Chapter 1:

Bleeding Innocence

Covered in a layer of cold perspiring, he stood hunched over in the middle of the stage; all was staring at him in silent horror. Several beads of sweat rolled down the sides of his face, prickling the hairs on the back of his neck, the back of his shirt were clung wetly to his backside. His muscles were so tensed that it made him clench his teeth tightly. A few minutes ago, all he saw was rage red in his eyes and his friend pleading for his life before the screams of pain flooded all of his senses even more than what they were. He reached his hand up and moves the strands of damp blond hair off of his sweaty forehead, only to smear all the crimson blood over a part of his forehead and through his hair. He continued to breathe heavily but stops abruptly when he gradually lowers his arm back down, now noticing all the blood that covered his hand, and then he glanced to his other hand that gripping the large, broken piece of sharp glass, which was dripping with his and the other’s blood, he felt sick from seeing himself being almost partially drenched in it. He gazed up to the crowd; several groups of people were already backing away and others were screaming or crying; yet it was just all the blur to him.

He slowly twists his head to the side and watches Kevin and Brian staring back with a look of total shock. AJ was kneeling beside Howie who was lying on the ground in a pool of blood – his own blood, gasping for air and desperately gripping AJ’s hand in his, praying to God that he didn’t want to die.

Kevin took two steps forward, taking off the microphone and says, “Nick, why did you do that?” He asked. “You almost killed Howie…he’s almost dead!”

Nick didn’t answer. He just stood there, now realizing what he did that he couldn’t even remember and he soon dropped the glass that shattered to the stage floor. He turned to face them but to only back away, shaking his head in confusion. He felt himself turn pale and clammy as he saw a cluster of security guards and police officers that were slowly approaching him, closing him in a large circle; ready to take action if necessary. He looked to Kevin again in desperation, hoping that he would help him but to know avail. He quickly felt like a wild animal in a cage; pacing back in forth in very short distances, thinking of what to do. But he just squatted down, pressing his blood-covered hands against the sides of his head, shutting his eyelids tightly and mumbling incoherently the same sentence constantly, “Demons stay away…demons stay away…demons stay away,”

Brian watched, almost sadly as a law enforcement officer gently pressed his hand on Nick’s shoulder as he tells him something that he couldn’t hear over the announcement to the audience to leave the civic center as calmly as possible and the event staff also helped the frightened, shocked, and screaming crowd out the doors. Nick jumped and tried to wrestle with the guards and the officers; screaming and panicking in a way that he would never see him do. Paramedics were already there, hurrying to get Howie stabilized enough on their way to the hospital in the city that they were playing at. Nick was almost a match with the officers but there was too much of them and they quickly wrestled him down into submission

Kevin stood by his cousin’s side, not believing any of the events that took place since he saw a sudden burst of outrage from Nick, watching as the young man angrily yank off the long leather trench coat and run down under the stage, and then later coming back with the piece of glass; grasping it in his hand so tightly that it was imbedded deep in his skin, blood oozed out in small looking creeks, droplets of his blood fell to the floor as he quickly approaches Howie who had his back turned. Kevin just stood there with the others and the dancers stopping all of a sudden as they stared in horror as Nick wrapped one arm around Howie neck, nearly choking him and sadistically punctured him several times in the back, and then violently threw him onto the floor. All of them watched and never even tried to help, and Kevin felt terrible for not doing anything to help Howie including Nick.

“What a nightmare…” Kevin whispered to Brian and his cousin gave him a solemn nod and then turned his back away when he saw and heard Nick shouting his name, crying and yelling hysterically when the police officers pulled his arms behind his back and handcuffed his wrists and then placed metal restraints around his ankles. Kevin slightly twisted himself around and lays a firm hand on Brian’s shoulder for support as he keeps his eyes as the group of security and police took away his friend, his friend was deeply disturbed and he didn’t know if he should go and talk to him; to find out what led him to do something so horrible.

Kevin escorted Brian into a large corridor of the civic center after everyone left before telling AJ that they will arrive at the hospital as soon as Brian feels better about going. Walking up to them with a concerned and shock statement, Krystal stopped in front of them and hugged the two one at a time.

“Oh my God, guys,” she whispers in a shaky voice. “What the heck happened? I only saw Howie collapse to the floor and then all of a sudden the screen went black in the waiting area.”

Kevin frowned and replied after carefully sitting Brian down on a chair. “Howie got stabbed by, uh…” he trailed off, not wanting to say his name. He sighed heavily trying to calm himself down. “Nick. Nick stabbed him in the back. I honestly don’t know why – I just don’t know.”

Krystal’s eyes grew wide in surprise and responded in a choked up voice, “Nick…!” she questioned. Kevin stopped her before she started to say anything else.

“Krystal…I really don’t know…it just happened so fast,” he then explained, “One minute Nick is all happy and the next he burst into an outrage and ran off of the stage, bringing back a sharp piece of glass, and then he went up behind Howie and he, he stabbed him, like he had no control over himself.”

“I hope he isn’t dead,” Brian prayed, covering his face with his hands. “I can’t believe this…I mean, I’m his friend, and I should’ve known what was going on with him, but…I haven’t been hanging out with him for a while, so…you think that’s the reason for his actions, Kev?”

Kevin grew silent. “Honestly, B. I don’t think that’s a reason for what he did,” he then adds, “We’ll get answers when we leave.” He turned back to Krystal and asked, “You want to go to the hospital with us?”

Krystal gave a nod, folding her arms in front of her as she lowers her eyes sadly. He then wrapped his arms around her for comfort. Brian stood up unsteadily and stepped closer to them as Kevin pulled away and then Brian hugs her again. The three soon left the building and took a cab to the hospital.