Categories > Celebrities > 30 Seconds to Mars
Jared's faith
0 ReviewsJared is in great danger, and the consequences might cost him his life...
CHAPTER ONE
It was midnight in NYC. Jared was staying at a hotel because he was visiting his good friend Terry. He woke up, and went to the bathroom. He couldn’t sleep. Something was wrong, but he could not identify what was troubling him. He stared at his face in the mirror. His beard was getting long. But that was something he didn’t care much about. He studied his body. Jared knew that girls and maybe also boys appreciate his body, but he didn’t quite get it either. He was just a skinny, weird guy. Jared only had his underwear on. It was so hot! He sweated a lot. You would think that the air condition would help on the temperature, but it surely didn’t. He opened the door to his room’s veranda. He went outside. The wind cooled him down. Staring down on the street he could see many different people, and cars. Why is everyone in a hurry? How her life would be affected if she walked slower. His eyes followed a girl wearing a black coat with her hair up. She wore high heels. Jared’s mind suddenly went to that time he tried on high heels. It was not a success. Jared fell down a few stairs and hit his face. When he went to play with his boys the next day, they thought he had been hit. And when he told what happened, they laughed so hard that Shannon had to leave the room.
Jared’s phone rang.
Why did someone call him 3 O’clock in the middle of the night? Did Emma have a nightmare or something? This doesn’t actually make much sense. He picked up his phone. The number was unknown. Fucking telephone salesmen.
- Boo.
- Jared.
-Who is this?
- Your voice.
-Maybe if you tell me your name, or your dogs name so I can identify you?
beep beep
what the hell? Jared stared out the window. Now this did not make sense at all. Jared threw his BlackBerry on the bed and decided to sit on the floor. An odd experience, but it ended with him falling asleep there.
The birds were singing outside. It was sunny and warm weather as yesterday. Jared slept on the floor. He slept there in his underwear. His hair was a complete mess. He made sounds. Sweet sounds. With occasionally snoring a bit. Until someone knocked on his door.
- JARED? Are you up? It came from the hallway.
It was Terry outside his door.
Jared slowly opened his eyes, not quite understanding what was going on. He lifted his head and stared at the door.
- Jared? It’s Terry! You didn’t pick up your phone an hour ago.
-Huh? Why am I on the floor? Jared stood up and went for the door.
He opened it.
- Hi Jare- Uhm. Where are your clothes? Terry stared at Jared who was only wearing his underwear.
Jared looked down.
- Well, I just woke up on the floor.
- Did you have a visit of a girl or something?
- Uhm, no. But it was so warm in here! I couldn’t sleep so I wandered around. And now, I woke up on the floor.
- Okay, so unless you’re going to invite me in for sex, then I guess you should get dressed?
- Hahaha! That was a great comment Terry. Let me find some clothes, and I’ll be out in five minutes.
Terry and Jared walked out from the hotel. Today, they were going to an art gallery. It was some of Terry’s friends who had it, and Jared was really looking forward to it. The weather was nice, a bit chilly but not too cold. Jared stared at the ground when they walked. Terry noticed this because Jared is the guy to stare and look at everything that surrounds him. No matter where he was.
- Jared, is everything ok? Terry stopped and put his hand on his shoulder.
- What? No, well. You see, someone called me last night but I don’t know who it was. And when I check the list on my phone, it’s not listed there.
Jared held his BlackBerry in his hand while he frowned.
- Let me check, Jared.
Terry took his phone and went through the list. He was right, no number was listed there.
- I can’t see anything. Do you think you could have dreamed this?
Jared scratched his head.
- I don’t know Terry. This is insane. Perhaps it was just a bad dream. I remember the person claimed to be my voice. Sound sick now when I say it out loud. You know what? Let’s go. It was probably nothing. Bart messes with me again.
They went to the gallery.
CHAPTER TWO
Jared was back at the hotel after the gallery. He felt good after seeing so much creative art. He felt inspired and tired. So many impressions needs sleep to be swallowed. He went to the bathroom. Jared took off his pants. Just as he tried to stand up again, he stared in the bathroom mirror. A shadow was behind him. He turned around quickly. The shadow was gone. He felt his pulse was rising. What the fuck? He ran into the bedroom. No one was there.
ring ring
His phone rang.
He picked up his phone. It was an unknown number again.
- Hello?
- Jared, you are dead.
- What? Hello? WHO IS THIS?
beep beep
He dialed Emma’s phone number.
- Jared? Why are you calling so late? I had just fallen asleep! This better be something important.
- Sorry for waking you. Look, I need to get back to LA as soon as possible. Can you fix a flight for me tomorrow morning?
- I thought you were staying with Terry for the weekend?
- I’ll try to explain when I get back. Jared answered while he felt dizzy.
- Ok, I’ll email you your ticket. Take care Jared, and we’ll speak tomorrow ok?
- Yes, bye.
Jared hung up. He sank down on his bed and fell asleep.
The next morning, Jared woke up in the bathtub. His head felt like it was going to explode. Why the hell was he in here? Didn’t he fall asleep in his bed? Jared thought, while he went to the bedroom to check his messages. Emma had scheduled a flight in two hours. I love her, she is the greatest girl. He grabbed his bag, and packed. On his way down he called Terry and told him he was sorry but had to leave in so short notice. Jared told Terry that to make up for him leaving, he would fix him a date.
LOS ANGELES
Emma picked Jared up at the airport a few hours later. Now they sat in the car on their way to Jared’s house.
- Jared, are you sure everything is alright? You look more pale than usual.
