FicWad

I really shouldn’t start yet another story but I have a feeling that this one is gonna be my best one yet. I’m open to critism and stuff, and please review. I’m not sure about writing this/carrying on with it, so if enough people like it, I will update again. Also, if you don’t know much about horses, you’re screwed. I used quite a few horsey terms and you may not understand them. So sorry about that. But anyway…

The sun shone weakly over the large mansion, a great big black mass blotting out the pretty landscape of Cursecombe. There was a village about half a mile away but the dark mansion had been built away from civilisation for a purpose. It had been standing for some 400 years and had been owned by the same family all this time until about 5 years ago, when the last remaining heir had disappeared without a trace. No one from the village knew where he had gone or why he had left, because the family had never really interacted with anyone else until a letter was sent to a certain Frank, saying that the mansion was under no circumstances to be entered or anything like that. It had also specified where the family secrets had been kept but no one dared to point out that by finding the family secrets, they would be breaking the first instruction of not entering the house.

It was only now that Frank, a quiet meek boy, was starting to think about what would happen if he dared to navigate his way through the big mansion to find all the answers to the secrecy. He thought about what he would find out, and whether it was actually worth it because they might have been a perfectly normal family for all he knew, but something told him that this wasn’t true.

After getting off the school bus on a stormy Monday evening, he greeted his mum outside the little cottage that they had owned all of Frank’s rather short life where she was trying to get in the laundry that she had rather foolishly put out on the washing line. Just as Frank reached the end of the path through the front garden, it started pouring down with rain and sleet and his mum shrieked as she ran to where Frank was waiting under the porch. Frank had never had a key to the house, mainly because his mother or father would always be around, so he had no need to have one.

Linda fumbled with the lock and key as she was balancing the washing on her hip, and Frank offered to take it from her so they could get inside as quickly as possible. Once they were inside in the dry, they looked at each other, soaking wet, with soaking wet clothes and dripping hair. Linda smiled and Frank started laughing as they fought over who would have a bath first. In the end, Frank had his way and Linda went upstairs to run her bath. Frank was the kind of person who always had other’s best interests at heart and if this meant he had to give up some of life’s simple pleasures, so be it.

Frank put the washing basket down in the living room after removing his shoes and found his father hunched over the desk in the corner where he was working on the farm’s accounts. Frank lived on a small ‘farm’, and they had a few chickens, a few cows and sheep and two horses which they used to plough the fields most of the time, but Frank enjoyed taking Ellie out for a gallop over the hills sometimes. Indie wasn’t backed so he couldn’t be ridden but Ellie was and she was quite fast as well. Frank got bullied at school for being able to ride so well, but he figured that the others were just jealous.

The cottage they lived in was very small because they had thought that land was more important than a bigger house and Frank agreed with his parents in this decision because he thought that it was very cosy in the winter and he didn’t have to spend all summer cooped up in a house like some other people at school did. They had a kitchen and living room on the first floor, and then upstairs there was one bedroom and a bathroom. Frank had his own room in the attic, and this didn’t bother him because he was quite small for a 17 year old anyway, so the low ceiling didn’t annoy him.

Frank didn’t disturb his father and went up the back stairs that led directly to his room where he then dumped his school bag and got out some homework that he had to start on. He sat at the rather small desk and sat on an upturned bucket because his family didn’t have a lot of money, so he had to improvise. After about half an hour of doing Physics homework, his mum called him from downstairs to say the bathroom was free. He put down his pen and climbed down the ladder that came out in the small hallway. He relaxed in the bath and started thinking about Cursecombe mansion that was next to their little farm and how Ellie always spooked at something as he galloped up the hill past the house. He wasn’t surprised because there was something creepy about it, the way that all the flowers in the garden were black, or how the massive bay windows always had the black curtains shut so no one could see in.

When he was done with the bath, he dug out the letter he had received when he was twelve. He couldn’t remember a lot of it because as soon as his mother had seen who it was from, she had made him hide it away and not look at it again. However, now he thought he was old enough to look at it again. He opened the envelope and unfolded the letter:

Frank Iero,

I know that you don’t know who I am or anything about me, but I needed to let someone know from around here that I am going away for some time now. I shall be back in several years depending on whether I survive or not, but I can assure you that when I get back, I shall give you all the answers that I am sure are burning in your mind at this very moment. There are two things that I need you to do for me:

One, tell everyone to never ever go into the mansion. If I find out that someone has, I can assure you that I will find out who and why they did it, and then it will be up to me what I do with them.

Two, I need you, and you alone, to retrieve something from the house for me and keep it safe until my return. You will find instructions on how to find it just inside the back door, and ensure that no one else knows where or what it is. Tell no one of this letter, except maybe your parents, and make sure that they do not go looking for the object. In fact, it would be best if you didn’t look at what it is. Keep it safe, in the safest place you know. Without it, I am dead and the Way bloodline will die.

Sincerely, the last remaining Way.

