The Black Parade: Death Marches, Hell Hounds And Other Mishaps

I shown my flashlight down the dark and damp alleyway that Tom had led me to. Wow, didn't know the kid had the guts to actually follow Jake to his ''secret hiding place''.

''This the spot?'' I asked, glancing down at Tom who had made a sudden abrupt stop at the entrance of the alleyway.

He sighed and nodded solemnly. Obviously, he was wishing it wasn't. It's a known fact that Tom had been scared of the dark since... well, I'd prefer not to talk about it to be honest. Let's just say it wasn't the highlight of either of our lives.

I shivered, wishing I'd had the common sense to bring a jacket.

''Ok.'' I sighed, taking a step towards the alleyway. ''Let's go.''

***

''Is that her?''

The Conductor glanced at the girl who had wandered into the alleyway where they were waiting on one of top balconies.

''Yes.'' He told the girl who was sat on the safety bar of the balcony beside him

The girl was dressed in a black dress that had four white stripes across it and her face was completely pale with no color in it whatsoever with a black bar that had been painted across her eyes, making her look blind. But she wasn't blind at all. Her sharp eyes tracked every movement that the girl below the balcony made. She could see the wariness in her eyes, every hesitant step she made deeper into the alleyway's darkness. She loved how scared the girl was.

***

I shown the flashlight in every direction, just waiting for Jake to leap out from the darkness and yell something to try and scare me. And fail, of course...

I shrugged. Well, shouldn't I at least have found Tom's photo by now? Something was very wrong with this scene. Something that smelled like gasoline had caught my attention a few seconds ago too. Well, good job there's no way anything could catch fire if everything was so damp, right?

***

Something shifted in the darkness as the girl passed it. This caught the attention of the girl who continued to watch from her safety bar perch. She didn't even have to mention what she'd seen to her leader. He'd already noticed, she could tell. How though? He never made a single movement, his expression hadn't changed from his fixed look of concentration. So how did she know? Because it was her job to know. That's what she was there for, to observe and know everything. And when the right moment came... she would strike.

***

After a while, I turned around to look at Tom who had decided to stay outside and just watch me do all the work. I shrugged at him when he shot me a questioning look.

''Are you sure this is the spot?'' I asked him.

He nodded. ''Positive. I saw Jake run down here, I'm sure of it. Why, can't you find my photo?''

''Tom, I can assure you, there's nothing here.''

I took one last glance around at the alley, but everything was as it should be. Well, except for the garbage cans you'd expect to see in you run of the mill cliché alleyway... But that's a good thing, right? You know, the community picking up their garbage?... Yeah, trust me, I was thinking ''yeah right'' as well.

''Well, it has to be there.'' Tom insisted.

''I'm telling you, there's nothing here. Not even a rat, which I was expecting.'' I said.

''It has to be-''

''Sh.'' I cut him off. I sniffed at the air warily. ''Do you smell that?''

Tom sniffed and then wrinkled up his nose in disgust. ''Yeah, it smells like um...''

''Gas.'' I finished for him.

But I'd smelt that on the way in, right? So why was it so strong now? Wait... I sniffed again. Now it smells more like... oh God.

***

The girl broke out into a grin while she watched the scene below her become more exiting.

''She's terrified.'' She informed her leader.

For a moment, he didn't answer, but then The Conductor lowered his head and sighed. '' I know.''

The girl rolled her eyes. Why was he always so bummed about watching this happen? He'd seen it thousands of times before, surely he was used to it by now? The girl breathed in the sweet sent of smoke as the alley below her started to light up. This was her moment. All she needed to do now was wait for the signal from her leader. She glanced at him impatiently.

''Now?'' She asked him.

Without taking his eyes off of the girl below them, he nodded. ''Don't go easy on her.''

The girls lifeless eyes lit up. ''We'll see if your good for nothing brother was right about this one.'' She said, leaping off of her perch towards the ground below.

***

It didn't take long before a wall of fire had erupted out of nowhere in the space between me and Tom. I covered my eyes, trying to shield them from the burning embers that flew everywhere. I had been right about the gas, it was all over the alleyway's floor, even below my own feet, I realized in horror. I panicked, my worst fear was fire. My head was screaming ''run for it, Max!'' but my feet were saying something like ''nah, I wanna stick around and watch the show''.
I saw Tom's terrified face through the flames. At least he would be ok if I didn't get out of this. Wait, duh!

''Tom!'' I screamed so he would hear me. ''Go get help!''

He shook his head. ''No! What if something happens to you?''

''What, are you thick?! If you get help nothing will! Now! Hurry up!''

But, the gas couldn't have got there on it's own, right? Was this stunt planned or something?! The fire was getting closer to me now so I took a few steps backwards. Who the heck is sick enough to do this?! That's when I heard laughter...

***

The boy laughed. He laughed! How could he laugh? Why wasn't he helping her?

Then he waved something in the air and then the girl below looked up at him, her eyes narrowing into a look of pure hatred. That's when The Conductor understood. This boy was behind it. He was the reason they were here. He had a bucket of water beside him, filled to the brim. If he thought that was going to put out the fire below, he was very mistaken, if he even cared. Despite the fact he knew he shouldn't meddle with affairs of others, The Conductor would make sure they would not leave without putting the boy through the same torture he was putting the girl below through now.

***

''Jake!'' I screamed up at him as he waved what looked like a photo in the air, laughing down at me. ''You sick bastard!''

''Relax, super-Max!'' He called down. ''I'll put it out. Eventually.'' And with that he continued to laugh.

His laughter seemed to mix in with someone else's for a second... maybe it was just me, losing my head. The fire was even closer now, so I turned tail and ran towards the end of the alleyway.