These Are the Dark Days

“We should probably be heading back to the house now, Henry.” Frank and Henry had been walking for half an hour, Frank had never even seen this part of the city. “Gerard wanted to hang out with me and I didn’t even tell him I was going somewhere.”

“Would you relax, Frankie boy?” Henry tried to sound nonchalant but Frank could hear the desperation in his voice. “Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

They continued to walk in silence until Henry grabbed Frank by the elbow and pulled him through a dark door that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. “We are exactly where we need to be, brother.” Frank was not comforted by Henry’s statement, he tried to turn around, to run and find Gerard but Henry was too strong and led Frank further into the claustrophobic hallway.

It was not long before the narrow walls of the halls broke away and they were in a large room, their footsteps echoing off the cement floor. Henry hit the light switch and Frank’s eyes adjusted to see the room fully.

Past the metal folding chairs and the low hanging, exposed lights sat a man. When the two entered the room, he stood and walked towards them out of the shadow so Frank could see his face.

The man was tall and had a slight hunch in his thin stature. His long, dark hair covered his high cheekbones and crooked smile. “My boys, I’m glad you are here.” The voice sent shivers down Frank’s spine, its oddly velvety quality only served to strike fear into Frank.

“My dear, nephew,” The man, who Frank had deduced was his uncle Gavin, stood in front of Frank and placed a hand on each shoulder. “You look as if you don’t even recognize me. Well, I guess after years under a glamour and now time spent with my traitor brother, this is not surprising.”

With this, Gavin raised his right hand and crossed it to the other side of Frank, bringing it down on his cheek with such might that the simple backhanded slap rendered Frank unconscious.

~***~

Gerard could not find Frank. It had been an hour and a half since Henry had left with Frank but Gerard did not begin to worry when he called Frank, only to feel the soft buzzing of Frank’s phone in his front pocket. He cursed himself for taking it away from Frank in the first place. It had been a joke, a means to get some time alone but his stupidity meant Frank was out there, with no way of contacting Gerard.

There was a horrible feeling in his stomach. Something was wrong, he could feel it in his bones. He was pacing around the house like a caged animal, calling for his mate and hoping he would find Frank curled up asleep somewhere, slightly annoyed that Gerard had woken him up. He did not know where to start looking.

It was not long before his mother and father found him and asked what was wrong. “I can’t find Frank, something is wrong and I have no idea where my mate is.”

“Oh, my baby boy.” His mother cooed, leading him to the nearby chair. “I know you are scared, Gerard, but you do have the ability to find him.”

Gerard thought back to the first time he had found Frank, on the side of the road, the pain in his chest had led him there. This time he felt nothing. “I can’t this time. All I see is red, not Frankie. I can’t see him.”

Gerard’s fathers took a knee next to his son. “You know Frank this time, the connection should be even stronger. You need to calm down, see past the red. Mates are always aware of each other, close your eyes and think about Frank.

This time you need more than just a pain in your chest, you need to connect with Frank so that we know what we are dealing with. You mate is bait at the moment but you cannot go in there by yourself, fangs out, we will help you, son.”

His mother squeezed his hand and he closed his eyes, trying to think of nothing but Frank, safe in his arms. Thoughts of Frank laying on the ground, dead, threatened their way into his head but he used all his might to force them out, to find and grab onto the thought that was Frank.

Just as frustration began to take over, Gerard felt a soft, warm feeling in his chest. If he had not been afraid to lose the feeling, he would have jumped for joy. “He is alive.” He whispered.

“Good, son, but we need more.” His father urged.

Gerard leaned back into the feeling, letting the warmness in his chest spread. “He is awake, just woken up. He was woken up by me, he can feel me! I can feel him!” Gerard opened his eyes and smiled at his mother.

“Keep going, Gerard.” His mother’s voice was low, not wanting to break the connection.

“He... he was hit and knocked unconscious, I can feel the sting, it was on his cheek.” The thought of Frank hurt made Gerard’s blood begin to boil but he could not break his connection with Frank. “He we on a walk with Henry but Henry took him to a strange building with a dark door. Gavin was in the building. Gavin has Frank.”

“Gerard,” His father began once Gerard grew quiet. “Frank may not know where he is but you can feel it. Try to see it, see how many men are guarding him.”

Gerard became very quiet. He sat so still that with his paleness, he almost looked dead. He was like this for a long time until he stood up from his chair and let go of his mother’s arm. “I know where he is. Let’s go.”