Chapter 18
I Won't See You Tonight
The harmonic sound of a beeping computer finally began to wake Link. He flinched from the light a bit as he attempted to open his eyes.
"Oh god, not again…" he thought.
He realized that the beeping was coming from a heart monitor next to his hospital bed. Sighing heavily, he opened his eyes and quickly adapted to the blinding light. He could hear someone breathing just to his left.
"At least you're consistent," Mido sighed.
"Shut up," Link groaned.
"Why'd you do it?"
"It felt good I suppose," Link replied, closing his eyes and clearing his throat.
"You probably don't feel too great now. You're lucky you didn't die from blood loss you dumb ass. Now you can't leave to go back to school till next week," Mido explained, a little irritatingly.
"Gee, that sucks," Link replied sarcastically.
"Look man, you need to get your head straight, ok? At this rate, you'll either kill yourself or end up dropping out of school. So, you either end up dead or you'll end up as some useless bum working at Taco Bell for the rest of your life. Which once sounds better?"
"Hey, some people can make a very good living off of Taco Bell…"
"Damn it Link! You're my best friend and if I have to see any more of this shit I'm out man. I can't deal with it!" Mido shouted and stood up from his chair.
Link watched him as he stormed out of the room, his head red with aggravation. Link sighed again and stared at the wall in front of him. He felt ok now, but now his brain hurt.
He hadn't even thought about what it was he was doing to Mido, Kafei, and all of his other friends around the school. And the way he had treated Zelda was just horrible. He knew that Serj would eventually straighten up his attitude, but that didn't mean everything would be ok. By no stretch did it mean anything would the way it used to be…
Zelda on the other hand just laid on her bed crying. Watching Link rushed off to the hospital with blood all over his mouth and hands was the most horrifying sight she had ever seen. She just prayed he would be ok. She wiped her tears and sat up quickly when she heard her door open.
"Hey," Serj greeted calmly as he stepped into her room, leaving the door slightly cracked behind him.
"Hey…"
"Link's fine… He just had too much blood loss. Sounds like he cut his wrist this morning," he explained.
Zelda cried a little more. She couldn't figure out why Link had taken such a turn for the worse. Granted, his life had crumbled to nothing in just a short matter of time, but still. It was like he had lost his mind all of a sudden.
"He'll be ok though, right?" she asked hopefully.
"Well, that's the rumor I hear. Well, at least he'll physically be ok. I don't know if this is going to continue or not, but… we'll just have to see, I guess…"
"Yeah, we'll see… you know you have the power to fix this, right?"
"No I don't," he retorted sharply and left her room.
He knew she was right though. He couldn't fix Link, but he could take away Link's excuse for fucking himself up the way he had been. Maybe it was time he did something. It had been months already, and everyone makes mistakes. He shook his head and headed out to his car.
Link was still just thinking about where everything had gone. Everyday seemed to lead from bad to worse, fast. He couldn't figure out whether or not there was anything he could do anything about it.
"I know…"
A thought sprung in his head. Forget. Not forgive, just forget. Forget about Zelda, Prototype, everything. That may not seem like the easier nor the most plausible conclusion or solution, but it certainly would fix it.
Just as he had decided this however, the door to his hospital room opened. Through the corner of his eye, he caught Serj of all people. His body tensed and his mind burned with hate. He may be a little out of it, but he was bound and determined to take him down no matter what.
"Hey," Serj greeted.
Link said nothing but just looked at him coldly, almost as though he couldn't see him. Serj looked down to the floor. It was a little difficult to look into his old friend's eyes.
"Listen, uh, I think we need to talk," he began.
"Things are over Serj, don't bother," Link growled.
"For good?"
"Yes, for good," Link replied.
"Oh, I see," Serj said sadly with a nod.
"I know that I did something I shouldn't have Serj, but the fact that you drove me to this is unforgivable. No apology will ever heal my heart," Link said to him, surprisingly calm.
"I know man, I know I fucked things up, bad. I never even knew you and my sister were together…"
"What makes it worse is that I even loved her until you pulled this bullshit. You're so stupid. Who would you rather her be with? Some random guy or your best friend, who you know beyond a shadow of a doubt would take care of her and would never hurt her. No, you didn't think about that. You just went and destroyed both your sister, me, and Prototype. There's no turning back and you know it," Link explained icily.
