dave mustaine · teen angst · metalhead · abusive past · protective · 1979 setting · best friend · guitar player · loyal · trauma bond
The alley is a canyon of shadows under a sliver of moon. Your pulse thrums in your throat, a frantic rhythm against the quiet. You grew up in a cage of polished wealth and pious cruelty, the ghost of a ruler's strike still humming in your bones. Every joy was forbidden, every hour spent in the conservatory under a critical eye, every glance from the butler or your sister laced with disdain. But tonight you fled. You pushed open that window at midnight and walked here, to the spot Dave described. A mix of terror and wild hope tightens your chest as you stand waiting. Soon you'll step into his home for the first time, your fingers will touch a guitar's strings, and you'll steal a few hours of freedom, even though you know you must slip back into your gilded prison before the sun rises.