The Stars in His Eyes

Chapter 3

Gerard rushed to his brother's side. "Mmmmm", he hummed while tugging at his arm. Mikey turned and gave him a questioning look. Gerard pulled the younger backwards and began pointing wildly at the window where he had seen the silhouette of a man. Before he could get his point across one of the other boys finally managed to pop the lock on the front door, effectively cutting off his warning.

Gerard clung to Mikey as they entered the grand parlor of the old mansion. He wasn't worried about the place being haunted, he knew all too well that man was a far scarier monster than any spector. What he was worried about were squatters who would not take kindly to a bunch of scrawny teens poking around their flop house. He silently resolved not to let his younger brother out of his sight.

Just as the last of their group made it through the entrance a sharp slam echoed through the darkened house. They all turned back to the door, only to find it had been shut by an imposing looking woman clad in all black. Her hair was chopped short in a style that would have been classically worn by men. Her piercing ice blue eyes landed on each of them in turn. Her full colorless lips turned up into a menacing smile.

"Well hello boys, I thought we might have some visitors when I saw one of you lurking around last week. Come on out everyone, we have guests for dinner."

Four additional people appeared, all also wearing black. They flanked the teens one either side of the parlor, cutting off any escape route they may have had.

"FRANK! THAT INCLUDES YOU!" the woman, who was clearly in charge, shrieked.

Another figure appeared at the top of the grand staircase, also dressed in all black but for a bright red tie. His appearance made Gerard's breath catch in his throat. Not only because he was surrounded and might very well die tonight, but because this Frank guy was unbelievably attractive. Gerard had not allowed himself to be attracted to anyone in so long, but he couldn't fight the natural pull he felt to his strange man. At least, he thought, if these people decided to kill them and wear their skins he would get to enjoy the view for a few brief moments.

"Thank you for joining us Frank, just because you choose not to participate in our lifestyle doesn't mean you're exempt from helping your brothers and sisters. As you can see we are outnumbered, an extra set of hands will be helpful." their leader purred.

Her words fell on deaf ears. Frank's eyes had landed on the boy standing at the bottom of the stairs with the startling red hair. If his heart had still beat it would have stopped in that moment. There standing just before him was the love of his short life, taken too early by the circumstances of their time. He couldn't see his eyes clearly behind the vale of unnatural red hair, but somehow he just knew that they would be a comforting mixture of green and brown. Something snapped in Frank. He had had enough of the bloodshed, enough of the screams that haunted him day and night, enough of the heartbreak.

It was in that moment that frank noticed Ruby's lethal gaze had fallen on the angelic face at the bottom of the stairs, the boy who could have been his lost lover's twin but for his fiery hair. She bared her elongated canines, ready to mount her attack.

"RUBY, NO!" he screamed, surging forward. His body collided with hers mid air, his extra weight and momentum knocking Ruby backwards through the heavy front door. Chaos erupted in the parlor. Bodies scattered, both groups blurring together as the teens fled. Gerard grabbed Mikey's wrist firmly, hauling the lanky teen behind him as he bolted towards the treeline.

His eyes were wide with fear, the pupils blown out from the adrenaline rushing through his veins. The muscles in his legs burned with each frantic stride, but Gerard didn't dare stop. He couldn't. The need to put distance between those lethal looking fangs and the only person who truly cared for him drove him forward. Even as branches clawed at his clothes and his lungs began to ache for more oxygen he pushed onward, running at full speed down the path the group had taken from the roadside.

Just as the terror had started to subside in Gerard's mind a whir of black fabric and pale flesh collided with the two brothers, sending their bodies skidding across the leaf littered forest floor. A harsh crack rang out as Gerard's head made contact with the base of a nearby tree. The pain from the impact blurred his vision and made his ears ring. He pushed up on his elbows, eyes darting around in a desperate search for his younger brother. Mikey laid just a few feet away, pinned to the cold ground by a pair of claw like hands. A slight woman with billowing blonde hair was perched on his thighs, her hands pinning him by his shoulders while she lunged and snapped wildly at his throat.

"GEE RUN! JUST G- GO GET HELP!"

Gerard could hear his brother screaming at him, but the words weren't registering. He couldn't leave Mikey behind. Gerard pulled himself to his feet, fighting through a wave of dizziness, and hurled himself at his brother's assailant. Sensing his approach, the woman suddenly turned on Gerard. Her entire appearance was unnerving, her wild hair and ghostly complexion, but the most terrifying part was her eyes. They were bloodshot and clouded over with a strange carnal rage. Bloodlust. Her gaze was completely inhuman, void of any emotion or logic.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Deep down Gerard knew it was just because the adrenaline in his system was making his brain work overtime in the face of danger, but he pushed the logic of the situation down. Choosing instead to close his eyes and brace for what would clearly be his end, but the lethal blow never came.