𝕞𝕚𝕣𝕣𝕠𝕣𝕤 ┉✧ L.T.

/ chapter four /

♫

[ Placebo - The Bitter End ]

[ Cigarettes After Sex – Sweet ]

[ Olafur Arnalds - So Far ]

[ Birdy - Not About Angels ]

♪

----------  STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN   -----------
  18th of September
  Later that night

"What's that sound?"

I ran outside before I even finished my sentence, my mind already racing. No matter how fast it went through different scenarios, though, it couldn't prepare me for all of that; for the sounds of people shouting, as they were running up and down in a hurry, over piles of scattered debris and ashes. For the sirens, the red lights turning the night into hell. Nothing could prepare me for that chaos. And for what was to come, after that night.

"Oh my God!" Aiden's scream penetrated my thoughts.

Elisabeth screamed next. She said nothing – she just screamed in shock.

The last way Hayley. "Is- Is that our tour bus... burning?"

It took me seconds to actually realise what she was saying; what was going on in front of my eyes. Our tour bus was on fire.

And the air suddenly got too heavy for me to breathe. Maybe it was the smoke, or the ashes flying in the air. Maybe it was the flames. Flames, orange and red desperation was swallowing what used to be the black exterior of our bus and, even if there were fire fighters all around, with the huge hoses pointing towards it, the metal frame was already collapsing. The wheels were hanging empty without the tires, surrounding by debris and broken glass. I looked behind me, searching for the rest of Jupiter, half-closing my eyes to shield them from the sudden heat and the light. I could feel the panic that was slowly building up inside me, rising like a tidal wave. Aiden, Hayley and Elisabeth were standing outside the backstage area, right next to me, their jaws dropped. Fuck. This is reality.

Elisabeth buried her face in her hands, her words piercing my ears over the commotion. "What the fuck are we supposed to do now?"

"It's not ours," Aiden's sudden remark made me focus on her instead. "It's-"

Then, Hayley's loud, high – pitched voice broke the sickening silence, interrupting her. "It's the Scarecrows' bus!"

The smell of burning plastic was lingering in the air around us and into my lungs, the echo of the siren was echoing in the atmosphere that felt boiling hot by then – like I couldn't breathe. I could only feel my heartbeat pulsating through my whole body like poison, each beat louder and louder; nothing else than that. I could only hope I wouldn't collapse onto the floor.

"Shit," Elisabeth exclaimed, "What are they gonna do now?"

"Where are they?" I stuttered, grasping onto the rope to keep me on the surface of the water as I glanced towards left; in the distance, I could see our touring bus that was parked outside the parking lot. My eyes were blurry, but the logo on the side was shining faintly under the bright orange. Which meant it really wasn't our bus burning – it was our supporting band's.

"Where are they?" I heard Aiden.

I turned back, to face Elisabeth's worried expression. Her right hand was resting on my shoulder, I didn't realise since when. And, considering how scared she looked, I couldn't understand if I should be worried about her or me or The Scarecrows.