The Comic Store

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I woke up pretty early the next morning (without an alarm clock too, I’d call that an accomplishment). I jumped right out of bed and started searching for the Smashing Pumpkins flyer. Surprisingly, it was still there. It was a little crumpled, but hey, at least it’s not totally lost. After putting on some comfortable clothes, I quietly tiptoed down the stairs. I heard some footsteps in Mikey’s room and I guessed he was awake. I slipped out of the house and closed the door behind me. The address was quite near to our house. It was just a few blocks down. But due to my bad sense of direction, I had turned the wrong way twice, which resulted in a thirty-minute walk. Eventually though, I came to the address. It was a music store painted navy blue. I walked inside and spotted someone at the counter. The person turned around and stared at me.

            “Well, you’re pretty early there,” He stated. His voice carried a heavy Irish accent. It seemed a little hard to understand what he was saying, because he had a huge beard muffling his words. “So, what can I do for you, lad?”

            I handed him the flyer. “Two tickets to the concert, please,” I said, forcing a smile. He nodded and disappeared. I’d have to go to an art store soon and just grab whatever cheap art supply I see, just to convince Mikes that I hadn’t been anywhere else. Oh, and I think I have to clean up my room. I pondered that thought a little longer and decided not to do it. A person like me doesn’t need a clean room; it’s going to end up messy again anyway. The Irish-accented man came back with two tickets. I whipped out my wallet, waiting for the man to name the price.

            “Who are you going with?” He asked, waving the two tickets in my face.

            “My younger brother,” I answered. “It’s his birthday present.”

            “Ah, okay,” He nodded understandingly. “That’s going to cost fifty, lad.” I shrugged and shoved the cash into his hands. I took the ticket and placed it delicately in my wallet. I wouldn’t want to crunch Mikey’s birthday present up. So, after a few more minutes, and thankfully, no more wrong turns, I walked towards the art store. I spent some time there, actually, just looking around the whole place, admiring and dreaming of what expensive art supply I could have. But all I bought after nearly half an hour there were just two new brushes and a box containing six brand new sketching pencils. The art store was on the same road leading towards the comic store. I paused. I couldn’t really trust Mikey on getting me that new Batman issue. So I just decided to pop by.

            Matt, Ray and Mikey were in there, not much to my surprise. The bell hanging above the door rang as I entered and they turned around. “Gee!” Mikes smiled. He had his bass guitar zipped up in a case slung over his shoulder. “The new Batman issue isn’t here yet. It’s due in probably half an hour.” I nodded, looking from his bass to him.

            “What are you doing with that?” I asked, pointing towards the case.

            “He’s going to go audition for a spot in a band,” Matt explained, casually flipping through a comic. “What’s that name again? Um, I think it was Fancy…something.”

            “It’s Pencey Prep, jeez.” Mikey rolled his eyes. “If I get this spot, I wouldn’t have to worry about getting a fucking job when I grow up! How awesome is that? I might not even have to go to freaking college, whoop!” He seemed pretty excited about it.

            “So, let me guess, you’re all going to be cheerleaders?” I asked them.

            “No, not me,” Matt laughed, putting the comic back in the shelf. “I’ve got to go to the bar. I’ve got a job, dudes. I don’t want to lose it. But Ray’s going to go whip his fro back and forth and cheer for your little brother, so…yeah.” He took a look at his watch and his eyes widened. “Anyway, I’ve got to go now. By the way, could you get me that new issue of Batman, Gerard? I’ll treat you to a drink at the bar.” I sighed and nodded. “Thanks, man. Good luck, Mikey! You show those people that you’re the monster of bass.” Matt grinned; patting Mikey’s back and running out the door.

            I looked at Mikey and Ray, whom were both staring at me with wide, puppy-dog eyes. I sighed. “You want me to buy you new Batman issues because you’ve got to go meet the band now, don’t you?” Their faces lit up. “Fine, but you owe me ten bucks EACH.” They nodded and sprinted out the door. I started walking around the comic store. There was still fifteen minutes more to go before I get my hands on those Batman comics. The bell hanging above the door rang again and I presumed there was another customer, so I just kept walking.

            I spotted a few comics that looked okay, but when I opened them up and flipped through a few pages, I realized they were shit. Ladies and gentlemen, a note here: do not judge a comic by its cover. I was going to pick another comic out of the shelf when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I spun around, only to look at a small, empty black hole. It took me a few seconds to realize what it was – a gun. Someone was pointing a fucking gun at me. And it was a fucking .357 Magnum! The temperature in the room dropped to a good fucking zero and I just stared at the black hole. If there was anything inside that thing, it was a bullet that’s going to take my life.

            My grip tightened on the comic. I didn’t see my life flash before my eyes like they do in the movies. In fact, I didn’t feel anything at all. Heck, what am I saying? There wasn’t anything in my life worth ‘flashing before my eyes before I die’. So, all I thought was…is this guy going to shoot me over this bloody comic? Hey, you know what, am I ever going to buy those Batman comics? The person holding the gun had a mask over his face, and all I could see were two pale green eyes. He tightened his grip on the gun. “Get onto the ground, now.” He commanded. His voice was strong and pretty scary. I did as he was told though. I felt the cold metal of the gun press into the back of my skull. He was going to kill me, execution-style.

            I kept calm. Maybe I could actually survive this. Yeah, right, with a gun that could fire a bullet straight through my head and kill me instantly. Yeah, Gerard, you sure can live through this, you lucky fucker. But I had a little faith. I mean, how many people have survived deadly situations and lived to tell the tale? Okay, maybe that was a wrong question to ask myself. I knew the numbers were small and I had a slim chance of escaping this alive. But I tried to be positive, maybe just for this once.

            I think he was tightening his grip on the gun, because I felt it jabbing my head so hard, I was thinking that it could actually poke right through my skull. I was going to die, I thought. I bit my bottom lip. Oops, sorry Matt, better save that drink for someone else. Sorry I couldn’t buy that comic for you, Ray, keep up the fro-work though. And Mikey, dear Mikey, you should get that spot in the band and just fucking play no matter what. Suddenly, something crashed onto me. I squeezed my eyes shut. This is it. This is it. That’s all I could think of at that moment. I felt someone haul me to my feet and my eyes shot open. My eyes…SHOT OPEN?

            Fucking hell, I was alive! My attacker was on the ground, unconscious. The owner of the comic store – whatever his name was, took one look at me and handed four Batman comics. I gaped. “Uh, thank you…” I muttered, staring at him in disbelief. He shrugged.

            “He was gonna rob the store with that big bag over there,” The owner stated, pointing towards a black plastic bag in the attacker’s hand. “You weren’t in any danger, actually. So, if you’ll excuse me right now, I’m gonna go call the cops. I think you better go home, man. You look sick.” I looked sick? Of course I look sick. I was nearly killed back there! But I nodded and left the shop quickly. I looked left and right, in case there was anyone else who was going to point another gun at me. The coast was clear and I made my way home.

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Hi there, crash queens! :)

So, yes, it took me awhile on writing this chapter. I had to do a little research. And for those who don't know:  Yes, Gerard Way has been held at gunpoint before, with a .357 Magnum - no joke, I'm serious. And yes, Mikey Way auditioned for Pencey Prep - it was a long time ago, but yeah.

Anyway, back to the story! I hope you've liked it so far. Thank you so, so much for reading it! Fan, vote, comment, whatever! :D I love you all.

P/S: Happy 1st Birthday, Danger Days!

XO

Adrenaline Joker

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