God Hates Us
Chapter 1
The last chord resounds through the hall; the crowd goes wild, screaming and surging towards the stage. I let myself be swept forwards with them, not even bothering to feign enthusiasm. It's not necessary in here, where everyone’s eyes are focused forwards, concerned only with one thing: Avenged Sevenfold.
In all honesty, they are the reason I’m here, but not for the same purpose as everyone else. I'm here purely on business.
I watch as the man who calls himself 'M Shadows' stepped back from the microphone, allowing for another man to take over. This is my mark; the one I came here for. Instinctively, my muscles tense and I lean forwards a little to catch a better look at his face. Of course, my eyesight is better trained than most, especially when it comes to this sort of work, but it doesn't hurt to be certain. He speaks - I'm not interested in what he has to say - and the crowd screams again, as he grins and begins the song, singing as he plays his guitar. Somewhere in the back of my mind I recognise the song as 'Seize the Day' (I did my research thoroughly, just in case) but this is unimportant. My eyes pick up something strange and I push easily through the crowd to get a closer look. Yes, it was definitely there that time.
The eyes; that's how you tell them from humans. In every other respect, they can mimic us perfectly. They can speak like us, move like us; they can even train themselves to think like us, but when it comes right down to it, they are not the same as us. It’s shown in the way their eyes react to lights, and in the newly-changed, you can tell by avoidance of bright lights (especially sunlight) and behaviour similar to a junkie suffering from withdrawal.
Oh yeah, and they’re immortal, unless I kill them first.
Archaic mythology refers to them as vampires, but I prefer to think of them as vermin. Ever since the kidnapping and brutal murder of my best friend Lucille at the hands of those monsters, I've dedicated my life to fighting and killing as many of them as possible. I'm not alone, there are others who have the same ideals, but I prefer to work alone; companions have held me back in the past and I don't repeat mistakes.
My trusted sources told me three weeks ago that the one who calls himself 'Zacky Vengeance' was in town, touring with his band Avenged Sevenfold. Since then, I've been researching and making plans. As far as I and my sources know, he’s the only vamp in the group, which has to mean the other members of the band don't know what they’re cozying up to.
Too bad for them.
I won't let him go now, not after what I dug up on him. See, the vermin don't have 'rulers' the same way we do; instead, they have territories, each with its own 'leader', sort of like gangs, but with fifty of sixty members per group. I'd seen some up to a hundred-strong; they'd been a challenge. If the information I’ve found is correct, the group he leads is small, maximum ten. Not such a challenge.
The song finishes; I haven't been paying attention to the music, instead focusing on keeping my eyes on Vengeance. If he gets away now, I'll be the laughing stock of the entire human race.
M Shadows fist-pumps with both hands, yelling something about how great the fans were, how grateful they were for the support and that they’d see them next time etc. etc., before the band file offstage, pausing only to throw some water, guitar picks and drumsticks at the crowd and (in the case of the man known as Synyster Gates, ripping off his shirt and tossing that in too). As the crowd start to leave the room, I push through to the back door where a man is standing, his arms folded, looking for all the world like some kind of bodyguard.
I approach the door; he looks like he’s about to block my way, but I wave my ticket at him and smile sweetly. He takes the ticket and reads it carefully, looking me up and down before finally nodding and letting me past. I take the ticket back out of his hand as I pass, muttering about paying good money (which, in truth, I had – backstage tickets to Avenged Sevenfold weren’t exactly cheap). The expense will be worth it though, if I get what I came for – evidence of Zacky Vengeance’s inhumanity. Solo vigilante or not, I still have principles. I don’t kill without proof.
The door at the end of the corridor opens with a creak; I force a blush, smiling shyly as I’m ushered into a small room. The boys are sitting around the room on comfy-looking chairs and couches.
“Hey,” Shadows says with a smile, indicating an empty chair. “You want a drink?”
“Sure, that’d be great. Thanks,” I say, sitting down and acting the over-awed fangirl to the hilt. “I...this is... I can’t believe I’m here! This is so awesome! I’m... Oh my god...”
They laugh, Shadows putting a hand on my shoulder as he hands me my can of soda. “So, what’s your name?” he asks.
“Emily Page,” I lie smoothly, aware of Vengeance watching me. I might be able to easily fool a bunch of humans, but to full-on lie to a vampire was another thing entirely. I’d just have to trust my instincts and stick to the plan.
