"It's me, Dr. D still online. It's been a little since the clash on Generator Road. Just to tell you, they wiped those dracs off the map. Only a matter of time until the next raid. Grab your friends, grab your family, and grab your guns. Tonight's gonna be rough. Sadly, I can't be there with you, I've got run. This is Dr. Death-Defying, signing off."
I heard the national anthem blare through the small speakers on my radio. I bobbed my head to the beat of the song before it came to an end. As the final blast of sound echoed in my ears, I shut off my radio and took another swig of my drink. The lukewarm alcohol was bitter on my tongue, but it left a sweet after-taste.
" 'd 'ya hear that? There may be another raid soon." I slurred. I heard nothing but silence. That's what I get for traveling the deserts of Battery City alone. I tend to get lonely and talk to myself. "Yeah, I thought so too. What are we 'gonna to do? I mean, I've got-" I hiccupped and took another sip of the beer in my hand. "I've got my… gun. Though, we don't really have... anyone else." I set my elbows on my knees and ducked my head down. "Not anymore." I felt tears sting the back of my eyes, but I refused to cry. He wouldn't want that. I heard a rustle from behind me.
"DAMNIT!" I screamed into the night air, kicking my legs down. I straightened my back and let my right hand hover over the holster on my belt. "I just wanted some peace and quiet. Apparently Better Living doesn't even allow that anymore." I let out a sigh and rested my hand on my gun. "Oh well." In one swift motion I pulled my gun from it place on my belt, aimed it behind me, shot, and returned the gun to its holster. I heard the thump of a body on the ground and jumped to my feet. I walked over to the unmoving dracula and kneeled down.
"How many times do I have to shoot you people for you to get the picture? I. Don't. Like. You." I seethed, prodding him with my gun and checking the guy's nonexistent pulse. I threw his wrist down and walked back over to my small camp. "No doubt they'll be more. They'll come searching for their little buddy. I better get moving while I still can." I mumbled to myself. I began rolling up my sleeping roll, packing up my radio, and stomping out my small fire. "Bed roll? Check. Radio? Check. Gun? Check. Booze? Che- wait." I looked around my camp and spotted a knocked over flask. "That bastard made me spill my whiskey!" I let out a throaty, annoyed sigh. "Fuck it. I'm leaving." I marched away from the dead man next to a pile of wood and ashes.
After about 20 minutes of annoyed silence, I began randomly humming. I'm not even sure if it was an actual song, but I really didn't care. I then came up with the first lyrics that popped in my head. Couldn't be more true. Living here in Bat. City.
Well, you can hide a lot about yourself
But honey, what are you gonna do?
And you can sleep in a coffin
But the past ain't through with you
'Cause we are all a bunch of liars
Tell me, baby, who do you wanna be?
And we are all about to sell it
'Cause it's tragic with a capital T
Let it be, let it be, let it be
'Cause we all wanna party when the funeral ends
Ba ba ba, ba ba ba
And we all get together when we bury our friends
Ba ba ba, ba ba ba
It's been eight bitter years since I've been seeing your face
Ba ba ba, ba ba ba
And you're walking away and I will die in this place
Sometimes I scrape and sink so low
I'm shocked at what you're capable of
And if this is a coronation
I ain't feeling the love
'Cause we are all a bunch of animals
That never paid attention in school
So tell me all about your problems
I was killing before killing was cool
You're so cool, you're so cool, so cool
'Cause we all wanna party when the funeral ends
Ba ba ba, ba ba ba
And we all get together when we bury our friends
Ba ba ba, ba ba ba
It's been nine bitter years since I've been seeing your face
Ba ba ba, ba ba ba
And you're walking away and I will die in this place
You'll never take me alive
You'll never take me alive
Do what it takes to survive 'cause I'm still here
You'll never get me alive
You'll never take me alive
Do what it takes to survive and I'm still here
You'll never take me alive
You'll never get me alive
Do what it takes to survive and I'm still here
You'll never get me
You'll never take me
You'll never get me alive
'Cause we all wanna party when the funeral ends
Ba ba ba, ba ba ba
And we all get together when we bury our friends
It's been ten fucking years
Since I've been seeing your face 'round here
And you're walking away and I will drown in the fear
I was quiet for a couple of minutes after that song. Yup. That's Battery City. Killing to survive. Killing to fight for what you believe in. Watching those closest to you die.
