Now I Am The Worm
by Jamie

Genre: Drama/Action
Rating: [R] for cursing, some violence, and drug use.
Who? Pyro and FlameHead of the band Strangeworld Underground, along with their former members Donnie and KG. Also, member(s) of rap group, Heavyweight Dub Champion.


**********WARNING(S): You probably shouldn't read this unless you're at least 14 or older, because it involes some violence, harsh language, and drug use.


DISCLAIMER: This story belongs to me. I wrote it. Don't steal.
THIS STORY IS TOTALLY FICTION!!! The characters' stories and personalities are displayed by ME. So...If the characters get involved with negative stuff, that does not mean that I dislike those people or that I think of them that way in real life. Also, the dramatic and angsty events that happen to characters in this story are NOT real and those things NEVER happened. I made it up and its not real. Just please try and remember that this is fiction. Hence the term, "Fan Fiction". So don't assume that any of this is real, because it's NOT.


Story Notes:
-Notice how their names change. When they are out, they are Pyro and FlameHead. And at home, they are Jennie and Johnny. It kind of illustrates their "two lives" that are mentioned in the story.
-PYRO and JENNIE are the same person. She is Jennie at home. And she is Pyro when they leave the house.
-FLAMEHEAD and JOHNNY are the same person. The same goes for him.
-I also put each chapter in different Points Of View (POV), so we can see the personalities of all the characters.
(I don't mean to get all...college student. I just wanted to explain a bit.) **********

---

CHAPTER 1

(Pyro's POV)

I rubbed my eyes and looked at the notebook in my lap. The words scribbled on the paper were becoming a blur. Random melodies danced in my head, untamed and waiting for me to put them together like a puzzle. I closed my eyes and looked forward to finishing this album so we could release it and tour! But so much had been going through my mind lately, it was hard to concentrate on creating my art.

Sitting on the floor with my legs crossed and my back against the wall of our studio, I began to let my mind wander again. That was a mistake. My troublesome brain began to review everything that was going on in my life, pulling me back to the very thing that had been lingering on the edge of my thoughts since the past summer.

"Jennie!"

I heard the young voice of my brother.

"Hey Johnny."

Since the band had really gotten going, we had both become occustomed to calling eachother by our renouned nicknames, Pyro and FlameHead. But at home, we prefered to use our real names. It reminded us that we had a home life. Our home time was like being children again...but we also had our dreams. Some people thought it was a bit odd...our "two lives". We don't have two lives. We have our work and then we have our privacy...that's all.

I looked up from my notebook and wheeled my head around to see Johnny standing impatiently in the doorway of our home studio.

"When are you going to bed? It's really late...er, early. Well, whatever." he said and yawned.

"Now, I guess. I can't write any more tonight anyway." I said. He just stood there and crossed his arms, waiting for me to go to bed like I had promised.

"What? I'm going!" I said defensively. I closed my notebook and stood up with difficulty. Only then did I realize how truly tired I was. I turned all the lights off as I made my way out of the studio and Johnny followed. After he went back to his room, I jumped in the shower. Barely awake, I let the hot water wash all of my heavy thoughts away and ten minutes later I threw on a big night shirt and fell into my bed. I think I was asleep before I hit the sheets.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Saturday Morning Cartoons hit me like a brick to the face. I could hear them from down stairs, filling the whole house with obnoxious, goofy sounds and voices. Why the hell was it so loud? I really did not want to wake up. I felt like a dead person. I hadn't gotten much sleep either. It had been that way for the past few months. My restless thoughts often woke me in the night. Why was it bothering me so much?

I don't remember how I had stumbled into the hallway and down the stairs, but I felt my feet on the cold wood downstairs and knew that somehow, I had gotten my zombie self out of the bed. I went into the family room to see Johnny sitting on the sofa with a bowl of Captain Crunch, watching 'Ed, Edd, and Eddy'. I shuddered at every sound.

"WHY is it so LOUD?" I said as I plopped down beside him. "It woke me up! And I assure you that I was definitely not easy to wake up this morning."

"Yeah, that was the idea." he said. He grabbed the remote and turned the volume down. I reached over and took a bite of his cereal. "Hey, get your own spoon!" he exclaimed, "Do you know how long it took me to find this thing? I would wash one myself, but I'm terrified of the yeti that lives in that Hell of dirty dishes that you call a kitchen sink."

"Hahaha," I laughed. "Yeah I really need to clean up around here. Sorry..."

"It's okay. I'm not whining. But you sure ain't no Martha Stuart!" he said and snorted.

"Yeah, yeah," I said. "I know. You don't have to worry about music today. I think I'd like us to take a break...clean house. And maybe go out and see a movie later or something. What do you think?"

"Sounds good. There's a new racing game out on Xbox 360, if we can make a stop at the game store," he added. "It's going to kick the PS3 version's ass. I've got to check it out."

"Okay. I'll drop you off there while I run down the the music store. I gotta get some strings and picks."

The rest of that morning, I cleaned up the house. It took me forever to finish the dishes, which had been piling up since we were getting ready to release our album. Then we got ready to leave. Johnny went to the kitchen to grab my car keys for me.

"Hey the sink is back!" he said.

"Yeti-free!" I said sarcastically as I locked up the house.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Upon exiting our humble abode, we became Pyro and FlameHead. I drove with one hand, while I searched for my favorite Korn CD in my disc booklet. As the music blasted our welcoming ears, we sang along to every word. Our first stop was the game store. I parked the car and killed the engine while FlameHead studied the scene.

"Oh man...those kids are here again. They're always here." he groaned.

I looked up to see a group of kids that were at the game store often. Every time FlameHead showed up, they overwhelmed him with chatter, asking him to sign items and play games with them. It was fun the first few times...and then it started getting old. I just laughed.

"Just go get your game. I'll be back in a few minutes. Call me if you need anything." I said and kind of shoved him out of the car. He laughed and walked into the store, where a growing group of anxious fellow gamers awaited him.

The music store was in the same plaza, so I just decided to get out and walk instead of having to park twice. As soon as I entered the store, I was greeted by a jovial fellow, whom I had often gotten help from when looking for a certain instrument...but for some reason I could never remember his name.

"Pyro!" he said, grinning. "How are you!"

"Great! Yourself?"

"As well as ever! What can I do for you today?"

I smiled. "I just came by to grab some extra supplies. Picks, strings..."

"Ah, well if you need anything, let me know!" he said and I smiled and nodded.

I walked to the back of the store where the guitar picks were and I stopped abruptly when I saw our former bass player, KG, plucking around on a bass. I didn't say anything, but he looked up and caught my eye. We hadn't talked much lately, even though we were all still friends. Ever since the mysterious incident with Donnie, things had been a bit odd between us. We were all a little shaken, and quite confused. He gave a forced smile and then went back to playing. I nodded at him and grabbed the things I needed and went back to the register. I purchased my things and walked out the door in a hurry.

"Pyro! Wait a minute..." I heard KG say. I stopped and turned around.

"Hey..."

"How have you been? How's the band?" he asked.

"Good, everything is going great. You?"

"I'm okay..." he said quietly. "Actually...I stopped you because I wanted to talk to you about something. Do you want to get some food or something?"

"Sure...what's going on?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"Well, it's about Donnie..." he said and looked down. "I mean....if you don't want me to bring that up, it's okay."

"No...it's fine. Come with me to get Flame. He's at the game store. Then we'll go get some lunch."

The three of us got in my car and we went to a nearby sandwich shop to talk. We ordered some food and chose a seat that was the furthest away from anyone.

"So what exactly do you want to talk about, dude?" FlameHead asked.

"I...I don't know, really," KG stammered. "I mean...how does someone just disappear?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

CHAPTER 2

(FlameHead's POV)

I opened my mouth to say something, but our waiter came to our table with our food. I looked down at the table and stared at my sandwich. Pyro nudged my shoulder.

"You haven't eaten all day, dude." she said.

I shrugged and picked up my sandwich. KG took a sip of his Dr. Pepper and cradled his head in his hands.

"Look...," he mumbled. "I didn't mean to upset you guys, but none of this makes sense. And we can't just go on with our lives as if nothing ever happened. At least, I can't."

Pyro shifted in her seat.

"I know," she said, as she bit into her turkey sandwich. "But it was his choice. Donnie got into some bad stuff, dude. I tried to tell him what that stuff leads to, but he just stopped communicating with us. He chose to leave, just like you did."

"Yes I know," KG admitted. "But that doesn't mean he's not still one of us."

"He is still our friend, man." I interrupted. "We didn't leave him behind or anything! He had a drug problem, dude! We don't do that! He couldn't be in this band and do drugs at the same time. Not in this band!"

They both stared at me, as if I had said the forbidden words. No one really wanted to bring up what had specifically happened to Donnie. I was more straight forward about it, but they were both flinching as though hearing the plain truth was painful. I sighed heavily.

"I mean...god, I don't know what to do," I continued, lowering my voice. "But he left. Then he totally cut us off. I'm not trying to be a jerk here. I was really upset when I heard he had disappeared. But who knows what could have happened? He was probably in trouble with some people."