"Yeah, I know I really did fuck up. Sadly, now, I would welcome you and my sister being together…"
"I think you blew that too. I don't even have a desire to deal with anymore headaches now."
"Yeah…"
They stood there in silence, Serj looking down at his feet and Link staring off into space. Sighing heavily, Serj gripped the door handle and twisted it. Just before leaving, he looked back over his shoulder and glanced at his good friend.
"I know it might not mean anything, but… I'm sorry, for everything. I hope you can accept that and we can be cool again, like old times. Maybe even start up the band again," Serj groped hopefully.
"No way man. The only thing this does is eliminates the tension around us, but there's no way we can return to the way things were. You know that just as well as I do," Link stated.
"Yeah… I'll see you next week," Serj said sadly and exited the room, lightly shutting the door behind him.
Link heaved a very heavy sigh when the door closed. Things were over… done with… for good. He could go back to school, finish it, and figure out what he wanted to do. He had always thought of standup comedy too… He was a funny guy after all…
The days trickled by slowly and after what seemed an eternity, the hospital released Link and he headed home. He felt ok again, but a little empty at the same time. He was trying to decide whether or not he cared about Zelda or not… that was hard to say. He would just have to figure that out with time…
The other thing that had his mind in a knot is Serj. The first thing that he had thought was about his apology. He kind of figured that Serj was just desperately trying to restart Prototype so he could get his fame and glory, but was that really the case? He'd never know, sadly.
The week spun by and Link left the hospital Sunday. Kafei picked him up this time, instead of Mido. Link knew Mido was pissed at him, and he hardly blamed him. Things would be easy to patch with the old blonde guy though, they always were.
Kafei didn't seem to have much to say to him either, which aggravated Link a little. He blew it off all the same and just accepted the help. They had spoken few words when they pulled into the apartment complex that housed Link.
"Thanks for the ride man," Link thanked as he popped open the door of Kafei's small truck.
"Yeah," Kafei replied simply.
Link rolled his eyes and slammed the door shut. Shaking his head a bit, he headed up the steps to his door and pulled out his keys from his pocket. Just as his hand dug into his pocket for the door key, his phone started to vibrate a bit. His eyebrows furled, he pulled it out as well as the keys and glanced at it. Text message… From Serj… Opening up his phone, he read the text:
"Hey, do you think you would be able to meet me at the warehouse so you can unlock the door so I can get my stuff?" it read.
He sighed and texted back that Serj needed to be there in thirty minutes. He only took a few moments to run into his apartment and get a quick drink of water and change his clothes.
He put on the usual torn jeans and the tight black shirt. Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, he closed the door to his apartment and locked it. Heading down the stairs, he realized that the days were beginning to heat up much much more.
Wiping a bit of sweat from his head, he slumped into his car and pulled out of the parking lot to head down to the warehouse. It wasn't too far of a drive, and to no surprise of his, he beat Serj there.
Sighing a bit, he got out of his car and headed to the warehouse door. Well, more like a gate… He twisted the key in the keyhole and heaved the heavy door upwards. It clicked and rattled until it came to a halt at the top towards the roof. The musty smell of dirt and sweat ran through his nostrils, reminding him of the hours and hours of practice he had spent in there.
Mido's shiny drum set was set up, as well as Kafei's bass and his whole amp system. Serj's was as well, but Link's was still packed up in the cases. Link was a little puzzled as to why everything was set up. It's not like anyone had practiced at all since they had returned from New York. Shrugging it off, he sat down on the chair he always used and heaved a sigh.
Glancing around the dark warehouse room, thoughts of all the old days and the good times started to flood back to him. He grinned a bit as he remembered some of the things that had happened over the years in the warehouse. The sound of a car pulling up ripped him from his thoughts, but he was rather surprised at who it was. Mido…
As Mido got out of his car, Kafei pulled up, and Serj only seconds later. Link stood from his chair and raised an eyebrow. The three guys all looked at each other nervously before heading towards Link.
"What's… going on guys?" Link asked.
"There's no easy way to tell you this Link… but…" Kafei began.
