Band on the Run

Motorbaby yawned widely and burrowed into Jet’s chest, shivering softly in the cold night wind. He scooped her up and walked back to the motel, where Kobra was leaning against the wall outside Party’s door, puffing nervously into his hands. Jet shifted her so she was lying over his shoulder and able to look back at the empty desert skyline. She was almost asleep by the time they reached the door, and only heard muffled bits of the conversation. Jet leaned his head sideways, trying to look through the open door and see if the room was empty. Kobra sighed softly, “He’s in his room. Hasn’t woken up yet.”

Jet nodded and walked to the dimly lit room, laying Motorbaby on the bed. He tucked her in as gently as he could, blowing out all the candles in the room. “Try and sleep,” he whispered, and shut the door as he walked out.

She stared up at the ceiling for a long while, thinking about everything, and having to resist the urge to keep running. Maybe if she ran far and fast enough she would be safe. Maybe her mother was still running, and if she ran they could find each other. There was a sound of talking in the next room, and now feeling suddenly awake and alert, Motorbaby crawled out of bed and leaned up against the door to Party’s room, her ear pressed to the thin wood. She could hear Blitz talking, but it was muffled and she couldn’t understand what was being said. She leaned into the door, feeling the wood strain and groan beneath her. Ghoul spoke loudly, “I don’t care, just do something!”

There was a loud crash and the door she was leaning against flew open, causing her to go face first into a pair of boots. She blinked and scrambled away, looking up at Ghoul’s flushed and angry expression. He glared down at her, barking out, “Fuckin’ move!” before stepping over her and stomping out of the room, the door closing behind him with an irritated bang. Blitz looked over at the pale faced girl, and motioned her forward, patting the edge of the bed next to Party’s feet. She looked pale and careworn, her eyes ringed in red and trails of mascara smudged down her cheeks. Motorbaby tip-toed cautiously toward the bed, afraid to make any noise or sudden movements. She crawled up and under the quilt lying over the corner of the mattress, looking at Blitz with wide, eager eyes. She then looked over at Party. He was unconscious, mouth hanging open and breaths coming in quiet, shallow gasps. His arms were crossed over his belly, but she could see blood stains coming through the bandages, arranged in a neat line stretching from his hip bone to his navel. She poked at his ankle, hoping he would twitch awake and give her that awkward little smile. Blitz sighed, standing up from her chair and padding over to the dresser, searching through her bags until she pulled out a syringe and began running it back and forth through her fingers, “He’s got an infection, and I don’t have the right medicine. We need to go to Battery City tomorrow.”

Motorbaby blinked, “We’re going back?”

Blitz shook her head, walking over to the bed and laying her palm on Party’s forehead, “You’ll stay here. Kobra is gonna watch you.”

Motorbaby looked up at the man lying on the bed, “What about him?”

Blitz gave her a sad smile, “He’ll sleep until tomorrow.”

Motorbaby poked at his leg again, hoping that he would wake up and go back to driving around the desert. But he didn’t move, only his chest rose and fell beneath the tan sheets. She could see he was covered with marks with no shirt on. There was a long, pale scar running along his left shoulder, as well as what looked like an ‘R’ branded on his right forearm. There was also a bruise on the side of his neck. It was a dark, angry red circled by a sickly yellow, placed just over his jugular, beneath his chin. Motorbaby pointed towards it, “Did they punch him?”

Blitz giggled and pressed her hand over her mouth, “No, Ghoul gave him that.”

Motorbaby gasped, “He hit him on purpose?!”

Blitz laughed harder, “No sweetie, he didn’t hit him.”

She out her hands on her hips, pouting, “Well then what did he do?”,

Blitz smirked, tucking her hair back behind her ear, “It’s called a hickey. It’s something boys do because they’re gross.”

Motorbaby laughed and inched away from Party, puckering her face at him, “Hickeys are icky!”

Blitz laughed and gave the girl a playful high-five. Motorbaby wriggled around on the mattress a bit, rubbing her eyes and yawning, “Can I sleep with him tonight?”

Blitz shook her head, “No, I’m trying to keep him under quarantine. But between Ghoul grabbing him every chance he gets, and Kobra leaning over and breathing on him, I’ve got my hands full.”

