Echoes of Eclipsed Fears (Frerard)

1. Shiver the Whole Night Through

Frank's gaze travelled upwards to the forest that loomed over him, dark storm clouds swirling above the trees' sparse, green leaves. He wondered what time it was; he hadn't checked the clock before leaving. Past my bedtime, he mused. Frank should never have walked this far, not at this time of night, and certainly not when the clouds looked that threatening. But alas, he needed some way to clear his head. Life was shit. People were shit. Frank's mind wandered back to his shitty job, his shitty apartment. Hell, even his shitty car had been towed the other day, and Frank couldn't spare the money to bail it out of the car yard. He trudged wearily through the woods; he supposed he ought to get home before the storm. Frank spun around to walk back, punting a rock as he did so. God, he was just so miserable. The underbrush felt spongy against his Vans; at what point in his walk had the path become overgrown? Frank peered between the trees, back the way he came. Maybe he had lost the path, after all. He sighed at the sky as a gigantic crack of thunder shook the earth around him. Fat raindrops began to spray down on him. Frank picked up the pace, determinedly marching back the way he came - the way he thought he came, at least. The downpour was starting to become disorientating, the heavy rain stinging his cheeks. He blindly stumbled about, trying to distance himself from the taller trees. Frank tripped on a tree root, which sent him sprawling onto wet gravel. Gravel? He had found the path! Thank fuck for that, he smiled to himself.

Frank wondered why he even cared about getting out of the storm; perhaps he ought to be struck by lightning. What a way to go! Imagine having that on your death certificate. He followed the winding path, the thin soles of his drenched shoes feeling every rock, every slippery, decaying leaf. He really needed new shoes; he could step on a coin in these ones and be able to tell how much it was worth. Frank winced as another bolt of lightning shot across the sky, illuminating the dark clouds a spectacular purple. The thunder followed less than a second after that. Fuck, he needed to seek shelter. This felt like a fucking video game, not that Frank had time for those anymore. He thought back to Ray's old PlayStation, which remained tucked away in his closet, covered by an old cloth. Maybe he should sell that thing... No, he didn't have the heart.

Frank stopped abruptly in front of a house. Fuck, e had definitely taken the wrong exit out of the woods. Exit? He was still in the woods. Who the fuck builds a house in the middle of the woods? Frank couldn't even see a driveway, it was just... there. The house - mansion, he thought - towered above him in the large clearing. It was nearly as tall as some of the trees here. Frank gazed up at the gorgeous, dark-grey walls, the arch-shaped windows. He hurriedly ducked under the portico, shivering through his drenched grey shirt. There was a light on inside; should he knock? Frank hesitated for a moment, wondering who was he likely to encounter inside. He didn't have to think any longer, though, when his musings were interrupted by the heavy, oak front door swinging open. Frank jumped at the groaning noise the door made on its hinges, turning to face the interior of the house. A man was standing inside, a concerned expression on his face.

"Are you alright?" He asked, looking down at Frank's saturated, forlorn figure. Frank's eyes widened at the man who stood before him. He was taller than Frank, although that wasn't a difficult feat to achieve - plus, his height was only amplified by the fact that Frank was cowering on the steps below him. The man had milky white skin, the only visible colour being the pinkish tinge under his eyes. His shoulder-length, raven hair mingled with his all-black outfit, causing him to look like nothing but a thin, white face peeking through a bundle of black blankets. Frank realised he was staring, and that's when the stammering began:

"I uh-" He spluttered. "Y-yeah, man. I'm cool. Sorry, I just um, yeah... The storm."

The black haired man smiled a crooked smile, extending his hand out the door.