Castle High's After School Horror

"You think it's my fault Frank is dead!"

This time, it's Gerard's turn to arch a brow at his brother. "Because it is. Bob was right, you set him up to die."

"NO!"

Gerard flinches. The roar of Mikey's voice makes Gerard's chest hurt as his heart is beating painfully fast. Mikey's grip on the gun is tight but shaky. His face is flushed and he looks about ready to explode. Gerard fears that he'll pull the trigger by accident. Or worse, on purpose.

"So those tears weren't fake?" Gerard asks, disbelieving. "Some trick to get us to not suspect you?"

"Of course not!" Mikey bellows. "I love him and it's not my fault he's dead."

Beth clears her throat. "Yes it is," she says.

"No," Mikey states, glaring at Beth. "You killed him."

"You gave me the mind of a killer. I did as I was programmed to do. You programmed me. I'm your puppet, remember? I hanged Frank because you gave me the mentality of a person that would. Hence, it's your fault."

Gerard is mystified by Beth's robotic speech and stature. Her arms are crossed as she stands against the lockers. Her petite shape is straightened out and she looks taller, more confident. There is little motion in her facial features as she speaks. She is unmoving and speaking in an indistinct monotone. She breathes evenly, her chest rising and falling slowly. She's so calm. Gerard wonders what she'd be like without that mask of a killer that Mikey created.

"Let's see, shall we?" Mikey says, grinning.

At that instant, Beth screams. Gerard looks at her with wide eyes. She falls to her knees and rolls into a ball, moaning in such a way that Gerard is frightened for her. Mikey steps over to her and grabs a fistful of her hair, pulling her to a standing position. Gerard steps forward, full intention to help her.

"You can't help her," Mikey hisses. Beth looks at Gerard with a look of desperation. Her face is flushed and there is blood dripping from her nose. She looks completely mortified. Her eyes have gone back to normal.

"Let go of her!" Gerard yells, taking another step forward. Mikey mirrors him by taking a step back and smiles. He pulls back Beth's head by her hair, revealing her neck to Gerard. Mikey places the gun just below her chin and she screams.

"Please don't!" she begs, grabbing his arms in an attempt to free herself. Her hands are shaking and her efforts are futile.

"You killed Frank and are trying to blame me?" he hisses in her ear.

"I didn't know you were together!"

Mikey pulls on her hair again and she sobs. Gerard takes a few steps forward, thinking of a way to save her. Mikey takes a few more steps back, keeping his eyes locked to Beth's.

"You've got seconds to live," he hisses.

"Mikey, it's not her fault," Gerard says gently, hoping to cool some of Mikey's anger. But Mikey only smiles at Gerard tilting his head to the side.

"She's a killer, she deserves to die," Mikey says. "She's a fucking murderer! I never told her to kill him!"

"You told me to kill," says Beth, sobbing. "That's what I did! I did exactly what you said and I...I can't believe...oh my God, I can't believe I killed them..."

"Mikey, calm the fuck down," says Gerard, shaking with nerves.

“I’m sorry!” Beth screams desperately. “I-I’m sorry I knocked you out and you couldn’t stop me from killing him! I wasn’t thinking like I usually would!”

“Mikey, it’s not her fault,” Gerard says gently. Mikey smiles maniacally down at Beth.

“Say hi to all the people you killed for me,” Mikey says.

Gerard flinches at the double-meaning in Mikey’s words. Gerard bolts forward and grabs Mikey’s wrists. Mikey pulls away from Beth, who sinks to the floor on her knees crying. He pushes his brother forward and against the lockers, holding the gun right over his heart. Gerard freezes.

“Beth, run,” Gerard says softly. Mikey grins.

Gerard looks down at Beth. She’s got that zombie-like stare again. She’s holding a bloody knife in her hand and looking at it blankly. Mikey stabs the gun into Gerard’s chest and Gerard groans.

“Sure, I got you in trouble,” Mikey says. “But what about all the times I helped you. Huh? Think about that.”

Gerard, trying to be as spontaneous as possible, reaches up for Mikey’s wrist and twists it. Mikey groans as he drops the gun. Gerard shoves him away and grabs the cold piece of black metal, shakily points it at Mikey. Mikey stands a few feet away, looking nervous at first. Then he smiles.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Mikey says, smile widening. Beth’s empty stare turns up to Gerard. Gerard is saddened by the fact that her mind is so weak that Mikey's holding her there, stopping her from saving herself.

“You’ve taken sibling rivalry way to far!” Gerard yells.

