Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania:
Tommy couldn’t believe how cold it got lately. She was hiding behind the laundromat she had scouted out the night before. The men who had been looking for her had hired some of the local homeless people who weren’t trustworthy to either hold her for them or snitch on where she was.

She had been almost caught twice by several of the men they hired. She still didn’t know what was on the cellphone the agent had given her.

She heard that the Zombie Girls were arriving sometime tonight and would be staying for two performances. She wanted to watch them just once. She had scratched copies of their CDs and their songs she downloaded from Prime Music. She had an old Apple iPod that still worked and had all her favorite songs on it.

Tommy lays her head on her backpack and listens to the hum of the lamp near her hiding place. She has learned not to fall into a sound sleep, because she never knew when someone might find her. The heat coming from the laundry vent kept her warm.

She closes her eyes and enjoys the heat from the vent. She misses having somewhere safe to live, warm, clean clothes, and hot food. If her stepmother had her way, she would be shipped off to a year-round boarding school overseas. She already saw the report on the boarding school her stepmother wanted to send her to. According to the article she found on the internet, it had a bad reputation, and several kids had been hurt.

As Tommy lightly sleeps, she is woken up by the sound of several men searching the alleyway. She peeks out from her hiding spot and spots four teenage boys searching behind everything. She recognized those boys as being members of the Twenty-Six-Street gang. They had a reputation as hired muscle for other gangs.

Tommy grabbed her backpack and quietly slipped out of the alleyway. She knew where she wanted to go, but she risked being spotted. She chose some of the safer routes towards the opera house. It was a risk to expose herself, but there was a slim chance she could get there unseen.

When she got closer to the opera house, she saw the Zombie Girls crew setting up the equipment for tonight’s performance. She sneaks past some of the security guards hired to protect the crew and makes her way inside the opera house. She manages to open the emergency door without setting off the alarm and heads all the way up to the private viewing boxes.

There was one viewing box she knew wasn’t in use. It was closed off and under renovation. She slips into that area and makes herself comfortable. She should be able to hide in that area until after the concert. She lies down on the carpeted floor and slowly falls asleep.

Tommy doesn’t hear the setup crew boss call it a night and informs the crew to be back first thing in the morning to finish setting everything up. She was sleeping soundly and curled up near a vent for warmth.

Country Inn & Suites by Radisson:
“I can’t believe we are finally here.” Juniper steps out of the tour bus first.

Her dirty blonde hair was covered by the hood on her winter coat. The other band members had teased her about having sex with two unknown guys. She just brushed the teasing off because she had been abstinent for six months. She had an itch that needed to be scratched that her toys couldn’t fix for her.

All the ladies were bundled up because it was so cold outside. They helped Kevin and Thomas unload their wardrobe and take it to their assigned rooms. After dropping off their luggage, they head over to the opera house to do a sound check and practice a few songs.

Tommy had woken up to the sounds of the Zombie Girls practicing. She watched discreetly from the box where she was hiding. She ate the other half of the leftover bread she had and ate the banana she managed to buy for a quarter at the grocery store.

She found a twenty-dollar bill someone lost and used it to buy a bunch of food items she could eat cold. She bought a small bottle of instant coffee and a small bottle of powder creamer to add to her coffee. She learned how to make a simple fire-starting survival kit so that she could heat the water. She had a couple of bottles of water in her backpack.

Tommy sits quietly and listens to the ladies as they practice on stage. She has always wanted to see what bands did when no one was around or before a show. She watches as the ladies adjust the lights and projections they showed during their performance.

She manages to sneak out of the box where she had been hiding to a nearby bathroom without being noticed. She knew she could only stay hidden in the opera house for a short time before she was spotted. For the rest of the day, leading up to when the Zombie Girls are going to perform, she stays hidden.

During their performance, she figures she could move closer to the stage. For now, she’ll enjoy the rehearsal and keep hidden, so no one finds her.

Down on Stage:
The ladies double-check their sound levels and the songs they were going to play tonight. Their sound manager, Thomas “Skat Kat” O’Malley, had the girls go through a few songs that weren’t popular with the religious groups. He knew there would be a few people from the local church group who didn’t approve of some of their songs, and that they would boycott them tonight. The songs he was worried about were I’m That Motherfucker, Go Fuck Yourself, Chasing After the Devil, and The Devil Pours My Drinks.

There were a few others the girls had written that were popular with their fans but not with religious groups or their parents. Several groups have accused the girls of corrupting the youth with their music and their looks. Each of the ladies wore outfits that showed off their bodies.

“Well ladies, you’re all good for tonight and tomorrow performance.” Thomas looks up towards the girls.

“Good, because I need to use the bathroom.” Beverly puts her guitar down carefully on the stand and rushes backstage towards the bathroom.

Juniper looks at Beverly as she rushes by her. “I warned you about drinking those four iced teas at lunch.”

Olivia looks at Juniper. “You know my cousin loves her sweet iced tea drinks.”

“I know, she does.” A playful smile appears on Juniper’s face.

Raven was happy with their sound and couldn’t wait to play tonight. She was all juiced up, and the tarot card reading she did before they arrived pointed toward great things for them. She was a strong believer in the cards.

“Well, I’m just happy Beverly isn’t lit up right now.” Zane knew how much Beverly loved her marijuana and THC infused gummies and brownies.

“I think she plays better when she is high.” Raven turned around to face the other members in the band.

“I think you're right, Raven.” Olivia knew Beverly was one hell of a bass player.

Not only could Beverly play the bass guitar, but also the drums, guitar, and saxophone. Most of the women in the band could play two or three additional instruments. They could all sing as well.

“Well, you ladies are ready for tonight. I arranged for food to be catered for the whole staff. So, if you ladies will secure your instruments in the band room. Let’s go and grab something light to eat before you go on.”