FicWad

Sorry this chapter took a while guys, the story is coming to an end but I’m not entirely sure how many chapters will be left. There’s a few things left to write about but I’m so incredibly busy with uni work now I’m afraid the updates will probably be slow (when are they ever not though eh?)
So yeah, I struggled to write this chapter cos I’m not too good with fast paced action or whatever but hopefully you guys will still enjoy it.
Brace yourselves, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
xo



Bert laughed as he walked slowly up the stairs towards the apartment with Frank and Gerard, his side hurting from how hard he was laughing; his knife wound still giving him trouble from time to time though it was mostly healed. The men had gone into town just to window shop and have a coffee, but there had been a street artist trying to get people to sit and let him draw them. Frank had forced Gerard into it, and the resulting artwork had been less than flattering.

“Oh God Gee, your face!” Frank laughed, still looking at the drawing that Gerard had been begging them to bin for the last hour. “He’s made you look like a chipmunk!”

“Yes I am aware.” Gerard snarled, trying to snatch the drawing off Frank, just making the shorter man laugh harder, both he and Bert struggling to find the strength to climb up the stairs they were so busy laughing to themselves.

“Guys!” Gerard whined, stamping his foot slightly as he finally managed to snatch the drawing from Frank. “This isn’t funny! I can’t believe you even made me sit there; I could tell he was going to be shit.” He insisted, tearing up the drawing furiously but Frank and Bert didn’t seem to care. Frank grabbed Gerard’s shoulder and used him as support to get up the stairs, desperately trying to stop his laughter.

“God I’m sorry Gee. It was just... The way you looked at him when he gave you the drawing – Oh God!” Frank began to howl with laughter again, the mental image of Gerard’s horrified face from earlier just making him practically keel over he found it so funny.

“Okay, okay. It’s not funny anymore, stop over doing it.” Gerard pouted miserably, finally managing to get the two men up the stairs without either of them falling down again. Bert had managed to silence his laughter for the most part, though he was still grinning and had to keep biting the inside of his cheek to stop him from laughing again as Frank continued to giggle.

“God, I’m sorry Gee.” He sniggered, wiping at the tears in his eyes as he stood beside Bert in the corridor, Gerard fumbling with his keys to get the apartment open. He rolled his eyes and mumbled a sceptical ‘yeah, yeah’ in response to Frank’s apology, turning to tell him he didn’t believe a word of it as he slipped his key into the lock and turned it.

“I d – Oh...” Gerard stopped and looked back to the door, removing his key and trying the handle, feeling his stomach lurch in horror. “Shit, I must have forgotten to lock it when we left.” He gasped, immediately thinking of his precious Alan Moore art on his wall and praying no one had come into the apartment and stolen it.

“What, really?” Frank’s laughter stopped immediately as he followed Gerard into the apartment, Bert entering last. “I’m sure I saw you lock up though Gee.” He said gently, stopping abruptly when Gerard did, almost walking into the back of him. “Gerard?” Frank jumped when Bert actually did walk into the back of him and he turned to help steady him before he could fall, Gerard standing stock still.

“Who are you?” Frank and Bert both looked round curiously at Gerard’s words, Frank tiptoeing up to try and see over Gerard’s shoulder to find who he was talking to. Already his heart was hammering at the prospect of a robber having got into the apartment, but when he finally spotted the man Gerard was talking to Frank couldn’t help but think he didn’t look much like a thief. He was sat comfortably on the sofa, looking perfectly at home with a plate balancing on his lap. He was just finishing the last of what looked like a sandwich, his eyes sparkling as they focussed on Gerard.

“I said, who the fuck are you asshole!?” Gerard demanded, the initial surprise turning into anger as he stormed forward. “Get the fuck out of my apartment!” He snapped, set to grab the guy by his shirt and throw him out himself when as quick as a flash a gun was pointing at his chest, the man smiling serenely at him and saying not a word as he stuffed the last of his sandwich into his mouth.

“GERARD!” Frank gasped, going to lunge forward but then strong arms wrapped around his waist, Bert restraining him with a small whimper.

“Frank stop! You’ll make him shoot!” He gasped, his voice thick with fear and Frank immediately grew still in his arms, though he continued to lean forward, one arm outstretched as if he would somehow be able to close the gap between he and Gerard and grab him.