“Where would you be right now if it weren’t for me?” Mikey asks. “Living on the street looking for your next fix, stealing to get it?”

Gerard holds the gun with both shaky hands. His head starts to burn the way it does when Mikey sneaks into it. He groans, trying to fight it, closing his eyes. The sound of raindrops pounding outside stop abruptly.

Gerard’s standing at home. He stumbles back, not wanting to believe what he’s seeing. He feels…strange, out of place. But it’s all there, strangely empty and quiet. Serene. He’s in the middle of his room: his bed is to the right, a window behind him, the dresser to his left. Everything is a lot cleaner than he would’ve left it. The door to his room is open and when he blinks, his parents are standing there.

“Is it true?” his father yells. Gerard jumps. His mother is crying. “Is it true what Mikey’s saying?”

“Don’t tell him I told you!” a younger-sounding Mikey yells from somewhere in another room.

Gerard suddenly feels a sense of doom. He’s going to die. He’s never gonna see his parents again. He’s never gonna see his room, his house, anything.

“What are you…” Gerard breathes. Then he remembers the familiarity of the situation. It was the time that his parents stopped trusting him. He was fourteen.

It’s just a memory. He is inside of his head.

Gerard looks down. The gun is gone from his hands and…he’s shorter. The dream is way too real.

“Well, is it?” Gerard’s father screams, snapping him back into the memory. “Are you the one that robbed that jewelry store yesterday?”

Gerard swallows. “To sell for drugs,” he whispers. “I’m sorry, dad.”

And with the sound of a gunshot, the memory is gone. He’s standing in the middle of the hallway of his school again. His head is pounding and the rain starts full-force again. He looks down at himself as his vision clears. Then, he looks at the floor.

“My God,” Gerard breathes.

Beth is lying dead on the floor, hole in her head. Killed the way she’d killed Mr. Malone. Her eyes are wide and she’s pale, lying in a pool of her own blood. But this time, it’s real. Gerard looks up at Mikey, who’s staring at Beth with wide eyes. He’s holding the knife in one hand, the gun in his other and he’s shaking all over.

“There,” he says determinately, turning his crazed stare to Gerard. “Now I can deal with you.”

Gerard stumbles back against the wall. Mikey raises the gun up and points it at him.

“I can’t believe you killed her,” Gerard says. “After all the shit you put her through!”

Mikey leans over and raises the knife. Gerard bolts forward and wraps his arms around Mikey’s waist, pushing him to the floor. He’s straddles Mikey and grabs his wrists. Mikey squirms.

“I can’t believe you killed her after you made her your fucking puppet,” Gerard says. A tear escapes his eye and lands on Mikey’s face. Mikey groans and tries to pull himself away from Gerard’s vice grip. But Gerard is strong, and determined. And angry. “After she killed Macey and B-Bonnie and…Ray and Malone…”

Gerard raises a fist and punches Mikey across the face, quick to grab his wrist again.

“Fuck!” Mikey groans.

“And Frank!” Gerard yells. Mikey’s glares at Gerard with wide eyes. “It is your fault he’s dead!” Mikey groans and thrashes but can’t free himself.

“It’s not,” he moans.

“It is! And I get it, okay? If it weren’t for you I’d probably still be stealing and doing drugs. But of course I resent you for your…gift. First of all, juvie wasn’t fun. And second, I’m the only person in this whole fucking world never to have peace of mind! Because you’re always in there, poking around at everything!”

Mikey’s nose flares. “And so you had to push me around and watch me get beat up every day? When you have the power in this fucking high school hierarchy to stop it? Did you really resent me that much?”

Gerard doesn’t say a word. Mikey can read his mind, after all.

“I’m not apologizing,” Gerard says. “You’re fucking nuts.”

“Happens when you get your head slammed against your locker one too many times,” Mikey hisses. “Let go of me.”

“No.”

Mikey narrows his eyes at Gerard. Gerard groans. His senses seem to be frozen and yet everything hurts. He feels like he’s floating in space and the longer he floats there, the more every single muscle in his body hurts. He feels like he’s watching himself as he lifts himself from on top of Mikey and stands a few feet away, frozen to his spot. The spell wears off and he moans, jumping back into his body and falling to his knees in the process.

“Your turn to die,” Mikey says menacingly. Gerard is shaking as Mikey gets up and places the barrel of the gun directly in the middle of his forehead.

“Gonna send me where you sent your boyfriend?” Gerard asks, breathing hard.

That’s when Mikey gets violent.