FicWad

Tré approached the tomb with a heavy heart. He motioned to the young, frightened boy to follow him, though the child was terrified of the cemetery.

"Give me the flashlight," he said to the kid, who obeyed and gave it to him with a shaking hand, causing the light to dance and flicker in the darkness. Tré took it and immediately shut it off. "Go stand over by that tree, and let me know if anyone's coming, okay?" The boy nodded and hurried to obey Tré's orders. The older teen scattered several silky, blood-red rose petals around the grave.

"I am sorry this had to happen to you, Alicia," he said softly, brushing a tear from one eye. He heard a short, shrill whistle. Someone was coming. He swiftly hid behind a nearby tree.

Ray and Mikey approached the tomb cautiously, the latter holding a crowbar. Tré's eyes narrowed upon recognizing his voice.

"Why are you doing this, Mikey?" asked Ray in a hushed voice.

"Well, partly to see Alicia," said Mikey, thinking, 'More than anything, to be with her forever,' "but also because I need to get a ring back that I gave to her. It's very valuable to my family. If you don't believe me," he added darkly upon seeing the skeptical look on Ray's face, "I'll tear you apart and scatter the pieces around this graveyard."

"I'm leaving, don't worry. I'll wait for you outside the cemetery gates," Ray said quickly, backing away.

"You still show me friendship, Ray. I hope you have a good life. Goodbye, my friend," Mikey muttered to himself.

'I'll hide here,' Ray thought to himself, ducking behind a nearby tombstone. 'I don't think that's why he's really here.'

Mikey pried open the tomb with the crowbar, recoiling immediately from the smell.

'He's going to do something bad to Jade or Alicia,' Tré thought angrily. 'He's already killed them, and that's not even good enough for him.'

"That's far enough, Way," he spat, coming out of his hiding place. "You're already wanted for murder. Come with me, or I'll kill you where you stand."

"Please," Mikey begged him. "Please leave, just this once."

"I'm taking you to prison, Way," said Tré, drawing a knife. Mikey brought one out as well.

"You'll provoke me, then? Fine!" he cried, running at Tré. A fight quickly ensued, each narrowly avoiding the other's blade.

"Oh no, they're fighting!" the young boy said to himself. "I'll go get the police." He ran out of the cemetery as fast as he could.

The fight continued unceasingly, until one of them emitted a sharp gasp of pain. Tré fell to his knees with blood gushing like a red fountain from his chest.

"I'm going to die," he said almost inaudibly. He looked up at Mikey pleadingly. "If you are merciful...please lay me near Alicia." He fell flat on the ground, and his labored breathing ceased. Mikey removed the knife from his ribs and threw it aside, dragging his body into the tomb.

"It's Tré Cool," he said in shock. "Mike Dirnt's friend, and Billie Joe's. Didn't Ray tell me he was supposed to be dating Alicia? Or did I only dream that as well?" He carefully laid Tré on the stone floor of the tomb, and his eyes fell upon Alicia.

"She's still beautiful," he said as crystalline tears flowed into his eyes. "Not even Death can take her beauty away from her. She doesn't look dead at all." He knelt by her side and gently ran his fingers through her silky ebony hair. "We'll be together forever, Alicia. We'll spend eternity together." Mikey wrapped one arm around her back and propped her up slightly, then gently kissed her on the lips.

"I love you, Alicia." He took the bottle out of his pocket and unscrewed the lid, downing its entire contents in one swallow. He felt a numbing fire spread throughout his veins and became limp, knowing he did not have much time. "You're right, Chris," he said, closing his eyes in bliss. "It does work fast. With a kiss, I die."

He kissed Alicia again. Even something that simple drained the rest of his energy. He fell to one side, completely limp, and his breathing slowed to a stop.

Matt approached from the other side of the cemetery with a crowbar and a flashlight. He hoped Alicia hadn't woken up yet.

"I seem to be spending a lot of time at graves tonight," he muttered to himself. His sharp eyes caught sight of a figure in the darkness, hiding behind a tombstone. "Who's there?" he called.

"It's me, Ray," a familiar voice responded. Matt sighed in relief.

"Good. Ray, is there a light coming from Alicia's family's tomb?" He hoped the answer would be negative.

"Yeah, and one of my best friends is inside," Ray said listlessly. Matt felt his heart sink.

"Who is it?"

"Mikey."

"How long has he been there?" Matt asked in horror. Ray checked his watch.

"Half an hour."

"Come with me to the tomb," said Matt. Ray shook his head vigorously, curly hair following every motion.

"I fell asleep, and I had a dream that Mikey fought and killed someone," he said nervously. Matt placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Stay here, then." Matt cautiously approached the tomb, undeterred by the smell. He went pale upon sighting a familiar face. "Mikey!" He rushed to his friend's side, but stopped at the entrance of the tomb.

"Why is there blood here?" he murmured to himself. He entered the tomb warily. "Mikey's dead, and Tré, too!" he cried suddenly. As if she had heard his words, Alicia's dark eyes flew open. She slowly moved and sat up, seeing Matt first.

"Matt, I'm so glad you're here. Where's Mikey? I remember where I'm supposed to be, and here I am," she said placidly. "So where is my Mikey?"

Matt was about to respond when he heard approaching footsteps.

