The Monster War Tour
An understanding
For John Paul
When she practiced, Charlotte's fingers had slipped and faltered over the strings of Nick's bass, and she had been scared. But when she latched on to the Arctic Monkeys, to take Nick's place, and performed Dancing Shoes, she had played perfectly. When the crowd broke into applause, Alex spun around and grinned at her ecstatically. She smiled back, delighted at having not ruined the performance (which would have of course resulted in all their deaths). Her spirits were immediately dampened, however, when they left the stage and were forced into the crowd. She had to watch the almost imminent death of The Culture Club after a woman behind Charlotte yelled at Sam Butcher,
"You'll never be Boy George!" He was stunned, just for a few second, but long enough for the Controlled to shoot him in the head, the others quickly suffering the same fate. Charlotte whirled around, tears in her eyes.
"How could you do that?!" She screamed at the woman, "You just killed them!"
The woman shrugged.
"We're all going to die anyway, love."
Charlotte turned away, disgusted.
In the same crowd, quite a distance away, Mikey squeezed Alicia's hand. She was lucky enough to be able to look away, but other parts of the crowd were being patrolled by the Controlled, and if they looked down a man would grab their chin and force their head up again. The next band ushered onto the stage were The Used. The guitar started up, then ten seconds in, the drums kicked in and Bert screamed,
"Kickin' it out!" into the microphone. They played confidently, as if it was a normal gig and there was no chance of death.
"Hey are you okay?" Bert sang coarsely, "You look pretty low! Very handsome awkward! Do you feel okay? You look pretty low! Very handsome awkward!" All the time, he was staring at Gerard, mimicking the moves Gerard used whilst performing. Gerard felt sick and uneasy, and Frank touching his hand comfortingly didn't make it feel better, it made it feel worse. "Your shallow concept! Help yourself, I hope you choke and die!" Bert roared. Guilt welled up inside Gerard. He batted Frank's hand away and looked up at The Used, fixated. His eyes flitted to the Controlled at either side of the stage. Their hands were resting on their guns, ready to shoot any moment if they wanted to.
"Please, please, please..." Murmured Gerard rapidly, "Don't, don't, don't..."
Thankfully, they didn't. The Used got off the stage safely, Bert suppressing the urge to make obscene finger gestures at the Controlled. He instead made these finger gestures at Gerard, who, like he had hoped, looked incredibly disheartened.
"Gerard," Began Mikey. Gerard shook his head as he watched Bert walk away, playing with Quinn's hair as if he didn't have a care in the world.
"I need to talk to him," Gerard murmured, setting off at a run after the other man.
"Gee, wait!" Mikey called. But Gerard didn't listen and his brother made no attempt to follow him.
"Oh, look at that," Said Bert casually, when he noticed Gerard following them, "Ooh, this should be fun. You lot go on. Check if Laura's still awake."
"She doesn't like it when people call her that," Jeph reminded him once again, "She said to call her Monny."
"Hmm," Said Bert mock-thoughtfully, "I like the name Laura more."
Jeph rolled his eyes and set off with Quinn and Dan. Bert carried on walking, but at a slower pace so that Gerard could catch up but it didn't look like Bert's full attention was on him.
"Hello, Patient." Bert said curtly, grinning with malice and humour.
"I'm sorry." Gerard breathed. Bert turned on him, no longer laughing, his unshaven face twisted in anger.
"Sorry?!" He spat, "Sorry! Way, you ripped my fucking heart in two and all you can say is sorry?!"
"Well what else did you expect me to say!" Moaned Gerard, "I love you?!"
"Maybe!" He hissed, "Though it's pretty obvious you never did!"
"Bert, I didn't know-"
"I've kissed you! And you didn't know?"
There was a silence. Gerard sighed.
"Alright, Bert. I knew. But I never-"
"And then you stopped trying to make contact at all."
"You used us!"
"You're sellouts!"
"Lies For the Liars sold over 123,746 copies in the first two weeks of its release." Gerard blurted. Bert looked at him quizzically, his brow furrowed.
"How do you know that?" The My Chemical Romance lead singer hesitated for a moment, putting his hand on the back of his neck, embarrassed.
