Wilted

Broken Earth

     "I can't believe you deal with her, daily." Ann-Marit shivered as she downed the last bit of her milky coffee. It wouldn't be a girl's coffee day without a touch of gossip of course, even if Linnea wasn't doing much of it.
"What do you mean? Orchid? What's wrong with her?"
"What's right with her?! Bone jewelry? Protection spells…there's what Øystein does and then there's -that-"
"It's all a bit unhinged if you ask me, I fail to see why we're making a distinction." Linnea took a long drink of her tea, "Orchid's at least a sweet soul, Øystein has some kind of anger issues."
"He's not bad, He's just…easily influenced. Been hanging out with some weird dude."
Linnea shifted her eyes uncomfortably, how had she not seen Kristian hanging around? "Is that right?" She coughed.
Ann-Marit's downcast eyes spoke volumes, "Hm, yeah, real weirdo." She shook off a fearful expression, "Well how have you been? How's that girl you're talking to?"
"Marnie? Oh uh, god, it didn't really work out the way I'd hoped."
"Oh…"
"It's no big deal!" Linnea insisted, "Some girls just don't have taste I guess." She ended with a small, unconvincing laugh, much to Ann's dismay.
"You gonna be okay, Nea?"
"Yeah. I'll be alright. I should probably get back though, I have a paper due tomorrow."
Ann-Marit nodded, "I'll get the trash, call me if you need anything, okay?" She touched Linnea's shoulder thoughtfully, sharing a comforting glance with her friend before she left.

     Ann could be such a drama queen, Linnea had thought so since high school. Usually she wasn't so judgemental, either. She threw Linnea's coming out party for God's sake! For whatever reason, something about Orchid just set off every alarm bell in Ann's little blonde head.

'She's just being funny, Orchid isn't like that, she's smart and sweet, and it looks like she's so much happier!'

      Linnea laughed to herself as she opened the door to her dorm, stopping dead in her tracks as she took in the state of their room. Scattered flower petals and bits of bone fragments scattered all over the floor, mixed with glitter, dirt, parts of plant matter and various dried up bugs.
A whole Children's museum spilled from her bag, and in the middle, a wailing, sobbing Orchid, voice hoarse from the anguished sobs she choked out.
     "What the hell is this?! Are you okay? Did someone hurt you!?" Linnea panicked, her eyes darting around the room.
Orchid lifted her head, her face scarred and bleeding on one side from the pieces of broken glass that littered the floor, "Nea…" she sniffled, "Pelle went home."

-

      It was the quietest few weeks that Øystein ever had.
     "Yeah, put that right over there…Perfect!" Øystein grinned. The new shop was coming together perfectly, and even though it was a little niche, there was no doubt Helvete was bound to make history.
Good or Bad.

     "Øystein!" Jørn busted through the doors, making his friend jump, nearly spilling a couple 100$ in records.
"Hey! Warn a motherfuc-"
"Where the hell have you been?! I've been trying to get in touch with you for fucking weeks!"
"Yeah, I've been a little busy." He gestured to the shop, "Where the hell have you been? Why is it when I need help moving, You and Dead always seem to disappear?!"
"Øystein-"
"Eh eh eh, Remember, we're going in harder with the stage names, for the brand."
"I don't give a fuck about the brand, Øystein, This is serious!"
"What?! What could be more serious than the br-"
"Pelle's in the hospital!" He roared, "He tried to fuckin' kill himself, with your shotgun!" Jørn bit back tears, his temper flaring.
     Øystein's eyes widened, taking a moment to let the severity of Jørn's words settle in, "W-Which hospital?"
-
     Øystein rushed through the blindingly bright halls of the hospital, nearly out of breath when he hit the room at the end of the hall.
'134'
He steeled himself, shaking as he gently pushed open the door.

     Pelle laid there, his thin frame splayed out on the hospital bed, stitches all along his throat, dotted with tiny bright red stains. He turned his head to look at him, slowly opening his eyes.
Øystein involuntarily clasped a hand over his mouth, "P-Pelle? Oh God, Pelle…What did you do?"
Pelle shakily ran his hands over his stitches, it was clear he didn't have much strength, at the very least the hospital was having him eat.
"You can't speak?" Øystein asked in a hushed whisper, taking his friend's hand, "Oh God, No wonder, look at you."
     Pelle smiled up at him, he was the first familiar face he'd seen since the surgery. No matter what Øystein did or said, he was a good friend…
"To be honest, this is amazing…"
Pelle's smile faded into confusion,
"This is the best thing you could have done for the band, and the best part is you didn't even need to die!"
      The more Øystein spoke, the wider Pelle's eyes grew, amazing? That he almost died? That his voice was gone? That it may not be the same if it ever came back?
"Think about it! You'll be famous, a martyr for the cause! The first attempted Death in Black Met-" Øystein was ripped away from his thoughts when Pelle tugged his hand away, and roughly grabbed him by the shirt, straining every muscle in his body.

     A deep, guttural noise emanated from Pelle's slit throat, not the normal brand of growl they were used to, it sounded damn near ethereal, Alien, not of this world.
He strained himself for a second or two, his eyes grilling into Øystein, instilling a fear he couldn't shake.
A trickle of blood spilled from his mouth, running down his chin as something resembling words gurgled out.

"F-F-Fuc…
…Yuuuu…'

     Pelle, lacking the strength to hold on, fell back onto the bed, breathing heavily from exertion. Øystein gritted his teeth, what was his friend thinking? Tossing away an opportunity like this?
"Fine! I-If you wanna be like that, You're out!" He spat, not even sure if Pelle could hear him, "Like we really need a vocalist who can't sing! Good luck finding a place to live after you get out of here!"
Øystein left in a huff, slamming every door he possibly could.

Pelle might have been breathing, but he was Dead to him.

(Hi everyone, so glad to have another chapter up so quickly, relatively speaking, anyway. I have been going through quite a lot lately, as has everyone I'm certain. Would anyone be interested in a story playlist? Please let me know!)