Book Wørm (Frank Iero AU)

Horror In Paradise

"You're starting to actually look pregnant now" Frank gushes, lying on our mattress on the floor of our new McMansion.
"It's about time, almost five months along and she's finally showing" I smile, rubbing my slightly noticeable protruding belly over Frank's hand.
He leans his head down and kisses my stomach, "I love you, baby"
I jolt a little bit when I feel a little push back against my insides, "you made her kick!!" I almost yell excitedly.
"She knows how much we love her" I say, almost cringing at what softies we are.
"Uh oh, this means she can hear what's happening out here"
Frank smiles and kisses me, "then I guess you're off work for awhile"
"I was just gonna get some more cash today too, for furniture in this huge fucking house"
"Please let me come! One last time?!" I beg.
"Chance, you have a little bump now, I don't want to take the..chance." He chuckles, "I mean I usually LOVE taking the Chance.." He hints at his dirty joke, standing up and running his hands through his long, messy hair.
I sit up, "please!!"
"No" he walks out of the room and to the kitchen downstairs.
I get up and follow him, finding him boiling water for tea,
"Frank, please"
"Chance, no."
"Is there anything I can do to convince you?" I grin as I stand behind him, kissing his neck.
"Oooohhhhh you must really want this huh??" He chuckles, turning around to hold me.
"I do, one last time. Come on."
"Okay...okaaayy.. But we should eat breakfast first" he whines, finally giving in.
•••
"I know you love it, but isn't it stress? Danger?" He eats a forkful of pancakes.
"Stress, no, quite the opposite actually." I shovel a much larger portion of pancakes into my mouth.
"You've been alone in it lately, I wanna be there for you, Frank."
"But it isn't like you're just sitting around! You're fucking pregnant!" He chuckles.
"You already agreed" I grin.
He rolls his eyes, then rubs them, "I'm gonna be so on edge the whole time."
"What's the plan, though??"
He sighs, "I was gonna take a kid strolling out of one of those tall buildings in LA. one that looks young, dumb, weak, and like he still relies on daddy's money, basically hold him hostage and tell him to call up said dad, that it won't have to be a big deal if he shows up with cash, if he shows up with police, the kid gets it."
"You're terrible" I chew another mouthful.
"Yeah, I am." He nods, sipping his tea.
"I just realized something" I randomly state.
He looks up at me, "when we first got together, I got tea and you got coffee, because I didn't drink coffee, and you didn't drink tea, yet here you are drinking it."
He grins slowly, "you noticed that, huh?"
"I've learned to give more things a try since you, Chance." He almost blushes.
I grab his hand and stand up, planting a firm kiss on his maple syrup flavored lips, not being able to stand this perfectly twisted romance of ours.
•••
"Cover your face, babe" he throws a ski mask onto my lap as I fluff the large shirt of Frank's away from my small, yet larger than usual belly. "Can you tell I'm pregnant??"
"Pregnant murderer.." He mumbles.
"No, seriously!"
"No, not really" he finally answers seriously, going back to scanning the parking lot of a real estate agency, searching for just the right person.
"We always do this shit at sunset" I look in the car mirror as I position the ski mask correctly on my face.
"Best time for hunting" he moves the car out of park.
"See anyone?"
"Well, actually.." He hesitates.
"I pulled in here the other day around this time, I actually know this kid is gonna come out now"
"You stalked this guy before??"
"Sure did, he's got a BMW, and doesn't look a day over twenty, definitely not his money."
"Shit--here he is" he's focused, quiet, and I know he's scowling under that mask.
Frank comes swerving, almost running his target over.
"What the fuck?!" The kid yells in a predictable California accent, storming over and taking off his sunglasses.
"Got him" Frank whispers.
"What the fuck are you doing, asshole?" He yells again, stepping right up to Frank's window.
He points a gun to his head, grabbing his shirt collar just as he started to flinch.
The kid stutters for a moment, "get in." Frank grits his teeth.
The guy is completely speechless, and almost lets Frank drag him in through the window, falling in the small backseat of the truck.
"Drive, baby" I sternly tell him, shoving the end of my gun into the kids forehead as Frank presses the gas pedal to the floor.
