Party Poison's pov
They looked like the survivors of the Holocaust to be truthful. Their eyes were dead and glassy like two black marbles.
The pills turned their irises pitch black, an effect that was the least disturbing compared to how grotesque their malnourished bodies looked like walking skeletons. Something in the pills sped up their metabolism unnaturally so, causing the body to literally starve itself.
During the first week there were thousands upon thousands of them wandering around the roads leading towards the desert, but as the weeks wore on you saw more of them lying along the side of the road rather than walking on it. Many of them lying on the road were often stripped of their clothes and it made me sick to think that Killjoys were the ones stealing them. Two months later and I thought they had all died out like a species that had failed in adapting fast enough.
Unsurprisingly my assumption was wrong.
I found her in our car when I went out to grab something that Fun Ghoul wanted. I didn't bring a flashlight since I knew what I was looking for and where it would be so when I reached in and grabbed hold of her hair instead I couldn't help the feminine gasp that escaped me as I snatched my hand back. At my touch the person became to move and I immediately jumped back ray gun at the ready. The person slithered forward before they tumbled out of the car, falling flat on their back where they did not move. Taking a risk I stretched over the person and flicked the interior car light on. What I saw made me gasp.
It was one of the Holocaust survivor looking skeletons, a lady one to be exact. The lady had dark brown hair with blonde streaks that went well with how tan she was. And despite how taut her skin was stretched over her bones there was no denying the beauty in those sage green eyes that gazed up at me pleadingly.
Wait a minute pleadingly? I had never seen the skeletons ever have emotions in their eyes…along with any color. I crouched down
"Can you tell me your name?" I inquired stroking her hair trying to bring some comfort to this lady who was locked inside her head by the pills BL/ind had shoved down her throat.
"Mercy." She managed to say before she shivered and those sage green irises were swallowed up by black.
"Damn it." I hissed before I grabbed her beneath the armpits and pulled Mercy to her feet before leading her inside. Kobra Kid glanced up at me and did a double take when he registered who I was pulling along with me.
"What the hell Party?" He sputtered jumping to his feet and backing away from Mercy and I.
"It's alright Kobra she's…not like the others." I said soothingly. My brother gave her a wary look before he turned his gaze to Fun Ghoul and Jet Star who now entered the room. These two didn't react as strongly probably because they weren't sure how to.
The skeletons weren't at all dangerous they didn't respond to anyone, well this one did but that's beside the point, the big thing is that these…people were definitely a shock to anyone who hasn't seen them before. I filled the silence by bringing her up to my side and announcing "She told e her name's Mercy." All three gave wry half smiles as Frank sarcastically noted
"What an ironic name."
"So what are we gonna do with her?" Jet Star questioned eyebrow raised as he looked Mercy over. I looked at her and knew without a doubt that I would try my best to keep her with us. Those eyes now downcast and dead had been full of innocence and humanity just before the pills had taken over again, and I was determined to save her from the chemicals within her system.
"I want to keep her just for now to see if she gets better." I stated and was surprised that they did not argue though they wore doubtful expressions of her getting better. When it became clear no one was going to say anything more I announced "You'll be bunking with me for now Mercy." She nodded and with head bowed followed me.
It was only a short walk down the hall before we reached the room that was covered by the American widow flag. I pushed it aside and let Mercy walk in ahead of me before following in after her. She looked around the room before she went over to my side of it and picked up a much creased picture that was lying on my bed. Mercy gazed at it for a few moments before she turned to me, shocking me because her natural eye color was tinting the edge of the black in her eyes.
"Brothers?" Mercy gritted trying hard to talk through the chemicals that threatened to steal her speech away. I came and stood at her side looking at the picture though I already knew what I would see. The picture was of Frank, Mikey, Ray, Bob and I in our Revenge outfits with a red bar across our eyes. I grinned and nodded gazing fondly at the picture of when we were simply a band posing for some photo shoot. "Where's he?" She questioned pointing to Bob. The grin left as I whispered
"Gone." I stared sadly down at the photograph feeling a familiar ache of the heart for our "brother" that had mysteriously vanished from the face of the earth not long after BL/ind had come into power. I would not consider the possibility that BL/ind had him; no way would he let himself be controlled by those evil people. I was broken from my reverie when she hugged me. I tensed to pull away but it was instantly clear she hugged me out of comfort and wasn't trying to slide a knife between my ribs. And so for a minute we stayed like this, a human skeleton girl comforting me from the pain of losing Bob.
Some things you just never expect.
Soon after I got her settled into my bed and bade her sweet dreams, idly wondering if she could dream as I made a bed for myself on the floor.
The next morning I was up and outside early since it was my turn to check that no Dracs were hiding out in any of the nooks or crannies of our diner.
Twenty minutes later I was back and was very surprised at seeing Fun Ghoul giving Mercy some Power Pup. At seeing my expression Fun Ghoul smiled and raised an eyebrow.
"What? I can't take care of Mercy?" He questioned. I shook my head and bluntly answered
"I didn't think you'd want to." Fun shrugged as he gazed at Mercy who sat on the stool beside him gazing at us in curiosity, looking for the all world like a child trying to understand what the grownups were saying. When she looked to me I dared to hope that perhaps the black was starting to recede.
As the days began to melt into weeks the rest of the guys soon slowly warmed up to her though Fun Ghoul was clearly the most brotherly towards Mercy.
It was the night of Mercy having been with us for a year that we discovered the chemicals were gone from her system.
I was talking to Kobra and Fun about how I thought the Trans-Am was due for a tune up when Mercy began hollering for me. Immediately I was off like a shot Kobra and Fun right on my heels.
"What's wrong?" I yelled as I flung aside the flag door.
"I'm free Gerard! Free!" Mercy exclaimed tears of joy glittering in her eyes. Eyes that were her natural sage green. The only black was from her pupils. Instantly I swept her into a bear hug exhilarated at the realization that this brought, BL/ind was not all powerful with Mercy as the living proof.