Free Revelation of Blood by J. L. McCoy

black DIY (Do-it-yourself) Alti Spike
pumps and a black Manky Langer t-shirt that I had previously cut,
ripped, shredded and tied into a backless cropped halter top. I
chose to wear my hair down to cover my naked back and I wore a
little less makeup than I normally did when dressing up for my
shift at The Mausoleum, but it was still quite dark.
    We gave the doorman our tickets, held out our
wrist to accept the required wristbands, and headed inside for a
drink. The club had around a hundred people inside already and it
made maneuvering to the bar a bit interesting; lots of side
stepping, shuffling, and ‘pardon me’s. Archer ordered two whiskey
doubles and a PBR chaser for me. I was about to accept my drink
from him when the sound of an acoustic guitar drew my
attention.
    Someone was playing the opening chords to
‘Here Without You’ by 3 Doors Down. I tried to see the stage but a
large crowd surrounded us and I wasn’t tall enough to see over the
towering men. Archer nudged me with his elbow and I shook my head
as I accepted the whiskey and beer.
    “To a good night, beautiful,” Archer smiled
as he touched his rim to mine and leaned his head down to me.
    “To a good night,” I whispered happily
against his lips before kissing them. “ Sláinte ,
handsome.”
    “ Sláinte .”
    I downed my whiskey in two gulps and nearly
dropped the glass as Jameson’s perfect voice accompanied the sounds
of the acoustic guitar.
    “Are you okay?” Archer asked worriedly,
taking the glass from me and setting it on the bar.
    I tried to listen to what he was saying but
Jameson’s soulful rendition had my complete attention. I turned to
the group of guys nearest me and shuffled them to the side a few
feet so that I could take a peek at the stage. Jameson sat alone on
a high, backless bar stool; his acoustic guitar propped on his knee
and his eyes closed tightly as he sang into the microphone in front
of him. His face was full of emotion and what I saw and heard broke
my heart.
    ‘Here Without You’ was not a happy song; it
was about someone who was separated from the person they wanted to
be with most and had to contend with thoughts and dreams of them to
get by until they could see them again. Hearing Jameson croon those
words made my stomach twist in knots.
    “What’s wrong?” Archer asked, lacing his
fingers through mine and pulling me back to the barstool beside
him.
    “N-nothing,” I mumbled as I popped the tab on
my can of beer and took a deep pull.
    Archer turned my face to his and frowned as
he looked deeply into my eyes. “Something is bothering you. You’re
shaking.”
    Looking down at my hands, I realized he was
right. Well shit ! I closed my eyes and worked hard to put up
a mental barrier between Archer and me. I didn’t want him hearing
my thoughts right now. The song is probably about someone else;
a girl he met. Jameson hates me. He wouldn’t be singing about
me.
    Jameson’s song ended and Archer was
interrupted from his thoughts by the clapping. He joined in and
smiled toward the stage.
    “I think I’ll bring our dheartháir a
whiskey and surprise him,” Archer smiled as he turned toward the
bar. “I wonder why he’s out here singing with his acoustic. I’ve
never seen him do that before a show. Have you?”
    “He’s probably just warming up,” I guessed as
the chords of his next song began.
    It was a rocked up version but there was no
doubt as to what the song was. ‘My Immortal’ by Evanescence
vibrated off the strings and I swallowed hard. There was no doubt
in my mind that this song was meant for me; even if Jameson was
unaware that we were here, he was still playing the song for me and
it made my heart ache. ‘My Immortal’ stood as the principal anthem
of the wounded, pained and brokenhearted.
    I stood up from my seat and nudged my way
free from the crowd around the bar. My eyes drank him in as I
watched. Jameson’s eyes were closed again as he strummed out the
gut-wrenching tune;