I ran as fast as I could, the sand flying into the air as I did. I was in Zone 6 in Battery City and several Drac's were running behind, shooting desperately but thankfully missing. Pulling my ray gun from the holster around my waist, I shot back blindly and almost breathed a sigh of relief as two thumps were heard hitting the ground. I was tempted the pull off the green bandana covering my nose and mouth – it was getting harder to breath and now wasn't the best time to faint.

Suddenly, a car covered in dirt and mud drove up alongside me. Inside there were two Killjoys; the one in the passenger seat had a yellow bandana with a black X over the mouth, covering half his face. He pushed open the back door while the car was still moving, and I heard him shout, "Get in!"

I ran towards the car, and the Killjoy's outstretched arms, dodging the ray gun's blasts as best as I could. "Come on!" the Killjoy shouted, almost desperately. As I opened my mouth to say something sarcastic, a flash of light hit my shoulder and I cried out, falling forwards and into the Killjoy's arms.

"Go, go, go!" the Killjoy shouted as he pulled me onto his lap. My ray gun fell between my legs as I clutched my shoulder, groaning at the pain. How could I have let myself get shot?

"How is she?" the driver asked. The Killjoy holding me yanked down his bandana so that it hung around his neck. I could see that he had blonde hair and brown eyes. He pushed my long ponytail out of the way and managed to praise my hand away from my shoulder, with promises that he wouldn't hurt me. I don't know why, but something inside me trusted him. Maybe because he was a Killjoy that had just rescued me from a group of Draculoids but I wasn't sure. I cursed loudly as the blonde Killjoy touched my injury lightly. The driver, who had bright red hair and wore a yellow mask, chuckled slightly but his companion frowned.

"She's bleeding and pretty bad. Pass me that cloth, would you?" he asked and the driver did so. Blonde Killjoy wrapped the cloth over my shoulder and under my arm, apologizing continuously whenever I yelled or gave him a death glare. When he was done, I quickly snatched up my dark blue ray gun with D.Spainted carefully on the handle. I looked back up at blonde Killjoy... who was holding a syringe.

"No!" I shouted, shuffling away from him awkwardly until my back hit the dashboard. I winced at the pain in my shoulder.

"It's going to get worse without it," he said, sounding like he was pleading. Either that or he was a very good actor. "It'll be over in less than five seconds tops. Promise."

"You're doing a lot of that lately." We drove over a pothole and I smacked my shoulder against the dashboard. Without hesitation, the Killjoy used the distraction to grab my arm and push the sleeve up before injecting the needle. In a fit of anger, I yanked away, causing the needle to fall from his hands. "I said 'no'!" I hissed, grabbing the front of his shirt in my fist, while my left forearm pressed against his throat as I fought against the black spots appearing in the corners of my vision.

"Look, kid, just calm down and –" the driver began, trying to keep the situation calm.

"And what? He can inject me again? What's in that shit anyway? Some kind of drug to knock me out so you can pull over and hand me to the Drac's?" I snarled, pushing harder against the Killjoy's throat. By now he was holding onto my shoulders, trying to push me back gently, even when I hit his arms with my elbows. My vision was slowly becoming darker and stronger the more I tried to fight it. Sleep seemed like a good option but I had to stay awake! Who knows what kind of sick plan these guys were hiding.

"No, we wouldn't ever do that! We just…"

I knew the driver was talking but it was like trying to hear someone whilst being held underwater. I blinked several times, even let go of the blonde Killjoy's shirt to rub my eyes, but nothing could get rid of my sudden extreme tiredness. A few seconds later, I was out cold, slumped against the blonde Killjoy's chest.

The wind flew between the strands of my hair as I peered over Nick's shoulder, my arms wrapped around his waist. "Are you sure you know how to drive this thing?" I yelled over the sound of the wind and the engine of the motorbike. I'd never been on one before and although I'd dreamed of riding one for years, now I was terrified Nick would lose control and we'd crash into a nearby tree.

