Part 22: Alabama

I kept riding until the rain started coming. I was soaked, but I didn’t care. I scanned the horizon for five minutes before spotting the solitary cross in the distance. Even in the torrential downpour, the bright colors were clearly visible, even if some of the sand has been whisked away by the desert winds.The cross had been coated with a special resin I’d seen Neon use the day before, something they used on Battery City houses to protect from acid. I pulled my bandanna down from my mouth as I dumped the bike to the side and walked forward to stand in front of the waist-high cross. My knees made a muffled thump as they hit the dirt in front of the cross.

“I never should’ve trusted him.” I told G.I., regardless of the fact he was buried at least 6 feet under me. “I never should’ve trusted any of them. I should’ve stuck with my instincts, I should’ve never let it get this far. He was meant to be with Solar in the first place, regardless of me. Why did I trust him?!” I screamed to the wind, my words getting lost in the rain. I crawled forward through the dirt and hugged the base of the cross, curling into a ball of misery, anger and resentment.

“You would’ve known what to do. You would’ve saved me. I’m so sorry G.I.” I sobbed and hiccuped, now totally drenched. “So sorry, so sorry…”

I stayed like that, totally vulnerable and exposed, until my skin began to burn from the acid in the rain and the rational side of my brain took over. I stood, letting the rain wash over me, wiping off all the dirt and mud from my body before picking up the red dirt bike and starting it, just to keep driving. I couldn’t go back to the diner just yet, so I drove aimlessly until I saw the small town in the distance. I entered cautiously and looked around. It was old and crumbling and obviously abandoned, the only remnants of a life before the pills left in the cracked sidewalks and dilapidated houses. The burning on my skin getting gradually worse, I kept looking for somewhere to hide out when I the engine below me sputtered and slowly died. Great. Just to make my day, I was out of gas.

Sighing, I climbed off the bike and began to wheel it, looking for anywhere to hide, when the old-fashioned street I was on dead-ended into a massive brick structure. I looked up at the old sign on the side that read, “Redwood County Community High School, Home of the Mountain Lions.” A high school, huh? That would do. I wheeled the dirt bike through the broken courtyard gate, concealing it carefully under some overgrown bushes and grabbing the satchel kept on all dirt bikes just in case before running towards a row of glass and metal doors in the side of the building. I opened one and stepped inside, glad to be out of the rain, but shocked at my surroundings. The school had high ceilings and a big open foyer, which I was standing in just then, with doors leading to other places lining the walls to the front of me and to my left. I chose the doors ahead of me, quickly walking through them partially because I was still out in the open and partially because I was just curious as to what the previous civilization had left behind. Walking forward, I spotted glass and metal containers that must’ve once held rows and rows of food packages, the glass smashed and the food already taken from them. My stomach rumbled as if on cue, causing me to pause and think about the food I knew was in the satchel. No, I reprimanded myself, you might need that later. You’ve been hungrier, just keep moving and look for some place to hide. I walked through yet another set of doors, these wood and glass this time, and into a large room with a wood floor and metal and glass structures hanging from the ceiling. The floor creaked as I moved forward in the dark room. No windows meant no light, so as my eyes adjusted, I continued to move forward.

“Don’t move another muscle or I swear to God I’ll blow your brains out.” I froze, my heartbeat getting erratic as I felt a cold raygun barrel at the base of my neck. Dammit, someone else lived here too. I cursed myself silently as I tried to think of ways out of my current situation.

“Nice to meet you too.” I muttered, shifting from foot to foot. “I just came in here to get out of the rain, I won’t bother you and I’ll leave once the storm’s over.”

“Sure you will.” I heard the raygun cock. “Nice try, but you won’t live to tell your BLI thugs where we’re living.”

“What are you talking about? I’m a Killjoy. At least, I’m kind of a Killjoy.” I took a chance and turned around, staring straight down the barrel of a bright red raygun. Obviously, the person didn’t believe me. As my eyes adjusted, I noted the red-rimmed eyes and shaky hands. The figure sniffed, wiping its nose. A Ritalin Rat. My day just keeps getting better.

“Look, nobody wants to hurt you.” I kept my hands raised, posing no threat although the guns on either hip said otherwise. Ritalin Rats were kids the company had misdiagnosed with ADHD on purpose back before the Takeover as a precursor to the emotion-controlling pills the citizens were popping in Battery City. Once they were no longer prescribed the medication, the Rats became crazed, eventually going to the black market and outside dealers to get their fix. Some were no older than 14 today, others were in their late 20s. All were dangerous.

“Y-you need to leave now.” The shaking got worse as I started to make out more of the person’s face.

“How long have you been off the pills?” I said softly, my hands still raised.

“W-wha... How did you...?” The gun started to droop, which gave me the opportunity to take a chance. I grabbed the gun and bolted.

“Hey! No fair...” The voice said behind me as I booked it out the first set of doors. I turned to see if I was being followed, but was simultaneously tripped into a waiting net, which closed on me quickly. Someone was holding a lantern and several rechargeable flashlights, all pointing towards me. I blinked in the light, my sight mostly gone.

“Hey, it’s a girl!”

“Thanks, captain obvious, I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Take the net off her, for Pete’s sake, she’s a Killjoy!” I was unwrapped slowly as my eyes adjusted to the painful light.

“Sorry, friend, safety precaution. Are you all right?” I was picked up and dusted off before someone grabbed my hand, shaking it. “You got a name?”

“Alabama,” I blinked quickly, squinting against the light. “Alabama Napalm. I run with Wasp’s group.”

“I’m Captain A-Bomb, this is Carrot Top Queen.” A man with medium brown, closely cropped hair and a blue jacket gestured to the redheaded girl next to him, who shifted from foot to foot nodding at me. Both looked normal, like neither had ever touched the pills. “Inside the gym was TNT Termination.”

