The Golden Rule || Patrick Stump fanfic

Chapter 18: No One's Gonna Take Me Alive

•Pete•

Scared wasn't the word. Terrified perhaps. Petrified.

Who the hell was that guy Joe was talking about? Was he real?

I wasn't afraid of that man. I didn't know if he was real, I mean I didn't see him. That note looked pretty damn real. No, I was afraid of the dark. Yes. A twenty-one, almost twenty-two, year old was afraid of the dark. I hated it. It's something I've always been afraid of.

See, I'm pretty much a fearless person. Typical Wentz people used to say to me, stating that most of my family members had barley any fears. We kept them to ourselves. My fear of the dark being one of those things I keep concealed, under my hat. Well, if I wore a hat. It'd mess up my hair. But anyway...

The dark.

The word 'dark' itself is pretty scary. I mean, it's just a word that possesses scary qualities. The way it rolls off your tongue and spits out. It's eerie. Dark.

"Pete?"

I looked around the room, as best as I could in the darkness. Everyone had the flashlights on their phones on. A little shimmer of light from the garden shone through the little window. Patrick had found some flashlights in an old metal cabinet. He said that he had some food down here if we got hungry.

I was clutching the flimsy wooden banister with a great force. My black Chuck Taylor's were still on the bottom step, in fear of walking. I looked around the room again, searching for who had said my name.

"Pete?" They repeated.

I looked to Joe. He had his hand next to mine on the wooden banister. His bright blue eyes looked into my dark brown ones. His hoodie's sleeve was half off his arm, due to how drunk he was.

"Yeah?" I replied. Joe looked scared.

"What do we do?" The curly-haired sixteen-year old asked.

"I dunno, Joe." I guess he was asking me as the eldest of the group of seven. "But, Trick, lemme see the letter?" I requested to Patrick.

"Yeah, sure..." He muttered, obviously taken aback from the note's content. Only he and Electra had read it. Electra went on about someone called Lee. Well, not 'went on'. More like repeating the name.

I got off the step and grabbed the letter from Patrick. My hands trembled as I took the letter from his. Get a grip. It's just darkness.

'Dear teenagers,

I'm watching you. I can see you. I can see you, Electra. I don't like these people. They're bad influences for you. I don't want you with them. I cut the power. One of you, I don't care who, had better come out now. They'll be the one I take. I don't want you though, cousin. I want one of your friends. They're to be my hostage. By taking one of them, you'll learn your lesson to not be with these odd people.

Oh! You'd better be out here in the next ten minutes or I'm blowing all your brains out, including you cousin.

Decide quick

Your dearest cousin, Lee.'

"What kind of homicidal nut-job is this cousin of yours?!" I exclaimed loudly. I didn't care if he could hear.

"I don't know." Electra mumbled, close to tears. "I knew he had some... Er... Mental issues. But not like this. I'm so sorry."

Patrick hugged onto his girlfriend. "It's not your fault so don't even start to think it is." He said, trying to calm her.

"Well who will it be?" One of the girls, Alice I think, asked.

Everyone else looked at her. I knew what she meant.