Killer Laser Rays Part: 21 Arizona

After this Arizona mounted his bike, revved the engine and drove off in the direction he assumed was home. But before long he learned he must have gone the wrong way. He couldn’t see anything ahead or to either side. In fact, all he could see was a solid white structure. Arizona looked around then jogged towards the wall. As he got closer he could see it was the Battery City wall, the one that protected the suburbs.

By now his skin was really starting to burn. Upon closer examination he could see the wall was but 7 feet tall. About a foot taller then his head. Unusual, but in this day and age, 6’0” was an abnormal height. He reached his hands up and jumped grabbing the top. There was no barbed wire, it made no sense to have any; Killjoys didn’t want to get in, and citizens didn’t want out. His hands clung on as he pulled himself up. It was rather easy but made difficult do to the rain. He perched himself on the top of the wall for a few moments surveying the area before him.

Rows and rows of small, off white buildings which must have been houses lined neat, orderly streets. The lights were off in many, meaning it was late at night. He sat there for a moment, thinking over his options. He finally settled on the one that was the most appealing.

He slid to a seated position with his feet dangling before dropping to the ground then fell to one knee silently and scanned the area, the rain was showing no signs of letting up and was really starting to irritate his skin. He ran towards one of the houses and peaked in a window.

It was low to the ground and looked like it lead into a basement area. He tried to the window, it was locked but not shut all the way leaving it vulnerable. He hooked his foot in one of the off corners and pushed. A loud pop/crack and the window gave in and swung in. He went in feet first unsure of how far from the ground he would be. He wasn’t to far and managed to land with out a sound. He stood and listened for any noise from above.

“Alright rats... Sorry to do this, but my people deserve the food way more than you do.” He mumbled to himself and grabbed a towel, starting to pat dry himself, beginning with his face. After that he tossed it to the ground and walked around the small basement, examining everything. There was a laundry section and a section that held two white boxes. He immediately assumed them to be fridges and possibly a freezer. He opened one to find it piled with clear glass mason jars of fruit, frozen to make them last longer. He grinned. Fruit was good for anyone to be healthy, he would certainly take all he could.

He closed the freezer and opened the other one. Inside was piles of packaged and frozen meat of all kinds. He grinned and pulled one out. Pork Chops. He put it back and closed that freezer then pulled out his raygun and turned to the stairs that led up to the closed door. He ascended the steps slowly and soon learned they were concrete, so they wouldn’t creak.

He soon reached the door and tried it, but he found it was locked. He grumbled and pulled one of his spikes off two spikes from his goggles, jamming them both into the keyhole and jiggling them. Shortly after there was a small click. He smiled and put his spikes back into their places then grabbed his raygun again and opened the door slowly. It moved inwards silently and he soon squeezed himself into the room. He looked around the large space. It was a living room. A medium sized tv was perched on a white wooden stand. The screen was dark and directly in front of the tv was a dark brown couch. The whole room seemed to follow the brown theme, aside from the tv stand.

“A Rebel!” Came a shocked but almost excited voice from behind him. He wheeled around, his gun point blank in a small kids face. The little boy looked shocked for a moment, then a small grin crept onto his lips. “A real life Rebel. Let me start by saying, I think the things you are doing are so heroic.” The little red headed boy stuck out his hand. “Name’s John.” He said.

Arizona was really shocked. This boy wasn’t afraid and he didn’t seem to be under the influence of the pills. Arizona blinked and lowered his weapon and took the kid’s hand and shook it once. “Arizona. Uhm, so what, you respect a Killjoy?” Arizona asked really confused.

“I stopped taking my pills after I read some of my dad’s papers. They are doing some really bad things.”

“I know it. But papers?”

“Yeah, are you hungry?” He asked, then turned and disappeared through a swinging door. Arizona followed slowly his gun still in his hand. He followed into the large, completely white kitchen and squinted his eyes against the light. He sat where the little red head John told him to and looked around. A clank on the table and he looked down to see two brown balls and a spoon.

“What’s that?” Arizona asked eyeing it uneasily.

“Ice cream!” John said excitedly.

