The Name of the Game

Chapter 25

Mikey's eyes fluttered open. He had no idea when he'd fallen asleep, but it had to have been early in the morning. The last thing he remembered was the sun peering over the horizon.

He sighed and reached over for Ray, but the bed was empty. He sat up quickly and looked around. He was still, listening for any sound in the Toro household. There was none.

Mikey's heart began to beat a little faster. He knew that silence in a house with five residents wasn't right.

Oh God, he thought, Ray was wrong. They did come for me, and now they got the whole family.

Mikey climbed off of the bed as quietly as possible and looked around for anything to defend himself with. The best thing he could find was Ray's guitar, leaned up against the wall. Mikey grabbed it by the neck and flipped it upside down, wielding it like a sword.

Mikey crept towards the door. As he did, the knob began to turn. Mikey braced himself, but when the door opened, it was only Ray.

"Mikey?" he asked groggily. He was still dressed in his nightclothes, and he looked like he hadn't been awake for long. "W-What the hell are you doing?"

"I... I thought they..."

Ray sighed and nodded. "I see," he said. "Well, first of all, this isn't going to work." He gently pried his guitar from Mikey's hands and placed it against the wall again. "Second of all, you can't do that every time I get up to go to the bathroom."

Mikey's shoulders pulled forward and he looked at the floor. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm just so scared that something bad is going to happen. And I didn't hear any noise or anything, either, and I got nervous."

Ray kissed Mikey's forehead. "Mikey, my love," he said, "Do you remember what I said last night?" Mikey nodded. "Well, I meant it. Nothing is going to get you, okay? I promise you that."

Mikey pulled his boyfriend in for a hug. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

"Why are you sorry?"

"Because! This must be so annoying for you."

Ray laughed. "Mikes, I've lived my whole life with two brothers who tormented me. Even if you were annoying, it wouldn't bother me. I love you, okay? I'll be with you whenever you need me."

Mikey looked up at Ray. "You're amazing," he said.

"I try." Ray grinned. "Oh, and the reason you didn't hear any noise is that everyone except us is gone. Everyone is at work."

"Oh, but don't you have class?" Mikey asked.

"Not today. Tomorrow."

Mikey nodded. He sighed.

"What's the matter?" Ray asked.

"Nothing," Mikey said. "I was just thinking about how it feels like everything should be normal, y'know? But it isn't. Gerard is missing and my parents are in the hospital." He sighed again, but his breath caught as tears welled in his eyes. "I just wanna go home," he croaked.

"Hey, it's alright," Ray said. "I mean, I can take you there if you want me to."

Mikey shook his head. "No," he said, "That's not what I meant. I meant I want to go back to how it was before this whole thing started. Dad and Gerard didn't get along great, but it wasn't anything like this. Everyone was okay, there was a routine, and nothing disturbed it. But now, there are four people who could die, and I might not have a family anymore." He was full on sobbing now.

Ray wrapped Mikey in a hug, swaying from side to side. "Your parents are going to be okay," he said. "The goal wasn't to kill them, so I'm sure they wouldn't put all their effort into that."