A Shot In The Dark

[Jacob Trance]

The vibrant hum of a guitar's overdrive crashes through the speakers, a much larger crowd than usual greets the act. Out onto stage struts Jordan Trance, warning the crowd up with the first few bars of Jurassic Park.

 

Jordan: Ladies, gentlemen and all the other good people… Thank you for waiting tonight, we had a few teething problems because you guys are so freaking rad we oversold tickets! We are FREELORDSHARK, now let’s get this started!

 

The drummer fires right into it, opening with the hard hitting beats the audience has come to expect.

 

Twenty minutes later

 

Jordan wipes sweat off of his brow.

 

Jordan: Thanks again for coming tonight. We’re going to finish it up with a cover song, a cover of a band that was very influential to me growing up and… Hold on.

 

The Jurassic Park theme belts out from Jordan’s pocket as he receives a text. In a rush he pulls it out.

 

Jordan: It’s from John Carter! Do you guys wanna hear it?

 

The crowd give a mixed reaction, causing Jordan to laugh.

 

Jordan: I thought you guys would be like that, but let’s do it anyway. “Jordan, be careful, I saw some weird stuff on Reddit about your gig tonight, I think it might be the…

 

Jordan trails off in something of a panic as the crowd opens up slightly revealing his Hall of Fame father, Jacob Trance is in attendance. He gives a brief applause towards his son causing a glimmer of a smile across Jordan’s face.

 

Jordan: This is our last song, this is The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle… I’VE LEARNED TO LET GO!

 

The song gets going and Jordan loses himself in the moment, forgetting entirely what’s going on.

 

Jordan: I’m looking down at this mess that you’ve made, and I can’t believe that I stayed, unhappy for so long, where did I go wrong?

 

Jordan looks up and waves during the lyric towards his father: Goodbye for a lifetime.

 

Jacob smirks and the sound of screaming fills the venue as KC runs onto the stage, brandishing a whiskey bottle. Swiftly he smashes it over Jordan’s head as he turns to see what’s going on, the screaming escalates as he brandishes the broken bottle towards the rest of the band. Audience members begin streaming out of the building as Jacob climbs onto the stage, sitting beside his son, cradling his bleeding head.

 

Jacob: It’s such a shame you won’t be able to make Friday night now Jordan… Don’t worry though, I’m sure the hotel room will be able to let you watch as we dismantle your friends on television. You never were my favourite son, I didn’t even want you. You are the iron ball to the iron chain that was my wife. This however…

 

Jacob points towards the blood and whiskey coated KC.

 

Jacob: He’s everything you should have been… Perhaps everything you still could be… Maybe it’s time for you to come home Jordan.

 

Sirens can now be heard in the background as Jacob gives off a long and drawn out sigh.

 

Jacob: I guess it’s time for us to go… I hope when you wake up you remember this.

 

Gently, Jacob lowers his son's head to the ground and rises, wiping the blood from his hands on his suit pants. KC gives a nod and the pair exit, stage left. The last thing we see is the other members of FREELORDSHARK trying to attend to Jordan.