“No way?” Arizona asked excitement bubbling up in him. He set his gun down and put a huge spoonful in his mouth letting the delectable taste spread over and freeze his tongue. He smiled and took another big bite. The little kid smiled then disappeared through a different door. Moments later he came back with a thick stack of many manila folders that were thick with white papers. He set them down then took his seat.

“My dad works for the high men of B.L.ind. so he brings work home.” Red Head explained leaning on his elbows. Arizona took another bite then opened the top manila folder.

Better Living Industries.

Jonas Graham.

Former countrymen. Future citizens. I welcome you here, to the future. To our future. In this city, this battery-powered city, all will be perfect. And all you need is this one little pill...

He shut the folder, disgusted already. It was a speech from back in 2012. “Jonas Graham... That sadist pig... as bad as Eldriege himself..” Arizona said.

“Who?” Red Head asked.

“Eldriege was the reason the US got bombed - you know, the United States of America from back in the day. Back after he was elected, he signed a paper saying we were at war with a communist country called North Korea. He bombed them, which had made a lot of Americans mad, and made the East even madder, so they attacked us back, and so on, everything East is basically gone. Same with here, minus Zone 6 and all the other zones including Battery City.” Arizona explained.

“So, what’s your story?” The kid explained then leaned more over the table as if eager to learn.

“Uhm, my story?”

“Yeah, who were you before you became a Rebel?”

“Please. Killjoy.”

“Sorry, before you became a Killjoy.”

“Well, before the Takeover I was a normal teen. Living in Arizona.”

“I thought that was your name.” He said skeptically.

“Oh hush, I’m getting there. Arizona, used to be a state. But anyway, I went to a tiny school in Fountain Hills. Fountain Hills High School. Only 881 of us. So it was pretty tight nit. My name back then was John Allen Van Halen Jr.” Red Head smiled, obviously glad he shared the name of a Killjoy.

“Anyway, I lived there with my parents, my dad, being the Senior to my Junior, and just before we moved here my baby sister Sarah was born. Then we moved because of the radiation that was spreading and because my dad got a job as a Draculiod.” He gave a shrug then spooned some of the near-melted ice cream in his mouth.

“Then what?”

“Well, I went to school here for about a year, before my dad brought home the pills. Mum didn’t wanna take them, so, she took me, and Sarah and we left. Almost a year later,” He stopped and wiped his nose. “The dracs found where we were hiding out, I guess they followed me home. But uhhm, they blew the place up.. Ki-” He stopped and shook his head. “Killed my mum and Sarah. Almost killed me. I was found by the leader of my Killjoy family - thats what we call our small groups that go and ruin plans of dracs. Warzone Wasp, she, well, she told me she found me on my stomach with my jacket facing up, and it says Toxic, so she asked who I was, but I guess I thought she asked where I was from and I said Arizona, so from then on I was known as Toxic Arizona.” He gave another shrug. “Not that cool of a story, there are others out there -”

“What? That’s awesome! I mean, I’m sorry you lost you mom and sister, but either way, I bet you’re a hero.” Red Head said smiling.

“Yeah, if the explosion didn’t kill my mum, her being sick surely would have eventually. Hey, thanks for the ice cream, but I really need to get going, I’m sure its done raining.”

“What? No, I wanna go.”

“Not a chance kid.”

“Please? I will let you keep those documents, there is loads of things you Reb- I mean, Killjoys- could use.” The kid made a face his bottom lip protruding out.

“How old are you?”

“13!” He said excitedly. Arizona chuckled then grabbed the pile of folders. “We steal my dad’s car.”

“Won’t your folks mind?”

“They won’t notice. They don’t notice anything on the pills.” The kid looked away bitterly.

“Fine, kid. But I’m gonna need lots of room.”

“What for?”

“I’m jacking your meat and fruit from the freezers in the basement.” The kid seemed suspicious, but then nodded.

“What else would you need? We have lots of things.” He nodded.

“Gas? Soap? Combs? Anything.” Arizona said already headed to the basement. Red head nodded and took off down the hall a smile spread across his face. Down in the basement he grabbed several black duffel bags and opened the first freezer and started tossing packages of meat inside it. More than half the freezer was gone before the bag was full. He grabbed another and filled that one up. By the time he finished that the boy was back and had a duffel bag himself.

“I grabbed all the towels, and soap and toothbrushes and tooth paste and soap and all sorts of soap I could find. I also got some plates, plastic of course, and all the silverware.” He said with a grin.

