“I bleed it out, dig it deeper just to throw it away...” — Linkin Park
It’s getting late. Mina sits in her car, waiting. She had asked Emily to meet her at this secluded park, just wanting to talk. But that’s just it, Mina doesn’t really wanna talk — oh, no. She’s got plans for Emily. Mina smiles to herself as she waits.
She sits there, feeling her anger building. How dare this… this skank stand where her beloved stood? How dare she sing his songs? Realistically, you couldn’t even call it singing. Mina had likened it to a strangled cat.
As Emily approached, she got out of the car, and approached her in turn.
“So… you’re the new singer…” Mina says, fire in her glare.
Emily’s eyebrows lift and she gives a condescending smirk. "If by 'new,' you mean 'improved,' then yes,” she retorts, her voice a grating mixture of amusement and indifference.
Mina's knuckles tighten around the strap of her bag, her tattoos shifting with the movement. While her voice remains calm, her piercing eyes speak volumes. "Chester was the face of Linkin Park, Emily, along with Mike." she says, the words coming out between her gritted teeth. "You are merely a squawk in comparison."
Emily's smile doesn't falter, but there's an edge to it now. "Well," she drawls, "at least I'm not wasting away, mourning over a man who didn't even have the strength to help himself."
Mina's eyes flash dangerously. Her voice, previously soft-spoken, now hisses through clenched teeth. "You tread on hallowed ground, Emily. You speak of strength when you have no idea what it means." She steps closer, her tall figure looming over Emily. "Chester believed in fighting demons, not dismissing them as weakness."
Emily scoffs, tossing back her blonde hair with an arrogant tilt of her head. "Surely you don't believe in all that rubbish too? How pitiful..."
Mina's laugh is harsh; her anger and hostility is beginning to reach a critical point. "Pitiful is having no understanding of human struggle," she responds, her voice laced with derision. "You fail to grasp that Chester’s fight was not a sign of weakness, but an astounding testament to his strength. He fought daily battles, much more than you ever will."
Emily snorts dismissively, "Oh please, spare me your poetic nonsense. I'm here to sing, not play therapist."
"Then you don't belong in Chester's shoes," Mina says firmly. "Those shoes were filled by a man who understood the weight of pain and the strength it takes to bear it.” Her voice is sharp now, the fury barely contained. "Until you learn that, you are no Linkin Park member in my eyes. You are a disgrace to his memory, to the legacy of the band."
Emily attempts to argue back, her tone laced with false laughter, "Your husband's legacy? Oh please, your sentimentality is nauseating. He was just an entertainer, not some heroic figure."
Every word is like salt pouring into an open wound. Mina’s fists clench as she tries to stem the hot surge of anger threatening to spill over. Drawing a deep breath, she issues a low warning. "Chester was a hero to millions," she retorts, "he touched lives and gave many people hope. That is more than you could ever comprehend.”
Having heard enough from Mina, Emily gets up to leave. However, Mina has no plans of letting her leave. No, not at all.
“Emily,” Mina's voice comes out as a low growl, stopping the blonde in her tracks. She turns slowly, an amused and dismissive smirk playing on her lips.
“Still not done with your dramatic monologue?” Emily’s tone is drenched in condescension. “I have better things to do than entertain your delusions of grandeur about Chester.”
Mina's fiery rage is now an uncontrollable force. "You will show respect," she warns, her voice steely and cold.
Emily merely laughs, a hollow and mirthless sound that echoes around the deserted park. "Or what? You'll attack me with your paintbrushes and guitar strings?"
Her words are careless, like a reckless match tossed into a pool of gasoline. Mina's temperament flares up in an explosive blaze, her dreadlocks whipping around her as she whirls to face Emily.
Mina lunges at her, and they both are sent to the ground. In the scuffle, Mina gains the upper hand, pulling Emily up by her hair. She also pulls out a knife.
“What the fuck? Let go of my hair! Let’s… let’s just talk about this…”
“Fuck you, bitch! I have nothing left to say to you. You’re destroying my husband’s legacy, you don’t deserve to front the band!” She holds the knife to the blonde’s throat.
"I—I’m sorry, okay? Let me go...” Emily stammers, pure terror replacing her previous smugness.
Mina's laugh is bitter and devoid of humor. "Now you want to talk?" She looks down at the woman beneath her, disdain etched on every feature.
"You're sorry?" Mina snarls, her icy gaze holding Emily in place. "Your words are as hollow as your songs. Your apologies mean nothing." Emily tries to squirm out from beneath Mina, but the tattooed woman holds her firm. Her grip on the knife doesn't waver.
"I've had enough of your bullshit, Emily." Mina's voice is as cold as the steel pressed against Emily's throat. "You can't worm your way out of this one with sweet words and fake apologies."
Emily's hands clawed at Mina's grip on her hair, trying to break free. She managed to twist away and ran through the dense forest, her heart racing with fear and adrenaline. The branches whipped against her face and she stumbled over roots, but she kept going, desperate to escape from Mina's grasp.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going, bitch? Get back here!” Mina gives chase. “No one’s going to come save you! No one even knows we’re out here! It’s just us, bitch!”
Emily's lungs burn with the exertion, every ragged breath of the evening air feeling like a knife in her chest. But Mina’s harsh words and livid anger echo inside her head, spurring her feet to move faster. She can hear the sound of her own heartbeat pounding in her ears, mingled with the rustling of leaves as Mina pursues relentlessly.
"You're not going to get away that easily," Mina's voice carries through the night, menacing in its intensity.
Suddenly, Emily stumbles and falls. Her palms scrape against the rough ground as she tries to push herself up and continue running. She lets out a blood-curdling scream, her voice cracking with fear as she desperately cries for help. The sound reverberates through the dense forest. No one can hear her.
“Go ahead, yell!” Mina laughs, grabbing the blonde by the hair again, pulling her up. “Don’t you get it, bitch? No one can hear you! Now shut the fuck up and take what’s coming to you!”
Mina takes the knife and drags it across Emily’s throat, crimson blood gushing out. The sound of choking filled the air, mingling with Mina’s heavy breathing as she watched in satisfaction at what she had just done.
“You destroyed everything! Now bleed, bitch, bleed! Bleed, bitch, bleed!!”
Emily's eyes widen in horror, her fingers clutching desperately at the warm, sticky liquid pouring from her throat. Her body jerks and convulses as she fights for breath that will not come. Too late does she realize the depth of Mina’s fury.
Mina looms over Emily's trembling form, her black dreadlocks forming a curtain around them both. There is no pity in Mina's ice-cold gaze, no remorse. Only the cruel satisfaction of retribution. "You shouldn't have messed with Chester's legacy," she hisses, her lips curled into a smile.