Jared laughed.
- I think something weird is going on, but I have no idea what’s going on. I’ll tell you later. You want to go out for dinner later, Emma? I’ll buy.
- Now that sounds great! Can we bring Shannon too? Tomo is busy working on the new songs, and moving. So I think he is very busy.
- Sure! It sounds great.
30 Minutes later, they arrived at his home. Emma took his luggage, even though Jared use to take it himself. They went inside and sat down in the living room.
- Emma? How are the guys over at VyRT?
- They told me yesterday that everything is going smoothly, but wanted to have a meeting with you next week.
- Ok.
Jared turned on his Mac. He looked through his emails. There was nothing too important. He handed the mac over to Emma. He went to the kitchen and grabbed an apple, and went back to Emma. She was already working with replying emails.
- Emma, something weird is going on.
- Yeah you mentioned that earlier. Is everything ok?
- I don’t know. The last nights has been crazy. I have fallen asleep all places except my bed on the hotel. And my phone has rung twice with unknown numbers. But the scariest shit is that you can’t see the calls on my phone. It’s like nothing has happened. I had Terry to double-check.
- Huh. That IS weird. Do you feel ill? Want me to schedule an appointment with your doctor?
- No, that I can do myself, but thanks anyway. You are great.
- That is why I’m here Jared.
- Emma! What have I told you before! Just because you are my assistant, doesn’t mean I can’t tell you how great you are! I love you, and you are my dearest friend.
- I know that Jared, I love you too! And in a friendship-way of course.
- Yes. Now, let’s see. I think I will stalk twitter for a while before we head to that dinner.
Emma parked their car, while Jared and Shannon went inside the restaurant to get a table. They had to wait for five minutes before they could show them the way. Shannon wore a casual red shirt, and black trousers. He had black sneakers on. Jared wore his black coat and denim jeans. His favorite shoes were of course the black boots. They’re always so comfortable to wear. Even when it’s the middle of the summer, he wore them.
The waitress walked them over to a table for 3. They sat down and had a glas of water until Emma came back. Jared saw she was in the hallway, talking on the phone.
- Shannon, how are you these days?
- I’m fine! A bit mad that Tomo always is busy. I miss doing stupid stuff with him. But I guess that will change when we get back on the road again! How about you brother?
- I am ok, I think. Lately, strange things have happened to me. For instance my BlackBerry isn’t registering unknown calls I get. And this happens in the middle of the night. Also, I wake up random places. Plus, something must be wrong with my body temperature at night. Because I am always so damn hot right before bed. Sweating, and feel ill.
- Oh man. This sounds very weird. Have you called the doctor?
- No, because at day I feel perfectly fine! I don’t know what’s going on. Anyway, I believe Emma is coming back now. Should we order something?
- Ok, if you say you’re ok…Yeah let’s order something.
Emma, Jared and Shannon shared a fantastic meal together, before they went home. Shannon left in his car, and Jared drove Emma home. After arriving back at his place, he went to the kitchen. What’s that?
On the fridge was a note.
“It’s time to go to hell”
What the fuck? Jared stared at the note, then he realized it was his own handwriting.
CHAPTER THREE
Jared was in shock. Is this some kind of prank? He never wrote that. Suddenly, he felt sick again. His head spun around and he tripped, and fell. On the way down he hit his forehead in the table. Everything went black.
- Jared! Can you hear me? Oh my God! JARED! Fuck, man. Hey, Jared can you hear me??
Shannon called an ambulance. Jared was lying on the floor with a huge wound on his forehead. His skin was pale. He had lost a lot of blood. No way telling how long he had been like this. Jared started shaking. His brother was devastated. He stood there and watched his brother being hurt. He found some bandages and tried to stop the bleeding. It took about 10 minutes before the paramedics arrived. Shannon sat with his brother all the time. He stared at his brother’s face. Never had he seen him like this. A tear fell down on his cheek and hit Jared’s head.
A few minutes later, the paramedics arrived. They shove Shannon away from him, telling him that he had to get out of the way. About 7 people were surrounding his brother while himself just sat on the floor staring at them. He was going to be ok, he tried to convince himself. They carried him out to the ambulance, and then a paramedic came over to Shannon.
- Are you ok, sir? Are you a relative of him?
Shannon looked at the man. He felt so distant. After a while he managed to answer.
- He is my brother. The most important person in my life.
- I see. Would you want to join the ambulance?
He nodded.
At the hospital, Shannon sat it the waiting-room with their mom, Emma, Tomo and Vicky. Everyone was shaken up by what has happened. Constance cried and held around Shannon. Tomo sat in a chair opposite them with his hands on his face. Vicky tried to talk to him but he didn’t want to answer. The only thing he replied was:
- This is not happening.
The hours went by, and they all had fallen asleep. All night they had been worrying about Jared. He had been in surgery for five hours, then the surgeon came out.
- Jared was in a bad condition when we brought him in. He had lost a lot of blood, but he will be alright.
Constance burst into tears of happiness. Shannon hugged her tight while the surgeon kept talking.
- He had a cracked skull, which we have successfully fixed, but we did find something else on him during an exam of his body. In the back of his neck, we found what appear to be marks after a needle. I know this might sound offending, but do you know anything about him taking something?
- No. He is a clean man. Shannon replied with anger in his voice.
Their mother nodded.
- Jared had some things going on in his youth, but no way in HELL he would do drugs! He is a very smart man, and I am proud of him.
The surgeon nodded.