Frank had no idea of how to react to this. He vaguely remembered how five years ago, it was all that anyone talked about, so he guessed that his parents had told the women in the village who were gossips. At least he was able to see out of his bedroom window the front door of the mansion and he would have noticed if someone had gone in. He also didn’t know what to do about the object that he had to retrieve. And Way was right, he had a million questions about who he was, why he knew who Frank was, and why it was Frank.

After pondering for a moment, Frank made up his mind. He would finish all the homework he had, eat dinner then take Ellie out for a ride to clear his head. After he decided this, he heard Linda call him down for dinner, so he went down into the kitchen and found a steaming pot of Irish Stew had been cooked. They helped themselves to the stew and sat at the wooden table.

“So Frank, how was your day at school?” Frank’s father asked and he answered with a description of what lessons he had and which lessons he had to study particularly hard for because exams were coming up.

“Dad, is it alright if I take Ellie out tonight after dinner? It only gets dark at ten o clock at the moment.” Frank asked, hoping his dad would say yes.

“I don’t know… She hasn’t done anything today so she needs some exercising. Alright, as long as you’re very careful.” Frank smiled at this, because he needed to investigate the mansion as soon as possible.

After washing up, Frank headed out to the stables and thankfully it had stopped raining and the sun started to peek out from the heavy black clouds. He grabbed her saddle and bridle from the tack room, as well as a carrot, and unlocked her stable door. He balanced the tack on the door, and he fed her the carrot whilst taking off her rugs and folding them up into a corner. He looked at the empty haynet and was glad that she hadn’t eaten anything since her midday feed, because now he could gallop her without any worries of colic. Ellie was a naturally very clean horse so she didn’t need grooming and Frank heaved her saddle up onto her back with some difficulty. As he did up her girth, he made a mental note to use a bucket when putting her saddle on. Ellie had been trained to put her head down for Frank when putting on her bridle, so she lowered her head and Frank had no trouble doing up the throat lash and noseband. He led her out of her stable and lined her up with the massive mounting block that he had to use and sprang lightly into the saddle.

He had no hat because they could never afford it and sure, it was a long way down from her back, but he had never had any serious falls and he stuck to the saddle like there was superglue there anyway. He tapped her sides and she set off at a spirited trot towards the corn field that they had to walk through to get to the moor on the other side. Frank had no worries on this horse, he had ridden her all his life even though she was 16 hands high. They knew each other so well that he barely had to touch the riens or her sides and she would respond perfectly to his signals. Frank sat heavy in the saddle and pressed his legs to her belly and she broke into a perfect canter. He gathered up the reins and rode her with a bit more determination as they approached the five bar gate. Ellie put in one short stride and gathered up her legs as they flew over it, Frank perfectly in balance. Ellie knew that they had to walk in this field, so she slowed down without Frank doing anything and they both breathed heavily from the effort of jumping. Frank gave her a pat, even though they’d cleared that gate a million times before.

He remembered why he had come out today and looked at the landscape around him, deciding how to get around the back of the mansion without going in any fields that didn’t belong to his dad. He soon had a route planned and he started wondering how Ellie would react when he would ask her to go right up alongside the house that always spooked her.

Soon they were at the gate that led to the moor and as he leant down to unlatch the gate, he noticed a few footprints. It was strange because no one lived near here and Frank’s family only ever rode up in the field. He dismissed it as a trick of the light and carried on unhooking the metal latch. Soon, they were galloping up the hill and they were at the top before Frank realised that they needed to turn around and go back down the hill again for a little bit to reach the mansion. He wheeled Ellie around and they headed dead straight for the black shape blotting out the view of the valley below.

Ellie snorted and shook her head when she realised that Frank wanted to go to the house and her whole body was screaming for her to turn and run away from the terrifying house, but she was obedient and carried on trotting towards the house. They reached the fence that separated the garden from the moor and Frank jumped down, taking the reins over her head and tying her to a post. He cursed himself for not bringing a torch or at least some candles, but carried on searching the never ending fenceline for a way in. Eventually, he spotted a dent in the wire and climbed over it. He trembled as he walked cautiously over to the back door, which again, was black. He stopped in front of it, looking up at the house that loomed over him and took a big breath as he opened the door. He was surprised it was unlocked, but he figured that the Way character needed him to get to the object, whatever it was.

He stepped into the hallway and noticed immediately that most of it was black, even the paintings and rug was a very dark colour. There were several doors leading off the dark corridor and Frank could just make out the front door in the gloomy light at the end of the corridor. He remembered where the instructions would be and looking left. He found nothing so he turned around and spotted a letter:

Frank Iero,

Thank you for coming so soon. You will find the object in the basement. It is the third door on the left, and when you reach the bottom of the stairs, go into the room opposite where you are standing. The object itself will be in a box, covered by black velvet. Take it and hide it somewhere safe. Tell no one that you have it and I permit you to look at the object, but don’t touch.

Thank you, Way

Frank memorised the directions and tried to ignore the butterflies fluttering around his stomach. He wished he hadn’t had so much to eat for dinner. He took a few tentative steps forward and grew in confidence, there didn’t seem to be any traps that he might get caught it. He counted down the doors and when he reached the third on the left, he pushed it open and crept down the stairs. As Way had said, there were a number of doors and one was immediately in front of him, so he opened it and mentally prepared himself for what might be inside the room.

