No Mercy

The guys of Asking Alexandria had to perform that day, pretending that nothing wrong had happened, just so that the kids would not panic. However, after their show, they were informed of new curfew and bus call rules and the After Hours parties were put on hold until the investigation was over. Even though these rules dampened the spirit of many bands, most were understanding and did not protest.

In the dining tent later that day, Danny and Ben found themselves and a still-emotional Kellin Quinn being stared at from every direction. Several groups of people gossiped in poorly disguised whispers.

"It's rude to fucking stare," Danny called out loudly, causing several people to hurriedly look down and take great interest in their hamburgers. He turned back to Ben and Kellin and continued listening to Kellin’s story about how his wife and daughter had just left the night before.

“Well obviously the person who did it wasn't targeting you guys. It was our merch girl they attacked. And who knows, maybe they got the wrong bus,” Ben shrugged, taking a swig of some beer. "But let’s stop talking about it."

"Well, I'm gettin' back to the bus," Danny said, standing up. "Stay cool, mate," he directed towards Kellin. "Come on, Ben. Buddy system rule, remember?" He said in a mocking tone. Ben smirked and joined Danny as they walked to the other side of the tent and without a second thought plopped themselves on to Of Mice & Men's table, not particularly caring if they made a mess.

"Hey guys," Ben said, waving.

"I'm so sorry about your merch girl," Austin said as reached around Danny’s ass to bring his plate closer to him. "That's so awful."

"Thanks," Danny said as he reached onto Austin's plate and grabbed a handful of his fries. At this point, Austin was clearly annoyed, but masked it well due to his concern for his friends. He could only imagine how they felt right now.

Just then, the attention of the entire dining tent was drawn to the group that was entering. Everyone immediately stopped talking and stared as Black Veil Brides made their way in. Andy strode over to their table immediately, his blue eyes flashing in immediate irritation at anyone who drew their attention to him. Ashley followed him, clearly too aggravated to care about his surroundings.

"Someone's not very happy," Danny mocked. One glowering look from the other singer and he grew more serious. "What kept you guys so long? Dinner's nearly over."

"The fucking cops think it's one of us," Andy said, his low voice turning into a growl as he glared accusingly at Danny and Ben. "I was with them all last night, my band didn't touch that girl."

"Whoa," Ben said as he furrowed his brow. "We never said you did, the only thing that was said about you was that James saw you guys talking to her," Ben shifted out of an annoyed Alan's plate before continuing. "I'm sure it's just standard investigation procedures or some shit... right?"

"I wouldn't know, because it’s the first time I've ever been a SUSPECT in a fucking murder investigation," Andy spat.

"Calm down, they're going to figure out it wasn't you guys," Danny said as he grabbed another fry off Austin's plate. Austin snatched his plate away from Danny and placed it out of his reach. Danny smirked at him, diving for the plate of food, but Austin shoved him off the table much to the amusement of the people surrounding them. Danny laughed with them while straightening himself up.

"Yeah? They want to talk to us again later. And take our fingerprints," Ashley said angrily. "Can you guys stop fucking around for five minutes?! This is serious shit!"

"We know that, our merch girl is dead," Ben said defensively.

"Well you guys sure don't act like it," Alan cut in before drawing out of the conversation.

Ben glared at him before continuing, "Trust me, I want you guys to be cleared and to know who really did it as much as you do."

"TEN MINUTES UNTIL THE DINING TENT BEGINS TO CLOSE," a manager yelled from the tent entrance to the dismayed grumblings of band members and roadies everywhere.

"Look, did you see where she went after she was talking with you guys last night?" Ben asked Andy.

"Yeah, she said she went to the bathroom. But we already told that to the cop a million times."

"We didn't think anything of it when she didn't come back. I figured she found someone else to hook up with," Ashley added as he also ate Austin's food. Austin stood up in frustration.

"You know what, all of you share the plate. I'm getting some of my OWN food... again," Austin stalked up to the buffet area again, leaving a group of smirking friends.

At that moment, Tino, Aaron, and Phil all walked into the tent to grab some quick food before sitting with Alan and the rest of the guys. It was a big mistake because then everyone was picking off their plates as well. Some more jokes were exchanged, but a more serious aura fell about all of them as they walked back to the buses and recounted how their days had been.

It had started off with the guys of Asking Alexandria being completely angry over their merch girl being missing, and then they found out that that same girl had been brutally murdered and planted somewhere near or in the Sleeping With Sirens bus. After that, they had to perform in front of a bunch of clueless kids and keep themselves presentable for signings. They had been stared at and talked about all day, and it was tiring. Dinner provided some entertainment, though it was a meager attempt at pretending nothing was wrong. Long story short, all who were involved and affected by the tragedy were in denial. All they could do was hope for a better tomorrow.