We Don't Need These Happy Endings.
Chapter 6
After driving for hours, they decided it was time for a bathroom break. Well, Frank decided, by announcing that he h ad to "take a leak". They were in the middle of the woods, so Frank left the van and disappeared behind some trees. "I've gotta go as well." Ray informed the others a few minutes after Frank, and also left the van.
“Thought you could fool me?” A voice came from behind Frank. He recognized Daeva’s chilling tone and didn’t turn around. Apart from zipping up his fly, he remained motionless. “Did you give me fake information? Or did you decide to play hero, to try and save them?” she asked. Frank still didn’t answer. “I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the first one…” she said, as if she was only just thinking of it now, although it was easy to read through her words. “No, your face was too honest, too innocent. You betrayed your friends… killed your wife. I bet you feel guilty, don’t you?” There was still no answer from Frank, but he was shaking slightly, holding back tears. He couldn’t let her see him cry. The real question is why you came back… was it heroism?” she asked rhetorically. “Or was it guilt?” at this point she put her hand on Frank’s shoulder, her face deathly close to his.
Frank turned around, ready to push her away, to yell at her to leave him alone. But what he saw blocked everything from coming out, and his face went pale, almost grey. “No.” he gasped, his voice raspy. He held onto the tree so he wouldn’t faint, not caring what he was stepping in. It was Daeva, her voice, her cruel words, her torturous grin. But she had chosen to come to him through Jamia’s body, through her appearance. ‘Jamia’ grinned Daeva’s evil smile. “I can bring her back for you.” She said, her voice dripping with malice. Frank shook his head. “You’re lying.” He got out in a hoarse voice. “Why would you do that?”
“Oh, not for free of course.” She explained quickly. “More of… more of an ‘exchange’, if you will.” Frank bit his lip until he felt the coppery taste of blood against his tongue. “An exchange.” He echoed. “Against what?”
“Oh, Frankie, don’t tell me you’ve never head the expression! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth… a life for a life…” Frank stared at her, unresponsive. “Obviously, I’d prefer Mikey or Gerard’s.” she added quickly. “But any of the five of you would do. Or the other girl.” Frank shook his head. “No? No deal? Okay…” The demon, in the body of his wife, turned and began to walk away.
“No, that’s not what I meant!” he caught up with her and put his hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn around.
“What did you mean, then?” she stapped.
“I meant… none of them… none of the guys, or Ali-“ he stopped himself mid-name. “The girl.” He corrected himself. “Me.” It was a one-word sentence, but it carried Frank’s entire life in its single syllable.
“Very well…” she answered, and held out a hand towards him.
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“What the hell is taking him so long?!” Bob exclaimed, back in the van. “Toro left after him and he got back AGES ago!”
Alicia let out a frustrated sigh of agreement.
“Maybe he got lost?” Gerard suggested, from where he was lying on the back row of the van.
“Well we can’t leave him out there alone again.” Mikey said, and everyone nodded.
“I was out there before so I know it better… plus, I have a good sense of direction. I’ll go find him.” Ray offered.
“Okay.” Gerard answered. “But watch your back, man, you never know what’s out there…”
“Don’t worry.” Ray reassured him as he left the van. “I’ll be fine.”
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“FRANK?!” Ray called as he walked through the forest, snapping twigs loudly with each step. “You out here?!” A few more crunchy steps later, he inadvertently got his foot stuck under a tree root, falling to the forest floor with a loud thud. As he regained his breath and sat up to inspect his now-sore ankle, he overheard voices nearby.
“Are you ready to die, Frank Iero?” a woman’s voice was asking cruelly. Ray’s breathing hitched. Daeva. He crawled quickly through the bushes to see what was going on, ripping his jeans on a thorn but he didn’t care.
At the right angle, Frank standing against a tree, pale. A woman stood in front of him, a woman with Daeva’s evil grin, the malicious look in her eyes, and their cruel words. But the woman looked like Jamia.
Ray saw his friend nod in response to this treacherous question, and he knew he had to intervene.
“NO! STOP!” he screamed, pushing his way through the shrubbery. In one swift, smooth movement both the woman and Frank turned to face him, and the woman that looked like Jamia but wasn’t aimed both her h ands at him.
The next thing he knew, his chest had erupted in a fiery explosion, and he was falling, falling to the ground. His last conscious thought was to wonder why Frank was shouting his name and running over to him.
“TORO!” Frank screamed, and went to sit next to his friend. “Fuck… Toro…” he whispered through tears, pushing the man’s thick, curly, ginger hair from his face.
“An eye for an eye.” He heard Daeva say, and with a loud noise Jamia’s body thumped to the ground, now empty of the the murderess.
Knowing there was no more he could do for Ray, he walked over to his wife. “Jamia?” he asked quietly. He shook her gently, as if terrified he was going to break her. “
“Frank?” she groaned, then opened her eyes wide, sitting up suddenly. “Oh fuck… are you dead too?! Oh, Frank!” She started making wimering noises, a prelude to tears.
