.O N E. S H O T.
Rescued.
Heather - The blue eyed, bubbly blonde, with an entire world she keeps behind closed doors - was about to experience a night like no other. Ripped jeans, worn-out vans and a shirt to represent her favorite band kept the young girl content in the chilling weather of the Winter storms. She was far too excited to feel the numbing sting of the snow flakes falling around her, anyway. For the first time in her short existence, Heather would meet her idols. The four men that brought her so much happiness on a regular basis. Such a tragedy that they didn't even know her name.
She let out an excited sigh and took a glance to the group around her. Not many people had decided to brave the storm and come to the show tonight. Heather didn't mind this, instead, she found it as more of a reason to get up-close and personal to the boys who held the key to her heart. They were, after all, the only people in this world who would fully understand her. Alex's words, whether coming from a blog on the internet of a song sung on an album, explained her soul so clearly. It was almost scary, admittedly, how he could make her melt without even looking into his eyes.
Sixty minutes and counting.
The wind was starting to pick up. It sounded like a train flying through the mountains, but made the glow of the street lamp above her head seem eerie, like something out of a slasher film. Eventually, the flakes falling from the sky made her shiver. Heather ran her hot hands along her arms, but it didn't do much to change the outcome. Couldn't they open the doors already? At the very least, allow those in her line start the meet and greet? Anything to put her body in motion and cancel out the chills of the night.
"I'm freezing to death," a boy, who looked to be maybe a year older than herself, turned to look at Heather. She could feel her chest tighten. Why was he talking to her? He was a stranger- Heather didn't like strangers. "You're a fan. Could you please explain to my girlfriend that we're going to catch our death out here? It's not worth the wait. Doors aren't set to open for another forty-five minutes!"
"Stop it, Kyle," said girlfriend snaps, turning her head to stare at Heather. "She'd probably agree with me on this. They're absolutely worth the wait."
The boy simply shrugged, turning his attention away from her cold body. Heather was thankful. She hated the times where she had force herself to converse with people she didn't know.
Snow was starting to pile up on the road, but was quickly cleared away by a large, orange truck. He earned a lot of angry words from the fans crowded around the venue doors, because now their toes were buried in the white substance, the ice soaking through to their bare skin. Heather tried her best to ignore the pain. The blonde tugged her cell phone out of her pants. Matt Flyzik was never late at a show.. He should be standing in front of her, right now, going over the rules of the meet & greet. And as if on cue, he appeared, looking snug and cozy from the warmth indoors.
"Can I have your attention?" Matt's voice boomed over the crowd. His face softened a bit when he realized how pale their faces were, but how pink their noses had become. These people were going to get sick if they waited any longer. "Due to the inclement weather, we've had to cancel the show. Your money has not been wasted. Hustler's, you will get an email with the date of the rain-check. Everyone else, please contact the venue for more information!"
Groans echoed around Heather's ears. She was silent, but she was equally as heart broken. Unlike everyone else, she didn't rush off to the warmth of a vehicle. Instead, she stood there for a moment, frozen from the words still dancing around in her mind. How could they? She'd been looking forward to this for months. She stayed up late just to secure her spot in the meet & greet. Now it was all being ripped away from her. Fucking weather.
Ten minutes in the cold alone and Heather reluctantly gave up on her hopes that someone would whisk her away through the venue doors. The young girl brushed some blonde strands away from her face and pulled her hood up over her head. Nowhere to go but home, now. Sighing to herself, her feet crunched loudly through the snow. She rounded the venue, deciding to go the back way to her car. No one her friends liked the band as much as she did. She'd driven herself, waited out the storm by herself, and for what? Disappointment.
The comfort of the street lamp was long gone. The venue was still in her sight, but barely. Heather had only just left and already she was encountering another problem: She forgot where she parked her car. This wasn't an area she was familiar with and all the streets looked the same. Probably because she had no light to read the signs.
The young girl stopped her journey long enough to pull out her cell phone. It was too cold to hunt down her car- Calling someone to pick her up would be the easiest solution. She was just about to unlock her phone when she noticed something that sent her stomach into knots. There was a figure behind her, to her left, in the road. The streets had been swept, she couldn't hear said person over the sound of her own footsteps. Her blue eyes flashed with panic. What was she supposed to do? Turn around and face the person or call her mom with tears in her voice? Not like it really mattered. The stranger knew that she knew now, it was time to act.
With her own feet standing still, Heather could hear the person dart in her direction. Not knowing what else to do, the young girl took off in the opposite direction. She'd thrown him off by passing him, that was for sure. But as the venue started to really come into view, a large body crashed against her back, sending her flying into the cold, hard ground.
"Get off of me!" Heather cried, her body flailing under the weight. "Let go!"
