It was almost time to go on stage. The air was electric as the boys were excited to play Madison Square Gardens.

"I can't believe it Justin" exclaimed lance.

"Me neither man, sold out within a day" Justin stated.

The guys where all backstage, preparing for one of the biggest shows of their careers.

"Hey, can you turn that TV off?" JC said "I can't focus". One of the stage managers turned off the TV. "We will give you guys some time alone". The stage crew left the band to prepare.

"We need to make this the best show ever" Joey said "we need to prove to all the haters that we can rock the house"

"Of course we will Joey!" Chris stated. "I know we have got this, just need to sound perfect, and nail those routines".

The guys continued to psych themselves up. Little did they know this was going to be a night to remember for all the wrong reasons.
__________________________________________________________

Time seemed to slow down. The guys where shut off from the noise of the arena.

"Should we practise some harmonies?" Lance said.

"Nah, save it for the show man" Justin said. "We need to shine out there tonight"

"Shouldn't they have called us to the stage by now" JC questioned.

"If it was go time, we would know. Just relax bro, we got nothing but time" Joey said

"I will go check" Justin said as he jumped up from the couch.

"Grab some more soda as well" lance said cheekily.

Justin smiled and headed for the door. "Anything else?"

"A bowl of brown M&M'S" Chris said with a smile on his face.

Justin opened the door "hello" he stated. "Where are the stage crew? I will go take a look"

"Shut the door man, I can't concentrate" JC said.

Justin sighed and headed out into the corridor.

A few minutes went by "Wasn't it quiet out there guys?" Lance said.

"Dude it's a sell-out, probably just the sound proofing so we can't hear all the screaming girls" Joey stated.

"Where is Justin? He had been gone a..."

"Lance, chill out!" JC said. "He has been gone for like a minute. I'm sure he is just trying to track down your soda! Let’s work on our harmonies to calm us all down"

The guys all stood up. Just as they were about to start practising there vocals…

BANG

The lights turned out and the guys where plunged into darkness.

"What the..." Lance shouted.

The venues emergency lights flickered on. The room was illuminated with a low electrical glow. The guys could barely make each other out.

"Dammit it, a power cut. This is messed up." JC exclaimed. "It will be ok; someone will come and tell us what's happening"

"What's that noise?" Chris said.

The guys all went quiet. The air was still. The gentle hum of the building electrical systems plunged into silence. As their ears adjusted to the defeating silence they could hear shuffling footsteps outside the door.

"Hello?" lance cried out. "Who's there?" no one answered. "Come on, what's going on"

THUD. Something smacked against the door. Then silence. THUD THUD.

"What's going on out there?" Joey said. "Chris go and have a look!"

"Why me Joey?" Chris exclaimed.

"Because you’re closest to the door".

The door crashed open. A silhouetted shadow filled the doorway. The lighting only allowing the guys to make out the edges of whoever stood before them.

"Who's there?" Lance shouted. "Come on this isn't funny.”

The figure lurched into the dressing room. Almost silence in their approach. His movements where erratic. Without warning he lunged toward Lance

"Hey man this ..." Before lance could finish the sentence the figure jumped on top of him, forcing him to the floor. Without hesitation JC dived over and pulled the figure off lance and rammed him into the wall

"You ok man?" JC said, looking to his friend.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Lance shakily stated

JC turned to the silent attacker but before he could make out its face he was pushed back, crashing into the table.

The figure lunged again, this time toward Chris. "Aghhhh" screamed Chris, as he was overpowered.

"Chris!" Joey examined. Suddenly the room is filled with the sound of torn flesh as the attacker sinks their teeth into Chris arm.

Chris screams out in pain "HELLLLP, what's going…. aggghhhh"

JC collects himself and jumps up to aid his band mate. Without thinking he grabs the TV remote from the mess on the floor. He smashes the remote against the attackers head forcing them to the floor.

Chris falls to the floor, still screaming in pain. "They bit me, they bit me guys! Who would do that?"

The attacker groans, and starts to rise.

"Knock them out!" Lance screams

JC punches the attacker in the head. Still they groan, as they try to rise to their feet. "STAY DOWN" JC cries and forces his shoes into the attackers face. There is a blood curdling crunch. The attacker stops moving and lies motionless on the floor.

Again the room falls silent. JC slumps to the floor, panting.

"What was that about?" Joey stated. " Chris are you ok?"

"My arm man! My arm is on fire. They bit me. I can't believe they bit me. Who would do that?" Chris spluttered out, the pain surging through his body. He laid on the floor, holding his arm in agony.

Lance goes over to his friend. "Where is the first aid kit? We need some more light in here"

Joey searches the table, "I can't find anything!" He finds the phone "I will call for help!" He picks up the handset and just hears static. "It's dead!"

