Black Veil Brides Vampire

Jon was the first to find the slaughtered rockers, two barely clinging to life, one dead, and the other two dazed and unresponsive before the police and paramedics arrived.

They couldn’t seem to get what happened out of the traumatized band mates, not from CC and Jake who were the only mostly coherent ones for a time, and not from Jinxx or Ashley after they came to in the hospital. It wasn’t that they couldn’t remember what happened, it was that no one would believe them. The cops had even questioned Jon, who had been out at the time, and interrogated him about the murder of Andrew Biersack; they thought that maybe he had done it. But after two polygraph tests, it was clear Jon had no idea what or how it happened.

The rockers occasionally talked about what happened amongst themselves, except for one guitarist in particular who hadn’t said a word since. Not even to his worried parents.

Jake had kind of recovered from whatever it was that had happened to him mentally, but whenever he closed his eyes, he saw the attack play out again except...the hooded figure was different.

It wasn’t even human. It looked alien. Its brownish-gray skin was stretched thinly over mangled bones, its back badly hunched. Its ears were pointed and its teeth were jagged, two longer canines protruding from nearly non-existent lips. It had no distinctive physical characteristics in the face other than a large oval-shaped head, a mouth full of sharp teeth and two red pits for eyes set deep into its skull. It was also sickly thin, standing at six feet at its max even with its hunch.

It appeared to be the type of creature that walks on all fours rather than two feet, but that one had managed just fine. It was vaguely humanoid but it just wasn’t human.

The pain inside his head had since subsided, but he saw things differently now. He saw...strange things. He was often looking around, watching things intently with his brows knit tight together. He refused to speak about it with anyone; Not the attack, not what he was seeing. He was completely unresponsive. Not even his fiancée could get a word out of him.

Jake was now seeing strange glowing lights around people, around everyone. They were never the exact same colors, but that wasn’t what freaked him out – entirely. One instance in particular was just one day after the attack and he was staring out the window of his hospital room when he saw a woman walk across the street.

The colors around her had began darkening with each step closer to the walkway until they turned to gray and black, alternating between the two in a dark water color-like mix. Then, a speeding bus came flying around the corner and...

She died on impact.

That’s when Jake started freaking out.

He hadn’t said a word after that.

Ashley was suffering with his own problems. The monster’s claws had ripped up the muscles in his shoulders pretty bad even though he hadn’t really felt much until the adrenaline wore off. He was put on medication and given some pills to help build back the muscle that was destroyed, but the doctor said it would be a while before he could play again – if at all. It was quite a blow to the bassist. The wounds to his chest would require several weeks of rehabilitation, but nothing too important had been damaged otherwise.

Jinxx had suffered severe blood loss by the time he had gotten rushed to the hospital, but he was due to make a full recovery. He was lucky their attacker hadn’t slammed him against the wall hard enough to cause a concussion, but hell if he didn’t have the worst bump on his head. He had decided it was better than dying and counted his blessings for that. But how many were really left now? At least he had his wife, Sammi Doll to be there for him.

CC had possibly been the luckiest out of this entire situation. The four stab wounds had gone straight between major arteries and missed his heart by mere centimeters. They had punctured his breastbone, but nothing severe that couldn’t be reversed. He wasn’t sure whether he should be relieved or not. His brothers had all gotten so much worse...

Jake’s wounds weren’t nearly as bad, but he had needed stitches for the worst of the gashes across his chest. It wasn’t even comparable to the mental damage he was certain he suffered, somehow. He thought he had an aneurism or something that would cause him to see the things he saw, but he hadn’t known the half of it.

Andy hadn’t survived his wounds. The doctors assumed he had drowned in his own blood, but the time of death didn’t add up with the assumption. His heart had stopped beating before he could suffocate.

However, there was wild theories being thrown around in a different sect of professionals – the police. Since no one could give them a suspect or even saw what happened besides the five men who had experienced the attack, one of which was dead and the other four were refusing to speak about it, the detectives who were assigned the case were left scratching their heads.

All that was left at the scene of the crime was a pile of ash that was still being tested by forensics. Not even the knife and glass shard that had been claimed to have been used to stab the aggressor hadn’t any trace of DNA that belonged to anyone but the ones who had used them.