"It was... on your Wikipedia article."
"And you know it... exactly?" Bert asked, his voice much lower. Gerard nodded.
"I used to go on it every day... before the internet was taken down by Sovereign. I used to look at the... the..."
"At what?" Bert asked through clenched teeth. Gerard looked as Bert's mouth as though afraid of being bitten, then admitted:
"At the 'Relationship with My Chemical Romance' section."
Bert stared at Gerard. Gerard looked backed guiltily. It seemed like Bert was going to forgive him, but he suddenly looked revolted.
"Stalker." He hissed.
"Bert-"
"Get a fucking life!" Bert yelled, turning and starting to walk away swiftly.
"Robert Edward McCracken, I'm sorry!" Gerard wailed.
"God and maker, liar! liar! You fucking liar!" Bert sang, his fingers in his ears, his walk quickening to a run. Gerard dug his fingernails into his scalp in frustration.
It started to pour down with rain.
Monny sat back with a moan, pushing hair out of her eyes.
"I fiiiiiiiiiiiine," She insisted with a whine to Quinn, who had the back of his hand against her forehead. All three men were looking at her with concern.
"Argh!" She yelled, "I just had a nightmare, that's all!"
"What about?' Quinn asked, one eyebrow raised, determined to catch her out. He decided it would be easier to deal with an ill teenager as opposed to a teenager having nightmares.
"WiL Francis from Aiden died," She delivered triumphantly.
"Leave her alone, Quinn," Sighed Dan. He looked at Monny. "WiL's fine," He assured her, "I saw him when we were performing."
"Saw who?" Demanded Bert, coming into the caravan and slamming the door.
"WiL Francis." Said Monny with a smile.
"What the fuck does he have to do with anything?"
"What's wrong with you?"
"Just shut the fuck up, Laura!" He spat, "You're a fucking teenager and you don't understand!"
"Bert, what's wrong?" Said Quinn softly, crossing to him and trying to kneel down beside him, but he was pushed away.
"Don't talk to me, understand?!" Bert yelled, burying his face in his hands.
They understood.
When she practiced, Charlotte's fingers had slipped and faltered over the strings of Nick's bass, and she had been scared. But when she latched on to the Arctic Monkeys, to take Nick's place, and performed Dancing Shoes, she had played perfectly. When the crowd broke into applause, Alex spun around and grinned at her ecstatically. She smiled back, delighted at having not ruined the performance (which would have of course resulted in all their deaths). Her spirits were immediately dampened, however, when they left the stage and were forced into the crowd. She had to watch the almost imminent death of The Culture Club after a woman behind Charlotte yelled at Sam Butcher,
"You'll never be Boy George!" He was stunned, just for a few second, but long enough for the Controlled to shoot him in the head, the others quickly suffering the same fate. Charlotte whirled around, tears in her eyes.
"How could you do that?!" She screamed at the woman, "You just killed them!"
The woman shrugged.
"We're all going to die anyway, love."
Charlotte turned away, disgusted.
In the same crowd, quite a distance away, Mikey squeezed Alicia's hand. She was lucky enough to be able to look away, but other parts of the crowd were being patrolled by the Controlled, and if they looked down a man would grab their chin and force their head up again. The next band ushered onto the stage were The Used. The guitar started up, then ten seconds in, the drums kicked in and Bert screamed,
"Kickin' it out!" into the microphone. They played confidently, as if it was a normal gig and there was no chance of death.
"Hey are you okay?" Bert sang coarsely, "You look pretty low! Very handsome awkward! Do you feel okay? You look pretty low! Very handsome awkward!" All the time, he was staring at Gerard, mimicking the moves Gerard used whilst performing. Gerard felt sick and uneasy, and Frank touching his hand comfortingly didn't make it feel better, it made it feel worse. "Your shallow concept! Help yourself, I hope you choke and die!" Bert roared. Guilt welled up inside Gerard. He batted Frank's hand away and looked up at The Used, fixated. His eyes flitted to the Controlled at either side of the stage. Their hands were resting on their guns, ready to shoot any moment if they wanted to.
