The Venom Will Spread, but Still Walk the Dead

Bob's P.O.V:

"Frank. c'mon, you were in shock not quite ten minutes ago!" Mikey protested "I really think you should rest!"

"I'll rest when we find somewhere else to stop," He said firmly "I don't want to hang around here!"

Just like his usual firm, strong-willed self, Frank ignored everyone's attempts to get him to rest a little longer. He wanted out so he was getting out. There was nothing we could do to stop him. He was walking off out of the room. All we could do was follow him.

He didn't care that he was still covered in Eliza's blood. It didn't matter to him that he still glistened with sweat from his previous state. The fact that he was still pale meant nothing at all.

He marched on firmly, head held high. Gerard hurried forwards to catch up with him and clutched at his arm, trying to stop him and convince him to rest. I shook my head. He clearly had a lot to learn about Frank Iero. Of course, Frank snatched his arm away from Gerard and marched on. I caught Gerard's arm.

"There's about as much point in that as a chocolate kettle," I explained.

"I know that now," He said with a small smile.

I smiled back.

"Don't worry, he can handle himself," I explained "I know it seems like he can't sometimes but he always manages to pull through."

Gerard nodded slowly, looking ahead at Frank's back. Frank was in conversation with Ray about something as we headed towards the door. Probably discussing either where we could stop next or what had happened with Eliza. That was probably the most gruesome thing I'll ever see in my life. I can see why Frank reacted the way he did! If I'd seen whatever had happened to her I think I would have damn near died! Not just go into shock!

Frank was careful as we reached the main hallway, looking all around him like an alert little animal before he opened the door and hurried us all out.

"You like him don't you?" I said softly to Gerard.

"What?" He replied, looking at me defensively.

I nodded my head towards Frank's turned back. Gerard crossed his eyebrows.

"Wha- no!" He responded quickly, realising what I meant.

I smiled and shook my head at him. He thought I wasn't aware. How sweet of him. He looked rather offended as I shook my head and gave him that knowing smile. Perhaps he didn't know it yet, but I did. And when he realised it, if he hadn't already, I'd be there with the knowing smile on my face.

My thoughts were interrupted by a soft spattering sound. I turned my head to see the pile of bird dung next to me. That was lucky. Gerard seemed to be thinking the same thing as he looked to see what I was staring at. Then he lifted his head up.

"Whoa," He murmered to himself.

"What?" I questioned looking up and then stopping dead.

All along the edge of the buildings, watching us through their beady eyes were hundreds of pigeons. No, thousands. My eyes widened at the sight of them. I'd never seen so many pigeons at once.

"That's a hell of a lot of pigeons," Gerard whispered.

I nodded slowly, my mouth hanging open in surprise. All were perching there, not moving, staring with their beady eyes. Gerard and I were frozen stiff, staring up at them. Gerard reached out and grasped my arm. I nodded again, agreeing with the way he was feeling.

The others hadn't noticed we'd fallen behind and had wandered onwards and around the corner. Gerard stared at the spot they'd been minutes ago.

"Frank?" I questioned into my radio.

There was no reply for a couple of minutes. He probably wondered why I was using the radio when I'd been right behind him a few minutes ago.

Bob, where the hell are you?

"Just round the corner! Gerard and I. Um. . . we got distracted."

What?

"No-no. . . um. . . but we just got distracted."

Well you'd better hurry and catch up with us!

"Okay, we're coming. You guys aren't too far ahead, right?"

Just around the corner, maybe.

"Okay, we're coming!"

As we started to walk, though, there was a rustle of feathers. Gerard looked up in alarm to see the pigeons all preparing to take off. I blinked in surprise. Those birds were acting weird and it was starting to freak me out. Gerard was staring at them with widened eyes.

"Those birds are starting to scare me!"

"You and me both," I agreed "C'mon, let's get out of here!"

We took one step and there was another roudy rustle of feathers. This time we ignored it and just quickened our pace. There was a cooing sound from one of the pigeons but we thought nothing of it. We didn't give them a second look. Apart from the occasional rustle of feathers and cooing - getting evermore frequent with each step we took- it was quiet. Scarily quiet. We couldn't even hear one of those things. There were none of them around; not that I wasn't glad of that.

The sound of the birds rustling made me evermore nervous. They were like some kind of time bomb waiting to go off. Their beady little eyes were fixated on me and Gerard. And then we got the shock of our lives.

We'd walked past a car and as we passed, I'd looked around the edge of it cautiously in case there was something waiting for us on the other side. There was something there but it wasn't waiting for us. It wouldn't be waiting for anyone ever again. It was a body. Gerard cursed under his breath at the sight. The body looked almost picked clean. What was left of the flesh was littered with tiny marks. Gerard cursed again.

"Do they look like what I think they look like?" He questioned.

"Huh?"

Rather than answer my question with words, Gerard seized my arm and dragged me along behind him. He then proceeded to speed up, still dragging me behind him. He continued to speed up until we were running. And then there was a loud squak and a rustle of feathers in unison.

"Bob, c'mon c'mon!" Gerard urged "We've gotta' go!"

I looked back over my shoulder. Behind us was a storm of pigeons, beating their wings furiously. Gerard tugged on my arm.

"RUN!" He cried over the squaking and flapping of wings "C'MON! RUN RUN RUN!"

"I'M RUNNING!"

Gerard grabbed at his walkie-talkie, trying to speak into it while he was running.

"FRANK, PLEASE TELL ME YOU GUYS HAVE FOUND SHELTER!" He begged.

What?! Why?