“Great. I took all the meat, carry it that car while I put the fruit in bags?” Arizona said opening the next freezer.

“Ok.” He said before grabbing both bags. They were obviously heavy but he said nothing as if trying to appear tough. Arizona set about putting mason jars into the next two duffel bags before he picked them up and carried them up the stairs. He entered the Kitchen to find the kid motioning to him from another door. When the light flicked on Arizona sighed and laughed at the vehicle before him.

“A sedan?” He asked as he inspected the vehicle. It was white and as he got around to the back where he was going to load the bags, the words indicating the model were in silver. Sienna XLE. “Not only that, its a sissy Toyota.” He sighed and opened the back. “Don’t worry, I’ll fix it up, make it more my style.” He said setting the bags down.

“John, dear, what are you doing up so late?” The words of a tired woman shocked Arizona into freezing. He glanced over to the kid who looked equally shocked. Arizona’s mind jumped into high gear as he tried to think of how to get out of this.

“I’ll distract her, you go behind her and grab her...” John suddenly said and walked out to meet his mum before Arizona could say anything. He rolled his eyes and went around the other side of the sienna at a squat pulling his raygun out. Soon he was in the position so he waited until John had the woman thoroughly distracted.

“Mum, sorry, I had a hard time sleeping, and you know, I just...” He fumbled trying to find words to say but was saved just as a large hand clamped over her mouth and pressed the raygun to her temple.

“Say a word and your brains are gonna be melted all over your pretty little nightdress.” Arizona said. The woman tensed and shook in fear. “C’mon,” Arizona said and steered the woman up the stairs and into the kitchen. John followed a serious worried look plastered to his young face. He sat the woman down on a chair still holding the gun in her face.

“John go get some rope or tuck tape or something.” Arizona said not moving his green and blue flecked eyes from the woman who sat terrified before him.

“What are you gonna do?” He asked.

“Just tie her down and gag her so we can get out of here with out anymore interruption. I don’t want that meat going bad.”

“Johnny? Baby?” The woman said in a shaky voice.

“Hush!” Arizona said. “John, go, I wont hurt her, I promise.” He said and after a moment the boy too off to look for something to tie his mother down with. Soon he came back with a roll of silver Duct Tape. Arizona took the tape and began to tape the woman’s hands together. She didn’t struggle simply glared with hatred and occasionally shot a sad look to her son.

Soon they were done and had returned to the garage and were climbing into the Sienna everything packed. The boy John was sitting in the passenger seat eagerly waiting to leave but Arizona pulled out the folders and started to open them. He saw many things that made him mad. He opened one that made him stop. They were blueprints to something that once used to be a cellphone tower, only it was different, a little more ominous. At first he wasn’t sure why it was even inside the pile until he started reading the bottom.

Due to the recent, and alarming rise in rebel resistance, I propose a tower. Not an ordinary tower. Far from. With this tower we will be able to not only control our people with the current pills, but we will be able to regain the control we lost with the rebels, therefore leaving none.

He didn’t read anymore. Anger, hatred, rage and a number of emotions rose up in his chest. Instead he pulled the keys from the ignition, got out of the Sienna and threw the door open. There had been a small radio set up inside the basement that he needed to use right away. He flicked on the switch and waited while the static settled down before he turned the dial a few times.

“Toxic Arizona to the Basket. Anyone, come in” He waited a moment, knowing it was late before a tired sounding Adolescent Suicide answered.

“Arizona? Where are you.” He asked groggily.

“I’ll explain in a moment go get Wasp.”

“She won’t be happy that you woke her-”

“She won’t care after I tell her what I just found.” He said interrupting Adolescent. There was silence then a very pissed off sounding Wasp came in through the transmission.

“Arizona, what the hell are you doing? No. Where the fuck are you?” She asked her southern drawl thick.

“Wasp shut up and let me talk.” Yeah, he was going be in some serious hot water for that when he got home, but this was far more important.

“Boy, you had better have a damn good reason for stepping out of line like this.”

“I do, I found something that demands the attention of not just us, but the Big 4.”

“What is it?” She asked, the anger still there though curiosity was winning.