- I understand. We have moved him to the ICU. We will monitor him there for a few days. He will probably wake up tomorrow, so I recommend you all to go home and get some sleep.
- Mom? Tomo and Vicky can drive you home. I will stay here. Shannon turned to Tomo, and he nodded.
- Are you sure? I really want to be here too. She answered.
- Believe me, he needs you tomorrow well rested. Please, I will stay.
- Ok, if you say so.
They grabbed their stuff and left.
- Can I see him? He asked the surgeon.
- Yes, you can see him. If you want, you can stay with him all night.
- Thank you doctor.
He showed him the way to his room. The doctor stopped outside his door.
- Please, do not be upset. Mr. Leto is covered in a lot of wires and tubes. You can still go home If you want to?
- No. That is ok doctor.
- Ok, I will leave you then.
He nodded and walked down the hallway. On the door to his room was a little window. He peeked in. The room was dark. The light from the monitors brighten up Jared’s face a bit. It was covered in bandages. His hand was shaking a lot while he tried to open the door. Slowly, he pushed the door open. It was very quiet. Shannon slowly walked over to his brother’s bed. He grabbed his hand. All he could hear was Jared breathing. Shannon fell asleep by his bed.
CHAPTER FOUR
Three weeks later, Jared was well enough to go home from the hospital. He needed physical therapy for a few weeks because his head injury had messed around a bit with his physical abilities. But this was something that didn’t concern Jared much. He knew he would come back, better than ever!
Shannon pulled his brother who was in a wheel chair, to his car. Jared had his hat on, and had grown a beard. He didn’t say much.
- Are you ok brother? Shannon stopped and sat by him.
- I’m fine. My butt hurts though. These wheelchairs…Can’t wait to get out of it! He stared into thin air.
Shannon nodded, and Jared stood up from the chair. He was a bit unstable, because his inner ear got a bit damaged of the fall. Shannon supported him and they both got in the car.
After 15min of driving, they were back at The Hive. Emma and Jamie was waiting outside to wish him welcome home. Shannon pulled over. But for some reason, Jared didn’t seem too happy about being home. His brother watched how his hands could not be still, and it almost seemed like he was afraid of something.
- Jared, you will be fine. I’ll stay here with you. Ok? I’m always watching your back.
He turned his head towards Shannon. His eyes were red.
- Shannon, thank you. Tonight I will tell you everything what’s going on.
- Alright, but now I think we need to go out to those kids out there. They’ve been very worried.
- I know. Let’s go.
Jared opened the door.
- Hi kids!
Shannon supported him inside. Emma had made him some hot chocolate. Jared was very happy.
- You guys wouldn’t even believe me when I tell you all the crappy, weird food and drinks you get at the hospital.
The evening came, and Jamie and Emma went home. Now, it was just Jared and Shannon in the building.
- Brother, I am scared.
- Why?
Jared told Shannon what had happened when he was in New York, and the thing that happened before the accident.
- Oh my God. Jared, I had no idea these things has happened to you! Someone is clearly messing with you, and has crossed the line long ago. But now, I will be here. NO MATTER WHAT!
I will support you and help you find out what the hell is going on. Maybe we should call the police? This is clearly harassment on a high level!
- No! Not the police. Yet. We need more evidence. Because if we just tell them everything now, they will call the men in white coats, and we’re both ending up in a mental hospital.
- But J…
- Shannon I SAID NO.
- Fine. It’s getting late. We should go to bed. Shall I help you?
- No, it’s ok. Just help me up the stairs and I’ll be fine.
Shannon supported him into his bedroom. Jared sat down on the bed.
- Thank you Shan, I really appreciate it.
- Hey, shut up and go to sleep…Tomorrow, mom and Robert is coming over. You need rest. I’ll be right across the hall. Give me a shout, and I’ll be here faster than Lucky Luke.
- Hahah, ok. Good night!
Jared took off his shirt and pants. He found a shirt he put on to sleep in. He stumbled his way from the bathroom and back into bed. He took away the bed sheets, and went in. He laid down and closed his eyes. Wait. Something isn’t right. The bed was moist. Huh? He stood up. His hands started shaking. Jared grabbed the duvet and slowly pulled it away.
- OH MY GOD! Jared screamed, and fell to the floor.
Shannon woke up. He thought he heard something. He got up and went out on the hall. It was dark and he couldn’t really see anything. Not even the light switch. Suddenly, he got the shivers. Someone was in the room. He looked around. His eyes started to adjust to the dark. At the end of the hall he saw a shadow.
- Who the hell are you!?!? HEY!
He ran towards the shadow. BAM.
Shannon hit the wall.
He came to his senses, and realized the shadow was gone.
- WHAT THE HELL?? JARED!!
He didn’t get a response. Shannon stood up and opened his bedroom door.
- Oh my God! JARED! His brother was unconscious on the floor. He slapped his face several times trying to get a response when finally he saw that he opened his eyes.
- ……..uhh…..ouch…uhm what happened? Oh Shannon! Take a look in my bed!
Slowly, he stood up and walked over to the bed. It smelled bad. Jared got up and turned on the light switch.
On the bed, was the triad… In blood.
CHAPTER 5
The brothers sat in the living room. It was sunrise. They both sat there and said nothing until Shannon broke the silence.
- We need to do something. As far as we know, someone might want to kill you Jared.
Jared stared at the floor. His head hurts after the fall. Who would do such horrible things? This does not make sense in any way. He knew that being a famous name that sure would get enemies. But, for him and his band being worldwide famous, the madman behind this could be anyone.
