The Flood

I looked at the clock on the wall of the bus, it read 8AM.

Everyone else was asleep leaving the bus quiet except for the sound of soft breathing, snoring and Craig muttering in his sleep about a killer walrus.

I chuckled slightly, it had been three weeks and he still couldn’t look at walrus’s.

The day before Max, Craig and Bryan had been watching a show on Discovery about animals and they’d come to the mating rituals of the Walrus and Craig had turned pale and walked out of the room.

Eden was gone again, back to the Avenged bus but I don’t think that Bryan was missing her quiet as much as he usual would. Molly had become a fixture on our bus joining us for the tour. She was pretty cool and we loved seeing Bryan so happy.

I smiled to myself and went back to my laptop where I was messing around on the internet reading through a few stories on Mibba that I hadn’t been able to catch up on lately and things like that.

I heard movement from the back of the bus and Robyn came walking in.

“Good morning.” she yawned.

“Morning.” I said not looking up from my laptop.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Nothing really just scrolling through Mibba, FicWad, the usual sites. Watching vids on youtube.” I replied.

She nodded and took a seat across from me with a box of Coco Puffs.

I went to YouTube and typed in ‘Escape The Fate’ and hit enter. I went to the list of recent videos to see what the fans had made and things like that and my jaw dropped.

“Oh my fucking god.” I said.

“What?” Robyn asked.

“There’s a video of me getting beamed by Max!” I said.
“Really?” she asked getting up and joining me on the other side of the table.

I hit the play button and a few moments later a video of Max diving into me with his elbow began to play.

“That is ten times funnier than it was at the time.” I said.

“Why? Because you saw it from another angle or because it’s been over a year?” she asked.

“Both.” I replied.

“Hey there’s something that I need to-” Robyn began and then there was more movement as Max and Craig appeared from the bunks as well both in boxers and tousled hair.

“What were you saying?” I asked after we gave them a good morning but Robyn just moved so that Max could sit beside me. He put his arm around me and pulled me closer to him. I could never get enough of being close to him. I absentmindedly began to trace the star on his right forearm not really listening to the conversation just enjoying Max.

“So how long before we stop?” Robyn asked snapping me out of my haze.

“I don’t know. Hey Greg how long before we stop?” Craig asked the driver.

“About and hour and a half!” he replied.

“I think I’m going to get dressed.” I said and Max moved so I could get up.

I walked back to my bunk and began to sort through my clothes when I found a note that I’d taped to the bunk the night before ‘Life of a Walrus: 9:30 AM’ I smiled and checked my watch, 9:29. I had to hurry before someone else clamed the TV.

I walked back out and sat down on the couch.

“I thought you were getting dressed.” Max said.

“Yeah but then I remembered a show I wanted to watch.” I said.

They just shrugged and went back to their conversation. I turned on the TV and muted it so that no one else could hear it and turned it up high. I waited a few moments and turned it off mute just as a Walrus let out a mating call.

“Oh shit!” Craig said jumping a foot in the air and hiding under the table.

I of course was laughing my ass off by this time as were Robyn and Max. I had no idea that his reaction to the Walrus show would be that bad.

“You did that on purpose!” he said as he crawled from under the table.

“M-Maybe!” I said hardly able to get it out because I was laughing so hard.

Before I knew what was happening Craig had picked me up, thrown me over his shoulder and was carrying me through the bus.

“Put me down!” I said squirming in his grip.

For a guy that wasn’t much taller than me Craig had a pretty good grip.

“Nope.” he said and walked straight into the back room.

He tossed me onto the couch and ran out of the room and slammed the door. The was a ‘click’ and laughter. I got up and tried to open the door but it was locked and this door locked from the outside.

“Ha ha Craig very funny let me out now!” I said through the door.

“Nope! This is payback for the joke you just played on me and for the ambush at the BBQ!” he called back.

“This is over me getting you to propose?!? What the hell?” I asked.

“Payback’s a bitch honey!” he said and with that left.

I began to bang on the door, “Craigafer Mabbitt let me out of here!” I yelled.

I continued to beat at the door but got no response. It was only after my fists were sore and raw that I realized that the room was designed to be a practice room and was therefore sound proof.

“Shit!” I yelled and collapsed back on the couch that was shoved into the corner.

I was sure that they’d come and get me soon. I mean they didn’t expect me to stay here all day did they? I began to count the tiles in the ceiling.

“One…two…three…four…” I counted.

Somewhere around twenty five when I got cold. The room was small and the AC was on full force making me shiver. I looked around and found a hoodie of Robert’s. I grabbed it and pulled it on. I zipped it up and flopped back on the couch and before I knew it I was asleep.

I wasn’t sure how long I slept just that I had a crick in my neck from sleeping on the tiny ass couch. I glanced up at the clock on the wall it said 4:30. Seven hours? I had been stuck in this little ass room for seven hours? This was ridiculous! I got up and began to pound on the door again hoping to make some sort of noise. I guess I did because there were footsteps outside.

“Loran?” Came Bryan’s voice.

“Bryan let me out of here! Craig locked me in!” I said.

“What the fuck?” he said and there movement outside and the door swung open.

“Oh my god thank you!” I said and gave Bryan a huge hug avoiding Squeekums who was on his shoulder.

“How long were you in there? Why were you in there?” he asked.

“Seven hours! It was Craig’s little idea of payback.” I said and with that took off out of the bus.

I looked around. I saw Max and Molly playing with a soccer ball in a distant part of the parking lot and then I spotted who I was looking for. Craig was standing in a group with Robyn, Robert, Shayla and a guitar tech named Parson. I ran over to Craig and jumped on his back sending him to the concrete with me on top of him.

