Categories > Celebrities > Fall Out Boy > A Little Less 16 Candles... continued...
Patrick stared up unblinking as Andy stepped closer. He had quite literally given him the ultimatum of his life and he held his breath as his friend gazed down at him, an expression of anguish fixed his face. Only minutes earlier, Patrick had heard his friend say that no vampires could be trusted. Had he meant it? He had been talking about Pete after the revelation of his return to Beckett’s mansion, but even so, it had been a shock. Had Andy always felt like that? Thinking back, Patrick remembered that out of all of them, Andy had been the last one to come around to Pete’s return. Perhaps he’d never really trusted him? Did he believe him now when he said that Pete had come to his senses and was trying to escape? Did it matter? Was he going to die for the second time?
Andy took a deep breath and reached for the draw in the small cabinet next to the bed, his fingers closing on the stake. Patrick nodded, knowing now what his decision was.
“I’m sorry, Andy,” Patrick sighed.
Andy turned a deep frown towards him as he withdrew the stake and held it with a trembling hand.
“You’re sorry?” he asked confused.
“Yeah,” Patrick nodded.
Sitting up with astonishing speed, Patrick grabbed a handful of Andy’s hair and pulled him down until his forehead collided sharply with the cabinet. Quickly releasing his hair and snatching at his arm before he had time to fall, Patrick dragged Andy’s limp form across him, smiling with relief as he heard the stake clatter to the floor. Reaching into Andy’s pocket, Patrick withdrew the key to the locks on the chains holding him down. Freeing himself easily within only a couple of minutes, Patrick got to his feet, pushed the chains aside and rolled Andy’s unconscious form on the bed.
“You didn’t really think I was going to just let you kill me, did you?” he spoke quietly as he drank the contents of the glass that Andy had brought back with him. Almost as an afterthought, he wrapped one of the chains around Andy’s left wrist and locked it firmly.
“And it may surprise you to learn that I don’t trust you either!”
*
Pete pushed Andrea behind him as he pressed himself back up against the wall as ahead of them three vampires stalked the halls. Pete knew without question that the word was out. If nothing else, he had to get Andrea out of there; she was innocent in all of this and was dangerously close to being killed, or worse. Turning to look at her when they had safely passed, he smiled as he could see only concentration and determination in her eyes; she had no fear, certainly none showing anyway.
“You okay?” he whispered.
“How do I keep him out?” she asked in reply.
“What?”
“William, he got into my head, made me turn on Joe,” she admitted with a frown. “What if he tries it again? How do I keep him out?”
Pete frowned. He couldn’t say for sure, but he had an idea, something that might work.
“Let me in,” he suggested.
“You can do it too?” she asked with surprise.
“Apparently, yes, but I don’t really know how. I can try, but…”
“Try!” Andrea replied urgently.
Concentrating hard, Pete reached out with his mind and was immediately surprised to feel her presence in a different way. He could hear her thoughts, her fears and felt her feelings.
“He’s okay, Joe’s okay,” Pete answered her silent question. It was a few moments before he realised that he hadn’t actually spoken the words.
“He really left me here? William wasn’t lying?”
“I don’t think he had much choice,” Pete tried to reassure her. “I’m pretty sure it was my fault.”
Trying now to turn his attention to escaping, Pete found it hard to concentrate on what to do next and to keep a foothold in Andrea’s mind. It felt to him as though he were being pulled in two different directions at once. It struck him that this particular power was a learned one and not like some of the others that simply came with the package. But Pete didn’t have time to learn it. He had two simple choices: stay linked to Andrea and possibly be distracted as they tried to escape, or to use all of his skill and guile to get them out of there as fast as he could. One thing helped him make up his mind.
“Andrea,” Pete whispered. “I’m no good at this, and if I stay in your mind, it’ll slow us down. Besides, if he turns up, I don’t have the strength to fight him anyway. Most of all, I don’t know what affect us fighting for dominance over your mind would have on you.”
Andrea nodded and smiled faintly. “It was worth a try.”
Creeping forward to the end of the corridor, Pete signalled that all was clear, silently grateful that the house was so large that it was possible to sneak around in it without being seen.
“I’ve been out the rear doors, I know how to get there,” Andrea interrupted Pete’s thoughts.
He chose not to tell her that he had lived there for nearly three months. He knew exactly where the doors were and with it, exactly where Beckett’s vampires would be waiting for them.