No one else said anything. We all just ate slowly for the next few minutes. KG broke the uncomfortable silence.

"I'm sorry, guys. I guess I'm just having a hard time facing who he has become." he said sadly. "But I think the three of us need to stick together right now. I've missed you guys."

"We missed you too, K." Pyro said with a slight smile. "How has your life been anyway?"

We continued lunch with small talk, as we tried to forget the past. We spoke about the band, family, girlfriends, school (in my case), anything to move away from the subject we had brought up earlier. After we had finished, KG said he had to go. So we said our goodbyes and parted ways uncomfortably.

Pyro and I rode down the road in silence. I sighed and leaned my head against the window.

"I'm not really in the mood to go see a movie. Can we just go home?" I asked.

"Yeah. I was going to say the same thing."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"HEY, no cheating dude!" I yelled into my Xbox Live headset. "Yes you are! Hacker! HACKER!!!"

Frustrated, I tossed my controller to the floor. Nobody played fair in Halo 2 anymore. I heard one of the other players taunting me in my headset, so I threw it off. I was pissed off and I wasn't in the mood to deal with them. I just abandoned the game and went into the kitchen where Jennie was searching for her sketchbooks.

"It's in your art bag." I told her.

"Thanks," she said, and rushed off to find it. I slumped into a chair at the table and put my head down.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, as she layed her art stuff out on the table.

"Nothin'," I mumbled. "Just bored. What are you doing the rest of the day?"

"Just working on art. I'm trying to get some new ideas for the photoshoot. So far, getting an outfit together that you will actually wear has been the toughest." she said.

"Yeah, well as long as you don't make me look like a boyscout, I don't care."

"Hahaha! I think I will now. You know, add the little achievement badges...you used to be one you know."

"Yes, I know." I said grudgingly. I hated boyscouts. Never again.

Just then, Jennie's cell phone rang from the living room. She jumped up to grab it. I heard her talking from the kitchen.

"Hello?...Hey, wassup?...Yeah...Tonight?...Oh, cool!...Yeah, we'd love to...Okay, we'll both be there." she said and hung up.

"What's up?" I yelled from the kitchen.

"Big party tonight at BPM. Heavy Weight Dub Champion is having a big CD Release Party and we've been invited." she said as she came into the kitchen.

BPM was a huge club in Austin. This party would be packed and I was starting to get excited.

"Awesome!" I exclaimed.

"We're going to go early so we can get our passes from Killzone." she said.

"DJ Killzone is going? Dude, I haven't hung out with him in forever!"

"I know. He asked if you were going to be there. Everyone at that place loves you."

I grinned and went upstairs to get ready.

"Wear that crazy button-down!" I heard Jennie calling behind me. "The red one with the crazy designs!"

"Yeah, yeah." I said and went to the bathroom to style my mohawk.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We parked behind the club and got out. Pyro kept checking herself in the car windows, using them as a mirror.

"Pyro, you look fine." I insisted.

She fussed over her hair for a little while and then did a little twirl.

"Are you sure this skirt isn't too much?" she asked.

I studied the home-made skirt that went down to her ankles.

"I think it's cool. You have the balls to where a skirt. What's the big deal?"

She shrugged and laughed. "Hahaha....I have balls....hahaha."

"Weirdo." I said grinning.

We went to the back door and knocked. We were greeted by a big guy. A very big guy.

"Wow." Pyro said. "I don't remember them putting a wall here."

The guy threw his head back and laughed. The funny thing is that his voice did not match his gigantic form at all. It was a bit high pitched and easy going.

"You must be the Doomsdays," he said with a smile. "You know, I'm still waiting for that CD. Think you could sneak me a copy yet?"

"Not till it's DONE." Pyro said playfully.

"Hahaha, all right then. Come on in. I'll let Dill know you're here." he said. He ushered us into a dressing room and rushed off to find Robert Dill, the owner of BPM Club.

Immediately, I spotted the too-cool black guy known as Killzone sitting on one of the couches, along with some other musicians.

"FLAMEHEAD!" he exclaimed as he jumped up from the couch. His wild dread-lock fro bounced as he ran over to meet us. He grinned widely, showing his famous gap in his front teeth.

"Hey, dude!" I said as we did a little handshake. Pyro giggled when we did the typical "ghetto hug".

"What up? How's the album goin'? You gotta let me in on that shit!" he said.

"It's goin'!" I said.

Killzone flashed a blinding smile and walked over to the little fridge in the corner. He got a Coke out of it and tossed it at me. He threw a Diet Coke to Pyro and then took a seat on the couch again. I walked over to have a seat myself, but then Robert Dill walked in.

"Hey, guys." he said. He was a little shorter than me, wearing a silk shirt and slacks. He had tattoos on his arms and over-bleached blonde spikey hair. He looked like the typical club owner. He handed VIP passes to all of us.

"Doors open at 8." said Mr. Dill. "Feel free to play some games or whatever while you're just hanging out."

He jestured at a game consol in the corner, then he turned a went out. I looked at the gam consol and groaned.

"What's wrong?" Killzone asked.

"It's a PS3," I said. "I hate those."

Pyro and Killzone both laughed. We went over to set up a game, when someone else came into the dressing room. It was Jeff, one of the rappers in Heavy Weight Dub Champion.

"What up, Doomsday?" he said grinning. "Been a long time!"

"Yeah, no shit!" Pyro said, giving him a sideways hug. "We're excited about tonight's show. You guys have gone so far! It's awesome."

"Well thanks for comin'!" he said. "FlameHead, you ready for me to beat you at that game?"

"Yeah you wish, dude." I said as I turned on the consol.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

CHAPTER 3

(Pyro's POV)

Life in the dressing rooms of high end clubs can be pretty interesting. A-list Entertainers like the Heavyweight boys can get pretty crazy when they are able to just hang out with fellow musicians and be themselves. It was nice for me too. I loved my fans with all my heart, but they don't exactly treat you like a normal human being most of the time. Hanging out with Jeff and Killzone was a combination of casual relaxation and hilarious immaturity, since we were all letting our guard down a bit.

"No no no no no no! Wait, don't use your special attack yet!" I yelled, cheering FlameHead on during a vicious video game against Jeff. "Now! Go now! Kill him kill him! God, you're too slow!"

"Shut UP, Pyro! God..." he whined back at me. "I can't concentrate here."

Meanwhile, Killzone was also playing the part of 'annoying game coach', as he chided Jeff.

"Screw the grenades, just leave them! You better f*cking run! He's all over you, man!" Killzone shouted distressfully, with his hands on either side of his head.

"Would you shut up, for a minute! I know he's killin' me!" Jeff snapped. "Sh*t!"

FlameHead's player got the last 4 kills of the game and Jeff dropped his controller in submission.

"Kid...you rock this game, man." he said.

"I don't even like PS3 consols. Good game, dude." FlameHead replied with a victorious grin.

I laughed and sat back, sipping my Diet Coke.

"Pyro, you want to play a round with the winner?" FlameHead asked me.

"Haha, no I think I'll pass. Killzone, why don't you give it a try?"

"Er...let me finish my beer."

FlameHead laughed and stood up to grab another Coke. Then the dressing room door swung open. The Bouncer (the big guy who had greeted us) walked in with Mr. Dill.

"Doors will be opening in about fifteen minutes." said Dill. "There are tons of fans lined up outside. Apparently, the word got out that you two would be here." He nodded his head at FlameHead and me. "I saw just as many of your t-shirts as I did Heavyweight shirts. And there are probably some DJ Killzone fans too." he continued. "So, I figured it would be cool if you guys went outside with Jeff and his boys to sign some items for the fans who came early."

"Yeah, sure!" I said. Hanging out with fans was always awesome.

"Great!" said Mr. Dill. "Here are some Sharpies. Chuck will escort you around the building. There is a baracade outside for you guys to stand behind."

He handed permanent markers to all of us and gave a walkie-talkie to The Bouncer who we now knew as 'Chuck'.

"Chuck," said Dill. "Just shout if you need any more security. The rest of the team just showed up, so if you have trouble, I'll send them out there."

"Yes sir." said Chuck as he turned to leave the room. We all followed him out and he took us to the lot behind the club, where we were joined by the other members of Heavyweight Dub Champion. From there, we all snuck to the front of the club, hiding ourselves behind a billboard. We could hear hundreds of people talking.

"Okay," Chuck instructed. "We're just going to walk right out, letting them see you guys. And then just go straight behind the baracade, where some more security guys are holding everyone back. If you have any trouble, just look at me and let me know. I'll be standing over here the whole time. Okay?"

We all nodded and FlameHead was the first person to walk out.

Instead of just walking out there casually, FlameHead prefered to mess with the crowd a little. First he just stuck his head out. The crowd's screamed filled the whole city block as soon as they saw him. Then he put his head back behind the wall again and they all erupted in a chorus of "Awwww!!!"

He snickered and giggled, while I just rolled my eyes and smirked at him. The disappointed crowd quieted down again and then FlameHead ran out, all the way to the baracade. The screams from the crowd exploded as I followed him out. We waved at the people and took the tops off of our markers. Killzone came out next to accompany us in the huge autograph fest. When Heavyweight Dub Champion came out, the crowd only got louder and I couldn't stop grinning.

