The Saturday morning sunshine poked through the moth-eaten curtains and Toki stirred when he heard the delicate turn of the door knob. Emily had his freshly cleaned clothes draped over one arm as she entered and smiled down at the collection of tanned muscles shifting about under her sheets.
"Morning, you." She greeted with a warm smile. Toki sighed in deep contentment.
"Good mornings to yous too." He said and smiled back as he shut his eyes again.
"You look happy." She commented as she put his clothes on the end of the bed. "Did you have a good dream?"
"No dreams." Toki responded lazily. He opened one eye curiously "No dreams ats all. Nots a single ones." For the first time in a long time the terrors of the night hadn't touched the inside of his skull. He rolled onto his back and held out his hand to her.
"Well then, you must just be happy to see me?" She took the few steps over and took his hand in hers.
"Maybe I ams?" He said and pulled her towards him. She gracefully fell onto him and he held her there with both arms wrapped around her.
"Oh my, you really are happy to see me." She laughed as her inner thigh rested against his morning glory. She bit her lip in invitation. The Norwegian took his cue with gusto and rolled her over.
Downstairs, Billy rubbed sleep out of his eyes as he opened the front door for Norman.
"Hey man, you alright?" Norman greeted. Billy mumbled a greeting in return.
"Sup?" Ricky greeted as Norman entered the lounge. The Twin Dicks sat on the otherwise unoccupied couch.
"Where's the git gone, then?" The Englishman asked asked. His question was answered in the most gut curdling way when a female voice in ecstasy fluttered down the stair well.
"He's coming just now." Rick assured. Ricky spat his coffee back into his cup so he didn't choke on his laughter. Norman shot a filthy look at both Dicks before he and Billy went to collect the rest of the band.
The remainder of Thunderhorse arrived at the slaughter house and the beaming couple finally came down from their love nest. Toki, Gary and Billy ran through the string sections again with Toki coaching and guiding them through the more difficult parts. By the time they had to leave for the festival, those three played tighter than a Glam-rockers pants. They packed up their gear and loaded it into the van. Rick and Ricky were the Lead guitarist and bass guitarist for a Grindcore band who were also playing at Blood fest, so threw their stuff in the van too. The festival was only a few blocks up the street so Norman rode with Billy while the others followed on foot.
"Fuck, like, Billy said you were good but I had no idea you were THAT good." Ricky said to Toki as they strode casually up the cobble stone side walk.
"Yous really tink sos? Nots just sayings it." Toki asked genuinely.
"Yeah man!" Rick concurred, "Where'd you learn to sweep like that?"
"Arrrhh, froms a, friend, I guess."
"A Friend?" Ricky Questioned.
"A friend who also happens to be a brilliant guitar teacher?" Rick added to the query.
"Pfft, he tinks he ams a good teacher but he just screams at mes until I does it the way he wants." Toki grumbled. "Stupids Swedish dildo."
Barckels looked over at Gary with a questioning glance but Gary just shook his head slightly to indicate the drummer should dismiss the comment; slipping in and out of character was just one of the things that cos-lifers did.
"A Swedish dildo sounds awesome." Emily mused conversationally. Toki stared at her as they walked arm in arm. "Like something from Ikea." She clarified "modern, pleasing design; lots of functionality; plenty of storage space and all at a reasonable price."
Toki burst out laughing and had to stop to hold his belly. "I ams so tellings de fellas dat when…." Toki stopped himself. His previously jovial demeanor damped as he thought of what would happen when he returned. He had better make sure this adventure was worth it.
The road had been blocked-off and constituted the festival grounds. The stage was positioned near the sponsor coffee shop and there were Duncan Hills promos on everything. Next to the stage was a shipping container which was used as a make-shift Green room. The restaurants, bars and cafes on either side of the street were pumping with customers and there were several carts wheeling about amongst the crowd. They grabbed a round of beers and stood just off to the side to watch the bands.
Rick and Ricky bragged to everyone about their new guitar god friend, Pelle. Anyone who came to greet them was shown a piece of video that Ricky had taken of him shredding that morning. Each of them looked at Toki with a reverence he was not at all sure how to deal with. After the fourth load of praise he just started to soak it up. The brunette held himself a little taller and shifted his weight to one hip like a show horse.