“A tower. But, not like the normal beat down ones. I mean, this tower, it.” He paused thinking. “This tower is like the pill, but worse.”

“Worse how?” She asked all anger gone now.

“It does what the pill does, only, it-” He paused again and closed his eyes. “It transmits a wave length that gets in everyone’s mind, even us Killjoys and does what the pill does, only, its stronger, they’ve already tested it on some killjoys.” He finished then waited for a response that was slow coming.

“Get home now.” She said with a new urgency. “How long before you are here?”“Well get going.” She said before the other end was completely silent.

“Within two days if I speed a little, but let me shower before I show you anything, I,” He glanced down at his bloodstained and reeking clothing. “I stink.” He said, though he couldn’t really smell his stink anymore.

Arizona knew he shouldn’t, considering he had no right, but that pesky conscious of his wouldn’t let the matter drop.

“Hey, Ado?” Arizona paused, waiting.

“I’m here.”

“Did you- um - Is Alabama okay?” Arizona bit his lip, worried.

“Yeah, they just got here a few hours ago.” Ado paused. “Dude, you really fucked up this time.”

Arizona sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know. She was the best thing that ever happened to me, and I fucked it up again.”

“Hey, are you ok? They may all be pretty pissed at you, but, doesn’t mean we weren’t worried. What happened?” Adolescent asked.

“Karma kicked my ass. Now get some sleep.” Arizona said before he turned the dial a few times then switched the radio off. The next thing he did was head back for the Sienna but stopped in the kitchen, grabbed a spoon and the tub of ice cream from the freezer then climbed into the vehicle and slipped the keys into the ignition.

He started the Sienna and backed out of the garage at a speed that was not advisable. They tore down the empty and poorly lit streets putting his goggles on.

“Arizona? Whats going on?” The kid asked giving him a worried look. Arizona said nothing as he navigated the streets. Before long he began to wonder why it was so simple to him, then it clicked when he saw the name of a street. He used to live in this very neighbor hood so many years ago. He slows for a moment then remembers that he needs to get back right now so he speeds off again. Soon they are leaving the walls behind and entering the zone.

In the zone the clouds had faded away leaving the half moon shining brightly. He slowed to a more advisable speed watching the road his knuckles white around the steering wheel. The boy John had lapsed into a silence as he gazed at the moon.

“It’s so pretty out here, seems more bright...” He said after a while not tearing his chocolate colored eyes from the moon. “I sometimes wish I was a bird, you know, the kinds we read about in the school books. Big, majestic and beautiful. I would love to fly up by the moon on a night like this.” He said then sighed and leaned his head against the window.

“That’s a good name.” Arizona said a few minutes later. He glanced over at the boy who looked to be on the verge of sleep. “How’s that sound?” He asked a bit louder.

Startled he sat up again. “How does what sound?”

“A name for you, a Killjoy name.”

“Really? That would be cool!” He exclaimed hyper and awake again.

“Well, how about Lunar Flight?”

“I like it!” He said grinning.

“Good now get some sleep.” Arizona said and sped up a little, wanting to get home as soon as possible.

Killer Laser Rays, Part 20: Arizona

            After Alabama had stormed off on one of the motor bikes, Arizona sulked around trying to think of what to do. He was worried beyond belief, though his always emotionless face didn’t show it. He walked by the kitchen and stopped at the voices coming from inside.

“Okay, she probably headed this this way.” Zebra pointed to a map spread over a table in the kitchen. “She doesn’t know the area well, and the gas in that tank might get her to about here.” He pointed to a former small city on the map.

“If I know Alabama like I think I do, she went to G.I.’s grave.” Disco nodded, the humor from his usually merry face gone. “They were really close, she always went to him. We’ll take that area.”

Arizona stepped in. “Mighty said she headed East.” He said interrupting them ignoring the bitter and disgusted looks he received from everyone.

“Don’t you think you’ve done enough?” Rage headed towards him before being held back by his twin brother and Plasma.

“She wasn’t supposed to see that-” He said quickly.

“So you were just planning on getting your kicks behind her back, huh?” Rage cut him off, raging, just like his name implied.

“It wasn’t like that, I made a mistake. Everyone does.” He said his fists clenching at his sides.