“No.” he interrupted and the noises stopped.
“What?” she asked in a squeaky voice.
“I’ll explain in the bus.” He said. “Can you walk?” when she nodded, he got up again and walked over to Ray’s body. Jamia saw their friend, lying dead and twisted on the ground, and she let out a sharp gasp. “Gimme your scarf.” Frank interrupted anything she might have been about to say. Jamia nodded, and gave him her scarf, which as more like an oversized shawl or a small blanket.
Frank lay the scarf over Ray’s face and upper body. He lifted up his friend with much difficulty, as, when standing, he barely reached the other man’s shoulder.
“Need help?” Jamia offered, but Frank just shook his head. The two walked slowly to the bust, and saw the looks of horror on everyone’s faces as they stepped into the clearing and onto the road.
------------------
“What happened?” Gerard asked Frank in a whisper, once Frank had laid Ray Toro’s body along one of the sets of seats, and Mikey had started driving. Ray’s skin was white as fresh snow, and his hair had lost its normal volume, instead laying down limp as the rest of him. Instead of a lion, Ray was now just a body, a cold body laid across seats in the back of a worn-out van.
“Daeva was there, in the woods…” he explained, his voice thick with the tragedy he’d just witnessed. He paused, until the others gave him a communal look as if asking him to continue. “She offered to bring Jamia back… in exchange for someone else’s life…”
“YOU KILLED RAY?!” Alicia interrupted, shrieking, and looking as if she’d just been slapped in the face.
“No!” he yelled, as if furious she’d even consider he’d do something like that. “I told her to kill me, if it gave Jamia a chance to live.” At this his wife gasped, and Frank looked her in the eyes, pausing before he continued. “So she was about to kill me.” He said gravely. “Toro jumped out of the bushes right when she was going to do the exchange…”
“Exchange?” Gerard repeated, turning the word into a question.
“My life and soul for Jamia’s.” He explained. “So... she killed Ray…” He said quietly. The van was silent.
------------------
They continued driving until nightfall, when they stopped in an abandoned field. For nearly an hour they collected branches and logs. They laid them out in a mass, and gently put Ray Toro on the stack. Jamia and Alicia poured cooking oils Alicia had packed over Ray’s body and the wood stack. Gerard, shaking badly, lit the flames with his lighter.
“Hang on.” Frank said, and went to the van. He returned with a large object, which he put on the fire next to Ray. “He needs to be with his guitar.”
Jamia let out a sob and threw her arms around his neck, crying into his chest as he hugged her close.
Everyone stood and watched the flames consume this man who was once, and still was a hero until the sun rose again.
“Thought you could fool me?” A voice came from behind Frank. He recognized Daeva’s chilling tone and didn’t turn around. Apart from zipping up his fly, he remained motionless. “Did you give me fake information? Or did you decide to play hero, to try and save them?” she asked. Frank still didn’t answer. “I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the first one…” she said, as if she was only just thinking of it now, although it was easy to read through her words. “No, your face was too honest, too innocent. You betrayed your friends… killed your wife. I bet you feel guilty, don’t you?” There was still no answer from Frank, but he was shaking slightly, holding back tears. He couldn’t let her see him cry. The real question is why you came back… was it heroism?” she asked rhetorically. “Or was it guilt?” at this point she put her hand on Frank’s shoulder, her face deathly close to his.
Frank turned around, ready to push her away, to yell at her to leave him alone. But what he saw blocked everything from coming out, and his face went pale, almost grey. “No.” he gasped, his voice raspy. He held onto the tree so he wouldn’t faint, not caring what he was stepping in. It was Daeva, her voice, her cruel words, her torturous grin. But she had chosen to come to him through Jamia’s body, through her appearance. ‘Jamia’ grinned Daeva’s evil smile. “I can bring her back for you.” She said, her voice dripping with malice. Frank shook his head. “You’re lying.” He got out in a hoarse voice. “Why would you do that?”
“Oh, not for free of course.” She explained quickly. “More of… more of an ‘exchange’, if you will.” Frank bit his lip until he felt the coppery taste of blood against his tongue. “An exchange.” He echoed. “Against what?”
“Oh, Frankie, don’t tell me you’ve never head the expression! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth… a life for a life…” Frank stared at her, unresponsive. “Obviously, I’d prefer Mikey or Gerard’s.” she added quickly. “But any of the five of you would do. Or the other girl.” Frank shook his head. “No? No deal? Okay…” The demon, in the body of his wife, turned and began to walk away.
“No, that’s not what I meant!” he caught up with her and put his hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn around.
“What did you mean, then?” she stapped.
“I meant… none of them… none of the guys, or Ali-“ he stopped himself mid-name. “The girl.” He corrected himself. “Me.” It was a one-word sentence, but it carried Frank’s entire life in its single syllable.
“Very well…” she answered, and held out a hand towards him.