“You guys seem normal, what are you doing with the Ritalin Rat?” I questioned. I was quickly shoved up against the wall, a raygun at my throat.

“Don’t you say another fucking word about my brother, you got me?” The redheaded girl, Carrot Top, was about two inches away from my face.

“Come on, Carrot Top, she didn’t know.” Captain A-Bomb tried to defuse the situation.

“Yeah, I got you.” I said soothingly, “Sorry. I didn’t know it was your brother.”

“Yeah, just keep your fucking mouth shut.” She shoved me before Captain pulled her backwards, out of my face.

“Leave the poor girl alone. She must’ve had a rough day, what with gallivanting around without her family and having your brother sticking a gun in her face.” Captain reprimanded. “You don’t remember how close Killjoy families are? Leave her alone.” Carrot Top sullenly crossed her arms, but obeyed.

“Where’s your family, hon?” Captain A-Bomb seemed friendly enough.

“I kinda... well, it’s a long story.” I sighed, running a hand through me soaked and dirty blonde hair.

“Well, you’re not going anywhere any time soon in this storm, so how about you come upstairs and tell us what happened, hm?” He said nicely.

“All right, I guess.” I nodded.

“Great. Carrot Top, go get your brother please.” Captain said to the girl quickly. She walked around him and was headed into the gym until I stopped her.

“Hey Carrot Top.” I called as she was almost to the door.She spun around impassively, and I tossed her her brother’s raygun. “Here.” She snatched it and walked away without a word.

“Don’t mind her, she’s just a little touchy.” Captain smiled warmly to me, taking me by the hand. I followed him back through the big room with wooden floors, (this time with a flashlight), over to another, smaller hallway. Carrot Top and TNT were right behind us, from what I could tell, TNT whimpering softly and Carrot Top speaking to him soothingly, trying to keep him calm. Captain A-Bomb turned left halfway down the short hallway to a flight of stairs. We climbed them carefully, trying not to trip, all the way up to the top. I was led forward, through a set of wood and glass doors propped open with chairs to a large room with high, exposed ceilings and around 30 empty desks, all piled against the door on the far side of the room. A fire was already going near the door I was led to, surrounded by blankets and other sleeping materials. A copy of Catcher in the Rye on one makeshift bed, while a white raygun rifle sat on another, a black strap and scope attached.

“You found one of these?”I raised my eyebrows at Captain, excited. Carrot Top was tucking her brother into his own bedding not far from the fire. “These are limited edition from what I’ve heard, only Exterminators have them.”

“Carrot Top found it. I prefer knives myself, but that’s just me.” He shrugged. “You should get out of those clothes, they’ll burn your skin.”

“You just want me naked, huh?” I smiled, taking off and laying out my clothes to dry.

“Except I don’t swing that way, m’dear.” He winked at me.

“That explains a lot.” I said to myself, wrapping a blanket around my shoulders.

“So what’s the deal with you running away from your family, huh?” He laid back, propping himself up on his elbows.

“Well, it’s kinda like-” I sighed, trying to find the words. “I’ve been with this guy for a month. Everything seemed to be going great, y’know, we just really worked, regardless of how fucked up we both were.” I sat cross-legged, staring into the fire. “The second day I met him, actually, I drove him so crazy he threatened to kill me and then kissed me within 10 minutes later, with a lot of crying on both our parts.” I chuckled at the memory. “See, I’d gotten into a fight with this girl in his Killjoy clan the night before, gave her a shiner she had for a week. I was in a gang in the Zone 2 ruins before our leader got ghosted and Wasp’s gang took us in. We were heading back to Wasp’s in the car when I’d insulted this girl, prompting the guy - his name’s Arizona - to get all sorts of pissed and threaten to kill me because he was in love with that girl - Solar Crash - and I’d insulted how she loved a total asshole, not him. You with me so far?” I looked at Captain, who nodded. “Anyway, he basically spilled his guts to me, telling me how he was in love with the other girl, but she never loved him back, and then we got into his little sister, who’d died two years ago, and I’d kissed him. Don’t look at me like that, it was the heat of the moment.” I rolled my eyes as Captain shook his head at me. “So everything’s great once we get back to Wasp’s until the girl Solar’s asshole boyfriend bird Song dies along with his whole clan.”

“The Kung Fu Krew? Yeah, I heard about them.” Captain nodded.

“Well, I make peace with Solar, just ‘cause I feel bad for her, when I come off of kitchen duty and walk in on Arizona and her sucking face in the sleeping area.” I shook my head. “We yelled at each other and I took off before anything else could happen.”

“What a scumbag.” Captain shook his head.

“And you know what the worst part is? I knew this would happen - Hell, I even told him in the beginning I wasn’t sure I wanted to get involved because I knew he still loved Solar. He convinced me to at least give it a shot, because I would’ve followed him off a fucking cliff, and look who got burned.” I exhaled, staring deep into the bright red embers. “I guess it serves me right, considering he told me about this up front.”

“It does not serve you right.” Captain sat up indignantly to look at me. “You trusted him. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially after him promising to be good. You didn’t know he had no control, this isn’t your fault.”

“Yeah I guess.” I ran a hand through my hair. “Man, I’m beat. The emotional roller coaster I’ve been on today really takes it out of you.”

“We’ve got tons of blankets here, let me dig something up for you.” Captain stood, turning to a cardboard box nearby.

“Thanks, I appreciate this, y’know.” I smiled at him before looking back into the fire. “When’s the last time you guys ate?”

“Yesterday...morning, I think?” Captain looked to Carrot Top for conformation. She nodded once, looking up from cleaning her new rifle.

