If the Suspense Doesn't Kill Us, Something Else Will
Chapter One
Gerard’s POV:
“Are you sure it’s supposed to look like that?” I pulled my head from the bathroom sink for a minute to catch my reflection, then the shocked ones of my younger brother and his friend.
“Well it’s red, isn’t it?” I replied, and Frank just giggled.
“Yeah but I mean… are you sure it’s supposed to be that colour?” I felt as I rolled my eyes before messing my hair up a little, actually impressed with how well Frank had cut it. All the confidence I’d had in him, which I’ll admit wasn’t a lot to begin with, went straight out the window as Frank muttered a small “oops” before snickering quietly to himself as he sat behind me, scissors in hand.
“Yes, I’m sure it’s supposed to be that colour,” I answered before leaving the room, having spent far too much time in there already. But it’d been time for a change. I was sick of being that weird goth kid in all my college classes, and nothing says ‘fun’ like fire truck red.
Work was dull, as predicted. Bagging groceries isn’t exactly my favourite way to spend the day but it had to be done, and the pay was enough for what I needed: hard liquor, and that snazzy new shirt I’ve had my eye on. My manager, Carl, didn’t approve of my new hair colour, and this was said in more than just those few words, but in the end he agreed that it gave the place that much needed splash of colour since the Christmas decorations had finally been taken down.
“Gerard?” I snapped back out of playing Tetris with the groceries I was bagging to look up for the first time in a while, and was then met with a familiar face. I couldn’t remember for the life of me why, though, this face was any more familiar than the last. “I’m Mikey’s friend.”
“Ohh of course, Coralline!” She seemed a little relieved then. I’d not seen her around in a while, I guess because of the attacks. No one had really been around anywhere. Even I’d stayed home, for the better part.
“When do you knock off?”
“In about 10.”
“Ohh. Cool so umm… would you mind if I walked with you to your place? I mean Mikey’s place. Just, it’s a bit safer.” She blushed and I smiled, choosing not to call attention to it as I might otherwise have done. She was a sweet kid, and she didn’t need my bullshit today.
“Sure, I don’t mind. I’ll meet you out front.” She scampered off then, having not actually bought anything. I finished serving the customer I was with then spent the next 5 minutes rearranging the charity items on the counter beside me before I gave myself a few early minutes. Carl wasn’t in sight, and so I figured why not?
“Cory?” I mentally slapped myself for having called that out, but she turned her head anyway. It was something Mikey called her, and she never really took to it. What I mean by that is that she glared at him each time he said it, and started calling him Mickey in return. But she stood there smiling across at me so perhaps she’d got over it, after all.
“I would have gone straight from school, but I had to get my stuff. I hope you don’t mind us sleeping in the lounge room again. I mean, we’ll try not to wake you this time…” The last time she’d slept over, they’d woken me with laughter and the loud voices of some idiots in a comedy they’d hired. I remember I’d come out in nothing but my underwear and yelled at them to shut it off and sleep, but then they’d just started laughing at me.
“Well it’s that time of the month again, so you can’t be too loud anyway.” I felt myself blush at my words. “I mean, the attacks, you know? They’ve put out warnings just about everywhere to stay indoors and to keep quiet.” Coralline looked down to her feet then as they scuffed their way along the path.
“I wish my dad was in town. I just want to know that he’s safe, you know? I can’t lose him…”
“He’ll be fine if you’re safe.” Coralline’s mum had been taken last month. She was one of those now frequently referred to by the media as the ‘victims of the gruesome attacks’. It couldn’t be a nice thing to be reminded of that each time you opened the paper or turned on the TV, and so it was never mentioned around her by those that knew her. Mikey asked about it once, just to find if she was coping okay, but she hadn’t really given him words in return. I felt for the poor girl, I really did, but that’s what happens when you go outside and run into one of these things. Her mother had wanted to make sure the car was locked, but they weren’t after her goddamn car anyway.
