Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > The Devil You Know
Bob stalked the length of the cell, occasionally kicking the door when he reached it. Lowering his shoulder, he tried to force the door a couple of times before he realised that he was most likely to seriously hurt himself if he kept trying. The door was solid; there was no question about it and certainly no escape would be possible that way. Looking around at the stone walls, he sighed. Tapping on numerous stones revealed nothing and merely left him with sore knuckles.
“Well,” he finally said resignedly, “looks like I’m stuck here until either the Devil or Frank comes for me. Frank better pray that the Devil gets here first or it won’t be me who meets him!”
Settling himself on the floor and leaning back against the wall, Bob was grateful that the electricity had extended to the whole of the house and that Frank had left the light on inside the cell. He didn’t believe in ghosts; there was no reason to be afraid. Yet somehow he was. He wouldn’t say it, or even admit it to himself. He convinced himself that all he was concerned about is that he may be left there somehow. Even if it seemed ridiculous, the fact that there seemed no other way out was actually pretty frightening and he began to have a sense of how people may have felt being locked in that tiny cell for real.
“Don’t expect any mercy, Frank! When I get out of here, you’ll pay. Mark my words!”
*
“Okay,” Gerard held Frank’s arms and stared meaningfully at him. “What you did to Bob, do you plan on doing anything to us? Because, let me tell you now, Frank, it was funny once!”
“Funny when it was happening to someone else?” he asked to clarify.
“No, just that once,” Gerard replied sternly.
“Don’t panic!” Frank replied. “I only have one experiment and that was it.”
“You are going to let him out at midnight, aren’t you?” Ray asked pointedly.
Frank looked sheepish.
“Yes, well,” he sighed. “I was, but did you hear him?”
“I think the whole neighbourhood heard him!” Ray returned.
“I really think he’s gonna kill me.”
“Well, how did you honestly think he’d react?” Ray asked with a touch of concern in his tone.
“I thought he’d be the one to handle it best.”
Mikey shrugged, Ray frowned, Gerard glared.
“Not making any friends here, Frank!” Gerard announced.
Frank’s shoulders sagged.
“Look,” Ray placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, “he’s not going to kill you.”
“No,” Gerard shook his head. “He’ll probably just hang you upside down until your brains fall out of their own accord.”
“Helpful!” Ray commented.
Frank frowned.
“Perhaps I should just go down there, apologise and let him out?”
“That might be best,” agreed Mikey.
“Look,” Gerard checked his watch, “there’s only forty minutes left. He’s a big boy now; he’ll be fine. Let him out at midnight or you’ll never hear the last of it. You never know, maybe there’s a part of him that wants to try it out too?”
“Are you sure?” asked Frank, still uncertain.
“I’m sure!” Gerard nodded his agreement. “Besides, worst comes to the worst, we still have one guitarist.”
Mikey couldn’t help but chuckle at the statement, encouraging a glare from Frank.
“There,” Gerard grinned, “all sorted! Now, let’s look upstairs.”
As they headed upstairs, Mikey’s head pulled up sharply as a movement at the top of the stairs caught his eye.
“Did you see that?” he gasped.
“What?” Gerard asked concerned by his brother’s anxious tone.
“There was… up there…” he pointed to the corridor at the top of the stairs. “Someone. No, nothing.”
Mikey looked down at his feet.
“Mikey,” Frank began, his voice filled with concern. “Did you see something?”
“No,” Mikey shook his head. “Of course not.”
The three remaining band members glanced at each other, not knowing quite what to say. No one wanted to make Mikey feel awkward, but neither did they want him to be scared. The experience he had endured at the Paramour was no laughing matter and none of them wanted him to feel ashamed of his fears. It was left to Frank to salvage the situation.
“I’m hungry!” he declared. “Who else is hungry?”
“I could eat!” Ray grinned.
“Gee? Mikey?” Frank asked.
“Yeah!” Gerard replied enthusiastically. “Thought you’d never ask!”
Mikey’s mouth turned up in a slight smile before widening into a full-blown grin. He knew what Frank had done, they all did, but they were prepared to pretend that it was a spontaneous question and he was happy to play along too.
Walking back downstairs, Gerard spoke first.
“Kitchen?”
“Eventually,” Frank replied. “Pantry, then scullery, then kitchen.”
“Scullery?” Ray asked.
“It’s where they keep the skulls.”
