Frank Iero's Paranormal Investigation Agency ( #48 in MCR, #1 in Vampiregerard )

Chapter Seventeen

After the exhilaration of realizing that I was (hopefully) back in the real world, came realization that wherever I was smelled like shit.

Out of instinct, I started coughing at the stench. That's when my eyes flew open, and everything came rushing back to me. Belleville. High school. Gerard. Gerard's family. His house. Mikey. Ray. Ray...

Oh. Oh. That's what happened.

"Frank! Welcome back to the land of the less-than-living my man, how're ya feeling?" Came a voice close by, followed by a thump on my back. Once I had stopped coughing, I turned around. "Ray...? Oh god, I feel like hell. What year is it?" At this, he laughed. "It's only been like..." He peered down at the watch on his wrist, "an hour and a half." I felt my mouth drop at his words. "What?! It feels like it's been... I have no idea. Eternity. And I feel I'm about to die." He gave me a sympathetic look. "Yeah, the general consensus is that it sucks. But on the bright side," he paused, grinning, "you're not gonna die. Because you're already dead!"

The enthusiasm in his voice in combination with what he actually said made me want to laugh out of sheer absurdity. I looked down at my hands, pondering. I didn't exactly feel dead, but I did feel different. I was getting my strength back at a considerably fast rate, but the discomfort wasn't going away. If anything, it was getting stronger. I started shifting and fidgeting, trying to get the feeling to ease up, not to much avail. Ray quirked his eyebrow, staring at me as if I'd grown two heads. "Oh!" He jumped up, some epiphany striking him. "Bro I'm sorry, you must be starving! Cmon," he said, taking me by the hand and pulling me into a standing position. "Let's get some food."

We made our way to another bar, not wanting to attract any attention from our previous encounter. There was another alley way not too far from this new bar, so we slipped in and waited.

"Okay, Frank." Ray started, looking determined. "This is gonna be tough. The first hunt is always really hard, but I'm here and I'm not gonna let you kill anybody ok?" My eyes were completely round, and I nodded solemnly. "And you're gonna have to forgive me if I have to punch you or something. Sometimes it comes to that. It uh, did with me." I shot him a look, but didn't argue. We crouched silently in the alley, and I took a deep breath. Strangely, it didn't do a lot for me. I guess I didn't really need oxygen anymore. "Ray," I whispered. "Do I need to breathe now?" He shook his head. "You probably will out of habit, but obviously it's not going to hurt you if you don't. Plus it keeps your blood somewhat oxidized, and it keeps you looking more human." He whispered in response. "Oh, nice, ok." I mumbled, rapidly losing focus as someone stumbled down the alley towards us.

They must've gotten in a bar fight, because I could smell the blood on them from where I was. Before I could even think about it, I was up, and advancing on the stranger. I was vaguely aware of Ray, but was quickly becoming less so. I was so hungry. In a heartbeat, I had the figure pinned to the wall. I could hear blood roaring, but it wasn't mine. There was some half hearted, drunken struggling, but nothing compared to my steel grip. Without any more thought I sank my teeth in.

It was like... Crack or something. Awesome. Better than anything I'd ever had, even coffee.

I was so intent on my meal, I couldn't hear Ray telling me to stop. Suddenly, I was thrown back forcefully. My head hit the wall on other side of the alley with a dull thud. Immediately, I snapped out of my trance. I looked up to see Ray with his coat collar over his nose and mouth, standing over me. "You good?" He asked, his voice muffled. I blinked, making sense of the blur of what just happened. Everything clicked, and I scowled. "UM. OW, ASSHOLE." I griped as I rubbed my head. He rolled his eyes. "You're fine. And I warned you. Cmon, hop up." I pouted for a second longer, sighed, and stood.