A sea of hands and faces with t-shirts and posters rushed toward me. I shook as many hands as I could, while holding onto items and signing them as fast as possible. The noise was incredible and it took over my ears as I tried to sign something for each person. I looked over at FlameHead to see him laughing with pure glee as he was overtaken by fans and smitten girls. After a few minutes, Chuck signaled that we should get back inside soon, so we signed a few more things and then waved goodbye. I heard the screaming crowd fade behind me as we walked back the the rear entrance of the club.

"That was awesome!" Killzone exclaimed. "How do you get so many chicks, kid?"

"Yeah, Flame." one of the Heavyweight guys added. "I'm at least twice your age, and I can't get a date!"

FlameHead laughed and said "It's my little secret, but I guess you deserve to know. I bathe in the feces of an undead horse from the underwater city of Atlantis on the first Friday of every month. You might want to write that down. If you do that, you'll get chicks."

I doubled over with laughter, along with everyone else. The we all filed inside. As we were going back to the green room, my cell phone rang.

"Oh excuse me, guys. I gotta get this." I said as I rushed back outside to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Pyro. It's KG. I was wondering if you could get me backstage with you guys at the show tonight?"

"Oh yeah, sure! I'll tell the bouncer you're coming. Park downtown and come to the back door and tell him who you are. He'll let you in. I'll get you an extra VIP pass."

"Okay, cool! I already parked. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Okay." I said and hung up.

I went back to the green room with the guys to hang out until KG showed up. When he joined us, I gave him a pass and FlameHead got him a Coke. He introduced himself to everyone and then he sat down to have a turn with the video games.

After about twenty minutes, all of the people were in the building, and Killzone went out to open the show. FlameHead and I sat at the side of the stage and watched. We danced along to the music and even went down where the fans were so we could take part in their dancing contests. All of the fun made me temporarily forget my worries about Donnie and just relax a bit. Heavyweight Dub Champion played next and the night pressed on, until the party finally came to a close.

After all the fans left, we said goodbye to everyone else, and then walked with KG back to the parking garage. We chatted about how fun the night was and took some pictures together. Then we parted ways and drove home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning, I slept really late. Apparently, Sunday Morning Cartoons also serve as an extremely loud alarm clock. Once again, I heard them echoing up the stairs. I dragged myself out of the bed and down the stairs to find Johnny sitting on the sofa eating some toast.

"Mornin'." he said cheerfully. "Oh wait....this would be afternoon. It's 1 o'clock."

"Yay." I said and plopped down next to him.

We watched cartoons for a while and we were about to go work on the album in the studio, when my cell phone rang from my purse on the kitchen table. I jumped up and went to the kitchen to answer it. Johnny turned the TV down a bit.

"Hello?"

"Pyro," said a voice I knew very well. "It's Donnie."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

CHAPTER 4

(Still in Pyro's POV)

"Donnie!" I gasped, catching the attention of Johnny, who ran into the kitchen to listen. "Where are you?!" I stammered. "Where have you been?! Everyone has been looking for you! Your family..."

"Pyro!" he interrupted. "I don't have time...I can't..."

For a moment, there was silence. Then I heard him sigh heavily and speak again.

"I need to ask you a favor." he said.

I hesitated and thought for a moment. Was it safe to help him?

"What is it?" I asked. He sighed again and cleared his throat.

"I'm kind of in a bad spot, Pyro. I would never ask you this unless I had to. You guys are the only true friends I have left."

I knew what he was going to ask for. And I knew why. He was in trouble.

"How much money do you need?" I said simply.

He hesitated. Then he replied, "Two grand."

Two thousand dollars. Who would he owe two thousand to? It probably had to do with drugs. If he was in trouble with some kind of drug lord, Donnie was now dangerous...to all of us. I looked over at Johnny, who had a stoney look on his face.

I sighed and said, "How do you want me to get it to you?"

"I can give you an address, if you could just send it to me. I trust you to not tell my family. I don't want them getting into this..."

"Okay. Let me get a pen."

I jestured for Johnny to grab some paper as Donnie told me the address. I jotted it down and shoved it into my purse, on the table.

"Okay," I said. "I'll see what I can do. I'll have to talk to Flame about it."

"I understand." he said. "I have to go now. Sorry."

"Alright. Take care of yourself."

I waited for him to say goodbye.

"Oh...Pyro?" he added. "Thanks...I mean even if you can't...thank you."

"Yeah...," I said. "Sure."

"Bye."

He hung up and I pressed END CALL. Then I looked at Johnny. We both knew what we were going to do.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Donnie expected us to just send his money through the mail. We had other plans.

"Turn left up here." FlameHead said, struggling to read the Map Quest print-out as we drove down a bumpy gravel road. After some confusion, we finally found the right street. We entered a very odd, run down neighborhood with lots of graffiti, crumbling houses, and abandoned swingsets.

"That should be the right address. Right there." FlameHead said, pointing to one of the houses. It was basically a shack. The roof was caving in and many of the windows were cracked and stained by smoke. There was no car in the front lot; there was just a dirtbike and a skateboard.

We parked in the front lot and got out of the car so we could study our surroundings. It obviously wasn't the safest place in the world, so we decided to make things quick.

FlameHead walked up to the front door and knocked a few times. We heard a voice from inside the house, likely to be Donnie's. Then I also heard what I thought was a girls voice, but it was so muffled that I wasn't sure. The door opened a crack and then opened wide. And we saw Donnie for the first time in many months.

He looked awful. He was very thin and his face was overtaken by stubble. His eyes were bloodshot and he seemed to be hiding something behind the door. Whatever it was, he quickly put it down somewhere; I heard it thump as it hit the table. Then I realized that it must have been a gun. He must have been afraid of someone else who might be visiting him. He looked extremely surprised to see us.

"Pyro! I didn't know you would be coming by! I mean, I didn't expect you to..." he began.

"Well we figured it was about time we visited you," FlameHead cut in. "Seeing as how you disappeared and all."

"Oh." he said, dumbfounded. "Well..."

I tilted my head, so I could see behind him into the house, where I spotted a girl who looked equally as unhealthy as Donnie did. She had a dark expression that was framed by stringy, dark hair. Her eyes were hungry.

Upon realizing that I had seen her, Donnie pushed the door, making the opening narrow. Then all I could see was him.

"Hey, let me get a shirt on." he said. He shut the door and FlameHead and I just waited in silence. There was no need to talk; we both felt the same way. After a moment, Donnie opened the door again and came outside where he leaned against the door and lit up a cigarette.

"So uh, why exactly did you come see me?" he said, with the cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Because," I said. "Donnie....look at you."

He kind of chuckled, like he was bitterly laughing at his pitiful state. He looked at the ground and kicked at the dirt.

"Yeah well...you shouldn't be here." he said, looking up at us cautiously.

"I needed to talk to you," I said. "I don't know when I'll be able to get you that money."

He suddenly looked very concerned.

"What do you mean? When can you..." he began.

"Well when do you need it?" FlameHead asked.

"Monday. Noon." he said.

"Uh...Donnie. That's tomorrow." I said urgently. "Even if we sent it to you in the mail, you wouldn't have gotten it on time."

He took a long drag on his cigarette and leaned his head back against the door.

"Well I mean, if I told them it was in the mail, on the way..." Donnie mumbled.

"Told who?" FlameHead cut in. "Who is the money for?"

"Look...I'll pay you guys back. I promise."

"I didn't ask you that. Who's it for?" FlameHead insisted.

"You guys should really get out of here," he said, his voice growing more urgent. "I'll call you. We can talk then."

I was about to retort when I noticed an icy look that crept into Donnie's eyes. I turned and looked up the street, where I saw a large black SUV approaching. FlameHead and I instinctively went back to our car and backed out of Donnie's driveway. He remained on his front porch, staring down the monster that was parking in front of the house. In my rearview mirror, I saw two shady looking guys get out of the SUV. Donnie was noticably afraid of them. I saw one of them point in the direction of our car, just before they were out of my range of vision.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When we got home, I drug my feet as I walked into the kitchen. Johnny sat at the table and put his head in his hands.

"You want some tea?" I asked him.

"Sure." he said.

I put the kettle on the stove and came back to sit at the table with him.

"What's going on, Pyro?" he said, exasperated. "With Donnie. Something really weird is up. It bothers me."

"Yeah me too." I said. "Did you see those guys who got out of that SUV when we were leaving?"

"Yeah. They were creepy."

"Yeah. Thugs."

I furrowed my brow and said, "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know." Johnny replied. "I say we stay out of it. Those guys looked dangerous."

"Yeah." I said.

After we had some tea, I went into the studio. I still had one more song I needed to write for the album, but my brain was too full. I had writer's block. Again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

That night, I did not sleep well at all. I half-slept, constantly being battered by my own brain as it searched for a solution to the recent events that troubled me. Images of Donnie crept in and out of my dreams until I was finally jolted awake by something.

