My Guardian Vampire

"Gerard, I left him," I said, shaking my head. "He kept me captive, and I ran away. I can't marry him." I knew this was true with every fiber in me.

"It doesn't matter," Gerard said, his voice hardening as he shut his eyes in anger. "He's coming for you."

"It doesn't mean I'll go with him..." I said, though I wasn't sure where this argument was headed. I was supposed to be staying for away from Gerard, so I don't know why I was telling him this in the first place.

"I don't think you'll have the option..."

"What are you talking about? How do you even know Billie Joe in the first place?"

"That's how I met Bert..."

"Oh..." I trailed, feeling extremely awkward. "Where is Bert?"

"He's gone," Mikey said, stepping in.

"What?" Gerard and I chorused in unison.

"Already?" Gerard then said, and Mikey nodded. I went to ask, but I stopped once I saw Mikey's eyes zero in on me.

"Ali, is there something you weren't telling us before you left?" Mikey said, not unkindly. My chest began to beat faster and I couldn't breathe. I had told him about the thoughts last night, and he probably wanted to send me away to a mental institution.

Which I should probably be sent to... But I was selfish. I was afraid.

"N-no, what are you talking about, Mikey?" I asked, and we both knew I was lying.

"Ali, you told me about those thoughts you were having last night, and I don't think they were entirely yours."

"What thoughts?" Gerard said, turning to me. I was shell-shocked and simply stood there, open-mouthed, and Gerard then looked to Mikey. "What thoughts?"

I booked it.

Flying down the steps and out the door into the sun, I knew I was free. The sun was setting so I had to get some kind of head start, maybe sneak into Katy's house...
No. I still had nowhere safe. Nowhere where I wouldn't be forced back with Gerard, forced to hurt him and destroy him.

I kept running, the sun still going down with every beat of my step.

"Shit shit shit!" I cursed. I had barely gotten anywhere, not even halfway to my house. I didn't know how I was still running however, as I usually even in a good condition would have stopped for a breather a long time ago.

I guess the will to not hurt Gerard somehow pushed me on.

I decided to contradict myself and stop at Katy's house, sneaking through the side door and into the basement. I just prayed that no one would be down there. They only went into the basement to do laundry, as it had used to be Katy's brother's Kevin's old room before he moved out to the Coast Guard.

I went through the door, nearly completely hidden by the overgrown bushes. I walked inside, settling myself by the door. I was ready to fall asleep once again, exhausted tough I had only been up for such a brief time. It was an hour later, and I was almost asleep, when the basement door crashed open. I heard heavy footsteps clonk downstairs, and just figuring it was someone coming down to do laundry, I hid a little further into the shadows and froze.

The sound however got closer until a black figure appeared in the doorway.

'Shit! Kevin!'

He must have been on leave for the weekend.

Thankfully he didn't turn on the lights, simply stomped from the main room where I was hidden into his bedroom, looking worn down and wrung out. I heard his bed squeak as he collapsed into it. The next noises were the sound of his breathing and the thumping of my heart, both at first quick and uneven, then simultaneously slowing down into a more rhythmic and easier pace. I must have waited in that position for another half an hour before finally moving. I could not remember if Kevin was a heavy sleeper or not, so I moved as carefully as possible.

'How the hell did I even get into this?
Oh yeah, that's right.
Me.
This was thoroughly my fault, once again...'

I had almost made it to the door when I heard footsteps coming from the stairway once again. I decided to just throw all caution out the door, hopefully taking myself with it. I opened the door with a squeak, and I went to run out, when a whisper stopped me.

"Ali?" The voice whispered. My eyes went wide, and I leaped through the doorway, past the bushes, and into the lawn outside, shutting the door behind me, pausing for a moment before running, as I was unsure of where to go.

North would take me home, definitely not an option.
South would take me to Gerard's, even more of not an option.

West or East became my two options. West would take me into the woods, East towards the River which was also lined with woods, but a much thinner line, further off. Unfortunately Katy's house and her neighbor's houses were surrounded by fields before I could hit either treeline, leaving me in plain sight. West gave me the shortest distance to the woods, but it was uphill and past a bunch of extremely noisy dogs. East was a direction that took much longer to go to the woods, but the downhill speed would give me at least some time to make up for it...

The door opened behind me, and I made a dash for the east, praying that the gravity god would be on my side and pull me down to the river like a magnet. I had however only made it a few yards before Katy stepped out of the bushes, and I knew I was probably doomed. It took her a few seconds to spot me in the dark, but she was quickly off after me.

"Gytha!" she hissed, whispering in a pleading persuasion. With a sickness rising within I could not believe I was running from my cousin, my Gytha, one of the few people I felt I could trust with anything... Well, almost anything.

