Hands of a Killer

[Austin's POV]

"Oh, fuck me!"

"I think I'd like that." I smirked, stretching.

It was morning, and after a night full of drinking and partying, a hangover was inevitable.

Alan had just woken up, regretting it the moment he opened his eyes.

"Shut up Austin!" he grumbled, pulling the blanket over his head.

"Don't be like that." I murmured, kissing his exposed forehead.

He muttered something about never drinking again, which caused a laugh to escape my lips.
Alan?
Not drink again?
It was a rarity if he performed a show completely sober.

Ruffling his red-orange hair, I climbed out of the coffin-like bunk and padded into the small bathroom.
There was barely enough room to stand in here, but the designers had still jammed a shower into it.

Pulling out the Aleeve from the awkwardly placed cabinet, I found a sealed water bottle and headed back to Alan.

"Take this Love." I suggested, shaking out two of the blue gel pulls into the palm of his hand.

"Thanks Austin."

"You really shouldn't drink so much babe." I chuckled. "You're horrible at dealing with these hangovers."

"Shut up."

Kissing his cheek, I left him alone for the second time in search for food.

Phil and Tino were watching a movie on the DVR in the front room, eating the contents of their To Go boxes from Applebee's last night.

"Austin!" Phil greeted me, when I appeared in their sight.

"Morning." I hummed, opening the small fridge in the kitchenette.

"How's Alan?" Tino smirked, knowing the aftermath of his drinking.

"Acting like a teenage girl on her period." I called out, loud enough for Alan to hear.

"I heard that!"

"I know!" I laughed, returning my attention to the cooler.

There was a carton of orange juice, some leftover pizza from yesterday's lunch, and another To Go box.
That box belonged to Daniel, our tour manager, so I couldn't touch that.
Knowing Alan, he wouldn't eat the pizza because it was already a day old.

"There's some doughnuts in the cabinet, if they're good enough for the Princess." Phil called out, laughing.

Speaking of him, Alan trudged into the room with a tired and miserable expression on his face.
His unkempt hair was sticking in every direction.

"Someone said doughnuts." he yawned, wrapping the blanket tighter around his shoulders."Where?"

"Right here." I announced, finding them near the microwave. "Do you want coffee too?"

"Please."

Nodding, I poured two mugs from the pre-made pot.

"Dude, you are so whipped." Tino smirked, throwing away his empty box.

"No, I'm not." I defended myself, stealing a bite from the chocolate doughnut in Alan's hand.

"My food!"

"What do you call it then?" Phil asked, watching as I placed an apology kiss on Alan's forehead.

"I call it, I'm completely in love with him and I'd do anything for him."

Alan blushed, staring down at the table.

"Come on now." I cooed, hooking my fingers under his chin. "I want to see those pretty eyes of yours."

"Fine."

"How's the headache?" I asked, sorting out the kitchenette.

I couldn't stand when it was a mess; it's the only reason our bus wasn't ever trashed.

"It's going away, but I don't feel like doing anything today." Alan admitted, purposely brushing crumbs to the floor.

"Let's stay in them." I decided, sending him a glare. "We'll cuddle in the back room and watch movies together."

"Okay." he smiled, reaching up to kiss my lips.

Getting up, he led me to the back room where a giant flat screen was set up in the corner of the room, facing a sofa bed.
Putting a random DVD into the player, we curled up under Alan's blanket and let the opening credits begin to play.

The main character was beginning to speak, when Phil called me out front.

"I'll be right back love." I promised, placing a kiss to his cheek.

"What's up?" I asked, walking to him.

The front door was wide open, Mitch and Danny standing in the walkway.

"Austin!" Danny smiled, offering a hug. "Let's explore the town, yeah?"

"I'd love to!"

"Get dressed fucker!" Mitch hurried. "We want to leave soon."

"What's going on?" Alan yawned, appearing from the back.

"Mitch and Danny wanted me to hang out." I answered awkwardly, remembering our plans.

"I thought we were going to watch movies all day..." Alan pouted, shuffling his feet.

"We were! Are!" I stuttered.

"Take a nap Ashby." Danny suggested. "It'll help the hangover, and he'll be back before you wake."

"How come you don't have a hangover?" I asked suddenly, bemused by Danny's infallible cheeriness.

"You can't get a hangover if you don't stop drinking." Danny shrugged, showing off a bottle of whiskey.

"Good point."

"What's going on..." Alan whined, dragging out the N.

"We could hang out tomorrow?" I suggested, questioning the idea more than suggesting.

"We'll be in a different town then!" Mitch pointed out, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his skinny jeans.

"Go hang out with your friends." Alan decided, turning around. "I think I'm going to take a nap after all."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." he sighed. "We'll finish the movie tonight or something."

"I'll take you out for ice cream as soon as I get back." I promised.

"Deal."

Locking myself in the compacted bathroom once more, I changed from the wife beater and basketball shorts into an Aspire & Create tank and a pair of black skinny jeans.
It was cold out, so I added a beanie and returned to Mitch and Danny.