“Bert!” The man on the sofa grinned wide, leaning forward to put his plate down on the floor, never moving his gun away from Gerard. “How good it is to see you again babe, I’ve been looking all over for you.” He chuckled, realisation dawning on Gerard and he felt his blood run cold as his heart skipped a beat.

“You’re Jeph?” He breathed, his eyes growing wide in horror and behind him Frank felt his own fear increasing tenfold. He stepped back slightly to press tighter against Bert, awkwardly moving one of his arms behind himself to grab Bert’s hand and grip tight, though whether to comfort Bert or himself he wasn’t sure. He just felt better with their fingers locked.

“I guess I am.” Jeph nodded his agreement to Gerard’s words, lazily getting to his feet and focusing on brushing the crumbs off his jeans before he looked up to continue grinning darkly at Gerard. “And who might you be, hm?” He asked sweetly, feeling amused to see how terrified the artist was. Gerard had gone paler than usual and was trembling slightly despite how hard he tried not to, his hands were clammy and he kept wiping them against his jeans, his eyes never leaving the gun.

“You shouldn’t be here.” Gerard said slowly rather than giving his name, his voice trembling only slightly and he was proud of how level he had managed to keep it. He felt like he could collapse he was so afraid, but he forced himself to try and remain composed. Of all the movies he had watched with scenes like this, hell, all the comic books he had read and even drawn himself depicting stand off’s like this one, he had never imagined how truly terrifying it was to stare down the barrel of a gun.

“Excuse me?” Jeph laughed, taking a step closer to Gerard though there was still a good six feet between them. “Bert is the one who shouldn’t be here. I’ve just come over to take him back home, you should be grateful that I’m here. I’m sure he’s just getting in your way.” He chuckled, Bert starting to cry quietly where he was stood back with Frank.

“He’s not in our way.” Gerard replied immediately, forcing himself to look away from the gun long enough to look at Jeph. “You’re not taking him anywhere, he’s staying here.” He said strongly, sounding more confident than he felt. He half expected Jeph to shoot him right then and there, but he didn’t.

“Oh is that so?” Jeph purred, scowling as he took another step forward, directing his gaze to Bert instead. “I’m curious Bert, who are these guys, huh? I didn’t know you had any friends in New Jersey.” He purred, his voice sceptical and cutting and Bert refused to meet his gaze as he cried.

“Th – They’re just... just a couple guys... L – Leave them alone Jeph, please.” He whimpered, tears falling off his cheeks and to the floor from where he was staring down at his feet. Jeph stared at him for a long moment before he snarled and strode forward, shoving Gerard hard out of his way and then crashing the handle of his gun down against Frank’s temple so that he could grab Bert and hold him tight against his chest.

Gerard stumbled but didn’t fall, but his attention immediately drew to Frank and he rushed forward to help him back to his feet where he had fallen on the floor.

“Shit, Jesus, Frank are you okay?” He whimpered, helping him up slowly as Frank hissed and pressed a hand to the blood running down the side of his face.

“Ouch... Mother fucker.” He groaned, scowling deeply at Jeph and clenching his teeth as pain throbbed through his head. The blood felt hot and sticky against his hand and face and he leant heavily against Gerard as he watched Jeph turning Bert round so that his back pressed to his chest, Jeph’s arm like a bar across Bert’s torso, restraining him as he held the gun to the side of his head.

“Alright, now both of you just take a fucking step back.” Jeph barked at Frank and Gerard, the two men glancing at each other and hesitating a moment before doing as he asked. Gerard kept his arm close around Frank’s waist, walking backwards a couple feet as his heart beat erratically against his ribs. There was now nothing between Jeph and the door and he knew at any moment he could leave and then they’d really be in trouble. By the time they called the police and got them on the hunt Bert and Jeph would be long gone, but if they tried to stop him he could shoot any or all of them.

Bert was crying harder now, his hands pressed against the arm across his chest though he didn’t try to break out of Jeph’s grasp. He knew if he did he’d just be killed. He knew he needed to think of a way to get them all out of this situation but his mind was blank. Jeph terrified him... He’d never been able to fight him before, why would now be any different? Especially when he was so furious for Bert having ran away in the first place. He could only hope that he’d somehow be able to stop him from hurting Frank and Gerard.