"I hear something. Come, Alicia, from this place of death, contagion, and unnatural sleep. The authorities are coming, and we can't go against them. Mikey lies there, dead," he said, motioning to the younger boy's lifeless body, "and Tré as well. Let's go." He heard voices this time. "I can't stay any longer," he said urgently.

"Leave, then, for I will not," Alicia said firmly. Matt nodded once, giving her a solemn look before departing. Alicia's eyes fell upon Mikey's body.

"What's this?" she asked herself, seeing a small bottle clasped in one hand. "Drugs. That's what killed him. I hope he left some for me." She leaned over and kissed his lips, drawing back suddenly. "Your lips are still warm!"

"Which way, kid?" an older man asked, sounding much closer than he had earlier.

"Noise? I'll do this quickly, then." Alicia took the razor from her pocket. "Glinting blade, this is your new home." She rolled up the sleeves of her black jacket and forced the razor into her arm, swiftly drawing it the full length of her forearm. She quickly repeated the process with her other arm. Her crimson blood flowed like water.

"Rust there, and let me die," she whispered. Alicia collapsed onto Mikey's lifeless body, and she, too, breathed her last.

"Here's where the light was coming from, sir," said the little kid. The officer shooed him away, not wanting him to see the carnage.

"The ground is bloody," he said grimly, speaking to his two fellow officers. "Search the courtyard; find anything you can. Tré lies here, dead. And Alicia bleeding, freshly dead, though she's been buried here for two days. Someone tell Billie Joe and Alicia's and Mikey's families." The other two officers left, and returned quickly with Ray.

"We found him in the courtyard, sir," said one.

"Keep him here until Billie Joe arrives," said the first.

"I found Matt," said a third, entering the tomb holding Matt's hands behind his back. "He had a crowbar with him." The first officer eyed him warily.

"Very suspicious. Keep him here as well."

Just then, Billie Joe arrived, as did several of his friends.

"What is so wrong that we must all be awake this early?" he asked sleepily, rubbing one eye and finger-combing his tossled black hair. Davey, Inés, and several others arrived as well.

"Why was everyone shrieking?" Davey asked.

"There were people in the streets shouting Mikey, and Alicia, and some Tré. All of them were running here, to our monument," said Inés.

"I'll ask again. What's going on here?" asked Billie Joe, this time slightly more on edge. The first officer spoke.

"Tré lies here dead, sir; and Mikey, dead; and Alicia, newly killed."

"Find out how," Billie Joe said immediately, "and why."

"She's bleeding," Davey said sadly. "It looks like she cut herself."

"I will die young because of all this grief," said Inés. Davey held her close and gently stroked her hair, willing her not to cry. Frank and others arrived.

"You're up early to see your friend die early, Frank," said Billie Joe. Frank could only look at him with tearstained eyes.

"My friend, Jamia is dead as well. She died of grief once she heard of Mikey's exile. What other bad news could you possibly have for me?" he asked, hands curled into fists and quaking violently.

"Look, and you will see," Billie Joe said patiently. Frank looked and immediately wished he hadn't.

"Is someone trying to kill me early as well?!" cried Frank, falling to his knees. Billie Joe placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't get angry until we figure all of this out, and know why it all happened," he said to Frank, who had begun to cry once again. "Show me the suspects."

"I am the most suspected," said Matt. "I will tell you what happened. I'll try to shorten it as much as possible. You see, Alicia and Mikey were boyfriend and girlfriend. I made it official for them; they asked me to. Later that same day, Jade was killed, which in turn banished Mikey from the city. That was why Alicia cried: for Mikey, not for Jade. She came to me begging for a way out of going out with Tré, so I gave her a potion that made her appear dead.

"Meanwhile, I sent a message to Mikey asking him to meet me here tonight to get her out of this grave, which is when the potion would have stopped working. But my friend Dominic could not get it to him. So I came here in order to let her out of the tomb, planning to let her stay at my house until Mikey came back.

"But when I came, I found her still asleep, and Mikey and Tré already dead. She woke up, and I asked her to leave with me, but she would not come. It seems she killed herself. If I'm lying, let me be killed as well," Matt finished. Silence filled the space around them for some time. Billie Joe was the first to speak.

"Where is Mikey's friend? What can he say to this?"

"I told Mikey about Alicia's death," said Ray. "He asked me to give this letter to his father, and threatened to kill me if I followed him into the vault." He handed the letter to Billie Joe, who then began asking the little kid about what Tré did. He read the letter carefully before speaking.

"Matt's telling the truth," he said finally. "It says Mikey bought a poison from a poor shop owner and came here to die with Alicia." He called Davey and Frank forward, pointing to the freshly dead bodies around them. "See how much Heaven hated your fighting? It found a way to kill your only joys with love. And for not doing anything more severe about it sooner, I have lost my two closest friends."

"Frank, I can't tell you how sorry I am for all of this," said Davey, releasing Inés and embracing Frank. "There's nothing I can ask of you other than your forgiveness."

"I can offer you something else, though," said Frank. "I will have a statue made of Alicia, in pure gold, so that her name will be synonymous with our city."

"I will do the same for Mikey," said Davey. "Terrible sacrifices of our hatred for each other."

"This morning brings a gloomy peace with it," said Billie Joe, watching as gray clouds began to roll in. "The sun is so depressed it will not even show its face. Come, we have to talk about this in more detail. Some things will be excused and others punished." He watched as everyone began to file out of the tomb. He was the last to leave.

"For never was a greater tragedy
Than that of Alicia and her Mikey."