Humming to myself, I fished into my back pocket for my key, while trying not to drop any of the groceries. I inserted the key into the lock, my tongue poking out, and I unlocked the door, stepping in.

Gerard and Bert were both out; Gerard at college and Bert with a friend, maybe Jeph or something. But it didn't matter, because for once I was glad to have the house to myself. I had gotten some groceries, and planned on cleaning the house and maybe even calling my mom to see how she was doing.

All of that shattered when I turned on the light and saw the mess.

Paintings had been knocked askew, and the lamp that sat in the hall had been swept to the floor. Glass shards had settled into the carpet like mites, and I sidestepped them carefully as I entered the living room.

The couch cushions had been flung around, the coffee table kicked over, the flowers that Gerard sometimes drew tossed carelessly to the floor. The blinds had been shut, blocking out all light, and I peered into the kitchen, grawing on my lower lip.

The coffee jar was smashed on the floor, granules surrounding it as if it was an ants' nest. I set the bags of groceries on the counter, putting the fridge and freezer stuff away in case I needed to go out, and I was on my way out of the room when I saw one of the cupboard doors ajar. With my foot, I opened it fully, frowning at the lack of alcohol. There was always alcohol in that cupboard - whether it was Bert's, or Gerard's for a very special occasion (once in a blue moon), or even mine...but it was almost empty. I could've sworn that it had been full when I left earlier.

In the bathroom, nothing had been touched. Clearly whoever had been through here hadn't felt the need to start throwing shampoo around. But Bert's room had been trashed; his duvet was on the floor, the contents of the trash can dumped onto the carpet, two or three drawers emptied. I was pretty sure my lip was bleeding as I went into mine and Gerard's room, and my heart sank.

The photos that were on my nightstand had been thrown against the wall, my friends and boyfriend staring at the ceiling through spiderweb cracks. Our clothes, mainly mine, had been ripped from the closet, and the duvet, which I'd neatly made this morning, had been completely tossed to the floor.

There was glass in one corner, surrounding a dark stain in the carpet. I knew at once by the label on the bottle that it was some sort of gin. My stomach twisted, and my hands shook. I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialled Gerard's number, beyond freaked out by now. Someone had smashed up the house (bar the bathroom) and nobody was here.

"Hey, Gerard here, sorry I can't take your call right now, but leave me a message and I'll try and get back to you. Bye!"

I chewed at the skin around my thumbnail, surveying the mess around me. It wasn't too bad, nothing I couldn't clean up in an hour or so with some music blaring through the house, but I was still freaked out. It was not like this when I'd left two hours ago.

I found my fingers dialling Bert's number, but he didn't reply either. I tried Gerard once more, and again, but got no reply, leaving me almost frantic.

There was a torn photo on the pillows, and when I walked closer, I saw that it was one of Gerard and I. It wasn't even ripped in half - it was ripped following where Gerard and I were joined - at the mouth, of course - separating us completely.

Tears blurred my vision as I sank onto the bed, my ears straining for noises, for signs that I wasn't alone. The only people that had keys to the house were Gerard, Bert and me. There was no indication at all that anyone had broken in, so...

I tried calling Gerard and Bert one last time, and resorted to calling Mikey when I got no answer from either.

"Hey, what's up?" He said, picking up on the third ring.

"Do you - do you know where Gerard is?" I asked, my voice shaking too much and giving away just how much I was freaking out.

"No, why? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, I just -" I tore off a shred of skin on my thumb with my teeth. "The house is a mess, and I only went out to pick up some groceries and stuff, but nobody else is home and he won't answer the phone and -" tears spilled from my eyes and I wiped them away with the heel of my hand, my lower lip trembling. "And Gee always answers the phone, no matter what, and -"

"Hey, hey, Frank, listen to me. I'll give him a call, and if he answers, I'll get him to call you. If not, I'll call the college. If there's still no answer, I'll try Bert. And I'll try anyone I can until I've gotten hold of him, okay?"

"Okay." I mumbled, sniffing pathetically.

"Just stay where you are, Frank - we'll sort it out. How bad's the house?"

"Um..." I licked my lips. "Pictures have been thrown everywhere, and the coffee jar's on the floor, and my clothes aren't where I put them, and...yeah."

"Nothing's been taken?"

"...only alcohol."

"Hm..." There was a pause. "Have you noticed Gerard acting weird recently?"

I thought about the past few days, and nodded to myself. Especially since the morning I'd been talking to Bert, which was four days ago. "Kinda...why?"

"Let me call him. I'll get back to you. Okay?"

"Yeah. All right." I gulped. "What should I do?"

"Stay there; I'll call you back."

"Okay."

He hung up, and I tossed my phone to the side, picking up the two halves of the photo. A tear dripped onto it, followed by another, and I pulled my knees up to my chest. Gerard had been acting kind of weird, and so had Bert. Bert was always acting weird, but Gerard...I felt like I was losing him somehow.

Maybe I was just being paranoid. Overthinking and worrying about everything. Who knows?

Half an hour passed with nothing from Mikey, and I considered calling him back, but the second I picked up my phone it began to ring. Brendon's caller I.D flashed up on the screen, and I hesitated. He hadn't called me for four days, which was understandable, because he was on his honeymoon, but somehow I didn't think this would be a happy phone call.

"Hey." I said quietly, going back to chewing on my thumb. "How is everything?"

There was a pause, accompanied with shaky breathing. "Not good. Is there any way you can get to the hospital?"

Oh, shit. "Somehow, yeah; what's happened?"

He took a deep breath. "We had to cut our honeymoon short. I'll explain when you get here. Just...please."

"I won't be long, I swear."

He ended the call, and I got to my feet, trying to figure out how to get to New Jersey. Gerard couldn't take me - he was working. He wouldn't be home for several hours. Bert could drive, but even if he was here, there was no way I would ever get in a car with him. Everyone else was in Jersey.

The train would have to do. Whether I had the money or not, though, was a different story. I rooted through all my bags and found nothing, and it wasn't like I could borrow off of Gerard. There was a jar in the kitchen, on top of the fridge, for absolute emergencies only. This was an emergency...right?

I hurried into the kitchen and used the step beside the fridge to reach on top of it and grab the jar. Luckily it was still full, odd five- and ten-dollar bills stuffed inside it, maybe several cents if Gerard had random change lying around. I took fifty dollars, hesitated, and took an extra twenty, just in case. I had no idea how much train tickets costed, but it was better to be safe than sorry. I needed to get to the hospital.

I scribbled a quick note to Gerard, something about having to go to Jersey and the mess not being my fault, and then I grabbed my phone and left.

I didn't know what would happen at the hospital, but I knew one of the outcomes was watching my best friend die...and I'd be damned if I was going to let that happen.

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I'm not gonna lie, I'm not keen on this chapter. I don't know why, but...*shrugs* my head hurts and I cannot be bothered to change it - which makes me sound hella lazy, but what can ya do?

Wow, it's like I'm a grumpy little shit these days:') I'm not, but y'know xD

Next chapter will be in a few days, I'm not gonna rush it, but I won't make you wait several thousand years either:')

Thanks for 3,000 votes guys!

Thanks Pete,

-xøcharr <3