The Only Hope for Me Is You

The elevator doors slid open and, once again, we stood to either side of them, making sure the coast was clear before we exited. With our ray guns raised we slowly entered into the hallway, checking around every corner.

"Okay," Frank said, quietly. "The jail cells should be just up here. No doubt there will be guards, so keep your heads up." We nodded as we followed him down the white hallway.

We peeked around the corner and saw three guards, all of them Scarecrow. They paced in front of the double doors that led to the cells. They each had an automatic ray gun, and none of them talked.

"Alright, shoot them before they call for backup. Clean and easy." Frank whispered and we each raised our ray guns. Shots rang out around the hallway as the three guards fell to the ground. I smiled; they didn't even see that coming.

We ran over to the doors and burst through. The jail went quiet as the prisoners looked at us in fear but also excitement. Once they recognized who we were, they started to cheer and shout.

"Shush!" I yelled out, trying to get them to calm. If they make too much noise, we'll have some serious problems on our hands.

"Shut the fuck up!" Violet Vengeance yelled out and everything went quiet. I smiled at her in a thank you gesture, but she just sneered in return. I rolled my eyes and turned to the crowd.

"We're going to let you out, but you need to know this," I waited for them to settle down again, then continued. "There is a fight raging on and we need your help. We don't like Better Living any more than you do. You may have heard of us, we're the Killjoys." Another cheer. Everyone knew that the Killjoys were out to destroy Better Living. "But, there's not enough of us here. We brought ray guns and we need your help to take down Better Living. You have to shoot every Draculoid and Scarecrow you see, you hear me?" They all nodded.

"One more thing," Frank butted in. "Some of you may die. This is a great risk, but if you want to get out of here, it's a risk you have to take." No objections sounded through the hall. I nodded and turned to Frank.

"Do you know the code to unl-" I started to say but was cut off by a familiar voice.

"Fun Ghoul! Midnight Massacre!" Grace. I handed Frank the duffel bag I was carrying and walked quickly down the cells.

"Missile Kid? Where are you?" I asked, looking into each cell.

"Right here!" Grace chirped, smiling at me from inside the fifth cell on the left. I went to her and grasped her outstretched hand.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you in any way?" I asked, checking her over to make sure she wasn't injured.

"No, they tried to get me to take those pills, but I hid them away."

"Good girl," I smiled then looked to Frank.

"I have what you need to unlock the cells." Grace said, digging deep into her dirty jacket pocket. "They searched me, but they didn't find this. It was too small." She handed me a small silver circle. It looked like a watch battery but it held an intricate design.

"Just stick it to the control box, press the button, and step back." she explained. I turned over the small device to see a small white button on the other side. I nodded and walked back towards Frank.

"Where's the control box?" I asked and he pointed to a medium sized metal box. It had no latch or hinges, so it didn't open, but the wires coming from it and into the computer system, let me know that this was it. I placed the small device on the front of the box and a small click resounded. I pressed the button and quickly stepped back a few paces.

A ticking sound emitted from the little device then it started to flash a brilliant blue. A small explosion went off inside of the box and smoke weaved it's way out of the cracks between the box and the wall. A large buzzing sound went off in the hall and then all of the jail cells slammed open. Everyone started pouring out of the cells and stopped in front of us, awaiting instructions.

I smiled and started to unzip the duffel bags. "Now, there may not be enough guns for everyone. So, if you don't have a gun, use your fists or stick with someone who has a gun." Again, no answer. I started handing out the ray guns as quickly as possible, but then I saw them..

"Abigail? Mark?" I stared at the two dark headed children that was the mirror image of my mother.

"How do you know our names, Killjoy?" Mark asked, his eyes guarded. I smiled and pulled off my mask.

"Sissy!" Abigail squealed, running towards me. She hugged me and buried her face into my stomach. Mark smiled and came over and hugged me also.

"I missed you guys so much! Did any of them hurt you?" I asked, bending down to their level. They shook their head but Abigail had tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong, Abby? You're okay now, you're with me." I spoke softly, rubbing her back.

"They took away Mommy. She never came back." I bit my lip, trying to fight my own tears at this news. I feared that was the case, but I always held out hope.

"It's okay. She's in a better place now, alright? C'mon, I'll keep you protected. Stay close to me, though, okay?" They both nodded. I stood up and slipped my mask back on. I grabbed two ray guns from the dwindling supply and handed them to the two children.

"You know who the Draculoids and Scarecrows are, right?" They both nodded and I continued, "Shoot them and only them." They nodded again and Grace came up behind them.

"Don't worry, Midnight. I'll take care of them." I smiled at Grace and thanked her.

"Alright, that's it." I heard Violet Vengeance say, clapping her hands together. I nodded and Frank yelled out for everyone to follow them and to stay as quiet as possible.

We exited the hall and decided to take the stairs. That way, everyone could stick together. We were headed towards the main floor when my radio crackled to life.

"Midnight Massacre! Violet Vengeance! Come in! Come in!" Agent Cherri Cola's urgent voice met my ears. I quickly withdrew the walky-talky and held it close to my mouth, pressing the button.

"Yes, Agent Cherri Cola?" I answered as we continued to move.

"Is Fun Ghoul with you?"

"Yeah, he came and helped us with a Draculoid attack on the second floor."

"Okay, are you guys on your way? We need major back up. Flame Thrower is down." I squeezed my eyes shut at the news; we lost a Killjoy.

"What?! No!" I heard Violet Vengeance exclaim. She reached for the radio but I put it out of her reach.

"Not now, Vengeance. Fight with all that you have. Don't let her have died in vain." I spoke and she reluctantly nodded. I felt bad for her, I really did. She just lost a friend.

"We're on our way and we have some serious numbers." I replied back to Agent Cherri Cola.

"Alright, just hurry! Over and out." I put the walky-talky back into my pocket just as we burst through the last door that would lead us to the major fight.

"Keep your heads up, your boots tight, and your guns close!" I shouted, running into the action. The Draculoids and the Scarecrow that were there, turned in surprise. It was just enough time for the remaining Killjoys to take a few down. Then the fighting ensued once more.