“So now she’s a mistake, huh?” Rage’s eyes could’ve burned holes in Arizona’s jacket. “She was the best thing that ever happened to you, you sorry piece of shit!”

“I never said she was a mistake, don’t twist my words, you Beaner.” He growled stepping forward a step, the muscle in his jaw had begun to jump as he gritted his teeth in fury.

The room had dulled to a tense silence. “What did you call me?”

“I called you a Beaner.” He said with a sneer. Rage’s eyes shone with pure fury as he broke away from his captors and slugged Arizona with his famous right hook, smashing his nose sideways and sending blood over the linoleum floor. Ari just lunged at him, recovering quickly from the shot, his fists colliding with Rage’s chest. Arizona went in for another strike as Rage’s fist slammed into his neck before the rest of the room intervened and pulled the two apart.

“Will you just get the fuck out of here before you do any more damage?” Disco turned angrily as he helped Plasma and Lightning hold Rage back. Arizona started to lunge forward again but Zebra, his closest friend, put his hand on his chest, stopping him.

“Just leave for a while, okay? Before anyone else gets hurt.” Zebra looked disgusted. He didn’t say any names, but he was obviously talking about not just him hurting Alabama, but Solar as well. Arizona simmered for a moment before he wrenched himself from the grips of his captors and stalked off.

Arizona left out the back where they kept the motor bikes and tools for maintenance and wheeled out the only other motor bike there was. If they wouldn’t let him help he was going to find her and fix this himself.

He revved the engine and tore out of there, leaning forward for more speed. Then sped on going East for a while following the tracks, but after about 15 minutes it started pouring rain. Arizona growled and pulled over. Soon he was drenched and cold but he didn’t care. He had to find Alabama. Next, took his jacket off and shoved it inside the saddlebag and closed it again. He remounted the bike and took off again at a much slower pace.

Arizona drove on for another hour, seeing nothing, he stopped and turned off his motorbike, put the kick stand out and stood next to it. It was still pouring rain, and by now Arizona’s skin was beginning to sting from the slight acid content in the water. He was immensely grateful for his goggles, which let nothing inside, but he needed shelter. Ari looked around but saw nothing. Then he grumbled and shook his head, droplets of water slipped into his ears and he twitched, hating the feeling.

“I need to get out of this damn rain.” Arizona said and started up his bike again. He drove on a bit more until a dark silhouette of something on the ground appeared. His bike sputtered out as the gas was used up. Ari growled and let it fall on it’s side then jogged over to the mass. As he got closer and was able to see through the torrent of rain he found it to be a slowly rotting wooden boat. What was a rowboat doing in the middle of the desert? He pulled his raygun and walked all around the dinghy then slowly lifted it up and peered underneath. It came up empty so he quickly ducked under and let it fall back down. It was mostly dry, just damp.

By now his sight was diminished to nothing. He lay for a while trying to get comfortable but found that futile as there was a lump under him digging into the small of his back. He rolled to his side and started to feel around. His hand soon found the lump and a moment later it turned out to be a handle. He gave it a few tugs when it popped up and something metallic hit his nose, and hard, he cringed then shook it off, already feeling the warm blood flowing.

“Damnit...” He grumbled but slipped down into the hole after some finagling. He fell about 5 feet and sat groaning. It certainly wasn’t his day. He wiped his nose on his wrist and stood up. Arizona looked around then smiled, remembering the device he and Neon had attached to his goggles. He turned one of the spikes and a light green light flicked on then settled allowing him to see.

Immediately he regretted this and was thankful for the blood flowing from his nose blocking the smell of death and decay. Before him was a scene of mass gore. This place had once been a fallout shelter, but it was now a mass grave of mutilated and half decayed bodies. He gagged despite his lack of smell and closed his eyes for a second, but all Arizona could see in his mind was the face of the girl that had first greeted him. She had a look of terror plastered to her once pretty profile. Her body was bloated and leaking maggots from all orifices. He opened his eyes again and took in her bloated body. His eyes traveled from her horrified face to her neck, which actually frightened him. Her neck was sliced right to the center, and crawling with maggots. Someone had obviously tried beheading the poor girl. He forced himself to look away and found another scene of carnage. A boy about his age, though it was hard to tell from the look of his bulging body, was sat in a chair. His abdomen had been sliced open, his insides spilt over his lap and onto the ground before him.

