Stay With Me

28

Euronymous watched as the storm clouds rolled in, thunder rumbling off in the distance. It wouldn't be long before the rain came, but he hoped they would at least be someplace dry when it did. Taking a glance out of the corner of his eye, he saw the worried expression on Vanessa's face as she stood beside him as they waited for the cab to arrive. He would have been lying if he said he wasn't slightly worried as well. Knowing what he knew about Dead, there was little room to predict how he would handle things once they got there. If by some chance he heard them out without causing much of a fuss and seeing things as they were, they would be on their way back home before tomorrow. If not, well, they would just have to cross that bridge when they got to it.

Reaching into his pocket, Euronymous pulled a pack of cigarettes out from his jacket pocket. He watched the tip glow bright orange as he lit the end, the smoke slowly rising into the sky. The nicotine did little to calm his nerves, the feeling in the pit of his stomach only growing in intensity. Reaching beside him he took hold of Vanessa's hand, to his surprise she didn't try to pull it away.

"This won't end well, wil it?" she questioned.

Euronymous took a long drag of his cigarette, feeling her head on his shoulder. "Nope."

Vanessa felt her eyes sting with fresh tears threatening to spill once more onto Euronymous's shoulder. If Dead had seen them, it would have only sent him further over the edge thinking his assumption was right, but she couldn't help the fact that she was now desperate for a friendly touch. Even if that touch was from the man who had tried so hard before to split the two of them up. He had changed, that much she saw. If he hadn't he wouldn't have helped her get here to find Dead, wouldn't have been so willing to help her plan her surprise.

A low sob escaped as she pictured, what was supposed to be, the happy look on Dead's face when they arrived in Transylvania. Euronymous had planned on having Hellhammer and Necro distract him for the day while he and Vanessa set up the small area before dark. Once the three of them came back at dark, the small ceremony would be set and she would be waiting for him at the top of the infamous Castle Dracula.

"This isn't at all what I had hoped for," she muttered too low for Euronymous to hear.

The cab pulled up to the station, the driver motioning for them to climb in. As they walked, things started to move in slow motion, her legs suddenly feeling as though cinder blocks had been tied to her ankles. Euronymous did his best to push her along, but even he seemed to be moving slower than usual. As the four climbed into the car, Vanessa clung tightly to Euronymous, hoping that she was just worrying about nothing and that Dead would be reasonable, but things so far with him had never been as easy as she hoped.

~

There was no calm before the storm. The rain fell as if someone had cut a hole into the sky, releasing it all at once. The once gray clouds had turned almost black as they covered the remaining sunlight above; nighttime had come early. The flashes of lightning illuminated the sky before the harsh clap of thunder broke the uneasy silence that filled the car. Jumping slightly from his seat, Euronymous broke out of his mind and glanced over at Vanessa. Her eyes mirrored the world outside, a storm of her own brewing deep within her eyes as tears ran down her face. He could feel her body tense up each time she came close to breaking down, the jolts that went through her causing her to shake as she swallowed her cries in an attempt to appear strong. Trying to keep herself thinking only of the positives. But there were no positives to be found anymore.

Life seemed to have a way of making things seem bleak, meaningless. Empty. Euronymous couldn't begin to count how many times he had cried since Vera's death. What reason was there for a so called "loving" God to torture his creations? Why have someone die before they even had a real chance to live? Maybe stories of Satan were just people's attempt at denying God's cruelty. Maybe there really was no Devil. Just a God who wanted his people to suffer needlessly.