The Dead Are Living

“Sooo where have you kids been?” he asked slowly and October swallowed hard.

“Out and about… around and about.” I said and pushed the door shut behind me.

“Oh really? Ange did you know that a .22 can blow someone’s head off at a close enough distance? If I find out that you violated my little girl in any way I will kill you.” he said and then we both just stood there in a stare off for a couple of seconds before all three of us were on the floor laughing so hard our chests hurt.

“So you really said it huh?” Mitch asked and poked Ricky with the tip of his boot. Ricky just kept laughing so hard tears were rolling down his face and nodded yes. “Can any of you still breathe at least?” he asked and we all shook out heads no. “Having one of those ‘I’m laughing so hard I look like a retarded seal moments?” we all nodded out heads yes. “Kuza please tell me you got that on the camera.” he chuckled and I looked up through my tears and saw Kuza smiling like a moron holding October’s black Nikon camera in his hands. She looked up and her eyes widened. She swallowed her laughter and shot off the floor tackling him. After me and Ricky pulled ourselves together we sat up and watched them wrestle for the camera.

“Be a good boy Kuza and give me the mother fucking camera.” she growled and shoved him onto his back and straddled his chest.

“Not on your life sweetheart.” he laughed and wiggled out from under her. She attacked him again and pinned his free hand behind his back while the one that held the camera stretched away from her. She wrapped her little arm around his neck and he yelped. “You know I have this little saying… if you’re gonna ride my ass at least pull my hair.”

“I would but I’m Angelo’s.” she snarled and lunged for the camera but he slipped free again and this time pinned her arms to the ground with his knees and pointed the camera in her face.

“Say hi to the camera October.” he laughed evilly and she hissed. I mean like a legit reptilian hiss. “I said say hi not give them your best impression of a xenomorph.”

“Help me here.” she growled at Mitch but he just laughed and shook his head. “But your supposed to protect me damn it.”

“From the dead.”

“Well Kuza will be dead as soon as I am out of this and then I will laugh and laugh and fucking laugh!”

“Can you at least fuck me first?” he asked with a cheeky grin. If I didn’t know Kuza as the flirtatious dumb ass he is I would’ve murdered him myself for saying that.

“Puhlease get off me.” she whined and tried to kick him.

“Mmm nope I think I’ll stay here.” he said and clicked his tongue. “I kinda like this view. And if not before then after maybe?”

“What in the hell is wrong with you?”

“I am one kinky son of a bitch.” he said and winked at her then turned the camera on himself. “Well whoever we show this to… Angelo is one lucky man. I can tell- hey stop kicking me or I wont move! October Green ladies and gents is a firey lady.” he said and saved the video. He tucked it into the front of her shirt and then ran to the bathroom and locked himself in there. She just sat in the same spot and looked at me, Ricky, and Mitch. She pointed one finger at us and growled.

“You are all fired.”

“And with that is it a good time to tell you that we need to go over to Chris’s place now? It is almost six am and the bus will be there at seven thirty.” Ricky said and clapped his hands. “I already got mine and Ange’s shit into the car while you two lover birds were out so we are set to go.”

“Is fuck face Kuza coming with?” she asked and glared at the bathroom door.

“Well yeah.” I said and rubbed the back of my neck.

“Hey Kuuuuuza!” she said in a loud voice. “You will be regretting this in the very near future got it?”

“You couldn’t hurt me.” he said and peeked his head out the door. “I’m to pretty and you love me and if you do I will show everyone the video.”

“Kuza darling… do you remember that one time you woke up bald?” she asked sweetly and his face twisted in confusion.

“No.”

“Well you will tomorrow.” she said in a dead serious voice and then heaved herself onto her feet and flipped Mitch off who just laughed and disappeared. She tried to walk past me but I caught her around the waist and held her against my chest. “I fired you Angel. Let go.” she grumbled.

“But I don’t want to.” I murmured in her ear and kissed her neck. “And you love me to much to fire me.”

“I hate it when people are right.” she grumbled. “But you’re right.”

“I know.” I laughed and kissed her quickly before releasing her. “Oh and October you are fucking hot when you’re pissed.”

“And under me.” Kuza said and walked out of the bathroom. I glared at him and he laughed.

“Our friends are…” October growled and clawed her fingers.

“Annoying, flirtatious, kinky, brainless, ingenious, and psychotic bastards but we love them all the same.” I said and pushed her out the door. “But we need to get to the head nutcase’s house because he has coffee and I know it. Remember when I told you I’m useless without my coffee? I meant it now move faster.”

“That’s what she said.” Kuza yelled from the top of the steps.

“Kuza we do have neighbors and we do have to come back here when the tour is over you obnoxious perv.” Ricky grumbled and locked the door behind him.

