Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Chemically Imbalanced
Frank was walking down a very long, very narrow hallway. It was just large enough for him to fit through comfortably, and the ceiling just grazed the top of his messy black hair. Frank could feel his feet falling heavy and hollow onto the cold tiles, but it made no noise. Coming into focus, at the end of the hallway, was a large, red door with a single, tiny window in the center at the top. Frank wasn’t really sure what lay beyond it, but something in his gut told him to hurry, because if he didn’t get there in time…
Frank broke into a run, breathing heavily, footsteps still soundless, as were the rasping breaths that he drew. He wasn’t moving faster, but breathing became harder, and it became more difficult to lift his feet, like trying to run underwater. His head felt heavy, and he couldn’t speak, or even think. The door was getting closer, but slowly, painfully slowly, more painful than if it hadn’t been getting closer at all, but fading away. Frank reached out his hand, just to be able to reach the door that much sooner. Finally, finally, he felt his hand close around the cool, smooth, metal handle of the door. He turned it, and it clicked, the first sound he’d heard yet in this hallway.
Frank opened the door slowly, the metal ring of the doorknob still the only noise to break the silence. Once the door was open, Frank gulped thickly and peered into the darkened room. What he saw made his stomach churn, his insides burn, and his head spin. Frank felt faint. He stumbled, and he was falling, down, down, down…
“Frank! Frank! Wake up!” One of Gerard’s hands was slapping Frank’s face, and the other was covering the younger boy’s mouth, which stifled a surprised yell. “Shh…” He held a finger to his lips and widened his eyes, gesturing to the door with the hand that had been holding Frank’s mouth. “Something’s happening.”
And so it was. Outside the door of their little holding cell, the two young men heard the sound of a commotion being started, like the lighting of a fire that turned to all-consuming flames. The light was shining in from the little window in the door that was typically dark at this time of night, and they could hear the pitter-patter of heavy footfalls in the hallway. Voices rang out, hushed, but worried, perhaps terrified. Both pairs of ears strained to pick out the words among the chaos, trying to hear what, exactly, was going on.
“--okay?”
“--trying to revive--”
“--how…happen?”
It was very difficult to make out what was being said, the doors made to be sound-proof for various reasons.
“Did they say something about reviving? Is someone hurt?” Frank was craning his neck up from his pillow, trying to see through the criss-cross-marked window in the door. He was unable to make out anything but shadows on the other side, passing back and forth frantically, as though pacing the floor, searching for answers that wouldn’t come.
“I don’t know, darling. Now, shush.” Gerard placed his palm lightly on Frank’s face, stroking his thumb up and down the apple of his cheek. His attention, however, was towards the door, listening and staring intently. Frank felt the older man’s whole body freeze up on top of him. Whereas he was usually so lax and chill, the curves of his body fitting easily into Frank’s, he was now stiff and tense, poised on the edge of his concentration to find out what had happened outside their little cell.
In just under an hour, some of the commotion had calmed down, but the shadows outside were still pacing back and forth, passing their door with hushed urgency. It was silent outside their walled-in universe as well, save for the heavy footfalls of urgency and official business.
“I don’t think we’re going to find anything out tonight,” Gerard whispered in Frank’s ear, hot breath puffing out to tickle the boy’s skin and sending fingers of chilled electricity scuttling up and down his spine, pinching at certain nerves and causing goose-bumps to erupt all over his body. He shuddered. “Go to sleep, baby. We’ll find out in the morning.”
“It’s something bad,” Frank said, anxiously biting down on his lower lip, tasting the salty, metallic tang of his own blood seeping into his mouth.
“Shh…Don’t let yourself worry over it tonight. Just go to sleep. I’ll be right over there if you get frightened.” Gerard kissed Frank’s forehead gently, sliding off the other boy as he did so and making his way silently back to his own bed.
Frank didn’t want to admit it, but he was frightened; very much so, in fact. But, for some reason, he didn’t want Gerard to know that…
“Time to wake up, boys.” The nurse, whose name, by now, Frank had learned; Jane. How generic. It did her justice, though. She fit her own name. She was very plain, very uninteresting, a very generic type of person. Every day, she woke the two roommates, allowed them a few minutes to get dressed, monitored them whilst they brushed their teeth, made stupid casual conversation about the outside world that they knew nothing of, and brought them out to the general area. At around noon, she brought around pills to the patients. At half-past, she escorted the men to the cafeteria. She then went and fetched them back to the living room an hour later. At night, she’d walk Gerard and Frank back to their rooms, allow them to dress in night-clothes, and then lights-out. And it would begin again the next day.
This morning, however, there was a note of worry and anxiety in her voice, and she yawned with the effort of being awake without having gotten much sleep the previous night. Frank noticed her hand trembling as she ran it up and down the wall beside the light switch.
“Gonna turn around so we can change, Jane?” Frank asked, looking at her as he stood stationary beside his bed, which he had just spent more time than usual making, seeing if Gerard was planning on asking any questions about the commotion last night. He wasn’t, obviously.
“Oh. Oh, right.” She turned, staring at the wall and tapping her foot against the starched-white linoleum nervously.
Frank dressed quickly, shooting questioning looks Gerard’s way, which he missed, as his attention was wandering off thoughtfully. His tongue flicked out over his lower lip, wishing the older man would look at him, give him some sort of reassurance, but it wasn’t happening.
Jane led the two men out of the room without brushing their teeth or showering. Frank stayed quiet this time, knowing that they were that much closer to finding some sort of answers. As they walked down the hall, Frank’s hand bumped Gerard’s. This seemed to knock the man out of his reverie, seeming to suddenly notice that Frank was beside him, and looking very nervous, indeed. Gerard offered a wan smile and hooked his pinky finger around Frank’s, curling his warm digit around the younger boy’s comfortingly.