I found my dad as soon as I got home, because we didn’t have long now until the sun would set and that moon would be invisible in the sky. I hated the thought of caging ourselves in but half the street had done it, and so far that half of the street had actually got some sleep at night.
I helped hold the last of the metal bars up to the window as my dad fastened them to the wall, thankful for them now as I heard the sounds of padlocks and chains fill the street. It was 6PM, and the curfew had been set in place. If people weren’t home now, they were gone. This was something that had become almost accepted now. Missing persons were rarely found anymore, and never found alive.
I’d thought Mikey had a brain beneath that thick skull of his, but I was beginning to wonder. My tired eyes peered over to my alarm clock and I got up, pissed that they were being so stupid. If I could hear the TV from my room in the basement, then it could be heard outside. They were lucky the lights were off: if not because they were supposed to be off for safety, then to hide my embarrassing Batman underwear from sight.
“It’s 3AM, Mikey!” I hissed. “Turn the TV off, now!” He did as he was told, but with a scowl across his face.
“Well it’s not my fault you sleep so close to the lounge room. Mum and dad never complain.”
“They’re upstairs. How could they possibly hear the TV from there? Anyway, that’s not the fuckin’ point. The point is that–” I was stopped before I could explain, but the noise we’d heard seemed to do a better job at it. Slowly, we made our way over to the window and peeled back the curtains at one side. Across the street stood a figure, and we all knew what it was. Coralline grabbed my hand in the dark as it turned our way, and I kind of grabbed hers back.
“Now, let’s just get into my room and shut the door,” I whispered. “I don’t think it’s one of those Draculoid things. It seems more like the usual kind. The dumb kind. But quick.” We turned then and in the dark, we descended the stairs to my room. From the tiny window that gave light to my room in the basement, I could see the figure still standing there. It didn’t come any closer for a long time and when it did, something brought its attention away, anyway. I thanked the stray cat, or dog, that just sacrificed its life for our peace of mind. It was unlikely it could have got inside, but the thought was still terrifying enough.
“Are you sure it’s supposed to look like that?” I pulled my head from the bathroom sink for a minute to catch my reflection, then the shocked ones of my younger brother and his friend.
“Well it’s red, isn’t it?” I replied, and Frank just giggled.
“Yeah but I mean… are you sure it’s supposed to be that colour?” I felt as I rolled my eyes before messing my hair up a little, actually impressed with how well Frank had cut it. All the confidence I’d had in him, which I’ll admit wasn’t a lot to begin with, went straight out the window as Frank muttered a small “oops” before snickering quietly to himself as he sat behind me, scissors in hand.
“Yes, I’m sure it’s supposed to be that colour,” I answered before leaving the room, having spent far too much time in there already. But it’d been time for a change. I was sick of being that weird goth kid in all my college classes, and nothing says ‘fun’ like fire truck red.
Work was dull, as predicted. Bagging groceries isn’t exactly my favourite way to spend the day but it had to be done, and the pay was enough for what I needed: hard liquor, and that snazzy new shirt I’ve had my eye on. My manager, Carl, didn’t approve of my new hair colour, and this was said in more than just those few words, but in the end he agreed that it gave the place that much needed splash of colour since the Christmas decorations had finally been taken down.
“Gerard?” I snapped back out of playing Tetris with the groceries I was bagging to look up for the first time in a while, and was then met with a familiar face. I couldn’t remember for the life of me why, though, this face was any more familiar than the last. “I’m Mikey’s friend.”
“Ohh of course, Coralline!” She seemed a little relieved then. I’d not seen her around in a while, I guess because of the attacks. No one had really been around anywhere. Even I’d stayed home, for the better part.
“When do you knock off?”
“In about 10.”
“Ohh. Cool so umm… would you mind if I walked with you to your place? I mean Mikey’s place. Just, it’s a bit safer.” She blushed and I smiled, choosing not to call attention to it as I might otherwise have done. She was a sweet kid, and she didn’t need my bullshit today.
