we pull apart the dark

chapter four

Sometimes, you can meet someone and you both click. You just get each other, connect in a way that's really rare and it's great. Especially when maybe you weren't so lucky with your past friendships while you were alive, sure you had maybe two or three friends but you never really connected. And then going several years without any contact from another being, you were just about desperate to interact with anyone and it just so happened that the person you met ends up being a guy who's super cool and becomes your new best friend.

Gerard and Frank had hung out almost everyday for the past week now. Same routine, he'd show up once the sun had set and they'd spend most of the night talking, sharing stories and goofing off like children. They both felt almost human again.

It wasn't until Gerard didn't show up one night Frank began to worry. Not worry that something had happened, just that maybe he began changing his mind about hanging out with him. Especially when he didn't show the next day or the following. Frank couldn't help be so dependent on the other now, he couldn't help how clingy he became because no one else could see him! He had no one else to interact with and he was lonely, when Gerard came around it was like the dark clouds parted in his mind and things were okay and normal. He kept him busy, gave him something to look forward to. It wasn't like Frank had a phone to contact Gerard to find out where he was, either. Let alone a watch on him, so he never knew the exact time of day. The days and nights melding together, since he never slept, into one continuous nightmare that never seemed to end.

He sat against his headstone the last few days he was alone, practically sulking and not even bothering to move. Going from finally interacting with someone to them just disappearing was a real downer and he didn't know what to do with himself. Yeah, he'd been alone for thirteen plus years, but it wasn't like he was any more occupied. Watching the few visitors come and go but didn't bother to get any closer to them. Every time a person walked in, he couldn't help but hope it was his friend finally returning only to collapse back into himself with a disappointed sigh. Index finger outlining of the writing carved into his headstone behind him as he turned around, finger hovering over the stone, not quite touching it. Not that he could, anyways. But it didn't stop him from trying, groaning and thrusting his entire fist through the stone with an aggravated sigh when it didn't work.

Almost furious now, suddenly all of his emotions were bubbling up and spilling over, turning from pain into rage. His friend left without warning, being gone for days when he swore things were going well. Still being trapped in this cemetery, being unable to touch anything no matter how hard he tried or focused. Having to watch his mother slowly stop showing up to visit him, not being able to physically feel anything against his skin anymore. What was so important to Gerard that he decided to stop showing up? Where was he? Why didn't he tell him? If he had plans, he could've told Frank and he would've understood. Instead of leaving him here to sit and wonder, overthinking that his friend possibly hated him now, that pity was the only thing that kept him coming back, but now he would never return.

It was growing and spreading, like a fire erupting in his belly that caught his chest on fire. His body felt hot and he stood with his hands balled into tight fists, breathing heavy with his jaw clenched. He could feel the fire burning in his throat now and for a minute, he swore if someone looked at him, they would see flames in his eyes.

Storming over to the tree him and Gerard usually sat at, pacing back and forth as his anger continued to build and then he pulled his leg back, knowing it wouldn't resolve anything or make him feel any better, he kicked forward as hard as he could with a loud, anguished shout and suddenly was met with an intense pain that spread up to his knee.

Gasping from both the pain and the realization of what just happened, Frank collapsed to the ground and clutched at his aching foot and stared at the tree in disbelief. His foot had actually collided with the base of the tree, slamming rather harshly into it and it felt like he could have broken a few toes with the force of his kick. Frank was stunned, he was confused and actually pretty excited that he had finally made contact with something. Despite it resulting in hurting himself. He crawled forward on his hands and knees, reaching out to touch the trunk but his hand just went through the bark. Groaning and collapsing into the dirt in defeat. If it weren't for the continuous throbbing in his foot, he wouldn't believe he had just done that.