the science of sleep // frerard

8/9

"You know what I miss?" Mikey says loudly as they enter the diner. "CD players. Or iPods. Or tapes. Or anything that involves blocking sound out."

Gerard and Frank laugh. They sit down in one of the booths and Ray brings over some tins of chow with some candles lit to replace the dying light outside, and then the four of them sit down for dinner. Ray and Gerard keep cracking jokes and even Mikey manages to stay vaguely friendly towards Frank, miracle beyond all miracles. The food's disgusting but tonight, it seems bearable in the laughter and candlelight and with Gerard pressed next to his side.

He could see this being his future. He could see this being some weird domestic bubble, him and Gerard, still together after the world ends. Frank's so wrapped up in the bubble that he doesn't register what the low rumbling is outside until Gerard suddenly drops his fork, looking up in alarm.

"What- what's that?" Frank asks.

It's like someone flipped a switch. Immediately, everyone – including Frank - is on their feet, guns drawn.

"That better not be what I think it is," Mikey says.

"Are we expecting company?!" Frank asks, grabbing one of the homemade hand grenades off the table.

"Quick, car!!" Gerard yells as the unmistakable sound of car engines gets louder.

"But the stuff – " Ray starts.

"Leave it!" Frank says, grabbing his arm and running after Gerard and Mikey.

The doors to the diner suddenly blast open and, sending a kick of icy cold horror to Frank's stomach, Draculoids come running in, the white suits and monster masks suddenly so genuinely terrifying. Frank crashes solidly into Mikey.

"BACK!!" Gerard hollers.

Frank doesn't stop to think. He's already got his gun out and there's gunfire on all sides – he points his white blaster in the right direction and starts firing. His shoulder bashes into Ray's, Gerard on his other side next to Mikey. There's Draculoids everywhere, firing as the four outlaws move as one towards the kitchen.

"Frankie, bomb!!" Gerard yells over the sound of gunfire.

The grenade is still clutched in Frank's fingers so tightly he'd forgotten he had it. He pulls the pin and throws it as hard as he can. The gunfire ceases as the Dracs immediately start running for the door and the Killjoys take the moment to run out the opposite back door of the kitchen, just as the bomb goes off with a tremendous explosion that completely obliterates everything inside.

The desert sun is high in the blue sky, offering no shadows and exposing them completely as more Draculoids come running around the side of the building. The Killjoys are all running for the car when Ray suddenly stops –

"Ray!!" Frank yells.

"Run!!" he shouts, spinning around to face the Dracs, his gun raised.

"NO!" Frank's about to run back for him when someone seizes him by the back of his neck – Mikey!?

"Keep running, fucker!!"

Frank stumbles, his feet slipping through the desert dust as raygun blasts whizz past his head. The three of them run around the corner of the diner and come face to face with a wall of Draculoids between them and the Trans Am, guns aimed, loaded and ready to fire. From the sounds behind them, Frank already knows it's hopeless but he raises his gun anyway and starts firing as Gerard and Mikey do the same thing.

We can't win. We can't win this.

He's got his back up against Gerard and Mikey as the three of them fire – Frank's now seeing the Draculoids his shots hit, he's seeing the bodies hit the ground –