Welcome to Paradise // Billie Joe Armstrong // #Wattys2017

American Eulogy

My feet are up on the dashboard and my head is resting against the window. Trees and houses are shooting by as fast as they did when we first came into this town, when we still had a little faith of finding Addy, Tre and Mike here.

I place the palm of my hand against my forehead, that's covered in sweat. My head is pounding madly and it feels as if all the salvia in my mouth has been sucked away by a vacuum cleaner. I hope Billie keeps water somewhere here in this car.

"Billie you got any water here?" I ask, my voice sounding raspy and sore.

"Hell, I wish I had. My throat is fucking killing me" he replies. "A paracetamol or five couldn't hurt either".

I groan in accordance. "Yeah, you were right. Alcohol is amazing, hangovers are even better" I sarcastically remark. Billie smirks and rolls his eyes "It's the price you pay for fun, darling".

I smile as my mind wanders back to last night. It was worth so much more than the price I'm paying for it now.

"To think I did this day in, day out" Billie snickers, shaking his head slightly in disbelief. "You remember the Friday evenings I told you about right? The ones Mike and Tre and I used to spent at the ba-" Billie cuts himself off mid-sentence, an expression of sudden realization growing on his face. He turns his head to face me, his lips slightly parted until they widen into a big smile.

"That's it! It's where we went next! The bar!" he laughs out, quickly turning the car around in the opposite direction.

-----

The devastation we encountered once we reached the neighborhood was absolutely unbearable. I had seen mess before, but this was wreckage brought to a level I had never witnessed in my life. Windows, cars and doors were smashed, there was a fire going on somewhere in a little shed near the end of the street, but the worst part was the people.

People were screaming, crying out names and running everywhere. They were hurting each other and calling to gods they probably hadn't given a thought worthy before all of this started. It was complete chaos.

Addy and I stood on the pavement for a while, complete disbelief washing over us, until we got back to our senses. We exchanged worried looks, both knowing there was so little hope left that Mike and Tre were in the house. The only hope we did have was that the fucktards had slept through all of it, which they, believe me, were very well capable off.

We ran past the fence onto the porch. Panic started to grow inside me as I noticed all of the lights were off. I violently pressed the doorbell, for maybe even ten minutes, until Addy gently placed her hand on mine and sent me a compunctious look.

I sighed and cursed a little under my breath, before I took my phone out of my pocket and dialed Mike's number. The beeps on the other end of the line seemed to last forever, until the sound died off and switched over to his voicemail.

Frustrated, I threw the phone into the grass. "He's not picking up" I sighed, my voice breaking mid-sentence. I ran my fingers through my hair, contemplating what to do, accompanied by the mayhem that was still going on outside Mike's front yard.

All of a sudden, the grass lit up and the sound of ringing bells entangled itself with the sound of the screaming people. I quickly bent over to pick up my phone and felt a sense of relief wash over me as I saw the picture of Mike that filled up the screen. Adrienne and I smiled at each other as I answered the call.

"Mike, where the fuck are you at? Is Tre with you?" I yelled out.

"Relax, Tre and I are still at the bar, we never made it to my place last night" Mike appeased me from the other end of the line. I let out a sigh of relief, gesturing Addy to get back in the car, as I stepped off the porch myself, back towards the red Cadillac.

"Addy and I are on our way now. We'll get to you guys in about twenty minutes, if the roads are not too crowded" I replied as I stepped in front of the wheel.

"Take care, you two" Mike quietly spoke as the line died off.

I threw the phone next to me and pressed the gas pedal as hard as I could, driving the car, through all the chaos, to the bar, that I had left not more than a few hours ago.

"They're still at the bar" I informed Adrienne, who chuckled a little as she rolled her eyes. "I was already surprised you had managed to get back home unharmed" she responded, sending me a cheeky smile.

"Hey, I'm a mature punk. I can take care of myself" I joked. We both laughed.

Adrienne turned on the radio, expecting to hear music, but no matter what channel we switched to, the message was the same. "Stay calm. Don't go outside. Lock your doors and windows. Help is coming"

We exchanged worried looks, the seriousness of the situation seeping into our bodies. I sped up the car, that was now almost flying over the cement road. I drove off the main road, taking a shortcut to the bar, that I had driven a couple of times before when I tried to avoid the cops. DUI's and stuff, y'know.

It had turned out to be a good idea, since we already got to the bar after fifteen minutes. I drove the car all the way to the back, where nobody could see it. Most people had already forgotten this place even existed anyway.

We stepped out of the car. Adrienne looked around, taking in the decayed building in front of us. I took place next to her as I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her closer to me. "Let's get inside" I whispered in her ear, gently placing a kiss against her sleep. She smiled at this, as she rested her head on my shoulder.

I took the lead, climbing onto the container and carefully opening the window a bit. Adrienne sent me confused looks. "Can't we just take the door?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow at me.

"We always go through the window, I'm not even sure if the door is open or not" I explained, helping Addy on the container. I gently placed my ear against the window. "I hear noises, it must be Mike and Tre" I spoke. "I'll jump down, then you follow, I got you, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay, but be careful".

I jumped down and got welcomed by the smell of yeast, that still hadn't left the bar. I silently cursed Tre for his clumsiness, covering up my mouth to avoid throwing up. I turned myself to face the window again, as I reached a hand out to Adrienne. She grabbed it and jumped next to me.

I turned around again, facing the interior of the bar. I heard the noises from the back again. "Mike, Tre, we're here" I called out.

The noises intensified as a person appeared from behind the bar. I squeezed my eyes to try and take in who it was, but soon realized it was Mike nor Tre. A heat rose up from the depths of my body, my stomach turning upside down. I quickly pushed Adrienne behind me, assuring her safety. "Billie, is that a-?" she cried, holding a tight grip on my t-shirt and burying her head in my chest. I froze in my step, not able to speak or act.

brief moment of disbelief went by, until my vocal chords gave in again. I nodded and spoke.

"A zombie"