But Maybe We'll Live Forever

Shelby Chauncey, the ex-me, was drinking her coffee and staring at the video cassette tape on her table.

It was morning, and after many feverish dreams involving the mysterious man with red hair, her brother, and what the tape may contain, Shelby was very eager to watch the tape – but also very nervous and hesitant.

“I’ll finish my coffee,” she said out loud. “And then I’ll watch the tape. I just need to finish my coffee…”

But that didn’t seem to work well, because Shelby chugged down her coffee within the next few seconds and burned her tongue, then rushed to sit down and watch the video tape that she had waited to see. She picked up the tape and looked at for a moment. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and shoved the tape into her dusty video cassette player, pressing the power button.

The video opened in Rory’s cluttered room, facing towards his bed. Rory appeared, smiling, sitting down on the bed and looking straight at the camera.

“Hey, Shelby,” his cheerful, smooth, loving voice rang through the speakers. “If you’re watching this, then I’m… well, I’m dead.” His face darkened for a moment, then he chuckled. “I’ve always wanted to say that.”

Shelby laughed lightly and touched her fingers to the television screen, on Rory’s face. She felt tears coming to her eyes.

“Anyway, Shelby, I’m leaving you this video for two reasons: one, I need to pass along this knowledge to you so you can carry on with Party Poison and the others as a Killjoy. I’ve recently found some important information that needs to fall into the right person’s hand – and the only person I know I can trust out there is you. And secondly, I can’t die without giving you an explanation and saying goodbye to my ‘lil sis. You’re the number one girl in my life, Shelby, you know that. I love you.” Rory smiled lovingly at the camera, his eyes full of adoration.

Shelby bowed her head and began crying.

“Now, I know right now you’re probably sobbing, but – hey, Shelby, look at me – you gotta listen to me. I love you, Shelby; this is important.” His knowing was alarming, but comforting. Shelby obeyed.

“This is about Better Living Industries. I know you might not understand it yet, but they’re not what you think – they’re turning us into zombies, practically. The leader, Korse, is a tyrant who wants world power. He’s like a Hitler – except worse – he’s winning; if not already won.” Rory’s eyes hardened as he looked off into space, thinking about this for a moment. “And… well, I’ve found something that may be important in taking him down.”

Rory got up and walked over off the camera’s scene. There was a rustling noise, and Rory appeared back on to screen, holding a folder as he sat back down. The folder looked thin, but important enough – it had the BL/ind. logo on it, and it looked very official.

“In here,” Rory said, “there are documents from the desk of Korse himself. It’s important that no one gets these, so I’m hiding them in our place, Shelby. When you look for it, think of this only: black pyramids. I think you’ll understand after a few minutes of thinking about it. You’re smart.” He flashed a smile. He looked serious again. “In this file, it has the truth of what’s happening. And what is going to happen if things keep going the way they are. Now listen. I need you to find Party Poison and the others once you’re done with this video. So go to them, and they’ll help you.”

Shelby had stopped crying momentarily, but felt herself start up again as the next part of the video started.

Rory smiled and then said, “Well enough of that stuff. As you know, since you’re watching this, I’m dead, and it’s probably because of draculoids or S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W or maybe even Korse himself. Shelby, I know you don’t understand it all yet, but know that I was doing all this for you. I love you, Shelby. You’re what I was living for, and the only thing I’d ever die for. You’re my cause, sis. You’re the reason that I want the world to be better – you don’t deserve anything less than perfect.”

“I love you Rory,” Shelby whispered to the TV screen, tears streaming down her cheeks. She hugged her knees and stared as Rory began crying a little himself as he continued on talking.

“Stay with Party Poison and his friends all the time. They know me as Bullet Deceiver, so try that if they don’t understand you talking about Rory. They’ll take care of you, I made them promise to. They may seem a little rough at first, but they’re all full of love and will do anything to protect you. There’s a little piece of me in all of them, Shelby. So you’ll never forget me.” Rory swallowed. “Please never forget me.”

