From Yesterday

Darkness seeped from every corner as the tall man made his way through the swirls of concrete that made up the parking lot. He stepped into a black car--nearly as black as his heart--with jingling keys, and an air of doom. The interior of the vehicle gleamed in the eerie green glow of the dashboard. Everything shined in the city; everything was organized, pristine, and white. And that was just the way he wanted it. A devilish grin spread across his face at the thought of this perfect world, a world he had created.

It was his.

Just as he was about to turn the key in the ignition his tiny mobile phone began to beep. He shook his head, and picked up the device.

“Hello?” his sharp as knives voice spoke.

“Sorry to bother you Korse sir,” another man’s voice sounded form the other end.

“What is it now?” he snapped, he was never one for patience.

“It’s about the mission sir,” the other voice said nervously.

“What about it?”

“It’s just…”

“Spit it out!” Korse ordered.

“There’s been a discovery sir, by our field crew.” The other man said, “There’s another one,”

“What do you mean another one?”

“A Killjoy. This one’s a girl Sir,”

“A girl!” he exclaimed with surprise.

“Yes, Sir,”

“When did this happen?” Korse demanded sternly.

“We’re not sure sir, but it seems she’s one of them,”

“One of them?” he pondered, “Find out everything you can about this girl.”

“Of course, sir,”

“Oh and one more thing,”

“What is it sir?”

“If you find them, no one gets out alive. Do you understand me? No one.”

“Yes Sir,”

“We don’t want another repeat of last time,” he said before shutting his phone. Then he started his car, and drove off into the night.

$ $ $

“We invite you, citizen. To join us in our honorable quest to quiet the mind, strengthen the body and remove the burden of unwanted emotions. Welcome to life, better lived.”

The words crackled from the radio as Danny Danger toyed with the knob attempting to find a station that wasn’t Better Living commissioned.

“Bullshit,” she muttered under her breath as the voice droned on about taking meds and getting rid of emotions.

“Get ready to say that a lot more,” Fun Ghoul said coming up beside her and throwing a newspaper on the table. Danny looked over and saw a picture of herself with a giant X on her face with a caption that read ‘A Fifth Killjoy?’. Her eyes scanned the page picking up certain phrases.

Another addition to the team of outlaws… Highly dangerous… Said to have hailed from Surveillance City… Parents killed… Must exterminate.

She took a breath at that one, must exterminate.

“I can’t believe this,” she said, holding the paper with shaking hands. “I knew this was a bad idea!” she slammed the paper back down. “Now I’ve got a huge target on my back,”

“Weren’t they after you before anyway?” Jet Star asked.

“Yeah, but not like this… I was just a face in the crowd, now I’m a target,” Danny said frustrated.

“Look, everything is going to be fine,” Party Poison said comfortingly placing a hand on her shoulder, “Besides we’ve got your back,”

“Thanks,” she smiled tightly before turning back to the radio.

“So back to Better Living, do we even have a plan?” Kobra Kid asked pacing nervously.

“Yeah, of course we do,” Fun Ghoul replied, “Right Poise?” he looked to their leader worriedly.

“Sure, I mean we’re going to sneak inside and head right for the source, Korse,” he said and ran a hand through his bright hair.

“But how will we get in?” Jet Star asked.

They all went silent and then a loud guitar riff blasted from the radio.

“Got it!” Danny exclaimed.

“Woo, I love that song. Last time I heard a bomb drop like that we lost Texas. Makes me think back to the Helium wars, I was young, fit, badass, turning sand into glass with a laser blast…”

“Has anyone ever gotten into Better Living?” Kobra Kid asked.

“Yeah, but they never came out,” Fun Ghoul scoffed and Kobra Kid glared at him.

“I’m being serious here,”

“I’ve never heard of someone coming out from there, and if they did they did not come back the same,” Jet Star said.

“Those meds’ll mess you up,” Danny turned around from her spot at the radio, but her mind couldn’t help but wander from the conversation. The words just wouldn’t get out of her head, must exterminate. She was starting to doubt the mission; maybe it would be better to just stay in the zones. But how could she not fight back? She thought to herself. That man killed her parents and she vowed that as long as she lived she would get her revenge.

“I think I know someone,” Party Poison said just a Danny tuned back into the conversation.

“Who?” Jet Star asked.

Instead of responding he just grabbed his jacket and headed back into the car. “Come on!” he called back to them. The rest of the Killjoys followed his command and jumped into the car. They started driving down the road; it was awhile before anyone said a word. Not wanting to question Party Poison’s plan, but someone had to ask.

“Where are we going?” Danny asked from the passenger’s side.

“We’re going to find Dr. Death,” Party Poison replied, and they continued their journey down the desert road in silence. None of them knowing what to expect of their fates.

Must exterminate.