It had been thrown around a couple times that maybe it was a band dispute that resulted in death, but there was no proof any such thing had happened. They were left with no leads and no evidence. The only hint that someone had attacked them were the injuries the band members had received themselves.

In the office of one of the detectives, a forensics scientist burst through the door in a rush of urgency.

The man turned around to face the woman in the lab coat, holding a manila folder.

“Dr. Steele?” The detective was about to scold her on the discrepancies in her manners and lack of knocking when the woman spoke before he could get a word out.

“The ash found at the scene of the band attack has some bizarre properties the chief is going to want to see. Where is he?” Dr. Steele rushed out.

The ash was quite strange indeed...like that of a cremated corpse. But why? How?

The band, or what was left of it, wasn’t sure what to do. Their singer was dead and their hearts broke at the knowledge of having to tell the fans. It had been bad enough having to face Andy’s parents the days following the attack.

Amy and Chris Biersack were devastated by the news, but they didn’t know how to help the rest of their son’s band. The four men stunned and shaken at the hospital were also like family, but what was there to say?

Amy said her prayers for her son and took the pause after to think. She wanted her child to be comfortable in the afterlife – if it existed, but that was part of the teachings of her religion. Good people go to heaven. Although Andy wasn’t exactly what you’d call “religious” or “holy”, Amy knew he was a good man and thought God would see that too. She knew He wouldn’t punish a good soul just because of Andy’s lack of faith. It just wasn’t how God was supposed to work. God was good, right?

“Take care of my son...” She whispered under her breath, fighting back unbidden tears.

She didn’t want to cry, it wasn’t what Andy would want.

Amy tuned back in to the conversation her husband was having with CC and Jinxx, who were up and moving even though Jinxx wasn’t technically supposed to be.

“Maybe we could hold off announcing it until after the funeral?” Jinxx suggested solemnly.

“And how long will that take? A week?” CC estimated the time it would take to get a funeral together for Andy. “Two weeks?”

“It doesn’t really matter how long it takes, as long as its done right.” Chris wasn’t looking forward to burying his child, your kids are supposed to bury you, not the other way around. But he also wanted to be able to honor his son’s memory in the only way that was left.

“You think he’ll like a black coffin with ‘Black Veil Brides’ across it?”

“Do we have to talk about this now?” Amy turned to face her husband.

“If not now, then tomorrow.” Chris told her. “If not tomorrow, then when?”

“That’s not what I meant, I just can’t right now...” She walked towards the doors.

“I think a Black Veil Brides coffin is good,” CC agreed a bit awkwardly.

“Look, Amy’s right, we’ll... We’ll talk about this later, when everyone’s had some time to think and let it sink.” Chris hurried after his wife, leaving Jinxx and CC to their own devices.

“Black Veil Brides coffin is good, right?” The drummer turned to Jinxx, who couldn’t quite smile back but nodded instead.

***

A Black Veil Brides coffin, it was.

They buried Andy in a cemetery in Ohio six days later with the joint efforts of the remaining Brides and Andy’s extended family.

It was a traditional Catholic funeral, if only for the sake of the religious sect of the Biersack-Flanders family, and the young rock star was laid to rest in the afternoon light in a large black coffin with the BVB star on the front.

As a small twist Ashley, Jinxx and CC (and Jake would’ve surely been involved as well had he been at all social) had thought of to surprise Andy’s parents, an old Black Veil Brides banner was folded like the American flag for a war veteran and delivered to Amy in the shape of a pristine triangle.

She accepted it and burst into tears, hugging the folded banner tight to her chest. Chris wrapped a protective arm around his wife and held her close.

Your kids are supposed to bury you, you aren’t supposed to bury your kids...

And yet, there they were, watching the sleek black coffin being lowered into the ground.

As the service ended with a parting prayer, and all the attendees went home to solemnly celebrate the short life of the one they lost, night fell over the graveyard, and two forms who had blended into the surroundings during the day were now stirring into action as the full moon hovered overhead. The fog was rolling in.

There were several candles lit around a newly placed headstone, one bearing the name Andrew Dennis Biersack. The flames jump and shook before going out.

“Nasty things...” An older male voice rasped about the candles.

“Afraid of a few little sparks, old man?” A younger female voice mocked amusedly.

A rough growl sounded from somewhere in the darkness.

The female sighed boredly.

Neither of the entities the voices belonged to were visible to the human eye, but an animal might be able to smell them.