“Who are you and why the fuck are you in my house?” A low voice made Frank jump. He hadn’t counted on someone being here. A possibility ran though his mind, what if Way had returned to find that Frank hadn’t kept the object safe and was angry? He shook it out of his mind, he had said several years in his letter and it had only been five. He peered into the room and struggled not to scream at what he saw.

The room was dimly lit, but it was light enough to see the two figures in the middle of the room. One had jet black hair, hanging around his face and appeared to be holding up the other man, who looked quite tall and had blonde hair. The taller man looked to be unconscious, and the man with the black hair had a grin on his face that looked that it alone could terrify the living daylights out of people. His face was smeared with blood, and it looked like it came from the other man, because of the massive rip in his stomach. The cut looked about eight inches long and incredibly painful, because Frank could see that some of the man’s intestines were about to fall out. To add to this, the injured man’s arms were all crooked as if they had been broken in several places. The black haired man held a gun in his right hand, which was also supporting most of the weight of the other man, and he was staring straight at Frank. He thought that this had to be the man to whom the voice belonged to, seeing as the other man seemed in no fit state to talk.

“I said, who the fuck are you and why are you intruding my house?” The raven haired man growled. Frank was terrified but he fought the urge to run out of the house and back to his nice warm cottage.

“I’m s-sorry but my name’s F-frank and you told me to c-come and get something from th-this room in your letter…” Frank trembled, nearly forgetting how to form words properly in his terror. The man immediately smiled and Frank caught a flash of different emotions cross his face before he spoke.

“Excellent, I’ve been waiting for you.” This change of character disarmed Frank, but it was a nice change. His voice became hurried and anxious. “Now hurry up, we have to help him. He’s dying!”

Frank nodded and ran forward to take the body. He had lots of questions in his head but he thought he should wait until later to ask them. Under the man’s instructions, they carried the injured man up the stairs, along the corridor, up another flight of stairs and into what looked like an empty room until the light came on and he spotted a bed to lie him on.

“Now, first things first, my name is Gerard Way and this is my brother Mikey. I found him like this, I think whoever stabbed him has run off. Can you go downstairs and get the medical kit?” His voice cut the silence and Frank felt a bit bewildered.

“Um, Mr Way? I don’t know where the medical stuff is…” Frank began until Gerard cut him off.

“Oh, it’s in the kitchen which is the room opposite the stairs. And call me Gerard, Mr Way makes me feel old.” Gerard told Frank.

The older man watched as Frank slipped out of the room and immediately dropped his charming act. He crossed the room to get to Mikey and tried to find a pulse. There was none, so he checked for a heart beat. Again, there wasn’t one. He was dead. He smiled to himself as he tucked the gun into his jacket pocket, and a plan was already formulating in his mind. He was brought back to the real world when Frank entered the room again with a box of medical equipment.

“Frank, it’s too late. He’s d-dead.” Gerard choked out, a tear slipping out from his left eye. Frank noticed how their colour was neither green nor hazel, more hazel flecked with green. A horrible surge of emotion passed over Frank when he realised it was true. He had just witnessed a young man dying and he didn’t know what to feel. He didn’t feel nearly as bad as he thought he would be.

“Is there anything I can do?” Frank asked quietly, unsure whether Gerard would want to be left alone or whether he needed company.

“Let’s go downstairs and talk. I can’t deal with this at the moment.” Gerard answered, and led the way downstairs and into what seemed like a living room, but it didn’t anything but sofas in it. Gerard sat down on one and patted the seat next to him, so Frank sat uncomfortably close to this stranger.

“You might be wondering who I am. Not my name, you already know that. But who I am, why I’m here, why I know who you are. Well, I have lived in this house since I was born, as has the rest of my family for the last 400 odd years. We never mingled with any of the people in the village because we knew that they would frown upon what we do for a living. Which I’m not going to tell you just yet. But it made us seem very weird and scary and this was the way that we liked it. I know you because we used to work with your mother’s brother, and he died in this house twenty years ago. Not at our hands, we’re not murderers, but he still died here and it grieved us greatly. I can’t remember it, I was only one year old, but I have been told of it since. And you being his closest male relative still alive, we already knew about you. You are the person I trust most, apart from myself, but that can’t be helped. I don’t know anyone else apart from you now, and I would love to have you as a friend. I get very lonely here, ever since my father died, you know.”

“Um, yeah sure. Am I still allowed to go back home though?” Frank was unsure about this, since Gerard stayed here all his life.

“Yes, of course! I’m not a kidnapper! Now, go and come back tomorrow after you get home. We need to get to know each other.” Gerard said with a smile.

Gerard showed Frank out and found Ellie still patiently waiting where he had left her. Frank left and Gerard felt a weird emotion. He couldn’t say what it was exactly, but it definitely wasn’t a good one. For Frank, at least.

And there it is! Please review, I like to know what you guys think :)