Descent Into Madness

“This is all I have time for…” The tattooed man had a wistful glint in his eyes as he spoke in his soft, smooth voice. His hands trembled a little as he reluctantly handed me the paper. “Go now. Find him before it’s too late…” He frowned at me and placed the paper in my hands, cupping them with his own, “Please…”
I sighed quietly, “They aren’t going to kill you…” I tried to assured him, but I didn’t even believe the words as the left my mouth.
He merely laughed in my face, “Go on then!” He told me.
It was sad… he was so young… only twenty-three, and he was going to die in here, no matter how much I tried to deny it, and it was all my brothers fault. If it wasn’t for my low life brother, he would have led a normal life. We could have been happy! But now, now he couldn’t even remember my name… and I couldn’t even bring myself to tell him, either.
He noticed my troubled expression, and slid his hands over mine, “Penny for your thought?” He asked, smiling a little.
“Oh Frank…” I murmured, “I’m going to help you… I promise.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but before any words could come out, he was cut off by the sound of a bell, and a loud shout, “Visiting hours are over! Everybody up and out!” The guard next to the door hollered loudly.
“Oh, kid… there isn’t any hope for me anymore.” He squeezed my hand, then got up. “Find him. Please.” He said as he left.
I walked out to the car with my hands shoved in my pockets, where Ray was waiting for me, “How’d it go?” He asked me, taking my jacket as I slid into the passenger’s seat, “Did you get anything out of him?” He added.
“He still doesn’t remember anything but disemboweling Caroline.” I told him, “Well… actually, he remembers everything, but names and faces, but he won’t tell me the story. He says he doesn’t have enough time…” I corrected.
“He wrote a note?” Ray asked, referring to the note in my hand.
I swallowed hard and nodded, “Yeah… Frank want me to find… my brother.” I couldn’t even speak his name anymore. It just made me sick.
“Ray, he keeps on saying he’s going to die in there…” I murmured after a moment of silence. “He’s so certain of it…” I wasn’t even sure if I could continue to talk, my voice was shaking, and threatening to break. “Do you think he’s right? Would they really kill him?”
“Oh, I don’t know baby…” Ray shook his head, “Read the note.” He said as he started the car, the engine coming to life with a gentle purr.
I unfolded the paper with unsteady hands, “Out loud?”
“No, I can read it later.” He told me.
I began to read to myself.
“My descent into madness was a long, spiraling staircase, and a song that was played on repeat. I can’t tell you the whole story, I don’t have enough time. They’re going to kill me in here, you see?” I sighed at this but continued to read. “I do, however, know who can tell you the entire story… if you can find him. I only remember a word.
Way.
I connect it to his face somehow, but why I could not tell you. If you really want to know the entire story, then he’s the person to ask. So go, find him. And if you do find him, tell him I said “thank you” for me, alright?
I can’t say much more, I’m sorry, I just can’t remember… but I can wish you good luck, my nameless friend.
~Love Frank”.
I sighed with irritation, “Way…”
Ray looked at me, “Huh?”
“He can connect the name Way with my brother, the person who ruined his fucking life, and landed him in this damn hole, but he doesn’t even know who I am!” I screamed, slamming my fist against the dashboard angrily.
“Calm…” Ray told me, patting my back as he drove, “Do you remember where Caroline’s body was found at?”
I looked at him like he was stupid, “Well yeah.” I said, “The old warehouse.” My voice was flat, and full of irritation.
“And three days earlier, that was the last time we saw…” Ray paused, “…him…” He said the world bitterly, “After Frank snapped?” He finished.
“Yes.” I nodded slowly, and spoke in a condescending manner.
“And what day is it?” He asked.
“It’s Halloween.”
“And where do you think he will be?” Ray pushed.
“Oh my god, you don’t think he would…”
“He did have some sort of sick obsession with Frank.” Ray reminded me.
“But Ray! We haven’t seen him in five god damn years!” I shouted, throwing my arms up in frustration, as I reminded my friend the impossibility of our quest.
“Because we never thought to look!” Ray shouted back.
“Fine… fine…” I muttered, “Let’s go.”
Ray grinned at me, all big and goofy like, “Great!”
But it wasn’t great. It made my stomach knot, and my head spin wildly.
“If we find him… do you think he’ll tell us the story?” I asked.
Ray shrugged, “Well, I suppose we’ll just have to find out, wont we, little buddy.”
“He… Frank told me to thank him.” I said in a quiet voice.
“Why?”
“Didn’t say…”
“Are you going to?”
“I have to…”
“Why?”
“I owe it to Frank…”
“Alright then…”

We walked up to the burnt ruins of Frank’s old house, and I got this feeling of despair in the pit of my stomach. Only the door was completely intact, not touched by the flame, and only slightly weathered. Carved into the slightly rotting wood, and the peeling paint, was a poem that Frank had put there before kidnapping and killing Caroline.
‘Oh calamity!
Waves of confusion crash over me.
Drowning in pools of my own wretched tears,
Being dragged down by my own wretched fears,
But I can’t stop…

