The Stars in His Eyes

Chapter 2

He hoped that it hadn't felt like this for them, that it had been quick and painless. Frank was familiar with death. It was a cloud that had loomed over him far too much in the last few years. Now, it had finally come to claim him. As his muscles twitched and his lungs fought for just a little more air he watched Ruby, if that was in fact her name at all, wipe the crimson trail from the corner of her mouth. Frank let his mind wander, for even though he had never been squeamish about blood it was too hard to watch his as own pooled out around him. He thought of when death had first clouded his life with the death of his father, how it had been the turning point in his life. Frank Sr. was a physician. He took pride in being the man who had delivered every baby in his township for the last twenty years. The man loved helping others, so much so that when his country fell into the grips of war on a distant shore he voluntarily joined the armed forces to serve as a field medic. Frank and his mother begged him not to go, as they were concerned that a man of his age wouldn't be able to keep up with the younger troops on the move. In the end his age hadn't mattered. No man could outrun the projectiles that ultimately ended his life.

After his father's death Frank joined the army, not only out of love for his country but also in an attempt to find closure. It was there that he met Arthur and James, not yet knowing that they would be the next to call in the black fog of death. James had joined the same day as Frank. The two went through basic training together, becoming quite close thanks to their close age and shared interest in music. After being deployed he met Arthur, James' older brother. Arthur had been drafted into the service just prior to James' enlistment, in fact it was the reason the younger of the two had joined. He knew that his older brother wasn't cut out for the military and he hoped that he could protect him long enough to get them both home. Of course, neither of them ever returned.

The three of them became closer in combat, forging a bond that could only be made when you placed your life in someone else's hands. As the weeks turned into months Frank found his feelings for one of the brothers, Arthur specifically, morphing into something deeper. Frank had never been attracted to another man before, the thought of it scared him. Homosexuality was a huge taboo, especially in the army. If anyone found out he had even considered it he would likely be beaten to death outside of his barracks. But Arthur was worth it. Every innocent touch they shared, every laugh, every look made the risk worth it. Frank could tell that he felt the same way, he was sure of it.

One night following a particularly bloody battle Frank found Arthur huddled in a corner trying to suppress his shuddering sobs. Arthur was a sensitive, artistic soul. The killing was harder for him. Frank held him for hours, speaking soft encouragements until his tears stopped running down his pale cheeks. Then when he was sure no one was watching he grabbed his round face and pulled him in for a passionate kiss.

Death came for James first. Ripping him from the world right in front of Frank and Arthur when an enemy bullet lodged itself in his chest. Medics tried to save him, but the light faded from his eyes only seconds after impact. Arthur called out for him and tried to run back to his fallen body, but Frank pinned him down, refusing to lose him too. Little did he know that it wasn't the guns of the enemy that he needed protecting from.

Arthur met his end by his own hand. Unable to cope with his younger brother's death he snuck out after lights out and stole writing supplies from a secretary's desk. He wrote a letter first to his family back home, telling them that he had really died the same day as James, that his body was just catching up to his mind. He then wrote a letter to Frank, though his name was never written in the document. Once he had expressed his love and regret to Frank Arthur kissed the barrel of a loaded handgun.

Frank had heard a lot of gunfire during his time in the army, but none had been as loud as the shot that ended Arthur's life. Perhaps this was because it rang out just one room away from where he had been sleeping, but Frank liked to attribute it to the bond they had shared. He was the one to find Arthur, his body slumped back against the wall in the exact spot they had first kissed. He quickly snatched the letters from his hand, tucking them safely away before anyone else could see them. Frank cradled his limp body, not caring about the gore that poured from the blown out back of his head. He instead focused on his face, still pristine and unchanged. Still beautiful.

Frank's tour of duty ended two weeks later. Once stateside he visited Arthur's hometown in New Jersey, delivering the first of the letters his late lover had written. The second he read while drinking himself into a stupor at a hole in the wall bar. That was where he met Ruby.

Frank did not love Ruby, most days he didn't even like her all that much, but he fell into her bed over and over again. Her uncharacteristically short black hair and full lips coupled with her more masculine body features eased his aching heart for a few hours at a time. It was easy to imagine that she was someone else entirely. That was, until the night that she brought death to Frank's door.

What Frank failed to realize about his casual lover was that she was no mortal woman. Following his death it all made sense, but Frank didn't put the pieces together until it was too late. Ruby was never available during the day, never ate or drank when they sat at the bar together, was never there in the morning when Frank woke up even when he had fallen asleep in her bed. What Ruby really was became painfully apparent when she had slammed Frank against a wall with inhuman strength, giving him a toothy smile before plunging her fangs into his exposed flesh. He faintly remembers her pressing a glass full of dark, congealed liquid to his lips before he lost consciousness.