“I have food, please, take it.” I took out my satchel and dug through it, taking out a can of ravioli and a can of dog food. “It’s not much but it’s better than nothing, and it’s the least I can do.”

Their eyes lit up as I set the food down near the fire. "We can't take that from you though." Captain stared hungrily at the cans.

"Yeah you can, please, take it." I handed the food to Captain, who eventually took it.

"Thank you." Captain looked at me seriously as Carrot Top came over to inspect the food. He elbowed her quickly, jerking his head at me.

“Thanks.” Carrot Top muttered quickly, her eyes darting  snatching the cans from Captain and putting them in the fire to warm. Captain rolled his eyes and busied himself in digging out blankets.

“Y’know, I heard about a detox station in Zone 4.” I said quietly to Carrot Top. She looked up from her gaze at her brother suddenly, guarded.

“Detox?” She said softly, her voice catching and her face softening.

“They could get him clean for good. He might still have some brain damage, but if it works on Dracs, I think it’ll work on him.” I nodded to TNT, who was sleeping peacefully.

“Really?” Tears trailed down her face, the hope and relief apparent.

“Really.” I nodded. Captain handed me old but warm quilts, helping me make a nest before I climbed in and fell fast asleep, the day’s emotions getting to me.

Part 19: Alabama

I’d gone looking for Arizona soon after kitchen duty and grabbing a glass of water. I went over to the other side of the diner, the one with all the mattresses, and heard them before I saw them.

“Who do I have now? Bird and his whole crew are dead. My boyfriend, my best friends...” Solar was crying. I peeked through the window in the swinging door to see Arizona and her sitting on a mattress together in the darkened room, the only light coming from the windows, giving the place an eerie feel.

“You have me.” I saw Arizona say through the window. Solar leaned in. No. This wasn’t happening. Their lips met eagerly. My jaw dropped open as tears sprang to my eyes. I lost my grip on the glass of water I was holding, and it fell to the floor almost in slow motion, shattering into a million pieces. They both stopped and looked up as I flung open the door.

“You-you make me sick.” I sputtered, the tears still not yet flowing by some miracle. I turned and stormed away, over the water and shattered glass, away from him.

“Alabama! Alabama, wait!” He called, running after me. I dashed into the girls’ bathroom, which luckily no one was inhabiting at the moment, and kicked the stall, the tears starting to flow down my face. I knew it. I was too goddamn trusting. I let my guard down. I let him in, and he hurt me. I fucking knew it! I sank down against the wall, the tears pouring down my face.

“Alabama! Come out here. Please.” The last word came out pleadingly. He was outside, but I wouldn’t look at the bastard. I’d stay here all night if I had to. He hurt me so badly. I’d never speak to him again. Why was I so stupid? He’d told me before; he was in love with Solar. Why did I ever think he’d stay with me?

“That’s it. I’m coming in there.” The door swung open and I jumped to my feet, glaring at him. He stood there flustered; his hair was going every which way thanks to Solar, his face was red. I hated him so violently at this very moment I could’ve killed him.

“Alabama...” He stood there staring at me.

“What?” I shook my head at him, a false grin on my face as the tears blazed trails down my cheeks. “What do you want from me now? You want to apologize? Tell me how it’s not what I think?” I laughed bitterly. “I should’ve known you’d run back to that little whore. And to think me and her were talking now. We were getting close. I guess I know why.” I’d stopped crying now. I was running on pure anger.

“Hey, don’t talk bad about her-”

“About who? Solar?” I breathed out harshly, running a hand through my hair. “What has she been saying about me, huh? About how fucking stupid I am for getting involved with you, about how of course you’d always pick someone like her over me? Is it ringing a fucking bell, Arizona, or did you kiss her just because you saw an opening? I mean, her fucking douche of a boyfriend’s dead, your girlfriend’s easily discarded, why not make a move?” I closed my eyes, clenching my fists to keep the tears inside. “I mean you liked her first, she’s prettier, not nearly as deathly skinny, less emotional baggage...” I shook my head. “Easy choice, huh?”

“I’m so sorry, I-” He looked at me, visibly upset. I wasn’t done with him, though.

“You know what really gets me though? You know what makes me feel the worst out of all of this?” I cut him off. “You told me you loved her. The first. fucking. day. You told me you were in love with her, and I’d kissed you. I’d kissed you anyway, and got myself into this. Why the fuck did I get myself into this? You love her. You always have. How could I have ever measured up?” I stared at him, stared right into his eyes filled with anger and utter misery. “Go ahead. Go back to your little cunt. You deserve each other.” I spat right in his face. He wiped my saliva out of his eyes and shoved me to the wall, one fist pulled back ready to strike. My head smacked the concrete and left my ears ringing.

“Go ahead. Hit me. Beat me to death. Pound my face in, just like you did to that Drac. Come on! DO IT!” I screamed at him. He stared back at me, our faces inches away. The anger was fading from his eyes. He let go of me, backing away slowly, shaking his head. He couldn’t do it. The tears poured down my face as I dashed out of the bathroom. I ran out the back door of the diner and found the red dirt bike he’d taught me to ride. I slipped on the helmet and jumped on the bike, starting it, revving it and driving away. I wiped the tears from my eyes as I drove aimlessly into the desert. I could be anywhere but there. Anywhere.

Part 18: Alabama

A week had gone by since we’d gotten the news about Bird’s clan. We were slowly becoming used to the fact that they weren’t coming back. Life went on, Killjoys kept coming. It seemed like every day there were more Killjoys than the day before. Eventually people had to start sharing mattresses, there were so many here.

“Here, I’ll grab plates.” I took a tub out of the kitchen where Wasp, Solar, Mighty Mouse, Zebra and Disco were starting to clean and walked back through the tables, tucking plates into the tub as well as other dishes and taking them back into the kitchen. We had just finished breakfast, so everyone here was getting ready to head out.

