Tonight The World Dies

Chapter 16:

Technicians bustled around the band members sitting in the room backstage, making sure that they were content with everything to their heart's desire. Everyone always seemed to bend over backwards to please the band, and to some extent, it was enjoyable, knowing that there were people waiting to serve you at your beck and call, but sometimes, in fact, most of the time, the band members wished that they'd just be treated as ordinary people, because when it came down to it, they were no different to you or I. They had their flaws and they screwed up at certain hurdles in life. And just like you and me, they made mistakes, except, sometimes, they made mistakes that weren't so easy to come back from.

The sound of childish laughter echoed out from the backstage room. Brian had decided to pin Zacky down to the couch and tickle him in order to retain some information from him about the Skype call he'd just had with his new girlfriend, Tegan. Johnny sat on the opposite couch, mocking Zacky as Brian continued to attack his ribcage with his fingers, calling out childish love rhymes in order to tease the rhythm guitarist.

"Br...Brian! Stop!" Zacky begged between bursts of giggles.

"Only until you tell me what she said." Brian said, a firm pout spreading across his lips.

"I bet it was something along the lines of: 'I miss you so much, Zacky; I can't wait for you to come home so I can pinch that sweet, round ass of yours'. Johnny teased, pulling an incredibly bad British accent in order to mimic the voice of Zacky's new lover.

"Johnny, she doesn't even sound remotely like that." Zacky said, finally managing to push Brian away. The two guitarists sat side by side, heavily breathing from all the laughing and tickling they'd been inflicting on each other.

Johnny poked his tongue out at the rhythm guitarist before turning to pick up his can of beer, only to find that he'd already drunk it all. With a groan, the bassist stood onto his feet. "I'm going to get another beer, anyone else want one?" He asked, interrupting Zacky in mid-sentence as he'd begun to tell Brian about the Skype call.

"Sure." The two guitarists simultaneously nodded, before turning back to each other in order to continue their conversation like a pair of two high-school girls checking in on the latest gossip.

Johnny shook his head, letting out a small sigh before he shoved his hands into his pockets, making his way out of the venue and toward the tour bus. He clambered aboard, heading toward the cooler full of beer that sat on top of one of the tables. Making his way over, Johnny took hold of the cooler's handle in order to take it back with him, deciding that it was easier to take it with him than have to come back out here again if he wanted another beer. The bassist turned, ready to leave, but just as he did, he froze as he overheard muttering coming the bunk area. Out of curiousity, Johnny stood still, not moving a muscle in order to eavesdrop in on the conversation on the other side of the door. He'd noticed that he hadn't seen Val on his way out, or Matt, so assumed the two had snuck away for some private time before the show - and that thought was quickly confirmed by a pleasurable groan echoing out from the bunk room.

Smiling mischievously to himself, Johnny turned to leave, but as he did, he heard a voice speak from the other side of the door.

And it's wasn't Val's.

It was Avery's.

"I think we should tell Val." Avery suggested, her voice laced with guilt. Johnny froze, turning his head slowly toward the bunk area and blankly staring at the flimsy door, hoping that he hadn't heard what he'd just heard. As much as he tried to convince himself otherwise, that had been Avery's voice, no doubt about that...but, Brian...he'd been in the backstage room when Johnny had left; Zacky too, and Mike had been drumming out onstage...meaning that the last possible person to be in there with Avery was Matt.