Shinedown short stories

Her Name is Alice

"Sometimes the curiosity can kill the soul but leave the pain"

Brent entered his dressing room and gave a good look around. It wasn't very big, but he was satisfied. He walked over the mirror and checked his hair. The band was going to start the show soon and he didn't have much time to get ready. 'Where's my jacket?' He thought to himself, turning away from the mirror to scan the room. He found it sitting on a chair sitting in the corner of the room. What really caught his eye was the old chest sitting next to it. It was pretty large and cover in a thick layer of dust. "Must belong to the venue, I've never seen it before" Brent thought.

He scooped up his jacket and started stepping away, but stopped. Curiosity got the best of him. He had to see what was in the chest. He grabbed a towel sitting next to the mirror and used it to wipe off the dust. The top of the chest read 'ALICE' is faded letters. Brent's curiosity grew. He didn't know anyone here named Alice, so the owner must not have been around. He slowly undid the latches that kept the mysterious chest closed. Brent took a deep breath before gently opening the chest. His eyes filled with wonder as he saw what laid inside...

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"Brent! Come on man, we have to be on stage in fifteen!" Zach yelled, banging on the door the Brent's dressing room.
"It's too quiet in there, he'd say something if he was in there" Barry said, against the wall next to Brent's door.
"Is it locked?" Eric asked. Zach grabbed for the door handle and turned. The door opened with no problem, prompting Eric to roll his eyes.
"What? I didn't want to disturb him" Zach mumbled as the trio walked into the room.

"He's not here" Barry pointed out. A hint of worry was in his voice and the other two noticed.
"He's gotta be close by. Not like him to run off without saying anything" Eric said. They searched the room for any signs of where he could have been. That's when Zach saw the open chest sitting in the corner.
"Hey guys..." He started to say as he slowly made his way over. Barry and Eric followed until they reached the mysterious chest. When they peered inside, they were amazed.

You see the chest was not an ordinary chest. It was a doorway to another world.
"You don't think he's in there, do you?" Zach asked.
"Knowing Brent, he definitely jumped in if he found this" Eric responded.
"Then let's go get him" Barry said. He started to climb in but Eric grabbed his arm.
"This doesn't seem like a good idea" He states in a worried tone.
"What choice do we have?" Barry replied. The two watched him disappear into the chest before silently agreeing to follow.

Eric and Zach caught up with Barry and took a look at there surroundings. It looked like a forest at first glance, but things were not as they seemed.
"This has to be a dream. I must have fallen asleep" Zach said quietly. A fairy flew by, circling them a moment before flying off.
"I don't know man. That looked real to me" Barry said.
"So where's Brent?" Eric pondered. Barry looked around until he saw a set of human footprints going down a dirt road.
"This has to be him. Let's go" The two followed the drummer in hopes of finding their friend.

The road led to a small cabin nestled deep in the forest. It was a bright blue color with a purple roof and green door. The windows were shaped like hearts all covered in gold curtains.
"What an odd looking place" Zach commented as the trio approached.
"Must be were Brent is" Eric said as the three pauses to take a good look at the place.
"Only one way to find out" Barry shrugged before walking towards the front door.

The door to the cabin greeted them with a sign.
"All are welcome" the sign said.
"Wait, isn't that Brent's handwriting?" Eric asked as they examined it.
"Your over thinking" Zach said. He knocked on the door and they waited for a response. They were shocked to see Brent open the door.
"Gentlemen! Great to see you!" He said warmly. They became confused as he ushered them inside and closed the door.

"Brent, where have you been?" Barry asked as Brent asked everyone to sit around a table. The table was perfectly round and bright yellow, with three legs that curled towards the floor.
"I've been here silly" Was Brent's only reply.
"But why? We have a show to do" Zach said as Brent day him on a red toadstool.
"What show?" Brent questioned.
"What do you mean what show? It's supposed to be happening now!" Eric did his best not to yell at his friend, but he was starting to get frustrated. Brent just shrugged as he took a seat next to Barry.
"I haven't any idea of what your talking about" he said.
"You were so excited about it this morning" Zach whined. He was starting to worry about his friend. Brent gave him a confused look.
"I didn't see you this morning. You three just arrived after all" He said, scaring the others. How long does Brent think he's been gone?

The trio tried to explain the their friend that they last saw him only an hour ago, but he was being stubborn.
"I've been here for over a month now" Brent kept insisting.
"Where are we anywhere?" Zach asked. Brent shrugged as he leaned back slightly.
"I call it my own wonderland. Things are great here. You should stay with me" He offered. Barry slammed his fist on the table.
"I'm getting tired of this Brent! We have to get back!" He snapped. Eric stood up and cleared his throat.
"We are going now. If you were wise you'd come with us. If not, we'll miss you buddy" he said sadly before starting out the door. Zach and Barry silently stood up and followed.
"We love you Brent. Be well, okay?" Zach said before closing the door behind him, leaving Brent alone again.

Brent sat alone in silence. He started to think about what just happened. Maybe he was wrong about all this. Maybe his friends had a point. He quickly stood up and rushed out the door, hoping to catch up with the three who were important to him.
"Wait up!" Barry heard, cause him to stop. He turned around and smile when he saw Brent charging at them.
"I knew you'd make the right choice" He said, causing Eric and Zach to turn around. Brent pulled them all in for a long hug.
"I'm sorry boys" Was a that escaped his lips.
"Let's get back. Together" Zach said. They all pulled away and walked down the path, side by side.

The group finally found the opening they came from.
"You ready?" Eric asked everyone. They all nodded, but Brent was hesitate. He wasn't sure if he was ready to leave this world behind.  Barry saw the look in his eyes.
"Come on man, it's for the best" he said, trying to comfort his friend. Brent just sighed and nodded. He gave this wonderful world one last look before following his friends back into the real world.

All boys made it out of the chest one by one. Barry decided to be last out just to make sure Brent made it out safely.
"I hope we didn't take too long, I don't want the fans too disappointed" Eric said as he helped Barry out.
"Look at the clock. We still have fifteen minutes" Zach pointed out.
"That can't be right. No time passed?" Barry asked as he brushed himself off. Brent was still quiet, staring at the now closed chest.
"Brent? Are you okay?" Asked Eric. They all worried about him. Brent nodded and looked back at his friends.
"The show must go on" he said before pushing him out of the room to get ready.

"I should check on him" Zach said as they waited for Brent on the stage.
"Give him a minute" Eric said while checking to see if he's all tuned up. Barry day at his set, keeping an eye out for him. Brent suddenly appeared around the corner and jogged over to the others. He joined them for the pre show rituals and it was then they knew they had there friend back

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*A/N*
This story ended up being longer then I thought. I might turn this into its own book, not sure yet. It was fun to write. Hope you all enjoy it!