“We’re not going out the doors, we’re leaving through Beckett’s office window,” Pete replied with a dark scowl. “They’ll be waiting for us at the doors.”
“That makes sense,” Andrea nodded her agreement.
“Have you been to his office?” Pete asked.
“I… uh… I think so, but I don’t remember the way.” Andrea frowned worried that she wasn’t being helpful.
Pete hid his relieved smile from her. He was heading for the main door. Taking a chance that Beckett would try to read her mind rather than control it, which Pete may detect, he had planted a thought that he knew Beckett would pick up on easily. He prayed that Beckett would run true to form and be his usual controlling, devious and sneaky self.
Heading towards the front of the house, Pete pushed open a door and quickly ushered Andrea inside. Within moments of the door being closed over, almost shut, Andrea heard the familiar click of the vampires’ smart leather-heeled shoes on the wooden floor.
“How did you know?” she whispered.
Pete hung his head, shaking it in dismay. Glancing up he could see one of the vampires had turned; a look of superiority on his face as he noticed the door was slightly ajar.
Dressed immaculately in a dark blue suit with a grey silk cravat, Mike Carden would have been the very picture of elegance but for the shaggy mop of dark brown hair skimming his shirt’s collar.
“Because, my dear,” he addressed the almost closed door, “vampires have incredible hearing.”
Pushing the door open, Pete lunged forward, tackling Mike and slamming him into the wall behind him. Swinging his elbow back as another approached from behind, Pete caught him in the chest, cracking a couple of ribs with a sickening crunch. Two more vampires bore down on him and with a grunt of exertion swung Mike into them, watching with satisfaction as they toppled like bowling pins.
“Come on!” Pete called, grabbing Andrea’s arm and racing down the corridor only moments ahead of the vampires. But Pete knew it was useless to run, he could only run as fast as she could. Without her holding him back, he stood a chance of escape. There was only one option open to him.
Andrea let out a small squeal of surprise as Pete turned quickly and scooped her up, throwing her over his shoulder. Holding on to his back, the corridors were merely a blur as he raced at top speed through the long halls, finally bursting through into the entrance hall. From two more corridors, yet more vampires arrived forming a threatening arc and in the centre, William Beckett.
“You thought you could escape from me again, Peter?”
Lowering Andrea back onto her feet and manoeuvring her protectively behind him, Pete’s eyes darted from left to right as he saw the semi-circle of vampires slowly close around them. He counted them all. Yes, they were all here, all of them.
“Open the door,” he whispered to her.
“You can’t fight us all, Peter, you know, just like last time, we will overpower you. But this time, we won’t try to keep the fight going by taking you on one at a time. Perhaps I’ll take you myself,” Beckett chuckled as he confessed to Pete that, during the street fight, they had merely been keeping him occupied while his friends were captured.
“Let her go, William,” Pete demanded his voice slightly strained. “Let her go and I won’t fight you.”
“Oh, now, you expect me to believe that?” Beckett mocked. “But no matter, whether you fight me or not, I’ll still have you and this time, I know exactly what to do with you. I know now that you’ll never join me, and neither human blood, nor mine is going to change that, maybe it never would have? I don’t know how you escaped my control, but you will not escape my wrath! I’m going after everyone you’ve ever cared about, starting with her!”
Pushing Andrea further behind him, Pete backed up slowly, finally standing within reach of the door.
“I’m going to turn every one and then make them feed off you, a little every day. Every one of them calling me Master and killing you little by little, torturing you, making you scream for mercy! Mercy that you won’t get!”
“Go!” Pete ordered as he pulled open the door and shoved Andrea outside, almost colliding with Joe as she stumbled through the open door. “Go!” Pete screamed again, slamming the door shut behind her.
Outside, Joe snatched up Andrea’s wrist and started to pull her down the long shingle path down to the main gates. He had wondered how he had found it so easy to approach the house and now his question was answered – Pete had them all very much occupied.
“No!” Andrea cried. “Joe, we can’t leave him!”
“I’m getting you out of here,” Joe insisted, not pausing as he ran, dragging the reluctant Andrea behind him.
“Joe, please!”
“Pete can take care of himself.”
“No! He…”
Joe took a brief pause, turning to her breathless, his eyes wide.
“I’m not leaving you there a minute longer. It was hard enough having to the first time! Now come on!”