- You know what brother? We need to take back the control. This should not go on any further!
- Yeah, well, do you have a plan?
- Not yet.
- Jared, this is getting out of hands. We SHOULD call the police! We need protection!
- Fine. We’ll do that tomorrow. Shannon, I am dead tired.
- I know you are bro. Go to sleep I’ll be guard.
- Good night.
The living room was dark, and Shannon had a little lamp on in the corner on, just in case. On the couch, Jared fell asleep. His brother sat in the other couch watching him. How did things come to this? Why would anyone do so much harm to a so warm and caring person like his brother. Shannon felt more tired. The sounds in Jared’s house was always calming. Soon, he too fell asleep.
The next day, Shannon woke up by hearing Jared talking on the phone. He sat up, still a bit groggy, and tried to hear what he said.
“No, I want one police officer here, but he needs to stay outside. I know… Fine. Good bye.”
Jared came into the living room and sat besides Shannon. He had a glass of water in his hand. For some reason, Shannon noticed that his brother’s hands were shaking. He looked up and met his eyes.
- I just talked with the police, and they said that they’re sending a unit to keep a watch. Hopefully, we will be safe here for now.
- Great.
- Also, Shannon. I need to tell you something.
- What?
-You make funny noises when you sleep.
Shannon threw a pillow in his face. They both laughed. It felt good to laugh with his brother again.
Later that day, Emma and Jamie came to visit. They decided to do some work on the new album. Jared didn’t feel to sing, so they mainly focused on Shannon’s drumming. Throughout the day, they had found new and exiting drum parts that they could use somewhere. Jared felt great. It was calming to finally relax a bit after all the horrible events. He smiled and laughed. Finally he could let go of the past. He felt safer than ever.
The following weeks, nothing special had happened. Jared worked a lot on the new album with Jamie, and they shared great experiences. He had hired two amazing guys from a security company to keep a look at them. Which quickly turned into two nice friendships. They days went by.
TWO MONTHS LATER
- That will be 10 dollars, Sir.
- Here, and I hope you have a nice day!
- Thank you Sir!
Jared had been out shopping a few things. He carried his bags out in the car, and was to meet up with Shannon at a restaurant for a nice meal. He sat in the car, turned on the engine, and tried to find a radio station that played something decent. He wore his denim jacket that he had fallen in love with. His hair was a mess, but that didn’t bother him. He put on his sunglasses and looked in the rear mirror. Instantly, he froze.
- It is through dreams you will die.
In the back of his car was a woman. In her hands she had blood and a gun.
- Who…are you? Why are you here?
- You are my sacrifice, Jared.
His hands started to shake. He looked around outside to see if someone could somehow help him. He felt scared.
- Drive.
Jared swung the car out on the highway. His pulse was beyond the roof. In the seat next to him, his phone rang. He saw that it was Shannon’s number.
- Answer it. Tell Shannon you’re dying.
He picked up his phone. He couldn’t say anything.
- Jared? Where you at bro? I’m waiting at the restaurant!
Still, Jared’s throat felt like he was suffocating.
- Shannon… I am…dying.
Hang him up, She whispered.
He hung up.
- Uhh where are we going?
- Where the dreams die.
What the woman in the car did not know, was that Shannon had heard her talk.
He immediately called the police. And for safety, Shannon had installed a GPS signal on his brother’s car. Just in case. He called the security guys at the Hive, and they managed to trace the signal Shannon received on his iPhone. It seems like Jared is driving North. He threw himself in his car and tried to follow the signal. He was about 20 minutes away from his brother. Every signal in his body told him that something was very wrong. He needed to save his brother.
The woman in the backseat stared at Jared.
He noticed.
- Since you’re obviously going to kill me, why don’t you tell me why.
Jared asked, knowing that it was a dangerous situation, but that he needed to know.
- I am what you call, a failure. Therefore I wish to do one thing right, and that is to end your life.
Jared thought of that response for a moment, but decided not to answer.
- Turn right.
They entered an abandoned factory. Jared knew that nobody knew his whereabouts. This is going to end bad.
The woman went out of the car and pointed her gun at him.
- Get out of the car you stupid son of a bitch.
Gently, he opened the door and raised his hands in the air.
- Go inside.
As they entered the building, Jared realized this was an old slaughter house. The stank of old blood burned in his nose. The floor were sticky, and he saw old pieces of bones lying around. They walked through a hallway and entered a big room. Apparently it was a freezer. Rotten animal corpses layed around. The rats ran away as they walked over to what seemed like a hook. Beneath it was a chair.
- Get up, and tie this around your hands.
She threw a rope on the floor. He slowly bent down and grabbed it. He stared at her all the time doing so. Slowly, he made it up on the chair. The woman had a furious look.
- Now, you hang your hands in the hook.
- Are you serious??? He told her in fear.
BAM
She shot a bullet right beside his feet to prove she was not joking.
He hang his hands in the hook. And immediately she put the gun in her dress, and kicked the chair away. Jared was now hanging two feet in the air. His shoulders started to ache and burn. He breathed heavily.
- Now, it’s time to play a dream Jared.
She ripped off his jacket and shirt. Then she walked out of the room.
Jared quickly tried to get loose, but he couldn’t. He started screaming as loud as he could. But it was pointless. What the hell was going on? This HAD to be a bad dream.
The woman came into the room again. In her hands was what to appear as a whip.
- Now, I need you to feel pain Jared. It is what you and your giant “dream” needs.
Jared breathed heavily, staring at the whip. His face was wet of sweat and fear. His eyes were wet and sore. He knew deep inside that this would be his end.
