A tree branch slapped Frank Iero across the face, scraping his skin, but he kept on running and ignores the stabbing of pine needles on his bare feet. He could hear the man's footsteps behind him, echoing his own.
The man was getting closer.
A fallen branch grabbed Frank's ankle and he fell forward. Time slowed to a crawl as his face neared the leaf-covered ground. Cold air whipped across his skin. His heart drummed in his ears. The man's pace quickened, and just as Frank's cheek smacked against the earth, the stranger grabbed a fistful of Frank's hair and pulled his head back. Frank screeched, "What do you want from me?" but his attacker didn't answer.
Frank swung his arms behind him to knock the man down, but his hands were caught effortlessly in the air and bound behind him. A hand, gloved in shiny black leather, entered his field of vision, clutching a torn page from the Bathory Gazette.
Frank's head jerked back as the man gave his hair a violent tug and growled, "Where is he?"
At the center of the paper was a grainy image of a eighteen-year-old boy Frank knew well. The boy was surrounded by several of his peers and a teacher, but looked nervous, awkward. At the bottom of the photo, a caption read: Left to right: Kelly Anbrock, Carrie Anderson, Ray Toro, Teacher John Craig, Gerard Way, Edgar Poe, Michael Way. At the top was a bold title: Debate Team Sure to Win at Regionals!
Tears coated Frank's cheeks and he shook his head, refusing to answer.
Something warm and slick ran down Frank's forehead. Through red tinted glass, he looked at the forest around them. He screamed for help until his lungs burned, but help wouldn't come.
"Where's the boy? Where's Gerard?" Frank wriggled. The man's face was near his neck, and something really sharp grazed against his skin.
"Tell me or die."
Frank opened his mouth to speak, but it was too late for lies. The man bit down. Fangs popped through Frank's skin, cutting deep into his neck.