"Man, you guys are so fucking ballsy." One of Ricky's friends commented while watching the video. "Everyone is super fucking psyched! I mean, look at the turn out." They looked around the festival "Easily twice as many people as last year."
"Mary!" Emily shouted into the crowd and waved to a woman with shoulder length, bleach blonde hair. The woman spotted the source of her name and pushed her sunglasses up as she approached them.
"Hello Emmy darlin'! How ya doin'?" She greeted her friend with a hug that concurrently wouldn't spill her coffee. She chewed her gum strongly and her eyes were wide and erratic.
"Not as good as you from the look of it." Emily teased and indicated that the other woman should wipe the powder from her nose. Mary tried to dust the powder off without impaling her nostrils on her long, fake nails. As she did this she happened to turn in Toki's direction.
"Fuck ME!" She said in surprise, "It's Toki fucking Warthooth!" Toki stopped with his swig of beer caught in his mouth and looked at her in fright.
"Actually, he's Skwisgaar today." Emily corrected, "He's filling in on Lead guitar for 'Supporting Bands'." She made the quotation gesture in the air.
"Ohhhh!" Mary expressed her admiration but still looked at Toki with a bit of confusion.
"You do remember Pelle, right? From your own party?" Emily prompted.
"Sweetie, you know me. I can't remember much, ever." She laughed, "But I do remember that I have a little present from my Clown prince for a 'Toki Wartooth'." Mary also made the quotation marks with her fingers and switched her gaze between Toki and Gary.
Toki finally swallowed his beer. "Froms Rockso?" He enquired, "Where ams he?"
"I have no fuckin' idea." Mary laughed again and shook her head, "but this must be for you then." She pulled a small clear bag of white powder from her cleavage and handed it over to the brunette.
"Huh. Takk." He said and smiled at the gift. Norman eyed the little bag with distrust as Toki slipped it into his pocket.
"Hope you're planning on sharing that." Emily said to Toki.
"Maybes." The Norwegian smiled jokingly at her.
"Well, Maybe I'll keep the Jack Rabbit then?" She teased back. She pulled a plush toy rabbit from her bag and popped the head off. "Freshen yer coff-ee, Gov'na?" she offered Mary in a deliberately thick cockney accent.
"Hell fucking yes! Thanks, darlin'." She took the lid off her cup and Emily poured in a good splosh of Jack Daniels from the concealed bottle within the toy.
"Careful security doesn't see that. They'll take it." Barckel's warned.
"Fuck, they don't have the dogs here, do they?" Mary panicked and rearranged her breasts, "I'm packing so much in here I've had to go up a cup size. Speaking of such, I have to do the rounds. I'll see you later on." She hugged Emily again and waved a quick goodbye to the rest of the gang.
They watched some more bands, drank some more beers and caught up with some more people. Toki and Emily went off together then returned touching their noses more often than they should. Norman was going to give his little sister a bloody good talking-to after today. There was no way this git was going to be a part of her life. He was a drug user with a filthy temper and likely lived on NAV payments. His talent for the guitar was proof of his misspent youth; Be damned if his sister would become involved with a loser of zero prospects.
The day turned to night and it was time for the Twin dicks to go on stage.
"Break a leg, you Dicks." Billy said kindly. Rick gave them a Gene Simmons tongue wag before the two headed off to the Green room to begin warming up. Norman and Barckels went with them to help keep the gear in the shipping container in some kind of order.
As Rick & Ricky's band did their sound check Emily slyly poured a little whiskey into her, Toki's and Billy's beers. "I told you that everyone would like you." She said to Toki who was shielding her from general view.
"Does they? Reallies?" Toki asked.
"Yeah Man," Billy winced a little from the new kick in his beer, "You saw how people reacted to that video; People think you're the shiz."
