Turn Off The Dark (Frerard)

Part Six

-Gerard's POV-

The new watch kid apparently had some sort of odd fondness for the bore-you-to-tears job he held, because he stuck around. I didn't mind, so long as he wasn't going to pester me, and I highly doubted he would. I'm not certain why. I suppose I just didn't perceive him as the type who was really interested in sticking his nose where it didn't belong.

On a hazy, humid Autumn night, lightning cracked up the sky and thunder rumbled on the horizon. The lovely weatherlady on channel four had been talking about the incoming storm system all week (as her male coworkers ogled her), and I drew the conclusion that I more than likely wouldn't catch any sleep tonight.

Within the hour the storm had rolled in. I sat sipping my coffee at the dingy kitchen table when a crack like a firework emanated from outside, an suddenly all my electricity shut down. I sighed heavily. How was I to draw?

It was then that I realized how drastically much humans depend on electric power. Without my drawing light, television, or radio, I completely lost all ideas of things to do, and quite frankly, my desire to move, in barely five minutes. I sat alone in the dark with my thoughts.

Until there was a soft knock on my apartment door.

What the fuck?

Had I imagined that? There was no such thing as a knock in MY door. Nobody even knew me. Who the hell was there?

The rapping came again, more insistent this time. I crept warily to the door and put an eye to the dusty peephole. I was presented with a warped vision of the night kid standing uncomfortably outside my door, wringing his hands. Raising my eyebrows, I cautiously opened my door with an obnoxious creak.

Shading my eyes with my hair, I whispered, "Yes?"

"Hello. Sorry to bother you- but uh. Erm. I guess it's protocol during a power outage to go around and make sure everyone's okay- so, uh- are you-okay?" he rambled. I chanced a glance at him. He was staring at the ground, he was so nervous. I scratched at my scars where my body was shielded behind the heavy door.

"I'm okay" I said softly, unable to muster up anything else. He looked up shyly.

"Call down if you aren't. I'm- I'm Frank."

he offered me his hand. I blinked. Why- oh. Handshake. I reluctantly stuck my hand out and stiffly shook his. This was just how long I'd had little to no contact with humans. Forgetting the basics of communication.

"Thanks, bye" I rushed, and snapped my door shut. He just kind of stood there on the opposite side, I could tell, and I reciprocated from my end. It was a long, tension-filled moment before I heard his light footsteps traipse back down the hallway towards the stairwell. I then realized I hadn't shared my name in return. Ah well. Better that he- Frank, was it?- keep his distance from supposedly psychopathic/sociopathic me. For his sake, anyway.

The storm rumbled through the night, loud crashing of thunder and the cracking of trees the most prominent noises of the night, drowning out even the sound of the rain slapping the pavement. The radio declared through a static screech that nearly all the buildings around had lost power as well, and restoring power to everyone could take some time. Fantastic. Without my light, drawing was going to be tremendous pain in my ass.

But now, now it was too late to worry about such a thing. Melatonin heavy in my brain, I could hardly keep my eyes open any longer, so I shuffled my way off to bed on my old, dingy mattress.

Curling up under my ratty old blankets, I pondered Frank for a short while.

"Frank." I let the name roll off my tongue, new to my lips. It hung in the darkness, sounding slightly odd and out of context. He seemed.. what's the word.. lonely?

Lonely. There's an emotion for you.

Loneliness.

I, myself, never felt emotions, but loneliness? I suppose I could relate to that. Despite my utter disgust and distaste toward most other humans, some company was to be desired at times.

A friend?

Yes, that sounded nice. I closed my eyes and immediately felt sleep wash over me.

A friend..