CHAPTER SIX
Coming soon...
It was midnight in NYC. Jared was staying at a hotel because he was visiting his good friend Terry. He woke up, and went to the bathroom. He couldn’t sleep. Something was wrong, but he could not identify what was troubling him. He stared at his face in the mirror. His beard was getting long. But that was something he didn’t care much about. He studied his body. Jared knew that girls and maybe also boys appreciate his body, but he didn’t quite get it either. He was just a skinny, weird guy. Jared only had his underwear on. It was so hot! He sweated a lot. You would think that the air condition would help on the temperature, but it surely didn’t. He opened the door to his room’s veranda. He went outside. The wind cooled him down. Staring down on the street he could see many different people, and cars. Why is everyone in a hurry? How her life would be affected if she walked slower. His eyes followed a girl wearing a black coat with her hair up. She wore high heels. Jared’s mind suddenly went to that time he tried on high heels. It was not a success. Jared fell down a few stairs and hit his face. When he went to play with his boys the next day, they thought he had been hit. And when he told what happened, they laughed so hard that Shannon had to leave the room.
Jared’s phone rang.
Why did someone call him 3 O’clock in the middle of the night? Did Emma have a nightmare or something? This doesn’t actually make much sense. He picked up his phone. The number was unknown. Fucking telephone salesmen.
- Boo.
- Jared.
-Who is this?
- Your voice.
-Maybe if you tell me your name, or your dogs name so I can identify you?
beep beep
what the hell? Jared stared out the window. Now this did not make sense at all. Jared threw his BlackBerry on the bed and decided to sit on the floor. An odd experience, but it ended with him falling asleep there.
The birds were singing outside. It was sunny and warm weather as yesterday. Jared slept on the floor. He slept there in his underwear. His hair was a complete mess. He made sounds. Sweet sounds. With occasionally snoring a bit. Until someone knocked on his door.
- JARED? Are you up? It came from the hallway.
It was Terry outside his door.
Jared slowly opened his eyes, not quite understanding what was going on. He lifted his head and stared at the door.
- Jared? It’s Terry! You didn’t pick up your phone an hour ago.
-Huh? Why am I on the floor? Jared stood up and went for the door.
He opened it.
- Hi Jare- Uhm. Where are your clothes? Terry stared at Jared who was only wearing his underwear.
Jared looked down.
- Well, I just woke up on the floor.
- Did you have a visit of a girl or something?
- Uhm, no. But it was so warm in here! I couldn’t sleep so I wandered around. And now, I woke up on the floor.
- Okay, so unless you’re going to invite me in for sex, then I guess you should get dressed?
- Hahaha! That was a great comment Terry. Let me find some clothes, and I’ll be out in five minutes.
Terry and Jared walked out from the hotel. Today, they were going to an art gallery. It was some of Terry’s friends who had it, and Jared was really looking forward to it. The weather was nice, a bit chilly but not too cold. Jared stared at the ground when they walked. Terry noticed this because Jared is the guy to stare and look at everything that surrounds him. No matter where he was.
- Jared, is everything ok? Terry stopped and put his hand on his shoulder.
- What? No, well. You see, someone called me last night but I don’t know who it was. And when I check the list on my phone, it’s not listed there.
Jared held his BlackBerry in his hand while he frowned.
- Let me check, Jared.
Terry took his phone and went through the list. He was right, no number was listed there.
- I can’t see anything. Do you think you could have dreamed this?
Jared scratched his head.
- I don’t know Terry. This is insane. Perhaps it was just a bad dream. I remember the person claimed to be my voice. Sound sick now when I say it out loud. You know what? Let’s go. It was probably nothing. Bart messes with me again.
They went to the gallery.
CHAPTER TWO
Jared was back at the hotel after the gallery. He felt good after seeing so much creative art. He felt inspired and tired. So many impressions needs sleep to be swallowed. He went to the bathroom. Jared took off his pants. Just as he tried to stand up again, he stared in the bathroom mirror. A shadow was behind him. He turned around quickly. The shadow was gone. He felt his pulse was rising. What the fuck? He ran into the bedroom. No one was there.
ring ring
His phone rang.
He picked up his phone. It was an unknown number again.
- Hello?
- Jared, you are dead.
- What? Hello? WHO IS THIS?
beep beep
He dialed Emma’s phone number.
- Jared? Why are you calling so late? I had just fallen asleep! This better be something important.
- Sorry for waking you. Look, I need to get back to LA as soon as possible. Can you fix a flight for me tomorrow morning?
- I thought you were staying with Terry for the weekend?
- I’ll try to explain when I get back. Jared answered while he felt dizzy.
- Ok, I’ll email you your ticket. Take care Jared, and we’ll speak tomorrow ok?
- Yes, bye.
Jared hung up. He sank down on his bed and fell asleep.
The next morning, Jared woke up in the bathtub. His head felt like it was going to explode. Why the hell was he in here? Didn’t he fall asleep in his bed? Jared thought, while he went to the bedroom to check his messages. Emma had scheduled a flight in two hours. I love her, she is the greatest girl. He grabbed his bag, and packed. On his way down he called Terry and told him he was sorry but had to leave in so short notice. Jared told Terry that to make up for him leaving, he would fix him a date.
LOS ANGELES
Emma picked Jared up at the airport a few hours later. Now they sat in the car on their way to Jared’s house.
- Jared, are you sure everything is alright? You look more pale than usual.
Jared laughed.