Her voice was high-pitched, holding nothing but pure fear and natural, animal instinct. Still, she was much weaker than the man holding her down. In one swift motion, he flipped her over, pinning his hand to her mouth to shut her up. Heather did the only thing she could think of: She bit the stranger as hard as she could, and the moment he jerked his hand away, she screamed bloody murder.
Heather thought her life was over. As the man dragged her to her feet and began dragging her along the road, she was positive tonight would be the night she was murdered. She would never see her favorite band, and the only way they'd remember is by headlines: Girl kidnapped and murdered at local pop-punk show.
They were now back to where her journey had started. The brisk air left tears in her eyes as she kicked her legs and shouted to the top of her lungs. Was anyone still inside the venue? Could they hear her? The door.. The door was right there. If only should could escape his grasp and burst thought those doors, but her fight was almost gone. She was paralyzed by fear.
But that's when it happened. The sound of glass shattering sent her into the sweet arms of freedom. His hands were no longer ripping away at her hair. Heather spun around, desperate to see the face of her hero. He stood there with a pale face, his hand bleeding from the impact of the broken beer bottle. Alex Gaskarth had saved her life.
"Call the fucking cops, Alex!" Jack shouted, his face just as pale as Alex's. "Put this piece of shit back in the dump where he belongs."
It was all happening so fast that Heather could barely comprehend it. Jack extended his arms and pulled her fragile body into his chest, where her numb body instantly took in his heat. She was pulled through the venue door just in time to see Zack Merrick hurry outside, most likely to help Alex keep this man at bay.
"Hey, you're okay now," Jack whispered, releasing her body onto a bar stool. "We heard you screaming and reacted as quickly as we could."
She wanted to speak, honestly, she did, but the best she could manage was a muffled sob. It was completely understandable. Jack frowned, pulling her body against his chest again.
"Were you waiting to see the show?"
"Y-Yes," Heather choked out. "Then.. Then this happened."
"I'm so sorry.. ?"
"Heather," she whispered. "My name is Heather."
"Well, Heather, you're my new favorite fan. Wanna hear a song?"
When the blonde girl rose an eyebrow, Jack grinned, clearing his throat.
"Heather, run away with me. I know I sound crazy,Well, actually, I just sound bad."
She forced a laugh. After everything that just happened, at least now she could say there was a little light in the darkness. It wasn't how she planned, but it was worth it.
"I know we only just met," Jack whispered, seeing the fear linger in her eyes, "but you're a beautiful person. You didn't deserve that. You're officially my new best friend. Alex has been replaced. I shall call you.. Rescued."
It was simple and Heather knew she'd probably never hear from him again, but in that moment, he was more than her idol.. He was her hero. The worst night of her life was also the best.. And this is one stranger she didn't mind letting in.
She let out an excited sigh and took a glance to the group around her. Not many people had decided to brave the storm and come to the show tonight. Heather didn't mind this, instead, she found it as more of a reason to get up-close and personal to the boys who held the key to her heart. They were, after all, the only people in this world who would fully understand her. Alex's words, whether coming from a blog on the internet of a song sung on an album, explained her soul so clearly. It was almost scary, admittedly, how he could make her melt without even looking into his eyes.
Sixty minutes and counting.
The wind was starting to pick up. It sounded like a train flying through the mountains, but made the glow of the street lamp above her head seem eerie, like something out of a slasher film. Eventually, the flakes falling from the sky made her shiver. Heather ran her hot hands along her arms, but it didn't do much to change the outcome. Couldn't they open the doors already? At the very least, allow those in her line start the meet and greet? Anything to put her body in motion and cancel out the chills of the night.
"I'm freezing to death," a boy, who looked to be maybe a year older than herself, turned to look at Heather. She could feel her chest tighten. Why was he talking to her? He was a stranger- Heather didn't like strangers. "You're a fan. Could you please explain to my girlfriend that we're going to catch our death out here? It's not worth the wait. Doors aren't set to open for another forty-five minutes!"
"Stop it, Kyle," said girlfriend snaps, turning her head to stare at Heather. "She'd probably agree with me on this. They're absolutely worth the wait."
The boy simply shrugged, turning his attention away from her cold body. Heather was thankful. She hated the times where she had force herself to converse with people she didn't know.
Snow was starting to pile up on the road, but was quickly cleared away by a large, orange truck. He earned a lot of angry words from the fans crowded around the venue doors, because now their toes were buried in the white substance, the ice soaking through to their bare skin. Heather tried her best to ignore the pain. The blonde tugged her cell phone out of her pants. Matt Flyzik was never late at a show.. He should be standing in front of her, right now, going over the rules of the meet & greet. And as if on cue, he appeared, looking snug and cozy from the warmth indoors.
"Can I have your attention?" Matt's voice boomed over the crowd. His face softened a bit when he realized how pale their faces were, but how pink their noses had become. These people were going to get sick if they waited any longer. "Due to the inclement weather, we've had to cancel the show. Your money has not been wasted. Hustler's, you will get an email with the date of the rain-check. Everyone else, please contact the venue for more information!"