The Twin Dick's band burst into the first song of their set. Toki was quite disappointed with their musicianship, even for the genre. He imagined what Skwisgaar would have to say about Rick's, arrrh, technique (or lack-there-of). It looked like he was strangling an ally cat and made approximately the same sound. However, Toki noticed something about the crowd… they didn't care. The twin dicks were so energetic and really played for the sake of the audience. They were true entertainers and the inclusive atmosphere was infectious. The crowd chanted together to their simple yet powerful chorus and they even broke into a circle pit when instructed.
Toki needed to be a part of this. He ran into the pit and moshed away. He bumped and jostled and thwacked his way about. He made his way to the railing, lifted himself up and fell backwards. The Norwegian lay spread eagle on the ocean of hands as the bright white lights pulsed in time with the chorus. This was it. This was the beating heart of metal. Not the meticulous crafting of each bar of music to create perfectly structured songs. Not the ticket sales or Label contracts or endorsements deals. Not the scantily clad super models who pretended to like you even though they grew up on Brittany Spears. This was it. Sweat, energy, noise and one hundred hands holding you up.
Dethklok left Tampa and everything changed. Mostly for the better; they had money, they built Mordhaus and they were all so happy to be together. Then the deadlines became tighter, the label made bigger demands, and the reviews were more vicious. They drank more, they fought more and the smallest things became major sources of irritation. Charles didn't smile as often. No one smiled as often. They recoiled, turned inward, protected themselves. The hands that once held them up were now held out expectantly, waiting for their cut. They turned on their fans, they hated them for forcing them into this life. They spent more and more money on meaningless crap just to distract them from the life they had once fantasized about.
Toki returned to the ground over the front of the rail and was escorted out to the side. He ran back to Billy and Emily a sweaty mess with a massive smile on his face and few new bruises. Emily went to find the lady's room and Billy and Toki were left alone.
"Takk. I neededs this." He panted then downed a fair quantity of his beer.
"Why are you thanking us? We should be thanking you! We're gunna go down in history and now we're gunna sound great doing it. " The bassist laughed, "I know we've basically just met and stuff, but, you already feel like one of us, you know?"
"Reallies?"
"Yeah man." He clapped a friendly hand on Toki's shoulder, "C'mon, we're on next so we better start warming up with the others. Time for the big show"
"Okays." Toki finished the last of his beer, "But's I am gettings a good lucks kiss first." He beamed and ran off to find Emily.
Billy shook his head and laughed to himself. He walked over to a recycle bin to dump his empty bottle when he witnessed the crowd part like the red sea; and Moses wore a grey suit.
He let go of the bottle and ran for the green room. Barckels, Norman and Gary were twanging and tapping away as the fear stricken Afro fell through the main door. "OFFDENSEN!" He blurted. The others stopped.
"Wha'?" Norman's heart fell through his stomach.
"It's fucking Offdensen! He's here! He's coming this way!"
Gary freaked, "Ohhh, no, Oh, no, Oh FUCK!" He looked to the front man, "What the fuck?! What do we do?"
Norman's brain was racing. He was their leader, their captain and the one who fucking talked them into doing this illegal show in the first place. Pride had gotten the better of him. He looked around at his other band mates. Fuck the git, he could fend for himself. If he was locked in the belly of the dragon he couldn't be near his sister. Norman weighed up his options but running came out the best.
"Grab what you can. We'll take the back alley and hide at the slaughter house." Norman commanded his troops. They all set to work.
Billy smacked the naked light bulb with the neck of his bass guitar. It swayed violently casting obscure shadows all about them; and hid Charles standing in the door way. He cleared his throat to get their attention. The whole band swiveled their heads and froze in their awkward positions. Dethklok's manager crossed his arms and cast his gaze over them like the eye Saron.
"And where is your, arh, 5th member?" The statue of authority asked as his ominous shadow shifted from wall to wall. All the members of Thunderhorse stood with their mouths slightly ajar but before they could answer a towering pillar of smoke and foreign swearwords trod angrily into the room. He had to stoop to enter through the doorway then stopped next to Charles. The band's eyes opened to maximum capacity. A mixture of impending doom and fan-boy giddiness prevented any of them from moving.