Slipping into a hoodie, I followed them off the bus and towards the main road of the town.

"What are we doing?" I asked, falling into step with them.

Danny was walking in the middle, Mitch and I flanking.

"Whatever seems fun." Danny shrugged, taking a sip of the clear liquid.

"Is it a good idea to be drinking?" I asked, looking around us.

"Yes?"

"If you get in trouble, I'm laughing." Mitch informed him, reminding us that most places had a law against public intoxication.

"Come in now! I'm not drunk!"

"Yet."



After running into a couple fans, we found a Wal-Mart and decided to look around.
There was nothing else to do here anyway.

"It's a Super Center!" I called out in awe, glancing around the giant enterprise.

Danny gave me a look that signified he thought I was insane before walking towards the office supplies section.

"Why the fuck are we here?" Mitch wondered, taking in the array of sticky notes and highlighters.

"Didn't you know?" Danny muttered. "It's what all the badass rockers do."

"Shop for pencil sharpers?" I asked, looking at the packages of eight.

A shudder ran down my spine as I remembered the collection Alan used to own, months ago when he was addicted to this shit.

"Yes!" Danny announced, picking up a Disney Princess-themed stationary kit. "Does this one go with my eyes?"

"Hmm." I considered, taking in the pink rose detailing on the pencil. "I think you're better off with the The Little Mermaid one."

"Dude, Ariel is fucking hot." Mitch laughed, picking up a coloring book with her picture on the cover. "I would fuck her."

"Really now?" I smirked, leafing through a blank notebook.

"When she's human of course!"

"Oh, I thought you were into that kinky fish thing." Danny sighed, putting back the stationary set.

"Danny!" Mitch laughed, slapping him.

"Does Jolie know about this?" I asked, attempting to keep a serious face.

"Yes." Mitch replied, just as seriously. "Why do you think she won't let me have a pet goldfish?"

"Oh my god!"

"Oh my fucking god." Danny screamed, before facing the few bystanders. "That's from my first song, The Final Episode. Asking Alexandria; go check them out, sexy bastards!"

Yeah.
"You should promote your own band in the middle of Wal-Mart, wouldn't you?" I asked, watching him.

"Jealous that I came up with such a great idea for publicity?"

"No."

"Psh, I know you are." Danny waved me off, facing Mitch. "Don't worry, I know who my real friends are."

He patted Mitch on the back, who just shook his head and stepped back as if he didn't know us.

"My question was never answered..." Mitch trailed off, locking gazes with Danny.

"What?"

"Why the fuck are we in the aisle meant for office supplies? What need do you have for travel-sized staplers?"

"The regular one wouldn't fit in my suitcase!"

"Are you fucking serious?" Mitch demanded, putting a miniature stapler in Danny's hand.

"No, but I could use this." Danny decided, pocketing the cherry red contraption. "I can shoot staples at Ben when he's asleep. It's like a palm sized weapon!"

"You're impossible." I muttered, choosing to ignore the fact that it was now hidden in the crevices of his leather jacket.

"In all seriousness, I needed a notebook..." Danny sidetracked, looking at the collection of spiral-bound pages.

"Are we trying to tell me, we've been standing here for fifteen minutes because you wanted a stupid notebook?" Mitch breathed, shoving a bright blue journal in his hands. "We could've done something cooler!"

"Like what?" I mused, following Mitch away from the office supplies.

"I don't know!"

Danny was still standing in front of the pads of paper, searching carefully through the printed covers.

He had taken out the bottle of whiskey from its hiding place in his jacket sleeve and unscrewed the top.
Taking another tasteful sip, he waved us over.

"What?" I asked sweetly. "Do you need help searching for the right crayons too?"

"No. I just need cover."

Standing in front of Danny, we waited while we quickly downed the contents of the bottle in the safety of our shadow.

"Do you think they'd mind if I left this here?"
Danny wondered, capping the glass and hiding it behind a box of Manila folders.

"I guess we'll see." Mitch muttered, taking our hands and pulling us to the aisle over.

"Magazines!" Danny slurred, taking in the wall of glossy pictures.
He went through the booklets, finding the most recent issue of Revolver.

"Look guys! It's me and my sexy boyfriend, Ben!"

His words ran together with alcohol, making it nearly impossible to understand with his English accent.

"He's not your boyfriend." I reminded him, looking at the cover.
They were wrapped in Christmas lights.

"Fuck you, yes he is!"

"Danny, he's engaged to Sam." I laughed, prying the magazine from his hands.

"Sam." Danny smirked. "Sam is fucking Cam."

"Seriously?" Mitch asked, bewildered.

"Boy Sam is, at least. Girl Sam is fucking my boyfriend."

"Oh." I nodded, understanding. "Wait, what?"

"They're in love." Danny sighed. "But they can't see it."

