Captive [3 Part 2]
Jamie sighs for the nth time as he stares at the house before him. Did he really just drive the four-hour trip to New Jersey just to stare at a house? In the rearview mirror he can see Ben fast asleep in his booster seat. Being a three-year-old, he was more than excited to go with Jamie when he suggested a car ride. The toddler had even helped his older brother pack his bag (well, Jamie had to take out of a few of the toys).
Halfway into the trip, Jamie realized how stupid this trip might be. Rashly, he had decided to take care of Ben without help from his parents, but he knows he still doesn’t have the necessary resources. And just because he thinks he’s ready to step up, it doesn’t mean that Alicia has any interest.
Her house looks exactly the same, and he can tell she still lives there by her parents’ signature station wagon. Was he in love with her? Not at all. He’d rather raise a child with Frank than her, but it’s only fair that Alicia be given the chance.
Fingers nervously drum on the steering wheel as he stares at the door, gathering all the courage he has to do this. He doesn’t want to overwhelm Ben right away so he rolls down all the windows before cutting the car off. Ben stirs slightly when Jamie closes the door, but he falls asleep quickly after turning his head to face the other side.
Halfway to the front door, the door opens, revealing the girl he’s there for. She looks the same as always. Alicia’s dark brown hair falls down just below her shoulders. She’s wearing a band tee matched with a simple pair of black skinny jeans. She’s barefoot, so he assumes she’s only outside for a few minutes. As she brushes a strand of hair out of her face, he can see a tattoo on her wrist. The same tattoo they both got when they were being young and stupid, a few weeks before Ben was conceived.
She looks none-too-pleased to see her ex-boyfriend/baby daddy standing in her driveway. Especially knowing that he should be states away.
“Mikey.” He hasn’t been called that in years. “What are you doing here? Didn’t we make an agreement to just… live apart?”
Jamie shrugs and nervously runs his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, but, um, I think I’m ready for the whole parent thing, and it really wouldn’t be fair to Ben if I didn’t let you be involved.”
Alicia awkwardly shifts her weight between her bare feet. “When we made the deal with our parents then, I was dead set on this. I don’t want to be involved at all. I wasn’t ready then, I’m not ready now, and I won’t be ready for a child until I’m married to someone I love.”
What hurt the most isn’t the fact that Alicia implies that there is no love between them; he knows that. No, his heart jumps at the fact that Ben may never have the opportunity to know his real mother. Doesn’t every parent want a complete family for their child? “I can still do most of the work, that’s no problem, but maybe if I lived closer you could visit and play with him a bit so he’ll know his mother. Do you want to meet him? He’s in the car.”
“No… I- Mikey, I just can’t.” Her eyes widen and her feet start to shuffle backwards at the knowledge of being so close to a child she vowed to steer clear of.
“You don’t want Ben to have a complete family? You don’t even want to glance at your son?” His hands are clasped together tightly as he’s not exactly sure how to react.
“I don’t have a son,” she says quietly before retreating back into her house. The sound of the lock turning resonates in his head. From the car, he can hear the whining 3-year-old who has evidently awoken from his nap only to find that no one was in the car with him.
Silently, Jamie makes his way back to the car to assure Ben that he hasn’t been abandoned. When he hands a coloring book to the toddler, he seems content and quietly colors while Jamie slides back into the car and drives around looking for a motel to stay in for the night.
He had only withdrawn about $200 from his bank account before he left home. There’s more money in his account, but he’s nervous about making a card purchase that would immediately tell his parents of his whereabouts.
There’s a cheap motel along a fast food strip. Back when he used to live there, the motel was a known hangout for hookers. He’s pretty sure it’s the same way. Luckily, Ben doesn’t feel Jamie’s uneasiness as he carries himself along with the couple of bags they’ve brought along. Ben squirms and sits in front of the television. AT home he rarely gets the chance to watch cartoons unless it’s just Jamie watching him. Jamie obliges and turns on the television before sitting in the dingy bathtub with the bathroom door cracked open slightly.
