Thunderstorms loomed above us, huge grey clouds rolling over the sun and blocking out the gentle golden rays. Bullets of rain dropped down from the sky and crashed to the earth. I sat huddled into my mother, her arms wrapped comfortingly around me as I held a plastic beaker full of weak orange juice. As a child thunderstorms had always scared me a little. But not Gerard.

My older brother was jumping into the grey swimming pool in front of us without a care in the world. What seemed like hundreds of hibernating sunbathers sheltered under cover, watched the young boy cannon-ball into the centre of the pool before climbing back out again and repeating the process. A huge smile was stuck to his face, looking exactly like dad's smile, and his eyes lit up as he took one last stare at me before jumping into the water. He rose to the surface with his dark hair stuck messily to his forehead and covering up most of his eyes. He laughed once more, ignoring the goosebumps that appeared on his goosebumps and wishing for the rain to continue splashing onto the surface of his pale skin.

My mum laughed, her smile suiting her face so naturally and comforted me gently. It was so perfect, apart from the gigantic thunderstorm, it was a pretty perfect day.

---

"Im stupid!" I stated proudly in front of mum and dad who immediately burst out laughing. I was about 5 years old and had just finished my first day at school. I stood in the kitchen as my parents drank cups of steaming tea.
"Mum!" I tried to stop her from laughing, my face serious and stern for a five year old.
"Mum, stop laughing! Im stupid..." I said with my voice full of pride.
"Are you now?" My mum asked, raising an eyebrow in my direction.
"Yes! Im stupid...."
Gerard walked through the kitchen door and dumped his empty lunch box on the kitchen table. He glanced at my parents looking confused at their puzzled faces.
"I told everyone I met today at school!" I continued, "I said, 'hello I'm Mikey Way and my brother tells me that Im stupid."
Gerard laughed, pointing at me with childish giggles escaping his lips.

"Gerard...." My dad said, his voice stern but I could tell that he was trying to hold back laughter.
"What?" Gerard said, his eyes as big as a puppies as he tried to hide a smirk.
"What did you tell Mikes?" My dad continued.
"Nothing...." Gerard smiled.
"He told me that Im stupid means the same as: I'm clever!" I blurted out, staring at my older brother.
"And you trusted your older brother?"
I nodded innocently and unaware.
"Mikes, you went around and told everyone that you were dumb and not clever. Gerard tricked you..."
"Silly Gerard!" I laughed, bopping him on the head with his sandwich box.

---

"Oi! I said get up off the floor you pathetic fuck!" A voice growled at me from above.
God, I hated school.
"I said get up!" A boy with black hair stood over me, my glasses shattered beneath his boot. His eyes were grey and his thin lips peeled themselves into a smile. I tried to pull myself up from the floor but was only kicked back down to the tiles with blood dripping rapidly from my nose. My head was throbbing as if my very heart was trying to break through my skull and my eyes were misty with tears.
"Why don't you fight back?" He snarled again, his spit flickering onto my face.
I shook my head and lay still on the bathroom floor. A group stood around me laughing, pointing and poking fun at the bloody heap that lay on the floor.
I allowed my eyes to close gently just wishing to be another person, wishing that the violence would stop and the pain would leave my aching body forever.
My eyes jolted open as the black haired boy lay at my side, his face smashing into the tiles with tears gushing down his face.

"Don't mess with my brother!" I heard a familiar voice from above exclaim. I looked up to see Gerard, his newly dyed red hair glinting even in the crappy flickering lights. He looked to his fist and nursed it gently from where he had hit the black haired boy. As the group scattered he offered a hand out to me, I took it gladly and was pulled up to my feet.
"Thanks..." I said, grabbing a tissue and trying to stop so much blood from running down my face.
"Meh..." Gerard sighed, "it's fine." He took one last look at the black haired boy that lay face down on the floor (whining gently).
"Who's the pathetic fuck now?" Gerard whispered, a smile jumping from his lips.

I always needed Gerard. I always needed my family. It felt like they were the only people that cared and made sure I was happy.

---

"Mikey!"
The voice was far off and distant, as if it were a star lost in space or a ship drowning in unknown waters that dragged it to its depths and I was sinking. I was being pulled to the sea floor. My lungs screaming and begging for air and my ribs tightening around my chest. I began to lose feeling in my feet and then it took over my legs. I strained my eyes to keep them open, the grey swirling sea hiding any chance of life as I sunk. Lower. Lower. My eyes began to close, darkness infecting their corners as my fingers began to tingle. I was limp, gone. Dead like my entire family.
"Mikey!" The voice repeated, but louder now as if the voice was right next to me. I forced my eyes open one last time to see a hand grabbling towards me. I was grabbed by the collar and hauled to the surface, gasping and praying for air and brought back to reality.

"Mikey! Please! Talk to me!" The voice was familiar. "Please! Just...." It was JJ's panicked voice.
Darkness surrounded his fear-stricken face and I could see tears dripping down his face in the dim light.
"It's okay!" He cried, dragging me even closer towards him and hugging me as tight as possible, "it's okay..."
"Where's Gerard?" I muttered at first under my breath, noticing tears dripping from my own eyes, "where's mum? Where's dad?"
"Um, Mikey...." JJ began cautiously, running a hand through my hair.
"Where's Gerard!" I shouted this time.
"Gerard isn't here Mikey..." JJ cried, "Gerard is dead, I'm so sorry mikes, I'm so sorry."

I froze.

"What about mum and dad?" I asked.
"They're also go-"
"I'm going to join them..." I say bitterly, wriggling free of JJ's arms and heaving the trap door above our heads open.
"No! Mikey!" He cries after me, pulling himself up onto the floor. He desperately runs towards me as my hand reaches towards the door where Vince waits patiently on the other side, but it's already too late.

Notes

Hiya I'm back again, I hope that this chapter was okay. I think that there's going to be about 5/6 chapters of this story left. I'm currently working on another story too. I hope you are doing well and thank you. :)
-Lou