"Where de fucks ams he?" The giant asked Charles as he finished the last of his cigarette. "I wants to get de fucks out of heres as fast as ams possibles." The noise coming from the stage was making him ill.
"That's just what I was about to find out." Charles continued to look expectantly at the cover band. The rest of Thunderhorse all looked silently toward their front-man who desperately tried to think of a decent opening defense.
"Well, arrhhh…." Norman began but was interrupted by a hyperactive brunette bursting in through the side door. Toki was running backwards holding the Jack-rabbit above his head, playing keep-away with Emily.
"Come ons, you gots to work for it!" He laughed as he turned his back to Skwisgaar and Charles without having seen them. He backed up onto the arm of the couch as she came in closer trying to grab the fluffy bottle holder.
"Oh! So what would you call this morning? Hmm?" She argued provocatively. She squeeze him tight around the torso and pushed their foreheads together.
"Well ifs dat's what I gets in return…" Toki said in a playfully seductive tone and put his free arm around her. She then tried to jump up quickly to grab the Rabbit but sent them both crashing length ways onto the couch. She lay on top of him with her head in his chest as they laughed together.
The remainder of Thunderhorse gawked openly as they watched the two bunnies dance right in front of the wolves. Toki still held the toy over the other arm of the couch and Skwisgaar stared curiously at the white and brown fluff that was wiggling in front of him. The swede extended his delicate digits, grabbed the Jack-Rabbit around the ears and tugged it right out of Toki's hand. He then brought it up to his face to inspect it; Typical Toki.
The Norwegian tilted his head backwards to see who had taken the bottle from him. He froze. Emily shifted her gaze up to where Toki was looking and went still also. She quickly looked to her brother who made desperate eyes at her and she swiftly slinked off the Norwegian.
Skwisgaar bowed from the waist and brought his head right down so he was looking right into Toki's upside-down eyes. The shadows of their faces moved unnaturally as the bulb swung lazily, casting them in light, then shadow, then light, then shadow again. Thunderhorse held their breath in mournful anticipation; Their star musician lay motionless, looking up at the scowling predator. The brunette's face was swathed in surprise and regret, his body retreated further into the cushions, his chest slowly filled with his last….dying…..words…
"What de FUCKS ams YOU doing heres?!" The prey demanded.
*the room gasped*
"Mes?! What de fucks ams YOU doings heres?!" The predator retorted.
*The room furrowed their brows. *
"How de hells you finds me?" Toki rolled onto his side and sat up.
"That's not important right now," Charles began, "What is important, is that you have to come with us." He explained curtly.
"Why?" The Norwegian asked angrily.
"What you means fuckings 'Why'?" The swede asked equally angrily.
"I means fucking WHY!? Why shoulds I?"
Skwisgaar let the weight of the jack-rabbit fall and take his hand with it to swing at the side of his body. He put his other hand over his face and let out a very annoyed sound. Even after all that sleep he still didn't have the energy for Toki's particularly convoluted brand of logic. He slipped his free hand from his face to his hip. "Well dere am stills de fuckings album to be finishings. Pretty goods reason if you be askings me."
"And we're already going to miss our extended deadline, so…" Charles was cut off by the sound of his dethphone, "Oh, no." he murmured to himself, "I've got to take this." He said to the boys and turned to walk outside, "Roy, how's things?...Yes, well you see, about that..." He trailed off as he moved a little farther away from the door of the shipping container.
Skwisgaar managed to extract the bottle of whisky from its holder and threw the deflated looking toy next to Toki on the couch. "Urhg, can dese dildos even hears dem selves?" he commented about the band playing then took a calming swing from the bottle and turned to walk away.
Toki reached out next to him and sat in silence for a moment with the Jack-Rabbit between his fingers. The swede stopped when he noticed that the Norwegian had not moved. "Toki!". The whole of Thunderhorse jolted. "Comes on." Skwisgaar beckoned him to follow.
The brunette crushed the toy in both fists. "No." he said through gritted teeth.
"Whats you means, 'No'?" The swede asked in the same tone as before.