Groans echoed around Heather's ears. She was silent, but she was equally as heart broken. Unlike everyone else, she didn't rush off to the warmth of a vehicle. Instead, she stood there for a moment, frozen from the words still dancing around in her mind. How could they? She'd been looking forward to this for months. She stayed up late just to secure her spot in the meet & greet. Now it was all being ripped away from her. Fucking weather.
Ten minutes in the cold alone and Heather reluctantly gave up on her hopes that someone would whisk her away through the venue doors. The young girl brushed some blonde strands away from her face and pulled her hood up over her head. Nowhere to go but home, now. Sighing to herself, her feet crunched loudly through the snow. She rounded the venue, deciding to go the back way to her car. No one her friends liked the band as much as she did. She'd driven herself, waited out the storm by herself, and for what? Disappointment.
The comfort of the street lamp was long gone. The venue was still in her sight, but barely. Heather had only just left and already she was encountering another problem: She forgot where she parked her car. This wasn't an area she was familiar with and all the streets looked the same. Probably because she had no light to read the signs.
The young girl stopped her journey long enough to pull out her cell phone. It was too cold to hunt down her car- Calling someone to pick her up would be the easiest solution. She was just about to unlock her phone when she noticed something that sent her stomach into knots. There was a figure behind her, to her left, in the road. The streets had been swept, she couldn't hear said person over the sound of her own footsteps. Her blue eyes flashed with panic. What was she supposed to do? Turn around and face the person or call her mom with tears in her voice? Not like it really mattered. The stranger knew that she knew now, it was time to act.
With her own feet standing still, Heather could hear the person dart in her direction. Not knowing what else to do, the young girl took off in the opposite direction. She'd thrown him off by passing him, that was for sure. But as the venue started to really come into view, a large body crashed against her back, sending her flying into the cold, hard ground.
"Get off of me!" Heather cried, her body flailing under the weight. "Let go!"
Her voice was high-pitched, holding nothing but pure fear and natural, animal instinct. Still, she was much weaker than the man holding her down. In one swift motion, he flipped her over, pinning his hand to her mouth to shut her up. Heather did the only thing she could think of: She bit the stranger as hard as she could, and the moment he jerked his hand away, she screamed bloody murder.
Heather thought her life was over. As the man dragged her to her feet and began dragging her along the road, she was positive tonight would be the night she was murdered. She would never see her favorite band, and the only way they'd remember is by headlines: Girl kidnapped and murdered at local pop-punk show.
They were now back to where her journey had started. The brisk air left tears in her eyes as she kicked her legs and shouted to the top of her lungs. Was anyone still inside the venue? Could they hear her? The door.. The door was right there. If only should could escape his grasp and burst thought those doors, but her fight was almost gone. She was paralyzed by fear.
But that's when it happened. The sound of glass shattering sent her into the sweet arms of freedom. His hands were no longer ripping away at her hair. Heather spun around, desperate to see the face of her hero. He stood there with a pale face, his hand bleeding from the impact of the broken beer bottle. Alex Gaskarth had saved her life.
"Call the fucking cops, Alex!" Jack shouted, his face just as pale as Alex's. "Put this piece of shit back in the dump where he belongs."
It was all happening so fast that Heather could barely comprehend it. Jack extended his arms and pulled her fragile body into his chest, where her numb body instantly took in his heat. She was pulled through the venue door just in time to see Zack Merrick hurry outside, most likely to help Alex keep this man at bay.
"Hey, you're okay now," Jack whispered, releasing her body onto a bar stool. "We heard you screaming and reacted as quickly as we could."
She wanted to speak, honestly, she did, but the best she could manage was a muffled sob. It was completely understandable. Jack frowned, pulling her body against his chest again.
"Were you waiting to see the show?"
"Y-Yes," Heather choked out. "Then.. Then this happened."
"I'm so sorry.. ?"
"Heather," she whispered. "My name is Heather."
"Well, Heather, you're my new favorite fan. Wanna hear a song?"
When the blonde girl rose an eyebrow, Jack grinned, clearing his throat.
"Heather, run away with me. I know I sound crazy,Well, actually, I just sound bad."
She forced a laugh. After everything that just happened, at least now she could say there was a little light in the darkness. It wasn't how she planned, but it was worth it.
"I know we only just met," Jack whispered, seeing the fear linger in her eyes, "but you're a beautiful person. You didn't deserve that. You're officially my new best friend. Alex has been replaced. I shall call you.. Rescued."
It was simple and Heather knew she'd probably never hear from him again, but in that moment, he was more than her idol.. He was her hero. The worst night of her life was also the best.. And this is one stranger she didn't mind letting in.
Count me in!
12/2/13