“Is he always like this?” October asked me as I got into the backseat with her.

“Uhuh and if you think he is bad wait until you meet drunk as fuck Kuza and then some of our friends… though I have the feeling you and Michael will get along great.” Ricky said and hopped down the steps and climbed in the driver’s seat. “Both of you have that ‘Fuck with me and I will rip your throat out’ vibe yet both of you are really cool to be around.”

“I do not act like I’ll rip people’s throats out.” she huffed indignantly and cuddled into my side. “I would never do that… it would ruin my shirt.”

“But you are wearing a plain black shirt.” Mitch pointed out and appeared on the floor.

“And?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “It wouldn’t be the shirt’s fault that the person was being a fuck face now would it?”

“You are such a freak.”

“Shuddup Casper before I get the salt out.”

“We already went over this Halloween.” he sighed. “And then you had to vacuum your entire place.”

“Halloween?” I asked.

“My name is October and so he calls me Halloween sometimes... a few people do.” she grumbled.

“What about the salt?” Kuza asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” she grumbled and closed her eyes.

“Well when she was freaking out when I was first able to appear to her she tried to salt me… that didn’t work to well for her.”

“Why did you try to salt Mitch?” I asked her.

“Because she watched to much Supernatural.”

“And now I don’t… because it is all lies.” she grumbled and snuggled closer. “Why watch drama when my life is full of it?”

True. Very true.

“Your life isn’t full of drama.” Mitch snorted.

“Uhuh is so. Girl gets beat up by boyfriend then a ghostly friend appears who is someone she looked up to but died. Moves away from home because the ghost says so. Meets front man of her favorite band gets offered a dream job. Meets dad turns out he is a demon. Falls for the drummer and then finds out he two is a demon and then they have a story book outing under the stars.” She says all in one huge breath. “That my friend would be a blockbuster and I live it.”

“Happy ending or no?” I asked.

“Ummm… if it were to be cheesy and cliché then they would live happily ever after but in reality if things are going good tragedy isn’t far behind and the couple is facing one hell of a road.” she said and captured a piece of my hair in her fingers. “But I hope the end isn’t to painful.”

“It wont be.” Mitch said but then I remembered what her father had said. His death was coming soon but Max’s was even closer. How would October react to losing her brother?

“What’s wrong Ange?” she whispered so only I could hear.

“Oh nothing just the pre-tour jitters.” I lied smoothly and she bought it but Kuza turned around and mouthed ‘liar’ so I flipped him off and he rolled his eyes. “How about you?”

“Just happy that the tour is starting up and I can take as many pictures as I want… where are we going to be putting these pictures?”

“There are a couple options.” I said and leaned my head back a little. “Facebook, Instagram, Tumbler, your page, or we could create a new website for you to put them on and call it something cool.”

“We should do the last option and have it be something about Warped tour behind the scenes pictures.” She said and smiled at the idea. “I’ll get releases from the other bands on tour.”

“What kinds of pictures?” Ricky asked.

“Um I dunno… not nudes or stuff like that.” she said and scrunched her nose.

“I think that is doable.” Mitch said. “What are we gonna do about ETF though?”

“If they-” Ricky started but October cut him off.

“We do nothing and let them make the first move.” she said calmly. “I am done being fucked with and if Craig wants to fight then this is war… and it isn’t one that I intend to lose. He knows about you Mitch so now he knows a weakness. He’ll find out about Angelo and there is another one. I know what he is like and when he finds anything out he zeros in on it and I will be damned before I let the motherfucker take control.”

“He wont be able to hurt us.” I said but she shook her head.

“Ange you guys don’t know him like I do.” she whispered. “He could hurt you or Kuza, or Ricky, or anyone we call family or friend. You guys know him but I know him on a personal level and he really doesn’t like losing but he lost me and he is pissed. Bottom line I wont let him fuck the life up that I have now. It wont happen.”

“You don’t have to be afraid anymore.” Mitch said softly and hovered his hand above her cheek.

“Yes I do. If I am not then I will underestimate him and he will win. If he wins then I am as good as dead. Mitch he almost killed me once. I have been lucky enough to escape that three times but my luck wont hold out forever and as much as I love you man I do not plan on me and Angelo joining you anytime soon.”

“Good because if you did I would have to kill you.”

“But I’d be dead.”

“You remember that thing on your facebook? The I’ll kill you so hard you die and then I’ll eat you picture?” he asked and they both laughed. “I can see you saying something like that to someone.”

“I did… to you when you tried to wake me up.”

“You threaten to eat people if they wake you up?” I asked and she nodded.

“Tip to the wise do not put your hands anywhere near my face because I will bite you.”