Chapter Two

"Frank!" I called out to the trees. "Frank come on!" I giggled as I ran on after him. The trees were thick here, melting into the sky. I stopped, looking up. A whole world was up there, grass, trees, and flowers looking back at me.

"Gee!" Frank laughed, grabbing my hands and looking up at me. His hazel eyes had always been so beautiful, shining so bright when he looked at me. I'd noticed that he doesn't look at anyone else the way he looks at me, it makes me feel…special. I felt happiness and warmth flow through my body when j looked at him but something seemed off. Something was wrong.

I quickly shook the feeling away, looking back at him and smiling. He seemed so happy. I suddenly realized how cold his hands were, they were freezing.

"Frank," I said, wrapping him in my arms. "Frankie you're so cold." I held him close to me and felt his arms wrap around my neck.

"Don't worry Gee, I'll be okay.

I promise."

He woke to the sound of the birds singing songs. They fluttered around through the trees, chirping at each other. The ground was hard beneath him, rocks and branches digging into his sides. Remembering where he was he sat up quickly, opening his eyes. He looked down to see that a blanket was covering his legs. It was still cold out and his body ached everywhere. Gerard groaned and held his head in his hands.

He stood up, letting the blanket fall back into the dirt. He wondered where it had come from, he'd never seen anyone come into these woods before. Best guess was that it was the man before, the one with the familiar eyes and cold hands. He wrapped his arms around himself, sighing. Gerard still had no idea how to get back home. He felt so lost. He wandered around for a while, noticing clouds begin to cover the sky. He was about to give up and find a cave or something to hide in before it started to rain when he saw a bright red arrow painted on a tree.

He walked over to it, curious. He wasn't sure what else to do, so he followed it, soon to find another tree with another arrow. Gerard continued to follow the arrows for what seemed like hours. He wasn't sure where he expected the arrows to lead, but he definitely want expecting to stumble into his backyard.

Gerard could only guess that the person who gave him the blanket showed him they home as well. He let out a nervous laugh, pushing his black and greasy hair out of his forehead. He needed a shower, and haircut. Badly. Opening his backs door and kicking off his boots he runs up to his bathroom. He pulls off his sodden t-shirt and mud caked sweats. The water is warm when it hits his sore back. Gerard stands there for several minutes, just leaning against the shower wall and feeling the water drip down his body.

He slathered shampoo into his hands, rubbing them together and running them through his hair. He recalled the dream he had about Frank. It felt more than a dream, like Frank had actually been talking to him, like he was right there. He missed Frank, more then he could fathom, but he knew that wasn't coming back. If Frank was still alive, he would have come home by now, he would have come home to Gerard.

If only he'd been strong enough to fight back, Gerard just couldn't get that out of his head. If he had been able to fight back Frank would still be here. If only Frank was here right now. Frank would hold him and say that everything was okay, he'd let Gerard cry on his shoulder and comfort him.

He sniffed ad he turned off the water, stepping out and wrapping a towel around himself. Frank's gone. He reminded himself. He stepped out of the bathroom to throw his clothes in the washer, not bothering to start it and climbed up his stairs miserably to flop on his bed.

"Ugh." He groaned into his sheets. He stay there for several minutes, listening to his house moan and creak against the wind. He let his thoughts drift to the night before, to the man with the eyes. They were hazel, it almost seemed like there were stars in them. He remembered the scream he heard before. Was the man a killer of some sort? If so, why did he leave Gerard alone. Was someone in trouble? Why were they in the woods? His woods. He slid off his bed to put on some cloths. He was buttoning up his pants when he saw his sketchbook and was instantly inspired. He grabbed the book and his pencils as he sat back down on his bed.

Gerard must have been drawing for hours when his morning alarm pulled him out.

"Shit!" He cursed under his breath. Work. He had been so busy drawing that he forgot to sleep. Today was going to be a long day. He closed his sketchbook and pulled on a fresh pair of clothes before hurrying down his stairs to make a cup of coffee.

Gerard hated his job. He works in some stupid sales office that doesn't even pay good. He never thought he'd end up with an office job, he though his art would be enough. It never was though, it was hard to get people to notice his art, let alone buy it. He knows that he's not going to be working in that office much longer, he can't stand it there. He plans on finding something else to do, work in a comic book store or something. Maybe there he can mention his own comics and he'll actually sell something for himself.

He had noticed his brother's truck parked in his driveway as he was pulling in. He got out of his car and went in through the front door, his door wasn't anything special, the white paint chipped and stained from years of carelessness. He knew that he could have taken better care of his house but he never got around to it. Frank would always nag him about his place being a mess, he had always been a bit of a neat freak, though Frank would never admit it.

Opening the door, he walked in, expecting to see Mikey. Gerard looked around but the house seemed empty of life.

"Mikey?" He called out. No answer. "Mikey are you here?" He didn't bother to take off his shoes in his search for Mikey. He wandered around his house until it was confirmed that no one else was in there. He went to his back door, heading it creak as he stepped outside. "Hello?" He yelled. His back yard appeared empty as well. He knew that it was Mikey's truck parked on the gravel, he's had that truck for years, and their father had it before that.