“Don’t worry, sugar,” he murmured, too low for Jane to hear. “I’ll always be right here with you.”
We shall find out what happens in the next chapter...But only if you comment and subscribe...OverAndOutxx
Frank broke into a run, breathing heavily, footsteps still soundless, as were the rasping breaths that he drew. He wasn’t moving faster, but breathing became harder, and it became more difficult to lift his feet, like trying to run underwater. His head felt heavy, and he couldn’t speak, or even think. The door was getting closer, but slowly, painfully slowly, more painful than if it hadn’t been getting closer at all, but fading away. Frank reached out his hand, just to be able to reach the door that much sooner. Finally, finally, he felt his hand close around the cool, smooth, metal handle of the door. He turned it, and it clicked, the first sound he’d heard yet in this hallway.
Frank opened the door slowly, the metal ring of the doorknob still the only noise to break the silence. Once the door was open, Frank gulped thickly and peered into the darkened room. What he saw made his stomach churn, his insides burn, and his head spin. Frank felt faint. He stumbled, and he was falling, down, down, down…
“Frank! Frank! Wake up!” One of Gerard’s hands was slapping Frank’s face, and the other was covering the younger boy’s mouth, which stifled a surprised yell. “Shh…” He held a finger to his lips and widened his eyes, gesturing to the door with the hand that had been holding Frank’s mouth. “Something’s happening.”
And so it was. Outside the door of their little holding cell, the two young men heard the sound of a commotion being started, like the lighting of a fire that turned to all-consuming flames. The light was shining in from the little window in the door that was typically dark at this time of night, and they could hear the pitter-patter of heavy footfalls in the hallway. Voices rang out, hushed, but worried, perhaps terrified. Both pairs of ears strained to pick out the words among the chaos, trying to hear what, exactly, was going on.
“--okay?”
“--trying to revive--”
“--how…happen?”
It was very difficult to make out what was being said, the doors made to be sound-proof for various reasons.
“Did they say something about reviving? Is someone hurt?” Frank was craning his neck up from his pillow, trying to see through the criss-cross-marked window in the door. He was unable to make out anything but shadows on the other side, passing back and forth frantically, as though pacing the floor, searching for answers that wouldn’t come.
“I don’t know, darling. Now, shush.” Gerard placed his palm lightly on Frank’s face, stroking his thumb up and down the apple of his cheek. His attention, however, was towards the door, listening and staring intently. Frank felt the older man’s whole body freeze up on top of him. Whereas he was usually so lax and chill, the curves of his body fitting easily into Frank’s, he was now stiff and tense, poised on the edge of his concentration to find out what had happened outside their little cell.
In just under an hour, some of the commotion had calmed down, but the shadows outside were still pacing back and forth, passing their door with hushed urgency. It was silent outside their walled-in universe as well, save for the heavy footfalls of urgency and official business.
“I don’t think we’re going to find anything out tonight,” Gerard whispered in Frank’s ear, hot breath puffing out to tickle the boy’s skin and sending fingers of chilled electricity scuttling up and down his spine, pinching at certain nerves and causing goose-bumps to erupt all over his body. He shuddered. “Go to sleep, baby. We’ll find out in the morning.”
“It’s something bad,” Frank said, anxiously biting down on his lower lip, tasting the salty, metallic tang of his own blood seeping into his mouth.
“Shh…Don’t let yourself worry over it tonight. Just go to sleep. I’ll be right over there if you get frightened.” Gerard kissed Frank’s forehead gently, sliding off the other boy as he did so and making his way silently back to his own bed.
Frank didn’t want to admit it, but he was frightened; very much so, in fact. But, for some reason, he didn’t want Gerard to know that…
“Time to wake up, boys.” The nurse, whose name, by now, Frank had learned; Jane. How generic. It did her justice, though. She fit her own name. She was very plain, very uninteresting, a very generic type of person. Every day, she woke the two roommates, allowed them a few minutes to get dressed, monitored them whilst they brushed their teeth, made stupid casual conversation about the outside world that they knew nothing of, and brought them out to the general area. At around noon, she brought around pills to the patients. At half-past, she escorted the men to the cafeteria. She then went and fetched them back to the living room an hour later. At night, she’d walk Gerard and Frank back to their rooms, allow them to dress in night-clothes, and then lights-out. And it would begin again the next day.
This morning, however, there was a note of worry and anxiety in her voice, and she yawned with the effort of being awake without having gotten much sleep the previous night. Frank noticed her hand trembling as she ran it up and down the wall beside the light switch.
“Gonna turn around so we can change, Jane?” Frank asked, looking at her as he stood stationary beside his bed, which he had just spent more time than usual making, seeing if Gerard was planning on asking any questions about the commotion last night. He wasn’t, obviously.
“Oh. Oh, right.” She turned, staring at the wall and tapping her foot against the starched-white linoleum nervously.
Frank dressed quickly, shooting questioning looks Gerard’s way, which he missed, as his attention was wandering off thoughtfully. His tongue flicked out over his lower lip, wishing the older man would look at him, give him some sort of reassurance, but it wasn’t happening.
Jane led the two men out of the room without brushing their teeth or showering. Frank stayed quiet this time, knowing that they were that much closer to finding some sort of answers. As they walked down the hall, Frank’s hand bumped Gerard’s. This seemed to knock the man out of his reverie, seeming to suddenly notice that Frank was beside him, and looking very nervous, indeed. Gerard offered a wan smile and hooked his pinky finger around Frank’s, curling his warm digit around the younger boy’s comfortingly.
“Don’t worry, sugar,” he murmured, too low for Jane to hear. “I’ll always be right here with you.”
We shall find out what happens in the next chapter...But only if you comment and subscribe...OverAndOutxx
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