One scent in particular, that of forest trees, a touch of soil and a hint of lilac came from the massive oak tree hanging over the freshly dug grave. And a second scent, one of the metallic variety smelled vaguely of copper and maybe a pinch of salt water.

“How long now?” The woman asked from the leaves in the tree.

A tall figure stepped out of the growing fog and approached the grave. It was a man with strong facial features including a short gray beard going around his mouth and covering his chin in a neat square. He had very broad shoulders and appeared to pack quite a bit of muscle under his shirt. For an older gentleman, he was certainly striking in a white button-up and black pants, finishing with a slick black belt and combat boots designed to kick ass.

“It’s the eighth day as of...” The man looked up at the sky and paused, “Now.”

The foliage rustled overhead and a lean figure jumped from the branches, landing on the toes of blood red stilettos on the top of the headstone. Shoulder-length brown hair bounced and swayed around a strictly feminine face as her body came to a halt.

She was definitely quite a few years younger than the man accompanying her, thirty at her oldest. Her petite frame was covered with a black tank top matched with a red jacket and tight charcoal jeans.

“Should we dig?” She asked eagerly.

“Oh, but you might break a nail...” The older man ridiculed.

The woman scoffed, peeking at her perfectly crimson nails.

“Then, why don’t you dig? I am the lady after all.” She retorted sassily.

“You’re a pain, is what you are.” He returned with the jaded demeanor so many adults acquired.

“And you’re a bitter old bastard,” She stood on the gravestone and jammed her hands into the curve of her hips.

“Dig.” He ignored her and knelt before the fresh dirt.

Five claws formed on his hand as the woman stepped off the headstone to join him.

She sighed as he began scooping soil off the pile. “Isn’t this what shovels are for?”

“You wanna go find one and let the Ghoul dig itself out to run rampant like the others?”

She didn’t respond, instead choosing to stare after the man with a hard expression.

Six feet below the arguing duo, a pair of cerulean eyes shot open as a desperate intake of air filled abused lungs.

Andy immediately tried to sit up, but just banged his head on the top of his coffin. Confusion was the first thing to register in his mind, that and the fact that he couldn’t open his mouth.

His hand flew to his lips as his tongue did the same.

A row of stitches sealed his mouth shut.

Every horror movie he’d ever seen flashed before his eyes. A panicked sound muffled by the stitching escaped his throat.

He quickly began beating on the lip of the coffin, trying in vain to get out.

Andy wasn’t entirely certain what had happened, his memories were blurry and unclear, but he knew he was trapped in a small box just big enough to fit him. Besides that, his lungs burned with the lack of oxygen as the last of the air sealed in the tiny box was used up in his panic.

Death wasn’t on his agenda but all seemed lost.

“Ready...?” A woman’s voice whispered above Andy’s head through the wood.

If he’d realized how thick the coffin was, he’d have known it wasn’t humanly possible to be able to hear a voice that low so clearly.

Then again, fear and panic tends to blind common sense and overall intellect.

Andy stopped moving at the sound, surprised.

He wasn’t sure whether he should be trying to scream for help or be worried. For all he knew, she and whoever else was with her could’ve been the reason he was stuck in a box in the first place.

Before he had time to fully process the decision, the coffin lid swung open and four clawed hands reached down and grabbed him.

Of course Andy struggled and fought for his life until it became apparent the hands were just holding him still at this point.

The brunette gaped at the man she’d just pulled out of the coffin, brown eyes wide with shock. The older man was just as stunned.

“Beck...?” The woman’s voice cracked uncertainly.

“I...” Beck, the older man, had no idea what to tell her.

“It... He-he’s... He’s not...” The woman blinked furiously as if her eyes were deceiving her.

Andy would’ve been asking them what was going on had he been able to open his mouth to speak.

Beck released his grip on Andy and leaned back with a troubled sigh.

“But...but he was bitten by a Ghoul!” The woman cried in disbelief, also releasing her grip.

Andy fell back into the coffin, now taking notice of the red padding on the inside.

“Great, now we’re stuck with him...” Beck closed his eyes in thought.

“Our own little fledgling?” The woman seemed to perk at the idea.

Beck just groaned, rolling his eyes.

“Mh?” Andy mumbled through the stitches, more confused than ever.

“Oh!” The woman’s disposition changed like flipping a switch. She now beamed at Andy with excitement.