“Now, I’ll ask you again, and if you don’t tell me then I’ll put a bullet in his brain.” Jeph purred darkly, eyeing Gerard with wide, crazy eyes. “Who. The. Fuck. Are. You?” He asked slowly, his body tense and it was clear he was ready to run at any moment. Gerard knew he wouldn’t be able to lunge at him, not without getting one of them killed.

“My name is Gerard.” He said as gently as he could, holding up his free hand that wasnt wrapped around Frank’s waist as a gesture of submission. “This is my boyfriend Frank.” He added, Frank still giving Jeph the best death glare he could muster as he tried to stem the bleeding coming from his temple. “Why don’t you let Bert go and we can talk...”

“Pfft, do you think I’m a fucking idiot?” Jeph scoffed, his face twisted into an angry scowl. “If I wanna talk to you guys then I’ll do it on my terms, understand!?” He snapped, Gerard nodding quickly as he worried his lower lip between his teeth. Bert was growing more and more distressed, by now his crying had got louder and his chest was heaving with the force of his sobs and Gerard’s heart ached to see him caught like this. He desperately wanted to help, but no matter how much he thought he just couldn’t come up with a plan.

“Right, now you fucking tell me how you all know each other.” Jeph demanded once he had taken a deep breath and somewhat composed himself. He gestured the gun between the couple and Bert to indicate who he was talking about as if it wasn’t obvious already, before he slammed the gun back to Bert’s head. The hand that had been resting on Bert’s shoulder had slid up some, and was now tangling into his dirty blonde hair to grip tight, the heel of his palm pressing against Bert’s throat and making his sobs come out choked.

“Please, you’re hurting hi –”

“TELL ME HOW YOU KNOW HIM!” Jeph screamed, interrupting Gerard before he could finish speaking. The artist fell silent immediately, trying to think of what to say. He wasn’t sure the truth would be such a good idea, but he couldn’t come up with a story fast enough.

“We met him in a bar.” Frank spoke up whilst Gerard was still trying to find his tongue, his voice strangely calm and almost monotoned despite his fear and the pain still thumping through his head. “He was hurt so we... we took him to a hospital, got him fixed up. We couldn’t make much sense out of him so we brought him back here until he was composed enough to tell us where he lived and once we found out he had no place to stay we felt like we should let him stay here. He felt like our responsibility.”

Jeph looked at Frank with a frown, his lips slightly parted. He looked as though he wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not, but Frank bravely held his gaze, daring him with his eyes to question him and eventually Jeph sniffed and nodded, moving his gaze back to Gerard who was doing his best not to look utterly terrified.

“Alright. And what did he tell you about me?” Jeph asked stiffly, Frank going to say ‘nothing’ before he remembered Gerard had already revealed that they knew his name and he promptly snapped his mouth shut again.

“I d – didn’t tell them anything Jeph, I swear!” Bert sobbed, Jeph snarling and gripping tighter to his hair, yanking his head sharply to the side so that Bert howled in pain, his neck cricking and Frank winced, Gerard’s stomach lurching when he half expected Bert’s neck to break entirely. His sobbing had grown worse again and this seemed to make Jeph even angrier.

“Don’t you try to lie to me you little shit! You think I don’t see it when you do!?” He demanded, still gripping tight to Bert’s hair so that a few strands looked in danger of being ripped out entirely. “Tell me what you told them!” He practically screamed, Frank praying that one of the neighbours would hear and investigate, or even better, call the police. But he seriously doubted it, people were too accustomed to hearing arguing round Jersey, this place had a ‘ignore it and it’s not happening’ policy.

“I – I only t – told them your name.” Bert sobbed, his eyes squeezed shut as he bent at an awkward angle. “Th – They saw where you stabbed me so I just t – told them I had argued with my b – boy friend that’s all.” He whimpered, Jeph snarling and turning his angry eyes on Frank and Gerard again.

“And is that all you know?” He snapped at them, both men nodding immediately as they stood close to each other. “Did you call the cops?” He demanded, all three men shaking their heads but it was clear Jeph didn’t believe them.

“Then riddle me this you son of bitch,” He snarled at Bert, yanking his head again so that he would look up at him. “Why is that my boys kept a track of your files and found that you’d been in custody just down the road here?” He demanded, Gerard frowning in confusion as Bert whimpered and sobbed breathlessly, Jeph’s hand still pressed to his throat. “You gonna try and tell me that you weren’t being kept there for safety because you’d told them about me?”

