Baked Nebraska was finishing their set while Eric was finishing a bottle of water. He honestly did look in decent shape - his piercing were all in place, hair spiked to pin points, and a fire in his eyes. No smoke though. Violet had been vigilant about keeping any and all shadows away from him. He was almost amused at having his own personal body guard.

Ian and Violet had fought last night over the wisdom of performing in the Summer's End Showcase. Violet was still concerned that such a large crowd could be a hot bed for shadows. But Ian overrode her. Eric needs this to feel normal again.

That morning, Violet did her best to keep Ian in bed. It had no effect on him. Instead, he tried to tuck her back in. You'll feel better if you get some sleep for once.

Not happening. My dream last night had trees, and the showcase is right next to the park.

Trees? Vi...lot's of places have trees.

Okay, but what if Eric hurts himself?

The doctors cleared him a week ago to sing. He'll be fine. And you'll be right there if I'm wrong.

Ian was working with the stage manager while Trevor did some equipment checks. A water bottle flew at Violet and hit her arm. Violet jumped. Eric laughed. "You look like shit dude. Hydrate." She tried to smile and scooped up the water bottle.

It didn't help that the crowd was a zoo. Snakes, cats, dogs, birds, bees, and raccoons were the ones she could distinguish. Some of them hadn't taken a definitive form yet.

Baked Nebraska exited the stage, and Ian hollered "Let's roll!" Violet grabbed Eric's guitar case and helped him get set up back stage. She helped him adjust his strap and straighten his lapel. He put a hand on her face and turned her face towards his. "My home is up there. Nothing can touch me."

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She nodded, and started walking around to scan for shadows. A hand reached out and took hers. "Violet!" It was Ian. She hadn't really looked at him today, she realized. He was head to toe in black - boots, pants, button down, tie. Sharp. "You look good," she said. "Go kick some ass." She tried to leave, but he wouldn't let go of her hand. She then raised their clasped hands and kissed the back of his. With that, he released her and she went to find her post.

Eric was correct - the stage was his home and he was untouchable. However, it was Ian who played front man this time. He introduced the band, transitioned between songs, and played salesman. "We've only got four songs to sell you on our sound, so nobody on this stage is messing around."

The shadows didn't approach the stage as she feared. Instead, a few of the misshapen ones took form - faintly, birds. They began to flap and circle. The snakes began slither out of the group, to the east of the stage, towards the trees. The dogs nipped at the snakes. Soon the raccoons joined the snakes' procession. The bees and butterflies tried to dodge the birds. The cats merged in to one large tiger. The tiger bounded to the procession and swiped a massive paw through it. The snakes and raccoons started to dissolve, but their smoke continued forward. Violet saw something move in her periphery, but she whipped around to see only the stage and the support staff. A security guard eyed her suspiciously. No smoke though. Still no approach to the stage. As the fourth song started on it's last chorus, there were still no shadows approaching the stage. A mass of smoke took the form of a deer and darted in the opposite direction. Only then did Violet start making her way towards the edge of the crowd.

The procession became less distinct, losing form. Even the tiger was starting to melt. At the edge of the tree line, a black void swelled and began to spin. The stream of smoke was sucked in to it, and as more poured in, the faster it spun. Tendrils broke free of the void, and one by one, planted on the ground, and became segmented legs. The spider pushed upward, and the void morphed in to a body. The legs sprouted spikes, the body a head, and fangs. The fangs clicked together once, and the spider turned about face. The shadow's body brushed against a low hanging branch, and it snapped.

She ran.