- I think something weird is going on, but I have no idea what’s going on. I’ll tell you later. You want to go out for dinner later, Emma? I’ll buy.
- Now that sounds great! Can we bring Shannon too? Tomo is busy working on the new songs, and moving. So I think he is very busy.
- Sure! It sounds great.
30 Minutes later, they arrived at his home. Emma took his luggage, even though Jared use to take it himself. They went inside and sat down in the living room.
- Emma? How are the guys over at VyRT?
- They told me yesterday that everything is going smoothly, but wanted to have a meeting with you next week.
- Ok.
Jared turned on his Mac. He looked through his emails. There was nothing too important. He handed the mac over to Emma. He went to the kitchen and grabbed an apple, and went back to Emma. She was already working with replying emails.
- Emma, something weird is going on.
- Yeah you mentioned that earlier. Is everything ok?
- I don’t know. The last nights has been crazy. I have fallen asleep all places except my bed on the hotel. And my phone has rung twice with unknown numbers. But the scariest shit is that you can’t see the calls on my phone. It’s like nothing has happened. I had Terry to double-check.
- Huh. That IS weird. Do you feel ill? Want me to schedule an appointment with your doctor?
- No, that I can do myself, but thanks anyway. You are great.
- That is why I’m here Jared.
- Emma! What have I told you before! Just because you are my assistant, doesn’t mean I can’t tell you how great you are! I love you, and you are my dearest friend.
- I know that Jared, I love you too! And in a friendship-way of course.
- Yes. Now, let’s see. I think I will stalk twitter for a while before we head to that dinner.
Emma parked their car, while Jared and Shannon went inside the restaurant to get a table. They had to wait for five minutes before they could show them the way. Shannon wore a casual red shirt, and black trousers. He had black sneakers on. Jared wore his black coat and denim jeans. His favorite shoes were of course the black boots. They’re always so comfortable to wear. Even when it’s the middle of the summer, he wore them.
The waitress walked them over to a table for 3. They sat down and had a glas of water until Emma came back. Jared saw she was in the hallway, talking on the phone.
- Shannon, how are you these days?
- I’m fine! A bit mad that Tomo always is busy. I miss doing stupid stuff with him. But I guess that will change when we get back on the road again! How about you brother?
- I am ok, I think. Lately, strange things have happened to me. For instance my BlackBerry isn’t registering unknown calls I get. And this happens in the middle of the night. Also, I wake up random places. Plus, something must be wrong with my body temperature at night. Because I am always so damn hot right before bed. Sweating, and feel ill.
- Oh man. This sounds very weird. Have you called the doctor?
- No, because at day I feel perfectly fine! I don’t know what’s going on. Anyway, I believe Emma is coming back now. Should we order something?
- Ok, if you say you’re ok…Yeah let’s order something.
Emma, Jared and Shannon shared a fantastic meal together, before they went home. Shannon left in his car, and Jared drove Emma home. After arriving back at his place, he went to the kitchen. What’s that?
On the fridge was a note.
“It’s time to go to hell”
What the fuck? Jared stared at the note, then he realized it was his own handwriting.
CHAPTER THREE
Jared was in shock. Is this some kind of prank? He never wrote that. Suddenly, he felt sick again. His head spun around and he tripped, and fell. On the way down he hit his forehead in the table. Everything went black.
- Jared! Can you hear me? Oh my God! JARED! Fuck, man. Hey, Jared can you hear me??
Shannon called an ambulance. Jared was lying on the floor with a huge wound on his forehead. His skin was pale. He had lost a lot of blood. No way telling how long he had been like this. Jared started shaking. His brother was devastated. He stood there and watched his brother being hurt. He found some bandages and tried to stop the bleeding. It took about 10 minutes before the paramedics arrived. Shannon sat with his brother all the time. He stared at his brother’s face. Never had he seen him like this. A tear fell down on his cheek and hit Jared’s head.
A few minutes later, the paramedics arrived. They shove Shannon away from him, telling him that he had to get out of the way. About 7 people were surrounding his brother while himself just sat on the floor staring at them. He was going to be ok, he tried to convince himself. They carried him out to the ambulance, and then a paramedic came over to Shannon.
- Are you ok, sir? Are you a relative of him?
Shannon looked at the man. He felt so distant. After a while he managed to answer.
- He is my brother. The most important person in my life.
- I see. Would you want to join the ambulance?
He nodded.
At the hospital, Shannon sat it the waiting-room with their mom, Emma, Tomo and Vicky. Everyone was shaken up by what has happened. Constance cried and held around Shannon. Tomo sat in a chair opposite them with his hands on his face. Vicky tried to talk to him but he didn’t want to answer. The only thing he replied was:
- This is not happening.
The hours went by, and they all had fallen asleep. All night they had been worrying about Jared. He had been in surgery for five hours, then the surgeon came out.
- Jared was in a bad condition when we brought him in. He had lost a lot of blood, but he will be alright.
Constance burst into tears of happiness. Shannon hugged her tight while the surgeon kept talking.
- He had a cracked skull, which we have successfully fixed, but we did find something else on him during an exam of his body. In the back of his neck, we found what appear to be marks after a needle. I know this might sound offending, but do you know anything about him taking something?
- No. He is a clean man. Shannon replied with anger in his voice.
Their mother nodded.
- Jared had some things going on in his youth, but no way in HELL he would do drugs! He is a very smart man, and I am proud of him.
The surgeon nodded.
- I understand. We have moved him to the ICU. We will monitor him there for a few days. He will probably wake up tomorrow, so I recommend you all to go home and get some sleep.