What else can he do but go back home? All his hope had been resting in the assumption that Alicia would agree to take a part in Ben’s life. Perhaps the two of them could have stayed with her until he could find a job and find a cheap place to live…
Unconsciously, he finds himself dialing his best friend’s number. Later on he’ll call his parents and apologize, telling them to not worry so much, but right now he just needs a shoulder to lean on. A friend to love.
Frank sounds very panicked but relieved. He spurts out the usual questions Jamie expects him to ask. Are you okay? Where are you? What is up with you?. Jamie reassures his friend that he’s fine and hangs up after promising to get a good night’s sleep.
It’s 9:17am when Jamie’s awaken by Ben poking his cheek and telling him there’s someone knocking at the door. At first he thinks it may be Alicia, but no one knows where he is except for Frank. On cue, Frank’s voice sounds through the door, demanding that he be let him. Jamie complies and opens the door.
“…Hey.” Ben, who’s clinging onto Jamie’s leg, smiles at Frank and waves. He squeaks and giggles when Frank packs his head affectionately.
“You know how long it took me to get here? Do you know how many buses I had to take and how much money I spent? I better get more than a fucking ‘hey’.” Jamie smiles and wraps his arms around his best friend. Frank signs and holds on tight. “What’s going through your head? Your parents haven’t informed me of anything except for the fact that you just ran off with Ben. Are you crazy?”
“It’s a long story…” He looks over at the toddler who’s hopping around the room. “Let’s head out to the park, I’ll tell you there.” The older man nods and helps his friend dress the protesting little boy. Once everyone is ready they load into Jamie’s car and drive to the park he used to play in when he was smaller.
Ben wastes no time and running off to play on the slide. The two teenagers sit on the edge of the sandbox, idly drawing pictures in the sand.
“So what’s up? Why would you run away from home this far? And with your kid brother?”
Jamie closes his eyes for a few seconds, wondering if there’s an easy way to reveal all the secrets his family has been trying to keep for years. There’s nothing he can think of to lessen the blow of everything. Frank stays quiet but his face carries all the right emotions as the story unfolds.
At the end of the story, the environment is quiet except for the occasional giggling and singing from Ben. Jamie doesn’t know exactly what to do after he tells everything. For three years he’s had this secret, this identity that has shielded him from the truth. Right now, he’s so vulnerable, and his body doesn’t seem to be able to pretend and live this new life. For the first time since Gerard disappeared, he feels like regular, old Mikey Way. He’s back to being the 13 year old who silently fell apart when his brother left.
When Ben comes over, tugging Jamie’s pant leg and whining that he’s tired, Jamie is very close to being in tears. It’s almost as if all his experience of taking care of the toddler has gone out the window. Sensing this, Frank quickly rushes in to collect Ben in his arms and takes him to the car. Once the toddler is loaded into his booster seat, the shorter man is able to take the keys from his friend and settle him into the passenger seat before driving back to the hotel.
Soft snores are heard coming from Ben when he cuts the engine off at the motel. Frank expertly takes him out of the car without waking him and opens the motel door with the key he fishes out of Jamie’s pocket. He’s never put a child to sleep, but his hands seem to be working on autopilot as he takes off Ben’s shoes and tucks him into the bed.
Heading back outside, he pulls Jamie out of the front passenger seat and escorts him to the backseat and settles in next to him.
“It’s okay if you want to cry… it’s just me here, and it’s good to cry sometimes.” And Jamie does. He cries the hardest he has in probably his whole life. Keeping up the calm and cool demeanor has been getting harder and harder lately. His long thin fingers grip at the material of Frank’s shirt as he completely loses himself in his grief. Anyone nearby can probably hear his loud wailing as his body shakes with the power of his sobs. Honestly, Frank has never seen someone cry so hard. Even Mrs. Way’s tears didn’t catch him as off-guard as Jamie’s.
Maybe an hour or more has passed since the crying started and Frank can feel Mikey’s chapped lips pressing light kisses on his collarbone. The soft kisses slowly move further up his neck, to his chin, to his cheek, and finally to his lips. The kiss is long but innocent. Both of their mouths are closed as Mikey applies slightly pressure, still sniffling.
