Bodysnatcher

Celisma

God, look close, I want to tell you I love you

It's Sunday again and Frank is sitting in the car waiting for Gerard. He feels antsy, nervous, like he's put something down and now he can't remember where to pick it up. He bights at his nails and stares out of the window, Kearny is all grey skies and brown houses, the roads stretch on forever in front of Frank's eyes, on and on until everything and everyone become one and the same. It makes him feel sick, like he's looking down from a sky scraper. 

He shivers, battling through a bout of nauseating vertigo and then opens the window. Since the incident in the bathroom he's been back to his usual, sweating self. 

Gerard comes out of the house juggling books and biros, his house and car keys balanced precariously on top of the mound. Frank thinks about going to help him, but he's not sure he can face standing up right now. Gerard balances the books on the car roof as he goes back to close the front door, then climbs inside the car without the books and turns on the engine.

"Gerard." Frank says.

"Frank not today, okay, I'm already running late." Gerard snaps back, before reversing out of the drive way. The books clatter to the ground around the vehicle.

"Your books." Frank says, he doesn't even have the audacity to laugh at Gerard, his voice is small and monotone. 

"Of course." Gerard says, rolling his eyes. "Of fucking course!" He throws his hands up into the air and sweeps out of the car, cursing and grumbling as he picks up his books and pens. He chucks them into the back of the car and slams the door as he climbs back in.

There's a small part inside of Frank that sings with glee over hearing his holy man curse their god. 

Frank's unusually quiet throughout the entire journey to the church. The silence is thick and warm in the air, and it makes Gerard choke whenever he tries to breech a subject. He drives carefully, eyes trained on the road even though there's little traffic about. When Gerard finally cuts the engine, as they pull up into the Church's lot, he misses the sound, now it's just him and Frank and this car full of nothingness.

He watches Frank as he gives his sermon, trying hard to look as if he's not. He's fine at first, sitting as he usually does, looking down at his hands, his hair hanging over his face. It's a quarter of the way through when he looks up and Gerard realises something is wrong. Frank is palled and sickly, his eyes rimmed with red, his lips cracking and the veins in his neck standing out in sharp relief. 

"Gerard." He says, his hollow voice loud in the silent chapel, and then he falls, his body crumpling in on itself and his head smacking violently against the front of the prayer bench.

A shocked hum murmurs through the crowd and people move towards Frank to help. Gerard is moving too, his legs carrying him towards his broken friend before his brain's even aware that a decision has been made. 

He crouches down next to Frank and holds his head in his hands, his skin is burning hot and it blood pools from the corner of Frank's mouth, his eyes are half lidded and bloodshot. He looks awful, like his dying, like he's been dragged half through hell. Gerard crosses over him and reaches for his rosary, but the actions seems to cause Frank to squirm more in agony, his eyes scrunching shut and a thick clot of blood dripping down over his cheek. 

"Frankie!" Gerard says desperately and Frank clings to his hand, a zap running through Gerard as their skin touches. "Frankie talk to me, look at me."

"Should I call an ambulance?" Asks one of the new parishioners and Gerard's about to nod when Frank speaks. 

"It's coming Gerard." He says weakly, "An ambulance can't stop it." And then his eyes close and his head falls lax and Gerard understands what he has to do. 

-

Gerard has never in his life performed an exorcism before today, but he has been trained a little in the art, and it would be too late for Frank if they had to wait for an expert to fly in. Father Howell is with him, as well as a young Nun trained as a medic, and they will have to do.

The church had been emptied as soon as Frank fell unconscious and Frank had been since tied to the alter. Father Howell had warned him that these sometimes got violent. Gerard hated what the sight of Frank tied up like that did to him, he felt wrong and dirty and like he wasn't holy enough to rid Frank of his inhabitant. But he had to do his best, inappropriate thoughts or no. 

Frank begins to stir as Gerard reads a passage in Latin, his head rolling against the alter, his wrists tugging slightly against the restraints. When his eyes open, they're bright and sharp, almost a feral yellow in the lighting. 

"Father," He says with a lazy grin. "It's good to see you again." Gerard doesn't stop reading, though his hand drifts towards the bottle of holy water on the table next to him. "Though I must ask, if this is the way we're playing it, why do I get tied up first?"

Gerard grits his teeth and bends down to dab the water over Frank's head. Frank smirks at whatever he sees in Gerard's face and then hisses when the holy water comes into contact with his skin. Gerard grimaces at Frank's pained expression. 

"Okay." Frank says. "I get it, hardball." He tugs again at the restraints and flicks his hair out of his face. 

"Leave Frank." Gerard says, "His body isn't yours to take."

"Then who's is it?" Frank asks, the lazy smile is back. "Yours?" He chuckles. "Oh no, but you wish don't you? Wish you could lock him up and keep him as your own. Too bad he has Jamia."

Gerard flicks more holy water onto Frank's features and continues with the reading.

"That's right, Gerard." Father Howell says reassuringly, "Don't let it provoke you, it's full of lies, it'll say anything to get you on it's side."

"He's falling for her, Gerard, I've seen into his mind, he'll never love you. But I could, I could be everything you've ever wanted from him, I could love you back."

"Shut up!" Gerard shouts, the anger that had been bubbling up inside of him starting to erupt. 

"Gerard it's just goading you on, you're stronger than it is, don't give into it." Says Howell, crossing over his chest and head. 

"You can't get rid of me Gerard!" Frank leers. "I'm no demon, you cant exercise something that's already a part of this world, a part of Frank!" And then he collapses, falling back into unconsciousness with no warning. 

This chapter's title is taken from a Kanon Wakeshima song that i suggest you listen to just because she's an adorable Japanese cellist and singer and this song is wicked cool and a little erie (the lyrics at the top are translated from the song, they felt relevent).