“Well, Emily, I’m Matt,” - he grins - “that’s Johnny over there,” – Johnny waves and grins too – “Brian,” – the guitarist winks, smirking – “Jimmy,” – Jimmy gives me a goofy smile – “and Zacky.” The last gives a small wave and smirks in a way that I’m sure would make most girls weak. As for me? I can see he’s attractive – Hell, they all are! – but I have a job to do. My ultimate intention is to kill this man, and it won’t do to start losing my focus.
I take a sip of my drink and force another shy smile, then reach down to my bag and pull out some folded sheets of paper. “Oh, I almost forgot! I brought something.”
“Ooo...” Brian chuckles, leaning forwards.
“I drew these for you guys,” I say a little sheepishly, passing them to each person. An old colleague of mine had sketched out some fine-line Manga style pictures of the band for me, so that I’d be able to implement the next stage of my plan (my own drawing skills are beyond crappy).
“Wow, these are awesome!” Johnny exclaims, holding his up.
“Thanks.” I smile, passing the last one over to Vengeance. As he takes it, I ‘accidentally’ catch my finger on the corner, leaving a drop of blood on the corner of the paper. I watch his expression intently, pretending to be concerned about what he thought of my picture. It doesn't take long; as he catches the scent of my blood, his eyes darken ever-so-slightly and his nostrils flare. The whole thing is over in less than a second, and anyone with less than needle-sharp eyes would’ve missed it. He glances up, catching my eye, and smiles. “This is really good,” he says, leaning over to look at the other drawings.
I smile in return, no longer having to feign my happiness (only the reason for it). I have my proof – I can push my schedule forward. I hadn’t intended to make my move for another week, but that had been planned before I knew how easily I’d get my evidence.
The rest of the ‘meet-and-greet’ goes quickly; I end up getting their signatures on several photos, a couple of posters and a T-shirt – I’ll sell them on eBay and make some cash. When it’s time for me to leave, I get a hug from each of them (plus a kiss on the cheek from Brian – I force a girlish giggle and blush furiously). Finally it’s Zacky’s turn. I have to tell myself not to tense up, not to recoil from such intimate proximity with the creature I’m hunting.
It strikes me how odd it is that he’s been able to hide his true nature from his band-mates for so long. Then again, all self-respecting vampires learn to become skilled at hiding their nature from the rest of the world. It only makes them more God-damned dangerous.
In all honesty, they are the reason I’m here, but not for the same purpose as everyone else. I'm here purely on business.
I watch as the man who calls himself 'M Shadows' stepped back from the microphone, allowing for another man to take over. This is my mark; the one I came here for. Instinctively, my muscles tense and I lean forwards a little to catch a better look at his face. Of course, my eyesight is better trained than most, especially when it comes to this sort of work, but it doesn't hurt to be certain. He speaks - I'm not interested in what he has to say - and the crowd screams again, as he grins and begins the song, singing as he plays his guitar. Somewhere in the back of my mind I recognise the song as 'Seize the Day' (I did my research thoroughly, just in case) but this is unimportant. My eyes pick up something strange and I push easily through the crowd to get a closer look. Yes, it was definitely there that time.
The eyes; that's how you tell them from humans. In every other respect, they can mimic us perfectly. They can speak like us, move like us; they can even train themselves to think like us, but when it comes right down to it, they are not the same as us. It’s shown in the way their eyes react to lights, and in the newly-changed, you can tell by avoidance of bright lights (especially sunlight) and behaviour similar to a junkie suffering from withdrawal.
Oh yeah, and they’re immortal, unless I kill them first.
Archaic mythology refers to them as vampires, but I prefer to think of them as vermin. Ever since the kidnapping and brutal murder of my best friend Lucille at the hands of those monsters, I've dedicated my life to fighting and killing as many of them as possible. I'm not alone, there are others who have the same ideals, but I prefer to work alone; companions have held me back in the past and I don't repeat mistakes.
My trusted sources told me three weeks ago that the one who calls himself 'Zacky Vengeance' was in town, touring with his band Avenged Sevenfold. Since then, I've been researching and making plans. As far as I and my sources know, he’s the only vamp in the group, which has to mean the other members of the band don't know what they’re cozying up to.
Too bad for them.
I won't let him go now, not after what I dug up on him. See, the vermin don't have 'rulers' the same way we do; instead, they have territories, each with its own 'leader', sort of like gangs, but with fifty of sixty members per group. I'd seen some up to a hundred-strong; they'd been a challenge. If the information I’ve found is correct, the group he leads is small, maximum ten. Not such a challenge.