The younger man doesn’t reject the kisses, but the older one knows that Frank is doing this just for his benefit. A relationship between the two of them is probably nowhere in the future, at least nothing more than friendship. Jamie tries to not think of the person who takes up most of Frank’s mind as he runs his hand down the man’s sides and rests his hands on his hips. This is when Frank pulls away and removes the fingers clinging to him.
“Y’know both of us will regret this if we go any further. Let’s go sleep, okay?” Like a child, Jamie nods obediently and follows his friend out of the car and into the motel where they lay on both sides of the sleeping toddler and join him in dreamland.
*~*~*~*~*
They’re driving back home when Jamie offers all the information he needs to know about Garrett.
“My brother was kidnapped when he was sixteen. After the first 48 the police usually assume that they’re just looking for the victim’s body. They haven’t found his body yet, but who would keep their victim alive that long?”
*~*~*~*~*
Only on television and in movies has Frank seen or heard of kidnapping victims. Never in his lifetime would he ever think he might be working side by side with one. Had there been obvious signs? He never saw any cuts or bruises on Garrett’s skin, but a kidnapper would be smart enough to not abuse his victim in a way that the marks would be shown. Garrett did exhibit the psychological signs of physical and sexual abuse though… he avoided all eye contact; sometimes he would flinch away from being touched. Pete said Garrett had dropped tons of weight in the time he had been there. Bert seems to control every aspect of Garrett’s life, including his money, which the redhead worked almost everyday to earn. He often missed days of work and had no explanation when he returned.
Frank’s more sure than ever that at the very least, Garrett’s being physically abused, and from walking in on the two “lovers” before, there’s probably some sexual abuse going on.
He wants to save Garrett more than anything, but how? Bert isn’t going to be exactly willing to release a boy he had been imprisoning for years. On his own he would probably never be able to come up with a decent enough plan that might work. HE couldn’t just call the police; Bert would probably meet them at the door and sweet-talk them into leaving.
Love is a complicated feeling, more complicated that a seventeen-year-old boy can understand. Frank doesn’t dare to say that he’s in love because he’s not sure what exactly he’s feeling for Garrett. All he can really say is that he feels his purpose on this earth to rescue the older man. Whatever this feeling is blinds him from being able to come up with a less dangerous solution.
On Sunday afternoon he finds himself standing in front of the bookstore in a poorly put-together disguise. Usually, Bert shows up to take Garrett home, but Frank hopes it’s one of those rare occasions where the redhead will walk home. His plan is simple: convince Garrett to go to the police. Obviously, the older man has sort of an affection of him, as they had been kissing often before Garrett disappeared for a week. He just hadn’t worked out the right words yet. How could he confess that he knows everything?
The teenager quickly hides himself as Garrett exits the building after his shift. Frank still isn’t sure what to say, and he doesn’t want to really come off as a bumbling idiot. Unfortunately for him, his hiding spot is right in front of Bert who had gotten out of his car to greet Garrett.
Oddly enough, the blonde man smiles down at him, offering his hand out to help him to his feet. Frank hesitantly takes the hand and emerges from his hiding spot where the redhead man can see them standing together. “You’re Gee’s friend, aren’t you?” Frank nods, suspiciously. “Great! Did you want to come over to our house? I need to out and run a few errands, and I didn’t want Gee to be alone.”
This is the perfect opportunity he needs! Not only can he convince Garrett to confess everything, but also the police can be waiting to arrest Bert when he returns. Frank smiles back at the unsuspecting man and accepts his offer to go with them. At this, Bert smiles even wider and opens the back passenger door to his car.
Garrett seems very confused and very uncomfortable the whole ride home. His fingers are constantly fidgeting, and his whole body flinches as Bert casually reaches over to change the radio station. Evidence, the young man thinks as he smirks to himself.