“N – No Jeph, I w – wasn’t I swear.” Bert sobbed, Frank feeling sicker by the second as he watched what was going on, the blood from his head growing tacky now and he ached to just lie down and close his eyes. “P – Please Jeph I was in c – custody for not paying train fare.” Bert insisted, Jeph’s grip relenting slightly in surprise, his eyebrows furrowing.

“What? Train fare?”He repeated, Bert struggling to nod against him, his eyes closed again.

“Y – Yes. I t – tried to leave here so I w – wouldn’t be a burden but I had no money and I... I got caught on the t – train and they kept me in custody f – for a night.” He explained through his tears, Frank nodding to try and show it was true as Gerard just continued to look clueless. He glanced at Frank with questioning eyes but he simply gave him a ‘talk later’ look and Gerard looked back at Jeph, trying not to seem so oblivious.

Jeph was staring at Bert, clearly trying to work out whether to believe him or not. He gazed at him for a long moment, still gripping tight to his hair, it taking him a while to decide he did believe him after all.

“Alright.” He nodded, looking back to Frank and Gerard with a scowl. “Well then that explains that... but that still doesn’t tell me what I’m gonna have to do with your two little friends.” He purred, Frank gulping as he struggled to stay in the moment and not get lost in the pain in his head. “You were right to try and leave Bert... You might have spared your friends lives that way.”

“NO!” Bert gasped, starting to wriggle and squirm as hard as he could. “JEPH NO! PLEASE, THEY HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING!” He screamed, Jeph growling and pushing Bert away so that he could face him and punch him hard round the face. Bert’s scream was cut off by a garbled intake of breath and Frank jumped as Gerard did when Bert hit the floor, jarring his elbow and curling up into a ball.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Jeph yelled at him, kicking him sharply in the ribs for good measure before he whirled round and pointed the gun at Frank and Gerard. By now Gerard was struggling to hold back tears of his own and he shook violently as he held Frank tighter to him. All he could think of was Frank, of how he needed to somehow protect him. He would die if he had to, he wouldnt let Frank get killed.

“Now, you two can’t be stupid enough to not realise that you know too much for me to just walk out of here with you alive.” Jeph purred softly, running his hand through his hair as he took a deep breath to compose himself before starting to walk towards the couple. “It’s not your fault, really. I’m afraid my lover has put you in this position somewhat stupidly, but I don’t have any other choice than to deal with it.” He sighed, pretending to be saddened though already the excitement of taking a life was coursing through his veins. His gun felt heavy and reassuring in his hand and he pointed it to Frank’s head first.

“Since you’re already wounded, I’ll put you out of your misery first.” He decided, grinning his twisted smile and Gerard felt as though his heart was trying to explode in his chest. Without thinking he grabbed Frank and yanked him behind him just as Jeph pulled the trigger, Frank too busy trying to take in the whole situation so that he stumbled easily behind Gerard as the bullet flew where he had been standing and hit the wall opposite.

Gerard knew that this was not going to be like a movie where the bad guy kept talking, and he kept a vice like grip on Frank’s wrist as he dropped down to his knees. Frank squeaked in shock and dropped down along with Gerard, the second bullet whizzing over their heads. Jeph snarled in frustration and began to walk towards them, still aiming as Gerard sprung to his feet, dragging Frank behind him.

Frank shook his head, feeling dazed and confused as Gerard dragged him around, dodging behind furniture and getting down on the floor once second then back up again the next. It was all happening so fast that Frank couldn’t keep up, he was just vaguely aware of things smashing as the gun went off again and again. Three bullets... four... six...

“BERT! BERT COME ON!” Gerard cried, praying that now gunshots were being fired someone would finally call the police. Bert was still quivering on the floor, but at Gerard’s cry he struggled up to his feet and ran towards the door where Gerard was ushering him.

“Don’t be an idiot.” Jeph warned them, taking careful aim again. Gerard found himself fleetingly wishing he had paid more attention to guns the times he had had to research them for drawing references. The most he knew about Jeph’s gun was that it was a handgun, but that told him nothing about its specific model or more importantly how many bullets it held. All he could do was pray that he was wasting them all as he struggled to keep himself and Frank out of the way of each shot and get themselves and Bert out the door.

