Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Death Perception
Mikey waited by the cave's entrance, eyes closed and listening intently to the fight outside. It was getting more violent by the second.
"I should kill you for attacking my brother," Gerard growled. There was a pause.
"He says he'd rather kill you first," said Frank, fulfilling his role as translator. Mikey listened as Gerard growled again, and one of the wolves howled in pain. He smirked, knowing his brother had attacked one of them.
"I never want to see you around here again," Gerard said in a low, dark tone. Frank snarled at them. The wolves took off running, one set of footsteps slightly offbeat.
"We need to find him," said Frank. Mikey's heart fell. They were talking about him. "Did you see where he went?"
"I know where he is," Gerard said quietly. Mikey heard them approaching the entrance. They couldn't be more than five feet away by now. He turned and ran back to Alicia's room, locking the door behind him.
"Alicia?" he called quietly. He couldn't tell where she was; her scent was everywhere.
"In here," she said fearfully. He quickly crossed the room to the closet and opened it, seeing her and Jamia sitting on the floor. He joined them, wrapping one arm around Alicia's shoulders and closing the closet door. She leaned her head against his left shoulder, and he carefully stroked her arm, making sure not to hurt her.
They heard the sound of something exploding, closely followed by screams and the gruesome sounds of tearing flesh. Alicia began crying.
"I won't let them hurt you," Mikey murmured, covering her left ear with his other hand. "I'll never let them hurt you."
-
Alicia slowly opened her eyes several hours later. She didn't even remember when she fell asleep. She felt something behind her head slowly rise and fall, and her heart nearly stopped beating. She had fallen asleep with her head resting on Mikey's chest.
"Mikey?" she asked softly, surprised at how hoarse her voice was. She slowly sat up, feeling a cold arm around her waist.
"What is it?" he murmured, sitting up as well.
"Is it safe yet?" He closed his eyes for a few moments, listening.
"Yeah. They're gone," he said, opening the door.
He suddenly found himself looking into two forest green eyes, one side framed with dark hair. 'Frank,' he thought, horrified. He couldn't speak.
Frank stared at him for a full five seconds, unblinking, before he turned his attention to the two human scents filling his nose. His eyes flashed a brilliant emerald for half a second, and his teeth lengthened even further. Before he could do anything, though, Mikey growled at him.
"Get out of here, Frank," he snarled. Frank's gaze quickly flitted to the humans, resting on one longer than the other. He quickly remembered Gerard's words and backed away, disappearing from the room.
Mikey stood and walked toward the door, closely followed by Alicia. Jamia remained where she was.
"Jamia...I think we should leave," Alicia said quietly, glancing back at her friend. Jamia shook her head wildly.
"No...we have nowhere to go..."
"You can come with me," Mikey said in a calming tone. Jamia didn't respond. Alicia touched Mikey's arm with one hand.
"Just give her some time," she whispered. Mikey agreed and took Alicia's hand in his own, walking outside. He saw a brilliant white light emanating from the front of the cave, and his heart fell.
"It's morning," he said grimly. "The wolves will be hunting." Alicia gave him a small smile.
"I trust you," she said, staring into his eyes. Mikey smiled back, noticing they had reached the front of the cave. Alicia stared out at the field before her, squinting because of the silver light. Mikey saw dark rain clouds filling the sky. It would undoubtedly rain later. He knew she wanted to see more of the world, especially during the day, but he also knew it wasn't safe. He could hear the sounds of wolves hunting nearby. It was only a matter of time before they were discovered.
He picked up Alicia and ran, crossing the meadow with blinding speed. Alicia's eyes began to water, and she quickly closed them. Mikey heard more wolves nearby and began leaping from tree to tree, staying off the ground as much as possible. He reached his house a few minutes later, entering his room through his window like always. Alicia crumpled to the floor when he finally set her down.
"I can't believe this...all those people..." she whispered to herself. Mikey sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Who was that, anyway? You seemed to know him." Mikey took a deep breath and sighed.
"That was Frank. Normally he's my friend, but he's different when he's hunting. All of us are." Alicia gave him a horrified look.
"And just how many of you are there?" she asked with widened eyes.
"Here it's just me, Frank, and my brother, Gerard."
"Wait...they're /here/?"
"Yes," said Mikey. "But they're asleep right now, and it's likely they will not wake up until tomorrow night." Alicia nodded slowly.
"How did you end up like this? I mean...as a vampire." Mikey thought about her question.
"It's kind of a long story," he said, staring into her eyes.
"Does it look like I'm going anywhere?" she asked with a smile. He closed his eyes, letting the memories fill his mind.
"All of us used to be human. Those two wolves - Bob and Ray - used to be our closest friends. Actually...we were in a band." Alicia's eyes widened at his words.
"Were you any good?" she asked with a smile. Mikey laughed.
