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

Chapter Twenty

.Gerard's POV.

Oh god. Oh no. What the hell am I going to do?

This was the only thought I could manage, repeating it in my head until it wore a track down in my neural pathways.

After escaping Mikey's room, I had made it to a small patch of woods behind the street across from the house, where I knew I was out of sight.

It didn't really matter though. After about 4 minutes of trying to calm down and prepare for a fight, I realized that I wasn't being followed.

Mikey. I concluded. They're using him as bait.

It was smarter, really. Just the kind of ploy I'd expect from them. We both knew I wasn't going to leave him, so why not make me play on the home turf, literally?

It occurred to me then just how grim this situation looked. I was way outgunned, in manpower and in literal weaponry. All I had was the handgun Mikey had given me. I mean, sure I had supernatural strength on my side, but the stress of everything that had happened in combination with the fact that I hadn't eaten in a good while meant that it was dwindling quickly.

After a quick assessment of my physical state, I decided I would have to eat if I was going to stand any chance at saving Mikey. I knew they wouldn't hesitate to let him die if it meant catching me, so I had to act fast.

In my pacing, I'd strayed a couple of houses down, and I was now on the opposite side of a fence that marked the separation of the wooded area and Lindsey Ballato's backyard.

Lindsey Ballato was (obviously) my neighbor, and in the same grade as me at school. I didn't know her well, but anyone could pick out her signature jet black pigtails and blood red lipstick anywhere. While we weren't friends by any means, I had always sort of admired her, what with her take-no-shit attitude and reputation as sort of a badass. She'd never been one to gossip about me either, which I was grateful for.

That was going to make this a bit more uncomfortable.

I could hear the steady thumping of a bass coming from the open window on the second level, and I figured that must be her.

There was a tree in the yard, and I figured I could scale it relatively easily and climb through the window.

I hopped the fence, and made sure I wasn't visible through the bottom level windows before making my way up the base of the trunk. In the state I was in, it was a little tougher exerting myself than it usually was. I huffed and groaned and cursed under my breath the whole way up, already anticipating the abrasions that would soon pop up from getting snagged on the branches.

Finally, I reached a branch level to the window. I peaked in, and I could see her standing on the opposite side of the room, back turned to me, nodding rhythmically to the timing of the song she was practicing.

Time was running out for Mikey, so I was going to have to be quick about this. I wouldn't take a lot, for times sake and because I had nothing against Lindsey, and I truthfully felt bad about what I had to do.

I steeled myself, thinking of the danger Mikey was in and my promise to come back for him, and quietly began to slip in the windowsill.

One foot in, then the other, landing on soft maroon carpeting. I arched my back so as to pull the rest of my body through, and I was then standing in Lindsey Ballato's room. I cracked a smile at the irony of me, of all people, sneaking into a girls room.