Faith Is Unavailable

Family these days is quite the relative term.

Back when Silver Sands was a child it meant the people who were biologically related to you. The people who raised you, loved you, and wanted what was best for you.

These days the only family people like her got was their handful of friends whom love them want them to survive.

Post Helium Wars, America is down to one city.

Battery City.

It's covered in dark secrets and lies in attempts of keep the population perfectly poised in their perfect controlled position. The facades all gleaming in the deadly sun. You could even see it all the way out to the outermost zones when the sun was highest in the sky hitting the city it’s hardest.

Silver Sands’ family were a small ragtag group that went by The Killjoys. Leaders of the rebel revolution working alongside Dr Death Defying, the disk jockey of justice. Spreading the truth of the corrupt society that has come to be.

Silver Sands, was once -years ago- just Sandra, her ray gun’s Silver unlike any of the other rebels’ guns. An hourglass is clearly depicted on the back of her black leather jacket making another play on her name. They all identify themselves amongst the others as best as they can, so no one can impersonate a Killjoy.

Killjoys are a symbol, a symbol that maybe one day they shall all overcome and once again know true freedom. Honestly, they’re only trying to survive just like all the other Zone Rats, but they have to don their bravest masks and pretend. Without hope, everything they’re fighting so hard for will crumble.

The little girl they had in tow with the crew -so far as anyone could tell- was orphaned. It never happened so much as it did after BL/Ind took over. They dusted rebels as often as they could and even rebels have babies. That fact alone made Korse’s skin crawl, so much in fact that he’s tried to find ways to make the rebels sterile.

As her youth keeps her from having developed her true personality she doesn‘t have a name, just the title Girl for now.

They were stopped at one of the few fairly deserted rebel outposts.

Sadly watching her drop another lavishly decorated envelope into a mail box that surely no postman’s seen in years addressed simply Mom.

Silver Sands felt a tug at her heartstrings just like everybody else, but the guys were trying to busy themselves on stocking up on some essentials and checking the Trans Am’s vitals.

She was the main woman Killjoy and with that, she guessed, came the maternal instincts that made her feel for Girl just that much more.

Party Poison was inside playing with the transmitter radio trying to make some contact with Dr Death Defying hoping to hear something about the road conditions. By road conditions as a general rule it meant the number of Dracs clogging up Killjoy lack-of-traffic.

They mostly wanted to make sure none were on the path back to their diner hideout so they wouldn’t have a chance of following them home. They spent many nights away from it but in the end it was the closest thing the killjoys had to a home.

It was the only home Girl knew, or remembered at least. The rest of them were older, they knew the world before it became what it is now.

Party Poison was known as Gerard; he was a first year art teacher.

Kobra Kid was simply Mikey, Gerard’s kid brother who was studying far too many things to decide a major.

Fun Ghoul, Frank or Frankie, studied with him he but had a direction aimed at political science.

Jet-Star studied film for a time in college but then decided to work in his true passion, video games as a game tester hoping to make it to a game developer in the future. He met the other three Killjoys after the Helium Wars.

Girl came back from the mailbox and stood next to Silver Sands knowing she’d toss her arm around her. With her tucked in Sands’ side she started using her other hand to run through her curly hair.

There was so much wrong with the world that simple moments like this, no matter how somber Girl may have been in her head as she thought of her mom, were the closest thing they had to perfect anymore.

Party Poison came out and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “I can’t get anybody on the transmitter. We’re just going to have to risk it and go back.”

Everyone looked at Party Poison knowing he was just racking his brain searching for ways to make this go by safer. He was focused on everyone else, it kept him sane to not worry about himself.

Sands ruffled Girl’s hair and moved to put her mostly purple helmet that had “Back off” clearly printed on the visor back on. “Cool out sir, I’ll hit the road first and make sure if there are Dracs out there I’ll lead them away and dust ‘em. Wait a few minutes and don’t drive like the world’s on fire and this should work out great.” She went and grabbed her motorbike kicking the thing to a start.

“Sands you know we’re not supposed to go out like this alone!” He shouted over the rumble of the bike’s engine.

