Hallows: Merciful Death

Always Good For Business

Bring Me The Horizon- Can You Feel My Heart

B.B.:

The bar is officially packed. As I walked out with the rest of the band the crowd falls absolutely silent. I stopped in front of the mic groaning trying to relax as the band takes their places. I adjusted the mic as I let the groan roll in my throat. It's been a while since I've been up here and I feel a little nervous. I haven't used my vocals this way in a long time and on top of that all I do is smoke.

"Big Bad wolf," Natalie whispers in my ear. "Have fun,"

The lights shut off suddenly. I close my eyes telling myself that it's just darkness. What can really jump out and scare me now? I open my eyes. There in the center of the crowd, the reaper is looking back at me. I smile at it wondering what it means for her to be here in this moment. The music begins to echo all around me. I step to the side of the mic and look down directly at the reaper. Keep your eyes on her, B.B. Just on her. No one and nothing else matters.

"Even in these chains, you can't stop me. Even in these chains, you can't stop me," I grit out letting the cold flood through me. "Even in these chains, you can't stop me. Even in these chains, you can't stop me,"

I pull the mic towards me and fully give into it with no hesitation or emotion. I just let the cold sweep me off my feet and take me along for this ride. The crowd cries out when I start to move my body. I crouch down in front of them. My mouth is moving it's on it's like an instinct. Victoria, the backup singer makes her way over to me crouching by my side. I grip her chin to keep her eyes on my face while I look at the reaper. the two of us are completely lost in the seduction of the music and violence of the crowd below. I finally look away and my eyes are locked on hers and hers on mine.

"Pig, pig," she cries out.

"Oh, won't you let me in!" I follow.

My ears are ringing, I can see them now. The shadows inside of us. They're all here dancing around the reaper and she's loving the attention. Even the hellhound is there. My body is alive. I feel it all over me. The cold winding feeling is liberating more than the darkness of the snake. This is something else. It's completely taken over my high and replaced it with, there is no better word for this, nirvana.

Five songs. I perform five songs and when it was over, my body is so weightless I fall to my knees in front of all the people screaming, reaching for me. I lick my lips wetting them. I can taste the saltiness of my sweat. The energy in my body feels like they've completely devoured it. I gave them exactly what they came here for. All of me.

"Holy s**t," Natalie runs over to me. She wraps her arms around me, shaking my body excitedly. "That was f*****g insane," she's pushing my hair out of my face. "B.B. can you hear me?"

"Yeah," I pant seeing the hound run around us. "It's you,"

"What?" she laughs. "That was amazing. I mean I've- f**k,"

"You have it inside of you," I place my hand on her chest. "The hell hound,"

"What?" she pulls away her delight instant fading. The expression on her face is that of fear.

"Your last name isn't Holopov, is it? Your last name is Phantom,"

"Who told you that?" she growl. She doesn't bother to hide it. I reached for her pulling her into me.

"No one told me. I can see it," I lean to the right so the light reflects my eyes the way hers does. I don't know what compelled me to pet her head but she closes her eyes enjoying it. "Come on. You have to meet the others. Natalie, we're cousins,"

"There are more?" she asks. I nod. I swing my body back and pushed off the floor to get up. "How did you do that? Move like that. It was almost-"

"Snake-like?" I smirk. My body movements are beginning to change. They're a little more predator. Quieter. Flexible. Not that I wasn't before. It's just more now. My instincts are sharp.

"Yeah," she nods.

"I get that a lot," I wrap my arm around her waist and lead her down into the crowd.

"Biiiiitch," Stacy cries out excitedly stomping her feet rapidly. "That was amazing,"

"Thank you," I smile. "It was all Natalie,"

"If you want to give me credit for that, I take full responsibility," she laughs.

"That was magnificent," Luc pulls me away from them, spinning me around in his arms. My hands smacked against his chest when he drops me down against his chest to let me down.

"There you are," I greet him. "I've missed you al-"

He buries his hand in my sweaty hair and kisses me. For a moment, I am absolutely stunned. But my body respond before I could fully process what's happening. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer. He makes the weirdest noise in the back of his throat. The vibration sends a hot flash through my body. I'm breathless when he pulls away.