"Please, please, please..." Murmured Gerard rapidly, "Don't, don't, don't..."
Thankfully, they didn't. The Used got off the stage safely, Bert suppressing the urge to make obscene finger gestures at the Controlled. He instead made these finger gestures at Gerard, who, like he had hoped, looked incredibly disheartened.
"Gerard," Began Mikey. Gerard shook his head as he watched Bert walk away, playing with Quinn's hair as if he didn't have a care in the world.
"I need to talk to him," Gerard murmured, setting off at a run after the other man.
"Gee, wait!" Mikey called. But Gerard didn't listen and his brother made no attempt to follow him.
"Oh, look at that," Said Bert casually, when he noticed Gerard following them, "Ooh, this should be fun. You lot go on. Check if Laura's still awake."
"She doesn't like it when people call her that," Jeph reminded him once again, "She said to call her Monny."
"Hmm," Said Bert mock-thoughtfully, "I like the name Laura more."
Jeph rolled his eyes and set off with Quinn and Dan. Bert carried on walking, but at a slower pace so that Gerard could catch up but it didn't look like Bert's full attention was on him.
"Hello, Patient." Bert said curtly, grinning with malice and humour.
"I'm sorry." Gerard breathed. Bert turned on him, no longer laughing, his unshaven face twisted in anger.
"Sorry?!" He spat, "Sorry! Way, you ripped my fucking heart in two and all you can say is sorry?!"
"Well what else did you expect me to say!" Moaned Gerard, "I love you?!"
"Maybe!" He hissed, "Though it's pretty obvious you never did!"
"Bert, I didn't know-"
"I've kissed you! And you didn't know?"
There was a silence. Gerard sighed.
"Alright, Bert. I knew. But I never-"
"And then you stopped trying to make contact at all."
"You used us!"
"You're sellouts!"
"Lies For the Liars sold over 123,746 copies in the first two weeks of its release." Gerard blurted. Bert looked at him quizzically, his brow furrowed.
"How do you know that?" The My Chemical Romance lead singer hesitated for a moment, putting his hand on the back of his neck, embarrassed.
"It was... on your Wikipedia article."
"And you know it... exactly?" Bert asked, his voice much lower. Gerard nodded.
"I used to go on it every day... before the internet was taken down by Sovereign. I used to look at the... the..."
"At what?" Bert asked through clenched teeth. Gerard looked as Bert's mouth as though afraid of being bitten, then admitted:
"At the 'Relationship with My Chemical Romance' section."
Bert stared at Gerard. Gerard looked backed guiltily. It seemed like Bert was going to forgive him, but he suddenly looked revolted.
"Stalker." He hissed.
"Bert-"
"Get a fucking life!" Bert yelled, turning and starting to walk away swiftly.
"Robert Edward McCracken, I'm sorry!" Gerard wailed.
"God and maker, liar! liar! You fucking liar!" Bert sang, his fingers in his ears, his walk quickening to a run. Gerard dug his fingernails into his scalp in frustration.
It started to pour down with rain.
Monny sat back with a moan, pushing hair out of her eyes.
"I fiiiiiiiiiiiine," She insisted with a whine to Quinn, who had the back of his hand against her forehead. All three men were looking at her with concern.
"Argh!" She yelled, "I just had a nightmare, that's all!"
"What about?' Quinn asked, one eyebrow raised, determined to catch her out. He decided it would be easier to deal with an ill teenager as opposed to a teenager having nightmares.
"WiL Francis from Aiden died," She delivered triumphantly.
"Leave her alone, Quinn," Sighed Dan. He looked at Monny. "WiL's fine," He assured her, "I saw him when we were performing."
"Saw who?" Demanded Bert, coming into the caravan and slamming the door.
"WiL Francis." Said Monny with a smile.
"What the fuck does he have to do with anything?"
"What's wrong with you?"
"Just shut the fuck up, Laura!" He spat, "You're a fucking teenager and you don't understand!"
"Bert, what's wrong?" Said Quinn softly, crossing to him and trying to kneel down beside him, but he was pushed away.
"Don't talk to me, understand?!" Bert yelled, burying his face in his hands.
They understood.