The song finishes; I haven't been paying attention to the music, instead focusing on keeping my eyes on Vengeance. If he gets away now, I'll be the laughing stock of the entire human race.
M Shadows fist-pumps with both hands, yelling something about how great the fans were, how grateful they were for the support and that they’d see them next time etc. etc., before the band file offstage, pausing only to throw some water, guitar picks and drumsticks at the crowd and (in the case of the man known as Synyster Gates, ripping off his shirt and tossing that in too). As the crowd start to leave the room, I push through to the back door where a man is standing, his arms folded, looking for all the world like some kind of bodyguard.
I approach the door; he looks like he’s about to block my way, but I wave my ticket at him and smile sweetly. He takes the ticket and reads it carefully, looking me up and down before finally nodding and letting me past. I take the ticket back out of his hand as I pass, muttering about paying good money (which, in truth, I had – backstage tickets to Avenged Sevenfold weren’t exactly cheap). The expense will be worth it though, if I get what I came for – evidence of Zacky Vengeance’s inhumanity. Solo vigilante or not, I still have principles. I don’t kill without proof.
The door at the end of the corridor opens with a creak; I force a blush, smiling shyly as I’m ushered into a small room. The boys are sitting around the room on comfy-looking chairs and couches.
“Hey,” Shadows says with a smile, indicating an empty chair. “You want a drink?”
“Sure, that’d be great. Thanks,” I say, sitting down and acting the over-awed fangirl to the hilt. “I...this is... I can’t believe I’m here! This is so awesome! I’m... Oh my god...”
They laugh, Shadows putting a hand on my shoulder as he hands me my can of soda. “So, what’s your name?” he asks.
“Emily Page,” I lie smoothly, aware of Vengeance watching me. I might be able to easily fool a bunch of humans, but to full-on lie to a vampire was another thing entirely. I’d just have to trust my instincts and stick to the plan.
“Well, Emily, I’m Matt,” - he grins - “that’s Johnny over there,” – Johnny waves and grins too – “Brian,” – the guitarist winks, smirking – “Jimmy,” – Jimmy gives me a goofy smile – “and Zacky.” The last gives a small wave and smirks in a way that I’m sure would make most girls weak. As for me? I can see he’s attractive – Hell, they all are! – but I have a job to do. My ultimate intention is to kill this man, and it won’t do to start losing my focus.
I take a sip of my drink and force another shy smile, then reach down to my bag and pull out some folded sheets of paper. “Oh, I almost forgot! I brought something.”
“Ooo...” Brian chuckles, leaning forwards.
“I drew these for you guys,” I say a little sheepishly, passing them to each person. An old colleague of mine had sketched out some fine-line Manga style pictures of the band for me, so that I’d be able to implement the next stage of my plan (my own drawing skills are beyond crappy).
“Wow, these are awesome!” Johnny exclaims, holding his up.
“Thanks.” I smile, passing the last one over to Vengeance. As he takes it, I ‘accidentally’ catch my finger on the corner, leaving a drop of blood on the corner of the paper. I watch his expression intently, pretending to be concerned about what he thought of my picture. It doesn't take long; as he catches the scent of my blood, his eyes darken ever-so-slightly and his nostrils flare. The whole thing is over in less than a second, and anyone with less than needle-sharp eyes would’ve missed it. He glances up, catching my eye, and smiles. “This is really good,” he says, leaning over to look at the other drawings.
I smile in return, no longer having to feign my happiness (only the reason for it). I have my proof – I can push my schedule forward. I hadn’t intended to make my move for another week, but that had been planned before I knew how easily I’d get my evidence.
The rest of the ‘meet-and-greet’ goes quickly; I end up getting their signatures on several photos, a couple of posters and a T-shirt – I’ll sell them on eBay and make some cash. When it’s time for me to leave, I get a hug from each of them (plus a kiss on the cheek from Brian – I force a girlish giggle and blush furiously). Finally it’s Zacky’s turn. I have to tell myself not to tense up, not to recoil from such intimate proximity with the creature I’m hunting.
It strikes me how odd it is that he’s been able to hide his true nature from his band-mates for so long. Then again, all self-respecting vampires learn to become skilled at hiding their nature from the rest of the world. It only makes them more God-damned dangerous.
Notes
So here's chapter 1 :) Expect more updates pretty soon, this story's actually finished so it's just a case of editing and uploading.Feel free to comment and let me know what you liked/didn't like about it - any advice is good, especially constructive criticism :)
Thanks! ^_^
4/25/13