxes.
"Hey mate, the outfits finally arrived." Tabby said handing Lincoln the boxes. Lincoln took them and set them down.
"Thank Tabby I really appreciate it."
"That's not all?" she stated which left Lincoln confused
Reaching to the side of her, she pulled out a large case and handed it to him.
"My dad said you could have this, it's yours to keep."
Lincoln took the case and set it down. He unclipped it and opened it and was shocked at what he saw. It was a black fender Jazzmaster. The signature guitar of Jim Root. Lincoln picked it up and felt it. It felt great great in his hands.
"Woah Tabby, this is crazy. Tell your dad I said thank you."
"Of course mate, have a nice day." she said as she turned around and walked away.
Lincoln closed the door and immediately took everything up to his room.
He carefully cut open the larger of the two boxes and opened it up. Inside is what looked like an exact replica of the jumpsuit that Jim Root wore at Dynamo. Lincoln carefully grabbed it and let it unravel. It was white with a red barcode in the top right and a giant one on the back. The sleeve for his right hand had the word (sic) on it with two 6s on each end. The left sleeve had the tribal symbol along with the number 4. Lincoln smiled at it, it looked awesome. Placing it down on his bed, he then opened the next box which had the mask inside. It was a jester mask that looked rather creepy with a pointy chin. Lincoln smiled at it. He decided he wanted to try it on.
Lincoln grabbed both the jumpsuit and mask and headed towards the bathroom. He quickly put on the jumpsuit and then carefully applied the mask. It was hot in the mask and he had okay vision, but he could tolerate it. Lincoln turned to look at himself in the mirror, he was much shorter but looked great.
"I should practice with this on" he thought to himself.
Lincoln walked back to his room wearing the outfit, he grabbed the jazzmaster and a guitar strap and headed downstairs and outside. He headed towards the garage where all the amps were set up. As Lincoln was walking towards the garage, he heard someone speak.
"Hey Loud, it's not Halloween yet."
It was Mr Grouse, Lincoln's neighbor who seemed to like to comment on everything. Lincoln looked up at him before continuing to walk towards the garage, opening it up. He grabbed a guitar amp and plugged the jazzmaster in. After some tuning, Lincoln started to play some chords and he was shocked. It sounded so much like the real thing, just like if it was played by Jim. Lincoln smiled underneath the mask, excited. He started playing the opening to sic, it was a bit difficult wearing the mask. But he was having so much fun. He continued playing and even moved around a bit. Soon he started playing songs like Sic, Eyeless, Left behind, and many other classics. When he was in the middle of spit it out though, he heard a scream. Looking up, he saw Leni at the front of the garage, a terrified look on her face.
"Crazy jester guy." she yelled. Scared, she grabbed a baseball bat and started walking towards him. Lincoln was now scared. Lincoln quickly stopped playing and removed the mask as quickly as possible.
"Wait Leni, it's me." he said trying to stop her.
Once Leni saw who it was, she immediately stopped and dropped the bat.
"Linky, oh jeez sorry. You look crazy with that outfit on."
Lincoln breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he was no longer under the threat of being whacked with a bat.
"It's fine Leni, did I look good though."
Leni immediately went into your fashion talk "Oh for a horror theme, you totes look scary. The jumpsuit really adds a lot to the feeling of unsettling."
"Thanks, that's what I was going for."
"Why are you dressed up like that?"
Lincoln knew he couldn't tell her the truth as she was awful with keeping secrets.
"Oh, this is just my costume for halloween and I wanted to try it on."
Leni smiled, accepting the response. She happily hugged Lincoln.
"Well you will look great on Halloween, I can guarantee it."
Lincoln smiled at his sister, "Thanks leni"
"Alright I need to go work on this new dress. Call me if you need anything."
"I will," Lincoln responded as Leni walked back towards the house.
Lincoln smiled as he put the mask back on.
"This is going to be an awesome halloween."