They pull up to a fairly nice house just on the outskirts of town. Frank supposes that Bert picked the location because of the distance between the houses. No one could possibly hear Garrett crying or screaming. The inside of the house is about as plain as the outside. Did he really expect Bert to keep torture devices in the open though? No, a kidnapper had to keep up the appearance of normalcy.
The sound of a lock turning behind him slightly alarms Frank, as he was sure that Bert would head directly out to do his errands.
“Bert…” Garrett’s voice is laced with fear, but before the teenager can turn around to see the cause of the fear, a gun is placed at the back of his neck.
“You’re making my job way too easy, you fucking pussy.” Frank’s blood runs cold. “Now, I was thinking of a way to get you alone, but I didn’t think you would just go along with it. Gerard, go get the cuffs.” His eyes follow as the redhead obediently leaves the room to the retrieve the objects. Bert takes Frank’s momentary distraction as a chance to rotate him around and put the barrel of the gun against his temple. Goosebumps appear as the armed man roots through the shorter man’s jean pockets and pulls out his cell phone. “Now, I’m gonna need you to call that little friend you had with you the other day, Gerard’s brother, and get him over here in any way possible.”
Fear makes Frank freeze up as Bert searches through the phone’s contact and dials Jamie’s number (thanks to the photo ID Frank leisurely took in the middle of lunch one day). The phone rings a couple of times before Jamie answers. Words fail to be formed as the frighten man tries to think of a way to get out of this situation. A finger is moved to the trigger of the gun. “H-hey Jamie, I really need to show you something important… Are you able to come out now?”
“Yeah… is everything alright?”
“Everything’s fine, I just really need you to come out here.” Being the good friend, Jamie agrees to immediately come out and promises to hurry after he’s told the address of the house. By the time the conversation ends, Garrett (Gerard?) is back with a box that appears to be filled with handcuffs. Jealous flashes across Frank’s face as Bert places a tender kiss on the other’s lips as he takes the box from them.
“Into the bedroom.” Both of the men shudder at this command but comply. Gerard, because he’s become obedient; Frank, because he has no choice. In the small bedroom, Bert leads Frank to the almost-bare closet and quickly handcuffs his wrists to the clothes bar and his feet together. Garrett receives the same treatment, completely terrified.
*~*~*~*~*
Never in the 4 years has he considered the possibility of Bert bringing someone else into their nightmare. Had he missed the signs? After all the disapproving remarks about Frank, was it just a ploy so Gerard couldn’t warn him. They would have to move again… there would be more scandal to avoid.
This is when it clicks.
Bert isn’t just kidnapping this time. He plans to kill.
He was planning to kill Frank.
Tears begin flowing down his cheeks as he openly sobs, knowing that he may have possibly been the cause of all of this. Did he fuck up everything by clinging to the man? By becoming his friend? By kissing him?
“I see my love has figured out part of my plan.” Part of it? “I always knew we couldn’t live like this forever, baby.” He gently caresses Gerard’s face before smacking it. “I thought we had a few decades though before some idiot found out about us. If your little friend was the only one I could easily dispose of him, but your fucking brother knows. Of course, I’m going to kill both of them, but I don’t think I can get away with two more murders.” His eyes gloss over as he turns away and stares at nothing. “I was hoping to make our last nigh memorable. We could go to a dinner or a movie and simply slip away in our sleep, but you had to fuck up everything.”
A knock on the door signals Mikey’s arrival. Gerard cries out slightly which makes Bert nervous enough to hit Mikey across the head with his weapon. The man crumples onto the ground, blood coming from the cut across his cheek.
“YOU KILLED MY BROTHER! YOU KILLED MY FUCKING BROTHER!” He rebelliously starts pulling at his restraints as Bert re-enters the room, dragging an unconscious and bleeding Mikey into the room. All the years of pent of sadness and anger erupt as he tries desperately to escape or tear down the bar he’s attached to, if necessary. All the weight loss in the past year has rendered him week though. A few seconds of struggling tire him out.
There’s no more room in the closet to handcuff his new victim, so Bert attaches him to the foot of the bed. “Not yet. I plan to have a little fun before it’s time.”
