Take No Prisoners

Throughout my life I’ve noticed that there is one thing I am particularly good at. Not using a gun, not climbing trees, not fixing an engine, it is destroying people. Honestly I do not mean to do it but everywhere I go disaster follows. I am constantly haunted by death and I harm anybody who gets too close. Maybe that is the reason why I was so unloved and cast aside when I was in England. People could sense that death loomed over my shoulders so they never tried to approach me. It seems a childish belief for a twenty-four year old but when my rabbit ‘friends’ were killed for supper I often thought it was my fault. Incredibly stupid maybe, but Skippy has dies already, and Sunshine Suicide, (who is now calling us friends) has already received a deep gash in her arm caused by me. Of course it was an accident, but so was Skippy’s death.

I should wear a black cape, carry a scythe and call myself Deathly Sunset Voltage. Dusty Sunset Voltage is too cheery for me.

A sharp wince from Sunshine made me glance her way. I reached out to check her wound but she swatted me away.

“I’m fine.” She said so firmly that I almost believed her. That cut is bad, no body can be fine.

We were walking towards the Nevada border since Sunshine refused to let me drive her bike and there was no way she was leaving it and we all drove in Angel’s car. Angel was still her car though, driving along incredibly slow and she was obviously uncomfortable with it. At fast speed it was hard for bullets to hit you, at this snail pace we were sitting ducks. The passenger door was wide open and Sunshine was walking behind it so if necessary she could dive into the car for safety. Since I was pushing along her huge Harley Davison there was no way I could swiftly jump into the car. All I can do if danger appears is dive to the floor but even that has it problems. The bike could land on me and that could be worse than being shot.

“Are you ok?” Sunshine asked. I was breathing a little too heavy, this bike was hard work to push but I smiled to brush off her worries.

“You said you were hungry when we were riding. You sure you’re fine?” She continued.

I laughed lightly. “I was simply annoying you. I am fine; there is no need to worry. I have gone longer without food.”

Sunshine Suicide seemed agitated for a second, probably because I had been annoying her and that resulted in her getting injured, but a the agitation quickly left her face and it set back into that emotionless mask she seemed to wear.

“Hey guys! Look ahead.” Angel called from the driver’s seat. She pointed out a building on the horizon, partially hidden from a few trees that surrounded it.

It was a farm house. We had been trekking through country roads surrounded by empty fields for ages, I should have realised there would be some sort of civilisation somewhere.

Angel drove ahead, and I ran as fast I could after her whilst lugging the bike. Sunshine ran as well, faster than me. Her face crossed with pain for a second when her bad arm jolted but she seemed unfazed by it. She is much stronger than I thought she was.

I expected Angel to hide the car in the barn that was round the back of the building but she had stopped just before it and was clambering out of the car, her gun raised.

I dropped Sunshine’s bike into a bush and rushed over to Angel pulling my Taurus from my pocket as I did. Sunshine didn’t even glance to her bike and complain that I had probably damaged it; instead she pulled out her ray gun and held in weakly in her left arm. I was already regretting hurting her and this is making it worse. She can not even fight with a gun now.

Standing on a mound of mangled Dracs was a girl, her figure smothered with blood. She wiped her blue and black hair from her face, streaking more blood across her forehead.

“Who are you?” She demanded her voice slightly uneven and her breathing heavy.

“I’m Angel of Anarchy and these two are Dusty Sunset Voltage and Sunshine Suicide. Who are you?” Angel answered. I expected the same kind of violent tone that she used to interview Sunshine but Angel seemed completely calm. I think the fact that this girl was stood on god knows how many bodies had knocked her usual confidence down a notch.

“I’m Shadowed Nuclear.” She replied as she jumped down. There was a thin blade in her hand that glinted in the sunlight as she moved towards us, her eyes scanning over us. “What are you doing in California?”

“We’re in California?” Sunshine gasped.

“Where were the Dracs?” I chirped in. “No-one was guarding the border.”

Shadowed Nuclear smirked and shoved the blade into its holster on her belt. She kicked the closest body to her. “I think this is where the Dracs are.”

“You killed all the border guards?!” Angel sounded amazingly impressed.

My heart dropped. I have been training with Angel for so many years, attempting to be perfect in her eyes and I have never made her sound impressed. She compliments me every so often but in a matter of seconds this complete stranger has thrown everything I have tried so hard to be in the dirt and proven that I am no where near as good as I thought I was.

“Uh-huh.” Shadowed Nuclear said with a grin.

Her grin turned to a smirk and she drew the blade quickly, jumped forwards and held the blade against Angel’s neck. I leapt forwards but Sunshine pulled me sharply back with her good arm, dropping her gun in the process. With the knife still held to Angel’s neck she reached out with her leg and kicked the ray gun away from Sunshine and I.

“Not again.” Sunshine growled angrily.

“Why the fucks are you at my house?” Shadowed hissed, Angel squirmed slightly but the girl grabbed Angel’s green hair and pulled her head back, pressing the blade down onto Angel’s neck, drawing a tiny drop of blood.

“Do not hurt her!” I begged. “Please!”

Shadowed laughed, “I will if you don’t answer the questions. Where are you from?”

“Dusty and I are from England. The other is from Canada.” Angel croaked weakly.

“Let me answer.” I demanded before Shadowed asked another question.

“Fine, what the fuck are you doing at my house?”

“We thought it was abandoned, we were just looking for somewhere to rest for a while and get our bearings.”