JC rolls over the attacker. His eyes adjusting to the lack of light in the room. He jumps back in shock. "What the.."

"Who is it?" Lance says

"It's… it’s… it's" JC fumbles with his words

"It's Justin."
__________________________________________________________

“What do we do, what do we do?” Lance said, panic forcing the words out his mouth. “Why would he do that, why would he go crazy like that?”

“I don’t know man, I don’t know! Joey can you find a flashlight or something?” JC said as he rose to his feet.
Joey was tending to Chris. He had gone very quiet. The pain from his arm had put him into a trance like state.

“Come on man, Chris has lost a lot of blood. We need to get him some help.”

“We need to get out of here” JC said, taking control. “We need to get Chris to the hospital and find out what is going on.”

“J...C.” Chris muttered. “You have to help Justin”

“He’s dead man.” stated JC. “Have you forgotten he tried to kill us? Come on we need to get out of here.”

Joey picked up his friend. “Here” said Lance. He passed JC a small flashlight he found in the first aid kit.

“OK guys. We need to get out to the foyer and get help. Follow me. Have you got Chris Joey?” JC said.

“I’ve got him.” Joey had wrapped Chris around his neck. Chris was almost motionless. His face had gone pale through the shock.

“What about Justin?” Lance said quietly.

“Leave him; we will come back for him later.” JC said.
The four of them tentatively stepped into the dark hallway. JC noticed the emergency exit signs, pointing left, towards the arena. “This way guys”. JC’s attention was drawn to a fire axe on the wall. He grabbed it and muttered

“You never know”
__________________________________________________________

Their footsteps echoed in the deadly quiet hallway as they headed towards two large double doors. The sign on the door said ‘To Stage Right’. The door wasn’t shut and was swinging loosely on its hinges. “Come on guys” JC stated.

As the foursome approached the door they could hear a distant sound. It was like no sound they had heard before. Normally it would be the sound of screaming fans, waiting for them to come on stage. This was different. There was more panic and distress to this sound. The sound grew louder and louder. JC went to push the doors open.

“Wait” yelped Lance. “Are we sure this is a good idea?”

“We can’t stay in our room forever. We need to get help.” exclaimed JC.

“But we don’t know what’s out there” Lance explained. “And that doesn’t sound right.”

“Well what do you want us to do Lance? Sit and wait and hope someone else doesn’t come in and try and eat us?!

Let’s get going.” JC said. He seemed to rise to the challenge of leading the group.

Lance nodded.

JC pushed the door open and the guys headed towards the stage. Before he could climb the steps…

“aghhh man” Joey exclaimed as he dropped Chris to the floor. “Sorry man, you getting heavy.”

“He’s not moving Joey” Lance said.
They huddled round there friend who lay motionless on the floor. His chest was still and he was cold to touch.

“Check his pulse” JC said to Lance.
Lance lifted Chris arm. “Nothing…” he said quietly. “He’s gone”.

Joey hung his head.

“There is nothing we could have done.” JC said. “We are not doctors and we are not heroes. Put his body up here”. JC pointed to some chairs.

Lance and Joey went to pick up their fallen brother. As Lance held Chris arm he felt a muscle spasm in his dead friends arm.

“Wait, guys I think he might be alive” Lance stated excitedly. He put his ear next to Chris mouth to listen for breath.

“Well?” Joey said

“I can’t hear anything, maybe..”
Before Lance could finish his sentence Chris arms grabbed Lance’s head and pulled him towards his now open mouth. Before anyone could do anything he had sunk his teeth into the side of Lances face.

“Aghhggh what the...” Joey shouted as he jumped back.
Lance screamed in agony, “HELPPPLEEP ME”

JC pulled Lance away from Chris and pushed him to one side. His flashlight glimpsed across Chris’ face. He made eye contact with his friend, however he did not recognise the eyes looking back at him. They were the cold eyes of a stranger. Tinted with hate, hunger and destruction.

“Who are you?” JC muttered.

Chris quickly rose to his feet. His actions where unnatural. He stood hunched, as if possessed.
Joey ran to Lance. His face had been mauled by there once band mate. Lance was screaming in agony.

Chris lunged towards JC. Without a thought JC swung the fire axe and planted the blade into the top of Chris’ skull. The impact forced him to let go of the axe. He stumbled back. Chris staggered around for a few seconds and then fell to the floor. JC collapsed and stared at Chris.

“What happened?”

“Lance, Lance, talk to me” Joey shouted as he helded his friend in his arms. Lance was bleeding heavily. His face bearing the bite marks of his attacker. Drenched in blood.

“Lance, don’t die on me.”

JC stood and walked over to Chris. His body still twitching. He shone the flashlight in his face. Chris’ face was covered in Lance’s blood. He stared back, the light not blinding his eyes. Chris’ teeth snapped at JC.