*~*~*~*~*
The three hostages have been tied up for close to an hour. Bert walked out some time ago, mumbling to himself. Silence has finally settled as Gerard runs out of tears to shed. Mikey still hasn’t awakened.
“Frankie?”
“Yeah, Gee?’
“I really like you.”
“I really like you too.”
This moment isn’t anything like Frank always imagined. In school he had confessed to liking a few classmates, but his feelings had never been returned. Being liked back was supposed to be one of the happiest moments in his young life. A confession was supposed to be followed by dates… shy kisses… maybe love? But definitely not death. Definitely not when he was only seventeen.
Gerard placed a quick peck on his cheek. “I’m so sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
*~*~*~*~*
Bert returns after a few more minutes of silence between the two men. His face is strangely calm; Gerard doesn’t like it.
“I can see why you like the kid, Gerard. He’s kinda cute.” He runs a finger down Frank’s neck, making him shiver. “Tell me… are you a virgin?” Gerard can feel the man freeze up next to him before he nods slightly. “Ahhhh, then I’m gonna have lots of fun.”
“Take me instead.” Offering himself isn’t something Gerard does to be heroic. Even though they’re about to die, he can’t stand to Frank to feel for one second the way he does. Dirty. Used. A plaything. No one deserved to have their innocence taken away, especially not this young, especially not before they died.
Bert ignores Gerard’s request and unlocks Frank’s wrist handcuffs at the same time Mikey wakes up, frightened. The sound of his best friend’s pleas to stop cause him to turn his head toward them, almost immediately recognizing the perpetrator.
“You… you’re that creep that used to live down the street from us. You did this?” He ignored Mikey has he re-handcuffed Frank to the head of the bed. His long fingers began to move under the teenager’s shirt, making him squirm and protest even more. “I really should have known though… The way you always looked at Gerard when we passed by. You’re sick. People like you don’t deserve to live.” Bert shot Mikey a look. A look that said Shut the fuck up before I kill you first.
“Mikey, stop.” It’s crazy how after 4 years, Gerard can completely read his brother. He knows Mikey is trying to get the attention away from his friend lying on the bed who has started to cry.
“Have you always been like this? Are you doing this because you couldn’t get love any other way? Did your mother abandon you?”
This was the button Mikey was looking for, the button that has Bert clambering off the bed and pointing the pistol directly at the man at the foot of the bed. “Don’t you talk about my fucking mom.”
Mikey smirks. “I can see why she didn’t want a piece of shit son like you. I bet she was glad to be rid of you. Or did you kill her? She gave you everything, and you killed her in her sleep?”
“Mikey!” Gerard begins to struggle against his restraints again as the gun goes off, piercing a hole through his stomach. Blood runs from his mouth as he coughs, trying to adjust to the pain of being shot. “MIKEY!” The redhead is completely frantic now. He barely registers Frank also pulling at the handcuffs around his wrist.
The bar is starting to move slightly with the sudden strength Gerard finds. Screams are heard again as the gun goes off again, this time lodging a bullet in Mikey’s leg. Gerard has no idea what he’s yelling as he tugs harder at the bar. All he knows is that bar is slowly slipping and he’s almost there… almost.
BANG! The last shot rings sickeningly through the air. Blood… there’s so much blood and it takes everything Gerard has to not vomit at the sight of Frank covered in bits of brain and the cold dead look in Bert’s eyes as his body drops and lands on top of Mikey who’s scared silent.
The police officer who delivered the fatal bullet looks just as surprised as the three hostages who can only stare as more officers rush into the room to release them and escort them out of the house. The ambulances come soon after just as the sun’s beginning to rise again.
It’s dawn. Police radios are going off, the police are moving back and forth inside the house, and the paramedics are starting to load them onto gurneys and into. An official police photographer captures the image of all three men, looking up at a new sun they never though they’d see.
An epilogue will follow ^^
I suck at action, I apologize
Chapter 3 Part 1 | Chapter 3 Part 2 | Epilogue