I laid in silence, staring into the darkness around me. Something made me feel uneasy. I heard one of the dogs barking outside, so I sat up and climbed out of bed. I went over to the window and parted the blinds. As I peered through them, I saw something rather odd. A large SUV was parked across the street. It was just sitting there. I had never seen a vehicle parked there before, so I was sure that it was the same one we had seen at Donnie's house. I turned on the light in my room, so I could find my shoes, but when I took another look out the window, the SUV was driving away.

Weird, I thought to myself. I didn't sleep the rest of the night.

The next morning, I told Johnny what I had seen. He was pretty creeped out about it.

"Call Donnie and tell him about it. I want to know who they are. Now it's our business." he said.

I picked up my cell and dialed his number. A girl answered.

"Hello?" she said. The tone in her voice was breathy, almost sickly.

"Um, hi. Is Donnie around?"

"Who's this?" she asked.

"Er...this is Pyro. Who's this?"

"Misty...I," she began, but she was cut off by Donnie, who had taken the phone from her.

"Hey Pyro, sorry. That was..."

"You're new girlfriend?" I said, finishing his sentence.

"Uh...yeah. Misty. Anyway, what's up?"

"I need to talk to you about something. Those two guys that came to your house yesterday..."

"Oh, it's not my house." he said. "I'm just renting it for a month or so."

"Uh...whatever. Those guys, the ones who were in the black SUV." I said.

"Right, yeah."

"Who are they?" I asked. "I really ought to know because they were watching my house last night."

"What?" he said, sounding shocked.

"I saw that SUV parked on the other side of the road last night. When I turned on the light in my room, they drove off. It had to be them."

He hesitated.

"Why would they be there?" he wondered.

"I don't know. But I want some answers right now. Now it has to do with my brother's safety, so you better be honest with me." I said firmly. "I know about your drug use already. Tell me who those guys are. I want their names. Tell me why you need the money."

"It's a long story..." he mumbled. "Look...I owe those guys some money for some of the sh*t I need."

"You mean your drugs."

He sighed. "Well...yes. Those two guys basically run errands for the group I get my stuff from. "

"What kind of errands?" I demanded.

"Whatever errands. Drop-offs, sales.....kills."

"Kills, Donnie?"

"In extreme cases, yes."

"Oh my god, Donnie! What the hell is wrong with you? Don't you understand what you've gotten into? What happens if you don't get the money on time?"

"I don't know. I'm supposed to have it today." he said quietly.

"Yeah, no sh*t!" I said impatiently.

"They'll probably give me an extra day."

"What, before they kill you?!" I shouted into the phone. "What are their names? I want to know right now."

"I don't know their real names. All I know is that the younger guy's name is Tores. I don't know if it's his first or his last name. I don't even know what the other guy's name is at all. Sorry." he said.

"Well, Donnie, you really shouldn't have gone this far!" I yelled angrily. "Now it's on us! And you could get killed! I never thought you could ever be so..."

"Stupid? Yeah I know. I'm sorry!"

I was at a loss for words.

"God, I can't believe that you..." I fell silent and heaved a sigh. "I'm sorry, man. You're on your own."

"Wait...WAIT! Pyro, but what about...!" he pleaded, but I hung up on him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

CHAPTER 5

(Donnie's POV)

I just stared at my phone for a minute and then threw it to the floor angrily. I felt Misty's arms around my stomach.

"What's wrong, baby?" she muttered in my ear. "Did you get the money?"

"No." I said coldly.

"Well...don't worry. I'm sure you can get out of this." she said, laying kisses up and down my neck. I turned around and looked into her pale gray eyes.

"I guess I have to." I said and pulled her into a kiss. We locked lips for a long time and then she looked up at me with puppy eyes.

"Baby, I'm scared. And it's so hot in here. I really need a hit right now." she said weakly. I hesitated.

"Yeah...okay," I said finally.

She smiled and kissed me again. Then she wiped her brow.

"It'll be nice to have some cool air when we move to Vancouver." she said.

"Yeah..." I said off-handedly as I pulled up one of the floor boards and removed a box. My mind was far away. Misty took off her jeans and stumbled over to our holey, dirty sofa where she sat in her underwear and t-shirt.

"Hurry, babe. I mean it is really hot. I gotta shoot up!" she pleaded.

"I'm getting it, Misty!" I said impatiently. "It's not that hot in here. I think you're still just trippin'."

"Yeah prob'ly." she said with a giggle. "That's some serious sh*t you gave me."

I shrugged and picked out a clean needle. I got her hit ready for her and handed it to her. She nearly fell off the sofa as she grabbed it. With a demented grin, she injected herself and leaned her head back against the wall.

"Thanks, baby..." she said. As she relaxed, the needle slipped out of her hand and fell to the floor.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I kicked at the dirt as I stood in the front yard smoking a cigarette. I took a long drag and looked at my cell phone to see what time it was. 6:02 PM. I needed a hit...bad, but I decided that I should to be sober today, in case I got a call from Tores. Then, as if God was reading my mind, my cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Donnie." Tores said roughly. "It's Monday."

"I know." I said.

"You have the two grand?" he demanded. I hesitated.

".....No." I said.

"What?"

"I...," I stammered.

"'No'?" he said. "NO?! Hahahaha!" he laughed hysterically. "You stupid f*cker!"

He laughed some more and I heard him tell someone else who was with him, "He doesn't have it. HAH!"

I said nothing. Tores quieted down and cleared his throat.

"You don't have the f*cking money." he said in a more serious tone. "Man...that is just peachy. Well you know what happens to people who don't have our money."

"I can get it to you tomorrow! Someone is sending it to me! It's in the mail...it'll be here..." I said urgently.

"Well," he interrupted. "I guess you can just tell us that to our f*cking faces. We should be at your place in...oh, about four minutes." he growled and hung up.

My heart raced and my breath quickened. I rushed into the house.

"Misty!" I yelled. "Misty, we gotta go!"

She was laid out on the sofa with her eyes closed. She was still tripping. I grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

"Misty!" I yelled as she opened her eyes and looked at me as if I were insane. "We have to leave right now! Tores is coming...I think he's going to kill me. Get up. You have to get up!"

"Baby....are you trippin'?" she mumbled. I felt like tearing my hair out.

"NO, Misty. I am not f*cking TRIPPING! We have to GO! Tores is on his way here! He'll be here in three minutes!"

Her eyes widened and filled with fear.

"Oh...I'll.....I'll go get my stuff!" she stammered and rushed into our bedroom.

While she was packing, I pulled up the loose floor board and took out our stash. I grabbed a bookbag and started stuffing needles and baggies into it. Then I ran to the window and parted the blinds. At the end of the road, I saw the SUV. My heart sank.

"F*ck...oh f*ck..." I whispered to myself.

I ran into our bedroom where Misty was throwing things into a bag. I ran over and grabbed her arms.

"Misty." I said urgently. "Listen very carefully. They're here."

She began to sob and I shook her wrists.

"Stop it!" I said firmly. "Listen to me. I want you to forget your stuff. Run out back and hide in the wood shed. Are you listening to me?!"

She nodded with tears streaming down her thin face.

"Be as quiet as you can. Here." I said, as I forced my cell phone into her hand. "Take this. DO NOT call the cops, or I'm f*cked. Call my friends, Chris and Ramon. They're in my contacts list. Tell them what's going on and to get here as fast as they can."

I looked over at our bedroom window, as I heard a car door slam in front of the house.

"Tell them to bring guns and back up." I said. "Okay?"

She nodded again and I put my hands on either side of her face.

"What about you?" she sobbed.

"Shut up. Don't worry about me." I said. "Go. Now!"

She stumbled to her feet and ran through the kitchen, and out the back door. I was about to run to the kitchen to grab the gun that was in the pantry, when I heard several loud knocks on the front door. I froze, standing in the living room, staring at the door. The knob turned and the door swung open. My heart went to my throat as two guys walked in. One was Tores. And the other one was.....huge.

"Donnie-boy!" Tores shouted tauntingly. "We thought we'd pay you a visit, since we were in the neighborhood."

He nodded at the big guy, who barreled over to me. I bolted, running into the kitchen. I snatched up my hand gun, but the Giant was already behind me. He grabbed my wrist and shook the gun out of my hand. I gasped as he had his hands around my neck and my feet off the ground in one swift movement. As I was suffocating, Tores dawdled into the kitchen and looked up at me with a menacing smile. He bent down and picked the gun up off of the floor. Then he jestured for the Giant to bring me to the living room. I was literally carried by my neck into the room while Tores chuckled. The Giant held me in the air so Tores could take a good look at me. My eyes began to blur.

Tores took his time as he set my gun on a table and then pulled his gun out of his jacket. His was a lot bigger, shinier, and obviously more expensive. He modeled it in front of my face.

"Now..." he said calmly. "This is a well crafted machine."

I couldn't feel my face.

"That, on the other hand," he said, jesturing at my gun. "Is not a well crafted machine."

I began to lose consciousness.

"If you were to shoot me with that...I would probably end up limping....maybe. If I were to shoot you with this," he continued, holding up his gun. "It would blow a hole in your torso, about as big as a softball. And you would die...screaming. See, the comparison of these two weapons is like our relationship. You and me. If you don't get me my money...then I will F*CKING KILL YOU. Understand?"