- Mom? Tomo and Vicky can drive you home. I will stay here. Shannon turned to Tomo, and he nodded.
- Are you sure? I really want to be here too. She answered.
- Believe me, he needs you tomorrow well rested. Please, I will stay.
- Ok, if you say so.
They grabbed their stuff and left.
- Can I see him? He asked the surgeon.
- Yes, you can see him. If you want, you can stay with him all night.
- Thank you doctor.
He showed him the way to his room. The doctor stopped outside his door.
- Please, do not be upset. Mr. Leto is covered in a lot of wires and tubes. You can still go home If you want to?
- No. That is ok doctor.
- Ok, I will leave you then.
He nodded and walked down the hallway. On the door to his room was a little window. He peeked in. The room was dark. The light from the monitors brighten up Jared’s face a bit. It was covered in bandages. His hand was shaking a lot while he tried to open the door. Slowly, he pushed the door open. It was very quiet. Shannon slowly walked over to his brother’s bed. He grabbed his hand. All he could hear was Jared breathing. Shannon fell asleep by his bed.
CHAPTER FOUR
Three weeks later, Jared was well enough to go home from the hospital. He needed physical therapy for a few weeks because his head injury had messed around a bit with his physical abilities. But this was something that didn’t concern Jared much. He knew he would come back, better than ever!
Shannon pulled his brother who was in a wheel chair, to his car. Jared had his hat on, and had grown a beard. He didn’t say much.
- Are you ok brother? Shannon stopped and sat by him.
- I’m fine. My butt hurts though. These wheelchairs…Can’t wait to get out of it! He stared into thin air.
Shannon nodded, and Jared stood up from the chair. He was a bit unstable, because his inner ear got a bit damaged of the fall. Shannon supported him and they both got in the car.
After 15min of driving, they were back at The Hive. Emma and Jamie was waiting outside to wish him welcome home. Shannon pulled over. But for some reason, Jared didn’t seem too happy about being home. His brother watched how his hands could not be still, and it almost seemed like he was afraid of something.
- Jared, you will be fine. I’ll stay here with you. Ok? I’m always watching your back.
He turned his head towards Shannon. His eyes were red.
- Shannon, thank you. Tonight I will tell you everything what’s going on.
- Alright, but now I think we need to go out to those kids out there. They’ve been very worried.
- I know. Let’s go.
Jared opened the door.
- Hi kids!
Shannon supported him inside. Emma had made him some hot chocolate. Jared was very happy.
- You guys wouldn’t even believe me when I tell you all the crappy, weird food and drinks you get at the hospital.
The evening came, and Jamie and Emma went home. Now, it was just Jared and Shannon in the building.
- Brother, I am scared.
- Why?
Jared told Shannon what had happened when he was in New York, and the thing that happened before the accident.
- Oh my God. Jared, I had no idea these things has happened to you! Someone is clearly messing with you, and has crossed the line long ago. But now, I will be here. NO MATTER WHAT!
I will support you and help you find out what the hell is going on. Maybe we should call the police? This is clearly harassment on a high level!
- No! Not the police. Yet. We need more evidence. Because if we just tell them everything now, they will call the men in white coats, and we’re both ending up in a mental hospital.
- But J…
- Shannon I SAID NO.
- Fine. It’s getting late. We should go to bed. Shall I help you?
- No, it’s ok. Just help me up the stairs and I’ll be fine.
Shannon supported him into his bedroom. Jared sat down on the bed.
- Thank you Shan, I really appreciate it.
- Hey, shut up and go to sleep…Tomorrow, mom and Robert is coming over. You need rest. I’ll be right across the hall. Give me a shout, and I’ll be here faster than Lucky Luke.
- Hahah, ok. Good night!
Jared took off his shirt and pants. He found a shirt he put on to sleep in. He stumbled his way from the bathroom and back into bed. He took away the bed sheets, and went in. He laid down and closed his eyes. Wait. Something isn’t right. The bed was moist. Huh? He stood up. His hands started shaking. Jared grabbed the duvet and slowly pulled it away.
- OH MY GOD! Jared screamed, and fell to the floor.
Shannon woke up. He thought he heard something. He got up and went out on the hall. It was dark and he couldn’t really see anything. Not even the light switch. Suddenly, he got the shivers. Someone was in the room. He looked around. His eyes started to adjust to the dark. At the end of the hall he saw a shadow.
- Who the hell are you!?!? HEY!
He ran towards the shadow. BAM.
Shannon hit the wall.
He came to his senses, and realized the shadow was gone.
- WHAT THE HELL?? JARED!!
He didn’t get a response. Shannon stood up and opened his bedroom door.
- Oh my God! JARED! His brother was unconscious on the floor. He slapped his face several times trying to get a response when finally he saw that he opened his eyes.
- ……..uhh…..ouch…uhm what happened? Oh Shannon! Take a look in my bed!
Slowly, he stood up and walked over to the bed. It smelled bad. Jared got up and turned on the light switch.
On the bed, was the triad… In blood.
CHAPTER 5
The brothers sat in the living room. It was sunrise. They both sat there and said nothing until Shannon broke the silence.
- We need to do something. As far as we know, someone might want to kill you Jared.
Jared stared at the floor. His head hurts after the fall. Who would do such horrible things? This does not make sense in any way. He knew that being a famous name that sure would get enemies. But, for him and his band being worldwide famous, the madman behind this could be anyone.
- You know what brother? We need to take back the control. This should not go on any further!
- Yeah, well, do you have a plan?
- Not yet.