I had been running on pure adrenaline, but unfortunately Katy was the more athletic of the two of us, quickly gaining on me.

"Katy!" I breathed heavily, still running, fighting not to stumble as I sprinted down the steep hill, the water getting closer and closer. I felt that if I could make it to there I would somehow be safe, somehow be able to evade my cousin and get away from all of this. We were on one of the last sections of field. I was so close...

But I was grabbed from behind and tackled to the ground. I tried to get up, but she was hugging my waist, not letting me go.

"Gytha," I pleaded. I didn't want to hurt her, but with my bigger frame against her petite one, I could have easily forced her to let go. "I'm not going back. Now let go."

"Ali, this is ridiculous. Why did you leave? I know you love Gerard. Don't lie to me."

"No, I didn't love Gerard," I said, breaking free from her and standing up, suddenly feeling sick.

"You don't mean that Ali," Katy said seething, kneeling on the ground and glaring up at me, knowing and hating me for my bullshit. Her look turned slightly softer. "Come back home."

"No!" I yelled, waving my hands. No way was I going back to that abusive hell. "I love someone else, I'm happy."

"Bull fucking shit!" Katy yelled back, the swears that blasted out from her mouth surprising me. "You're not happy, Ali. Mikey told us that you were having thoughts, and he figured out what was wrong..." I looked at her, afraid. Everyone knew I was a freak.

Shit, I had really fucked up now. Why had I ever even agreed to come to the concert in the first place? I shouldn't have even talked to Casey...

Katy saw my worried look.

"Ali, this isn't your fault."

"Liar!" I stated, almost whimpering at the accusation. I knew this was my fault. I had destroyed everything, everyone I loved... "This is all my fucking fault. I'm going to live with what I've done, live with what is right."

"But it isn't your doing Ali!" she exclaimed, standing up. She hugged me, and I tried to break free.

"Let me go Katy! I'm not staying. I'll keep on moving. I can't stay here..."

"No! You can't make me. Ali, you're my Gytha and I love you, way too much to let you destroy yourself like this. I need you. We need you. Gerard needs you."

"Gerard doesn't need me. I... don't deserve him."

"Oh Gytha, please just stay for tonight. Talk it out. If you don't see... Well, we'll talk about it later. Please stay? If not for yourself, if not for Gerard, then for me? Please?"

I looked at her wearily. I was about to decline, but caught something deeper in her eyes: love. A deep concern, fueled by that connection that had existed between us for years. One that wouldn’t fade—even if I was crazy. At the very least, she’d still be there for me… And I realized that would be enough.

If she had been in this position, I know I wouldn't have let her go until she agreed to stay. With a smile, I realized I really didn't have an option. I did, however, have a home. Somewhere.

I knew things would be ok.

"Gytha," I stated, smiling. "I hate you. But I love you. I'll sta-"

I felt my insides begin to heave backwards, making me wonder if I was having some kind of seizure. I choked a scream out and heard a scream in return, though it seemed a long distance away, getting smaller...

"Ali!"

I opened my eyes and saw blackness, but as my insides were pushed forcefully against my stomach, I realized I was being hurled backwards. There was some kind of bar holding me, pressing against my stomach as my hair flew into my face.

No, not a bar.
An arm.

"Let me go!" I screamed, trying to beat the arm away. I was then thrown over the person's shoulder, the joint digging into my stomach as I was held tightly, with force.

"Not on your life," the voice grumbled angrily. I recognized the snarl immediately.

'Shit!'

"Let me go right now!" I screamed, pounding on his back. He continued on. "You have no right to do this!"

I was suddenly thrown painfully to the ground, dumped off his shoulder like a sack.

"No right? You are mine. I trusted you, let you go outside, and you broke that trust. We are going home.”

"Yours? Billie, I'm not anyone's. Yeah, I said I'd marry you, but that's it. You were trying to keep me locked up! And I found Gerard's journal! You kept things from me. That's fucking breaking trust."

I thought I had made a fairly good point, but Billie Joe laughed, standing up above me.

He tried helping me up but I snatched my hand away from his grasp. He ignored me and instead picked me up by my shoulders. He stood me up, and I folded my arms. He offered his hand out, and I glared at it.

Does he seriously think I’ll go willingly?

He waited a moment, a frozen statue, before his pleasant demeanor snapped. He pulled me towards him, snarling viciously.

It was the first time I had been truly afraid of fangs in a long, long time.

"I don't think you understand what marriage means to vampires... You will be mine, forever."

Gulp.

"B-billie, I'm not so sure I want to be married..."

He laughed and kissed me on the mouth forcefully. I tried to push him away, but he waited an extremely long time before detaching.

"You don't have a choice any longer."