"Anything else going on in the love life of Asking Alexandria?" Mitch asked, putting an arm around Danny's waist for support.
The drunkard was practically falling over himself.

Danny nodded before answering. "Sam and Cam are gay and in love; heart attacks waiting to happen."

"That's not how the song goes..." I mused, thinking of the Bring Me The Horizon lyric.

"I don't give a shit!" Danny yelled loudly, catching the attention of the people nearby.

"Anyway! Ben is cheating on me with his fiancé and James has a new girlfriend!"

"Cassells? The epitome of one night stands?"

"Yes!" Danny laughed, surprised with the information as well. "Her name is Allyson!"

We were walking near the jewelry counter, looking at the displays of glittering gems.

"What about you Mitch?" I asked, leaning against the glass case. "How's Jolie and Kenadee?"

"Jolie is doing great!" Mitch smiled, eager to talk about his family. "Kena is getting to be so big! I'm hoping she can spend a day with us when we're closer to home."

"I'd love that." I agreed, thinking of the blonde-haired angel that was Mitch's daughter.

"Let's go!" Danny hiccuped, leading us towards the food aisle.
He was literally stumbling over himself, trying to keep himself upright.

"God damn Danny. How much did you drink?" I asked, watching his gait.

"Where's the alcohol?" Danny pouted, looking at the shelves of drinks.

"They can't have it out in the open..." Mitch reminded him.

"That's fucking messed up! They should have it out here where people can see it!"

"I know."

Arguing against Danny was pointless right now. He was incredibly stubborn, sober.

Looking at the notebook in his hands, he threw it against the cases of soda. "I can't write if I don't have a pencil." he grumbled, staring intently at the ground.

"Excuse me gentlemen, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave." a voice sounded.

A tall man with thick black hair and round glasses was standing in front of us, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Why?" Danny whined, leaning against Mitch for support.
He was seriously fucking drunk.

"We don't tolerate public intoxication in this store." the man informed us. "I'd like you to leave the premises, or I'll have to contact the proper authorities."

"I think it's time we take you back to the bus." I decided, checking the time.
We had wasted almost two hours inside the store anyway, and I was starving.

"Fine! Is this how you treat all the celebrities that walk into your store?" Danny demanded. "Kick them out for having fun? Live a little, Grandpa!"

The man didn't reply, instead following us towards the automatic door.

It didn't surprise me when an alarm started going off the second Danny stumbled through the arched doorway.

"Fuck, the stapler." I muttered, wanting to face palm.

A burly man with a thin mustache appeared behind the one I presumed to be the manager.
"If you don't mind..." he muttered, patting down Danny.

Great.
We're going to get in trouble over a fucking stapler! It wasn't even worth a dollar!

I should've known.
From Danny's pockets came a small black box, covered in soft velvet.

Opening the case, it revealed a gold ring perched on a bed of satin.
It was a simple engagement band, set with small diamonds and rubies.

"Is it too late to pretend we don't know him?" Mitch whispered, stepping away from Danny.

"Fuck you!" Danny yelled, the alcohol clearly in effect. "That was for my boyfriend! How am I supposed to win him back if you take that from me?!"

We were herded into a small room, where a policeman was standing guard.
Shit.
With a sigh, I pulled out my phone and discreetly made a call.

"Daniel?" I whispered, when my tour manger answered. "We're going to need a little...a lot of help here."



"Thank you." Daniel sighed, shaking the officer's hand. "I'm so sorry for the this."

"I don't want to see them in this store again!" the manager warned.

It's not like it mattered. We were on tour; we wouldn't be back for awhile.

"Of course!"

Suicide Silence's tour manager was here too; Zack had been able to talk Mitch's way out of trouble.
Kyle, Asking Alexandria's manager, had been able to convince the store to drop any charges on Danny for shoplifting, with the promise that they'd never return.

Halfway through this argument, Danny had proclaimed he wasn't leaving unless he could keep the ring.
It had to be paid of course; all three hundred dollars worth.

"You're fucking lucky you weren't really apart of this." Daniel whispered menacingly in my ear, dragging me out of the store.

Danny, Mitch, Zack, and Kyle followed closely behind.
Kyle was fucking pissed.

We were almost to Daniel's car when Danny stopped, hunched over, and threw up all the alcohol in the middle of the parking lot.

"Fucking hell." he muttered, sobering up a little.

We were silent on the drive to Denny's, where the rest of the crew was having lunch.

When we reached the restaurant, the three of us fell into step and smirked.
It was just another day for us, and this one would go on our Top Ten for sure.

Reaching the group of tables that had been pushed together, we headed towards a cluster of empty seats.

Someone pulled on my jacket sleeve when I walked past.
Alan.

"I heard about your little adventure." he seethed, glaring at me.

"Oh, yeah?" I smirked, watching his reaction.

"I hope it was worth almost going to jail for. I can't believe you'd do something so, so stupid!"

"Believe me, it was." I laughed, taking a seat between Mitch and Danny.