Killer Laser Rays; Part 9 Arizona

They all parked and left their vehicles. Arizona had Babydoll on his hip. Everyone walked around to look at the whole as the group that had been inside ran out. Pink detached herself from Arizona’s side and ran up to Zebra who hugged her tightly, easily picking her up. “Hey Boo, sorry to worry you, but I needed to stay back.” Zebra was saying to Pink as she scolded him. Solar was the next to come out and as she spotted Bird her face lit up and she ran over to him, where they hugged. Bird noticed that one of Solar’s eyes was slightly puffy and slowly turning black. He rolled his eyes as they hugged. He quickly dispatched himself however, when he saw a new girl. She had long blonde hair, which Bird found extremely attractive. He walked up to her, leaving an angry looking Solar behind him.
    “Well hello there, I’m Bird Song, and you are?” He said a sly smile on his face as he looked down at this new girl, looking at her all over.
    Alabama scoffed at Bird, rolling her eyes. “Well, Tweety Bird, fly away because I have no time for a lame ass like you” She said walking around him. Behind Bird, Solar was making a triumphant face that he had been rejected. Arizona watched with mock amusement that could not actually be seen. Alabama was then in front of him. “Can I have her back?” She was asking. Arizona looked down at her and hesitated. He was reluctant to give up the little girl that he had quickly and surprisingly become attached to, but he eventually handed her to Alabama.
    “Alright, I want everything packed and loaded up right now, we have time for introductions later. Get moving!” Wasp said as she hustled everyone back over to the hole. By then Plasma and the twins along with Adolescent were carrying mattresses over to the Ford and loading them in the back, while everyone else went inside and began taking boxes of things and leading them up in everything but the Impala and the Mini Van. Inside Arizona was with Solar as they each had an end of a large and full box.
    “So she punched you?” He was asking.
    “Yeah, it hurt and I didn’t see it coming so she basically whooped my ass.... That girl can fight. And I kinda respect her for that.” She replied just as they stepped outside. From there they loaded the box into the back of the Tahoe then turned to go back inside and get another box.
    “Well, I think I fell in love with the little girl. she is mighty adorable. I think I bonded with her.” Arizona said which caused Solar to stop and look at him.
    “Ari, she is like three, you can’t bond with a three year old who can’t speak or hear.” She told him shaking her head. Behind his goggles Arizona rolled his eyes.
    “Anyway, did you see my bomb cloud?”
    “I figured that was you, why’d you do it?”
    She shrugged. “Just some Dracs coming to look for the group we ghosted yesterday.”
    Now Arizona stopped. “Why didn’t you say that earlier?” Then he took off to find Wasp and moments later, her voice rang out through the whole store. It seemed she had found a bullhorn. “Alright, step up the pace! Just got word that Dracs may show up soon, I wanna be gone before they have a chance to spot or possibly trail us.” With that the activity quickened and within two hours they had everything they could possibly need packed and ready to go. Looking up at the sky they determined it was 3:00.
    Solar was riding in the truck with Bird while most everyone else squeezed into either the Minivan or the Impala with Babydoll and Alabama in the van with Arizona. The ride in the van with Arizona and Alabama was pretty quiet with Babydoll sitting in Alabama’s lap playing with a toy she had been given. A muscle in Arizona’s jaw would occasionally jump as he thought to himself, his eyes set on the truck before him from behind his goggles.
    After a while the girl looked over at him and asked, “So, you got a name?”
    “Toxic Arizona.” He said quickly, his hands tightening on the steering wheel. “Or just Arizona” He said. He had been hoping this girl wouldn’t talk at all, he was already ticked that he even had to ride with anyone else. He preferred to be on his own, but he was friendly so he would talk back to her if she wanted to talk.
    “Figures they’d put both the A-states in the same car. Alabama Napalm” She said next with a nod. Arizona not once looked over at her from the road, he decided peripheral vision was fine despite his goggles. “You can call me Alabama, A, or just plain stubborn. I tend to get the last one a lot.” She then shifted careful not to wake the now sleeping little girl. They still had another 3 hour drive.
