leATHERMØUTH -frerard-

Interlude 9

"It was a warning!"

"Frank!" Gerard exclaimed, clutching his chest, "What is God's name- are you okay?"

I looked around the room and realized I was laying down on the couch in Brendon's basement. I had completely forgotten that we had come over to hang out and play video games and truth or dare, as that was Ryan's favorite game. Ryan stared at me, confused and then smiled, laughing just a bit. He came over to my side, leaning against the side of the couch before wiping what looked to be shaving cream off my forehead.

"Brendon, that weirdo." Ryan said affectionately.

They had gotten back together, Brendon going sober almost immediately. Apparently they just couldn't be apart. From what Ryan had gushed to me, Brendon asked him if they could get married after they graduate. Which was more than sweet, I'll give them that. Truth be told, I don't see Gerard and I lasting that long. He was starting to deteriorate.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Ryan." I waved off his concern, "Just a dream."

"Okay..." He scooted closer, "Just a dream?"

"You were in it." I said, ignoring an further questions.

Brendon came into the room with a tray of snacks and his mom behind him, carrying two liters of soda. She chuckled at the lot of us, commenting on how four teenagers needed two things of coke. I simply shrugged and agreed, Gerard staring at the sweet voice I used when I talked to her. I looked over at him and shrugged again as if to say 'What? I'm just being nice'. He rolled his eyes and went to help himself to the snacks. Ryan had stopped Brendon's mom to say something and asked her to stay and watch them play video games for a bit. She refused at first, saying she had something to do, but Brendon gave her a look and told her to sit down, have fun. It was really sweet, seeing her come out of her shell, even beating Brendon mercilessly at Mario Kart.

"Hey, Frank-" Ryan started, tripping over Brendon's foot and getting soda all over me.

"When I asked for some soda, Ryan, I didn't mean I wanted it on me." I laughed, trying to at least make Ryan smile.

Ryan was skittish around me, scared I would attack him. I could understand. I was scared of Gerard. He was acting weird. Weird as in bad weird. He would stare at walls for hours and move his mouth, talking to himself, perhaps. He would jump at nothing and look at me as if I were sprouting flowers on my head. He would randomly cry out of nowhere and then laugh maniacally. We were all scared and worried. Even Brendon was and he was the most stoic of us all.

Brendon's mom laughed harder than she should of and grabbed a napkin, dabbing uselessly at the carpet. Gerard kind of smirked in a way. Ryan looked horrified, smiling once he realized I wasn't mad at him. He picked up his cup off of my lap and I stood up, asking where the bathroom was so I could shower off the stickiness. I had been in it before, but I had forgotten where it was located more or less. Ryan pointed to a door towards the back of the room, not phased when Gerard followed behind me. When he closed the door behind us, I heard muffled laughter and something- or someone- hitting the floor. The laughter continued after the noise.

"Ryan is a clumsy one." I stated, removing my soda soaked clothes. Gerard watched me tentatively, biting his lip, "What?"

"Sorry," he responded, looking at the floor, "This isn't really the time or the place."

"Oh," I paused, realizing, "Oh. Yeah, um."

He smiled up at me, "I've just imagined what it would be like to have that in the shower, you know? I'd imagine it'd be..."

"Steamy?" I offered and he laughed.

"Yeah." He looked me up and down before unbuttoning his shirt, "To hell with it, eh?"

I shrugged in response and turned on the water, surprised when I didn't have to wait to long for it to warm up. I certainly enjoyed Brendon's shower more than my own, that's for sure. It was way nicer than mine and his was in his basement. Serves my mother right for living in gang territory, I guess. I felt Gerard's arms snake around my waist and suddenly I was reliving my dream. It happened all the same, except for the feelings of course, dreams could never capture those well at all. And when we were done, I cleaned myself and Gerard stepped out, merely washing off the fluids before joining the party outside. He did thank me and told me he loved me, which meant he wasn't all gone, of course. Shortly after he left the bathroom, I turned off the water and stepped out the shower, drying myself off in a hurry so I didn't have to explain why I took so long. They probably already knew, but I was almost positive that Brendon's mom wouldn't appreciate the fact I just had sex with my boyfriend in her shower.

I dressed quickly and stopped by the door. My hand hovered over the knob, listening to what was going on out in the room. My heart leaped when there was silence. Absolute and eerie silence. I could hear the faint hum of the game station, and that was it. I slowly opened the door, taking in what I walked into.

Gerard stood in the middle of the room, knife in hand. His long black hair was in his face some, covering his left eye. The right side of his face was splattered red, his clothes just the same. The hand holding the knife was completely stained, no pale skin visible through the scarlet. Three bodies lay at his feet. My eyes flicked to Ryan, who had a bottle laying next to him, his hand lying limp near it, as if he had been holding it previously and was reaching to pick it up again. His eyes glazed over, blank and lifeless. His neck was slit, blood still pooling out. My heart ached. I actually loved Ryan. He was my brother.

Brendon laid next to his mother, his head on her stomach. Brendon had a stab wound in his chest and side, blood smeared not only on his torso, but falling out of his mouth. His left hand was over a bloody area of his shirt and the other was reaching towards Ryan, almost touching his hand. His head was towards his boyfriend as well, a longing expression forever on it. His mother had the same fate as Ryan, slit throat. She stared at the ceiling, mouth open in a silent scream. Her arms lay plastered to her sides, mostly because of Brendon.

Gerard met my eyes and clutched the knife tighter, expecting I were to come at him, I guess. Instead, I just closed the door behind me and avoided looking at the bodies on the ground. Gerard seemed to be bleeding himself. Perhaps Brendon put up a fight when he saw what he had done to his lover. I was terrified of him. His eyes looked angry, pure flaming hatred. I gripped onto the doorframe to steady myself so I didn't vomit everywhere.

"They were our friends." I managed to say, looking at Gerard.

His jaw unclenched and he tilted his nose up at the comment, "Your friends," he corrected.

"They were yours first! Did you not care for them at all?!" I stepped forward, my voice sad and desperate, "They loved you! I love you!"

He lowered his head and glared at me, "Do you?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed, exasperated, "I've said it so many times. I love you. But this, Gerard, this I can't love."

"How can you love me if you don't love every side?" His voice was a growl.

"Because this isn't you." I pleaded.

He snapped then, screaming about how this was the real him, the one cooped up in the deepest parts of hell. He said it was the sensation of me that brought him to life. He shoved me against the wall, smearing blood on my arms and torso. He got close, the knife edging its way to my gut. I abandoned any morals I once had and shoved him off of me, avoiding his charge and slamming him into the wall. He fell onto a desk, hitting his head, and then falling to the floor unconscious. I panicked and ran up into the kitchen to find something, eventually discovering the junk drawer. I snagged a zip tie and ran back down the stairs, taking Gerard's hands and putting them on either side of the leg. It was the kind that looped, so there was no way he could lift it up and escape. I scanned the room and found what looked to be a phone attached to the wall. I prayed to God while I dialed the number, hoping this old phone wouldn't break its warranty mid-call.

"911, what's your emergency?"