Joe resumed his race to the car, surprised but grateful that no one was following. He didn’t even notice Patrick hiding in the trees and bushes lining the outer wall. Patrick barely noticed Joe; he had his eyes fixed on the mansion. Inside he knew he would find Pete and Beckett. As vampires they were poles apart and each would try to destroy the other. It was time to join the fight.
Andy took a deep breath and reached for the draw in the small cabinet next to the bed, his fingers closing on the stake. Patrick nodded, knowing now what his decision was.
“I’m sorry, Andy,” Patrick sighed.
Andy turned a deep frown towards him as he withdrew the stake and held it with a trembling hand.
“You’re sorry?” he asked confused.
“Yeah,” Patrick nodded.
Sitting up with astonishing speed, Patrick grabbed a handful of Andy’s hair and pulled him down until his forehead collided sharply with the cabinet. Quickly releasing his hair and snatching at his arm before he had time to fall, Patrick dragged Andy’s limp form across him, smiling with relief as he heard the stake clatter to the floor. Reaching into Andy’s pocket, Patrick withdrew the key to the locks on the chains holding him down. Freeing himself easily within only a couple of minutes, Patrick got to his feet, pushed the chains aside and rolled Andy’s unconscious form on the bed.
“You didn’t really think I was going to just let you kill me, did you?” he spoke quietly as he drank the contents of the glass that Andy had brought back with him. Almost as an afterthought, he wrapped one of the chains around Andy’s left wrist and locked it firmly.
“And it may surprise you to learn that I don’t trust you either!”
*
Pete pushed Andrea behind him as he pressed himself back up against the wall as ahead of them three vampires stalked the halls. Pete knew without question that the word was out. If nothing else, he had to get Andrea out of there; she was innocent in all of this and was dangerously close to being killed, or worse. Turning to look at her when they had safely passed, he smiled as he could see only concentration and determination in her eyes; she had no fear, certainly none showing anyway.
“You okay?” he whispered.
“How do I keep him out?” she asked in reply.
“What?”
“William, he got into my head, made me turn on Joe,” she admitted with a frown. “What if he tries it again? How do I keep him out?”
Pete frowned. He couldn’t say for sure, but he had an idea, something that might work.
“Let me in,” he suggested.
“You can do it too?” she asked with surprise.
“Apparently, yes, but I don’t really know how. I can try, but…”
“Try!” Andrea replied urgently.
Concentrating hard, Pete reached out with his mind and was immediately surprised to feel her presence in a different way. He could hear her thoughts, her fears and felt her feelings.
“He’s okay, Joe’s okay,” Pete answered her silent question. It was a few moments before he realised that he hadn’t actually spoken the words.
“He really left me here? William wasn’t lying?”
“I don’t think he had much choice,” Pete tried to reassure her. “I’m pretty sure it was my fault.”
Trying now to turn his attention to escaping, Pete found it hard to concentrate on what to do next and to keep a foothold in Andrea’s mind. It felt to him as though he were being pulled in two different directions at once. It struck him that this particular power was a learned one and not like some of the others that simply came with the package. But Pete didn’t have time to learn it. He had two simple choices: stay linked to Andrea and possibly be distracted as they tried to escape, or to use all of his skill and guile to get them out of there as fast as he could. One thing helped him make up his mind.
“Andrea,” Pete whispered. “I’m no good at this, and if I stay in your mind, it’ll slow us down. Besides, if he turns up, I don’t have the strength to fight him anyway. Most of all, I don’t know what affect us fighting for dominance over your mind would have on you.”
Andrea nodded and smiled faintly. “It was worth a try.”
Creeping forward to the end of the corridor, Pete signalled that all was clear, silently grateful that the house was so large that it was possible to sneak around in it without being seen.
“I’ve been out the rear doors, I know how to get there,” Andrea interrupted Pete’s thoughts.
He chose not to tell her that he had lived there for nearly three months. He knew exactly where the doors were and with it, exactly where Beckett’s vampires would be waiting for them.
“We’re not going out the doors, we’re leaving through Beckett’s office window,” Pete replied with a dark scowl. “They’ll be waiting for us at the doors.”
“That makes sense,” Andrea nodded her agreement.
“Have you been to his office?” Pete asked.
“I… uh… I think so, but I don’t remember the way.” Andrea frowned worried that she wasn’t being helpful.
