Walk With Me

“Oh honey! You’re gonna go out like this?”

Erika blinked at the twins who hurriedly made their way towards her at the backstage. They will be up in just 30 minutes and she was the first drummer.

“What’s wrong with this?” she looked down to her own attire. She wore silver Vengeance University loose sleeveless with a tube tank top inside it, and a pair of denim shorts. Her hair was braided into two short, messy pigtails and she wore no makeup.

“Your clothes are fine darling but you need metal make up!” Valary took her face and studied it.

“Makeup? Val, I’ll be sweating like a pig up there. My face will be unrecognizable after the show.”

Valary smirked. “How do you think the boys wear their make up all this time? We’ve got the shit. Don’t you worry.”

The twins dragged her into the dressing room. Arin and Brian just watched them go without saying anything.

“Girls.” Arin heard Brian muttered under his breath.

“Yeah. Girls, right?”

Brian smiled at Arin. “What, do you have a thing for her?”

Arin was caught off guard. That question was so random and unexpected, he didn’t know how to answer. Moreover it came from Synsyter Gates, someone that Erika adored.

“A thing…you mean-”

“You know what I mean.”

The skin on Arin’s forehead started to crease. He raised his brows and frowned at Brian. Arin can’t help but sense the urgency in Brian’s tone. He sounded a little bit – jealous.

“Um, nope. But we’re kind of friends.” He lied, even to himself.

Brian gave off a proud smirk, secretly. “Does she see you as only her friend?”

Arin shrugged but smelled something. Does Syn likes her too? Holy shit, he’s engaged!

Brian wasn’t satisfied with his answer but nevertheless he smiled and quickly changed the topic.

“Anyway you’re ready kid? Second half’s yours.”

“I’m gonna nail it.”

“That’s what I’m talking about.” Brian swung his arm around Arin’s shoulder and ruffled his curly hair. Arin laughed but didn’t struggle away.

“You’re like the calmest dude I’ve ever known.” Brian claimed as he let Arin go and straightened the Schecter on his shoulder.

Arin was about to answer but his mouth dropped in a perfect O as his round eyes caught something ahead. Brian too glanced at his direction and immediately raised his eyebrows.



Erika was now out of the dressing room with the twins behind her. Her eyes were dark eyelinered, and colored in smoky shadows but not as messy as the rest of the guys. Her hair wasn’t tied in messy pigtails anymore, it was loose and disheveled, but in an edgy way. She looked fierce, as if she was ready to take on the world. She looked gorgeous. Like a rock star.

“Wow, Erika! Is that you?” Zacky who just entered the backstage was also stunned looking at her. Johnny who came together with him clapped once and said something like "Damn, girl!"

Erika showed her teeth and made a peace sign with her hand.

“No no, you should do it like this,” Zacky then showed her the devil’s horn sign and she followed, sticking her tongue out.

“Hell yeah! That’s more like it!”

“I never thought that it only took me looking like this for you guys to take me seriously.”

Zacky chuckled. “I always take you seriously, baby. Look how serious I am right now.”

Erika smacked him on his shoulder, ignoring the fact that both Brian and Arin were still staring at her. But from the corner of her eyes she saw Michelle was wrapping her arms on Brian’s waist.

“What do you think? Magical work on her right?”

Brian looked down at Michelle who rested her head on his chest. Amazingly every time he looked at her, all of his thoughts towards that young drummer girl just shut off completely.

“Magical.” He repeated her word. Michelle looked up and smiled at him.




15 minutes until they go on stage and Erika can already hear fans screaming the band’s name. She was nervous as hell. She looked around; Matthew was sipping his bottle of water while reading a piece of paper which she guessed it as the lyrics. Brian and Zacky were fooling around with their guitars and Johnny was fixing up his hair.

Michelle and Valary were comfortably seated on a couch nearby and they were both immersed in a conversation. They must have been in backstage so much to care what a mere 15 minutes could happen. Arin was standing beside his roadie friend, and he was talking to him. But occasionally he would throw a glance at her and when he caught her looking, he turned his head twice and smiled.

Erika bit her lip and went over to him. Arin wasn’t his enemy eventhough they both wanted to stay in the band. She looked at him as a good friend. A friend where she could share her secret feelings towards Brian, her drum stories, and listening to his story too, made her feel accepted.

