Pyre (Frerard, Rikey, Ryden, Petekey)

8: All The Cute Ones Are Either Taken Or Psychotic Killers

Frank Iero couldn't sleep, and it was really pissing him off. He had been fucking exhausted earlier, but apparently his body had decided that two hours of shut eye was all he was going to get, but that wasn't okay with Frank.

He had work in the morning, and it wasn't like he could call in - not when he owned the clinic, so he was lying in bed with his eyes squeezed shut, hoping that he would eventually drift off again.

But his mind just wouldn't shut down, no matter how hard he tried to empty it, and he couldn't shake this nagging feeling that he had forgotten to do something vitally important - or that he was needed somewhere, but no matter how thoroughly he wracked his brain, he continued to come up with absolutely nothing that could be keeping him up.

Heaving a loud sigh, Frank decided to check downstairs; maybe he had neglected to shut off a light, even though he really doubted that something as simple as that would be enough to keep him from his peaceful slumber, but it didn't hurt to be safe.

But after carefully examining every item that he could think of - from the x-ray machine to the freaking toaster - Frank gave up on that idea, because everything was in perfect order, just like always. Frank was very meticulous when it came to his clinic.

Even after Frank resettled himself in his bed, reassured that nothing was going to catch on fire because he had left it plugged in, he was still wide awake, which really fucking sucked.

And for the first time since it had been enacted, Frank realized that he hated this stupid curfew that had been put in place, because if it wasn't in effect, he could text Evan and step out for a quick drink. That guy was always up at all hours of the night - Frank swore he was nocturnal or something, but as long as this serial killer was on the loose, Frank was trapped inside his home after midnight unless he wanted to risk getting escorted home by the police, and he wasn't that desperate for a beer - not tonight anyway.

So Frank resorted to the next best thing, which was to flip on the old television in his living room and watch Criminal Minds reruns until he drifted off again. That didn't work out as well as he had hoped, because this show was his guilty pleasure, and even though he had seen the current episode numerous times before, he found himself immersed in the program and even more awake than he had been previously.

Just when his eyelids were beginning to feel heavy, and Frank had decided to turn off the television before the next episode could start and capture his attention again, a soft thump caught his ear. Frank had only heard it because of the silence that had previously been filled by Doctor Reid and Agent Morgan's voices as they shared a touching moment together, and although Frank was tempted to ignore it, he knew he wouldn't be able to shut his eyes until he discovered what had caused it.

Typically after watching Criminal Minds for an hour, Frank would be slightly apprehensive about investigating a strange sound in his supposedly empty house, but Frank wasn't feeling particularly threatened at the moment. It was probably just the nameless dog that Brendon and Ryan had brought in shifting around in his cage, but when the disturbance was repeated, Frank decided to go downstairs and check - just in case the dog was in pain.

But when he reached the kennels, he found all of the animals to be fast asleep. They didn't even stir when he flipped on the harsh overhead light, so they obviously hadn't been the source of the odd bump he had heard, and now Frank was starting to get a little bit antsy.

When the pounding came again, Frank jumped about a foot in the air, because that was definitely coming from outside the clinic. Someone was on his back porch - which was suspicious in itself, because no one used that door except for him. It led out to his sizeable yard, which he let the dogs roam in during the day, and the entire expanse of grass was surrounded by a wire fence, so no one should have been able to access that entrance.