Pete hid his relieved smile from her. He was heading for the main door. Taking a chance that Beckett would try to read her mind rather than control it, which Pete may detect, he had planted a thought that he knew Beckett would pick up on easily. He prayed that Beckett would run true to form and be his usual controlling, devious and sneaky self.
Heading towards the front of the house, Pete pushed open a door and quickly ushered Andrea inside. Within moments of the door being closed over, almost shut, Andrea heard the familiar click of the vampires’ smart leather-heeled shoes on the wooden floor.
“How did you know?” she whispered.
Pete hung his head, shaking it in dismay. Glancing up he could see one of the vampires had turned; a look of superiority on his face as he noticed the door was slightly ajar.
Dressed immaculately in a dark blue suit with a grey silk cravat, Mike Carden would have been the very picture of elegance but for the shaggy mop of dark brown hair skimming his shirt’s collar.
“Because, my dear,” he addressed the almost closed door, “vampires have incredible hearing.”
Pushing the door open, Pete lunged forward, tackling Mike and slamming him into the wall behind him. Swinging his elbow back as another approached from behind, Pete caught him in the chest, cracking a couple of ribs with a sickening crunch. Two more vampires bore down on him and with a grunt of exertion swung Mike into them, watching with satisfaction as they toppled like bowling pins.
“Come on!” Pete called, grabbing Andrea’s arm and racing down the corridor only moments ahead of the vampires. But Pete knew it was useless to run, he could only run as fast as she could. Without her holding him back, he stood a chance of escape. There was only one option open to him.
Andrea let out a small squeal of surprise as Pete turned quickly and scooped her up, throwing her over his shoulder. Holding on to his back, the corridors were merely a blur as he raced at top speed through the long halls, finally bursting through into the entrance hall. From two more corridors, yet more vampires arrived forming a threatening arc and in the centre, William Beckett.
“You thought you could escape from me again, Peter?”
Lowering Andrea back onto her feet and manoeuvring her protectively behind him, Pete’s eyes darted from left to right as he saw the semi-circle of vampires slowly close around them. He counted them all. Yes, they were all here, all of them.
“Open the door,” he whispered to her.
“You can’t fight us all, Peter, you know, just like last time, we will overpower you. But this time, we won’t try to keep the fight going by taking you on one at a time. Perhaps I’ll take you myself,” Beckett chuckled as he confessed to Pete that, during the street fight, they had merely been keeping him occupied while his friends were captured.
“Let her go, William,” Pete demanded his voice slightly strained. “Let her go and I won’t fight you.”
“Oh, now, you expect me to believe that?” Beckett mocked. “But no matter, whether you fight me or not, I’ll still have you and this time, I know exactly what to do with you. I know now that you’ll never join me, and neither human blood, nor mine is going to change that, maybe it never would have? I don’t know how you escaped my control, but you will not escape my wrath! I’m going after everyone you’ve ever cared about, starting with her!”
Pushing Andrea further behind him, Pete backed up slowly, finally standing within reach of the door.
“I’m going to turn every one and then make them feed off you, a little every day. Every one of them calling me Master and killing you little by little, torturing you, making you scream for mercy! Mercy that you won’t get!”
“Go!” Pete ordered as he pulled open the door and shoved Andrea outside, almost colliding with Joe as she stumbled through the open door. “Go!” Pete screamed again, slamming the door shut behind her.
Outside, Joe snatched up Andrea’s wrist and started to pull her down the long shingle path down to the main gates. He had wondered how he had found it so easy to approach the house and now his question was answered – Pete had them all very much occupied.
“No!” Andrea cried. “Joe, we can’t leave him!”
“I’m getting you out of here,” Joe insisted, not pausing as he ran, dragging the reluctant Andrea behind him.
“Joe, please!”
“Pete can take care of himself.”
“No! He…”
Joe took a brief pause, turning to her breathless, his eyes wide.
“I’m not leaving you there a minute longer. It was hard enough having to the first time! Now come on!”
Joe resumed his race to the car, surprised but grateful that no one was following. He didn’t even notice Patrick hiding in the trees and bushes lining the outer wall. Patrick barely noticed Joe; he had his eyes fixed on the mansion. Inside he knew he would find Pete and Beckett. As vampires they were poles apart and each would try to destroy the other. It was time to join the fight.
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