Jeph kept his walking slow so that he could aim properly, but he could feel himself growing increasingly angrier and more frustrated each time he missed. He couldn’t deny that he wasn’t exactly a crack shot, he used the gun rarely, preferring things like knives but that was when his victims weren’t running around all over the place. A few shots came close, and when the men reached the door and Bert went tearing down the corridor he knew he had his chance. Gerard was standing back to let Frank out first and Jeph had a split second to aim.

“You’re mine...” He whispered, pointing the gun at the back of Gerard’s head and squeezing the trigger just as he walked straight into the coffee table and fell.

“FUCK!”

“AAAGHHH!” Jeph was now sprawled on the floor, but he looked up eagerly when he heard Gerard’s pained scream. To his dismay the artist didn’t fall down dead, his aim had been lost when he had fallen but the bullet had still struck flesh. Where about’s Gerard was injured he couldn’t tell, the artist already out of the door and racing away with Frank and Bert, but Jeph wasn’t about to give up.

Struggling to his feet he ran across the room and tore out of the doorway in time to see Gerard rounding a corner where he assumed Frank and Bert would already be. There were spots of blood on the floor and the further down the corridor Jeph ran the bigger these spots were. He grinned to himself, feeling excitement flood him at the knowledge that Gerard was bleeding and soon enough would be dead. They’d all be dead, Jeph would make sure of it.

Frank was running with between Gerard and Bert, heading for the stairs that would lead them down to the parking lot. Bert was infront but only just. His bruised ribs were making it difficult to run, though he tried to push through the pain. Frank too was slowing, his wounded temple throbbing and he felt as if he was slipping in and out of consciousness every second or too. He wasn’t even aware Gerard was wounded until he felt his hand slipping out of his grip.

“Gee... Gee keep holding me.” Frank whimpered, not wanting to lose his touch and he glanced behind to see why he had let go and immediately stopped. Gerard was hunched over, struggling down the corridor with one hand pressed tight to his side were blood was spreading in his shirt. Already it had made a large stain and Frank felt his heart stop beating for a moment. “Oh God... Oh God... Gee... Gerard.” He whimpered, hurrying to his side and wrapping his free arm around his shoulders, supporting his weight as best he could as Gerard grunted in pain.

“M’okay... M’okay just... keep going...” He groaned, his voice strained as pain flared hot and heavy through his body. He felt sick and he wanted nothing more than to just drop down and pass out, but he forced himself forward with Frank’s help, Bert sobbing as he stood by the doorway to the stairs, holding it open for them.

“Come on! Guys come on, hurry he’s – NO!” Bert glanced over them and saw Jeph rounding the corner, gun held out infront of him ready to aim. Frank winced and squeezed is eyes shut for a second, panic flooding him. He knew they had no time, but the door was so close.

“Come on Gee.” He hissed through clenched teeth, summoning every ounce of strength that he could and practically flinging himself through the doorway, dragging Gerard behind him. Gerard stumbled and his legs gave way, sending him skidding on his knees through the door. For a moment the pain was so intense his vision swam and he felt almost disorientated, Frank struggling to yank him to his feet again and start stumbling down the stairs as gun fire went off behind them.

Bert had given the two men a helpful push through the door, and slammed it shut behind them as fast as he could. He still felt the air move as a bullet flew past his arm, but through some miracle it didn’t him and he was able to slam the door shut before he began to race down the stairs too. Blood was thick in his mouth from where Jeph had punched him in the apartment and he was certain a tooth was loose but that was the least of his worries. To his relief Frank was able to run relatively quickly down the stairs whilst still supporting Gerard but Jeph was still close behind them. At this rate Bert knew they’d all be killed one by one before they even reached the parking lot.

“Guys, guys hide!” He begged as he reached the bottom of the stairs, Jeph’s footsteps thundering down them at a rapid pace. “Hide! Here!” Bert grabbed Gerard and threw him behind the bottom of the staircase. Jeph would see them immediately if he glanced behind, but as long as he kept running forward he would miss them. As expected Frank went wherever Gerard did and he skidded behind the back of the stairs and dropped to his knees beside Gerard who had fallen from the force of Bert’s push.

