Early Sunsets [MCR FANFIC]

Chapter 12

"Are we there yet?" I asked for the umpteenth time.

"Rachael... We've got about another half hour of walking," Frank said uneasily.

I groaned and turned to Mikey. "Piggy-back ride?"

"Only if you're the piggy."

I giggled. It was funny to picture Mikey riding around on my back. "I'll pass..."

After walking for a bit more, a thought occurred to me. "Hey, Gerard?" I asked.

"Hm?" he responsed.

I walked up so that we were walking side-by-side. "Now that we're out of the school, will you tell me what you meant?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Y'know... Why you hate me so much."

Gerard stopped walking. "I don't hate you, Rachael."

My heart leapt as we continued walking. When did Gerard start calling me by my actual name? "So why do you act the way you do?"

"Why did you ask me if I love you?" he retorted.

"I never-"

"You did. Think hard and you'll remember."

I thought back to when I first saw zombie-Mimi and Gerard had to literally carry me away. I had said, "If you love me, you'll let me go."

I groaned. What the hell was I thinking?

"I see you've remembered," Gerard stated.

"Shut up."

.....

As we approached the Verrazano Bridge, a cold gust of wind nearly blew me over. If I was cold before, I was freezing now. I crossed my arms and only then noticed that they were bare. I had left my leather jacket in my locker at school.

"What's wrong with you?" Gerard asked.

I stared at him bug-eyed. Isn't it obvious? "Well, it's fucking cold, snow is seeping into my shoes, and I'm freezing my ass off."

"What do you want me to do about it?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Y'know what, Gerard-"

"Relax." He rolled his eyes. "Can't you take a joke?"

"Apparently not..." I muttered.

"Here, take my jacket."

"I couldn't."

"Rachael," Gerard said sternly. "Take my jacket."

"Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly.

Gerard rolled his eyes. "No, Rachael. I'm just offering my jacket, because I wanna freeze my ass off."

"Sure seems like it," I muttered to myself before accepting Gerard's jacket.

"Rachael, I'd rather freeze than have you die from hypothermia."

I stared at him. Bug-eyed, slack jawed, and everything.

"I'd feel guilty, that's all," Gerard quickly clarified.

"Oh..." My heart stopped for a second. Then began beating erratically, again. This is what happens when I'm embarrassed. "Well, thanks...

"Mhm..." Gerard replied absentmindedly.

"Will you two love birds stop dragging your feet?" Ray called from about twenty feet away.

I'm pretty sure that my face was just as red as Gerard's.

.....

About an hour later, we had reached the end of the Verrazano Bridge. We walked the whole way, because there were too many dead cars in our way.

"So..." Frank began. "Which one of these cars are we taking?"

Mikey shrugged. "The one with keys in the ignition and gas in the tank."

"Ha, ha," Frank replied sarcastically.

And thus, our wild search began. I paired up with Mikey. Gerard with Iris, I almost puked. Frank with Bob and Ray.

"This kinda sucks, huh?" Mikey thought aloud.

"Which part? The zombies taking over the world, seeing your friends die, or being covered in blood part?" I retorted.

"Calm down, Rachael. Who stepped on your shoes?"

I sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just... Frustrating. What Iris said really got to me. I killed her boyfriend, I killed my best friend. I don't even know if my parents are alive. It's like I have nothing to live for. I just want to give up. Y'know what I mean?"

Mikey nodded. "Gerard is what keeps me going. If something were to happen to him, I don't know what I'd do."

I chuckled. "I can relate. I mean, you guys are that closest thing to family that I have. I've had a few close calls. And I know that if I were alone, I'd be dead. Whether it be from the zombies or a bullet to the head, I know not."

A beeping car startled us. I looked behind us to find Frank grinning from ear to ear behind the wheel of a dollar van. What the hell was a dollar van doing all the way out on the Verrazano Bridge?

.....

Several hours later, we were still finding our way to NYM hospital. If it were a normal day, it would've been easier. Me remembering how to get there might've helped as well.

The car came to an abrupt stop.

"Frank... Why did you stop the car?" Iris called from the third row of the van.

"There's no way we can get around these dead cars. We're better off walking."

.....

The sun was far below the horizon by now. We were gonna have to find somewhere to stay for the night.

"Hey, is that a park?" Bob pointed out.

"Yeah," Iris answered indifferently. "I've been here a few times when I was younger..."

My eyes lit up like a rich kid on Christmas Day. "I know where we're going now!"

"About time..." Iris muttered under her breath.

I tightened my grip on my baseball bat. It took all of my willpower to not wack her over the head with it.

"Are you going to tell us how to get there, or are we just gonna stand her for five more hours?" Gerard snapped.

"It's on the other side of the park." I muttered, somewhat hurt that Gerard was back to his sassy self. "From where we are right now, the fastest way is to follow the trail on the South side, work out way up, exit on 6th St, and work our way up to 7th Avenue."

"And we're gonna do all that tonight?" Frank asked.

"We're gonna have to. If not, we have no choice but to take shelter. And I'd rather not do that."

-------------

Hey, guys! Soooooooo sorry for the wait. I'm sure you guys are tired of hearing that, right? Well... To prove how sorry I am, I pulled an all-nighter for you just so I could type this up. I also have Chapter 13... It came up to 10 written pages in my notebook. Yep, definitely a productive night. Well, thanks for reading. No dedication or song for now. I'll do that later. Bye! Sorry for any typos (This was typed on my kindle).

EDIT: Song is "Tomorrow's Money" by MCR. Fantastic song. Uhm... Yeah, I'm just gonna... Go now. Bye.

Xoxo, SKyLaR <3