“Let Mighty Mouse do that, come help me wash.” Wasp beckoned me towards the large metal sinks residing in the half of the kitchen used for its intended purpose. I handed off the tub and plunged my bare arms into the soapy water, taking a rag to start scrubbing. Thanks to the grocery store, we had enough soap to last us until the second coming, meaning we could actually use the dish soap and not save it for more important uses.

“Hey chica, keep them pretty hands pretty and soft for Arizona now, don’t scrub to hard.” Plasma said nudging Alabama in the side with a wink as he dried a plate.

“Well, watch yourself, Plasma, I heard about you and that girl from Destructive Daisy’s clan.” I winked at him. “Just make sure you use protection.”

Plasma’s face reddened to that of a radish as he dropped his eyes, but his smile didn’t fade. “I got needs just as you and Arizona do Chica.” He said to her almost sheepishly in Spanish.

“Dude, I don’t wanna know.” I shuddered, gagging.

“Bet you do that a lot with Ari, huh?” He grinned at me.

“Bet you do that a lot with what’s-her-face, huh?” I made a face at him.

“Plasma’s got a girlfriend!” Mighty Mouse sang as she walked back out into the barroom.

“Hey now, don’t be teasing me when you are crushing majorly on our good friend and Alabama’s boyfriend.” He said smirking as she hurried out into the diner, her young face a bright shade of red.

“She better not be.” Wasp’s eyebrows hit her hairline as she kept washing.

“She better still think boys are icky.” Disco said from somewhere in the background.

“Oh shut it, overprotective.” I rolled my eyes. “I remember your crush on Antimatter and if you think I won’t share, you’ve got another thing coming.”

From the corner of my eye, I watched Solar duck out of the room, wiping her eyes. I moved to go after her, but Wasp stopped me.

“Leave her be.” Wasp took my arm. “She has to do this on her own.” I nodded and returned to my spot, scrubbing the dishes and handing them to Wasp to dry.

“So, what’s this girl’s name, huh Plasma?” Wasp asked lightly.

“Honeydew Heaven.” He grinned goofily, handing a clean plate to Disco to put away.

“You like her?” Wasp looked at him, her eyebrows raised.

“No, he hates her, he’s just too scared to break it off.” I rolled my eyes. “Look at his face!” Plasma had turned a violent shade of red, regardless of his Hispanic roots.

“I really do like her, I mean, she’s so nice, and she’s more than pretty, she’s really more like beautiful...” Plasma paused his dish-drying to gaze at a spot on the wall.

“Hey, star-crossed lover, get moving!” I splashed some water at him, snapping him out of his dream.

“Hey, chica, watch the shirt!” He glared playfully at me, trying to reach around Wasp to splash me back. I squealed and jumped out of the way, almost upsetting a pile of dirty pans.

“You can flirt after the dishes are done, get to work!” Wasp yelled, sending us back to our stations to finish our work quickly.

Part 17: Alabama

A few days later, after seemingly exhausting all chores to do surprisingly and having no raid details from the Big 4, (which I quickly learned were the leaders of the Killjoys I’d seen plastered throughout the Zones) we were sitting motionless in the heat of the diner, listening to the fuzzy sound of the radio. Arizona was playing with Babydoll on the floor, while I sat in a booth, braiding Mighty Mouse’s hair, keeping the dampness inside to keep her cool.

“Alright, Killjoys, that was Black Dragon Fighting Society from The Madgear and the Missile Kid, a happy song leading us into our darkest part of the day. Show Pony’s just brought me a list of the confirmed ghosted in the Zones for the past week, those Killjoy brethren who died with their masks on and went down shooting, courtesy of our Big 4, Party Poison, Fun Ghoul, Jet Star and Kobra Kid.” Arizona looked up from where he was playing with Babydoll. Everyone came from where they were in the building and gathered around the radio as Plasma turned up the volume.

“There’s 9 Killjoys down for the count this time around.” The deep drone of Dr. D. paused before he cleared his throat and spoke again. “Sterling Weed, Cocaine Explosion, Ant Legs, Cyanide Queen, Slashing Crow, Gemini Ghosted and Bird Song. Unfortunately it appears that all the previous listed names were a part of one family, the Kung Fu Krew. All dusted. My humble apologies for those who knew them.” Plasma slammed his hand down on the radio, shutting it off with a sickening smack. The diner grew silent as the shock overtook us. No. We’d seen them only a week ago. It wasn’t possible. Bird had hit on me the day he left.

“It can’t be.” Wasp said as tears fell from her eyes. We all, however, couldn’t help to look over at Solar Crash, who was sitting at a table near the door. She was staring at one spot in front of her, a look of fear, terror and utter misery clear on her face.

“No.” She whispered, rocking back and forth. “No. No! NO!” She stood quickly before collapsing to the ground, tears running down her face as she sobbed loudly. Arizona set aside Babydoll quickly as he ran forward, picking her up by her biceps and trying to hug her to his chest, trying to quiet her hysterical shrieks. She fought him off violently, though, squirming out of his grasp, all the while screaming and sobbing. She ran out of the bar towards the bathroom. Arizona started to follow when I stopped him.

“Let me do it.” Arizona started to object, but I gave him a look to let him know I was serious before turning and following Solar into the bathroom.

I pushed open the heavy door and followed the now-quieter sobs coming from the largest stall at the end of the row. I walked into the stall to see Solar curled into a ball, her back to the corner, leaning on the walls for support. Her cheeks and eyes had already started to redden as she glared at me angrily. I kneeled onto the tile in front of her.

“What do you want?” She sneered at me through her tears. I didn’t respond, merely leaned forward and absorbed her into my arms in a hug. She resisted at first, but I hung on, and eventually she relaxed, then clinging to me, sobbing into my shirt.