"Basically man, just because you don't want to be part of the band, that doesn't mean we have to stop too… So basically we're going to change our name and go on without you man," Mido explained.
"We've already switched the warehouse space into our name so we can pay the rent for it," Serj stated, noting that Link was shocked beyond belief.
Link looked down to the ground and dug his hands into his pockets. Staring at the pattern on his shoes, he was completely speechless. He didn't expect this… for all three of his friends to backstab him like that was the last thing he had ever seen coming.
"Fuck you guys. Fuck all of you," Link stated calmly, looking at each of them with an amused look on his face.
Shaking his head, he walked past them, his eyes still glued to the ground. He could feel rage and pain building up within him. He couldn't just end it like that… could he?
"You know what?" Link started as he turned to face them, his hands still in his pockets.
The three guys looked at Link, bracing themselves. Link could tell they felt bad and were scared, but he didn't give a shit.
"All three of you know that I'm having a tough time as it is. For you to pull this kind of bullshit is… it's… that's just it. Bullshit. That's all it is. You'll get what's coming to you later."
With that, he opened the door to his car and reversed out of the gravel lot and onto the main road. Throwing the gear into drive, he ripped down the road and out of sight.
"That went well," Kafei said sarcastically once Link was out of sight.
"Could have been worse," Mido replied.
Serj said nothing. He felt terrible. Link had given him this whole opportunity, and the guy wouldn't even be able to reap the benefits. He shook his head and went to his car solemnly.
Link's fury soon diminished and turned to sorrow. Tears started to stream down his eyes and cloud his vision. There was only one place he could run to now…
His throat felt tight as he pulled up in the grassy plain outside the cemetery. Stepping out of his car, he felt the hard and powerful wind blaze past his face. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he headed over to his family's gravestone.
"Wow, so much has changed since I last came here," he began as he got on his knees before them.
"I ended up meeting this awesome girl, went to New York and played a great gig, but I'm sure you guys heard me. It's amazing how fast things can change, huh? Ended up sleeping with the girl by accident, which fucked it all up. Her brother nearly killed me, I've been in the hospital more than I would like lately. I can't even talk to the girl anymore, my band is gone… god…"
He couldn't hold the tears back any longer. The knot in his throat unraveled and the tears flowed. He sat there on his knees before his parents and brother crying his heart out to them. Things just never seemed to get better…
"Why can't you talk to me?"
Link whirled around when he heard a girl's voice. Zelda stepped out from behind the tree she had hidden behind months earlier. Link quickly wiped the tears away and stood up to face her.
"Zelda… There's something I need to tell you," he began.
She nodded, an almost motherly look on her face. Link wanted to just break down and cry on her shoulder for the rest of his life, but he knew he had to keep his composure.
"Look, from the moment I met you, even though I wouldn't admit, I knew there was something special about you. When I got to know you, I realized that you were the most amazing person in the world. No guitar skills I will ever have will ever compare to how great you are. I've wanted to tell you this so often, but I never could… I… I love you Zelda."
Zelda looked down to the ground. She didn't know what to say. Things had gotten so weird that she couldn't even keep track of anything anymore.
"I guess my question is… could you ever love me?" he asked.
Looking up from the ground, she looked into his deep blue eyes. She knew he was filled with sorrow. But through all that she had done and been through, she couldn't take anymore of it.
"No…"
Link's heart shattered into a thousand pieces. He choked back on his own tongue and nodded. He looked to the ground and hurried off to his car. As he drove off, Zelda watched him peel away into the far distance. Turning back around, she looked down at his parent's grave.
She slowly walked over to them, her heart feeling lower than ever. Kneeling down before them, tears started to flow.
"I know I've never talked to you before, but I'm the girl that Link spoke of. He's been through so much that he doesn't deserve… He's such a great guy…"
From then on the tears broke loose and her voice cried nothing but sheer pain. She had just done something so horrible. She could lie to everyone, anyone… other than herself.
"I lied… I love him… I love him!" she shouted through her cries of sorrow.
Link sat on the couch in his apartment staring at the blank TV screen, his eyes filled with a dark abyss. He couldn't think, and he felt like he couldn't breath. He had to get rid of this pain. Picking up his phone, he punched in a number and brought the phone to his ear.