"You could say that." He smiled as the memories overtook his mind, but his face quickly fell. "Then the War started."
"How?" asked Alicia.
"I'm still not entirely sure. It was around 2010. People just began disappearing. They began accusing each other...throwing people in prison, holding trials for suspects that didn't exist. Some suggested vampires, but they were just made to suffer the same fate," Mikey said sadly. Alicia remained silent, wondering what it must have been like.
"It started out as a worldwide civil war. It seemed like that, anyway, since it was humans against themselves. Eventually, though, the vampires got involved. It turned out that they were forming an army. Initially they were trying to kill off all the wolves, but the taste of human blood proved to be too.../tantalizing./" His last few words were nearly breathless, and Alicia realized he was staring at her pale neck. She shifted uncomfortably.
"Then what happened?" she asked, hoping to get his mind back on track. Mikey shook his head to clear it, doing his best to ignore the scent of her blood. It was difficult.
"Gerard was bitten first. It was at one of our concerts; one of the fans jumped on stage and attacked him. Most people thought it was just a sick joke; he always said he wanted to be a vampire, even though he never meant it. Nobody suspected anything, because he always wore lots of makeup that made him look dead."
"Makeup?" Alicia asked in confusion, frowning. Mikey let out a laugh in spite of himself. It had been a long time since anyone had questioned that.
"Frank, Gerard, and I wore makeup for concerts. It was part of our...'image,' I guess. Bob and Ray never did, though."
"I've never heard of guys wearing makeup before," said Alicia. Mikey shrugged.
"It worked. Anyway, Gerard finally told me what had happened to him about a month later. He told me to keep it a secret, but Frank overheard and wanted to be one, too. Gerard refused at first; he said it wasn't worth it to be immortal." Mikey smirked suddenly.
"What?" she asked. He shook his head.
"Nothing, this just reminds me of one of our songs...the lyrics... 'How wrong we were to think that immortality meant never dying.' Coincidence, I swear." Alicia laughed for a few seconds, but stopped when she saw the serious look on Mikey's face. "You see, vampires are not really alive."
"I don't get it," she said, frowning at him. Mikey took one of her hands and placed it on his chest. She couldn't feel anything, but knew her own heartbeat quickened considerably.
"I have no heartbeat," he murmured. Alicia took his hand and moved it to the side of her face, ignoring how cold it was. It felt like marble against her skin.
"I don't care," she said with a smile. "Please, continue."
"Well, Gerard finally gave in and bit Frank. Frank never regretted his decision; he acted like the transformation didn't hurt him at all. Then Gerard bit me." Mikey sighed sadly. "He said he searched my mind and that he knew I wanted to be one."
"Did you?" Alicia asked softly.
"I still don't know. I'm just indifferent about the whole thing. I asked him about it once. He said it was because he knew I didn't want to die. And really, who does?" he said with a shrug. "I've just come to accept it.
"When Ray found out what we were, he lost it. He called us monsters and accused us of helping with the War, though we had nothing to do with it. He and Bob left the band - and our lives. We ran into them years later, after the War finally ended. All the humans had been either killed or transformed...or so we thought," he added, glancing at Alicia. She wasn't sure what to say. "They had become werewolves."
"I'm sorry," she said sadly, looking at the ground. Mikey pulled her into a hug.
"It's not your fault. I'm just glad you're okay." Alicia smiled.
"So, how long have you been like this?" she asked, pulling away just enough to see his face. Mikey thought for a few moments.
"A hundred years."
"How long do vampires usually live?"
"Until we're killed by something. We can't die of old age. If you really think about it, I'm already dead," he said with a small smile. Alicia was silent for a few moments.
"What if...I wanted to be one?" she asked, meeting his eyes. Mikey's eyes widened.
"I could never do that to you," he said in shock.
"But I'm going to die one day...and you never will. I don't want that to happen," she said, sighing sadly. Mikey lifted her chin, feeling her pulse beat against his fingertips.
"That's what's supposed to happen, Alicia," he said softly. He leaned closer to her, their faces just an inch apart. She felt her heart flutter in response. He swallowed as venom began to fill his mouth. 'Not now. I can't,' he thought. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but could find no words.
Alicia froze as cold, sweet-tasting air filled her nose. She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. She wasn't sure where it was coming from, but it didn't matter. She began focusing on that, and was consequently surprised when Mikey's lips met her own. She pulled back immediately, horrified.
"How can you do this to me?" she asked, standing up as tears filled her eyes. She sounded hurt.
"Do what?" Mikey asked innocently. He was on his feet in an instant.
"You said you'd never hurt me," she said as she backed away from him. "You tell me we can't be together and then you do that!" She ran out of the room and down the stairs, leaving the house altogether. Mikey heard thunder outside and immediately left his room. It would rain soon. He had to get to her before the wolves did.
