"What the hell is this?" Fun Ghoul asked, lowering his weapon as he stepped into the hall.

"Keep alert." Gerard snapped, though he was thinking the same thing. Where was the Game Master? Why was he dragging this on?

Ryan pointed down the hall. "It curves." He said, "Don't call it clear yet."

Fun Ghoul stepped forward again. He was now watching the curve in the hall. Ryan and Rebel stepped forward, out of the stairwell, standing on either side of Gerard.

WHAM.

Everyone spun around as the stairwell door slammed right on Demonic Devotee. Several thuds followed, as if the force of the door had sent him flying down the stairs.

"Demonic!" Ryan yelled, rushing to the door. He yanked the handle, but nothing moved. He yelled out the killjoy's name again, pounding on the door.

"He's going to get us caught!" Rebel squeaked, looking back at the curve nervously.

Gerard rushed forward. He wrapped his arms around Ryan's torso and pulled him back from the door.

"No!" Ryan protested, fighting against Gerard's hold. "Br-Demonic needs me!"

"It's not really Brendon." Gerard hissed into his ear, "Ryan, this is all some sick game!"

Ryan pulled free from Gerard's grip and spun around. His eyes seemed to flicker between reality and his character. His expression was confusion and hurt.

"Uh, guys!"

Gerard turned to Rebel, who was pointing at the wall behind them. He turned back around to see a red spot on the wall. It seemed to be a light that was slowly intensifying. Gerard stepped back, reaching out to pull Ryan a step forward. That spot definitely didn't look good...

"It's a trap!" Fun Ghoul yelled just as the light broke through the wall. The laser shot through the air, continuing far out the reach of the window. More spots on the wall began to illuminate before sprouting lasers as well.

"Move!" Gerard pulled Ryan beside him and pushed him ahead. His friend stumbled, but followed the order. Gerard hurried after him. He flinched at the sound of each new laser.

Fun Ghoul pulled Ryan around the corner. Rebel was racing to reach that point of safety and Gerard was right on her heels. The sounds of the lasers intensified behind them. It almost sounded like multiple were emerging at once now.

Gerard managed to quickly his pace alongside Rebel. "Come on!" He encouraged, "Just a bit further!"

She yelled something beside him that he couldn't understand. Before he could ask, she shoved him forward. He fell, hitting the ground at the curve in the hall. Fun Ghoul was quick to grab his ankle and drag him to safety.

Rebel screamed. Gerard turned to see her falling to the ground, clutching her side. "Rebel!" He kicked at Fun Ghoul's grip and began to low crawl towards her.

Above him, lasers still kept erupting from the wall. As low to the ground as he was, however, he was safe for the moment. When he reached Rebel, he brushed hair out of her face to look at her. Her expression was limp and her eyes were closed. "Rebel, hey, can you hear me?"

Her closed eyes barely cracked open. He looked down at her side, which was smoking. A deep wound had been left by the laser. It didn't bleed, but it looked like it really hurt.

"Can you stand?" Gerard asked her.

Her eyes just closed again in response.

"No, no!" Gerard felt his heart sink, "Rebel, Lin, I can't lose you too!"

Down by the stairwell, the lasers were beginning to emerge closer to the floor. Gerard hooked his arms under Rebel's armpits and started back towards the corner. Back to the safety that Rebel had pushed him towards.

He could hear Fun Though swearing behind him, but he couldn't see him because of his backwards trek. He was able to tell when he got close, however, because hands grabbed hold of his ankles and yanked him back.

"What the hell were you thinking!?" Fun Ghoul yelled as Gerard released his grip on Rebel. She was in the safe zone too. "You could have died!"

"So could she!" Gerard yelled back, "She still might. I've already lost too many friends, F-Fun Ghoul." He glared up at the Killjoy. Fun Ghoul took a step back. His expression was unreadable. It didn't change before Gerard turned back to Rebel. He brushed the hair out of her face again. "Please, don't go." He reached out and lightly wrapped his hand around hers.  He had already managed to lose Demonic, not her too...

Her hand gently gripped his, for a moment or two, before relaxing again. Gerard inhaled a sharp breath. She was okay... For now.

"I'll carry her." Fun Ghoul offered as Gerard made the motion to scoop her into his arms.

Gerard turned to the killjoy. "Are you sure?"

Fun Ghoul knelt beside him. "I'm sorry, Party." He said as he worked to adjust how Rebel would sit in his arms. "I shouldn't have yelled."

Gerard put a hand on Fun Ghoul's arm. "You only had the best intentions." He replied, feeling tears threaten to spill. Would his Frank have cared so much?

The Killjoy turned, planting a soft kiss on Gerard's lips. Gerard wanted some desperately for it to continue. He wanted the world to stop so that he could have just have that moment and nothing else. It was all he ever wanted.

However, Gerard forced himself to pull away. He was too close to get lost now. He needed this to fuel him to escape. He looked down the hall, catching glimpse of Ryan, who had his back to the others. Gerard rose to his feet, calling out to Ryan. There was no response.

"Northern?" Gerard tried, stepping forward as Fun Ghoul rose behind him. The killjoy held Rebel in front of him while looking between Gerard and the other Killjoy.

"We shouldn't." He finally spoke, "They'll be okay if we don't."

Gerard froze. Did he mean Rebel and Demonic? Did that mean Demonic was... Gerard shook his head. Instead of thinking about that, he rushed forward. He turned as he passed Ryan, stopping right in front of him.

It was impossible to tell which version of Ryan he was talking to. One eye was clouded and distant while the other seemed to flicker between the two personas. The flickering eye twitched as he stared ahead.

"Who am I talking to?" Gerard questioned.

"I don't know." Ryan's, or Northern's, words came out as a choked sob.

Fun Ghoul stepped beside them. "What's happening?"

"I don't know." Gerard repeated the words of the boy who seemed trapped between two versions of himself. Gerard reached out to him, but the sound of a shot made him freeze.

The eyes of the brown eyed boy in front of him grew wide. For a moment, he looked back in control of who he was, just a high school kid that encouraged his friend's artwork and storytelling. Then the red started to bloom from his midsection.

"No!" Gerard cried out. He shot forward, catching Ryan as his body began to crumble. Gerard fell with his friend, unable to stop the tears this time. "Ryan!"

Ryan was looking past Gerard. The satin stain was growing larger by the second.

"Ryan, no!"

"He tried to warn you."

Gerard shut his eyes at the sound of the new voice. He had heard that voice before. He had finally came out to play.

Ryan gasped. Gerard's eyes snapped open to look down at the friend that was dying in his arms. Ryan looked right back at him. "Don't..." The word came out like a breath. "Don't let him win..."

"Please, Ryan..." Gerard pulled him into a tight hug. "I won't..."

"Don't..." Another breath of a word before his breath stopped all together.

Gerard let out a sob, still holding Ryan's limp body tightly. Not Ryan. Not after everything that has happened...

"Was it really worth coming here, Gerard?" Footsteps followed the man's words. "Losing the last true connection to your reality?"

Gerard put his head down, hiding it in Ryan's hair. Don't let him win. Ryan's final words kept echoing. Don't let him win.

"I hope it was." The footsteps stopped right in front of Gerard. A hand shot down and grabbed hold of Gerard's chin, forcing him to look up into the face of the Game Master. "That means the game's just begun."