Awwwwww pictured above is Layne with his sister, Liz, and I think that's his nephew to the left of him :)
Don't worry, this is a chapter, you can skip my bolded words below if you want
Hey, guys. Sorry this chapter took so long to put out. I tried my best, given the circumstances 😅
I said I'd tell you what's up, so here goes: I'm depressed. My family's been in a lot of turmoil lately, especially with my brat sister, and yesterday I didn't write at all because we were all very sad about my grandpa, who's very sick right now.
I'm also recovering from major surgery, so I'm always tired and in pain. But I'm getting better every day :) just the past week has been really hard for me... :(
It's been pretty tough. But I'm still writing! This story ain't gonna be over anytime soon :) thanks for sticking by me <3
On to the story... and, to make up for my absence, I've written a huge chapter (which I've cut in half; other half will be released shortly) with, y'know, some sauciness I guess lol
***
Time for a dream...
It's Christmastime.
A young Jerry sits with his brother and sister on the living room carpet as his mother hands out presents from under the tree. Jerry smiles at his grandmother, knitting a quilted blanket while watching fondly on.
His mother laughs at something his brother says, the very sound of her laughter calming Jerry as it flutters lightly around the room.
She turns her eyes to him, handing him a bright red box.
Excitedly, he opens it.
Inside is a cross. It's pearly white, with jagged edges... and it's odd. He's never seen anything quite like it before.
Wait. Is that cross made of... of... teeth?!
Rapidly, the once pleasant memory-inspired-dream turns into a terrifying nightmare as Jerry looks up, horrified to find a rotting corpse where his Grandmother had been sitting, and a bald, toothless hag in place of his mother.
A sense of dread overcomes him. He wants to stand and run, but he's frozen in place, strands of shag carpeting stretching out from the floor to wrap around him.
The hag opens her mouth, smiling wistfully at him. "Why didn't you come back home to see me, Sunshine? Why didn't you say goodbye to your poor old mother?"
***
February 3, 1994: Seattle, WA, USA
Jerry cries out as he sits up in bed, alone, a cold sweat enveloping him.
He rubs his eyes with one of his hands, breathing shakily.
What the fuck was that?!
He looks out the window, chest heaving.
Snow falls over Seattle in big, fluffy flakes, spiralling down as if a Waltz were playing somewhere in that dark grey sky... it's definitely a stark contrast to what he's just seen.
Having seen his mother and grandmother portrayed like that in his dream is a complete shock to the system. Even when the losses were fresh, he had never experienced anything quite like that.
For some reason he cannot discern, he's been dreaming about them every night for the past few days... he can't seem to stop this awful, involuntary trend.
Jerry turns to his nightstand as he rifles through the drawer, not even bothering to turn on a light. He finds the bottle of Xanax pills and spills three into his hand, discarding the cap somewhere on the floor.
He could care less about the dosage as tears break down his face.
YOU ARE READING
Even Now
Fanfiction**Discontinued :( The year is 1993. Heroin addict Layne Staley of Seattle rock band Alice In Chains has just had the fear of God put into him following a bandmate's overdose. When faced with a simple decision, the butterfly effect comes into play...