My eyes began to flutter closed.

"Drop him." Tores said.

The Giant dropped me. I fell to the floor in a heap, my head spinning as I coughed and breathed. Tores crouched in front of me.

"Donnie..." he said, snapping his fingers in front of my face. "Wake up, Donnie-boy."

I looked up at him with dead eyes. He pressed the barrel of his gun just under my chin.

"Do you want to die, Donnie?" he asked. I shook my head. "Then you had better find a way to get me that money." he said.

"Pyro..." I mumbled.

"What?" he said.

"Pyro...she's a friend. She was getting me the money....she'll bring it." I said weakly.

"Pyro...as in...those two friends of yours that live on the north side? We thought about paying them a visit..." he said.

"Yeah." I said. "Pyro...and FlameHead. I used to play guitar for them."

"Well I'll be damned." he said, mockingly. "Looks like we got a celebrity in our midst!"

The big guy chuckled. Tores thought for a moment.

"Well," he said. "I guess you'd better make a phone call."

The Giant got a pen and piece of paper and Tores wrote down exactly what I was to say. Then he took out his phone. As I dictated it, he dialed Pyro's number and hit SEND. After handing the phone to me, he placed the piece of paper on the floor in front of he and pointed his gun at my face. Her phone rang two...three...four times and she finally picked up.

"Hello?" Pyro said.

"It's Donnie." I said weakly.

"Why did you call me?" she demanded.

"The guys I owe the money to...they came by earlier. They said I have until midnight tonight to get it to them. I have to have it, Pyro. Please."

"Can you come here and get it?" she asked.

"I don't have a car."

She was silent for a moment.

"Are they still there?" she asked.

"No." I lied.

I heard her sigh.

"Fine. We'll come by and drop the envelope in your driveway. Who's phone is this?"

"Misty's." I said. "Mine is dead."

Lying to Pyro was rough. But if I didn't, they were going to kill me.

"Okay..." she said. "Just watch for me. We're leaving right now and we'll be there in about twenty minutes."

"Okay," I said and she hung up.

I closed the cell phone and Tores took it from me.

"She and FlameHead will be here in twenty minutes." I said dismally.

He nodded at the Giant, who grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and dragged me over to the corner.

"Go and move our vehicle...so they can't see it when they get here. Then get back here." Tores said to him.

As the Giant walked out to move the SUV, I said "Now what?"

"Now...we wait for your friends." Tores said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

CHAPTER 6

(FlameHead's POV)

After Jennie filled me in on what Donnie said, I was furious.

"You want to just go out there?!" I yelled at her, as I stomped around the living room.

"What else can we do?!" she snapped. "We need to get there before they do. They'll be there at midnight. We could be saving his life! And if we don't get him the money, they'll come after us!"

Just then, I realized the awful truth. We were in just as much danger as Donnie.

"God dammit!" I yelled to no one in particular. "Why the hell did he have to...if it wasn't for him...this is his fault!!!"

"Yes I know! But we have to go. NOW." she said firmly.

"Fine."

As Jennie grabbed her keys, her phone rang again.

"Hello?!" she said. "Oh...hey, KG."

As we drove down the road, she filled KG in on everything. He decided that he should come with us, so we picked him up on the way. Ten minutes later, we cautiously drove into Donnie's neighborhood, studying the area. We didn't see any cars in his lot, so we pulled into it. Pyro put her window down so she could drop the envelope on the pavement.

Suddenly, she screamed as someone grabbed her arm. A large guy with a shaved head and dark clothing aimed a gun through the window at us.

"You better shut the f*ck up." he said to her. She closed her mouth. Then he cocked the hammer on the gun and said, "Everybody out."

We all did as he said, getting out of the car one by one, and lining up in front of it. I had a sick feeling in my stomach and my hands were shaking. I looked over at Pyro, who had her jaw clamped shut and her eyes were beginning to water, but she stood strong. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"Everyone, get into the house. Now. Then do as Tores tells you." the guy said, opening the front door.

Pyro, KG, and I all walked slowly into the house. There, I saw Donnie sitting in the corner with his head in his hands. Tores towered over him with a gun in hand and there was another gun on a table behind him. I took note of that. Donnie's girlfriend was nowhere to be seen.

"Ahh!" Tores said joyfully, with open arms. "Our other guests have arrived!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The big guy came up behind me and stuck the barrel of his gun into my back.

"Go sit next to Donnie." he instructed. I did what he said. Pyro was told to sit next to me, and KG sat next to her. Once we were all lined up against the wall, Tores took the stage and began explaining what was going to happen to us.

"Okay, kiddies!" he said tauntingly. "So you guys are something of a big deal! And that means big money! SO..."

He was insane. His eyes were wild and menacing. I knew he would kill easily.

"Lopez, give me the money." he said to the big guy. Lopez handed him the envelope and Tores proceeded to count the money at his leasure, while Lopez held us at gunpoint.

"Nice! Pyro's an honest girl. It's all here." Tores said, stuffing the envelope into his pocket.

Then, while Lopez kept us captive, Tores walked over to a large bag on the floor. He took out a plastic baggy of white powder, a mirror, and a short straw. Cocaine. He sat on the floor and poured some of the powder onto the mirror. He took out a playing card and chopped at the powder, pushing it into a neat little line. Then he stuck the straw in one nostril, lowered his head, and snorted the entire line. It was hideous to watch. After he finished, he threw his head back and sniffed violently, rubbing and wiggling his nose. He cocked his head to the side, as the pressure in his head subsided, and he blinked his eyes several times. Then he put the supplies back into the bag.

He stood up and dawdled back over to us, where he eyed each of us thoughtfully, while he continuously rubbed his nose.

"Very useful...very useful..." he mumbled, looking us over. Anger coursed through my veins. At any given chance, I would leap at the bastard and tear him apart. I didn't care how young I was.

Lopez was instructed to go back to our car and get Pyro's purse. Tores went through it until he found our manager's phone number in Pyro's cell phone contact list. They were going to hold us for ransom. Tores crouched in front of us.

"This is what's going to happen," he said roughly. "I'm going to see how much f*cking money I can get out of your people. and if I don't get it in two days...I'm gonna kill ya. All of ya. K?"

He moved over to Pyro and I clenched my fists.

"Actually," he said, bringing his face very close to hers. She shut her eyes and tried to move away. "I don't know what I'm gonna do with you." He pushed the barrel of his gun into her cheek. "I might find some use of my own for you."

He moved the gun down her neck, tracing her collar bone, and sliding it down between her breasts. Then he smirked and looked over at me. I clenched my teeth and began inventing the most obscene ways to kill him.

"But, until then," he said, standing up. "We'll all just have to get to know eachother. And I have something else to take care of. I just wanted to wait until we had an audience."

He looked at Donnie. Then he nodded at Lopez, who lumbered over to Donnie and yanked him up by his shirt. Donnie was dragged over to the middle of the room, where Lopez held him with a gun to his head. At first, we all thought Lopez was going to shoot him. But Tores wanted to have some fun.

"Punishment for not having the money when I f*cking got here." Tores said.

Lopez grabbed Donnie by the hair and yanked his head up so Tores could get to his face. Tores readied his arm and brought the gun down hard, across his face. Donnie yelped and hung his head as blood poured from his forehead. Pyro looked away. Tores laughed and brought his knee into Donnie's stomach as hard as he could. Donnie gasped for breath, spitting blood. He beat Donnie across the face with his gun some more until Donnie's body began to go limp, at which point Lopez threw him to the floor. Tores kicked him several times in the ribs.

"Stop!" KG yelled. "You're going to kill him!"

Donnie squirmed on the floor helplessly. Tores used his foot to turn Donnie over on his back and took a look at him. His face was bloody and bruised and his eyes were rolling back in his head.

"Stay awake, you stupid f*cker." Tores said to him. "This is your f*cking fault anyway." He laughed and nodded at Lopez, who grabbed donnie and dragged him over to sit next to me against the wall.

Tores seemed thoughtful for a moment, and then took out his phone. He was about to call our manager to set up a ransom. Then his eyes widened a bit, as something dawned on him.

"Lopez," he grunted at the huge thug. "Get their keys and move their car. Get it the f*ck out of this neighborhood. Take it to town or something. No one can know where they are. I'll keep an eye on them here."

Lopez nodded and went outside to move our car, which we had left the keys in. Now we had no transportation. My hopes of escape dimmed. Tores took out his cell phone and dialed our manager's number, while he pointed his gun at us. As he was about to hit SEND, he looked up, as if he had heard something. I strained my ears and my hopes lifted. It was very far off and I couldn't believe I was hearing it, but I was. Police sirens. And at that moment, someone burst in through the back door. It was Donnie's girlfriend, Misty.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

CHAPTER 7

(Still in FlameHead's POV)

Shocked, Tores wheeled around as she ran into the living room, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Oh god!" Misty shrieked. "Donnie...I'm sorry...I couldn't get anyone. I called the cops." She sobbed and blubbered, getting on her knees in the middle of the room like a defeated peasant. "I told them everything. I had to, Donnie...I didn't know what to do. I thought we were going to die."

