But Maybe We'll Live Forever

I was Atomic Battery now, but it was still hard to get used to. I was terrified of this new life, and the Killjoys slowly had to guide me through it slowly. Every day I learned something new about the Killjoys – how to act, what to do in certain situations.

We’d stopped in the first town we encountered in the middle of the desert. It wasn’t a large town, but it wasn’t small, either. We ate, and then the Killjoys took me to a department store across the street. They bought me clothes that were more like their own – worn, retro-ish, vaguely punk clothing. They made me change into it immediately, and then we were off again.

And now, it had been about four days since they took me, and we’d been driving nonstop. I wasn’t even sure where we were anymore. I wonder if Party Poison even knew where we were going exactly. It was mostly silent in the car, except for the crackling of the radio, where some DJ or something named Dr. Death Defying was preaching something about the news.

I’d learned that these guys greatly respected Dr. Death Defying, like he was a god. Apparently they knew him personally. I’d learned that when he was on the radio, I better shut the hell up or I’ll get beaten by one of them.

So today, as Dr. Death Defying rambled on about something I didn’t understand, I kept silent.

When the show ended, the radio was shut off by Party Poison, and we drove in silence for about ten minutes before Fun Ghoul broke the silence by saying, “Damn, Party, where are we going? It’s taking forever. And I’m bored and tired.”

“Suck it up.” Party Poison glanced in the rearview mirror at him, then back to the road. “We’re going to the beach. It’s a ways off, especially when you’re taking the scenic route that I’m taking.”

There were mumbles and growls in the car at his ‘scenic route’ comment.

“Why are we going to the beach?” I asked slowly. “Hasn’t most of the ocean been polluted from ash and oil and toxic wastes? It wouldn’t be safe to have a leisurely stroll down there, unless it was one of the purifying plants, and I’m pretty sure that people like you wouldn’t want to…” I trailed off at the glare from Party Poison.

“I haven’t been near the ocean in a while,” Party Poison said. “It would be nice to have some closure on what it looks like now. I need to see it. Besides, it’s one more day. We’re almost there. Then we can tour around aimlessly for awhile, laying low until it’s time to raise some hell.”

Kobra Kid yawned and rolled his eyes. “Whatever, bro.”

I sighed and laid my head on Fun Ghoul’s shoulder. He automatically flinched, which cause me to sit up abruptly and ask, “What?”

“Sorry. Nothing. Just not used to someone doing that anymore.” Fun Ghoul laughed. “It startled me, that’s all. Go ahead. My shoulder’s all yours.”

I gave him a weird look, then rested my head on his shoulder again. This time, he didn’t act like I had thrown a punch at him. I yawned and closed my eyes, listening to the whir of the air conditioning in the car and Party Poison’s humming as he drove along.

[x]

When I awoke, the sun was just starting to set, and Party Poison was parking the car at an old, worn-down, abandoned parking lot.

“We’re here,” he said simply, getting out of the car.

We all followed, stretching.

Party Poison started walking first. He left the parking lot and walked uphill to a nearby cliff. He stopped, and we all watched as he stared across at something, his shoulders sagging.

I looked at the others, who were leaning against the car, smoking cigarettes and stretching. They didn’t seem too keen on seeing the ocean, so I walked up the hill to the cliff where Party Poison was alone.

I stopped next to him, and stared out across the waste.

The ocean was pitch black, except for the white foam of the waves crashing against the rocks. There was a slight burning, chemical-y smell coming from the waters. It was almost completely silent – there was no life out there, it seemed. No birds flew over the ocean. The blackness stretched on for what seemed like forever.

“Wow,” I whispered.

Party Poison turned slightly and looked at me. “Oh, hi, Atomic.” He sounded casual, but there was a slight edge to his voice, as if he were feeling sad.

“It’s tragic, isn’t it?” I said, trying to know what was going through his head. I looked at him as he turned back to the ocean, his hands in his pockets, his eyes following the waves as the crashed against the rocks with a sorrowful vengeance.

“Yeah. It is.” He was silent for a few moments, not looking at me. I followed his gaze as he watched the ocean. I felt sad myself, now.

He broke the silence after a moment. “This is partially why we’re doing it, you know? The world isn’t supposed to be like this. I remember when the ocean was blue. A beautiful blue. And there would be gulls flying over the ocean, and you could smell the salt in the air. And now it’s… I don’t know. It just… it shouldn’t be like this. They made it like this. Someone has to fight them.”

I looked over at him again. His eyes were sad, lost in a memory of better times. I wondered if this was how my brother looked when he wasn’t smiling for me or my parents. I wish I had known.

I looked down at the ground. My worn boots the Killjoys had bought me were planted firmly into the dirt, as if they were digging to hide from the disaster above. “I don’t really remember life before this.”

“You don’t?” Party was looking at me now, looking somewhat concerned. I shook my head, and Party sighed, whispering something under his breath that I didn’t quite catch. He looked out across the ocean again, losing himself in more memories, I presumed.

“It was beautiful,” he whispered.

I swallowed hard. I wish I had known more about this before. Maybe I could have done something, anything, to change things. Maybe, if I’d been fighting alongside him, I could’ve saved my brother from his fate. Maybe I could have helped clean this ocean up before it had ended up like this. Maybe I could’ve kept the sadness from seeping into Party Poison’s eyes right now as he stared across the murdered waters.

I didn’t speak, just stared across the water with him in silence. I looked over at him and saw his sad eyes, and felt sad for him, if not for everything else. I reached out and touched his shoulder, giving him a soft smile. He looked at me without expression for a moment, then smiled himself.

He had a nice smile. I’d never really seen him smile genuinely; just sarcastically or rudely at one of his friends’ stupid, abstract comments or jokes. I liked his real smile. It was almost comforting, in a way. It made me feel happy, despite the bitter moment that was happening only a few moments ago.

“So,” Party Poison said, turning back to the ocean, the smile slipping from his face. “What did the tape tell you?”

I stopped for a moment. Tape…? What- oh.

“Well, he filled me in on everything. Told me he loved me. Then he said something about important files, and that he hid them in ‘our place’ and then he gave me some sort of clue about black pyramids.” I shrugged, even though Party Poison wasn’t watching me.

“Well,” Party Poison said, looking deep in thought. “Bullet Deceiver was always one to make sure everything was in order, in his own ways. Does black pyramids mean anything to you? He must know that you know, he said it was your place, right?”

“We had a lot of special places. That’s probably why he left the clue about black pyramids. But I have no idea what it means to me. It must mean something…” I stared out across the ocean, my eyes watching one particular patch of black water.

Party Poison sighed. “It’s alright. We don’t have to worry about it right now. Like I said, we should lie low for a while. Wait until the patrols decide to calm down, then make a move. In the meantime, try to think of it. But don’t worry… there’s no rush, I guess.”
it?

“Sorry,” I said pathetically.

“No, it’s fine, Atomic. There’s no need for your information yet. I’m just overeager sometimes, I guess. That’s what the boys say, at least.” He rolled his eyes.

I tried to smile, but nothing happened. I turned to Party and looked at his face as he stared seriously across the water. He was beautiful, I had to say. Sad eyes, though. But I guess that’s what happens when you go through life as a wanted criminal for doing what’s right.

This is what’s right, isn’t it?

…Isn’t it?