Prologue

Marx

I stand back stage, hyping myself to go on in less than two minutes. The pulsing of the drums as the countdown starts runs through my body, putting me on a high along with the chanting of my name by the fans that fill the arena. "On in thirty seconds, Marx..." I hear Ben call to me, my friend and manager. I coount down the seconds and start running towards the stairs on the side until finally jumping through the doors right onto the massive stage once the countdown ends.

The band immediately starts playing a very familiar melody, and the rush I feel intensifies. The crowd screams as the guitars begin to play, they love this song and it's the first time I've ever opened with it. Just as I prepare to start singing, the crowd splits in two, screaming in fear. A group of masked men come into view and raise their guns to the stage. Shots ring throughout the arena and fans scatter, trying to get out wherever they can. I look to my left and see some of the band members fall to the floor, bodies coated in blood. "Marx, get your ass over here!" Ben calls from the stage doors, I turn on my heels and run towards him but hear another shot go off right before searing pain is felt in my side. The wind is knocked out of me and I fall to the ground, the pain unbearable.

" Get him out of there! Go, go, go!" Is the last thing I hear before everything goes black...

* 2 Days later *

"He's waking up, get a nurse."  The voice I hear is muffled and I can't quite place it. I try to open my eyes but they feel so heavy, what the hell?  Where am I?

"Marx, open your eyes buddy, come on."

"Hmmph.."

"That's it bud, come on." I finally manage to lift my heavy lids, the light burning my eyes once I get them fully opened. Ben is next to me looking concerned and relieved at the same time. I blink several times, trying to get rid of the sting and the blur.

" What the...hell? Where are we?" I ask, sitting up and rubbing at my eyes. The movement shoots a stab of pain up my side and I gasp, placing my hand over the area "What the fuck.."

Ben places an arm around my shoulder, aiding me in sitting up. It isn't long before the door to my room opens, revealing a nurse who looks way too happy for the mood I'm in. "Finally awake mister Mitchell? Good to know you're alright." Her voice is cheery, rough as though she's a heavy smoker.

"You know what would be nice to know?  Why the hell I'm here... Can we please get to that part?" " I ask frustratedly, maybe a little harsh but I'm confused and in pain, I don't have time to beat around the bush with this shit." Marx, you were shot...there was a shooting at the concert, remember?" Before Ben even finishes his sentence, memories of the show flood my mind. The crowd splitting in two, the terrified screams, the band members getting shot, and the masked men.

"How long have I been here?" I ask the nurse, she looks at me sympathetically before telling me that I have been out for two days... Almost three. "You lost quite a lot of blood mister Mitchell, lucky for you, mister Ferguson and your security team got you here just in time." I look to Ben, and give him an appreciative nod. I thank her before she gives me some meds for the pain, leaving after I assure her there is nothing else I need." What do we know, Ben? Why were those men there? " I ask him, looking at the blue wall in front of me. He takes a moment before he answers, and what he says is not what I wanted to hear.

"We got anonymous letters and emails after you were shot... Someone is looking to get you hurt, more than likely killed. The men at the concert were hired to shoot you, but what we don't know is who it was that hired them." He takes a moment to gather his thoughts and sits down on the chair beside my bed." We have received threats Marx, this is the real deal, someone is out for your blood. We have a team trying to track the IP address the mails were sent from. We're also looking into camera footage from the post office that the letter was sent from." I hear him, but it's like my mind shuts him out and all I think about is the bodies of the band members falling lifelessly to the floor... That could've been me... It kind of was supposed to be me.

" So what now? Am I safe? " I ask him. I f someone is out looking for me here, I should get away from this place. "No, which is why we need to get you away from here. I'm sending you to live with my brother in law for three months, he has a ranch pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The only people around are his neighbour's, an old couple who live a good few miles away. I'll need you to work with me Marx, you need to disappear off the grid." I look at him confusedly.

" What does that mean, Ben? " he looks me in the eyes, emphasising the seriousness of the situation."It means no phone, no laptop, no internet, no nothing. You'll have a guard with you at all times as well as me, no one else will know where you are."

"When are we leaving?" I ask him.

"Tomorrow morning, we have everything packed."

"Shit...alright."

"Sleep Marx, we leave here at 4 AM."

"Time to disappear..."

Thats the prologue done. Everyone!!

Chapter 1 is p tomorrow, and yes, it'll be much longer. Let's do this thing y'all!!

Love ya