"Misty..." Donnie stammered.

"You little b*tch!" Tores growled. "F*cking..."

He raised his gun and aimed at her. We were all sure she was about to die. Then at that moment, KG stood up and ran towards Tores, about to leap on him from behind. Tores turned around at the last moment and readied his weapon.

Pyro gasped. "No..." she whispered.

As the shot rang out, my mind spun and Pyro screamed. A moment passed. KG shuddered and let out a short, shallow breath. Then he looked back at us with cloudy eyes before he sank to his knees. Black-red blood trickled out between his fingers as he covered the stomach wound with his hands. He looked off somewhere, his eyes becoming blank, and then he fell onto his stomach. Dead silence filled the room and Pyro's tears could be heard as they hit the floor. Misty stared at the still body in disbelief and she moved over to Donnie and grabbed his arm. He threw her off and stared dangerously at the killer. The sirens grew closer, louder.

Tores looked around the room wildly, pointing his weapon from one of us to the next. Then he made up his mind and fled. Donnie waited until Tores was outside and then he ran across the room and grabbed his gun from the table.

"Donnie!" I yelled. But didn't hear me. He ran out the door. I struggled to get to my feet, tripping over myself as I stumbled out into the yard, where darkness had fallen in the early hours of the evening. I saw Donnie. He stood before Tores, who was cowering beneath him, in the middle of the lot. With his weapon in hand, Donnie towered above his prey with an expression of pure hatred on his bleeding face.

Five, six, seven, I don't even remember how many times Donnie fired. But Tores was very dead, lying in a puddle of blood. I stared, speechless as Pyro ran up behind me and threw her arms around me in an attempt of protection. We watched as Donnie lowered the weapon. He just stood there for a moment with the gun at his side. Then he let it slip from his fingers, just as several police cars pulled into the lot.

Two cops went straight for Donnie, grabbing him and forcing him to the ground. An ambulence had arrived too, and medics jumped out and rushed over to us, checking us for wounds.

"Wait," I said to them. "No we're fine. KG...he's still inside...I think he's..."

"Okay, we'll check it out." one of the medics said and they rushed off to inspect the house.

Misty ran out to the lot and sobbed as she watched the cops cuff Donnie and escort him to a patrol car. He lifted his head and looked at us sadly from inside the car. Then he mouthed the words, "I'm sorry" as they drove him away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I wiped a few tears from my eyes and stared at the spot where Tores had shot KG. Pyro and I sat on the sofa in Donnie's house and waited for our family to pick us up, while paramedics and police walked around taking photos of the areas where KG and Tores were shot. KG was announced dead the moment the paramedics got there. Lopez was found and arrested at a nearby grocery store, where he had parked our car. The police asked us to tell them everything that had happened, so we did. Then, while they inspected the house with drug dogs, Pyro and I went outside to sit. We didn't ever want to be in that house again.

We walked out into the night, where flashing police lights nearly blinded us. As my eyes cleared, I looked up at one of the ambulences and wished that I hadn't. KG's body was being lifted by paramedics onto a stretcher, in a body bag. Pyro let out a small gasp, as she looked over as well. We both saw his lifeless face, just before they zipped up the bag and lifted the stretcher into one of the ambulences.

After our parents picked us up, they took us back to where Pyro's car was parked. Mom decided to come back to our house with us, so she could make us some food. When we got there, she cooked us some homemade soup, the best meal of my life, and we hugged her goodbye as she was leaving. After we ate, I took a long shower and tried to push the horrible images from that day out of my mind...but they just kept replaying over and over in my head, until I finally broke down and cried.

I got out, got dressed, and went out into the hall, where Pyro was waiting for me. She pulled me into a huge hug and we just stood there for a minute. Then we silently went to our rooms. As I crawled under the blankets, I fell into a deep sleep, relieved that I was alive.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

CHAPTER 8 -- short chapter/ending

(Pyro's POV)

A few weeks passed since the incident, and I was trying to force myself back into normal life. One night, FlameHead and I sat in our studio together, going through our songs and making changes here and there. The album was almost finished. FlameHead finished a new drum line and wiped his brow.

"I'm gonna take a break." he said. "I need some water and..."

"Video games." I cut in, with a slight smile.

He smirked at me and left the room. I smiled to myself, happy that he was so strong. I don't know what I would have done without him at that point. I shook myself out of my thoughts and picked up a notebook. We still had to write one more song for this album. I got up and went over to the piano and played around with some notes, but I couldn't get anywhere. Then, inevitably, my mind jerked me back to thinking about what had happened...again.

How could Donnie have gotten himself into all that? He should have known what would happen if he went down that road. What is he going to do now? He's in jail. One of his friends are dead. How is he supposed to get through all that? And what was it all for? Drugs. What the hell was going through his head?, I thought to myself.

The thoughts made me feel so bleak...so numb. Then, as my mind raced, an odd melody crept into my ears. I picked up my pen and began to write:

I...
I saw,
A road.
Was it mine?
Oh no...
I think not.
Should've known.
But I think not.

The price...
Is always paid.
The price...
Is always paid.

I touched the glass...
So soft...
I couldn't feel,
My own blood.

And now...
And now,
I'm so far gone.
Away...
Away...
And now,
I am the worm.

Now I am the worm.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

END.

SUBMITTED: 10/2/06

The Price of Fame
By Jen
Genre: Light Drama, Romance
Rating: PG
Who? Pyro and FlameHead (Doomsday Machine), and some members of Linkin Park

CHAPTER 1
After the final song the show was over and Pyro and the rest of the
band snuck out the back exit. By the time she got on the bus good
Flamehead was already starting up the Xbox. As the guys started playing Halo,
Pyro took off her shoes and relaxed on her bunk. "Hey guys, I'm
starving!" She yelled out to them.
Flamehead laughed at her. "It's like 10 PM Pryo!" He yelled back. Pyro
got up and came to the doorway, "If you want me to be a happy person at
the show later then you better shut up and get me some food!", she said
winking. Flamehead grinned at her and went to ask the driver to make a
stop.

That night they were to open at a Midnight Halloween show for a few
other bands. The whole band had been looking forward to it since August
when they were asked to do it. They all had costumes picked out and
everything. Pyro was going to dress as Alice, a character from her favorite
video game and Flamehead was going to be Beetlejuice. It was going to
be a blast!

A little after 10:30 the bus stopped in front of an IHOP. The band got
out and went in. After finding a good spot to sit, they all ordered
something. Pyro got some Chocolate Chip pancakes.
While waiting for their orders, Pyro looked around the restaurant. In
the back corner a guy sitting there with a lady friend looked familiar
from the side. The guy turned a little where she could see him better
and smiled. She realized it was Chester Bennington. His band, Linkin
Park, were one of the bands playing at the show that night. She had hung
out with him a little while after a show once about a month ago.

"I'll be right back." She said and got up. She approached his table and
waited for him to look up. When he did he smiled brightly at her. "I
know you..." He said. "Pyro!"
She smiled. "Well, I was about to get a little mad." She laughed. "So
how are you?"
"Fantastic!" He exclaimed. "How about yourself? You must be super
excited hmm?"
"I am...We all are" She answered. "This is probably our biggest show so
far."
"Well you guys are going to big a big hit!" Chester said. "Oh, meet my
wife, Talinda. I've told her all about you and your band."
His wife smiled at her. "He sure has." She said. "You have an
incredible voice and I just adore "Worm".
"Thanks a lot!" Pyro said gratefully. "Well I didn't mean to intrude,
just wanted to say Hi."
"Oh you didn't!" Talinda said quickly.
"No, of course not." added Chester. "I'm glad you did. I was hoping to
talk to you at some point tonight but figured it would be to late by
the time I finally could."

Pyro looked over at her table and saw that the orders where being set
out. "I better go eat." She said. "It was nice meeting you Talinda."
"You too sweetie." Talinda said with a smile. "Good luck tonight!"
"Yeah, have fun!" Chester said.
"Thanks!!" Pyro said, and headed back to her table.

When she sat down, Flamehead eyed her suspiciously. "Oooh, Pyro and
Chester sitting in a tree..." He said and laughed wildly.
Pyro rolled her eyes. "Grow up." She said and flicked some whip cream
across the table at him. They both laughed.

Ten minutes later Pryo had finished her four yummy chocolate pancakes
and two cups of hot cocoa. For a little while they just sat there
talking about their costumes and playing around. Finally it was time to get
going so they could get dressed and get their gear set up. When Pyro
got to the bus she started feeling really tired and her head ached a
little. She went ahead and got her dress and boots on. She had just
finished her makeup when they stopped in front of the building.


CHAPTER 2
On the way inside Flamehead commented on her looking strange but she
ignored him and continued on. She told herself it was just nerves.
Everything seemed like a blur. She helped set up despite how she felt but
didn't say much. Flamehead was a little worried about her but had
butterflies himself so decided she was nervous. It took a few minutes to get
everything ready. Pyro took her place in front of the mic and closed her
eyes. "You are fine. You will do fine" She told herself over and over
in her mind. The band started playing and she could hear the crowd. The
curtain started to rise and she went into blur mode again and started
the song. She thought only of the lyrics and pushed the nervous feelings
away. Before she knew it they were at the last song. It was "Worm". It
was going great. People were singing along and having a good time. She
got to strongest part of the song and tilted her head back to sing
loudly. But when she tried, she couldn't quite get it out. She stopped and
took a few breathes and tried again. Nothing. The last thing she
remembered was everything going black.