“It’s okay, honey, it’s okay.” I hugged her tightly, rocking her back and forth. We stayed like that for a few minutes before her sobs had turned to sniffles and her tears slowed. She sat back and regarded me, her haughty pride gone and her eyes red and puffy. She looked absolutely miserable in a way I wasn’t sure I truly wanted to see.

“Y’know, a week ago, the day before he’d left, I’d called him an asshole and shoved him.” She shook her head, sniffling. “I never thought... I’d never thought something like this could ever happen to him, or to any of them. He always seemed indestructible, y’know?”

“I know.” I rubbed her arm gently.

“And now he’s dusted out somewhere, probably not even really buried, just all of them dumped together in a Drac grave in who-knows-where.” She shook her hair out of her face. “I need to find him. I need to bury him, I can at least bury him. I can’t do this alone, dammit! Why couldn’t I have been with you?!” She stood up and hurled one fist into the stall door, leaving a fist-sized dent in the metal. I stood up and ran into the wall behind me as she went into a blind rage. Once she was done beating the stall, I took her by the shoulders and sat her down, the sobbing starting again. I took her hand and held it as she continued to cry, the sobs wracking her small body. Once she had quieted some, I began to speak myself.

“When I was about 12, my gang mom, Mother Mayeye, got dusted out along with her younger sister, Atomic Antimatter. I was with them, on a scavenging trip. G.I., the guy we buried last week, was staying back with Disco, the twins and Mighty Mouse. They all ate something bad the night before, so everybody was hurling. Anyway, the rest of us went out to find food and were jumped by a bunch of goons from BLI. Mayeye and Anti shoved me in an old building, even though I was the best shot they had, and went out to try and protect me, even though it was a losing battle. Once the smoke cleared, I saw them ghosted and ran out to help them, regardless of there not being a thing I could do. The Dracs caught me, held me up against a building and gave me this." I moved my hair to expose the small, three-letter scar carved into my neck with a pocketknife one of the Dracs had had, reading “BLI.” It sat just behind my left ear and had healed well, not being noticeable unless you knew it was there, even when I wore my hair up. Solar shakily reached up to touch it, seeming to wonder if it would rub off.

“It’s right near an artery.” She furrowed her eyebrows. “How did you not die?”

“I’m not sure myself, no one is.” I blinked, turning to face her. “I passed out from the pain, considering they also gave me a beating and left me for dead. I woke up a few hours later, beat up but alive, with a bandage on my neck, a week’s worth of supplies and a canteen of water next to me. I never knew who saved my life, so I really had no one to thank, y’know? They hadn’t cleared away Anti and Mayeye’s bodies yet, so I went over to them, stripping them of what I could use, planting a kiss on their foreheads and wandering back to our camp.”

“You didn’t bury them?” Solar asked, horrified.

“With what? I had no tools, plus I was by myself, injured to boot. I was lucky I wasn’t ghosted already, or attacked by another gang.” I bit my lip. “I was lucky they hadn’t shot me too. Then I’d have really been done for.” Solar nodded softly, looking away.

“I was destroyed. I wouldn’t eat, I’d just lie on my mattress and sob. Eventually, G.I. just sat down next to me and said, ‘Alabama, if Mayeye saw you like this, she’d whoop you like you’d never forget.’ And then I started to smile, and then I started to laugh, just because it was so true. They were gone, yes, but I would be all right. I knew it, and so did G.I.

“The point is, people, even the ones you love, come and go, and there’s absolutely nothing we can do about it, besides enjoy them while they’re here and remember them while they’re gone.” I smiled sadly at Solar. “He knows you loved him. You didn’t have to say it. and who knows? Depending on what you believe in,” I stretched my legs out. “maybe you’ll see him again.” She snickered bemusedly at that. “At least for the time being, you have the rest of us.”

“You mean Wasp’s clan?” She snorted. “They don’t want me around, are you kidding? I-I know Arizona...” She bit her lip. “They saw me with Bird and hated it, because it tore Ari to shreds. I didn’t like it, but I love-” She paused, the tears reappearing. “-loved Bird. I wasn’t going to give him up to make everyone else happy, and plus, me and Ari?” She snorted. “I don’t even know why you’re in here anyway. What do you plan to gain from this?” She looked at me intently.

“You’re kidding, right?” I looked at her, outraged. “They’re your family! They all love you, and you’re insane not to see it. Sure, they didn’t approve of Bird, but he was a royal jackass half the time! No offense.” I added at Solar’s disapproving glare. “Seriously, they’d be heartbroken if you left. You may be stubborn, bitchy and have the temper the size of a flea, but you’re family.” I stood, helping her up as well. “Come on, they’re probably worried you’ve killed me by now.”

“Oh come on, I’m not-” Solar stopped herself, considering something. “Okay, let’s go.” I laughed out loud, heading for the door.

“Hey, Alabama?” She said from behind me as my hand was on the door handle.

“Yeah?” I responded, turning around.

“Thanks.” She said softly. “For... that.”

“Anytime.” I nodded, turning back around and heading into the diner, smiling to myself. I think I’d just made a friend.

Part 16: Alabama

Before long a week had passed and I was in the main bar room helping Wasp, Plasma, Solar and Mighty clean up. I ran the cloth over one of the tables at the same moment a pair of large hands reached around my waist from behind.

“Arizona don’t you have clothes to wash?” Wasp said a clear tsk in her voice.

“I finished already, so now I’m here to steal Alabama away for a while.” He said grinning pulling me closer. Wasp regarded us for a moment before she rolled her eyes nodded.

“Fine, but you are doing double the chores later.” She told them while Arizona grinned and swept me off my feet bridal style. I held on to him tightly complaining the entire time for him to put me down.