It's only the worst place to grow up in.
I walked forwards through the endless desert until I saw a small rock formation. "I guess I can rest here. It looks about midnight and I'm tired of walking. Quick nap, I'll be up by 6. Always to see the sunrise." I unpacked my bed roll and laid it underneath the shade of the rock. I sat on top of it, digging through my bag for some gin. I always drank a bit before bed. It cleared my head and helped me sleep. I grabbed the bottle and pulled out the cork. "Damn… running low…" I whispered. I took a sip before returning the cork and shoving the bottle back in my bag. I lowered my head to the ground and closed my eyes. "Goodnight," I yawned, "Battery… City…" I drifted into a dark and dreamless sleep; almost immediately, forgetting everything.
°•°•°•°•°•°•°
"Hey man, you think she's awake?"
"No. She looks dead."
"I highly doubt that."
"Shut up! I think she's waking up."
I groaned at the massive amount of sunlight shining on my eyes that lit the inside of my eyelids red. "Damnit. Missed it again." I mumbled.
"Missed what?" a voice asked from above me. I froze. How did I not hear them earlier? I should've woken up. Damnit! I pulled out my gun and pointed directly in front of me, resting it harshly on the guy's forehead. I could feel him tense up and the quiet chatter in the background ceased.
"Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?" I asked calmly with my eyes still shut.
"Me and my gang were just driving around and we saw you over here. We wanted to make sure that you weren't dead, or at the very least, we wanted to see if you were okay." The guy said. I heard coughing behind him and the words, 'he did' slyly slipped in between each cough. I heard a smack and a faint 'ow' followed by some laughing. "Trust me. We don't mean any harm." His voice was soothing, but I held my gun tightly.
"How do I know that you're not with Better Living and you're just here to kill me? I wouldn't be surprised. It's happened before." I mumbled the last part to myself."
"Do we really look like those ugly ass zombies? I mean, seriously?" The guy laughed. I slowly opened my eyes to see a mess of bright red hair and a cute face. He had bright, shining hazel eyes and the most perfect pink lips I've ever seen on anybody… ever. His laugh was heart-warming and contagious and I just wanted to smile, but I didn't. I was too busy staring in awe at his features to do anything.
He removed my gun from his head and waved his gloved hand in front of my face. "Helloooooo…?" His smile faded and he looked at me worriedly. "You okay in there?" I was so captivated by him, I couldn't see the others begin to crowd around me.
"Hey man, I think you broke her." The guy from before said. I heard another slap, but kept my focus on the guy above me.
"She's not an android." Another voice said.
"How do you know that?"
"Just shut up, Ghoul."
"Ha! I win!" the other taunted. "Yo, Star! Did 'ya hear that? I think Kid just gave up!" I heard a low chuckle from the other side of me.
"No I didn't!" the other whined. "I just told you to shut up!"
The face that I was basically drooling over looked up at his friends. "I swear, all you guys are like kids." He said.
"Oh, you're one to talk, Poison!" the other three yelled in unison. The guy above me chuckled softly and looked back down at me. I was completely out of my trance and staring suspiciously at all of them. He smiled warmly.
"So, are you okay now?" He asked, standing up.
I raised one of my eyebrows. "I've been okay, just hung over." I said, slowly getting to my feet. "This is basically a normal morning for me. Just… today there are a lot more people here." I looked at them each individually, saying slowly, "People I don't know…"
"Well then, why don't we get to know each other?" Smart-mouth in the back said. "Anyone with a shared enemy of ours is a friend and ally. The least we can do is know your name- er- code name." I squinted my eyes, seizing him up.
Smart-mouth had long, shaggy black hair and tattoos covering his arms. He must be at least twenty five to have gotten those before they were outlawed by BLI eleven years ago. He was also rather short. That must get held over his head a lot. My eyes shifted to his weapon. His holster was on his left and it was also up somewhat high, making him slower on the draw. He has to reach across his body and pull the gun back to position on his right before he could make a shot. Not effective. His lack of efficiency lead me to believe that he's not wise when making decisions and would be a setback. The one thing that caught my eye was his necklaces. No one out in the middle of the desert, fighting BLI would wear a necklace unless it symbolizes someone lost or someone found. He's obviously been through a lot and seems to be a steadfast friend and comrade.
Before I turned away, I noticed a green monster mask hanging from his back pocket.
A Killjoy.