"I should kill you for attacking my brother," Gerard growled. There was a pause.
"He says he'd rather kill you first," said Frank, fulfilling his role as translator. Mikey listened as Gerard growled again, and one of the wolves howled in pain. He smirked, knowing his brother had attacked one of them.
"I never want to see you around here again," Gerard said in a low, dark tone. Frank snarled at them. The wolves took off running, one set of footsteps slightly offbeat.
"We need to find him," said Frank. Mikey's heart fell. They were talking about him. "Did you see where he went?"
"I know where he is," Gerard said quietly. Mikey heard them approaching the entrance. They couldn't be more than five feet away by now. He turned and ran back to Alicia's room, locking the door behind him.
"Alicia?" he called quietly. He couldn't tell where she was; her scent was everywhere.
"In here," she said fearfully. He quickly crossed the room to the closet and opened it, seeing her and Jamia sitting on the floor. He joined them, wrapping one arm around Alicia's shoulders and closing the closet door. She leaned her head against his left shoulder, and he carefully stroked her arm, making sure not to hurt her.
They heard the sound of something exploding, closely followed by screams and the gruesome sounds of tearing flesh. Alicia began crying.
"I won't let them hurt you," Mikey murmured, covering her left ear with his other hand. "I'll never let them hurt you."
-
Alicia slowly opened her eyes several hours later. She didn't even remember when she fell asleep. She felt something behind her head slowly rise and fall, and her heart nearly stopped beating. She had fallen asleep with her head resting on Mikey's chest.
"Mikey?" she asked softly, surprised at how hoarse her voice was. She slowly sat up, feeling a cold arm around her waist.
"What is it?" he murmured, sitting up as well.
"Is it safe yet?" He closed his eyes for a few moments, listening.
"Yeah. They're gone," he said, opening the door.
He suddenly found himself looking into two forest green eyes, one side framed with dark hair. 'Frank,' he thought, horrified. He couldn't speak.
Frank stared at him for a full five seconds, unblinking, before he turned his attention to the two human scents filling his nose. His eyes flashed a brilliant emerald for half a second, and his teeth lengthened even further. Before he could do anything, though, Mikey growled at him.
"Get out of here, Frank," he snarled. Frank's gaze quickly flitted to the humans, resting on one longer than the other. He quickly remembered Gerard's words and backed away, disappearing from the room.
Mikey stood and walked toward the door, closely followed by Alicia. Jamia remained where she was.
"Jamia...I think we should leave," Alicia said quietly, glancing back at her friend. Jamia shook her head wildly.
"No...we have nowhere to go..."
"You can come with me," Mikey said in a calming tone. Jamia didn't respond. Alicia touched Mikey's arm with one hand.
"Just give her some time," she whispered. Mikey agreed and took Alicia's hand in his own, walking outside. He saw a brilliant white light emanating from the front of the cave, and his heart fell.
"It's morning," he said grimly. "The wolves will be hunting." Alicia gave him a small smile.
"I trust you," she said, staring into his eyes. Mikey smiled back, noticing they had reached the front of the cave. Alicia stared out at the field before her, squinting because of the silver light. Mikey saw dark rain clouds filling the sky. It would undoubtedly rain later. He knew she wanted to see more of the world, especially during the day, but he also knew it wasn't safe. He could hear the sounds of wolves hunting nearby. It was only a matter of time before they were discovered.
He picked up Alicia and ran, crossing the meadow with blinding speed. Alicia's eyes began to water, and she quickly closed them. Mikey heard more wolves nearby and began leaping from tree to tree, staying off the ground as much as possible. He reached his house a few minutes later, entering his room through his window like always. Alicia crumpled to the floor when he finally set her down.
"I can't believe this...all those people..." she whispered to herself. Mikey sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Who was that, anyway? You seemed to know him." Mikey took a deep breath and sighed.
"That was Frank. Normally he's my friend, but he's different when he's hunting. All of us are." Alicia gave him a horrified look.
"And just how many of you are there?" she asked with widened eyes.
"Here it's just me, Frank, and my brother, Gerard."
"Wait...they're /here/?"
"Yes," said Mikey. "But they're asleep right now, and it's likely they will not wake up until tomorrow night." Alicia nodded slowly.
"How did you end up like this? I mean...as a vampire." Mikey thought about her question.
"It's kind of a long story," he said, staring into her eyes.
"Does it look like I'm going anywhere?" she asked with a smile. He closed his eyes, letting the memories fill his mind.
"All of us used to be human. Those two wolves - Bob and Ray - used to be our closest friends. Actually...we were in a band." Alicia's eyes widened at his words.
"Were you any good?" she asked with a smile. Mikey laughed.