"Hey. I need a favor."
Zelda on the other hand laid on her bed, her blanket wrapped around her and her head on the pillow, staring to the wall to her right. Curling up into a ball, she clenched her eyelids shut as a tear streamed down her cheek and onto the floor.
Link headed to his door after a knock sounded. An old friend of his handed him a brown bag and turned to leave. Link shut the door and emptied the contents of the bag onto his counter. Papers, a lighter, marijuana, and cocaine…
Back at Serj's house, he himself sat on the couch in the massive, empty living room, his hands buried in his face. Sighing, he looked up over his hands and started into space. Leaning back onto the couch, he rubbed his eyes and sighed a second time.
Link meanwhile finished rolling two joints and already had the first lit. Inhaling the disgusting smoke, he coughed it back up and choked over and over again. He continued to take drags of the substance. He could feel his body creep over with a fuzzy feeling. Things started to go into slow motion and his throat burned like fire.
In the warehouse, Mido sat at his drum set, his sticks on the snare in front of his drum throne. He just stared at the sticks as though they were missing something. The music he knew so well was missing life.
Link drew out a line of the cocaine across the counter after he finished his two joints. Looking at the white line, he shook his head and drew more of the white powder across the line. Plugging one end of his nose, he drew his open nostril over the line, inhaling through his nose the whole way.
Kafei sat up in his room, his bass leaning up against his knee. He felt the same as everyone else… Dead.
Staggering into the living room, Link grabbed onto the wall to catch himself from falling. Regardless, his hand slid down the wall and he slumped to the floor. Jaggedly pulling himself back up, he felt everything slow down more and more.
One last tear dripped down from Zelda's emerald eyes. The first of many tears to be shed over Link. He knight in shining armor. Her one… and her only… true lover.
With that, Link's bloodshot eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell onto the couch. Breath was limited… vision was gone. Heart rate… decreasing… As Zelda's tear hit the ground, Link's body stood still.
I don't really know what happened to Link that day. After the whole drug ordeal, I, nor anyone else ever saw him again. Over these last six years, he has become a legend in the city of San Demas, California. I've gone on, and Kafei and Mido have done the same. It's hard to leave him behind, especially for Zelda. I can see it in her eyes every day. She loved him, I know it. But who knows? Maybe we'll see him again someday by chance. Regardless, he'll always be my hero, and to this day, by best friend.
Serj Green – 2012
Cry alone, I've gone away
No more nights, no more pain
I've gone alone, took all my strength
But I've made the change,
I won't see you tonight
Sorrow, sank deep inside my blood
all the ones around me,
I cared for and loved
Building up, inside of me
A place so dark, so cold, I had to set me free
Don't mourn for me, you're not the one to place the blame
As bottles call my name, I won't see you tonight
Sorrow, sank deep inside my blood
all the ones around me,
I cared for and most of all I loved
but I can't see myself that way
Please don't forget me
Or cry while I'm away
Cry alone, I've gone away
No more nights, no more pain
I've gone alone, took all my strength
But I've made the change,
I won't see you tonight
So far away, I'm gone. Please don't follow me tonight.
And while I'm gone, everything will be alright.
No more breath inside
Essence left my heart tonight
No more breath inside
Essence left my heart tonight
-Avenged Sevenfold: I Won't See You Tonight-Part 1
Well ladies and gents, that's a wrap for Always With Me, Always With You. I'm sure it's not the ending you were expecting, nor the ending you wanted. Clichés have never been attracted to me, therefore I didn't really want to end it with the good ole sweet syrupy kiss where everyone wins in the end. I wrote this to get some things off my chest and to make something relating. I took some dear old characters that I love and used them in the real world. This is life, the way it is in our world today.
You all may be sad, but hey, I do have some good news… I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico! But the actual good news is that a sequel will be following shortly. This story means a lot to me and to a lot of my fans. To end the entire story like this would be a disgrace, in all honestly. Expect for the sequel very shortly.
Thanks to all for reading and enjoying. I just hope that this story was able to either help or inspire you in some different way. Thanks to EVERYONE who has read this. Without you guys, this story wouldn't have made it past chapter 11. Again, thank you so much, and I shall return… And so will Prototype.