"What do you guys want?!" Tears stream down his eyes.
"Shut up" I mumble.
"Am I gonna die?!"
"You will if you don't shut. The. Fuck. Up."
I feel myself getting angry instinctually.
He hyperventilates nearly the whole ride, closing his eyes tightly and almost crying.
"Get your phone" I lock eyes with him.
He quickly gets his phone out, hands shaking.
"Call your fucking dad, not the police"
"He-he's fucking rich, he can get you a-anything you want I swear I- I swear"
"I know"
His dad answers on the second ring.
I grab his phone, and boldly talk to his father.
"Hey money bags" I tease.
"Who is this??"
"Doesn't matter, when was the last time you saw your son alive??" I get even more twisted.
"What? What? Who are you?? I'll call the police" his voice grows terrified.
"Mmm, I wouldn't do that. See, I, quite literally have a gun to your son's head, as we speak."
The man cries out "no" over and over.
"And, I will--I will fucking kill him, unless you buy me a goddamn house"
"A..a house??" The man stutters.
"The money, the money for one, asshole"
"And I want a niiice fucking house, too. Fully furnished, all that."
"Okay, okay. So, four hundred thousand, okay? Is that enough?? Just, don't hurt my son,
Please."
"Sounds good."
"Meet us near Randy's donuts at midnight, we'll find you, just be there, alone, and with the money." I hang up the phone.
•••
I open the glove compartment and grab a spare ski mask, slipping it on backwards so the kid can't see.
Frank pulls the car into the garage, shutting it immediately,
He gets out, and roughly opens the door, grabbing our hostage.
I run to help him,pushing him into our house as Frank quickly grabs some zip ties from the garage.
We shove him into an empty room, intended for nothing, or just what we're using it for. Blackout curtains are hung in front of the window, blocking the setting California sun. Our blind victim falls to the hardwood floor, and Frank shoves his head down, tightening the ties on his wrists and ankles.
He mumbles and twitches on the floor, rolling and still trying to get away.
Frank sits up, out of breath from wrestling his arms and legs still, sighing, "fuck"
"Hold still, damnit, you have a few hours."
"Don't hurt me" he cries.
"Don't worry, you'll live." I casually say, sitting up from the floor to high five Frank.
He kisses my lips gently and runs his hand over my stomach a little before letting me go.
•••
"Times up" Frank mumbles to the masked person lying on the floor, on one knee to look at him.
"What?! What!!" He starts screaming, making Frank stand up and give him a firm kick to his stomach,
"Oh my God, I mean it's time to meet your fucking dad"
He kneels down and cuts his ankles free. Frank and I hold either side of his shoulders, walking him out of the room. When we approach the narrow door frame, the victim suddenly pushes forward, shoving me into the side of the frame, his elbow shoving into my stomach with all of his strength. I grit my teeth and gasp, grabbing his arm and falling onto my back.
The victim falls to the ground with me, then shoots up, running blindly, leaving Frank's horrified face looking at me lying there.
"Frank, Frank! It hurts, my stomach hurts" I scream.
His eyes grow wide, "Frank, he hit my stomach, oh my God!!" I grab my stomach, tears falling down my cheeks.
Frank grabs his gun from under his belt and runs into the hall, shooting three times before he hits the kid, then I hear more shots, and more as I scream in pain. He shoots until his gun is empty, and then I hear the empty clicks of his gun, then pounding, more and more pounding, of him slamming the victims head with the end of the gun over and over. I sit up and see blood seeping out of the thighs of my jeans, I hear Frank screaming inaudible things at the top of his lungs, his gun fly across the house, and then him run into the doorway, blood dripping off his hands and his mask ripped off his head. He quickly shoves his hair out of his face, smearing a streak of red on his cheek, kneeling down next to me.
"Chance, what's happening, what's happening!" He screams.
"I need to go to the hospital" I close my eyes.
"No, no no no!!" He shouts again, his eyes watering.
He looks at what condition I'm in, then helps me up, basically carrying me from my side, pulling my mask off of my sweaty face, then zooms out of the driveway, speeding to the hospital at midnight, the both of us screaming and crying the whole drive.