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

Chapter Twenty One

.Gerards POV.

This was in-fucking-sane.

My chest tightened in panic with every step I took until I thought I might actually pass out, right there behind my neighbor's garage. The fact that I was basically diving head first into a suicide mission was really sinking in on me, and it wasn't sitting too well.

I crouched behind the fence that stretched around our small yard, feeling the rough patches in the wood catch on my shirt sleeve. All the memories of me and Mikey playing in this yard came flooding back, and I had to pause and swallow the knot in my throat.

The weight of my sadness and fear evaporated into anger at the memory of my parents mercilessly shooting Mikey, like he was fucking target practice.

Practically shaking with rage, I stood and swung my legs over the fence, one after the other. I, albeit in an unwise strategic move, stomped towards my front door and flung it open. The main level of the house was empty, but the entrance to the secret basement had been left wide open, as if to send me a message: You want him? Come and get him.

I peered down the stairs, each one darker than the last, and stepped forward, feeling myself become swallowed up by darkness in more ways than one.

I reached the bottom of the stairs, still enveloped in the dark, and managed with shaky fingers to turn on the flash of my phone. The weapons room was sealed tight, with no signs of light spilling from the crack under the door.

Okay. They weren't in there.

That was a blessing and a curse, I reasoned. On one hand, they weren't in the room full of deadly weapons, which was good. On the other, it meant they were probably deeper in the tunnels, which would make getting out a lot harder. Regardless, I continued forward.

I shuddered, wrapping my arms around my waist as I turned around what seemed like the millionth corner. I hadn't been past the weapons room in years, and there was no way I could remember the exact location of all the rooms. I broke into a jog, my anxiety levels spiking at the thought of Mikey alone and helpless with our parents.

I took a left, then a right, until the hallways began to blur together in an indistinguishable path. I had been searching for what felt like hours, and I was pretty damn lost. I could feel the hope of finding and helping Mikey ebbing away with each step I took.

I was almost ready to give away the only advantage I had in favor of calling out for Mikey, but luck spared me when I heard him cry out, the sound coming from what seemed to be only a few corners ahead. I began to sprint in an effort to keep track of him, the noises already growing fainter. But now I could hear my parents jeering, their voices spilling out of a doorway right in front of me.

I closed my eyes, trying to take in all the information I could before I rushed in. From the way their voices echoed, it sounded as if my parents were facing away from the door at the moment, which meant I needed to act quickly.

Tentatively, I stole a glance into the room where they were holding Mikey. There was another open doorway on the opposite side, and I saw my mom walk out that way. My dad was kneeling beside a box full of ammunition, fiddling with his gun.

Mikey was leaning against the wall adjacent to me, his face screwed up in pain and so colorless that he almost looked like me.

"Fuck. Shit. Okay. Here we go."
I crept into the dim room as quickly and quietly as I could. Mikey groaned softly and turned in my direction. His eyes opened slightly, and then widened in surprise when he saw my figure creeping across the room. Panic flashed across his face for a second, and then relief settled on his features when he recognized me.

I put my finger to my lips to signal for him to stay silent, and he nodded weakly. Now at his side, I kneeled down next to him, praying the strange shadows covering the room would conceal me.

"Mikes." I whispered as softly as I could manage. "I'm gonna pick you up. I'll try my best to be gentle, but you've gotta stay quiet okay?" He nodded again, even weaker than before. "Okay." His voice wobbled when he spoke, and it looked like it took a lot of energy to do so.
"Gerard?"
I slipped one arm under the crook of his knees and the other under his arms.
"Yeah?"
I looked, up when he whispered my name, almost nose to nose with him. He smiled, but it ended up looking more like a grimace.
"Thanks for coming for me."

I leaned forward and pressed my forehead to his. "Always. You're my baby brother."

Suddenly, I heard footsteps pounding behind us, rounding the corner. I took off, sprinting left and right in an attempt to shake my parents off my trail. I gained some distance between us, but I could only run so fast for so long. I turned down a long hallway. Shit. I needed to get somewhere less exposed. I willed myself to pick up the pace, and was almost around the corner before I heard the sound of a gun being fired.

I cried out, the bullet ripping through my shoulder with a sickening bang! The shot rang in my ears and I couldn't help but to stumble a few steps in shock. When I heard Mikey hiss in pain, I gritted my teeth and pressed on.

Despite his lanky form, it was getting harder to run while holding Mikey with every passing second. My arm throbbed and ached, and the blood was steadily soaking my shirt. I couldn't even tell where my blood stopped and Mikey's began anymore.

I staggered around one corner, and then the next, before my vision went blurry, and I felt my knees buckle beneath me. Mikey hit the floor with a dull thump and a sharp gasp of pain, then went still.

I caught myself and collapsed onto my hands and knees, choking and gasping for air. Sparing a glance towards Mikey, I felt my stomach do a horrible flip. Blood was already pooling around him, his wound worsening from the commotion and lack of medical attention. His face looked grey, and the grimace of pain had been replaced by an eerily blank expression.

The hand I was using to hold myself up began to slip, bringing my attention back to the situation at hand. The blood from my shoulder was steadily flowing down my arm and around my fingers, dark and black like oil. I could hear my parents shouting at each other, and their voices seemed to be getting louder.

The realization hit me so hard I could almost feel it. There was no way I could pick myself up and keep running. There was no way Mikey would be able to stand being moved again.

There was no way out.

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This is unedited as fuhk, so me n maybe my beta reader (Could_Ya_Didgeridont ) will properly edit this later, I just wanted to get it out for for you guys asap!

I know, I suck lol. I'm sorry. I had exams and school stuff and whatnot, so that's most of why the hiatus was so long. Thank you all for sticking with this story tho!! And keep a look out, I might be starting more soon. ALSO I MET FRANK YOU GUYS. DJDKGLG HES SO CUTE
I still can't believe it.

xoxohannah