"You could say that." He smiled as the memories overtook his mind, but his face quickly fell. "Then the War started."
"How?" asked Alicia.
"I'm still not entirely sure. It was around 2010. People just began disappearing. They began accusing each other...throwing people in prison, holding trials for suspects that didn't exist. Some suggested vampires, but they were just made to suffer the same fate," Mikey said sadly. Alicia remained silent, wondering what it must have been like.
"It started out as a worldwide civil war. It seemed like that, anyway, since it was humans against themselves. Eventually, though, the vampires got involved. It turned out that they were forming an army. Initially they were trying to kill off all the wolves, but the taste of human blood proved to be too.../tantalizing./" His last few words were nearly breathless, and Alicia realized he was staring at her pale neck. She shifted uncomfortably.
"Then what happened?" she asked, hoping to get his mind back on track. Mikey shook his head to clear it, doing his best to ignore the scent of her blood. It was difficult.
"Gerard was bitten first. It was at one of our concerts; one of the fans jumped on stage and attacked him. Most people thought it was just a sick joke; he always said he wanted to be a vampire, even though he never meant it. Nobody suspected anything, because he always wore lots of makeup that made him look dead."
"Makeup?" Alicia asked in confusion, frowning. Mikey let out a laugh in spite of himself. It had been a long time since anyone had questioned that.
"Frank, Gerard, and I wore makeup for concerts. It was part of our...'image,' I guess. Bob and Ray never did, though."
"I've never heard of guys wearing makeup before," said Alicia. Mikey shrugged.
"It worked. Anyway, Gerard finally told me what had happened to him about a month later. He told me to keep it a secret, but Frank overheard and wanted to be one, too. Gerard refused at first; he said it wasn't worth it to be immortal." Mikey smirked suddenly.
"What?" she asked. He shook his head.
"Nothing, this just reminds me of one of our songs...the lyrics... 'How wrong we were to think that immortality meant never dying.' Coincidence, I swear." Alicia laughed for a few seconds, but stopped when she saw the serious look on Mikey's face. "You see, vampires are not really alive."
"I don't get it," she said, frowning at him. Mikey took one of her hands and placed it on his chest. She couldn't feel anything, but knew her own heartbeat quickened considerably.
"I have no heartbeat," he murmured. Alicia took his hand and moved it to the side of her face, ignoring how cold it was. It felt like marble against her skin.
"I don't care," she said with a smile. "Please, continue."
"Well, Gerard finally gave in and bit Frank. Frank never regretted his decision; he acted like the transformation didn't hurt him at all. Then Gerard bit me." Mikey sighed sadly. "He said he searched my mind and that he knew I wanted to be one."
"Did you?" Alicia asked softly.
"I still don't know. I'm just indifferent about the whole thing. I asked him about it once. He said it was because he knew I didn't want to die. And really, who does?" he said with a shrug. "I've just come to accept it.
"When Ray found out what we were, he lost it. He called us monsters and accused us of helping with the War, though we had nothing to do with it. He and Bob left the band - and our lives. We ran into them years later, after the War finally ended. All the humans had been either killed or transformed...or so we thought," he added, glancing at Alicia. She wasn't sure what to say. "They had become werewolves."
"I'm sorry," she said sadly, looking at the ground. Mikey pulled her into a hug.
"It's not your fault. I'm just glad you're okay." Alicia smiled.
"So, how long have you been like this?" she asked, pulling away just enough to see his face. Mikey thought for a few moments.
"A hundred years."
"How long do vampires usually live?"
"Until we're killed by something. We can't die of old age. If you really think about it, I'm already dead," he said with a small smile. Alicia was silent for a few moments.
"What if...I wanted to be one?" she asked, meeting his eyes. Mikey's eyes widened.
"I could never do that to you," he said in shock.
"But I'm going to die one day...and you never will. I don't want that to happen," she said, sighing sadly. Mikey lifted her chin, feeling her pulse beat against his fingertips.
"That's what's supposed to happen, Alicia," he said softly. He leaned closer to her, their faces just an inch apart. She felt her heart flutter in response. He swallowed as venom began to fill his mouth. 'Not now. I can't,' he thought. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but could find no words.
Alicia froze as cold, sweet-tasting air filled her nose. She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. She wasn't sure where it was coming from, but it didn't matter. She began focusing on that, and was consequently surprised when Mikey's lips met her own. She pulled back immediately, horrified.
"How can you do this to me?" she asked, standing up as tears filled her eyes. She sounded hurt.
"Do what?" Mikey asked innocently. He was on his feet in an instant.
"You said you'd never hurt me," she said as she backed away from him. "You tell me we can't be together and then you do that!" She ran out of the room and down the stairs, leaving the house altogether. Mikey heard thunder outside and immediately left his room. It would rain soon. He had to get to her before the wolves did.
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