“Can’t hear you!” She shouted even though she heard him quite clearly. “Later days, better lays boys!”

Party Poison watched the flurry of dust that spiraled behind the back tire of her bike knowing they could catch her in the car but then she’d just do something crazy that annoyed him in some other way.

Fun Ghoul chuckled. “I love her.” He loved the complete anarchy in which she lived never letting anything stop her.

Party Poison sighed and rolled his eyes.

Kobra Kid and Jet-Star laughed too. Loving how crazy it seemed to make Party Poison.

Girl watched them knowing there was so much more that wasn’t said. She could see there were things they just outright weren’t talking about. She wasn’t stupid.

Silver Sands was speeding down the road eyes peeled looking for anything that looked even slightly too BL/Ind. She’d taken out two Dracs.

Passing an abandoned building from the side she couldn’t see before she passed a car full of Dracs emerged and began following her.

“Shit.” She muttered.

This was exactly the type of thing that would make Party Poison right, she hated that.

She turned back and pulled her ray gun from it’s holster set on “dust” and started blasting at the car behind her.

Shots came flying back and she swiveled back around ducking down and zigzagging her bike.

Her brain was on fire trying to figure out the perfect plan as she kept going with the car getting closer by the second.

She knew there was a turn up ahead in the opposite direction of the hideout and so she decided to take them at least a mile or two west of the road to the hideout. At least Party Poison wouldn’t freak out when seeing at least six Dracs in a car when she went out alone, whether they were dusted or not.

She drove them far enough they couldn’t see where they’d just come from swerving side to side keeping them off her tail and dodging laser beams.

Bike screeching to a stop after she pulled the emergency brake, she almost brought the bike down on it’s side and hit the ground from the inertia. The Draculoids zoomed by necks snapped back watching her grab her ray gun and hit her accelerator again now with the better vantage point then it was like a classic carnival game, except these ducks shot back.

Upon her arrival back to the hideout the guys were already back and Party Poison was pacing.

“Honey I’m home!” She called in to everybody really just to grind at Party Poison a tad more.

He exasperatedly sighed, “Can I talk to you alone Silver Sands?” He glanced at Girl signaling to Sands that he knew they’d say things she probably shouldn’t hear.

Sands rolled her eyes and followed.

They walked into the backroom of the diner that -according to the plaque on the door- used to be a manager’s office now it had become Dr D’s main broadcasting point.

The moment the door closed behind her he started.

“Sands, why do you do these crazy things?! What makes you need to take the crazy risks?”

“I do what I have to for the cause just like everyone else. Just like you, Jet-Star, Kobra Kid, Fun Ghoul, Dr Death Defying, and ShowPony.” She sat on the clearest desk of the cluttered room.

“Everyone else obeys basic safety rules, you’re reckless.” The red-haired man continued. “Plus we still ran into like three Dracs on the way back. If you’re going to do something warped do it right.”

She glared at him. “Well it’s better than the eight I ran into!”

His face changed, dropped contorted in disapproving worry. “Eight?! Are you serious? That doesn’t make you think that going out alone is a mistake?”

She looked up at him and rolled her eyes again. “Made me think I needed a bigger ray gun.”

He just looked at her shocked. “Do you think about anything other than the fighting?”

Silver Sands knew she seemed too extreme at times but she just had to. “Gerard,” they really all avoided the real names as often as possible. “I do what I have to. You guys had Girl and it’s not like my bike is big enough for you to hop on and ride bitch.” She realized what she said and chuckled at the way it sounded.

He laughed too. “I really hope you just mean ride on the bike behind you.”

She smiled. “Just maybe.”

He shook his head and tried to get back on track. “Be careful, Girl’s gonna learn a lot from you, don’t let it just be bad habits and dirty jokes. Please?”

She just laughed again. “Like two of me wouldn’t make your day.” Then she rose from her spot and started back toward the door. “We’re done right boss?”

He rolled his eyes, the response they both seemed to have for each other in constant. “Yeah, it’s time for us all to get some grub.”