    “Not much of a talker?” She asked but he didn’t reply, just clenched his teeth, a muscle jumping in his jaw. “Well, don’t worry, your friend Solar Crash talks enough for all of you. I’d rather tape her mouth shut, though.” were the next words to leave her mouth. “She’s got potential to fight, she just needs a little hand-to-hand training.”
    “Look, don’t be so mean about her.” He said through gritted teeth. “And she is good in hand-to-hand, she is just caught off guard easy.” He said coming to her defense quickly. “What did she do to tick you off?” He asked next though he was still holding the steering wheel tight, not wanting to have that conversation.
    “Really? She’s the one who was trash-talking me. She should’ve known if you say stuff like she did that you’re gonna get hit.” Arizona rolled his eyes from behind his goggles. “I guess you fancypants killjoys don’t hit though, do ya?”  
    “She talks smack about everyone, she really is a nice kid, but thinks she has to be a bitch to fit in with Bird’s group. And oh, we hit, and I wont hesitate to hit a girl.” He told her, his voice dropping even lower and sounding deeper than it usually did. “I choked her yesterday morning for being a bitch, don’t think I wont do the same to you for being a bitch as well, so watch yourself.” He was slightly shocked at himself for having said so many words, but he usually did when someone was aggravating him, and she certainly was.
    “You don’t scare me, Killjoy” She scoffed at him.
    “Not trying to.” was his tart reply.
    “Oh, I get it.” She said as she sat forward. Arizona couldn’t help but look away from the road to look at Babydoll to make sure she didn’t waken. “You like her.” Arizona’s jaw clenched again and some light almost not noticable color flared in his cheeks as he shit his head back forward.
    “So what if I do.. It’s not like it matters....” He said his hands so tight on the wheel it looked like they might break it off.
    “It must suck having her begging to be with that douchebag Tweety Bird, eh?” She started a small grin forming on her mouth.“It must hurt awfully bad to have her thinking she loves a guy who’s hurting her, when you’d be so much better for her. It must make you want to wring his scrawny little neck, seeing them together. Maybe that’s what’s up with you Killjoys.” She said as she finally finished speaking he veered off the road and stopped the van. Arizona turned to face her and grabbed the collar of her shirt yanking her face close to his.
    “First off, you have no right to say anything you just did, second, it doesn’t matter if it hurts me, what matters to me at the moment is that she is happy, the moment he hurts her will be the moment I rip his eyes and throat out. I live in constant pain, so seeing people I care about happy is like a shot of morphine. So please... Watch what you say to me, because I was this close to wringing your neck...” He told her, his voice rising more and more with each word. That’s when he noticed Babydoll had woken up and was now looking at him. He felt immensely guilty and let go of Alabama and leaned back into his seat finally taking his goggles off though his eyes were closed. He rubbed his eyes then ran his hand through his green locks sighing silently.
    He opened his eyes and blinked trying to do away with the tears that had formed. He covered his mouth and leaned his forehead on the steering wheel.
    “Fuck man, I’m sorry.” She said “Well, I’m up to two bad decisions in 24 hours. I think it’s a new record. Got my father figure killed, check. Punched a girl I just met repeatedly, pissing off my best friend in the process, check check. Upset the guy who loves her, triple check.” Arizona sat back after she finished speaking and ran his hand over his eyes. The tears had started spilling over and he hated it. He felt weak, one for crying and two for crying in front of this girl. Only, he knew she would think it was because of what she had said, but he knew that wasn’t the reason. “You know what, it’s fine.” He said then swallowed rubbing his eyes again. He felt like he had a lump in his throat that wouldn’t go away.
    “No, it’s not fine.” She replied.
    He nodded to her and looked over at her finally. “It is, really it is. I’m sorry for me breaking down like this,” He paused to sniff and wipe his eyes again.
    “I know what you’re thinking.You’re wondering if I think you’re weak for crying. Well actually, I think you’re that much more of a man for what you’re doing for Solar.” She looked at him directly, which made him a bit more nervous. “And I think you’re that much more of a man for being able to cry about it.” She said the smiled like she understood.