“Hey. You’re nervous?” he greeted with a wide grin on his face.

“Really nervous.” She replied as she watched his conversation with his friend ended just like that. “So, Berry is your friend, huh?”

Arin looked over at the famous roadie beside him, Jason Berry.

“Yeah, he was the one that got me a job here.”

“Hi there. Wow, you must really love Matt.” She held out her hand and commented at his tattoo on his left shoulder; a portrait of M. Shadows.

“Oh this? He’s like a brother to me.” Jason explained as he took her hand and kissed the back of it. She raised her eyebrows. “Pleasure to meet you, Erika. Heard so much about you.”

“Really? From who?”

Jason pursed his lips and smiled. Like he wasn’t gonna tell anything. But his eyeball rolled to Arin.

“Fuck off, dude.” Erika heard Arin murmured. Jason then made a silly expression and walked away.

She couldn’t help but laugh watching Arin’s face went red all of a sudden.

“I hope you only tell him the good things about me.”

Arin chuckled. “I told him you’re an amazing drummer.”

“Aww…thanks! I wish I could tell someone that you are too, but everybody already knows it.”

He laughed but his eyes traveled around her face, a little impressed of the twins’ work on her.

“Hey, Arin. I wanna start a ritual with you.” Erika suddenly began, retorting him from his small thoughts.

Arin’s eyes instantly widened, a bit taken aback of what she was trying to say.

“What kind of – ritual?”

“We exchange our first sticks before we get on stage.”

Arin chuckled softly. “Not fair. I’m using Pro-Mark.”

“So do I!”

“Really…?” he teased with one eyebrow arched as he knew Erika was still saving up some money to buy them.

Erika turned her gaze away. “Well, I kind of stole them. From the studio.”

This time Arin laughed hard. He thought that she looked so adorable, stealing drumsticks from the Big Bear studio. They have tons of it. Nobody even noticed if any of them gone missing. Well, probably their management would.

“What? Why are you laughing?”

“Hah…Erika. You’re so cute.”

There. He made accidental confession again. Erika went blushing in pink.

“So you don’t agree on this ritual?” She crossed her arms on her chest.

Arin finally settled his laugh and stood up straight. “Of course I do. Here.” He gave out the sticks that he had been holding on to and she took it. Their fingers brushed lightly and she felt shivers went down her spine. Then she gave her drumsticks back to him in exchange.

“5 minutes guys!” the twin brother of Jason Berry - Matt Berry yelled from across the room and made Erika jumped. They guys were all lined up in front of the stage entrance and Erika turned around to do the same. But Arin caught her wrist suddenly.

“Good luck, Eri.” His round eyes softened.

Erika smiled. She loved it when Arin called her that. “Thanks Arin.”

Then she ran over to the band and stood in line behind Brian. Brian was already staring at her so when she arrived there, she frowned at him.

“What?” she asked in an even tone. Brian just smiled briefly and spun around to face the entrance.

Michelle and Valary went over to her and wished good luck too. She grinned widely as Matt Berry counted from 10 to 1 and Zacky went on first. She was the last person to go.


As soon as she went on stage, the first thing she noticed was – fire. She expected that much and wasn’t disappointed. Around her drumkits, there were decorations of high fences with metal bars on them. Pyrotechniques were spraying on top of them and they will be synching with her drums thumping later. She can already feel burning heat right after she sat down on the stool.

A tune of piano from the minus one was playing, indicating that a song has started. The crowd screamed. Erika drank in the view, it was the most beautiful view she’d ever seen - 10 thousand people swarming and yelling. There were banners everywhere, drawings of the guys, amazing Deathbat logo spread out among them and she was right in the middle of these.

“Los Angeles FUCK YEAH!!!!” Matthew screamed in his microphone as soon as he grabbed hold of it.

Then Brian started his riff and Erika also began with her thumping and stopping occasionally, following the tabs of the song. As they have practiced before.

“How are you doing, 10 thousand people? Now I have a little request. I want you to FUCK. SHIT. UP!!” Matthew yelled again, making the crowd replied in scream once more.

“NIGHTMARE!!!”

Notes

A/N: there. 2 chapters per day :D