Arizona didn’t, simply smiled down at me. He didn’t set me down until we had reached the back door by the loading docks. After he had set me down her took my hand and led me outside. It was, of course, another hot blazing day under the sun and I had to squint until my eyes adjusted. When they finally did adjust I saw two motorbikes. Drac make and model, but decked out Killjoy style.

“Ever ridden before?” He asked me striding over to them, still grasping my hand in his. I shook my head in response. “Never?” He asked me sounding almost shocked.

“Never.” I replied. He hugged me, laughing.

“Well then, today you learn.” It wasn’t easy either, learning how to ride a bike, at least, not one that moved without my having to pedal. At times, it seemed easy, until I gunned it to hard and didn’t have balance so the bike shot forward while I shot back.

By the end of the second hour we were both drenched in sweat and I had knocked Arizona in the crotch more than once when I accidentally had the bike in reverse as he tried to help steady me. But I was able to keep my balance now and I was having fun. He smiled at me as we rested in the shade by the door.

“You’re doing good.” He said, though his voice still held a hint of pain. I smiled back and nodded.

“Sorry.” I told him and he grinned.

“It happens.” He said then kissed my cheek. “Lets try again.” I nodded and followed him, taking note of the limp he walked with, probably from the pain he still felt, which, actually made me smile a bit more. I mounted the bike and repeated every step I had been taught in the past two hours.

“Ok, when I say go, I want you to go.” he told me releasing his grip on the bike and stepping back and to the side, a precaution. I waited for his commanding word and when I did I revved the engine and shot forward. This time, however, I was ready and I managed to keep my balance as I rode on. I found that once you got started, it was easy to keep going, and I knew how to stop, Arizona made sure I could do all that perfectly before he even turned the bike on.

I kept going until I realized I had left Arizona behind, and the Basket. But as I glanced into the side mirror I saw Arizona on the other bike quickly catching up to me. Soon we rode side by side and he grinned over at me, giving me a thumbs up then sped off ahead of me as if he wanted to race. I of course, obliged and sped up to try to catch him and beat him. We then spent the next hour or so riding around a 4 or 5 mile radius of the Basket and ended up having to walk to bikes back 3 of those miles as we had ran out of gas.

Part 15: Alabama

I was in the linen closet of my parent’s house again, but now I was fully grown. I peered through the slats as a person in a white Has-Mat suit answered the door. The Dracs walked into the house, immediately shooting the person in the suit directly in the face. The figure fell, a pool of blood staining their clothes a bright red, the pool quickly expanding out from underneath them. I bolted out of the closet to see Arizona lying in his own blood, his eyes lifeless and vacant. I screamed bloody murder as the Dracs took off their masks, revealing the faces of Disco and G.I., the two people I’d trusted most in life. They lifted their guns to point at my face, cackling.

“Sunshine! Alabama, wake up!” I bolted awake as Arizona shook me, the noontime sun beating down through the windshield of the van. I blinked, registering Arizona leaning over me, his hands on my shoulders, looking concerned. I’d been dreaming. It was just a dream.

“Wha-what happened?” I panted, the adrenaline slowly fading from my veins.

“You were screaming in your sleep.” His eyebrows knitted together.

“I-I have these... horrible dreams.” I breathed in and out, trying to calm myself. “It’s why I don’t sleep much. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” He slowly climbed off of me, landing on the dusty ground and causing little pools of dirt to swirl around his feet. I jumped down and hugged him quickly, pulling myself together.

“I’m sure.” I nodded, releasing him. He grabbed my hand and grinned at me.

“Well, lets go inside then. You need to meet the gang, especially Neon, he promised he would stay long enough to meet you.”

“Damn, you’re already making me meet the family?” I shoved him, smirking. He rolled his eyes and grabbed my hand, leading me into the dilapidated diner.

The diner itself was ancient, a squat, one-story building made of cement and brick with an overhanging roof and large windows. It had obviously been built long before the Takeover, which meant it was built to withstand the bombings, allowing it to survive. The neon sign nearby was broken and had letters missing, but even though I could still tell it had once read The Chicken Basket.

We entered the front door and the busy place quickly died down to allow a pin drop to be heard. People stared at us whispering as I shifted from one foot to the other nervously.

“Arizona and his little whore finally showed up.” A girl sitting at a table with Solar and Tweety Bird sneered, her eyes looking me up and down.

“Oh, so I’m assuming you want a make-up job like Solar’s?” I stared her down as Arizona’s grip tightened on mine. The girl scoffed, but backed down.

“Now you be nice, princess.” A man in a glittery orange shirt and tight leather pants walked out of the other room. He was buff, like Arizona, only he had even more muscles upon muscles, like all he did was work out. My eyebrows went to my hairline as he walked towards us, clapping Arizona on the back.

“So Ari, did you really make a baby with a baby around?” He asked, grinning. Arizona said nothing, only kept looking straight ahead. The big dude looked down at me and quickly pulled me into a hug, crushing me to his chest before whispering in my ear. “You aren’t as small as Solar, but you are a bit skinnier.” He said then got real close to her ear and whispered.  “Ari has a slight fetish with small girls.” He said then laughed and clapped Arizona on the shoulder. “If you get jiggy tonight, try to keep it down eh?” The crowd in the diner loved that comment, hooting and hollering along with him. Arizona’s face started to turn pink, even though he said nothing.

“Well then Solar and I can compare notes, ‘cuz there is plenty,” I paused to look  Arizona up and down, “to say on this subject, if you catch my drift.” I smirked as the diner oohed. Arizona squirmed next to me. “But seriously, we didn’t even sleep in the same bed. Who are you, exactly?”

“His name is Neon Zombie.” Arizona said through gritted teeth. The big black dude pulled Arizona into a headlock, messing up his hair.

