Dead Weight/Issue 27

This is the twenty-seventh issue of Dead Weight. It is entitled *Heavenly Side*. It is the ninth issue in Arc 2 of Dead Weight. Issue 27 was released September 19th, 2018.

## Story

The bed was comfortable and clean, despite the few questionable stains at the bottom of the mattress. Great. Another day. Brown eyes flickered open to the welcoming heat of the setting sun. It was cold. Slowly, everything came back. A soft hand gripped Flake’s, a dip in the mattress fit Grace’s head neatly as she slumped forwards and rested her head against her forearm in exhaustion.

“God,” She began, squeezing her eyes shut and not daring to move from her position. “I don’t know where you are,” She swallowed in a firm attempt to hold herself together. “But please come back to us.” Flake couldn’t help but clear his throat, grabbing against Grace’s hand just enough so she was stirred from her thoughts. She gasped at the man who now lay awake in front of her. “You’re awake!” She exclaimed, clambering on top of the bed in a heartbeat and wrapping her arms around him desperately.

“Yeah, I-- Oww!” He exclaimed, hissing through his teeth as her elbow collided with his ribcage. She gasped again, regretfully pulling back. She wanted to hold him again -- but that could wait.

“I’m sorry.” She spoke, covering her mouth as she was mixed with a flood of happiness and sadness all at once.

“What happened?” He asked her, worry laced his voice. He pushed himself up and adjusted painfully. “Where are we?” Was his next question, before she could even think up an understandable response.

“We’re in Drewryville.” Grace told him, standing up from the bed and composing herself as she stood. Flake’s eyebrow raised, but even that seemed to cause him pain. “We arrived late last night.”

And then suddenly, everything hit him like a bullet. He wasn’t back home. He wasn’t back with Hanna. He wasn’t anywhere, anymore. He was in hell.

He didn’t say anything, prompting Grace to speak again. “Katie wanted to meet you.”

“Who?” Grace just shrugged. He nodded, looking down at his lap.

“Can you leave me alone?” Flake requested, refusing to make eye contact with her. A lump grew in her throat, she nodded with pursed lips. She turned, and a tear escaped from her eye. She left the room, which was one of few in the unrecognizable building. Flake wiped his eye with his thumb despite there being no tear to catch. He threw his head back, hitting it against the wall with a slump. Instant pain. But who cares about pain anymore.

Robbie held the bottle of gin in his hand and stood inside a single bedroom, he stared into the full body mirror and stared at himself with an intense glare. His face scrumpled and fist clenched. He put the bottle down momentarily, lifting his shirt above his head and throwing it on the peach coloured floor. He took the gin again and took a swig. A shaky breath escaped his mouth as he stared down at his pale body, glistening with a light layer of sweat. "Fuck you," he mouthed at himself, taking another drink.

*Failure. Good for nothing. Can’t protect anyone, anything. Any dog, any human, any child. People have died because of you. Nothing you do is right.* He drank as the thoughts swirled in his mind. He swayed, left to right and then left again. He removed his pants next, kicking them down off of his legs until they flew across the room into a heaped pile. He stepped back. He cackled at himself, looking around the room. He cackled at his surroundings and the movement out the window.The movement of real people, not the dead.

“Fucking hysterical.” He said. Another drink. He fell backwards onto the bed, spilling some of the bottle’s contents. A knock at the door he didn’t seem to hear but instead took another drink. The knock came again, only louder. He almost choked on the alcohol running down his throat. The knocking stopped and the room fell silent.

Sally had wandered off. After pressing a cold towel to the safe Tanya’s forehead, she snuck out under the guise of going to look for a pharmacy. Of course, that wasn’t the case. She dug her hands into her pockets and walked through the dark street, which was only lit by the hanging lantern on the building in front of her. She felt eyes on her, but she kept walking and stopped a few feet in front of a sign. Music came from inside, her mouth agape as she looked in wonder as a pink tint came out through the window. The sign’s words were faded, but she could clearly see the word “club” in the dim lightning. She approached the door and entered, the smell of smoke entering her lungs.

The music ended and a blonde girl slipped off of the small stage in the corner of the room. Sally watched from the archway as another woman stepped on and took hold of the microphone, which was just for show, and looked over to another man standing in a dark corner, surrounded by what appeared to be boxes, but Sally couldn’t tell. She began singing;

 Kiss me hard before you go

Summertime sadness

I just wanted you to know

That baby, you the best

The chatter continued, but Sally couldn’t hear a thing. She became entranced with the singing echoing through the room. The first piece of music she’d heard in a long time.

*I got my red dress on tonight*

Dancin' in the dark in the pale moonlight

Done my hair up real big, beauty queen style

High heels off, I'm feelin' alive

Sally snapped out of her trance for a quick second, taking a moment to sit in a nearby seat as the woman continued to sing. She looked around, the amount of people was frightening. She felt somewhat unsafe, but tested the waters in the best way possible. She was fitting in, wasn’t she?