“You poor souls..” He choked out attempting to swallow. There were two more bodies, one, an older fellow who was missing chunks of skin was laid out on a table, his eyes gone, the sockets alive with bugs. Then he looked over to the body in the corner. He was untouched and looking forward with a very scary smile on his face. The man was severely malnourished and very skinny, not yet bloated.

“I have to take a guess and say you’re the sadistic fuck who killed them?” He said with the shake of his head. He wanted to leave, but needed a place to stay, and this was the only place for miles. He cringed as he stood by the ladder leading up then decided to make sure the man was really dead. He walked over to him and nudged him with his foot. As he did, the arms fell from their fold on his knees and his legs fell apart to reveal a gaping hole in his gut where there was a lone rat gnawing away at the innards. He jumped back and fired his raygun twice, one hit the chest of the man and the other seared through the rat, eliciting a high pitched squeal.

He gave a shudder and backed up shaking his head. He had to swallow several times to keep the bile from entering his mouth. He had seen some pretty bad things, but nothing even close to the scene that he had encountered. He backed up back to the ladder and slid down next to it hugging his knees to his chest and hid his face in his knees. He closed his eyes but the image of the girl’s face hit him, so he threw them open again. The green light streamed into his sight and he could make out the stitching in his pants so he turned a spike and turned off the night vision letting things go black again. In the silence he could hear his own breathing, his heartbeat as it increased in pace.

You fucked up. You have done some serious stuff. But nothing like this. He thought miserably to himself hugging his knees closer. Ok, just breath. Calm down, you’ve been around dead bodies before. He sighed. Fool, you fucked everything up. You loved Solar, fell for Alabama, and you went and let Solar trick you, the moment some cocky fool comes along she would have left me again. You are nothing more than a person to her.

He sat up still hugging his knees. “And in all honesty, what is she to me? Eye candy, and not even that.” He rolled his eyes under his goggles and shook his head.

“I made a big mistake, if I had really wanted to be with Solar I would have made an effort, but I didn’t.... I made the effort with Alabama though, does that mean something?”

Shut up fool, you already messed things up beyond repair. He thought before lapsing into a silence that was just a large void, empty of thoughts and images.

Several hours later he shifted and groaned, the sound resonating around him. At first he couldn’t remember where he was, then it flooded back over him, along with the stench. He gagged for a minute, then sagged to one side and dry heaved. He was slightly thankful that he hadn’t eaten anything for some time. After a while he stopped heaving and sat up, wiping the spittle from his lip and chin.

Arizona climbed up the ladder and opened the hatch to find that it was still raining. He wasn’t even sure if it was day. He climbed back down but left the hatch open and walked over to the body of the malnourished man. Ari knocked him over to the side and grabbed one of the stiff legs then dragged the body over to the ladder. He dropped the bent leg and studied it then decided there was no way he was going to get the body up the ladder from holding it. So he looked around quickly but saw no rope. That’s when he decided it was time to venture further into the shelter. He closed his eyes for a moment then stepped slowly into the round shelter. It was large and very circular but had many shelves and cabinets to give it corners.

There was an eye wash station along with several cages that contained a dead monkey, a dead cat, a dog which was also dead and another cage that was tipped over and empty. It must have held the rat. “Scientists...” He mumbled, shaking his head. He skirted around the bloated corpses and began opening drawers filled with vials, syringes, and an array of items he couldn’t place. After a while he grew angry and threw open a cabinet close to the bloodstained floor, finding what he was looking for. Rope. Gratefully, he pulled it out and gave it a few tugs determining it was strong enough. He walked back over to the murderer and tied one end around the dead man’s leg and the other around his waist, then began climbing the short ladder.

Arizona climbed out to see just how bad it was raining. It was just as hard as the day before, if not harder. He moved the boat away and scanned the immediate area then pulled out the body. Next he untied the rope and drug the body from the hole about 20 feet. He turned and went back down the ladder to the other man who was missing chucks of his body. On the left side of the chest was a tattoo written in fancy letters. Alice Talowits. Underneath the name was a list of numbers. 7-19-2008 to 12-23-2015. He stopped for a few seconds doing the mental math. Six years, most likely his daughter. He once again shook his head and found the discarded clothes next to his feet on the ground and started to redress the man.

