‹ Prequel: Changes
Making the Album
Frozen.
Billie was slipping away.
He was just too goddamned cold. He closed his eyes, shivering madly. It was dark now, and if anything the rain was turning to sleet. Which was a ridiculous thought anyway... You don't get... Sleet... In California...
***
Barry was blasting his radio. Driving aimlessly around a small town in Minnesota was not really the best plan, but it was all he had. And besides, Guns N Roses were the only therapy he had at the moment. Listening to Axl Rose scream was somewhat soothing.
It was almost below thirty. How the hell had it gotten so fucking cold?
And then he noticed Mike's car. Abandoned outside a cemetery...
Because that sort of thing is going to turn out to be a GREAT situation. Barry pulled over, pulled his leather jacket over his t-shirt, and dashed out into the freezing cold.
***
Cold... Too fucking cold... I can't even fucking move... Heh... Look at that... It's getting dark... Or maybe I'm closing my eyes... Doesn't really...
***
He found Billie laying there, unconscious on the grass. The lead singer's lips were blue from cold, his skin pale and frozen. The raindrops were clinging to his eyelashes. He was curled up on his side like a baby, shivering.
Barry cursed, ripping off his own jacket. Then he cursed at the cold. It was fucking freezing. Minnesota, who the hell wanted to be in Minnesota anyways? He wrapped the coat around Billie as best he could, praying the little punk was still alive.
He hoisted Billie into his arms, feeling the cold biting as his own bare skin. Dashing to the car, he managed to squeeze both himself and Billie's limp body into the backseat.
"If there's anyone watching, they're gonna think I'm grave robbing." Barry muttered to himself, smiling grimly.
Then he got down to business. Turned the heat up full blast, stripped off Billie's wet clothes and shoving the singer into a pair of sweatpants from Barry's gym. He then wrapped his jacket back around Billie, pointed the heating vents at him, and climbed into the front seat.
"Where to go... Where to go..."
Then he pushed the accelerator to the floor and zoomed down the street.
***
Billie's eyes flickered. He was moving; he was warm. He'd been wrapped in a cocoon of leather that smelled of expensive cologne. He was wearing a sweat suit that was too big for him and smelled of sweat. And Barry was in the front seat, in only a pair of jeans and thin t-shirt, shivering slightly. The producer was on the phone.
"Yeah, I found him... Cemetery in fucking Minnesota... Just a hunch..."
Then Barry's voice grew sad.
"Actually... I just kinda thought about where I would go... And I would have gone where my family was... Yeah... I'm taking him up to the hospital to get checked out... As soon as possible. And how's Tony doing?"
His face fell, as whoever he was speaking with answered the question.
"Tell her she'll die of blood loss if she keeps it up... I don't give a shit... Man, they all hate me anyway. Doesn't matter if... Ah, whatever. I'll call you from the hospital."
Barry hung up the phone and shoved it into his pocket. Billie watched him through half-closed eyes. The producer fiddled with some buttons on the dashboard.
The Cure enveloped the car. It was beautiful, beautiful music. Billie had never listened to the Cure properly, just sort of tuned it out. But the song Barry had put on, it was too beautiful to be tuned out.
Kiss me goodbye pushing out before I sleep
Can't you see I try swimming the same deep
Water as you is hard, the shallow drowned lose
Less than we, you breathe the strangest twist
Upon your lips, and we shall be together...
Kiss me goodbye bow your head and join with
Me" and face pushed deep reflections meet
The strangest twist upon your lips and
Disappear the ripples clear and laughing break
Against your feet and laughing break the mirror
Sweet, so we shall be together...
Kiss me goodbye, pushing out before I sleep
It's lower now and slower now the strangest
Twist upon your lips but I don't see and I don't
Feel but tightly hold up silently my hands
Before my fading eyes and in my eyes your
Smile the very last thing before I go...
I will kiss you I will kiss you I will kiss you
Forever on nights like this I will kiss you I will
Kiss you and we shall be together...