"HAVE YOU FOUND SHELTER?!" Gerard screamed back.

Well, no but-

"FIND SOME NOW!"

Okay, but what's the matter?

Neither of us bothered to explain, just running and running. The sinister squaks of the birds behind us were getting closer and closer. Who ever heard of it? Two grown men running from pigeons?! There was a squak right in my ear. I batted my arm out behind me to try and beat it away from me. My fist caught something heavy and there was a strange cry from the pigeon.

Gerard, Gerard?! Came Mikey's panicked voice through our walkie-talkies Bob?! Are you okay?! Guys, what's happening?!

Guys, we've found somewhere to stop! Ray informed It's a little coffee house around the corner and down the street.

Between us, there was a sigh of relief. And then a sharp intake of breath at what Ray next said.

Frank's coming to meet you guys!

"What?!" Gerard protested "NO! Frank, no! Get back to the others! We'll be there in a minute!"

There was no reply from Ray or Frank.

And then there was a gunshot.

Ahead of us was Frank, his glock at hand and a look of horror on his face at the sight before him. Another pigeon went for him. And it landed neatly at his feet following the explosion of his glock.

He gestured wildly for us to hurry up and follow him.

"What the hell are these things?!" He demanded as we caught up with him and he began to run.

"I think they were once what is commonly known as pigeons!" I replied.

"Nicely observed," Came the sarcastic reply "Just run!"

We dodged around the corner.

They were so close behind us. And some were circling above our heads, diving down every so often to be met by Frank's sharp shooting. The squaking got louder and louder, enveloping us in a reverberation of danger.

I punched hard at the sounds behind me, hoping to beat the birds away. Every so often, I was successful and there was a strangled cry from one of the pigeons. I ducked my head down as I ran, beating at the air around me whenever there was a whoosh of wings and air.

Gerard cried out from beside me, beating his arms wildly while Frank shot at anything daring to get too close. He liked to preserve ammo, hence why he wasn't just shooting wildly at anything and everything.

"We're almost there!" Frank managed to cry out "It's just there! See that sign?"

He was right. It was right there in front of us, looming ever closer. Closer. Closer. Closer-

"AH!" I cried at the sharp pain I felt, stopping to rip at the pigeon now trying to help itself to a Bob sandwich.

Stopping was a big mistake. A cloud of birds dived down for me. I scrabbled around for my gun, aiming and firing. Birds squaked, I yelled out in fury and pigeon carcasses collapsed around me.

"BOB! BOB, COME ON!" Someone cried from somewhere in front of me.

I ducked my head and ran. They were right behind me, circling above me and blocking my view in front. I couldn't see. I'd been swallowed whole by a sweeping storm of carnivorous pigeons. I tried to beat them out of my eyeline so I could see where I was going. They were swooping down for me. I was going to die. I knew it. . . This was the end for me.

A sharp tug on my elbow and a slam.

Dazed and disorientated, I stared back at Frank from where I'd lost my balance and stumbled back into the wall. He'd seized my arm and dragged me inside the building. Gerard was cradling Mikey in his arms and Ray was rushing over to Frank, demanding to know what it was outside whilst helping to shove the door shur as the pigeons slammed into it.

"LOCK IT!" Frank ordered.

There was a click of the bolt on the door. And then the scrape of a key. And the rattle of a chain. Frank sighed in relief.

I hissed angrily at the sharp stinging pains I felt. There was one along the edge of my ear and another on the back of my head. I covered the pain on the back of my head, pressing hard in case I was bleeding. There was a warm wetness, confirming that I was indeed bleeding.

"Bob, are you okay?" Frank questioned "You're bleeding! And you too, Gerard!"

I nodded and Gerard made some kind of affirmative grunt. Frank gestured us into the back room while he searched for a first aid kit. Gerard groaned, his hand on the bridge of his nose. He was bleeding along his cheek where one of the birds had caught him and they'd caught his nose.

"Stings, huh?" I said gently.

"Mmhm," He grunted back.

Frank ordered us to sit down while he had a look at our injuries. He started with me, wiping the cut on my ear with an antiseptic wipe. I drew breath sharply and angrily at the stinging. Frankie apologised gently, taking hold of my hand and squeezing supportively. I squeezed back gratefully. He cleaned my ear up, putting a thin strip of bandage over the cut. Little could be done about the injury on the back of my head. Frank cleared it up as best he could, pressing against it to stop the bleeding.

"Those little things can get in there pretty deep," He stated.

"Is it bad?" I questioned.

"Nah, you won't die. Just quite deep for a little pigeon."

I smiled gratefully and thanked him. He shrugged and helped me up. I stumbled back out to see the others. The drumming of birds against the windows and door had lulled off to a stop. Ray peered out through the blinds carefully.

"They're all waiting along the edge of the buildings," He said.

"That's what they were doing when Gerard and I saw them," I noticed "Maybe they do that and wait for their next meal."

I sat down heavily on a chair next to Mikey. He looked panicked as I did so. Now knowing that he suffered asthma and panic attacks, I asked if he was okay. He nodded slowly and stuttered out that he was just a little scared. I nodded and patted his arm awkwardly.

"Is- will Gerard be okay?" He questioned.

"I think so," I nodded "He's just got a few little cuts."

Mikey nodded slowly, staring ahead of him with frightened eyes. I reached out and patted his arm again in attempt to be calming and supportive.

"Don't worry about him," I said "Frank knows what he's doing! Just like you did when he was in shock!"

Mikey nodded slowly, looking at me and managing a small smile. I smiled back and got up.

"How about some coffee?" I offered.