*Kiss me hard before you go*

Summertime sadness

I just wanted you to know

That baby, you the best

*I'm feelin' electric tonight*

Cruisin' down the coast, goin' about 99

Got my bad baby by my heavenly side

I know if I go, I'll die happy tonight

“Hey.” A voice. Sally jumped at the cold hand that grazed against her upper arm slightly, she looked up at Bri, who had followed her in from outdoors. Sally didn’t say anything and waited for the song to end. The brunette stopped singing, her voice dying out and the sounds of people talking became louder and more prominant again. “You haven’t changed yet.” Bri says again, trying to get Sally’s attention. She just shrugs in response, Sally watches as the woman steps off of the stage and walks over to a red booth, where two blonde women sit. The brunette stops in front of one of them and says something, climbing into the booth beside her and kisses her once softly on the cheek and then again on the lips.

Sally turns to Bri and stands, her hands shaky. “I need to shower.” She states, agreeing with Bri’s earlier remark. Bri nods and they wander out of the club together. They’re silent along the road, looking around the new place with eagle eyes. Bri still holding her weapons close.

“Are you going to leave this time?” Sally asks quietly, staring down at the ground as she walks. Bri shakes her head, but doesn’t verbally reply to Sally, so they continue on in another prolonged silence.

“You’re fine.” Sabrina says as she pushes against Tanya’s head slightly, annoying her. Tanya nods, looking over to Carlos who stands at the door.

“So, what happened to him?” Tanya turns back to Sabrina for an explanation.

“Mark? He’s gone.” Sabrina puts cloth and tissue in a bowl and stands from the bed, moving over to a trashcan at the bathroom door and dumping away the bowl’s contents. “I’m going to go look for him tomorrow, though.”

“What?” Carlos pipes up.

“Don’t tell Grace.”

“You can’t be serious, It’s not worth it Sabrina.”

Sabrina doesn’t reply and just places the bowl on the nearby dresser. She turns to Tanya and smiles poiletly. “I hope you’re okay.” She tells her, turning towards the door and walking past Carlos. He sighs, putting his hand against Sabrina’s back as she walks out.

Sabrina turns around, Carlos standing in the doorway. “I think you should go and talk to Grace.” He suggests, Sabrina folds her arms and raises her eyebrows at him.

“Yeah, well. Maybe.” She says reluctantly.

“I’m serious, you can’t keep doing this.”

“I’m not doing anything, just keep an eye on Tanya, alright?” Sabrina drops her arms again and turns away from him, leaving him before he has the chance to reply.

“I think we should all sleep together in here tonight. Us and Melissa, atleast.” Tanya speaks up as Carlos shuts the door over slowly.

“Yeah, nobody should get too comfortable, we still don’t know who this Katie is.” Carlos says.

“Yeah, not too comfortable.” Tanya echos.

Sally sits on the bed as Bri watches from the doorway, pushing the door closed behind her. Sally kicks her shoes off harshly and watches them fall to the floor. After a while of doing nothing, Bri gets up from being slouched against the door handle and approaches Sally. She wears nothing but a white nightgown, which is almost like a sheet, that she had found in one of the dressers and had thrown it over her dirted body.

“Let me help you.” Bri tells her, to which Sally sighs lightly. Sally adjusts her position, allowing Bri to easily tug the gown over her head, slowly leaving her in only her underwear. Sally lets out a longer sigh as the gown drops to the floor. Looking up at Bri, she bites the inside of her lip.

“I’m sorry.” Bri says, shifting her gaze around the room until she looks at Sally. And Sally looks at her. Pushing herself up from the bed, Sally grazes her lips softly against Bri’s. Connecting in a blissful moment, Bri pushes against Sally’s lips and holds her with one hand, pulling her towards her and escaping. Just for once. Bri pushes Sally’s hair behind her ear, earning a moan from the vulnerable girl.

In the midst of their entanglement, Sally falls backwards on the bed, their bodies pushing together closer together and getting lost in their passion. Clothes on the floor, care thrown to the wind. Longing of the weeks leading to the perfect evening, surrounded by walls that could stand for years.

*Honey I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere*

Nothin' scares me anymore

***Kiss me hard before you go***

## Cast

### Main

* Drew Van Acker as Robbie Starn
* Allie Lewis as Grace Berry
* Brooke Hyland as Sabrina Berry
* Imogen Poots as Sally Middleton
* Liam Hemsworth as Flake
* Josh Pudleiner as Carlos
* Melissa Kirk as Melissa
* Andrea Boehkle as Bri
* Jackson Rathbone as Abreham

### Supporting

* Q'orianka Kilcher as Tanya
* Ariana Greenblatt as Molly
* Noah Schnapp as Mark
* Song Min-ho as Jacob
* Solána Imani Rowe as Jamie
* Eliza Taylor as Katie
* Emily Browning as Lexy
* Hannah Murray as Friday

### Guest

* Unknown as Scrap
* Unknown as Pig

## Trivia

* OOHHH MY GODD I FEEL IT IN THE AIR TELEPHONE WIRES ABOOVE SIZZLIN' LIKE A SNARE
* thanks for reading this Iconic Issue
* give me an award at the ufsw awards 2k18