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have gotten my licence last month!" Nick shouted back. He wasn't wearing his helmet, ordering that I wear it instead otherwise he wouldn't take me for a ride. It felt heavy but after a short while, I got used to the weight.

The trees raced passed us in a green and brown blur, dirt from the ground being sprayed into the air and my eyes. I could feel the adrenaline rush pulsing through my body, making me feel a little giddy, and I tightened my grip. Although I was scared that this would be the end of life, I felt excitement at the whole thing. Sure, Mom and Jordan were defiantly going to kill us when they found out we'd been hiding a motorbike in the shed for the past four weeks, but I was willing to let my worries slip from my mind at that point. I was too busy enjoying the freedom I could get from riding the bike.

I bolted upright. A man wearing dark sunglasses jumped back. He had a brown afro and wore a leather jacket with a t-shirt underneath and combat-like trousers, all in black. He was sitting on a spinning chair next to the small cot that I was lying on.

"Hey," he smiled before I could move. He didn't seem too threatening, and I couldn't spot a ray gun but I didn't dare relax too much just yet.

"Hey," I replied, my voice cracking a little.

"Want some water?" he asked, getting to his feet and gently pushing me down until I lay flat.

"Please."

"Okay, but you've gotta stay lying down while I'm gone. Dr. D says it'll be better. I'll get one of the guys to keep you company," he said before walking towards the door and yelling, "Kobra Kid!"

"What?" an indignant voice yelled back. It sounded like blonde Killjoy from the car, but I wasn't sure.

"Come look after this kid," the guy told him, walking out as a pair of footsteps approached. Blonde Killjoy walked into the room. I groaned and clenched my eyes shut as a bright light stung my eyes. I felt hands lifting my ankles into the air as he sat down and dropped my feet onto his lap. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw him sitting at the end of the bed, watching me. The sudden light had been sunlight from the small window that the Killjoy had moved the curtains from.

"Hey kiddo, remember me? I'm Kobra Kid," he said, slightly awkward and completely different from the first time I'd met him. I nodded, taking in his appearance. His blonde hair and some of his slightly tanned face now had traces of dirt and what looked like motor oil as well. His brown eyes studied my every move, just like my own brown eyes did him. His jacket was bright red with a black stripe running down the arm and the word KOBRA in white by the shoulder. Underneath the jacket was a yellow t-shirt which had a black rip-like pattern on the front. There was more motor oil on his brown gloves. Kobra Kid opened his mouth to say something but closed it quickly when the afro guy came back with a small cup of water.

"Hold that Kobra," the afro guy said and Kobra Kid took the cup while afro guy lifted me up into a sitting position. I greedily drank the water Kobra handed me.

"Thanks," I said, putting the cup on the small table in front of the couch. My voice didn't sound like a frog anymore thankfully.

"Anytime," afro guy smiled. "Oh, I'm Jet Star by the way. As you might have guessed, this is Kobra Kid," he gestured at the other Killjoy. "He and Party Poison were the guys who brought you here after you got shot."

"Thanks," I repeated, more to Kobra than Jet Star. Kobra shrugged before taking out a piece of green material from his black jeans pocket and handed it to me. It was my bandana. I stayed quiet this time as I inspected the material, making sure it wasn't damaged in anyway.

"Can we have a look at your shoulder?" Jet Star asked. "Kobra said it was pretty bad and Dr. D needs to know how you're progressing."

"Uh, yeah, sure," I nodded slowly. Jet Star walked behind me and gently lifted me upwards into a sitting position. Pulling the back of my green t-shirt up to my neck, making sure the material didn't brush against my injury, he emitted a low whistle.

"Holy shit," he muttered.

"What?" I tried turning my head but it was too painful. "What's wrong?"

"Kobra, come and have a look at this," Jet Star said. Kobra was by his side in a flash. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see fear spark in his eyes before he put on the perfect poker face. He walked away then walked back, kneeling behind me. I felt cotton wool brushing against my skin.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I cried out, scrunching my face up.

"It'll be okay," he said, although he looked like he was trying to convince himself more then me