The Jester's Lament: Tessa & Jack's Journey

Ten: The Hellhound Tour

The sun was beginning to set when Tessa and her friends arrived at the amphitheater. They all walked to the ticket booth to show their VIP passes. After getting some free merch that came with the tickets Willow got, they all headed inside. The place was packed. So many people were already cheering for the three bands. The atmosphere was alive with excitement and laughter. Tessa fixed her hair and smiled as she looked around at the many fans that were here. Some probably traveled to Deadwood from other places? That was brave of them, given the citizens of Deadwood weren't too fond of having strangers on their turf. They didn't trust outsiders.

There was enough going on in the seemingly sleepy town of Deadwood, Ohio. People went missing every other week. Bodies were often found washing up in the lake. It wasn't as bad as it used to be when Tessa was a kid, she remembered the news always talking about murder and mayhem. But it had calmed down over the years. However, people still weren't allowed in Deadwood forest.

There were rumors that Deadwood was cursed, and monsters roamed around at night. But that's all they were. Rumors.

Tessa didn't believe the rumors. How could she with no evidence to back them? It's not like she didn't believe in magic curses or monsters though. After all, how could she explain Laughing Jack? So long as nothing went wrong tonight, then she didn't give a damn about anything else. The weekend was her time to unwind and have fun. And she was more than ready to do both of those things.

The five women followed a security guard to the front of the crowd where their VIP spots were. "Here you are, ladies," he uttered and nodded his head to them. "Enjoy the show." With that said, he walked off leaving them alone. They stood in the second row.

The first band was setting up. Heart of Hades. The lead singer was the star, and he stood out amongst his band members. Cameron Sterling. Tall and pale with medium length popping cherry red hair styled in an emo fashion. He wore all black with torn up jeans, a short sleeve shirt over a long sleeve fishnet top. He wore lots of leather jewelry and silver rings on his fingers. The man turned to the large crowd with his microphone in hand. His sterling silver eyes landed on the front row and he winked.

"Good evening, Deadwood, Ohio!" Cam called out. The crowd cheered and clapped their hands. "Welcome to The Hellhound Tour! I hope you all enjoy your time here!" he shouted before his bass guitarist started the first few chords of "Rebel Girl", one of their most famous hits. Cameron started singing as he walked around the stage. The stage lights flickered off his vibrant red hair. He occasionally turned the microphone toward the audience to let them sing along with the song. And after that song, he moved onto a slower, softer song. "Beatrice". It was one of Tessa and Alice's favorites. It was a love ballad Cam wrote for a lost lover.

After Heart of Hades finished up their set, Cameron took center stage. "Thank you! You're all amazing. Now, I gotta pass the mic. But I'll see a few of you backstage later." The mic was stolen by another man who chuckled. "Good evening, ladies and gentleman!" The Australian man chuckled and the crowd roared with excitement. "ANDY!" "ANDY!" "ANDY!" His fans were chanting over and over.

"Look at all my lovely fans..." he said with a grin. The stage lighting reflected off his black leather trench coat. He wore a gray Siren's Call band tee tucked into ripped up blue jeans. His feet were clad in black platform boots and he wore matching fingerless gloves. He was pale with bright blue eyes and a dashing smile. The man's jet black hair was styled in a medium length undercut. Bits of his hair had been dyed ice blonde giving him popping highlights. He also had a bit of facial hair in the form of a goatee.

Andy set his eyes on the five girls in front and he grinned at them. "I see our VIP rows are filled tonight," he stated. "Can't wait to see you all backstage later." He soon pointed to his drummer and the first few beats to their self titled "Siren's Call" played. He began to sing and Tessa grabbed onto Alice and Willow for support as her knees went weak. She loved this man's voice. It was deep and warm like melted butter, with an added Aussie accent for allure.