“Neon-er quit- cut it out!!” Arizona squirmed out of his grip.

“I’m Neon, Arizona’s dad.” He grinned at me.

“I, uh, see the resemblance.” I looked suspiciously between the two of them.

“Ehh calm down chicky, I’m not his biological father, just the Killjoy one who gets his ass out of tight places.” He smiled.

“Who’s the bitch over there then? And the rest of y’all?” I turned to the still-watching diner, who waited with baited breath, waiting to see what was gonna happen next. I had a feeling I was in for it as the girl’s face began to turn an unsightly red, but she quickly just turned around.

“Fiesty little thing aren’t you?” Neon looked me over, impressed. “Well, you know most everyone in Bird’s group, the ‘bitch’ is Cyanide Queen. Over by the boarded-up window is Adolescent Suicide with his group.” The clan was mostly pale kids dressed in darker colors, looking like the Killjoys who returned from the dead.

“Over in the corner is my group, recently attained. Seretonin Dreams, Devils Cannon, Sere’s brother; Angels Fall, Widows Whistler, and Falling Tears.” They each nodded or waved, acknowledging us.  “You know all your people, and Wasp. And then the last group which belongs to JarJar Binks.” Two people sat in the corner with JarJar as their leader waved. “There are way more, so don’t think this is it. There must be another 40 people, but you know, business has them out and such, being busy ghosting Dracs and foiling plans.” Neon said with a shrug.

“Now, I do believe we have a funeral to get to?” He looked at me expectantly. I felt as if I’d been punched in the gut as I remembered G.I. Tears sprang to my eyes and I squeezed Arizona’s hand for support.

“Lets get to it then.” He turned on his heel and headed towards a door leading to what used to be a kitchen. We followed and talk soon resumed in the diner, seeing as the show was over. He stopped abruptly as we got to the door.

“Arizona, you know I can’t let you back here with her right?” He said seriously.

“What?” My mouth was agape. “You’re going to make me do this on my own?” I took a deep breath and mentally slapped myself. Pull it together, I thought. You watched him die for Pete’s sake, you can do this.

“You’re gonna be fine, Sunshine.” Arizona pulled me into hug, kissing the top of my head before releasing me. I breathed in and out slowly.

“Great to see you again, Dad.” Arizona hugged his father and slowly walked away. “Come find me you’re done, I have to help unload.” He looked at me. I smiled and turned around, facing the door.

“I’m ready.”

“All right.” He led me into what had once been the kitchen, but now had the distinct flavor of death in the air. I followed him to a table with a sheet placed over a lump that had once been G.I.

“The little boy Disco wanted you to pick out what words to go on his grave stone and what his final attire should be.” He said somberly, looking down at the body under the sheet.

“His jacket. A t-shirt. Some jeans, too, like he always wore.” I bit my lip, keeping the tears back.

“It’s alright to cry, chicky.” He said over his shoulder as he walked to a box, pulling out a green t-shirt and some jeans after a little rummaging.

“I don’t cry.” I took another deep breath and shook my head, getting rid of the tears.

“Chicky, everyone cries, it may take a while, but it will happen, Seretonin, she lost her dad only 3 months ago, and just barely started crying about it last week.” He looked at me sympathetically.

“I don’t cry.” I said again.

“Who are you trying to convince, me or you?” He said softly. “I’m telling you, everyone cries, even Arizona, he may seem like a hard rock, but that boy can cry.” He winked at me as I chuckled. “He has feelings, and so do you, I garuntee you will cry in time.” He finished.

“Oh, I know about him crying.” I laughed, wiping my eyes again. “We’ve been there several times.” I froze and covered my mouth, realizing what I just said.

“Either you said something to trigger it, or you are really something special to him. What was it about exactly?” He asked, concerned.

“Don’t tell anybody.” I begged. He crossed his heart.

“Well, I-um... you saw what Solar’s face looked like, right?”

“Yeah, that was you like she said?”

“Yeeah.” I chuckled nervously. “She started it, though.”

“She starts most everything. Now what was it exactly?”

“I insulted her in the van driving up to the gas station. It was bad enough to make him pull of the road and get in my face.” He cringed at my description. “So then we got to talking about his life while he was crying, about his sister, and then I sorta... well... kissed him.” I bit my lip nervously.

“Both his sister and Solar are big bomb spots for him. However, kissing him, might not have been a good idea... He is... well, rather attached to Solar, and the moment that she is available he will move in, so don’t let yourself get hurt.” He said knowingly with a nod.

“That’s not exactly the end...” I looked away as his eyebrows rose.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Let’s just say we both cried a lot more, and... kissed a lot more...” My face felt hot.

“Daymn.” He looked me up and down. “That hasn’t happened with him before. You must be something awful special, chicky. I’m glad though, it’ll be good for him.” He nodded, smiling. I tried to calm the blush in my cheeks.

“Anyway, back to our deceased friend here.” He leaned on the table, looking down at the lump under the sheet. “Any thoughts you want on his cross?”

“Um... Can I think on it for a while? I want to talk to everybody else first.” I shifted from foot to foot nervously.

“Of course. Just get back to me soon so I can paint the cross.” He rearranged the sheet around G.I. “Your friends are in the other room with Wasp,  if you’d like to say hey. Right through that door.” He pointed to a door labelled Out on the other side of the kitchen.

“Thanks.” I nodded, smiling, before dashing out the other door. The other door was dark, considering the windows let in minimal light and had no electricity. Mattresses lined the floor, at least 50 of them there. Wasp and everyone else were sitting on mattresses, some dressing still, all talking.

“Alabama!” Disco called, a grin on his face. I ran up to him and jumped into a hug, him catching me. We’d never been separated more than a few hours back in Zone 2, so it was obvious he’d been worried.

