Cemetary Gates

(Analeigh PoV)

“No!” I yelled at a confused and frustrated Sarah

“Well fuck, you said you would fucking go!” Did I mention that when Sarah is pissed off Fuck tends to be her favorite word?

“I know but I can’t anymore!” I yelled back

“Well, why the fuck not! And why did you fucking ditch me at the bar!!” Jesus Christ, chick calm down!

“Because I had to! And I’m not going to the goddamned concert because I don’t want to!”

“Bullshit Analeigh! You wanted to go when I told you! And if you really needed to go you could have told me! Now why did you change your mind?” Goddamn Sarah, she got me.

“Because!” I cried out, finally breaking my defenses.

“Your precious little Zacky Vengeance broke my heart, and destroyed my life!” I said almost letting the recurring memories get the best of me.

“What Ana that’s impossible!” See the thing about Sarah is that whenever she asks for the truth and I tell her the truth she doesn’t believe me. I sighed before I began.

“Okay, a while before I met you, I was always teased and bullied by all of these kids including the now ‘Avenged Sevenfold’. Those bastards, they made my life hell everyday.” I sobbed before I grit my teeth.

“And I’ll be damned if I see them again!” I growled and Sarah has that face of disbelief.

“But why would anyone make fun of you! You’re gorgeous!” She said obviously trying to make me feel better. It’s not working.

“I wasn’t always Sarah.” I mumble, looking down at the floor.

“I know this is hard for you Ana but-“Didn’t she understand? No one understood! She just thought it was fucking okay! I hated those men, I didn’t want to see them nor support their crappy music either.

You weren’t saying that while you were watching Bat Country and eye sexing that ‘delicious’ guitarist.

Shut up…

“Sarah I don’t think I can…” I say in a softer tone, being just defeated by my own conscience.

“Don’t not go because of what happened 5 years ago! I’m not saying forget it but go for the music. There will be opening bands for A7x. You love music Ana, what happened to that.” Either she was completely correct or she was conning me into going. I couldn’t tell… Sneaky. But I was hit by a feeling that I needed to go. I needed to see this. I’ve only felt this way once before in my life…

“Okay Sarah…I’ll fucking go…” I grumble, giving her a dirty look. She takes no offence however and she just smiles and claps. Damn I'm such a little pushover.

“Thanks Ana and I know you’re only doing it for me.” She said cheerily hugging me.

“Thanks Ana…” I mumble mocking her as I laugh and hug her back.

“Sarah.”

“Yeah?”

“Something just hit me. This concert is today isn’t it…?” I said forgetting about the date.

“Yeah.”

“Shit. We have to get ready if we wanna make it.”

“But its only 3:15.” Dumb girl.

“Sarah it takes an hour and a half to get ready, another hour to get to long beach and time for entry.” She got really excited because she knew that I would let her play Barbie on my face and do my makeup and what not.

“Oh! Oh! Then let’s go!” She said pulling me by the arm upstairs. See how I always lose…

---

“Ana we have to look so hot!” I gave her an ‘are you serious’ look. She looked at me like I was retarded. Ha.

“Hello! Synyster Gates!” She squealed. Who? Whatever, if he’s a part of Avenged then I think he’s a dick.

“Okay we need to show those pricks how hot you became!” I liked that answer better. Sarah pulled out shorts, a top that said “Party Like a Rockstar”, knee high converse, and jelly bracelets, a shiny bracelet, and my “A” necklace. I even put in my old piercings.

I already had in my nose, my cartilage and my two lower ears. I put my industrial, left lip ring and my navel ring back in. My makeup consisted of foundation, black eye shadow and purple sparkly eyeliner, and some lip-gloss. I looked in the mirror and I was amazed. I actually looked beautiful. I also felt like a teenager again, getting pierced and tattooed and not giving a shit. I ran my fingers through my hair, giving it a natural teased look, and I smiled.

“Wow Ana, if I were a guy or something like that it bang you.” She said nodding her head with a smirk.
Maybe this might not be so bad. I looked at my watch, shit.

“Alright, alright were all sexy now, lets go its 6:45!” I said already bustling to get myself together.

“Shit!” She cursed grabbing her purse and the two V.I.P passes. She slung mine over my neck and she checked she didn’t forget anything.

“Okay!” She says confirming that we’re good and we walk out the door.

“Auto bots roll out.”
---

“Thank you, enjoy the show.” The guy who scanned our tickets said as we entered the huge venue.

“I’m so fucking excited I could come.” Sarah said and I looked at her funny before I laughed. A feeling of excitement bubble up within me as well. Not that I was excited to see those men, but I haven’t been to a concert in ages. I missed just how amazing they are. We rushed through the crowd, asserting ourselves to the front to get to the barriers. Apparently we could since we were VIPs’ according to Sarah.

I leaned against the yellow metal barriers, feeling hundreds of people pressing behind me. The air was smoky, and the lights illuminated the heavy mist. The stage was empty and black, and people could be seen setting up the instruments and lights. The first band of the two bands that were opening for A7x was Buckcherry. A guy came out and started to address the crowd, naming the lineup of Buckcherry, Papa Roach, then the Main Act, Avenged Sevenfold.