Sands led the way out back to the main room with all the other guys and sitting around eating.

For the most part they ate out of the cans but Silver Sands encouraged Girl to eat off a plate, that’s the closest they had to ladylike these days. Sands slid into the booth next to Girl and grabbed one of the extra forks on the table and started picking off Girl’s plate.

They shared because the cans were big, the guys ate them on their own but the girl’s didn’t eat quite as much and in these times wasting was more than just a faux-pas.
Soon enough Party Poison slid in with his own can in hand.

Sands looked around at all the boys eating straight out of cans and laughed. “You guys know this place used to be a diner right? We have dishes.”

“Water conservation Sands.” Fun Ghoul said mouth partially full and not caring about the social graces that seemed to no longer matter.

“It’s not even like we use the good water for the dishes although if Girl and I get sick you’ll know we should have.” She said popping another bite into her mouth.

Jet-Star lifted his fork to make the point. “We use the silverware, Sands.”

Silver Sands smiled, stirring the shit was just second nature to her, she just didn’t know how else to deal.

The radio started making sounds. They kept it tuned to Dr Death’s usual station even when he wasn’t on. As he was about to come back on static would sound, crackling awkwardness, then he played the same thing every time he got on and every time he was signing off, an instrumental of the Star Spangled Banner.

As the show kicked on their heads all spun toward the radio and Kobra Kid hopped up and spun the volume dial up.

As the song faded out in came the radio perfect, gruff voice of their friend Dr Death Defying through the speakers. “Hello Tumbleweeds, you’re here with me Dr Death Defying voice of freedom in these ugly times. Out on the roads today a clap was spotted between our favorite lady friend, Killjoy Silver Sands, and a carload of Dracs. Needless to say this world is now 6 Dracs lighter.”

Silver Sands looked at the radio eyes wide. “How the hell does he do that?! This is why I don’t believe in God. I believe in Dr D!”

They all just shushed her.

“Destroya’s like her are hard to come by. Good on Party Poison and the boys for keeping her around or the pigs would have brainwashed that crash queen then we’d all be ghosted. Here’s a throwback track just for her.” A song flooded out of the speakers.

Kobra Kid looked at Sands and laughed, “Dr Death Defying likes you because you remind him of his badass days before he hurt his leg.”

Fun Ghoul looked at her honestly, deciding to play Silver Sands dirty joke game. “Well being a girl doesn’t hurt either.”

Sands knew he was being subtle in front of Girl what he was really saying was, “He wants to hit that.”

Sands chuckled and tossed her arm around Girl. “There are perks to being a girl, sweets. No matter what it seems like some days.”

Girl smiled up at her glad not to be the only one. They continued listening to the radio easily munching on their meals.

During another song break shortly after they finished eating they all still sat around not speaking just enjoying the company of each other in the silence of the calm.

“Who’s doing the night watch today?” Kobra Kid asked breaking the silence. They’d talk about this before everyone else would start to come back and try to catch some zzzs.

The place housed all the tumbleweeds. The rebels that rolled from zone to zone fighting Dracs and avoiding being caught.

They never knew who’d roll in. Most nights ShowPony and Dr D found their way back there with them but other than that it was just our 6 Killjoys’ place and even they slept elsewhere.

Fun Ghoul looked up toward the ceiling really just trying to remember the rotation. “I think it’s gonna be Silver Sands and Party Poison tonight. Tomorrow’s food hunt and Drac patrol though is you and Girl likes to go on those too.”

Just because the kid was 10 didn’t mean she was unprepared. She could hold her own plus the food patrols were mostly about that. They checked to make sure Dracs weren’t getting too close to the diner and that was it. They didn’t like go out looking for a fight. With Kobra Kid she’d be safe.

Kobra Kid nodded than slid out of the booth going to start pulling out the mattresses because he was exhausted and more than ready to get to sleep.

Several mattresses littered the floor before the sun set and people had already started filling them. They’d all scattered and did all the night prep stuff before Silver Sands and Party Poison were climbing out to the watch area on the roof.