Frank turned and stretched out his arms to halt them.
“Guys!” He paused. “This is an old house. It has rooms that defy description.”
“Pantry, I understood,” Mikey commented.
“I was okay with kitchen, myself,” Gerard added.
Frank sighed and turned away to continue walking.
“Let’s eat. We have pizza.”
*
It only took fifteen minutes to heat two of the pizzas that had been left in the fridge for them at their request. Frank had made sure that at least one had been vegetarian and was happy to discover that there were, in fact, two of them. While they ate, two more pizzas warmed in the oven.
“So, Gee, any song ideas come to you yet?” Ray asked as he plucked a slice of pepperoni pizza from the plate.
“The White Lady of Alverton Manor,” he replied absently, staring off into the distance.
“Gee?” Mikey asked tapping his arm.
Gerard turned his head.
“What?”
“That’s a song?”
“What’s a song?” he asked.
Frank’s brow furrowed. “You just mentioned ‘The White Lady of Alverton Manor’. How do you know about that?”
Gerard stared at Frank, disbelieving. “I said what?”
“This place used to be called Alverton Manor, they changed it about ten years ago,” Frank explained.
Gerard shook his head. “It was probably in those leaflets you gave us.”
Frank dropped his chin onto his hand as he leaned on the table. He wished he’d brought a leaflet with him, but he felt sure he’d discovered that detail on the Internet.
“Yeah, I guess,” he finally said.
*
Bob glanced at his watch. Finally it was approaching midnight. If he had been entirely honest, his hour in the cell had been an unpleasant and unnerving one. He dearly hoped that they would release him as they had promised. He’d even agree to no repercussions if they’d just let him out, such was the degree of his discomfort.
At last it was midnight and as the grandfather clock struck the hour a section of the wall at the rear of the cell slid back and to the side. Bob’s eyes widened and he scrambled to his feet. The tale of the Devil was a deception to discourage people from being near enough to see what was really happening. An escape route leading to a secret passage timed to open at midnight. Bob guessed that the mention of Halloween was an embellishment for the tourists. But here was a way out and he wasn’t about to ignore it.
Slipping through into the passage beyond, Bob was taken unawares by just how dark it was beyond the new doorway. As the clock finished chiming the hour, the wall slid back into place leaving Bob in the pitch black passageway. Gasping in surprise, he turned and gingerly felt along the stonework, but the opening was sealed. There was no way back.
“Well,” he finally said resignedly, “looks like I’m stuck here until either the Devil or Frank comes for me. Frank better pray that the Devil gets here first or it won’t be me who meets him!”
Settling himself on the floor and leaning back against the wall, Bob was grateful that the electricity had extended to the whole of the house and that Frank had left the light on inside the cell. He didn’t believe in ghosts; there was no reason to be afraid. Yet somehow he was. He wouldn’t say it, or even admit it to himself. He convinced himself that all he was concerned about is that he may be left there somehow. Even if it seemed ridiculous, the fact that there seemed no other way out was actually pretty frightening and he began to have a sense of how people may have felt being locked in that tiny cell for real.
“Don’t expect any mercy, Frank! When I get out of here, you’ll pay. Mark my words!”
*
“Okay,” Gerard held Frank’s arms and stared meaningfully at him. “What you did to Bob, do you plan on doing anything to us? Because, let me tell you now, Frank, it was funny once!”
“Funny when it was happening to someone else?” he asked to clarify.
“No, just that once,” Gerard replied sternly.
“Don’t panic!” Frank replied. “I only have one experiment and that was it.”
“You are going to let him out at midnight, aren’t you?” Ray asked pointedly.
Frank looked sheepish.
“Yes, well,” he sighed. “I was, but did you hear him?”
“I think the whole neighbourhood heard him!” Ray returned.
“I really think he’s gonna kill me.”
“Well, how did you honestly think he’d react?” Ray asked with a touch of concern in his tone.
“I thought he’d be the one to handle it best.”
Mikey shrugged, Ray frowned, Gerard glared.
“Not making any friends here, Frank!” Gerard announced.
Frank’s shoulders sagged.
“Look,” Ray placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, “he’s not going to kill you.”
“No,” Gerard shook his head. “He’ll probably just hang you upside down until your brains fall out of their own accord.”
“Helpful!” Ray commented.
Frank frowned.
“Perhaps I should just go down there, apologise and let him out?”
