He Went Out On A Chariot Of Fire

Catastrophic Accident

"I wanna dedicate this song to everyone. Escape The Fate, for agreeing to tour with us. Especially Craig Mabbitt, we all know Ronnie hated the guy. To Max Green, for helping me through the tough times. For my band, Falling In Reverse, for choosing me to take my brother's spot. For Andy Biersack, for organizing a party and helping me make new friends. For Anthony, my brother, for always believing that I could do good one day. For Ronnie, I miss you so much and I know everyone else here does too. This song is called Keep Holding On."

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"You're wonderful out there." Andy said.
"Thanks." I chugged a bottle of water. It was hot on stage.
"Can we talk?" Max asked. "Sorry, Biersack." He pulled me aside.
"What's up?"
"You're breaking. You're numbing yourself to the pain by drinking after the shows, you're overworking yourself to distract yourself when you're sober. You're burying your feelings about Ronnie by giving everyone else what they want."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I do." Max sat down, then pulled me onto the chair across from him. "You miss Ronnie. Understandable. But you're not sleeping, you're overworking yourself with the shows, and you're drinking excessively. Trust me, I've seen it. Ronnie would do it. It's how he started. Alcohol wouldn't help it, so he moved to drugs. I can't let you do that to yourself like he did. Hell, I did it too, and I'm still stuck like this." He looked up at me. "You're numbing yourself but you're about to break. And I'm trying to stop it, because it's gonna be hell when you do break; but Arizona, I can't stop it if you don't help me. Andy's ignorant about it. It's not bad. It's just... He doesn't know what you're going through."
"Max, I... I'm okay." I went to stand up.
He grabbed my wrist. "No. You're not. The meds aren't working, the alcohol isn't either. You know it, I know it, Craig knows it, Jacky knows it. You can't have a downward spiral. Ronnie wouldn't like that."
"Ronnie's dead. He can't-"
"Yes, he can. I could just whip out a Oujia Board-"
"Max! Okay. Fine. Say hypothetically, I don't fix it. What happens?"
He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "Jail? Prison, even?"
Jacky ran in. "Arizona, your phone is ringing off the hook."
I held my hand out. He placed it in and I answered it. "Hello?"
"Arizona..."
"Dad, what happened?" I could tell by his voice something happened. Did he get evicted, did Anthony get in a fight, what happened?
He paused. "I'm so sorry... You found out today..."
"Dad, you're scaring me."
"Anthony died a couple days ago."
My heart dropped into my stomach. "W-What?"
"He was on the bike and a drunk driver hit him, I..."
Anthony always rode his motorcycle stupidly. So did Ronnie, frankly. I always warned them about it, that something could happen... "He...."
"Yeah."
I was my dad's only surviving child now. I was Dad's only child who didn't die from a stupid drunk driver. "Oh God..."
"Did you finish your show?"
"We just did, like five minutes ago, I... I.... I gotta go..."
"Yeah. Bye, Arizona. I love you. So much." He ended the call.
The phone slid from my fingers and hit the ground. "Arizona?" Jacky asked.
"What happened?" Max stood up.
"Anthony... He was hit... And he's... He's dead..."
"No. There's no way in hell." Jacky said.
"He rode like an idiot. Ronnie did too. It... Frankly, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner." Max mumbled.
I strode out to the stage, which had cleared up already. I collapsed, hugging my knees to my chest. Anthony was dead, he was killed by a stupid drunk driver. Just like Ronnie. "Arghh!" I screamed out, sending a sharp pain coursing through my throat.
I started sobbing, mainly from the emotions, but the pain caused a small part. If I fucked up my voice from that... "Arizona..."
"Max, go away." I managed.
He sat next to me and rubbed my back. "I'm so sorry."
I looked up at him. "He has kids. Five. What the hell am I supposed to do? They don't have a dad, they don't have their Uncle Ronnie, they don't have a male figure in their life, I..." I paused. "Amanda, his wife, she... I'll have to send money, I..."
"Don't. Don't sort this out right now."
"Two drunk drivers. I had two brothers." I choked out. "Both killed by drunk drivers."
"Arizona..."
"This isn't fair."
"No, it isn't."
"I miss them, I... I'll cancel tour, and..."
"Okay. We'll cancel tour." He said, all calm and collected.
"We can't, I can't let them down, I..."
"We won't cancel tour. We don't have to make decisions now, okay? I love you. So much. You're like a sister to me."
I buried my face in Max's shoulder. "Please... Tell my dad that... I'll pay for the funeral, so he doesn't have to."
"Okay. Come on. Let's go get you a drink of the strongest shit we have on the bus."