From Somewhere Out in Left Field

By Steve Husk

Verse Nine of the Metzgerhund Retreat series is a bit on the random side.

Sentry Ridge was undergoing a rash of graffiti attacks. Not so bad. This gave park ownership a reason to finally let Sam paint over the graffiti with some of his murals.

There was also a group of elementary aged girls attacking random park guests with water balloons. That was not the original plan. They were only supposed to go after the boys who first bullied them.

Billy caught somebody trying to pirate the band’s battle of the bands’ set list. Why? What good would knowing ahead of time what Metzgerhund was going to play? Although...Billy figured out what band was involved with this plot, and decided he might want to surprise them with a trick of his own.

The guys determined that the email saying they might not have qualified for the battle of the bands contest was bogus. So far, so good. But they still needed to find out who was responsible for sending it.

The guys in Metzgerhund were being harassed by the park maintenance manager, Larry, for not taking their music seriously enough. Nothing new. Larry has done this sort of thing before. Except, this time, the guys found out why he acts this way towards them.

Calvin, Jason, and Sam visited a band equipment yard sale. Calvin agreed to go because he was getting tired of being a frequent water balloon target at Sentry Ridge.

Billy experienced a premonition that somebody was going to sabotage Metzgerhund’s ability to play in the battle of the bands. Premonitions were nothing new to Billy, but this one had to be taken seriously. He prepared a defensive plan he hoped would cause whoever was planning this to reveal themselves.

The actual reveal was something Billy never expected. And wished he never saw.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steve Husk
• Release date: Mar 17, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224149605

Steve Husk

Some say Steve Husk is constantly going up against his demons and the many voices in his own head. Truth is, Steve has recruited most of them as his advisors. Some of them want to start a band with him.Steve is a retired software / web application developer and security control center officer. He currently works his writing (and sometimes music) craft in northern Virginia, USA.

Book preview

From Somewhere Out in Left Field

Verse Nine of

Metzgerhund Retreat

Steve Husk

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Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2023 Steven M. Husk

Cover art Copyright 2023 Steven M. Husk

All rights reserved.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the author’s page on Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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Billy motioned for the entire band to gather around Calvin’s laptop at the opposite end of the practice shed. I’d like to show you guys something about that bogus battle of the bands email that we all missed. Calvin, launch the band’s email app, and call up that email, please.

Calvin sat down at the table, then slipped on his reading glasses and got to work. Except, after a few seconds, his posture slumped to show his confusion. What happened to it? I can’t find it.

Check the ‘trash,’ Jason said, in case one of us accidentally deleted it.

Already did. It’s not there.

Billy pulled out his in-park phone and opened the email app. I found it, he said, then sat the phone on the table.

The others crowded around to read the screen.

What exactly are we looking for? Calvin asked.

Yeah, I don’t see what you’re getting at, Reggie added. We’ve already looked over this email, and---wait a second. Why is this email on our Sentry Ridge account? Did you forward it there?

No, I didn’t.

You didn’t give the battle of the bands coordinators the wrong address by mistake, did you? Sam asked.

The Emperor couldn’t have, Jason answered. We weren’t even working here when we entered the battle of the bands.

So, how did all five of us miss which address they sent it to? Reggie asked.

We were so focused on the potential tragedy, Calvin answered, we missed the obvious reality.

So far, Billy said, "this proves that the battle of the bands coordinators did not send this email. That means we’re still on the schedule!"

Everyone barked.

It also proves we’ve got one additional opponent, Reggie said, one additional band who knows they can’t defeat us on the stage, so they have to derail us in other ways.

I still wanna know who the guilty future victim is, Jason said with an unhappy snarl,

When I first checked the IP address this email was sent from, Calvin said, it showed it came from a server in Baltimore. That’s where the battle of the bands is based, so I didn’t think anything of it. I’m gonna ask our web guy, Dat, if he can dig a bit deeper.

Sounds good, Billy said. Now, onto other business. Remember the other day, when you guys were asking me about all those new sounds I was working on? I was really working on new songs.

Why? everyone asked at once.

How many times have you guys insisted we can play the current battle of the bands set list in our sleep?

Calvin nodded. I see your point.

I like how we experiment with new stuff every once in a while, Jason said. I’d like to get back to doing that more often.

What he said, Sam added.

What did you have in mind? Reggie asked.

A grin stretched across Billy’s face. We’ve been stressing too much lately. Let’s just have some fun with music for a while. That’s what music is supposed to be for, anyway. I say we create an alternate battle of the bands set list. Together. All new songs. We might never play these new songs live, but---

Billy’s band mates interrupted him with loud and frantic barking while scrambling to their instruments.

Billy laughed at the sight. My thoughts exactly.

#

The second Calvin and Sam walked out of the woods behind the main lodge, they saw two police cars driving down the road leading to the group park area with their lights flashing.

That don’t look good, Sam said.

A honking horn from behind them caught their attention.

Mr. Laypus pulled up in one of the park SUVs.

Can you two come with me for a few minutes, please?

What’s going on? Sam asked. Does it have anything to do with those police cars we just saw?

You’ll see when we get there.

Uh…yeah, sure. Sam wiped sweat off his forehead. You got the air conditioner running in that thing?

Why would I? It’s only ninety degrees out today.

Masochist.

Pansy.

Sam laughed, then climbed into the front passenger seat.

Calvin got into the back seat without a word.

Mr. Laypus returned to the main road and turned left. The same route the police cruisers took.

So, what’s going on? Sam asked.

Some vandals paid us a visit last night.

Vandals are goobs.

"I was just getting ready to invite the police here to investigate and write a report, but they called me first. Seems they got an anonymous