His eyes are completely dilated whatever this is, it's still lingering heavily in the air around him. He's drunk in the presence of the reaper the same way Carson loses it when the mamba appears. His eyes are completely fixated on my face. I reached up trying to soothe some of the effects. He looks like he can hurt someone right now.

"I missed you too," he pulls me in closer, his lips brushing against my neck. I rest my cheek on his shoulder trying to calm him down. I've never seen him this way and it's terrifying.

"I'm right here," I whisper.

"Damn," Stacy and Natalie say behind me. I laugh pulling away to look at them.

"She's the hellhound," I announce. The others look over at her.

"What?" Stacy looks her over. "How do you know that?"

"I can feel it. I saw it sitting next to the reaper in the crowd earlier," I answer.

"Wait, wait. You've been seeing the reaper?" Carson asks. I nodded. "Since when?"

"Since La Bruja,"

"f**k," he growls looking around. "Can you see it now?"

"No, but I can feel her. It's peaceful," I let out a sigh of relief. It really is peaceful. It hasn't been in years. Not since dad died.

"We need to prepare for it-her," he turns away. "Lucien,"

"I'm going to f**k you tonight, B.B," he whispers in my ear before following after Carson.

I feel the blood drain from my face as I watched him walk behind Carson. He glances back at me with an evil little f*****g smirk on his sexy little face. Motherfucker. I can feel my body buzzing with his promise.

"Not exactly the welcome I expected," Natalie smirks.

"They're boys," I wave them off. "I'm really happy Stace and I aren't the only girls,"

"Me too," Stacy wraps her arms around her. She squeezes her tightly.

"Holopov," the owner calls her over.

"Shelly, man. I know that was last minute but-"

"If a Blackstone wants the stage, she gets it. Make sure you pay her," he hands her a black velvet gift bag filled with what I imagine is her cut of tonight's profits. "It's always good for business,"

He doesn't spare me a glance as he moves through the crowd. I catch the video one of the guys in the crowd is watching. I leaned over his shoulder to see it was me. I'm completely engrossed in the music. My voice is dark as hell, the way I wanted it to be. Be yourself, she had said, and let me tell you, it was nothing like her. Not graceful in the slightest. There's rage and pain in the way I moved. The crowd was eating it up. Is that really what I look like up there?

I look away when the sound of the people around me fades. I pull away from the guy and look around to see the black cloak walking fluidly through the crowd with a scythe dragging along the glossy chrome floor. She's coming for me. I stay absolutely still as she approaches. Her pitch-black eyes are intently on mine. When she reaches up, a sense of dread washed over me. Her hands are all bone. I close my eyes when the smooth cold texture of the bone caressed my cheek.

"It's been a long time since I've felt this rage," it whispers dragging the tips of her boney fingers down my neck and over the top of my breasts. "You're a little savage," she adds. "More than your daddy ever was," I gasp when her boney hand clasps tightly around my throat. She leans in, her black tongue peaking out from her mouth. It's cold as she presses it to my neck and licks all the way up to my ear. I'm a mess. Barely able to inhale. "I think it's time we do something about the Jimenez girl, Belladonna Blackstone. We're going to war,"

"War?" I whisper.

"War, B.B. I need souls," she confirms, going around my body without taking her hand off my throat. Her body is pressed up against my back. Her chin is resting on my shoulder. "You're such a good girl, B.B. You didn't resist. My little princess," she presses her cold lips to the back of my ear. My body is shivering but in the most delicious way. My n*****s are straining against my bra under this pink crop top. "Such a good girl. Are you going to listen to me, my good girl?"

"Yes," I answer without hesitation.

The sound of her little evil giggle sent pleasing ripples through my body. This is definitely nothing like what happens with the snake. That's mild compared to this. This is something else. Something I feel like I've been chasing my entire life. Approval. Appraisal. The sense of complete adoration. I feel like I belong to her. Her obeying little pet. I'll do anything. Be anything for her. Only her.

"Good, tonight we feast together, B.B. My good little princess,"