“Are you fucking insane!” Frank snapped at Bert, but the blonde wasn’t listening. He was the least wounded, he was the fastest runner, and this was his entire fault to begin with. He was their only hope to lead Jeph away and outside.

“Stay there!” He hissed as quietly as he could before he tore down the corridor towards the door they had been heading for. Frank watched him go and opened his mouth to shout a protest but instantly fell silent again when he saw Jeph appearing on the last step. Frank covered his mouth with his hand and pressed himself back, crowding Gerard against the wall and feeling his heart race erratically as he watched the gunman chase after Bert.

Jeph could see Bert disappearing out of the door that led outside and assumed Frank and Gerard were ahead of him. He didn’t even notice the blood had disappeared from the floor and was instead trailing behind him, too busy chasing Bert, determined to catch all three men if not kill them. Out in public it would be risky to kill them, but it would all depend on whether he could catch up with them or not. Either way he wouldn’t let them escape.

Tearing out of the door Jeph immediately spotted Bert not too far ahead of him running across the middle of the parking lot and towards the main road. There was no sign of either Frank or Gerard but Jeph just continued to instinctively run after Bert. He was close, and slowing down due to his aching ribs. Jeph knew he would be able to grab him before he reached the road and then he would worry about the other two.

“Where you gonna run to Bert!?” He shouted, laughing to himself as he chased him. At the sound of his voice Bert began to run faster, blinded by the tears streaking down his face but his adrenaline and fear lent him speed and Jeph snarled as he struggled to close the gap between them. “You’re not going to get away from me Sugar! Not this time!” He cried, focusing on Bert’s back and chasing him right into the main road where cars were speeding down both sides.

Back in the apartment block Frank was helping Gerard weakly to his feet. It had taken them only a second to realise Bert was trying to lead Jeph away and neither man felt like they could just sit and let him be hurt. Surely Jeph wouldn’t shoot him in the middle of the street?

“You should stay here Gee, I need to get you an ambulance.” Frank whimpered as he looked at the blood stain that was still growing on Gerard’s shirt, the artist never moving his hand from his side. Blood was spreading through his fingers but he shook his head, his teeth gritted as he looked determinedly at the door.

“No, I’m coming with you.” He insisted, his voice breathless. “Need to... Need to help Bert.”

Frank was sure that it was his head injury that made him agree to Gerard’s wishes instead of forcing him to sit down, he knew it was ridiculous but he still struggled to the door with Gerard and moved outside with him into the parking lot.

Both men stood still, looking around quickly to spot either Jeph or Bert, and Frank located them just in time to see Bert narrowly miss getting hit by a bus which then promptly collided with Jeph who had just been reaching out to seize him.

“JESUS!” Frank jumped in horror and turned on instinct, burying his face into Gerard’s shoulder as his stomach lurched sickeningly and he struggled not to throw up. Gerard’s eyes were drawn to the scene when he heard the screeching of the buses breaks and cars all around began grinding to a halt. It was obvious someone had been hit and for a moment Gerard felt certain it would be Bert, but then he caught sight of his blonde hair. Bert had come to a stop too, standing in an alley between buildings and staring in horror at the road.

“Oh God...” Gerard breathed, his head spinning sickeningly and he felt his strength leave him.

“Shit!” Frank moved back and fell down to his knees as Gerard collapsed onto the ground. “Gerard! Fuck, Gerard are you okay?” Frank whimpered, lifting him gently into a sitting position. He could see Gerard’s eyelids fluttering as he struggled to remain conscious. He was still staring at Bert and Frank turned his head to look too, meeting Bert’s gaze even from such a long distance and he opened his mouth to cry out but it was too late, Bert was already turning and running away into the darkness between the buildings.

“Son of a bitch.” Frank spat, a lump rising in his throat as he turned to look at Gerard, his heart squeezing and aching horribly when he saw the artist had closed his eyes and was now slumped in his arms, breathing slowly and shallowly.

“No... No, no, Gee hold on.” Frank whimpered, fumbling for his phone with blood slickened hands. People were starting to appear all around them, drawn to the accident on the road and Frank looked about wildly. “Help us! HELP! PLEASE!” He screamed before he began to sob, his fear taking over him so that he could do nothing but slump against Gerard’s chest and cry loudly as a few people turned away from the road and ran to their side instead.