Hybrid Theory: A [Linkin Park] Spinoff.

Brad's Breakdown.

[Brad's point of view.]

Voices? Those aren't Chaz and Mike's voices, the thought registers as I find myself laying on my side facing the opening of the thicket, holding Eliza's cold, dead body against me.
"Shiniro. You said you were walking through the woods because you were stressed out, correct?"
"Yes, Miss Wakefield. I find that the sound of the birds and the river calm me down. My parents were fighting again."
"And you came upon a thicket of pine trees?"
"Yes. And what drove me to it, I do not know. But upon arriving at the thicket, my motive became obvious. I heard a noise. It sounded like someone had hit their head. I walked into the thicket, and there I saw Eliza, laying dead against the boulder. That was when your brother, Brad, I think his name is, showed up."
Eren's voice at the opening of the thicket.
"Okay. I believe you, Shiniro. You seem like a trustworthy ki- BRAD!?"
I slowly stand up, pulling Eliza up with me,"She's gone. I've already taken the needle from her arm. She's dead."
Eren runs over to me,"Brad. I'll take Eliza. You go get the others."
The quick, numb reality of me transferring Eliza's body into Eren's arms.
Voices.
"Size ten and a half Brahma work boot. Eren. Size seven off-brand tennis shoe. I don't really know. Size twelve new balance. Brad. Brad was running at this point."
"Phoenix, how can you tell whose shoe print is whose?"
"Chester. Each of our shoes are different. The size ranking starts with Brad, then Eren, you, Mike, me , Rob, and , last but obviously not the largest foot out of all of ours, Joe. I've picked up a few things from reading magazines for two months straight."
"How do you know my feet are the smallest!?"
"Joe, get pissy with me later. Right now, we have to find Eliza."
I move towards the opening,"PHOENIX! CHESTER! JOE! OVER HERE!"
Running. The sounds of Phoenix and Chester crashing through the thick brush.
I stand there, struggling to keep from shaking like a leaf on a tree,"Guys. She's dead. She overdosed."
Chester stops mid-stride, all color and life draining from his face,"She what?"
I stand there,"Yeah. I found her with the needle in her arm."
Chester's voice becomes faint,"No. She can't be dead. I don't think Mike could handle this."
Mike's voice.
"You don't think I could handle What?"
Chester spins on his heel,"Mike. Eliza overdosed."
Mike stands there, the initial shock already setting in,"I- I'll go call the police...." He turns and walks away.

[Two hours later. Mike's point of view.]

I stand behind a pitiful attempt at a police tape barrier, my mind unable to comprehend the fact that Eliza is dead,"Ch-chess.....how could this have happened?"
Chester shrugs and pulls me to him,"I have no idea, Mike."
Brad walks up to us, clearly shaken by something that only he knows about,"Mike, Chaz. I feel like this is my fault."
I look at him,"How could this be your fault, Brad?"
He sighs heavily,"An hour before we went to get Phoenix, Eliza and I got in an argument...which came to blows....we both said some things we shouldn't have, and she locked herself in your guys's room. I guess she cried herself to sleep...she woke up around the time that we pulled into the driveway....Eren caught her with the marks on her arms... and Eliza stormed out.... leading up to this."
Brad unconsciously licks away a drop of blood from his upper lip.
I look at Brad,"Why is your lip busted?"
"Eliza slammed the door in my face."
Chester's voice floats on the air.
"If you feel you're alone. Cut off from this cruel world. Your instincts telling you to run. Listen to your heart. Those angel voices. They say to you they'll be your guide, back home. When life leaves us blind. Love, keeps us kind. It keeps us kind."
I close my eyes as I break away from Chester,"Brad. This wasn't your fault."
Brad stands there, silent, clearly fighting back tears.
Eren walks over to us, clutching Eliza's black Linkin Park hoodie, her fingers stained with blood,"M-mike. Ch-chester. B-brad. I don't want you three to think that this was your fault. I was the one who pushed her over the edge. And the blow that made me realize it, was when the investigators asked me to dig up as many syringes as I could...they didn't even give me a shovel. My hands and fingers are bleeding like crazy because of this. Anyway, here's Eliza's hoodie. I thought that you two would like to keep it to remember her by."
I sigh heavily,"Great. Now they are trying to jip the investigation... There's an ambulance over by the stream. Let's go get your hands checked out." I place my hand on Eren's shoulder, less forcing her, more guiding her shaken, bruised spirit.
Eren sighs, her fingers wrapping tighter into the fabric, until eventually, she has the hoodie in multiple knots around her wrists.

[Eren's point of view.]

I look at Mike through broken eyes,"I can't believe that this is my fault. If I wouldn't have done what I did, she wouldn't have run off and overdosed."
Mike sighs as we come upon the jet black ambulance marked Angora Hills Rescue,"No, Eren. She would have died eventually. It's just that it had to be today. Hey, Lexi, can you wrap Eren's hands?"
The commanding medic, a woman with short fire engine red hair, smiles, "Sure thing, Mike. Have her jump on up here and sit on the gurney."
I look at Mike,"She your sister?"
Mike smiles,"Yep. Lemme guess. We look alike, don't we?"
I chuckle as I step into the ambulance,"Yes. It's uncanny."
Lexi smiles,"Ah. Never thought I'd be working on Mark Wakefield's daughter. Ain't none of my buddies back at the station gonna believe this."
I sigh as I slowly pull my hands from the fabric of Eliza's hoodie, my mind flashing to the lyrics of Linkin Park's The Walking Dead.

[Digging in the dirt
I can feel you getting closer
Steadying my hands through the blistering pain
Anxiously awaiting, for the earth to reveal you
Wondering if I will ever see you again.]

I cringe as I feel Lexi slowly cleaning the wounds on my elbows from where I fell earlier,"Ow. Take it easy, please."
"Sorry."

A voice, followed by the sounds of someone sobbing heavily.
"Come on, Brad. Everything is alright. Eliza isn't hurting anymore. Eren is just getting her hands checked out....Calm down."
"I. I just...she was so cold already by the time I found her! And the Ishko twins are probably pissed that we killed their sister! So they'll probably say that we killed Eliza!!!"
I freeze, THERE'S THREE OF THEM!?
Mike looks at me,"Eren? Are you okay?"
I close my eyes, mentally screaming, OH MY GOD! WE KILLED THEIR SISTER!!!MIKE, WE KILLED THEIR FUCKING SISTER!
"Eren. Takashi and Shintuo aren't going to do anything to us directly. They don't have the guts to do it. Yes, they were trying to jip the investigation, but they don't have the grounds to pull their famous Ishko Retribution card. They can't. Everything will be fine."
Brad's voice again.
"Chester, she was so cold! What was I supposed to do!? Stand there and accept the fact that she was already dead!?"
Chester's voice.
"Delson, I swear to God. I will smack you clear through yourself if you don't calm the fuck down."
At this, Brad seems to collect himself.
I close my eyes,"I break down, fear is sinking in. The cold comes, racing through my skin. Searching for, a way to get to you."