The poet and the bard

Highway to Hell

Prologue: 2016

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Derick hissed, backing Elizabeth into the hallway. He seemed drunk, like this little 'business trip' he'd been on hadn't been as official as she'd originally thought.

"Look, it's just a little party. Noting crazy. We got the song done so just relax will you? God." She crossed her arms, turning her head.

Derick wasn't happy with that answer. Not at all. "You know, you've always been a real pain in the ass Liz, so stuck up. You think the world revolves around you? Just because you wrote a few stupid songs? Well newsflash Princess, once you drop out of the charts you'll be forgotten. You are nothing compared to the artists that came before you, nothing!"

Thomas had seen Elizabeth leave the party, and was now watching the argument unfold. Oh how it angered him to hear this disgusting man call speak to her like that.

"Shut your goddamn mouth Derick! You think I don't know all that shit? Well I do. My job is to write songs and make money, and even if that kills me inside I don't give a shit! Because at the end of the day, I'm worth more to people than you ever will" Elizabeth snapped, bunching her hands into fists at her sides.

Now she'd done it. Something inside her manager snapped. "How dare you talk to me like that you ungrateful little-"

With that, he grabbed her by the throat, pushing her up against the hallway wall. She squeezed as tightly as he could.

"D-Derick, l-let go! C-can't breathe!" She wheezed, trying to claw his hands away from her throat.

Thomas watched in horror as Elizabeth's face turned blue, her eyes rolling back. He wanted to help, but all he could do was watch.

Eventually, Derick let go, and Elizabeth crumpled to the floor. Dead.

Derick, looked down at her, the realisation of what he'd done setting in. "Holy shit" he stuttered, looking down to his shaking hands. And like the coward he was, he ran. He jumped in his car and he drove away.
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Elizabeth opened her eyes slowly. She felt different, and her head was so light. "Mhhm, what the hell happened?" She questioned, standing up slowly, a hand on her head. That's when she looked down.

What the hell was happening? Was that her? Was she having some weird dream? She was so unsure. She felt awake, and everything felt real, or did it?

She reached out a hand to touch the table beside her. But instead of meeting with the hard wood, it went straight through.

She jumped back in surprise, looking down at her hands, then back at the table, then to her body on the floor.

What. The. Fuck.

Thomas poked his head out from around the corner where he had hidden when he saw Derick leave. He glanced at the confused woman, and practically jumped out of his skin when they made eye contact.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to scream, so freaked out by everything happening. Thomas held his hands up to stop her, moving closer slowly.

"Uhm, hello?" He asked cautiously, not wanting to scare her any further.

"H-hi" she muttered back. "What the hell is going on?"

Thomas, looked down at the body on the floor, then back up to Elizabeth. "W-well, um, you're dead." Not the gentlest way to break the news, but what can you do?

Eventually, Markus came to look for her. "Elizabeth? Are you ok? You've been gone for a wh-" he was cut short by the sight of his friend on the floor.

"Oh my god, Elizabeth! Oh god are you ok?" He shook her shoulders, only to be met with cold skin and a lifeless body.

"What's going on? Why can't he see me?" Elizabeth questioned, looking back to Thomas.

Thomas sighed, he hated seeing newly dead people come to terms with their death, let alone one that he had developed somewhat of a crush on. "I'm sorry but, you're dead, I'm dead too. You're a...ghost."

Elizabeth covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. "N-no, no! That's not possible! Ghosts aren't real, this is all just some weird dream!" She cried, breaking down onto the floor.

Thomas crouched down besides her, hesitantly placing a hand on her back. "I-I'm sorry. It's not easy, coming to terms with it."

Elizabeth couldn't say anything else. She just cried. She cried into the arms of a complete stranger.

Once she'd calmed herself slightly, she looked up to the curly haired man. "I'm sorry, I don't even know your name."

"It's Thomas. Thomas Thorne"

"I'm Elizabeth, Elizabeth Van Vaughan"