Hit Single

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

September

Shadow figures moved in front of the darkened stage. I could hear their whispers and shuffling, by my eyes struggled to make out features, their faces hollowed and skeletal in the blackness. I wondered if any of them were the rumored agents that supposedly frequented this East Village dive.

I had barely made it here in time to set up for the night's opening slot, having taken the wrong stop off the Subway after a long ride on the Amtrak from Kingston. It was a miracle I had been given the time anyway thanks to a special favor pulled by boss at the Providence club where I worked. He knew what a big deal this was for me, and, at the very least, I couldn't let him down by bombing, not to mention everything else I had riding on the next few minutes.

My steps seemed to echo endlessly as I tried to make my way quietly across the hard stage floor and I clenched my fists at my sides to keep my hands from shaking. As I reached for my guitar, I was only slightly aware of a disembodied voice echoing across the club's sound system before the blinding stage lights turned on and showered me in their brilliant glow.

A brief moment of panic and then the calloused tips of my fingers found the familiar places on the frets of my guitar. I inched up to the mic, gazed up toward the lights, took a deep breath and began to sing.