Oh calamity!
Spellbinded, tongue tied, I’m trying to get free.
Wading through lakes of my own tainted blood,
Being forced under by my own tainted flood,
Of my own wretched tears,
Caused to fall by my own wretched fears,
But I can’t stop…

Oh calamity!’
The poem gave me the creeps. “Look at this… how is this even still here?” I murmured, tracing my fingers over the wood, peeling paint, and the carved words.
“I’m surprised the door didn’t burn with the rest of the place…” Ray sounded a little confused, and he scratched the back of his neck as he spoke.
“I am too…” I remembered the terror that twisted in my stomach the night of the fire. Caroline, my mother, hand called me at Ray’s house, she said she was going to go check on Frankie. She said that he was acting strange.
Of course, Ray and I knew the truth, we knew what would happen if she went over there. By the time we showed up at Frank’s house everything was ablaze. At first, we thought that they had both died in there, but Ray determined otherwise.
We only found him at the old warehouse because we happened to get a call from my brother, telling us where he was.
How he knew, I have no clue, but we got to the warehouse to find Frank covered in Caroline’s blood, and the woman I called mother, dead on the floor with her guts spilling out of her. He was drawing in the blood, and when he realized that we were there, he looked up, and said once sentence, “Who are you guys?”
That… that was the sentence that broke my heart.
He went to jail after that, and we haven’t heard from my brother ever since, and that was five years ago… five fucking years ago.
Ray grabbed my elbow and shook me a little, “Hey, you’re crying…” He whispered, pulling me into a tight embrace.
I sighed and wiped my face, “It isn’t fair!” I shouted.
“Wait, quiet… I think I hear something.” Ray clapped his hand over my mouth, “Shhh… be completely silent, okay?”
I nodded, and we both fell silent. Sure enough, I heard a quiet voice.
“I’m sorry, Frankie… you just don’t understand…” A familiar flash of black hair met my eyes, and I bit my tongue.
“That is definitely him…” I whispered to Ray, “How did you know that he would be here?” I asked, gripping his shoulder.
“Just a hunch…” He whispered back, “I bet the jeep is out back.”
“Are you sure? I mean, would that be a good idea? To go and check?” I asked in a rather uncomfortable tone of voice.
“Come on. Don’t be such a total wimp.” Ray pushed.
“Fine, yeah, alright.” I muttered. I followed Ray around back of Frank’s house, and there it was, my brothers cherry red jeep, barked in the garden. Ray walked over to the car, and leaned against it, keeping his foot ready to push off the tire and run if needed. I didn’t make myself quite so comfortable. I was ready to run as well. My brother was unstable.
My brother, a tall man who was around twenty-eight years old, with a long map of dyed black hair, and big, curious hazel eyes, stepped into view. When he saw us, he froze and got this fearful look in his eyes. He gaped at us for a minute before Ray spoke.
“Please don’t run away from us, Gerard.” His voice was calm. He was a trained therapist, so he was supposed to be good at these types of situations. “Please, can you just come here and speak with us?” He asked.
My brother just stared at us for another moment, “Leave me alone!” He shouted, “Just go away!” Then he turned to bolt, but I shot forward tackling him to the ground.
“Please calm down…” Ray said to both of us when I moved away.
My brother just lay curled up on the ground, crying his eyes out, he buried his face in his hands, “They’re going to kill him in there, aren’t they!?” He wailed, “I’m so sorry you guys! This is all my fault! I never should have come back that summer!”
We both ran over to him, and I put my hand on his back, “Oh, come on Gerard…” I nearly choked on the name. It tasted like bile in my mouth. My brother threw his arms around me and cried into my neck. “Gerard, you need to answer some questions…” I murmured.
“Fine… fine…” He mumbled into the crook of my neck, “What would you boys like to know?” He asked, trying to dry his face.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Ray beat me to it, “Everything.” He cut in, “Do you want to help Frankie? Then tell us the entire story. We need to know exactly what happened here.” He said, gripping Gerard’s shoulder.
“Come with me, then.” My brother stood up and began to walk towards the jeep. He had suddenly grown very grim, “We can’t talk here.”
We reluctantly agreed to go with him, not entirely sure if we should trust him or not, because he was insane. He wasn’t in his right mind, and he could snap on us, just like Frank had on Caroline, and neither of us wanted that.

Gerard took us to the old warehouse for some reason, which made us very uncomfortable. We all lay in a circle on the floor in the center of the old building, and we waited for my brother to talk, “Come on, Gerard. You need to tell us what happened.” Ray pushed.
Gerard looked at us both and took in a deep breath. We listened intently as he started speaking, “Well… it all started that summer, the day I came back… 1995…” We got lost in the story that he told, listening to him in silence.
“Ray told you I was someone at the door, asking to use the phone…”

Notes

Sorry, don't hate me for posting ANOTHER story, but whatever. If you don't like it, bite me. Hope you guys enjoy this little bit! I'm working on the next chapter right now, and I cannot wait!

Later lovelies!

~XOXO
Marie