The 16 Candles Vampire Hunters

Chapter 14 Answers

10-22-15  2:38 PM

Pete's POV

"Leave me the fuck alone." Mikey backed up slowly, pushing up his glasses. Patrick did the same thing when he got nervous. "I'm sorry." I apologized, pushing myself up from the ground. "It's okay." He stared at the floor awkwardly, wringing his fingers raw. "Was it bad?" he asked quietly. "Don't worry about it." I mumbled. It was bad. I refused to think about it. "Do you want to talk?"

I avoided eye contact and shook my head. "I'm hungry." Mikey extended his hand and helped me up. "C'mon."  Instead of going back to the commons where everyone else was, he took me to the room he shared with Gerard. He shut the door behind us and quickly moved to a little refrigerator in the corner. Mikey pulled out an iv bag full of blood and explained, "Gerard gets late night munchies." Just like Devin.

I keep seeing them everywhere in the little mannerisms of the people surrounding me. Mikey's glasses, Patrick.  Ryan's goofy nature, Joe. Bob's quiet demeanor, Andy. Gerard's late night snacking and coffee addiction, Devin and EJ.  It's almost impossible for me not to miss them, yet I know they would probably kill me if they had the chance now.  Just after all of these years, it's hard to think this would be the breaking point. "Mikey?" I asked as he handed me the bag. "Yeah?" I broke the seal with my teeth, spitting out the mangled piece of plastic.

"Do you think they really gave up?" Mikey smiled, the reassuring kind that you only give when it's absolutely necessary. "You know what? Fuck it. I don't care what I'm "supposed" to tell you. I bet they're trying everything they can to get you back and will be here guns blazing soon. Don't let Brendon, or any of them tell you different." I almost asked if he was human, but for the first time the answer to that question would literally be no.

"Why are you nice to me?" I sipped the bag and felt warmth spread everywhere. I didn't want to admit it, but I haven't felt that good in months. In that moment I was with someone who didn't want to hurt me and I wasn't scared I'd kill him. If there wasn't a bag of blood in my hands,  I would almost feel human. "You're easy to talk to, and, I love my bandmates to death, but it's nice to talk to someone else." I hugged him and stayed there a little longer than normal, but I didn't care. Hugs were good.

"I think I'm ready to talk now." Mikey sat on the bed, looking at me attentively. "Has William done that to everyone?" Mikey nodded, messing with his hair and coughing. "Yeah. Anytime someone disobeys. At first I thought this thing was like a family, but I was wrong. Just because he keeps us fed and safe doesn't give him the right to.." Mikey shuddered. "It's honestly just separate groups that only stay because we have to."

"It's like, if I think about it, I'm back there." I took a seat next to Mikey as I waited for a reply. "That never goes away." Knowing I wasn't alone was a comfort, but Mikey felt that pain too, and that was a little too much to think about. "Brendon came in," I continued, "and a few seconds before I'd kind of snapped. I tried to kill William. It didn't work well...Brendon burst in and pulled me away from him."

"You tried to kill him?" I choked on the air I was breathing, "I-I never thought about it until now. I guess so, but I don't really consider him human." Mikey looked down and laughed sadly. "He's just a vampire, right?"

"No-no-" Panicking, I tried to correct what I said, "William, he isn't- he isn't a- shit." Mikey interrupted me with a laugh. "I'm pretty sure you mean he is a shit." I smiled, running my hands through my hair. "That's a very nice way to put it." I inhaled deeply. The room smelled like old paper, coffee, and a strong cologne that I knew Mikey didn't wear.  I could still taste the blood on my tongue, and I took another swig from the bag.

"What happened to Brendon?" Mikey asked, stealing the bag and taking a swig. "He's still in there. William told me to leave. So, I did...against my better judgement." Mikey shifted, so his head now rested against the head board. "Why is that?"

"I, uh, I channeled Brendon's emotions and I have never felt, so-" I paused, trying to repress the feeling of pure terror encompass my body. "He may be a dick, but he has feelings." I climbed to the other end of the bed and sat next to him. "He's scared what William will do about Joe." Mikey said. Joe, out of all the people to be worried about.

"Joe left. Why would William be upset about it?" Mikey's mouth formed the shape of an "O" and without even having to channel I could see he said something he wasn't supposed to. "Mikey.. What is it?" He moved farther away from me, in obvious discomfort. "Mikey, please." I begged, refusing to yell and scare him off. "I-I thought you knew."

"Knew what?!" I asked, loudly. "Joe didn't just leave. Brendon let him go, practically threw him out the door." A rush of emotions hit me all at once, and I couldn't process properly. "Oh." I breathed. He left, because who wouldn't? I laid my head on Mikey's shoulder without thinking. "Thank you for telling me." Because he seemed to be the only one. That was okay.

Andy's POV

"Nah, there's no way." I hurled the stake toward a beaten up dummy, hitting it in the center. "Why are you being stubborn? Of course, Anikin could've beat Obi Wan under the right conditions." Joe grabbed a stick off the wall and threw me one. "But they weren't." I was mildly irritated, so I quickly swept his feet. In my defense, if he wanted to argue, he shouldn't have given me a stick.

"Show off." he coughed, groaning loudly. "Where is your sense of imagination, Hurley?" I gripped his hand and helped him up. "It died after the first time we had this conversation." He frowned and mumbled something about having to go. Where, I don't know.

I put up all of the weapons. Maybe I was a bit harsh? "Andy, get up here!" Patrick yelled, with a sense of excitement. I ran up from the basement, skipping steps. "What?" I asked breathlessly to Patrick waiting in the kitchen. "We figured it out!"

"What?" I asked. "We can cure Pete!"

Hey, isn't that cool.