"I means fuckings NO!" Toki screamed and scrunched his eyes shut. "Do yous even hears me when I talks? I amnst going back. I gots someting importants I gots to do."
"Like whats? Hangs out wit dees dilos?" Skwisgaar waved a hand in Thunderhorse's direction without looking at them.
"They amn'st dildos! They's my friends!" He looked over at Norman, "Most of dems anyway."
Skwisgaar followed Norman's gaze and looked over to Emily who was looking panic stricken and adorable with her hands crunched up to her breasts and her lips hanging slightly apart. He gave her a quick up and down scan and raised an eyebrow in approval.
"Don'ts you even fucking tink abouts it!" Toki yelled as he sprang to his feet and shielded her.
"Hey, de lady cans make her owns choice." He said and gave her a look.
"You puts a finger on her and I'll … and I'll, " Toki tried to think of a truly poetic and gruesome consequence with lots of descriptive words to give life to the threat. "and I'lls fucking kills you!" There were reasons he hadn't taken to lyrics writing.
"Ha! You aksidentallies fall in loves wit dis one?" Skwisgaar scoffed and studied the girl again.
"So what if I dids!" Toki retorted. He was shocked by his own words but stood by them. He straightened his stance and stared defiantly at Dethklok's play-boy now leaning in the door frame.
"Reallies?" Skwisgaar asked with mild surprise; he wouldn't admit it but they looked good together, suited each other, in a sense. A little pang of jealousy cropped up inside him. "Well you can wait until after the album is finished to get your dick wet. We have way too much work to do, so get in the fucking car. You're coming home. Now."
"No, I'm not! What part of that does your shitty Swedish brain not understand?" Toki replied very emotively.
"Yes, you are!" Skwisgaar threw the bottle onto the couch and stepped towards the brunette. "You are getting in that car if I have to fucking drag you!"
"I'd like to see you try." Toki met his challenge and stepped in to meet him at the front of the room.
"I'll fucking do it! I'll drag your arse all the way back into the fucking studio because that's where you're supposed to be; not out here doing whatever-the-fuck-it-is-you're-doing with these dildos. You're meant to be in that room WITH ME!" The swede punctuated the last two words individually to drive home his point.
"I can't go back in there." Toki explained solemnly as he looked earnestly up at the Swede, "Not in there. Don't…...don't make me." He implored in a shaky voice.
The swede recognised the look in his pale, winter-sky eyes. Scared, desperate and lost; Such a sad and beautiful creature. A few of the bricks that made up Skwisgaar's wall fell away and he reached out and placed his hands on Toki's shoulders. They shared a quick conversation made entirely of minute eye movements and then Skwisgaar exhaled in exhaustion to signal his defeat. He began to fashion a suitable compromise in his mind but before he could finish his thought, Emily spoke.
"Pelle!" she burst out with; her bemusement had hit its breaking point. Skwisgaar shifted his gaze over the brunette's shoulder. "What the FUCK is going on?" She shot at the Norwegian.
Toki turned to face her with a deeply apologetic expression but the blonde continued to stare at her with a blank, dumbfounded face.
"Whats…. Whats you just calls him?" Skwisgaar tried to clarify as he released the Norwegian.
"P-pelle." The girl stammer obediently. Skwisgaar physically jolted; Emily turned to Toki imploringly "That's your name, right?" She asked pathetically. Toki continued to give her a remorseful look. "You said that was your name." She defended lamely. The Norwegian dropped his gaze in shame. "Pelle?" She squeaked as the tears began to involuntarily roll down her cheeks.
Skwisgaar clutched a handful of his shirt and took two steps backward as the name was uttered a third time. "Is this some kind of sick fucking joke?" He asked in complete seriousness.
Toki looked up from his shoes.
"That fucking arsehole, dipshit, black metal, wanker told you everything, didn't he? It must be a big fucking joke to all of you. Huh? Gossiping amongst each other like fucking girls. This is so like you, you fucking child." The swede rationalised between gritted brain was racing through white noise, shock gripped his heart, adrenaline burrowed its way into every vein.