“You ready to rock tonight?!” He screamed into the mic and the crowd yelled. They started up a song which I learned to be “Crazy Bitch.” It was an alright song, I didn’t really get into the rest of Buckcherry’s set. But when Jacoby Shaddix came out I screamed. I loved Papa Roach and I thought Jacoby was damn sexy.

Getting away, getting away, getting away with murder. I sang through the whole song. I had a great time with Papa Roach’s set and it went by way too quickly for my liking.

“Are you ready for Avenged Sevenfold!!?” Jacoby yelled into the mic and the crowd roared, and I mean like damn.

“I can’t hear you motherfuckers! Are you ready for some Avenged Sevenfold?”

The crowd yelled even louder if possible and a loud guitar screech was heard along with a beastly scream from the stage. The crowd went ape shit, including Sarah.

“Sevenfold! Sevenfold! Sevenfold!” The crowd immediately chanted. I found myself chanting and throwing up the rock sign with Sarah.

Even louder screams could be heard as the guys began to enter. Sarah damn near burst my eardrum! A short fellow with crazy blonde and brown Mohawk and a bass came on. Followed by a buff guy with a sleeveless shirt and Aviators…I think that was Matt, he was always freakishly large. A tall lanky guy poised himself behind a monstrous drum kit. I remember him, how could I forget. Jimmy Sullivan used to run around with his blonde hair and those electric orange kimonos. A man with a black signature pinstripe guitar and messy spiked hair and ripped jeans entered. I knew that cocky shit Brian Ha-

“Holy Shit!! Synyster Gates!! I LOVE YOU!” Sarahyelled shrieked and he pointed at her and said in the mic, “I love you too.” She just about died. She grabbed my shoulder and started jumping up and down in hysterics.

“Oh my god, oh my god! Did you see that!!!” she yelled again smiling intensely.

Then he walked on stage. My breath caught in my throat and I couldn’t breathe…damn. He carried a black and silver signature guitar, black pants, a tight dress shirt and a black bowtie. His hair was slicked up in the front and he wore sunglasses covering his eyes. I gulped. He had gotten so much more attractive.

He took his glasses off and his eyes caught mine. He looked a bit surprised, but he smiled. Then he did something I knew he would never do before. He tossed his expensive ass, designer ass glasses in my exact direction. Out of reflex I caught them, and stared at them in my hands. Girls were screaming as I put them on my head. I looked back up at him and he smiled at me.

Whoa hold it Ana what’s going on here. You hate this man, these men.

“So good to be back in my home fucking town, Long Beach!” Matt yelled into the microphone. The crowd ate up all of their stage presence. He talked into the mic for a bit but I didn’t hear him because I was staring at that one guitarist. Suddenly I heard an organ start up into a little melody. Then heavy guitar riffs came crashing down on the arena and everyone started jumping.

Circle pits started immediately and the whole place was being shut down by these men. My eyes were glued on him almost the whole time. The way he moved so gracefully on stage and not even missing a note. He looked so happy and free, playing and running around on stage. He and Brian would occasionally start convos on the side, and whenever he would smile, my heart would jump. This wasn’t the raging asshole I used to know…was it.?

I’m glad he at least grew up. After a few songs I found myself really getting into the music. I was screaming and moshing with the best of them. For a bunch of assholes, they are really talented. A video soon popped up on two big screens. A girl was running and someone was chasing her. Soon an ear shattering scream was heard and an intense guitar and drum beat came on. It was such a dark song and it gave me the chills, but in the wrong kind of way. Something wasn’t right.

Caught up in this madness too blind to see. Woke animal feelings in me...

Something really wasn’t okay. My chest began to tighten and hurt, a bad heavy feeling settled in me. My fear amplified sevenfold. I felt like I was about to pass out.

“Ana are you okay?!” Sarah noticed and I shook my head no. The pain sharpened and I wanted to let out an ear shredding scream.

You know I make you wanna scream…

My vision began to blur as I watched Zacky move on stage, I was starting to get tunnel vision, everything was blackening. Just before I didn’t think it could get any worse.

Scream till there’s silence…

A gunshot resounded from far behind me and the feeling in my chest erupted and pain tingled through my body. I looked down, I wasn’t hurt, but why was I feeling this way?!

A scream of pain and terror came from the stage as the music stopped and everyone threw down what was in their hands. Zacky had a fresh bullet wound piercing his chest. Red was splattered and seeping through his clothes. He was screaming in agony as he started coughing up blood before dropping to the floor, but Syn caught him before he cracked his head open.

“Syn! Someone please! Don’t let me fucking die! Don’t let me fucking die like this!” He screamed clutching Syn’s shirt looking into his eyes as he screamed bloody murder. Tears fell from his pristine green eyes and mixed with blood.

“ZACKY!!” I screamed along with thousands of people, as tears flew down my face from the pain in my body and his. He lay, in his best friend’s arms, bleeding out on stage as everyone rushed to get him help. A paramedic came with a stretcher and they lifted him onto it. “Please, you gotta help him!” I heard from backstage.

“Zacky!” I cried out again except it was a raw and strangled noise that escaped my throat. My memory was flashing in front of my eyes, stopping at one specific day.

Die you piece of shit!
Rang clearly in my ears.

Die…
Die…
Die…

Oh my god...