The forest looked eerie in the twilight. A light mist covered the ground, giving it a sort of horror effect. He walked closer, peering through the trees.

He was about to walk back inside when he heard another scream. This one wasn't like the other night, the voice was deeper, like a man's. Gerard hesitated before deciding to take off into the woods again. He ran through the trees, his way guided by more screams and sound of leaves being disturbed, someone was struggling. He reached the opening from before, coming to a halt. Three figures were struggling on the other side. The smaller one pushed one away, tackling the other to the ground.

Gerard suddenly recognized the one who was pushed away as his brother.

"Mikey!" He called as he ran towards him. "Oh my god!" His neck was poring blood from two small holes on the left side.

"What? Oh!" Mikey said, brining his hand up to stop the bleeding. The two men were still fighting on the ground, as if they were going to kill each other.

"Run!" The shorter one yelled out. Normally Gerard would have hesitated, questioning the situation but he just grabbed Mikey's hand and took off, following the red arrows back home once again.

They got back to the house and locked the door behind them, panting.

"What the hell was that?" Gerard asked when he finally caught his breath. Mikey rushed to the kitchen, pulling out a rag and pressing it to his neck and soaking it with blood.

"I…I don't know, I'm sorry Gerard. I wanted to see you, you haven't been answering your phone lately, I was worried." He said. " I heard something, out in the backyard, so I just went to check it out you know?" He looked up at Gerard apologetically. "I thought I heard someone yelling out in the woods so I went in, I know it was stupid but I just couldn't help myself. Before I knew it someone jumped me, I think…I think they bit me or something, hurt like a bitch." He gestured to his wound.

Gerard had forgotten about his phone, it was probably dead by now. He couldn't help but blame himself for this.

"God Mikey," he started "I'm so sorry, the other night kind of fucked me up man." He recalled the other night, the man, the blanket, he arrows. Maybe the man who saved Mikey tonight was the man he met. He remembered those eyes…he hasn't gotten a good look at him today either, he was dressed in a black hoodie. He spoke too, his voice seemed just as familiar as his eyes, but Gerard just couldn't place it.

"Mikes?" He asked, looking up at his brother. "The man, the one who saves you, did he seem…familiar at all?" Mikey's eyes met his brothers.

"A little bit, I mean I didn't see him or anything, I was too busy trying to get away," he touched his neck and winced. "but there was something about him, it was weird." Gerard nodded as he tried to dig into his memories. "You know," Mikey said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "he, not to upset you, but he kind of reminded me of Frank." Gerard looked at him, confused.

"Frank?" He asked. "Frank's…Frank's dead Mikey." He stated, his voice wavering.

"We don't know that Gee…" Mikey said in an attempt to comfort him. "Maybe Frank is still alive, you gotta have hope." He reached across the counter to grab his brother's hands. Gerard saw his point, and honestly saw Frank in that man, but it couldn't be. Frank was dead. If he was still alive he would have come home, he wouldn't do that to Gerard. E wouldn't hurt him like that. Gerard shook his head and took his hands back, wrapping his arms around his torso to hug himself.

"No." He sounded weak. They just stood there staring at each other for a while. After what seemed like a lifetime Gerard finally spoke up. "I'm tired, you should probably go home Mikes." His brother looked at him with pity. He didn't want his pity. He knows that Frank leaving took its toll on him, it was obvious that he was struggling, but he was done with people feeling sorry for him. Nothing that any of them could do was going to make him feel better. He wanted Frank.

After Mikey left Gerard spent a long time looking at his drawings from the night before. It was the man's eyes. He knows that his drawings weren't perfect, but he just couldn't get those eyes out of his head. They were hazel, like Frank's, and big. They had this light behind them, he was beginning to question if it really was Frank but quickly shook the though away.

It just couldn't be Frank. Frank wouldn't let him suffer like this.

He would know how much it hurt Gerard that he was gone, he never liked to see Gerard in pain. He closed his sketchbook, setting it down on his bedside table, right next to his clock. He recalled the dream he had of him and Frank in the woods once again. It had felt so good to hold Frank in his arms, he misses that. He missed the late nights they would spend on his worn out couch, the ugly green colour all faded and stained. They'd turn off all the lights and put in a cheesy horror movie. They'd fall asleep leaning on each other, Frank's head against his shoulder.

Gerard sighed, pulling on a pair of sweats, remembering the dirty ones he had thrown in the washer earlier. He went down his stairs to the laundry room, turning it on and wishing he was in his bed. He hasn't had a proper nights sleep for several days, and that was all he could think about. Gerard was about to walk back up to his room when he heard a knock at his door. It wasn't his front door, it was his back door, which perplexed him. He furrowed his brow as he walked through the living room, hearing the thump of his feet against the hard wood floors.

It was almost midnight, who could be at his door? He though of several possibilities as he opened the door, but the person really standing there was the last person he expected to see.