“This can’t be, you can’t be.” JC said.

Chris growled and snarled. The fall to the floor had dislodged the axe from his head but still he was unable to get up. JC could see that his former friend was no more and what was lying before him wanted nothing more than to rip him apart.

“JC, Lance is losing a lot of blood. He’s not going to make it.” Joey shouted across to his band mate.

At that moment the doors they had passed through swung
open.

__________________________________________________________

In the doorway, stood Justin.

“I thought he was dead?” Joey stated. “What’s happening?”

Justin surged across towards Joey and Lance. He groaned, the noise coming from his mouth sounded like the sounds of a monster. His eyes transfixed on the two men sat on the floor. His eyes a blaze with rage.

JC leaped into action, he kicked Chris in the head sending his head smashing back into the hard floor. He grabbed the axe, dripping in blood. He rose to face Justin.

“Hey. Justin.” JC banged the axe on the floor. “Over here. It’s me you want” JC shouted.

Justin turned and screamed at JC. He quickly changed direction and veered for JC. JC pulled the axe back. Justin was almost upon him. He swung the axe back but before he could swing Chris grabbed his leg and pulled him to the floor. Justin fell on top of JC.

“JC!” Joey screamed.

JC struggled with Justin on top of him. His teeth dripping in Chris blood. He snapped his teeth. His strength was super human. His mouth getting closer and closer to JC’s throat. JC closed his eyes and let out a loud scream
__________________________________________________________

BANG

Justin suddenly fell motionless on top of JC. He heard another bang. He pushed Justin from him, and sat up. Chris also lay still on the floor.

“Quickly, they are attracted to noise”. A distant female voice stated.

JC focused on Joey and Lance. Joey still holding his friend.

“I don’t think he is going to make it” Joey said.

“You have to shoot him in the head” the female voice said

“It’s the only way to stop them coming back”

“Joey…..” JC stuttered. “We have to let Lance go….we can’t…he will become”

“No way man” Joey said. “I have lost two brother’s today, I isn’t losing a third”

“He is already gone” JC stated. “You and I need to get out of this. I know it’s bad but they are not our brother’s anymore”

JC rose to his feet. He turned to face the lone gun woman. “P!nk?” he said.

P!nk stood there with a pistol in one hand and a baseball bat in the other. “We don’t have much time.” She stated.

“What about Lance” Joey said

“Give me the gun” JC said and put his hand out.

“Are you sure, I don’t mind…”

“No it has to be me” JC stated.

P!nk handed the gun to JC “If you sure dude” She said.
Joey stood up. His friend Lance now motionless on the floor. JC stood over Lance. He pointed the gun at his head.

He hesitated.

“I ….I “

At that moment Lance’s eyes opened. He had that same stare. JC recognised it. The cold distant stare he got from Chris and Justin. He knew his friend was gone forever

BANG
__________________________________________________________
The now threesome walked towards the stage.

“What’s going on?” JC said to P!nk. “Why have I just had to kill my best friends?”

“All I know is I was doing my set and the crowd started going nuts. Literally” P!nk said. “I saw this one guy jump on this other guy. Then the band stopped. It was like a tidal wave. Everyone for themselves”

“Damm” JC said. “Then what happened?”

“I ran off stage but people were freaking out back here as well. I ran to my manager. I know he always carries a colt. Kind of old school management, you know.”
JC smirked

“Then these four guys tried to jump us. He got two of them but the other two pushed him to the ground. I picked up the gun and shoot them but they had ripped him to shreds”

“I’m sorry.” Joey said

“Then I headed to the control desk. The TV was on. New York is gone guys. Its chaos out there.”

“These things” JC said “What my friends turned into. Are they….?”

P!nk nodded. “Messed up right. Like something you read in a book or see in the cinema”

“So what’s the plan?” Joey said

“I don’t know. All I know is we have to get out of the arena.” P!nk said. “If we get on stage we may get an idea of a way to get to the foyer.

As they approached the stage the air filled with chaos. A sound now familiar to them.

“We have to be quiet.” JC whispered.

They snuck onto the stage. They stared out into the abyss. The three of them were used to seeing thousands of screaming fans but this was nothing any of them had expected to see.

“I can’t look.” Joey said

“Well we aren’t walking out the front door.” P!nk said.

“What about the artist entrance out back?” JC stated

“Some fool crashed a coach and blocked the doors. Only way out is through the foyer.”

At that moment the arena was flooded with light. The sound of the undead was drowned out by the spinning of helicopter blades.

“The roof” JC exclaimed. “If we get up there we may be able to signal for help”

“But how do we get up there?” P!nk asked.

“There must be a fire exit or escape route that leads up there. We need a map” JC stated.

