It's Always the One You Love Covered in Blood
"The gig of a lifetime, not to be missed!" That's what the flyer said. It could have been missed, it really should have never happened, thought Max. If that gig hadn't of happened…if Lucia hadn't been there, or if Ronnie hadn't of showed up…. The blood was everywhere. Her screams. Right in front of me. My bass splattered. Too much to bear. Not that I was bothered about my bass though. The nights that passed were uncomfortable, the bed cold and lonely…the warmth and love taken from me. Nothing compared to this pain and anguish and there was yet the entombment to arrange, a way to focus and to celebrate her beauty but mourn her passing. I can't do this. If I do then I crawl in the casket with her, to hold her for the last time. The only beauty in my life. Now there is nothing of beauty left in my world.
Tonight was going to be a good night. I was going to play my heart out and Lucia was going to see it. The obligatory pre gig drink of whisky burnt my throat, causing me to scream. This was what I was used to. A little piece of Las Vegas tradition done and dusted, it was time to sound check. Grabbing my bass and turning around, knocking my bass, my girlfriend stood at the dressing room doorway, blocking the way. "Max, good luck. I know you'll do amazing anyway but tonight you really need it, the Escape The Fate army are out in full force so you all better not disappoint." With that she moved out of the way and went out into the club. Odd. Usually she sticks around. Maybe she needed a change or maybe a cigarette.
Sound check went smoothly so we were ready to go out. The audience were shouting, screaming, and howling the place down when we took to the stage. I was the last to come out. Taking our places we began. Craig did his stage name intros that he always did. Mine was "Max The Ripper" of course. Kicking the night off we played "This War Is Ours". I always loved playing this song, I could combine my two passions on this song, screaming my heart out and playing bass. When screaming I looked out and saw my reason for living illuminating the circle pit with her beauty. I had also seen another figure that was recognisable- to a degree. Carrying on with the show for an hour or so brought no surprises or more glimpses of the figure. I was starting to think it was the drugs making me hallucinate and see this figure that just couldn't be there, it seemed to be someone from my past but who?
Shortly after we took a break. Lucia came running towards me all flushed. "Max! Oh God I'm so happy to see you!" she uttered. "What's up? What's happened? I'm so happy to see you too. Enjoying the show babe?" I could tell something was up, something had happened but I needed to know. She might know something about that figure. "Yeah babe I am. Listen… I think I've seen Ronnie here tonight." She looked tortured and scared. I would be too. If it was who I thought she meant then we'd all had it. "Ronnie…..Radke?" I whispered. As soon as I asked I knew the answer. "Why Max? Why now, what does he want? I can't take this. Are we safe? Am I safe?" she said in a panicked way.
I didn't know. What could I say to her? I wasn't scared, just for her I was. If he got hold of her then there would be some serious damage. Damage that I couldn't reverse. "Umm…I really don't know. I wish I did but remember….'this war is ours'! don't ever forget that." "Haha, yeah it is. Awesome screaming on it by the way. It's definitely our song that keeps us going. THIS IS WAR!" Lucia laughed and hugged me. I had to be back on stage in a few minutes time.
I went and regained my place on the stage with the guys. Half an hour left and it would be all over. I couldn't wait. The rest of the show passed as it was meant to. All a blur of frenzied guitar/bass playing and screaming. We thanked the crowd for coming out to see us play and then finally it was over.
In the dressing room I could chill out with a couple of bottles of Jagermeister and my Lucia. When I got to the room it was a completely different story. Lucia was there, so was the rest of the band and their girlfriends but…HE was there. He had his hand over Lucia's mouth as a gag and was cutting her clothes off her with a knife and stroking the knife deep into her body as he did so. I tried to get to her, got to her, and then he just let her go. She was breathless and bloodied. "This is what you do to girls like these. Maxy boy I thought you would've known better- should've known better. You knew what she was, even when I was with her. You know what she was doing, knew she was sleazing all over Las Vegas, putting a price on her body- just offering it up to whoever had money. But then you go out with her, straight after you kicked me out of this band. I made it a great band and now you lot are soiling the very name. you're all just worthless and now you will pay." Ronnie Radke spat out. She was limp, my arms holding her up otherwise she'd be on the floor. I should have known that Ronnie was going to turn up. We were doing well, just released the band's third album and on the road to conquering the world. The world was ours for the taking, but now Ronnie would stand in our way, try and break our spirit and try and break me and Lucia up. Blood was seeping out of Lucia and it was quite alarming.
Suddenly Ronnie grabbed Lucia back off me. What was he going to do now? "What are you doing you madman?" I shouted. Ronnie just simply smiled. How could he smile when he was going to hurt my girlfriend even more than he already had? Ronnie was holding Lucia in a sort of embrace and his back was to us. I heard her scream out and try and kick her way out of his grip. What was he doing? Then he turned around and I saw her. Blood everywhere but in her body. I looked down and my bass was covered in blood. Blood was pouring from her neck. He'd slit her throat and now he proceeded to slit her wrists. Lucia was out of it, so close to death. I had to get her and it had to be quick. This girl I loved was being brutally murdered right in front of me and there was nothing I could do, no way to help her. I wasn't alone as nobody else was trying to help because they couldn't help her either. In a split second decision I grabbed her and ran to the nearby cellar, entered and bolted it shut. He wouldn't be able to get in now, couldn't get at Lucia to hurt her anymore. I knew I didn't have long with her before she would die so I better make the most of it. I cradled her in my arms and kissed her face. She looked at me with those piercing blue eyes and I could see into her soul. She loved me as much as I loved her and I could see in those eyes that she didn't want to die. Then her eyes closed for the last time. She'd gone. In my head I could faintly hear 'Cellar Door' pretty apt really considering where we were.
The hours after she died I was a mess. I couldn't think straight and now, three weeks later it was the funeral. I never realised how hard it would be. I was singing the chorus
"Now you wait, like the drug, like the change in the pain it goes on. For so long and oh,
how it hurts in the worst way, now that you're gone, it's so wrong, it's so wrong..." I fell to the floor holding a gun to my chest.