Heaven is a Place on Earth with You

Her heart pounded against her chest, the weight of it crushing her chest as she fought against the invisible binds around her body. "No. Stop," she screamed, seeing the demon stalk her like a prey, licking his lips as he twisted his fingers into her hair, pulling her neck back abruptly before smirking.

"You've been a bad girl Aubrey," he tutted, the girl clawing at her own skin, just wanting to be free, wanting to get as far away as possible. He ran his tongue over her lips, the girl biting her lip so he couldn't have access to it as he dug his nails into her skull, blood dripping down them, making a puddle on the floor. "That's not very nice," he murmured against her neck. "Stop! Please!"

Austin woke up to the sound of a broken creature howling. Without thinking, he jumped up, following the sound to where Aubrey was withering on the couch, digging her nails into her skin and drawing blood. Immediately making his way over, he shook her softly, trying to wake her up. It was clear that she was having a nightmare and it wasn't a good one. "Aubrey, open your eyes. It's okay. No one is going to hurt you."

Small tears fell from her eyes as she tried to fight against the devil, soon giving in before resurfacing from the dream. She gasped for air, feeling like she was suffocating and could breathe once again. Seeing Austin in front of her, the girl buried her face into his neck, not even caring that she had only known him that night. Sure, she had been a huge fan of Of Mice & Men, but she had never met the boy in front of her.

The man rubbed her back slowly, feeling her calm down as a few moments passed. When she was finally okay again, he pulled back softly and brushed the tears from her eyes. "Why don't we watch a movie or something?" he suggested, wanting to distract her from the thoughts clearly racing through her head. "That would be great," she whispered with a weak smile, taking the band-aids he had offered her and putting them over the tiny cuts on her palms before taking some Advil, her head pounding and her ribs aching from what had happened the previous night.

Realizing she was still in the clothes she had been found in, Austin got up, grabbing some sweats and a large hoodie from his bunk before offering them to her, the girl blushing slightly and taking them gratefully, changing in the bathroom before going to join him on the couch, laughing slightly at his choice. Of course it had to be The Little Mermaid. That boy and his Disney princesses, she mumbled to herself as she sat down, crossing her legs under her body before smiling as Austin rested his arm around her shoulder. "Better?" River nodded.

Seeing Aubrey's lips curl into a small smile was the highlight of his night, or rather, early morning. She seemed to fit right next to him, his fingers taking hers into his large palm, letting her trace it as he trained his eyes on the movie, not wanting her to notice that he had been staring. "I know who you are by the way. You didn't have to introduce yourself," Aubrey informed him softly out of nowhere. His eyebrows raised as he looked down into her brown eyes, surprised that she hadn't mentioned that sooner. Considering the conditions they had found her in though, it was not a surprise.

"Are you a fan?" he asked, wondering if she was or if she only knew about him due to his recent arrest. "I have been for a little over a year. I actually went to see you guys in Portland during this tour." He smiled. It really was a small world. "Thanks for saving me by the way." Austin merely shrugged. "Not a big deal." Comfortable silence surrounded them after that. Aubrey still shook every once in a while as she reminisced about the past but she felt surprisingly safe around him. Not even an hour later, she drifted into a light, yet peaceful, sleep.