“Sure, I don’t mind. I’ll meet you out front.” She scampered off then, having not actually bought anything. I finished serving the customer I was with then spent the next 5 minutes rearranging the charity items on the counter beside me before I gave myself a few early minutes. Carl wasn’t in sight, and so I figured why not?
“Cory?” I mentally slapped myself for having called that out, but she turned her head anyway. It was something Mikey called her, and she never really took to it. What I mean by that is that she glared at him each time he said it, and started calling him Mickey in return. But she stood there smiling across at me so perhaps she’d got over it, after all.
“I would have gone straight from school, but I had to get my stuff. I hope you don’t mind us sleeping in the lounge room again. I mean, we’ll try not to wake you this time…” The last time she’d slept over, they’d woken me with laughter and the loud voices of some idiots in a comedy they’d hired. I remember I’d come out in nothing but my underwear and yelled at them to shut it off and sleep, but then they’d just started laughing at me.
“Well it’s that time of the month again, so you can’t be too loud anyway.” I felt myself blush at my words. “I mean, the attacks, you know? They’ve put out warnings just about everywhere to stay indoors and to keep quiet.” Coralline looked down to her feet then as they scuffed their way along the path.
“I wish my dad was in town. I just want to know that he’s safe, you know? I can’t lose him…”
“He’ll be fine if you’re safe.” Coralline’s mum had been taken last month. She was one of those now frequently referred to by the media as the ‘victims of the gruesome attacks’. It couldn’t be a nice thing to be reminded of that each time you opened the paper or turned on the TV, and so it was never mentioned around her by those that knew her. Mikey asked about it once, just to find if she was coping okay, but she hadn’t really given him words in return. I felt for the poor girl, I really did, but that’s what happens when you go outside and run into one of these things. Her mother had wanted to make sure the car was locked, but they weren’t after her goddamn car anyway.
I found my dad as soon as I got home, because we didn’t have long now until the sun would set and that moon would be invisible in the sky. I hated the thought of caging ourselves in but half the street had done it, and so far that half of the street had actually got some sleep at night.
I helped hold the last of the metal bars up to the window as my dad fastened them to the wall, thankful for them now as I heard the sounds of padlocks and chains fill the street. It was 6PM, and the curfew had been set in place. If people weren’t home now, they were gone. This was something that had become almost accepted now. Missing persons were rarely found anymore, and never found alive.
I’d thought Mikey had a brain beneath that thick skull of his, but I was beginning to wonder. My tired eyes peered over to my alarm clock and I got up, pissed that they were being so stupid. If I could hear the TV from my room in the basement, then it could be heard outside. They were lucky the lights were off: if not because they were supposed to be off for safety, then to hide my embarrassing Batman underwear from sight.
“It’s 3AM, Mikey!” I hissed. “Turn the TV off, now!” He did as he was told, but with a scowl across his face.
“Well it’s not my fault you sleep so close to the lounge room. Mum and dad never complain.”
“They’re upstairs. How could they possibly hear the TV from there? Anyway, that’s not the fuckin’ point. The point is that–” I was stopped before I could explain, but the noise we’d heard seemed to do a better job at it. Slowly, we made our way over to the window and peeled back the curtains at one side. Across the street stood a figure, and we all knew what it was. Coralline grabbed my hand in the dark as it turned our way, and I kind of grabbed hers back.
“Now, let’s just get into my room and shut the door,” I whispered. “I don’t think it’s one of those Draculoid things. It seems more like the usual kind. The dumb kind. But quick.” We turned then and in the dark, we descended the stairs to my room. From the tiny window that gave light to my room in the basement, I could see the figure still standing there. It didn’t come any closer for a long time and when it did, something brought its attention away, anyway. I thanked the stray cat, or dog, that just sacrificed its life for our peace of mind. It was unlikely it could have got inside, but the thought was still terrifying enough.
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