When the last sound of the last song turned into echo and when whole band walked away from the stage Bill couldnât feel happier. Every cell in his body was filled with pure joy and adrenaline. When he was getting backstage he could still hear screams of the thousands people. They were still singing, crying, giving him energy in its purest form. He was alive thanks to it despite all the tiredness. Being on stage and giving everything to the people loving him was his life and he wouldnât change it for anything else. Never.
That night seemed to be so similar to all those other nights. After the show he had the time to put his thoughts together. Then it was time for few interviews and for posing for pictures.
âI want this tour to never endâ Tom smiled and opened champagne âCanât we extend it? What do you guys think?â
âI guess maybe it could happenâ Bill really was into it âLets check it out tomorrow. Maybe few new city on the list? Fans would be happy and IâŠ.â He paused for a moment thinking about getting back to normal life âYes lets add few dates. I donât want to get back home yet.â
âOkay we will take care everything tomorrowâ Tom summed up âIâll get it and speak to proper people tomorrow and you Geo can ask fans on Facebook. Letâs see their reaction.â
âI can already answer you for themâ Georg giggled âYes yes on my gott yes come to my city and mine and mine and blah blah come onâ
For some longer time they kept on discussing new tour plans and it put everyone in even better mood. Bill already felt excited for another new adventures and for meeting new people. Being on tour was always giving him inspiration for the future. And at that moment he hoped for the same.
âSo are we going to the hotel already or maybe letâs get to celebrateâ Tom grinned.
Georg and Gustav immediately agreed with Tom but Bill didnât feel like partying that night. Maybe he could get a drink or to in his own hotel room and then catch some good sleep if the next day was going to be off.
âIâll stay in a hotel. Iâm just tiredâ he smiled âBut I bet you can have fun without meâ he giggled.
Apart from Tom no one knew another reason of his will for a bit of solitude. It was still kind of a secret.
Few weeks ago he had met a girl. They werenât in relationship but they were close with Bill hoping for something more in the future. For then they were meeting online as often as possible with their lifestyles. He was on tour and she was studying medicine in France so their schedules were fullfiled almost to maximum.
âOkay then see you tomorrow during breakfast broâ Tom but his hand on Billâs shoulder âTake care.â
âSureâ Bill promised and said goodbye to everyone. Then he left backstage and got the the car that was going to take him to their luxury hotel.
During the ride he texted his french friend Anna asking if she was able to meet him on Skype that night. Those minutes before her reply seemed endless for Bill and he almost jumped up in excitement when the phone beeped with new message.
âYessssssâ he clapped his hands in happiness seeing her positive answer.
Anna was making him feel so normal. He trusted her and found talking to her so easy and normal. She understood him, could make him feel better everytime his mood was bad. When he was feeling alone it was enough for him just to hear her voice for a moment to get better. Was it love? Bill didnât know and didnât even want to know. He was slightly afraid of the word âloveâ as its meaning was so strong. So even in his own head he was calling their relationship âfriendshipâ and it was enough for the moment.
The rest of the ride he spent on thinking about him and Anna. About all their talks, about her long brown hair and perfect tiny body, about her smile and beautiful voice. Physically she looked like and Angel and sometimes Bill was wondering if she was real.
âWe arrivedâ driver informed him interrupting his thoughts when they parked next to the hotel. âDo you want me to walk you to your room Bill?â
âNo thanks Dave. I can handle it I guessâ he smiled politely âSee ya tomorrowâ
âGoodnight then Billâ
âNight Dave he waved and went to his hotel room. It was placed on the 15th floor so Bill got to the elevator. He wasnât big fan of the thought of walking up all those stairs. At least not with his tiredness. Plus the sooner he was going to get to his room the faster he was going to see Anna on the screen of his computer.
Unfortunately Bill had to wait whole minute for elevator to arrive. Someone else dared to use it upstairs and it annoyed Bill as he was in a rush.
â Finally" he hissed few longest moment later when the door to the elevator opened for him.
The elevator wasnât empty and Bill almost bumped into middle-aged man who was leaving.
âEasy young manâ that man said to Bill with a low voice.
âSorryâ he murmured looking at man once again.
Bill had the feeling that man wasnât living in that hotel. There was something strange and unfamiliar about him but Bill decided to ignore him and the strange feeling about the mystery man. Instead of thinking too much he waited for the door to open, then pressed the button with 15th floor. The closer he was to his room door the happier be felt because Anna seemed to be getting closer even though she was so far away. There were moments when Bill simply wanted to jump in the first plane to France to surprise her but he knew it would be stupid, childish and somehow strange since they werenât together as a couple.
He drowned in his own thoughts so heavy he didnât realize he was already in front of the proper door. With no hesitation Bill unlocked the door with special card and got inside.
Something wasnât right. Whole room was filled with darkness and unnatural silence. Not that Bill expected noises or sounds or anything like that. But that silence was different. That silence was heavy and deep. Just as if Billâs hotel room was placed somewhere in the middle of nowhere and not in the city centre.
Bill suddenly got scared a bit because he realized something other wasnât right too.
The smell.
It wasnât the smell he had left few hours ago. It wasnât the smell of a living place. No it was rather the smell of chemicals proper for the hospital. As if someone would put it there on purpose to clean or fight off other smell.
Automatically all muscles in Billâs body tensed and he stood in one place too careful to move more. Light switcher seemed to be suddenly too far away. With every second everything seemed to be stranger and stranger.
Slowly after whole eternity he dared to turn around still standing in one place. He realized curtains in all windows were shut down. The problem was he hadnât left them like that. It was there reason no lights from outside were flashing inside the room and thatâs why the darkness was so heavy.
Billâs heart almost bumped out of his chest. At that moment he was already sure something had happened in his room when he hadnât been there. The question was what had happened.
For a second or two the thought of escaping crossed Billâs mind but all in all he was grown up man who could be taken as hysterical if he would leave the room screaming like a little girl.
âCome on Bill!â He tried to encourage himself âJust turn on that damn light. You can do that come onâ
Almost praying with every step he finally walked to the light switcher and stood in front of it so his back was turned to the room. Then Bill raised his hand and his breathes got shallow and fast as he put it on the switcher.
With his eyes closed he pressed âonâ on the switcher.
Smell and silence were still with him. They even got more intense.
Bill needed good five minutes to put himself together from the unfamiliar fear and to turn around to examine the room with his eyes.
And he regretted it in the same second. All his insides went to his throat and not being able to stop it he started puking hard. His body got so weak he went down on the floor. At the same time Bill couldnât stop looking at the reason of his weakness.
Everything was placed on his bed. White sheets wasnât white anymore. It was red with the bloody redness. Bloody because there was unknown dead girl laying in Billâs bed in Billâs private hotel room.