A Sea Of Dead Drives Men Insane

My phone rang, chills shooting right down my spine, catching me off guard. This was a familiar feeling now, since anything do to with Ronnie happened. Max picked it put, I think he hoped it was Ronnie.

“Hello?” He said, trying not to sound hungover or drunk.

“Hey Robert,” he said, causing relief to wash over my body. I watched Max talk on the phone with him a while, catching up I guess.

“Yeah he’s here,” Max said, looking at me. He suddenly looked concerned. Oh dear...

“I’ll pass him on,” Max said, biting his lip. His face had lost all it’s colour. I reluctantly took the phone, my hand beginning to shake. I really shouldn’t be this paranoid, but I am unfortunately.

“S’up Robert,” I said holding the phone to my ear, trying to sound casual. I heard him sigh on the other end.

”Hey Craig...Promise me not to freak out?” Robert was nervous I could tell, and if Robert was nervous, this was a serious cause for concern. I could feel Max watching me as he filled the kettle with water, to boil our caffeine-jacked coffees.

“Sure...it depends what it is.” I said. How could this not be about Ronnie?

”Umm....Ronnie’s been released on bail,” Robert sucked in a lungful of breath. I didn’t heard him exhale as I froze to the spot. Even though I knew, or at least guessed this was coming, it still struck fear into my heart that he wasn’t actually behind bars anymore. Robert exhaled when I uttered a sound from my pathetic mouth.

“Oh,” Was all I could say. I felt Max’s hand on my shoulder. “How do you know?”

”’cos he broke into the studio last night,” Robert said, I heard Monte say something in the background but I couldn’t make it out. Panic set in.

“WHAT!?” I nearly shrieked. What did he want with the studio?? “What’s been taken? Is everything ok?” My breathing picked up it’s pace, and I began to pace the room. Normal routine.

”Craig, everything’s been smashed. All our notation is gone, ripped to shreds on the floor. The sound board is gone, all the drumsticks sticking out of it. All the recordings have been deleted, the guitars have been snapped at the necks, drums burned. Everything is broken. Except for one thing.” Robert said. I pictured the studio, all our hard work disappeared in one night.

“What?” I pushed, staring at Max across the room, as he spilled hot water everywhere when he tried to pour our coffees. He was obviously nervous too.

”The mic. That mic was his, before it was yours. It’s now gone. There was a....” Robert stopped, fiddling with something.

“What, Robert, what was there? I pressed, my heart racing. I felt unsafe, if it wasn’t for Max I’d have had a nervous breakdown by now.

”A note, for you.” Robert declared bluntly. I froze, like a deer in headlights. “It says, ‘Craigifer,
Thanks for keeping my beloved microphone safe and intact. Really appreciate it. I’ve missed that thing in my unfortunate but obviously short absence. But now, Craig I’m back. Your worst nightmare become reality. All the threats, all the phone calls, everything, were not just empty as I can imagine you thought they were.

Oh hell, they were true. There‘s no escaping your fate.

Geddit?” Robert stopped, almost in disbelief. I remembered, they didn’t know Ronnie had been stalking me.

”’Lots of love, Ronnie Radke. True lead singer of Escape the fate xxx” Robert finished. I couldn’t speak. I knew those threats weren’t empty, like hell I did.

”Craig why didn’t you tell us?” Robert asked, as if a mother was lecturing a child. I felt patronised.

“I told Max,” I stated, my eyes filling up. I didn’t want to show them I was scared. All the courage I gathered earlier had leaked out of me and ran into the floor. It’s a shame I’m earthed.

”Yeah but we’re in the band too!” Robert protested. ”You really should have told us. We could have contacted somebody,”

“Sorry, Rob.” I stated, feeling told off.

”Anyway, that doesn’t matter now.” Robert shrugged. ”We need to track Ronnie down. You and Max meet us here as soon as you can, and we’ll hatch a plan of action, ok?”

Now I felt a little more protected. I should have told Robert earlier, I regretted. I began a train of thought about how all those panic attacks could have been avoided if I’d have just told Robert. Then I remembered to answer him.

“Yeah, ok.” I stated. As soon as I said this, the phone clicked. Hung up.

“That was odd,” I frowned, my voice smaller than expected, as I looked at the phone. I turned to Max, who was shakily drinking his vile looking coffee. His tough guy persona had gone, now it actually came down to it. I knew Max would still defend me, with Robert and Monte on our side. Hell, I could defend myself with them by my side.

“What?” Max’s colour in his face returned a little as he drank.

“Rob just hung up like that,” I emphasised that with a click of my fingers. I took my coffee from the table, downing it in one, remembering Robert’s ‘Be here NOW’ attitude, as if I’d forgotten about practice or something. Except this is a lot worse, obviously.

“Oh well, he’s probably just panicked,” Max said into his cup, downing his coffee and standing up with a start. I stood up with him, going to the door to acquire my plain black hoodie, and throwing Max his Guns ‘n’ Roses one too.

“Suppose,” I said bluntly, fiddling with my keys. I was pleased with my new found confidence. “Let’s go,” I said, standing on the other side of the door waiting for Max to sort himself out.

--------

We appeared at the Epitaph studio downtown, the defiant black title hanging proud on top of the small dark building. Not showing the horror and vandalism that had taken place inside. It made me shiver to realise that Ronnie was probably within 50 meters of me right now, but I shrugged it off. Rob and Monte were just on the other side of the door. Not to mention loudmouth Max by my side.

“Right, you ready to see all this?” Max asked. I nodded, giving him permission to open the door to see...

Ronnie, grinning happily, right in my shocked and downright mortified face.