It all happened so fast. Flamehead was playing the keyboard and then
heard her stop. He figured she was changing it a little so he kept going.
The crowd's reation to her collapsing was what made him realize
something was wrong. He saw her lying there and jumped up. He ran over to her
and called her name. No reaction. He screamed at someone, anyone to
call an ambulance. Some security guys came out and tried to wake her up.
At first most of the people in the crowd thought it was a Halloween
prank. But after a minute or two it sunk in that is was real. One girl in
the front started crying. Several guys from the other bands came out to
see what was going on. Mike Shinoda was yelling for someone to shut the
curtain. Flamehead could hear all this going on but his eyes were on on
Pyro. He started to think about what he would do if she didn't wake up.
It made his head spin.

Finally an ambulance came. Flamehead was dizzy from being so upset but
stayed by her side the whole way to the hospital. When they arrived
some doctors and nurses rushed out to get her inside. Flamehead took a
seat in the waiting room and waited. He knew he should call their parents
but he just couldn't do it. He had to know if she would be okay first.

What seemed like hours later the doctor came out into the waiting room.
Flamehead stood up in anticipation. "Hi, you're her brother right?" the
doctor asked.
"Yes." Flamehead replied. "Is she...ok?"
"Well, she ate to much sugar and strained herself. I asume you know
she's Hypoglycemic?" The doctor asked.

The next day Flamehead got back to the hospital pretty early. His
parents had come and picked him up around 3am. They stayed in a hotel nearby
for the night. He walked past the waiting room and a girl came out
trying to catch him. "Flamehead," she said nervously. He stopped and looked
at her. "Hi, my name is Amanda. I was at the show last night and saw
everything. I'm a really big fan of the band and was just wondering if
she's going to be okay?"
Flamehead smiled a little because he could tell she really cared. She
was even getting teary eyed at that moment. "Why don't you see for
yourself?" He asked and motioned toward Pyro's room door. Happiness lit up
Amanda's face and she smiled at him. He opened the door for her and they
went in.

Pyro was already sitting up in bed looking at the TV. "You know,
there's nothing good on in the morning. " She said with a smile as they came
in.
Flamehead was happy to see that she was in a good mood. "Wow Pyro, I'm
loving this new look of yours. Wild hair, hospital gown. I'm sure the
guys would find it hot!"
All three of them laughed and Pyro noticed Amanda. "Oh this is Amanda."
He said, seeing the curiosity in Pryo's face. "She's a fan. She wanted
to check on you."
"Aww that's so sweet!" Pyro said. "I appreciate it. I just wished you
would have called." They all laughed again.

Amanda stayed with Pyro for a few hours. She was so much fun to talk
to. Flamehead eventually went off to explore the hospital. After Amanda
left Pyro got a little more rest. She was awakened by a knock on her
door. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Chester Bennington's wife came in.
"Hey!" She said cheerfully.
Pyro was a little suprised by her visit but smiled anyway. "Hi..." She
finally said.
Talinda pulled a chair up to the bed. "So how are you?" She asked.
"Chester was really worried. He wanted to come but his manager was upset
and he had to deal with some stuff."
"I'm okay now." Pyro answered. "Upset?"
Talinda sighed. "He's just mad because the show was cancelled and
everyone was refunded their money. He blames Chester because he's the one
who said you guys should open. It's ridiculous of him to say such
things."
Pyro felt a little guilty. "Wow, I wish they wouldn't have cancelled
the whole thing because of me." She said looking down.
Talinda put her hand on Pyro's arm. "Don't even think about it. You
couldn't help it. You're okay now and that's all that matters."
Pyro looked at her and managed a smile. Just then the door opened again
and a guy walked in.

CHAPTER 3
"Hey Tal," The guy said. "Tyler's being fussy and I can't get him to
chill out."
"Oh." Talinda said. "He's teething..." She smiled at Pyro. "I better go
see what I can do." She got up and started out, but turned around. "Oh
how rude of me." She said. "This is my brother, Ian." she waved her
hand toward him, then hurried out.

Ian stayed in the room and just looked at Pyro shyly. "Umm, what's up?"
He asked.
Pyro laughed. He was cute. He was about 6'1, dark hair and eyes. When
he smiled she saw he had near perfect teeth.

"Research on being a hospital patient for Halloween." She answered him.
He burst into laughter. Pyro could tell he was kind of shy but liked
that he seemed to have a sense of humor, not to mention a great laugh.

Talking with Ian for the next hour was the most fun Pyro had had with a
guy in a long time. He was really sweet and after they talked a while
he was more outgoing and had a lot of the same interests as her.
They talked about movies, books, video games and even hospital food.
When Talinda finally came back into the room, holding a sleepy Tyler,
they were both laughing at a stupid commercial playing on the TV.

"Well, you two seem to be having fun." She said smiling.

Pyro nodded and smiled back. "How's the baby?" She asked Talinda. "Oh
he's okay." Talinda answered. "I think I better be getting him back
though so he can eat and sleep."
"Okay." Pyro said. "Thanks a lot for coming by. It was really nice of
you."
"Of course honey. Now you take care of yourself okay?" Talinda said
kindly. "Oh by the way, can I have your cell number or something? I'd like
to keep in contact."
"Sure." Pyro said and told her what it was. Ian put the number into
Talinda's cell for her because she had her hands full with Tyler.
After that he got Talinda's baby stuff together and they started out.
"Bye!" Talinda said. Ian smiled at Pyro and gave her a shy wave. Pyro
smiled back at them. "Bye."


CHAPTER 4
The next day Pyro was able to leave the hospital. Flamehead suggested
she take the offer of going out in a wheelchair even thought she
insisted she didn't need it. Turns out he got one himself and challenged her
to a race to the exit. The doctors and nurses could help but smile at
them. It was close but Flamehead ended up winning. When they came outside
they were still laughing about it and almost ran into someone.

"Oh, excuse me." Pyro said looking up. A camera flashed in her face and
left her temporarily blind. "What the..."
"Pyro, how does it feel to be the cause of the show being cancelled
last night? It was one of the most talked about shows of this year." The
woman they almost bumped into interrupted.
This made Flamehead pretty angry. "I don't know who you are but it's
not her fault that she got sick." He said stepping in front of Pyro
protectively.
"Yes, about that." The woman said moving around so her photographer
could get another shot. "What's wrong with you anyway? How were you
treated??"
Pyro was speechless. She was a little dizzy from all the camera flashes
and questions. Flamehead took her by the arm and pulled her towards the
waiting car.
The woman followed behind them. "Why don't you want to tell us
anything?" She continued.
Flamehead turned around. "Listen, she's okay now. But she doesn't need
you all up in her face with cameras and questions." He said. Pyro got
in the car. "She's fine." He got in too.

"Whoa, that was really weird." Pyro said as they were driven away. "And
rude too." Flamehead added, still a little angry.

After a short drive they got back to their hotel. They ordered some
room service then Pyro took a long nap. She didn't wake up until the next
day. When she got up she went over her meal plan and made a list. Then
her and Flamehead went to wal mart to get food. They got everything
they needed and went to the nearest checkout. Pyro looked over the
magazines and got a huge shock.


CHAPTER 5
"Oh my God." She said. Flamehead looked over at where she was looking.
It was STAR magazine. First he noticed Britney Spears on the cover as
usual. Then he gasped because they had a picture of Pyro on the side
with the caption "Drugged up singer ruins chance for a promising new
band?"
Flamehead grabbed one and flipped through it. He found the article and
his blood boiled.
"Pyro Doomsday collapses on stage. Is it drugs?"

On the way back to the hotel Flame head and Pyro read and re-read the
article. It was full of a bunch of lies. It said that they were both
extremely rude and that she had fainted from an overdose of drugs.
Pyro didn't say much because she was still a little shocked. Wasn't she
just a normal girl who was having a good time in her band the day
before?

They got back to their room and was surprised to see their manager
standing by the door. He didn't look to happy. His cell phone started
ringing. "It's been doing that all day." He said. "What did you say to those
magazine people?"
"We didn't say anything!" Flamehead said. "They made all that up..."
"Great." The manager said. "I thought this may happen one day but this
is all really fast."

Pyro got busy putting the groceries away, trying to keep her mind off
the drama. She started getting a headache so she asked Flamehead to make
her something to eat right quick and went to lay on her bed.
Their manager took a few more calls then left to take care of
something. Flamehead fixed Pyro her food and took it to her.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Pyro sat up and took the food. "Yeah, I think
so." She said. "This is a little overwhelming."
"Don't worry." He said. "We're aren't big news. It will blow over by
tomorrow probably."
Pyro nodded. "I hope so." She said and started to eat.
"There is one good thing about all this." Flamehead said. "I'll always
have those magazine pictures to make fun of!" They both laughed and
Pyro reached over to playfully smack him on the head.