The Norwegian shook his head lightly in confusion, "Skwisgaar, I don't…"
"Fucks you, Toki! FUCKS YOU!" The swede bellowed. Everyone in the room jumped an inch in the air.
"All the shit I've done for you!" The swede continued to rage, "I lifted you up from fucking nothing! You'd be a fucking no-one without me!" Toki moved in front of Emily again to protect her from the furious Swede. "Do you know how hard I work to keep you in the lap of fucking luxury? The money, the fame, the groupies, I fucking gave that to you! Do you know how much effort it takes to keep you happy?!"
"Happy?!" The Norwegian spat back angrily, "I'm not happy. I haven't been happy for a long, long time and you know it! Not that you give a fuck."
"You're right, I don't." Skwisgaar retorted automatically.
"Well FUCKS YOU right backs!" Toki snapped, "You think I need all that? Well I don't! I only need enough money for food. I'm famous because, fucks you agains, I'm actually a really good guitarist. And all the groupies in the fucking world can't replace her!" He pointed to Emily, "I don't need your life at all, I have a whole new one! And it's better because you're not fucking in it!"
Skwisgaar's heart clenched and thudded erratically. He deepened his breathing to counteract the adrenaline but his fight or flight instincts peaked. His resolve was final. "You wants to leaves den fines, I not stops you!" He metaphorically grabbed the fallen bricks and smashed them back into place; He refused to be exposed like this again. "If beings in de biggest band in de worlds amsn't good enoughs for you, den don't comes home, EVERS! ….. In facts," push them away before they push you, "You ams FIRED!"
The Twin Dick's band finished their set and the roar of the crowd filled the void left by the bombshell.
Rick's amplified voice spoke to the crowd. "You guys are amazing!" another roar from the masses, "Tonight has been awesome but we know who you're really here to see…" The chant began:
"THUN-DER-HORSE! THUN-DER-HORSE! THUN-DER-HORSE!..."
Toki desperately searched for a way to redeem himself. The things he had already done to ensure his position in the band. Had it all been for nothing? Could it all be taken away from him that easily.
THUN-DER-HORSE!
Have what taken away? The only thing that he valued were the members themselves…. And they didn't care about him.
THUN-DER-HORSE!
"Fucks you Skwisgaar, you can'ts fire me." The brunette laughed.
THUN-DER-HORSE!
"Ja! I cans!" The enraged swede gave him a stare that came right out of the pits of hell.
THUN-DER-HORSE!
"No you can'ts, you know why? Because I QUITS!"
THUN-DER-HORSE! THUN-DER-HORSE! THUN-DER-HORSE!
"Goods! Gets out of heres!" The Swede lashed out, "You wants to go makes stupid families with yous new girl and new life den go does it! Ha! I laughs at you! I never be needings you anyway, so FUCKS YOU, PELLE!" Skwisgaar nearly vomited as he heard his own voice resonate in the steel box. His chest tightened again and his flight instincts took hold. The Swede's wide eyes met the Norwegian's for one final moment before he turned on his heel and power-walked out of there.
Toki sat on the couch and searched for his cigarette packet. A slew of Norwegian profanity rumbled under his breath as he battled with an empty lighter. The stage director poked his head in through the side door. "Ok guys, change over time." He stopped when he saw the look of terror on everyone's faces.
Toki eventually gave up and threw the lighter and his cigarette to the ground. "FUCKS!" He put his head in both hands, "Whats have I done?"
Billy looked over to the stage hand, "I'll come back in 5." The intruder said and slipped out of the door way.
Emily was still standing at the other end of the couch. "Pelle?" she tried tentatively but the Norwegian didn't move. She steeled herself and tried again, "Toki?" The brunette looked up at the sound of his name. Their eyes locked and tears began to flow again. She held her hand to her mouth then bolted out through the side door.
"Waits! Emily!" The Norwegian sprang up and ran after her.
The pendulous light bulb found its center point again.
"Dude" Gary finally broke the silence, "Your sister's banging Toki Wartooth."
"Yes, Gary. That does appear to be th' case." Norman stared blankly at the side door then down at the coiled lead in his hand. So… what now?