“There was one at the control desk, it’s this way”
They headed to the control desk. As P!nk had promised, there was a map of the arena showing all the twists and turns of the backstage area.

“Got it.” P!nk stated. “We have to go under the stage, through this area and then find the emergency exit to the roof.”

“As easy as that” joey said.

“Come on man” JC said calmly. “What other choice do we have?”
__________________________________________________________

“Damm it” JC said as his flashlight dimmed

“It will be fine, there should be emergency lighting down here” P!nk stated.

The door under the stage was wide open. The darkness emanated through

“I don’t like this” exclaimed Joey

“Come on Joey. We owe it to Justin, Lance and Chris to make it out of this. Only a little further”
Joey nodded to his friend.

As they entered the darkness the noise from the arena faded. The darkness only broken by the flickering of the exit signs, pointing the way to safety.

“It’s not that far” stated P!nk. “A little walk and a climb and we will be on the roof”

They carefully followed the dim lights to their destination. As they did the darkness surrounded them and filled their lungs with fear. Each step took them closer to safety but also deeper into the unknown. Their footsteps echoed in the shell of the confined space.

“JC, what do we tell our family? What do we tell Britney? ” Joey spluttered
Joey’s words filled the space, bouncing off the walls. Before he could finish his sentence the air in the room sank.

“Are we alone?” Joey whispered.

“RUNNN” screamed P!nk.

As she shouted her command a loud scream filled the room, deafening the threesome. It was so dark they could not make out the source of the noise. Their breath shortened as they headed for the exit

“LOOK” JC shouted, “The ladder”.

As the words left his lips he felt something try to grab his arm, he turned his head. Red eyes pierced through him, hungry for his flesh. He pushed away his attacker and carried onto his goal.

Joey grabbed the ladder and frantically started to climb.

“Jump on” P!nk shouted at JC.

JC grabbed the ladder and started to climb. BANG BANG. P!nk started shooting into the darkness. He looked down.
The gunshots filled the room briefly with light and he could make out hundreds of menacing eyes all heading towards them.

“P!nk, get up here.” JC ordered

“Just get to the roof, get to safety” P!nk shouted “Aghhg”
One of the attackers knocked her to the floor

“You son of a…” BANG. She shot the attacker between the eyes.

JC was about to jump down when Joey grabbed his friend “Come on, you owe it to her to survive.”

As the pair climbed there heard the now familiar sound of flesh being ripped from bone. The screams of their female hero drowned out by the screams of the undead.

Joey and JC climbed as fast as they could. “The hatch.”

Joey stated. “We are almost there.”

He tried to open the roof hatch. It wouldn’t move “It’s locked” Joey shouted

“It can’t be” JC stated. “It’s a fire exit; there must be a release switch or something”.

He gazed down the ladder for a moment. He tried his flashlight again. It flickered briefly. Just enough time to see the attackers scaling the ladder

“Joey, we have not got much time” JC shouted to his friend. The red eyes drew closer and closer.

“ It won’t budge, its locked. We’re going to die!” Joey manically shouted.

The eyes drew closer and closer. The screams louder and louder.

“Come on man, you can do this. I know you can” JC said.
Click, Joey forced the door open.

“I got it.” he exclaimed.

Joey climbed out of the hatch onto the roof. He turned to pull his friend through.

“JC grab my hand!” he shouted.

JC climbed towards his friend. Before he could make the hatch he felt a hand dig into his leg.

“NOOOOOOOO” He shouted.

“JC” Joey shouted

JC forced himself free. He reached for his friends hand but still the attackers came.

“My leg, GET OFF MY LEG” JC shouted.

As he kicked at his attackers faces he lost his grip on the ladder. Everything went very quiet. The world slowed down. He had almost made it. Was this how it was supposed to end? JC closed his eyes.

SNAP.

Joey grabbed his friends hand “We have not come this far for you to quit on me yet.” With almost super human strength he pulled JC through the hatch. He forced it shut.

“Quick, we need to close if off” Joey said.

The two scanned the roof tops and found some old AC units to put on top of the escape hatch. They could hear their attackers pounding at the other side.

Joey and JC sat on the roof. Both breathless from the ordeal.

“We made it” Joey said. “We made it”
“We did brother.”

The two stood up and looked across New York. The city ablaze. The sounds of explosions and the smell of smoke filled the air.

A floodlight filled the roof.

Joey started waving his arms and screaming. A loud voice filled the air

“Sir I have two survivors on the roof of Madison Square gardens. CITIZEN, WE HAVE COME TO RESUCE YOU”

“It’s finally over” Joey said with relief in his voice.

JC stared up into the helicopter spotlight. He closed his eyes and basked in the light. His arm reached down to his leg. He pulled the teeth from the fresh bite mark and covered it with his jeans.