“That might be best,” agreed Mikey.
“Look,” Gerard checked his watch, “there’s only forty minutes left. He’s a big boy now; he’ll be fine. Let him out at midnight or you’ll never hear the last of it. You never know, maybe there’s a part of him that wants to try it out too?”
“Are you sure?” asked Frank, still uncertain.
“I’m sure!” Gerard nodded his agreement. “Besides, worst comes to the worst, we still have one guitarist.”
Mikey couldn’t help but chuckle at the statement, encouraging a glare from Frank.
“There,” Gerard grinned, “all sorted! Now, let’s look upstairs.”
As they headed upstairs, Mikey’s head pulled up sharply as a movement at the top of the stairs caught his eye.
“Did you see that?” he gasped.
“What?” Gerard asked concerned by his brother’s anxious tone.
“There was… up there…” he pointed to the corridor at the top of the stairs. “Someone. No, nothing.”
Mikey looked down at his feet.
“Mikey,” Frank began, his voice filled with concern. “Did you see something?”
“No,” Mikey shook his head. “Of course not.”
The three remaining band members glanced at each other, not knowing quite what to say. No one wanted to make Mikey feel awkward, but neither did they want him to be scared. The experience he had endured at the Paramour was no laughing matter and none of them wanted him to feel ashamed of his fears. It was left to Frank to salvage the situation.
“I’m hungry!” he declared. “Who else is hungry?”
“I could eat!” Ray grinned.
“Gee? Mikey?” Frank asked.
“Yeah!” Gerard replied enthusiastically. “Thought you’d never ask!”
Mikey’s mouth turned up in a slight smile before widening into a full-blown grin. He knew what Frank had done, they all did, but they were prepared to pretend that it was a spontaneous question and he was happy to play along too.
Walking back downstairs, Gerard spoke first.
“Kitchen?”
“Eventually,” Frank replied. “Pantry, then scullery, then kitchen.”
“Scullery?” Ray asked.
“It’s where they keep the skulls.”
Frank turned and stretched out his arms to halt them.
“Guys!” He paused. “This is an old house. It has rooms that defy description.”
“Pantry, I understood,” Mikey commented.
“I was okay with kitchen, myself,” Gerard added.
Frank sighed and turned away to continue walking.
“Let’s eat. We have pizza.”
*
It only took fifteen minutes to heat two of the pizzas that had been left in the fridge for them at their request. Frank had made sure that at least one had been vegetarian and was happy to discover that there were, in fact, two of them. While they ate, two more pizzas warmed in the oven.
“So, Gee, any song ideas come to you yet?” Ray asked as he plucked a slice of pepperoni pizza from the plate.
“The White Lady of Alverton Manor,” he replied absently, staring off into the distance.
“Gee?” Mikey asked tapping his arm.
Gerard turned his head.
“What?”
“That’s a song?”
“What’s a song?” he asked.
Frank’s brow furrowed. “You just mentioned ‘The White Lady of Alverton Manor’. How do you know about that?”
Gerard stared at Frank, disbelieving. “I said what?”
“This place used to be called Alverton Manor, they changed it about ten years ago,” Frank explained.
Gerard shook his head. “It was probably in those leaflets you gave us.”
Frank dropped his chin onto his hand as he leaned on the table. He wished he’d brought a leaflet with him, but he felt sure he’d discovered that detail on the Internet.
“Yeah, I guess,” he finally said.
*
Bob glanced at his watch. Finally it was approaching midnight. If he had been entirely honest, his hour in the cell had been an unpleasant and unnerving one. He dearly hoped that they would release him as they had promised. He’d even agree to no repercussions if they’d just let him out, such was the degree of his discomfort.
At last it was midnight and as the grandfather clock struck the hour a section of the wall at the rear of the cell slid back and to the side. Bob’s eyes widened and he scrambled to his feet. The tale of the Devil was a deception to discourage people from being near enough to see what was really happening. An escape route leading to a secret passage timed to open at midnight. Bob guessed that the mention of Halloween was an embellishment for the tourists. But here was a way out and he wasn’t about to ignore it.
Slipping through into the passage beyond, Bob was taken unawares by just how dark it was beyond the new doorway. As the clock finished chiming the hour, the wall slid back into place leaving Bob in the pitch black passageway. Gasping in surprise, he turned and gingerly felt along the stonework, but the opening was sealed. There was no way back.
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