“He chica, have fun last night?” Rage hugged me before winking and making groaning noises. I punched him in the gut, doubling him over as Lightning walked over to hug me as well.

“Please be careful, okay?” Lightning said softly. I rolled my eyes at him, throwing him an exasperated look.

“First of all, I’m a big girl, second of all, WE DIDN’T EVEN DO ANYTHING!!!” I glared at all of them. Rage snickered and Disco rolled his eyes.

“Okay, drama queen, settle down.” Disco put his hands on my shoulders, rubbing them slowly. I whirled around and pushed him off me.

“Hey, I want a hug!” Mighty hugged me from behind. I turned around hugged the girl tightly.

“How could I forget about you?” I pulled away from her and turned to observe my motley crew. They’d all been cleaned up considerably, looking showered and newly dressed in Killjoy-type wear, complete with the crazy colors and prints, which set them apart from all others.

“You guys look good.” I nodded and looked them up and down.

“Next I’m chopping off this one’s hair.” Wasp came up behind Disco, ruffling his shaggy hair.

“Mo-om.” He rolled his eyes, but didn’t seem to mind that much. He seemed genuinely glad to have his mom back, and I couldn’t blame him.

“Well we have some trucks to unload still, so everyone outside. Come on, move it.” Wasp herded everyone outside. I followed, just in time to catch the very end of Solar and Arizona’s standoff. Not wanting to cause an argument, I ducked inside again and went back into the mattress room, straightening the mattresses around where my crew had obviously slept. We should be ready to leave, should anything happen. My mind, however, was over-analyzing the past 36 hours, the ones I’d spent with Arizona. This couldn’t go on. I’d just get myself hurt. He’d told me he was in love with Solar. No matter what I did, it was a fact, and he was probably only using me to make her jealous.

Two arms wrapped around my neck, causing me to jump, once again, several feet into the air. “What’s up, Sunshine?” Arizona said into my neck.

“Seriously, I’m putting a cat bell on you.” I turned to face him. He grinned and kissed me, causing me to melt into a puddle of goo. We came up for air, which is about when I remembered what I’d been stressing about before.

“No.” I backed out of his arms, almost tripping over a mattress. “We can’t do this.”

“What? Why not?” His eyebrows knitted together.

“Because-” I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Because you’re still in love with Solar.”

“Wait. That’s why? And Solar obviously doesn’t love me, so, I mean, I don’t usually give up, but,” He sat down on a mattress. “Why not give up on her? I mean, her and Bird are still together, and look, just, hear me out ok?” I had started to interrupt him, but closed my mouth, waiting. He rubbed his face, and like always, I knew I’d really done it this time. Great.

“Look, I wouldn’t be putting myself out there to you like this if I didn’t like you.” He said after a while. “My mum used to say, ‘To the world, you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.’ And,” He sighed again. “I think I have two worlds right now. I just need to figure out which one is gonna last, and I have a feeling it’s gonna be you.”

That wasn’t good enough for my head, even if my heart was screaming, TAKE HIM BACK! “I-I just...” I looked down at him in front of me. “I don’t know if I want to take that risk. It’s different here. You know that. I know that. And I see the way you look at her.” I gave a brief laugh. “She’s half the reason we’re here right now. I just don’t want to lose you, should the better option come along. I don’t want to find out you’ve been using me to make her jealous. I-I lost my last parent 48 hours ago. I can’t lose any more.” I turned away, hiding the tears. I sounded so weak, it made me want to hurl. “I’ve never done anything like... us before.”

“Risks are meant to be taken, as Killjoys our whole life is a risk. Just living is a risk.” He was close behind me, close enough to feel the heat from his body but not close enough to touch me. “Why not take another? And I’m not using you to make her jealous. You can trust me, Alabama.” I turned slowly to look up at him, my eyes searching his to try and see any sign of a lie, any trace of mistrust.

“But Solar’s just so-”

“But nothing.” He looked down at me, a small smile on his face. “I’m with you. Not because Solar’s unavailable. Not to use you. Because we, well, we just work.” He leaned down and planted a slow, smouldering kiss on my lips. We parted, and his hands reached up to cradle my face, his thumbs wiping away my tears. “And don’t you forget it.” I smiled and kissed him again. Damn, he was convincing.

Later that night, we were in the middle of the desert, the whole crew, plus Wasp’s family and the other Killjoys in the diner. Almost 60 people had shown up to place him in the shallow grave Neon and Arizona had dug earlier, wrapped in clean, white sheets and packed down into the sand with the raygun he’d died with. A large white cross was stuck into the top, even though none of the Killjoys or even G.I. himself followed any religions from the old world. It had his name, along with what we’d chosen.

G.I. Geronimo

Your shadow lives on without you

I sobbed as the last shovelful was placed atop the mound under which he was buried. Arizona hugged me to his chest, the setting sun illuminating the cross. We stood for a minute before Neon grabbed two large, paint-splattered buckets and began to walk among the crowd, handing out cans of spray paint.

“What is he doing?” I said softly to Arizona, drying my tears.

“It’s a Killjoy tradition. We graffiti the graves of our dead, so we can always find it.” Neon looked at me sadly as I dipped a hand into one of the buckets, Arizona doing the same. I looked at the old label. Lime green. G.I.’s favorite color.

Once everyone had a can, we moved forward to make a circle.

“Go.” Neon said quietly, and the paint poured in from all sides, making the bare, packed sand come alive with colors. I sprayed all over the cross and sand as well, illuminating the grave. After about a minute, we all spotted, surveying our handiwork. I smiled to myself as I saw the mixture of color and design. It was beautiful.

“He would’ve loved it.” I smiled, tears running down my face.

“He already does.” Arizona kissed the top of my head as we stood, watching the sun go down on G.I. Geronimo for the last time.