“Never…” Shelby whispered.

“Goodbye, Shelby. I love you. More than anything. Live forever in the perfect world you deserve. If there’s a heaven, I’ll see you there. In the meantime, I guess, I’ll be watching over you.” He came up to the camera and kissed it.

The tape ended there.

Shelby broke down sobbing, computing all this information into her brain. She swallowed hard and screamed into her hands. She felt sorrow, pain, and surprisingly, anger.

Anger at Better Living Industries for lying. Anger at Korse for taking her brother away from her. Angry at ‘Party Poison’ for showing her this video. Angry at her brother for keeping secrets. Angry at the world for being imperfect. Angry. Angry. Angry.

It was not ten minutes after she tried gathering her thoughts together that some BL/ind. agents and draculoids came running in, breaking down her door. They seized her with a firm grip and began talking at her all at once. She couldn’t understand them.

Shelby screamed and kicked and fought. She cried out for help, hoping that someone – anyone – could hear her, but she knew it was to no avail. Even if someone did hear her, they’d assume she was a criminal of some sort and wouldn’t save her. They’d leave the draculoids and agents to their jobs.

“What do you know?” one of the draculoids, the one who seemed to be in charge, hissed.

“I—I don’t know anything! What are you—”

One of the draculoids pulled the tape out of her VCR and handed it to the boss, who examined it. “For Shelby – I love you. How sweet.” He held up the tape. “What’s this?”

“It’s a home video. An old one. Of—of my brother, before he died!” Shelby squeaked out, trying her best to sound strong. “It’s my only memory of him. Don’t take it!”

He laughed. “We’ll see about that when—”

“KILLJOYS!” one of the agents cried.

Things burst into action then.

All of the agents and draculoids had assembled into fighting positions in front of her and the two draculoids holding her back. The head agent rushed forward and growled a curse and started barking orders as the men pulled out their guns.

She caught a glimpse of the man with red hair swinging into her apartment, leading three other men inside. They all looked tough and brave with their jackets and ray guns blazing.

Shelby was screaming over the noise, but no one was listening to her, it seemed. It was insanity. All of it. These – these Killjoys were bad; all they were doing was bringing trouble and spreading their insanity to others. Is psychopathy contagious? Shelby prayed not.

Swiftly, the draculoids holding Shelby were knocked back by the force of two strong fists from two of the Killjoys. One of them had longish black hair and a sweet, boyish face; and the other had short brown hair and intense dark eyes that shone with humor. They both looked at each other, then the cowering Shelby.

The one with the boyish face shrugged at the other one and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. The two of them ran outside and down the stairs, despite the chasing draculoids and screaming girl that one of them was carrying.

The one that wasn’t carrying Shelby turned around and shot the two draculoids chasing them with his ray gun, then turned back around and helped usher the girl into a rusty, classy looking car with the picture of some sort of bug on the hood. They threw her into the backseat. The boyish-faced one jumped in the back with her, and the one with intense eyes jumped in the front passenger seat.

“What’s—” Shelby began to ask, breathless.

“Don’t ask anything right now, doll,” the one next to her said. “It’s not exactly an appropriate time. Wait until the others – oh, here they are.”

Through the window, Shelby saw the man with the red hair aided by another man with wild hair and a helmet under his arm running backwards and shooting draculoids and agents as they went.

The red-haired man hopped in the driver’s seat within a moments notice. The other man shoved Shelby into the boyish-faced man as he got in, shooting one last draculoid.

“Let’s drive!” the one in the front passenger seat roared.

The engine revved, and it sounded much like the one Shelby heard last night when the red haired man – ‘Party Poison’ – had left her. They took off into the warm, sunny day.

There were cheers from the brutes in the car.

Shelby looked up at Boyish-Face and blinked rapidly. He only smiled smugly and winked, tilting his head to the side. He laughed at her squeak as she sat up.

“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!” Shelby screamed.