He was just too goddamned cold. He closed his eyes, shivering madly. It was dark now, and if anything the rain was turning to sleet. Which was a ridiculous thought anyway... You don't get... Sleet... In California...
***
Barry was blasting his radio. Driving aimlessly around a small town in Minnesota was not really the best plan, but it was all he had. And besides, Guns N Roses were the only therapy he had at the moment. Listening to Axl Rose scream was somewhat soothing.
It was almost below thirty. How the hell had it gotten so fucking cold?
And then he noticed Mike's car. Abandoned outside a cemetery...
Because that sort of thing is going to turn out to be a GREAT situation. Barry pulled over, pulled his leather jacket over his t-shirt, and dashed out into the freezing cold.
***
Cold... Too fucking cold... I can't even fucking move... Heh... Look at that... It's getting dark... Or maybe I'm closing my eyes... Doesn't really...
***
He found Billie laying there, unconscious on the grass. The lead singer's lips were blue from cold, his skin pale and frozen. The raindrops were clinging to his eyelashes. He was curled up on his side like a baby, shivering.
Barry cursed, ripping off his own jacket. Then he cursed at the cold. It was fucking freezing. Minnesota, who the hell wanted to be in Minnesota anyways? He wrapped the coat around Billie as best he could, praying the little punk was still alive.
He hoisted Billie into his arms, feeling the cold biting as his own bare skin. Dashing to the car, he managed to squeeze both himself and Billie's limp body into the backseat.
"If there's anyone watching, they're gonna think I'm grave robbing." Barry muttered to himself, smiling grimly.
Then he got down to business. Turned the heat up full blast, stripped off Billie's wet clothes and shoving the singer into a pair of sweatpants from Barry's gym. He then wrapped his jacket back around Billie, pointed the heating vents at him, and climbed into the front seat.
"Where to go... Where to go..."
Then he pushed the accelerator to the floor and zoomed down the street.
***
Billie's eyes flickered. He was moving; he was warm. He'd been wrapped in a cocoon of leather that smelled of expensive cologne. He was wearing a sweat suit that was too big for him and smelled of sweat. And Barry was in the front seat, in only a pair of jeans and thin t-shirt, shivering slightly. The producer was on the phone.
"Yeah, I found him... Cemetery in fucking Minnesota... Just a hunch..."
Then Barry's voice grew sad.
"Actually... I just kinda thought about where I would go... And I would have gone where my family was... Yeah... I'm taking him up to the hospital to get checked out... As soon as possible. And how's Tony doing?"
His face fell, as whoever he was speaking with answered the question.
"Tell her she'll die of blood loss if she keeps it up... I don't give a shit... Man, they all hate me anyway. Doesn't matter if... Ah, whatever. I'll call you from the hospital."
Barry hung up the phone and shoved it into his pocket. Billie watched him through half-closed eyes. The producer fiddled with some buttons on the dashboard.
The Cure enveloped the car. It was beautiful, beautiful music. Billie had never listened to the Cure properly, just sort of tuned it out. But the song Barry had put on, it was too beautiful to be tuned out.
Kiss me goodbye pushing out before I sleep
Can't you see I try swimming the same deep
Water as you is hard, the shallow drowned lose
Less than we, you breathe the strangest twist
Upon your lips, and we shall be together...
Kiss me goodbye bow your head and join with
Me" and face pushed deep reflections meet
The strangest twist upon your lips and
Disappear the ripples clear and laughing break
Against your feet and laughing break the mirror
Sweet, so we shall be together...
Kiss me goodbye, pushing out before I sleep
It's lower now and slower now the strangest
Twist upon your lips but I don't see and I don't
Feel but tightly hold up silently my hands
Before my fading eyes and in my eyes your
Smile the very last thing before I go...
I will kiss you I will kiss you I will kiss you
Forever on nights like this I will kiss you I will
Kiss you and we shall be together...