“I’m not crying about what you said. It wasn’t your fault, you set it off, but I think Babydoll finished it for me.” He said then sighed, unsure of why he just said that. The look Babydoll had given him had reminded him so much of the look his own baby sister used to give him when he would wake her up just to be mean. Or the look his mother gave when she was about to scold him. He hadn’t actually cried over their loss since he lost them almost two years ago.

    “You had a sister didn’t you?” She asked.and he nodded sadly, more tears spilling over his eyes.
    “I did, I used to be so mean to her, then the bomb went off that day and just like that, I lost her and my mum. I have regretted every minute of mean things I did to her, and then Babydoll shows up and I feel like if I treat her right, the way I should had treated my sister then it will make things ok. But I know it wont.” His voice cracked and he closed his eyes again, wiping them again. He then felt pressure on his lap and opened his eyes to see Babydoll climbing onto his lap. She wiped his eyes and kissed his cheek before hugging him around the neck. He in turn wrapped his arms around her tiny torso and hugged her close. He then let her go where she promptly sat on his lap. Arizona smiled big and turned to face Alabama, his eyes widening when her lips met his from across the median. It was a soft kiss and as she started to pull away his hand slipped around the back of her neck pulling her back as he kissed her again.
    He jumped back and away just as he had been about to deepen the kiss when Wasp’s southern voice filled the van. “Alright you three, hurry up with whatever you had to stop for.” Wasp’s voice rang out into the air from the radio. “We need to get a move on, so finish up and catch up.” She said unaware of the emotional moments that had just taken place.
    “Oh shut it Wasp.” She said rubbing the back of her head from where she had hit it on the window. Arizona grabbed his goggles from the median and slipped them on before shifting the van into drive and speeding off. “Tell her we had a flat and I had to fix it.” Arizona said thinking fast.
    “Hey Wasp, it’s Alabama, we had a flat and had to stop to fix it.” She said into the transmitter.
    “Next time tell me that as you pull off the road. Understood?” Was the only reply they received.
    “Sorry.” Arizona said after a minute, into the transmitter before placing it back. He pressed his foot on the gas pedal a bit harder. Arizona looked down at the sound of clapping to see Babydoll clapping her little hands and smiling at the two of them

“We must’ve scarred the child for life.” Alabama said rubbing her face.

“I dont think she minded... Sorry about that by the way.” He told her as he turned his eyes back to the road.

“I don’t think I minded either.” She replied turning forward again. A small smile played on his lips as he sat in silence for the rest of the ten minutes before the Caravan of parked trucks showed up, and an aggravated looking Wasp leaning against the Impala. Arizona pulled the van up next to the Impala and parked it turning it off. He took Babydoll in his arm and got out holding her on his hip.

“Flat tire huh?” She asked an eye brow raised as she looked from Arizona to a flushed looking Alabama. He knew she wasn’t conviced, but he also knew she wouldn’t call them out on anything in front of everyone.

“I’ll make sure to tell you next time Wasp. Sorry.” He said his face and voice normal as if what had happened earlier had never even been thought of.

“Yeah well, I dont need no Hormonal teenagers-” She started but her son cut in.

“Mother, there are children in the room.” Disco said as he walked up. He winked at Alabam as he took Babydoll from her,

Wasp was about to reply when some raygun shots fired inbwteen them, prompting everyone to fall to the ground to avoid being hit. Arizona took Alabama to the ground with him then was up again firing over the hood of the van. The scene before him looked like hell. There was some 20 Dracs out there all poised and ready to fight. Disco was on the ground passing Babydoll over to his sister while Zebra then took her and Babydoll and Pink and made a run for the gas station. Rage was on the ground screaming in Spanish while his brother and Plasma fell to his side to make sure he was ok. Plasma then turned and returned fire while Lightning drags him over to where Zebra had taken the youngest members.