After he had dressed him he slipped his arms under the stiff body and picked it up. Arizona lugged the body over the hole where water was starting to fall in. He set the man down and maneuvered the body so that it was sitting against the wall. Inside one of the coat pockets a card made an appearance, sticking out slightly. He pulled it out to see just who this man that had been made a meal was.

“Dr. Thomas Talowits.” Arizona read aloud, “CDC science specialist.” The man in the picture slightly resembled the dead man before him. He had short hair and a slight 5 o'clock shadow, but was well dressed and trimmed with a stunning smile, possibly middle aged. The man before him looked grim and dead. His hair had grown to an extent that it was more like a mop of grease and bugs. He slipped the card inside the pocket inside his jacket then slipped the rope around and under the mans arms. He tied it tight then stood to repeat his climb up the ladder.

He climbed out then pulled the man out but carried him 20 feet in the opposite direction of the other man. He laid Dr. Talowits down neatly giving his body the utmost care before he returned for the last two bodies. Inside he went straight for the other bloated man. He searched the body before he found the identification card. He too was a CDC man, though much younger, possibly an assistant. He looked down at the name before reading it aloud.

“Richard Freeman” He looked down at the picture of the man, he was young probably in his very early twenties. He put the card in his inside pocket with the other one. He groaned and picked up the man’s entrails from the ground and his lap and stuffed them back into his stomach. He cringed at the squishiness of the entrails as he shoved them in as far they would go to keep them from sloshing back out.

“Sorry Richard.” He mumbled as he dragged the chair over to the ladder. He sat the chair back down on all fours but it still sat catawampus. He kneeled down to try and slip the rope around the man but as he touched the body it came tumbling off the chair colliding with Arizona knocking him to the ground as the pressure that had built up elsewhere in the body came gushing out of the gash in the abdomen. Arizona squirmed under the leaking mass flailing in disgust and fear.

“Get off me you fat lard” He shouted then became absolutely still. After a moment he pushed the mass off of him and sat up shaking his head trying not to vomit. “Get a hold of yourself, Ari boy. He is dead, they are all dead.” He stopped talking his mouth gaping like a fish before all emotion left not only his face but his body as he shut down everything he could possibly feel. Usually his last defense, but now he was going to be like this forever, it made sense to him since caring got him stuck in places where poor murdered people leaked on him.

After a while he went back to the deflated body of the man Richard and set to tying the rope around him and climbed the ladder swiftly, before dragging him over and laying him next to the Doc. He then stood there, next to his two new dead friends and let the acidic rain wash away the gore and slime that had not slipped off his shirt in his scramble to get away. He watched as a kidney fell from where it had been hanging on to his belt loop and fell with a squelch at his boots. His Anarchy shirt, normally a light red color was stained maroon from the blood that had already soaked in and stained. He grumbled to himself as he picked maggots off jacket and pants, even a few from his drenched hair.

After most of the gore had washed away Arizona climbed back down the ladder and managed to get the young girl out and next to her CDC counter parts with out any more problems. He stared down at the bodies with out so much as a sympathetic feeling before he searched the girl’s body for her card. He didn’t bother reading the name, he no longer cared, so instead he pocketed the card and fired off 21 shots from his raygun before slipping back in the hole, shutting the lid after himself.

Arizona sat around in the reeking fallout shelter, alone aside from the dead creatures and shifted between limbo and alertness. Many days later he climbed back up the ladder and opened the hatch and climbed out. He turned on his night vision goggles to see that the rain had let up slightly. Every so often the moon would peak through the clouds and make a brief appearance before slipping back in.

“Good, maybe now I can get home.” He grumbled in a monotone voice. He made one last trip down the hatch and pulled out the gas he had found and fed it into his discarded bike before he returned to the bodies of the three victims. They had been sitting in the nonstop rain for so long that most of the rotted skin had already begun to burn away. Sighing he grabbed the shovel he had found and began digging a massive hole. It went easy due to the constant pound of liquid and before long his own skin was stinging as pulled the bodies in and threw the mud back over them.

Killer Laser Rays, 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.

Killer Laser Rays, 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.

Killer Laser Rays, 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.

Killer Laser Rays, 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.