“I’m Alice, and this is Beck! We kind of just grave-robbed you, but we thought you would turn into a Ghoul instead of a Vampire so, we were supposed to kill you.” The brown-haired Alice explained cheerily.

Beck shook his head.

“You are...” Alice turned to look at the headstone, “Andrew!”

Andy made a few muffled attempts at conversation – some of which would’ve amounted to several cuss words and “you’re fucking crazing”, ending with him clawing at his mouth and releasing a frustrated growl – much to his surprise.

“Oh, here,” Alice drew the claw on her index finger and lowered it to Andy’s mouth.

He saw the sharp object coming at his face and immediately freaked out.

“Mm!” He jumped away from her claw and made a feeble attempt to escape, but only succeeded at getting forced back down by Beck.

“Don’t move...” Alice soothed, gently hooking her claw at the edge of his lips and cutting straight through the stitches. But she accidentally ripped the opposite cheek a bit.

“Sorry,” She apologized as Andy covered his bleeding mouth protectively with his hands.

“It’s a good thing you’re not a doctor,” Beck scorned, relieving the pressure on Andy’s shoulders.

Alice glared back at the older man.

Andy paused upon feeling a tingling sensation around the torn skin. It lasted several seconds and when it stopped, he removed his hands and stared at the drying blood on them. He gingerly wiped his thumb over his mouth but found no more red fluid. Or at least, he assumed it was red since it was too dark to see clearly.

“You should probably take those out,” Alice suggested, poking at the broken stitching.

Andy slapped her hand away distrustfully and began pulling at the previously mentioned stitches.

The same tingling returned with each painful stitch he removed, but little blood was drawn.

“So,” Alice started curiously, “What’s with the weird pentagram?”

“Huh?” Andy looked up at her in confusion, glad to be able to speak.

“On here!” She knocked on the open lid of the coffin. Andy hadn’t a clue what she was talking about.

“There’s some weird thing on the front.” Beck clarified simply.

Andy pulled out the last of the stitches, relieved at being free of that pain in the ass. Now, he had to deal with these two.

“’Weird thing on the front’. Got it.” He rose a bit stiffly and swayed slightly on his feet. It seemed his family had the mortician dress him in all of his black leather and studded glory. He may have taken a pause if that thought had ever crossed his mind, but no one really wants to think about someone handling your naked body after you die.

“Well, I’m not sure what happened; I don’t care what happened. I’m leaving.” Andy barely got both feet out of the coffin when Alice slammed shut behind him.

He swung around in surprise and froze at the sight of the gold Black Veil Brides insignia carved into the wood. That’s also when the shape of the box became clear to him.

He’d been buried in a coffin... No, he died and was buried like a dead man. But with his band forever tattooed on his death bed – literally.

He hadn’t even noticed when Beck came up behind him.

“So what’s it mean?” Alice questioned again, knowing Andy wasn’t going anywhere now.

“It’s not a pentagram...” He replied quietly.

Alice looked back down at the star.

“It’s my band...” Andy finished.

“Band?” Beck’s voice startled him. Andy hadn’t expected the older man to get so close, much less appear behind him like that.

“Shit, don’t do that!” Andy breathed, placing a hand on his chest and feeling his heart beating erratically.

Something disturbed him more than Beck’s close proximity, though. With how close he had been, Andy should’ve been able to feel him breathing down his neck, but he hadn’t even felt the other man’s presence shift.

“BVB?” Alice finally saw the difference, unfazed by whatever the men were doing. She was too busy focusing on the weird star.

“Uh, yeah,” Andy was reluctant to take his eyes off Beck, but he didn’t trust either them very much at this point. However, he decided he was more worried about Alice and her uncoordinated talons.

“It stands for Black Veil Brides.” He explained to her.

“Oh.” Alice said satisfied with the knowledge.

“Yeah, so can I go now?” Andy was tempted to make a run for it as it was clear Beck wasn’t going to just let him walk away, but before that he thought of something else bothering him. “Or better yet, how about you tell me what the hell is happening?”

“We can do the last one!” Alice shot up from her crouched position in front of the coffin.

“What about the first one...?” Andy’s eyes narrowed.

Alice ignored him.

“Well, how do I put this lightly...?” She thought passively.

Beck interjected before Alice could finish her train of thought.

“You’re a vampire.”