    Arizona fell two Dracs while Alabam had fell four with her second gun, then, off to the left came a huge explosion sending some 6 Dracs flying through the air, many of them having limbs torn off in the process. Solar had been busy tossing a bomb when more and more Dracs fell until there was another explosion killing off two more and sending one of their vans flying towards the air and farter back before it too exploded.
    After the second explosion things calmed leaving only four Dracs. Two were reloading while two were already aiming to fire again. Alabama suddenly rushed forward towards them and was quickly overwhelmed it seemed so Arizona didn’t think twice before he took off running at them. He grabbed one and snapped his head to one side breaking his neck and dropping him while a second Drac tackled him to the ground where they wrestled and exchanged punches before Arizona managed to pin him down using his knees to hold the man’s arms. He ripped off the man’s Drac mask and tossed it to one side before grabbing his head on both sides and picked it up before smashing it to the ground as hard as he could. He only removed the mask because he wanted to watch the life fade from this man’s eyes, he wanted to watch them fill with pain, fear, regret, then he wanted to watch them dull as the soul slipped away to rot in hell.
    Under him the man flailed as pain erupted in his skull, but the kid on top of him didn’t let up, he continued to bash the man’s skull even after he had died. Covering his hands in the man’s blood as it seeped from the smashed skull and onto the ground. Behind his goggles Arizona had a crazed look in his eyes that couldn’t be detected in the rest of his face. After he stopped bashing the skull he simply sat in the man breathing heavily.
    His lip had been busted open in the brawl and was bleeding, dripping onto the man’s chest. He blinked the crazed look fading as he looked around to see Alabama had killed off the other two Dracs with some really cool looking knives. He turned his eyes back to the man under him. Red and pink and grey all mixed together on the ground and on his hands. He raised one hand closer to his face to see the grey chunks were actually bits of the Drac’s brain. he pulled his hand away and let it drop next to his other one on the man’s chest. He didn’t move, just sat there as he stared down at the mess he had made. He wanted to remember it forever.
    His whole body tensed when someone grabbed his arm but he relaxed slightly when he saw it was Alabama. He let himself be led back to where everyone else was. He promptly ignored the frightened and disgusted looks he got from everyone but Wasp and Solar. He briefly and groggily heard Alabama speak, but it didnt register as Solar took his arm and led him towards the gas station and had him sit down. She had a worried look on her face and was stoking his cheek saying things to him softly, almost cooing. Adolescent handed her a wet rag before walking away. Solar then began to clean the nasty mess from his hands leaving them clean and glistening.
    “You doing ok?” She asked him, but received no answer. She sighed and hugged him close. “It’s ok Ari,” She said then left him sitting there staring at the ground as his deed sank into his mind.
    Slowly the high that had clouded his mind faded. He blinked his eyes and took the goggles off rubbing his eyes. He stank so he wrinkled his nose then looked around. Wasp was putting the last of the bandages on one of the twin’s shoulder. He wasn’t sure which one so he didn’t say anything. Minutes later Wasp sat across from him and patted his hand.
    “Feelin’ aright?” She asked a worried look deep in her face. Arizona nodded and smiled.
    “Yeah, I don’t really know what happened.. one second he is punching me in the lip, the next Alabama was leading me back and I’m a bloody mess.” He said trying to smile as if it were nothing. “I guess, I don’t know, blamed him for what happened to me. But you know what, I’m fine, lets get back so I can shower, I stink.” He said wrinkling his nose again letting his eyes drag over to where Alabama was with the twins and Plasma.
    “You want Solar to take over driving the van?” She asked patting his hand.
    “Nah I can do it just fine, just need Babydoll to keep me company. She wont judge.”
    “Alabama too?”
    “Only if she wants.” He said doubting she would after what he had done, but he hoped, and even so, there was only about another 45 minutes of driving left.
    “Aright then.” She said and patted his cheek before she stood and turned to the rest of the area. “Aright! Lets get going right this minute!” She hollered before strolling out with everyone but Arizona in pursuit who took his time putting his goggles back on.