- Jared, this is getting out of hands. We SHOULD call the police! We need protection!
- Fine. We’ll do that tomorrow. Shannon, I am dead tired.
- I know you are bro. Go to sleep I’ll be guard.
- Good night.
The living room was dark, and Shannon had a little lamp on in the corner on, just in case. On the couch, Jared fell asleep. His brother sat in the other couch watching him. How did things come to this? Why would anyone do so much harm to a so warm and caring person like his brother. Shannon felt more tired. The sounds in Jared’s house was always calming. Soon, he too fell asleep.
The next day, Shannon woke up by hearing Jared talking on the phone. He sat up, still a bit groggy, and tried to hear what he said.
“No, I want one police officer here, but he needs to stay outside. I know… Fine. Good bye.”
Jared came into the living room and sat besides Shannon. He had a glass of water in his hand. For some reason, Shannon noticed that his brother’s hands were shaking. He looked up and met his eyes.
- I just talked with the police, and they said that they’re sending a unit to keep a watch. Hopefully, we will be safe here for now.
- Great.
- Also, Shannon. I need to tell you something.
- What?
-You make funny noises when you sleep.
Shannon threw a pillow in his face. They both laughed. It felt good to laugh with his brother again.
Later that day, Emma and Jamie came to visit. They decided to do some work on the new album. Jared didn’t feel to sing, so they mainly focused on Shannon’s drumming. Throughout the day, they had found new and exiting drum parts that they could use somewhere. Jared felt great. It was calming to finally relax a bit after all the horrible events. He smiled and laughed. Finally he could let go of the past. He felt safer than ever.
The following weeks, nothing special had happened. Jared worked a lot on the new album with Jamie, and they shared great experiences. He had hired two amazing guys from a security company to keep a look at them. Which quickly turned into two nice friendships. They days went by.
TWO MONTHS LATER
- That will be 10 dollars, Sir.
- Here, and I hope you have a nice day!
- Thank you Sir!
Jared had been out shopping a few things. He carried his bags out in the car, and was to meet up with Shannon at a restaurant for a nice meal. He sat in the car, turned on the engine, and tried to find a radio station that played something decent. He wore his denim jacket that he had fallen in love with. His hair was a mess, but that didn’t bother him. He put on his sunglasses and looked in the rear mirror. Instantly, he froze.
- It is through dreams you will die.
In the back of his car was a woman. In her hands she had blood and a gun.
- Who…are you? Why are you here?
- You are my sacrifice, Jared.
His hands started to shake. He looked around outside to see if someone could somehow help him. He felt scared.
- Drive.
Jared swung the car out on the highway. His pulse was beyond the roof. In the seat next to him, his phone rang. He saw that it was Shannon’s number.
- Answer it. Tell Shannon you’re dying.
He picked up his phone. He couldn’t say anything.
- Jared? Where you at bro? I’m waiting at the restaurant!
Still, Jared’s throat felt like he was suffocating.
- Shannon… I am…dying.
Hang him up, She whispered.
He hung up.
- Uhh where are we going?
- Where the dreams die.
What the woman in the car did not know, was that Shannon had heard her talk.
He immediately called the police. And for safety, Shannon had installed a GPS signal on his brother’s car. Just in case. He called the security guys at the Hive, and they managed to trace the signal Shannon received on his iPhone. It seems like Jared is driving North. He threw himself in his car and tried to follow the signal. He was about 20 minutes away from his brother. Every signal in his body told him that something was very wrong. He needed to save his brother.
The woman in the backseat stared at Jared.
He noticed.
- Since you’re obviously going to kill me, why don’t you tell me why.
Jared asked, knowing that it was a dangerous situation, but that he needed to know.
- I am what you call, a failure. Therefore I wish to do one thing right, and that is to end your life.
Jared thought of that response for a moment, but decided not to answer.
- Turn right.
They entered an abandoned factory. Jared knew that nobody knew his whereabouts. This is going to end bad.
The woman went out of the car and pointed her gun at him.
- Get out of the car you stupid son of a bitch.
Gently, he opened the door and raised his hands in the air.
- Go inside.
As they entered the building, Jared realized this was an old slaughter house. The stank of old blood burned in his nose. The floor were sticky, and he saw old pieces of bones lying around. They walked through a hallway and entered a big room. Apparently it was a freezer. Rotten animal corpses layed around. The rats ran away as they walked over to what seemed like a hook. Beneath it was a chair.
- Get up, and tie this around your hands.
She threw a rope on the floor. He slowly bent down and grabbed it. He stared at her all the time doing so. Slowly, he made it up on the chair. The woman had a furious look.
- Now, you hang your hands in the hook.
- Are you serious??? He told her in fear.
BAM
She shot a bullet right beside his feet to prove she was not joking.
He hang his hands in the hook. And immediately she put the gun in her dress, and kicked the chair away. Jared was now hanging two feet in the air. His shoulders started to ache and burn. He breathed heavily.
- Now, it’s time to play a dream Jared.
She ripped off his jacket and shirt. Then she walked out of the room.
Jared quickly tried to get loose, but he couldn’t. He started screaming as loud as he could. But it was pointless. What the hell was going on? This HAD to be a bad dream.
The woman came into the room again. In her hands was what to appear as a whip.
- Now, I need you to feel pain Jared. It is what you and your giant “dream” needs.
Jared breathed heavily, staring at the whip. His face was wet of sweat and fear. His eyes were wet and sore. He knew deep inside that this would be his end.
CHAPTER SIX
Coming soon...
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