Shadowed Nuclear looked at me suspiciously but slowly he lowered her blade from Angel’s neck. As soon as it was far enough from her, Angel dove to my side her hand holding her bleeding throat. My top had already been torn to make bandages for Sunshine and as I ripped off another section it now just covered my breasts. I held the material against Angels cut and examined it when she calmed a little.

“It is fine.” I reassured her. “Merely a scratch. I will clean it when I clean Sunshine’s arm just to be safe.”

“You’re injured?” Shadowed asked Sunshine, her anger distinguished. She seemed reassured that we weren’t going to do any harm. We are definitely not Dracs.

“It’s just a small cut on my shoulder.” Sunshine explained.

“Come on in.” Shadowed said kindly. “I trust that you’re not any of these white faced freaks but I don’t trust you yet. I’ll patch you up then you can go on your way.”

“Thank you.” Sunshine and I said at the same time.

Shadowed led us through a door into her house. It was relatively large and well aired, with wooden beams across the ceiling and vintage photos of tractors on the faded walls. She took us to what I presume is the kitchen and sat Angel and Sunshine on two seats. After rummaging through a cupboard she pulled out a first aid box and began pulling out bandages, band aids and safety pins.

“No alcohol wipes.” She sighed. “I guess I can only wash it. I’ll go get some water.”

The blue and black haired girl left the room. I helped her by taking off the bandages that my two companions had then looked for a clean cloth to clean the wounds. When I tended to Angel’s cut she did not say thank you. Ever since Angel met me I have been trying to prove myself to her, showing her that I am not some posh, lazy English girl and that I am capable of anything. A thank you is what I want. Nothing huge, just two words and she is not able to give them to me.

Shadowed came back in with a bucket of water, I handed her the cloth I had found and she swiftly bathed both of the wounds and rebound them.

“Thanks.” Angel said.

Shadowed Nuclear smiled brightly, “You’re welcome. Be careful though, the wounds could get infected.”

I wanted to slap them both. Shadowed and Angel. You could feel the friendship growing in the air despite the fact that only minutes earlier one had held a knife up to the others neck. I loved Angel, we were closer than family but when you work so hard to build that kind of friendship and some stranger beats you at it in a few seconds it ruins you. I am merely a disappointment to everyone, nothing more. A huge failure. That is probably why Angel brought me out here. I am an extra hand to carry the load, an extra weapon to use, but I am nothing special. Why would I ever imagine that I could be?

“I guess it time that we should be leaving.” I stated, looking towards the door out of here.

“No way!” Shadowed gasped. “It’s safer in here. I’ll get you some food and clothes and you can all have a good rest. I’ll go hide your vehicles, you lot make yourself at home! You can set off tomorrow.”

She set off towards the door, but Angel interrupted her leaving. “Would you come with us? We need you.”

From Shadowed’s slightly hill-billy accent and middle-of-nowhere house I guess that she does not know what we need her for. A sensible person would ask questions, or simply say no.

“Yeah, I’ll come.”

I guess she isn’t a sensible person.



Shadowed Nuclear took us to the spare bedroom in her house, but unfortunately she only had mattresses as she’d used the metal for weapons and the bedcovering as bandages and other things. She had a few pillows though and even though my sleeping bag would still be my quilt it was a miracle to have somewhere soft to rest my head when I went to sleep. I also had a full stomach. Shadowed lived on a farm and even though she did not use the fields she still had chickens, one of which she slaughtered for dinner and I cooked for us using whatever I could find including a few vegetables I discovered in the garden and some plants that I knew were edible. Angel and I tended to gain that knowledge from trial and error. When you are hungry you will eat about anything.

I had gone to bed early; Angel and Shadowed were having an intense talk about her Kodachi, the blade which had slaughtered Dracs and had cut Angel’s throat. Sunshine had gone to sleep even before I had, she barely touched her food and before she slept she looked flustered and feverous. I am worried about her wound but she brushes off any helps and acts as if it is perfectly fine. She really is tough but if she does not sort out the wound it could kill her. It makes me feel even worse knowing I caused her pain, but I should not dwindle on the past, I need to look to the future now.

Sunshine had told me about the Killjoys and how I was one. A rebel fighter against Better Living Industries that is what I am now. I knew that I was fighting against them but the word Killjoy was new to me, especially the prospect that there were probably hundreds of us. I had heard that there may be more of us before when I was on the boat crossing from England to America. Skippy had sneaked us onto the ship with her foxy, flirtatious ways and when were at sea and the sailors glanced our way the word ‘killjoys’ graced their lips. I had thought it was because at first we had refused to put the flirting into physical actions, but even when Skippy (and possibly Angel, I do not know) slept with a few of the attractive ones the word was still there. It is only now that I realize they knew what we were before we did ourselves.

Downstairs a pot smashed and laughed bubbled upstairs followed by “Good shot!”

Another smash, more laughter. I am tired, grouchy and fed up of being thrown down all the time. Grabbing my Taurus from my bag I tiptoed to the staircase that went down into the living room. Eight pot plates were lined up on a coffee table and Angel and Shadowed were lying at the other side of the room as they aimed to shot at the plates. Lying down at the top of the stairs I fired eight quick shots in succession, hitting each plate in the middle.

I stormed down the stairs and faced the dumbstruck girls. “Some people are trying to sleep.” I hissed.

Without casting a second glance I strutted back up the stairs and clambered onto the mattress. I do not care if I am a guest in her house and that I grew up proper, all rules that apply to being a house guest have gone. I am a killjoy know, I am making my own rules.