CHAPTER 6
Over the next week Pyro relaxed and stayed in most of the time. She ate
right and just sat around playing video games and drawing new ideas for
clothing designs. They had decided to stay in LA a little while. Their
manager suggested it. So they were still in the hotel for now and it
was starting to get pretty messy thanks to Flamehead.

One afternoon Pyro was cleaning up a little when she heard her cell
ring. She went and got it.
"Hello?" She said into the phone.
"Hey girl!" a familiar female voice said. "It's Talinda."
"Oh hey!" Pyro said.
"How are you?" Talinda asked.
"Pretty good, thank you."
"That's great!" Talinda said. "Well, we were hoping you'd come over
tomorrow, you and your brother, to eat and hang out. You're still in LA
aren't you?"
"Yes, we are actually. Pyro said. "That sounds great! I haven't been
out of the house much this past week"
"Wonderful!!" Talinda said. "How does 12pm sound?"
"Sounds like lunch!" Pyro said. "We'll be there."
Talinda laughed. "Can't wait." She said. "See you then."
"Okay." Pyro said. "Bye."
"Bye!"

Pyro put her cell up and finished cleaning. When she saw Flamehead
again she told him about the call and he seemed excited about it.

The next day Pyro started getting ready. She found a new skirt packed
that she hadn't had the chance to wear out yet so she put that on with a
cute shirt. She pulled her hair up because it was pretty warm outside
and put a little eyeliner on. At around 11:40 she came out of the
bathroom.
Flamehead came over to her. "Gee, Pyro, you take forever!"
Pyro stuck her tongue out at him and went out the door. They got in the
car and started towards the Bennington's.


CHAPTER 7
When they got there is was hard to park because there were several cars
in the driveway. They got out and started towards the house. It was
pretty big, but not to big. Very cute. Talinda came out the front door
waving.

"Come on in." She said.

When they got inside the house they could hear lots of laughing and
talking. All of Linkin Park were there and it looked like their wives were
too. Talinda made sure everyone was introduced and then got some food
stuff together to take out to Chester. Pyro wanted to help so she
grabbed the chips off the table and followed. As she went down the steps she
stepped on her skirt and it caused her to trip. She was expecting to
hit the ground but she didn't. Instead she landed into someone's arms.

Pyro pulled away and looked into Ian's smiling face. "You okay?" He
asked.
She almost blushed. "Yes, thank you." She said. "I need you around more
often. I'm such a klutz."
"I'll gladly catch you anytime." He said before reaching down to pick
up the bags of chips she had dropped.

After lunch everyone sat around the pool and talked. Flamehead seemed
to have taken a liking to Chester. He had been talking to him nonstop
all afternoon. Pyro was sitting on the edge of the pool with her feet in
the water watching Talinda drip water on Tyler's legs. It made him
giggle.

Ian came over to Pyro. "Want to take a walk?" He asked.
"Sounds good." She said and started to get up.

They walked around to the front of the house. There was a swing in the
front yard so they sat on it together.

"How long will you be in LA?" He asked, breaking the silence.
"I'm not sure yet." She replied. "Do you live somewhere close by?"
"Yeah, I have an apartment not to far from here." He said.
"Cool." Pyro said. It went quiet again. After a minute she looked at
him and smiled.
"Sorry for the silence." She said.
"That's okay." Ian said. "You know, you have such amazing eyes. I could
just..."
Pyro felt nervous. She really liked Ian. But was she ready for this?
"Just what?" She asked quietly.
He leaned over and kissed her.


CHAPTER 8
All the way back to the hotel and most of the night Pyro thought about
Ian and about the kiss. She wanted to talk to someone about it in a way
but there was no one. There was Flamehead but there was absolutely no
way she would talk to him about it. Instead she just lie in her bed
trying to sleep. Finally she did but before she knew it morning had come.

"Pyro, Pyro," Flamehead chanted while shaking her bed. "get up and eat
breakfast sleepyhead."
"Go away." Pyro said into the pillow.

Before Flamehead could annoy her some more there was a knock on the
door. He went over and openend it to see their manager very upset.
"So, I've been getting calls all morning." He said coming in.
"Apparently a reporter on some entertainment tv show called Linkin Park's
manager and he said some pretty bad things about you guys. So of course they
have been trying to get a comment from me and I don't even know what's
going on. Didn't you go over and hang out with them yesterday?"
Pyro came into the room and yawned. "Yeah we did." Flamehead said. "So
either they were just lying to us all this time or someone really needs
to fire a manager."

Their manager finally left and they went out for a healthy breakfast.
On the way back to their room Pyro got a phone call. It was Ian. He
wanted to take her to eat that night. She said okay. Then they talked a
little about the manager thing. Ian assured her that LP had nothing to do
with it. She believed him of course because she didn't really think
they did to begin with. Ian told her that they were thinking of a plan to
make things right.

That night Pyro was getting dressed for her date. She felt excited and
scared at the same time. She knew it was about time for her to start
doing this again but she still was nervous. When she came out of the
bathroom Flamehead looked up from his video game and smiled at her.

The resuarant wasn't to far from the hotel so it was quiet most of the
way. They got theair and were taken to an outdoor table. Onnce they sat
down she started to relax. Something about him was comfortable and
safe. They ordered and started to talk about how fast Christmas was
approaching. Pyro saw a flash of light but ignored it. A little while later
when they had finished eating she saw another one.
"Is it supposed to storm?" She wondered out loud.
"I don't think so..." Ian said. "Maybe we should get going anyway."

They got up to go and when they got to they car Ian came to the
passengers side with her. He opened the door for her and there was another
flash.
As Pyro got into the car she saw a photographer not to far away. Ian ot
into the drivers seat and started the car.
"Okay, this is creepy. There's a guy taking pictures of us over there."
She said pointing.
Ian sighed and drove off. No surprise, the topic of conversation was
about that on the way back to the hotel.

When they got there Ian walked her to the room then kissed her goodbye.
She told him that she had a nice time. And it was true.


CHAPTER 9
Over the next two weeks Ian and Pyro went out a lot. They saw movies,
went to concerts, and sometimes just went to his place and talked.
Almost every time they went out together a photographer would show up.
They tried to ingore them and have a good time but it would get a
little annoying after a while. The pictures would show up on Entertainment
news and in magazine blurbs but nothing that was to outrageous.

The night before Linkin Park were going to hold a press conference and
clear up the rumors once and for all, Pyro and Ian were at his
apartment eating Chinese and watching a crappy action movie on TV. After the
movie was over, Ian started driving Pyro back to the hotel.
Halfway there Ian noticed a car behind them. It was pretty close and he
thought it was suspicious. He sped up a little and kept checking the
rear view mirror. The car stayed right behind them.
Pyro was tired so had fell asleep. She hadn't seen what was going on.
He slowed down a little because of a stoplight ahead. It was red but it
turned green right before he got there so he went on through.
A car from the left ran his red light and crashed into Ian's car. The
car spun around a few times and Ian hit his head on something.

Pyro woke up still inside the car. She was confused and her head ached
a little. She looked over at Ian. He wasn't moving.
She started unhooking her seat belt and checked herself for any
injuries. She was okay...She then reached over and unhooked Ian. She didn't
know if she should try and move him so she tried to find her cell phone
instead.

While searching she saw a flash of light. Then another. She realized it
was photographers so she called out for help. There were more flashes
then the sound of a car driving away. Pyro started to cry, then she
blacked out.


CHAPTER 10
Pyro woke up. Once again confused. She looked around and realized it
was a hospital room.
Flamehead came into view. He smiled. "You like the hospital here don't
you" He said.
Pyro remembered all that happened. "Ian?" She asked.
"He's okay." Flamehead said. "He hit his head so he was unconcious
until he got here. All he has is a headache."
"Thank God." Pyro said. "Ohhh. My head hurts too."
Flamehead went to get a nurse and she gave Pyro some headache medicine.
Then she fell back to sleep.

The next time she woke up the room was filled with sunlight and she had
to squint. Her head wasn't hurting anymore and she actually felt pretty
good.
Flamehead was of course there so he helped her out of bed when she
asked. The doctor had told him that she could leave when she wanted.

She got dressed then went to see Ian. He was going to be released later
that day. He had a cut on his forehead but other than that he was okay
and in a good mood. Pyro stayed with him until he checked out. They
hugged goodbye outside the hospital entrance.

On the way back to the hotel she thought about how much Ian meant to
her. He made her really happy and she didn't want that to go away. It
scared her that it almost did.

That afternoon Linkin Park held their press conference. They told
everyone about how the Halloween concert had been cancelled because several
of the bands had not wanted to play after what happened. And that they
had decided the people weren't really in the mood anymore anyway. They
also cleared up the drug rumors annd praised Pyro and her band on their
unique sound.

Afterwards they all went out and ate together. Happy that things were
finally settled, Mike made a goofy toast that ended in hysterical
laughter all around.
Pyro touched Ian's hand and they shared a smile. At that moment all
Pyro could see were the good things in her life. And with that thought she
leaned on Ian's shoulder and was truly happy.