------------------
“What the hell is taking him so long?!” Bob exclaimed, back in the van. “Toro left after him and he got back AGES ago!”
Alicia let out a frustrated sigh of agreement.
“Maybe he got lost?” Gerard suggested, from where he was lying on the back row of the van.
“Well we can’t leave him out there alone again.” Mikey said, and everyone nodded.
“I was out there before so I know it better… plus, I have a good sense of direction. I’ll go find him.” Ray offered.
“Okay.” Gerard answered. “But watch your back, man, you never know what’s out there…”
“Don’t worry.” Ray reassured him as he left the van. “I’ll be fine.”
------------------
“FRANK?!” Ray called as he walked through the forest, snapping twigs loudly with each step. “You out here?!” A few more crunchy steps later, he inadvertently got his foot stuck under a tree root, falling to the forest floor with a loud thud. As he regained his breath and sat up to inspect his now-sore ankle, he overheard voices nearby.
“Are you ready to die, Frank Iero?” a woman’s voice was asking cruelly. Ray’s breathing hitched. Daeva. He crawled quickly through the bushes to see what was going on, ripping his jeans on a thorn but he didn’t care.
At the right angle, Frank standing against a tree, pale. A woman stood in front of him, a woman with Daeva’s evil grin, the malicious look in her eyes, and their cruel words. But the woman looked like Jamia.
Ray saw his friend nod in response to this treacherous question, and he knew he had to intervene.
“NO! STOP!” he screamed, pushing his way through the shrubbery. In one swift, smooth movement both the woman and Frank turned to face him, and the woman that looked like Jamia but wasn’t aimed both her h ands at him.
The next thing he knew, his chest had erupted in a fiery explosion, and he was falling, falling to the ground. His last conscious thought was to wonder why Frank was shouting his name and running over to him.
“TORO!” Frank screamed, and went to sit next to his friend. “Fuck… Toro…” he whispered through tears, pushing the man’s thick, curly, ginger hair from his face.
“An eye for an eye.” He heard Daeva say, and with a loud noise Jamia’s body thumped to the ground, now empty of the the murderess.
Knowing there was no more he could do for Ray, he walked over to his wife. “Jamia?” he asked quietly. He shook her gently, as if terrified he was going to break her. “
“Frank?” she groaned, then opened her eyes wide, sitting up suddenly. “Oh fuck… are you dead too?! Oh, Frank!” She started making wimering noises, a prelude to tears.
“No.” he interrupted and the noises stopped.
“What?” she asked in a squeaky voice.
“I’ll explain in the bus.” He said. “Can you walk?” when she nodded, he got up again and walked over to Ray’s body. Jamia saw their friend, lying dead and twisted on the ground, and she let out a sharp gasp. “Gimme your scarf.” Frank interrupted anything she might have been about to say. Jamia nodded, and gave him her scarf, which as more like an oversized shawl or a small blanket.
Frank lay the scarf over Ray’s face and upper body. He lifted up his friend with much difficulty, as, when standing, he barely reached the other man’s shoulder.
“Need help?” Jamia offered, but Frank just shook his head. The two walked slowly to the bust, and saw the looks of horror on everyone’s faces as they stepped into the clearing and onto the road.
------------------
“What happened?” Gerard asked Frank in a whisper, once Frank had laid Ray Toro’s body along one of the sets of seats, and Mikey had started driving. Ray’s skin was white as fresh snow, and his hair had lost its normal volume, instead laying down limp as the rest of him. Instead of a lion, Ray was now just a body, a cold body laid across seats in the back of a worn-out van.
“Daeva was there, in the woods…” he explained, his voice thick with the tragedy he’d just witnessed. He paused, until the others gave him a communal look as if asking him to continue. “She offered to bring Jamia back… in exchange for someone else’s life…”
“YOU KILLED RAY?!” Alicia interrupted, shrieking, and looking as if she’d just been slapped in the face.
“No!” he yelled, as if furious she’d even consider he’d do something like that. “I told her to kill me, if it gave Jamia a chance to live.” At this his wife gasped, and Frank looked her in the eyes, pausing before he continued. “So she was about to kill me.” He said gravely. “Toro jumped out of the bushes right when she was going to do the exchange…”
“Exchange?” Gerard repeated, turning the word into a question.
“My life and soul for Jamia’s.” He explained. “So... she killed Ray…” He said quietly. The van was silent.
------------------
They continued driving until nightfall, when they stopped in an abandoned field. For nearly an hour they collected branches and logs. They laid them out in a mass, and gently put Ray Toro on the stack. Jamia and Alicia poured cooking oils Alicia had packed over Ray’s body and the wood stack. Gerard, shaking badly, lit the flames with his lighter.
“Hang on.” Frank said, and went to the van. He returned with a large object, which he put on the fire next to Ray. “He needs to be with his guitar.”
Jamia let out a sob and threw her arms around his neck, crying into his chest as he hugged her close.
Everyone stood and watched the flames consume this man who was once, and still was a hero until the sun rose again.