“Craig Edward Mabbitt you are so fucking dead! You locked me in that fucking tiny ass mother fucking room!” I said holding him in place on the ground.

“I can’t believe that you did that to me! Do you know what it’s liked to be locked in a confined space with no windows and no hope of getting out for seven hours!?! SEVEN HOURS CRIAG!!! I am going to murder you!” I said.

Suddenly someone was pulling me off of Craig.

“Let me go! I need to kill him!” I said fighting against Robert and Max who had a firm grasp on my arms.

“Loran you know you don’t want to kill Craig.” Max said.

“No I want to kill you and Robyn too! You knew what he did and you didn’t do a thing about it but I’m not going to hurt either of you! One because Zacharie needs her father and two because Robyn would rip my ass to shreds! So I’m going for the next best thing! The fucking mastermind!” I said still kicking to get away.

“Get her on the bus.” Robert said and together they dragged me on the bus and shut the door.

“Loran…Loran!” Max said taking a hold of my shoulders.

“What!?” I asked.

I had a temper, a bad one. It wasn’t as bad as Robyn’s and didn’t rear it’s head as often but when it did you’d better back the fuck off.

“You need to breathe. You cannot kill Craig. Do you know how hard it would be to find another lead singer?” Max asked trying to make a joke but I didn’t laugh.

“Max let me go. Please I won’t kill him I’ll just maim him a little.” I said trying to get by.

Max grabbed me and kissed me.

“What was that for?” I asked.

“Did it calm you down?” he asked.

“I want his blood.” I replied matter of factly.

He sighed and kissed me again, harder this time. Finally my body relaxed and he loosened his hold on me.

“Better now?” he asked.

“Just keep him out of my sight for a bit and we’ll be good.” I said.

“Fine.” he said and pulled his phone out.

After a few minuets on the phone he snapped it closed and sat down patting the couch beside him.

“We have a full two hours before Craig will show his face in here? Is that enough time for you to cool down?” he asked.

I nodded and leaned back against him.

“So why are you wearing Robert’s hoodie?” he asked.

I looked down at the GNR hoodie I wore. “It was cold as balls in there.” I said and he laughed.

“Cold as balls?” he asked.

“Yes cold as balls. It’s an expression dumbass.” I replied.

He opened his mouth to say something else when my phone began talking ‘Do It!’ it repeated in Zacky Vengeance’s voice signaling it was Eden. She loved Zacky doing that and had asked me to record him doing it for her ringtone.

“Sup?” I asked hitting the talk button.

“I have some news!” she said in a high pitched voice.

“What’s up babe? Oh my god wait did Zacky propose?” I asked.

“Nooo…” she said.

“Then what is it?” I asked.

“I’m pregnant!” she shrieked into the phone.

“Oh my god! Congratulations!” I said.

“What’s going on?” I vaguely heard Max ask but I was already out of the bus.

“SHAYLA!” I said running over to the first person I saw.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“Eden tell her!” I said hitting speaker phone.

“Vengeance Jr. lives!” she said.

“You’re pregnant! Holy shit! ROBYN!” Shayla screamed and we ran over to where Robyn stood.

Craig saw me running over and hid behind Robyn who rolled her eyes, “What’s going on? Who’s on the phone?” she asked.

“Eden’s pregnant!” I said.

“No way! Is this true?” Robyn asked looking at the phone.

“Yes Yekim I am pregnant.” Eden said with a laugh.

Now the three of us were holding the phone and shrieking and jumping up and down.

“Will someone please tell me what’s going on!?!” Max yelled coming up behind us.

“EDEN’S PREGNANT!” we all yelled at once.

“Really?” he asked.

“Yes!” Eden yelled through the phone.

“Okay what’s with all the yelling?” Bryan asked coming over Molly’s hand in his.

“Monte you’re going to be a godfather again and Molly get ready to be a god mother!” Eden said from the phone.

“What? You’re pregnant?” Molly asked.

“Ug! Yes!” Eden said with a exasperated but teasing yes.

“Congratulations Eden babe.” Bryan said taking the phone from Robyn’s hand.

“Thank you Bry-Bry.” she replied.

“Now that we’ve confirmed that I’m preggers let me just say I expect every single one of you to be at the birth or I will personally send Matt and Brian to kick the guys asses and Val and Michelle to kick the girls.” Eden said.

“Oh please like we’d ever miss the birth of the spawn of Knarf and Zacky Vengeance.” I said.

“Good. I love you guys!” she said.

“Love you too!” Robyn, Shayla and I chorused and hung up.

“Eden’s having a kid.” Robyn said after a few moments of silence.

“Weird isn’t it?” I replied.

“Yep.” Shayla said.

“Craig what are you doing?” Robert asked looking at his friend who was crouching behind Robyn.

“Hiding from Loran.” he said.

“Craig I’m not going to hurt you. You don’t have to worry.” I said with a smile.

“Really?” he asked.

“Yes.” I said.

“Okay.” he said and came out of behind Robyn.

“Now later….I can’t promise anything.” I said with a laugh.

“You can’t hurt him he’s got two kids to support!” Robyn said.

All heads turned to Robyn including Craig, “What did you say?” Craig asked.

“I said that you have two kids to support. I-I’m pregnant again.” Robyn said.

“You’re pregnant?” he asked.

“Yes I'm pregnant Craig! You knocked me up!” Robyn said.

“When did this happen?” Craig asked.

She gave him a ‘are you serious’ look and he shook his head, “I mean when did you find out?” he asked.

“This morning. I took a test and it’s positive.” she said.

“Oh my god! This is amazing!” Craig said and picked Robyn up and spun her around.

I smiled, two of my best friends were pregnant. Things were going well.