Somehow, I managed to play for about an hour. Everything sort of flowed naturally, and I didn’t really have to think that much about what I was playing. Just as long as I kept the beat up, nothing else mattered.
I don’t know what happened next. Isaac, for some reason, decided to take a request from the audience. We had never done anything like this before, but good old Ike needed change. He would always do something unusual, even if it was just a small thing, at every show. He took it upon himself to select an audience member; a member that happened to be only about eight-years-old.
“MMMBop.” The only words she said. I looked at Taylor, who cringed. We had performed that song so much that it was just plain painful. He shook his head and tapped his foot a few times, trying not to lose it. “All right, then, little miss, MMMBop it is.” I twirled my drumsticks around in my hands a few times, just to get a feel for it. The crowd screamed wildly, absolutely hysterical. We began the intro, playing the melody easily. My mind began to wander. Something was definitely very wrong. So wrong that I couldn’t even conceive of what was going on.
I saw blood before me. An ocean of blood. For miles and miles, the water was thick and red. It was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen in my life. I found myself caught in it, still playing. Taylor, Isaac, the fans, the stage, the theater, everything—it was all gone. Panicked, I let my drumsticks fall to the floor, and I sat still. I didn’t know why. I couldn’t find a way out. There was nothing more for me to do.“Zac? Zachary! C’mon, keep playing. You know this song. We’ve played it hundreds of times. Zac!” I heard the voice, but I couldn’t see anyone around me. I didn’t know what to do.
“Zac, wake up. This isn’t funny. We’re in the middle of a show here. Keep playing.” Isaac’s face appeared in front of mine. He looked concerned. Suddenly, everything was back in its place. The crowd, now confused and worried, Taylor, who was claiming that we were experiencing technical difficulties, and Isaac, as well as the venue’s owner, who were horrified. “Ike?” I choked out. I didn’t even sound like myself.
Isaac nodded, turned, and went back to his place on stage. The crowd cheered. I was so lost. Without even thinking another minute about it, I got up and ran. I pushed passed the road crew, who all grabbed onto me, pleading with me to get back onstage. Still I ran, as fast as my legs would take me, outside and through the crowd of fans, into the tour bus. I immediately collapsed on my bunk, closed the curtain, and tried to catch my breath. I was so ashamed. I had never, in my lifetime, lost control of myself onstage. I had never been so frightened by the unknown. Why had I seen that? What was happening to me?