Motorbaby sighed and hopped down from the bed, rubbing her eyes with her fists, “Can you tuck me in?”

Blitz rolled her eyes, grabbing the girl’s hand and leading her back into her bedroom. But they both stopped when they saw Ghoul leaning over in it, his head bowed and hand clasped over his lap. He had a piece of paper in one of his hands, and he sounded like he was crying. Motorbaby cleared her throat and walked over, tapping his thigh lightly, “What’s wrong?”

He looked down at her, tears glimmering in the moonlight, “Leave me alone.”

Motorbaby stamped her foot against the floor, “No! Tell me what’s wrong!” she demanded, her voice squeaking.

He sighed and looked down at her, crossing his arms, “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Are you sad Party’s sick,” she asked, brown eyes going wide and glittering, “Cuz Blitz said he needed medicine.”

His eyes narrowed, “Yes, that’s one reason.”

Motorbaby scrambled up onto the mattress, sitting next to Ghoul and wrapping her arms around him, “Well I’m sad too. Party was my new best friend and now he’s inconstant.”

Blitz giggled, “I think you mean unconscious.”

Motorbaby gave a squeaky growl, “That’s what I said!”

Ghoul let out a tiny laugh, lips pursed together to hold the sound in. Motorbaby nudged him lightly, “Will you tuck me in?”

Ghoul cocked an eyebrow, “Do you want a bedtime story, too?”

She nodded and crawled into his lap, leaning against his shoulder, “Jet was tellin’ me about how you met and the fight and how you thought Party was a prostitute.”

Blitz let out a loud chortle, snorting a little bit and slapping her hand over her mouth when she saw Ghoul go from fuming to embarrassed. But he only laughed again, this one warm and genuine, and he pulled the little girl closer, “Where did he leave off?”

Motorbaby looked up at the ceiling, putting her finger on her chin, “Ummm… S.C.A.R.E.C.R.O.W. was coming.”

Ghoul closed his eyes, a faint look of concentration on his face. Motorbaby snuggled in closer, yawning widely as he laid her down on the mattress. He tucked her in rather sloppily, but she was happy to have human contact, even if their idea of a bedtime story was one of blood and guts. Once she was settled beneath the blankets, Ghoul lit up a single candle in the room. Motorbaby closed her eyes, pressing herself against the man’s chest to keep warm.

“Now, I don’t remember everything,” He admitted, leaning against the headboard, “But I’ll do my best.”

*******
It was twilight when they saw the headlights on the horizon. The doctor was perched on one of the roofs, balancing the rocket launcher with a ginger hand on the edge, trying to keep the weapon out of view. Jet was down beside his car, stuffing a messenger bag with energy cartridges and setting up a line of guns behind the rear tire. Ghoul and Kobra were by the front of the arcade, watching with fearful eyes as the sets of headlights tripled and began to draw closer at an alarming speed. Party paced nervously, gun tight in his shaking hands. The first vehicle that came into view was a black motorcycle. It was about a half-mile ahead of the rest of the pack, the rider’s white jacket twitching restlessly in the wind. Blitz was crouched low, creeping towards the edge of the lot, but always staying in the long, awkward shadow of the building. She fired off the first round as soon as they were in range, blowing off the front wheel and sending the rider up into the air and onto a granite outcropping with a nasty squelch. But as soon as the smoke cleared, three guns were pointed in her direction, blowing up the rusted car parts around her. She shrieked and darted back to where Party was standing, crouching behind the taller man and poking her gun out next to his hip. The first van rolled onto the lot and six men piled out. They were in dark clothes with blank, white faces. Their guns were painted a matte black and blended into the inky night. Only the white masks and sharp, bright flashes from the guns’ nozzles revealed where they were standing. Soon everything was thrown into utter darkness when the last of the vans rolled into place, their engines cutting off in a synchronized boom.

The doctor fired off one of the rockets, but it spiraled up and away from the oncoming S.C.A.R.E.C.R.O.W. He ducked down behind a jut of tin roofing, trying hastily to load another round as laser shots ricocheted around him. Party burst out from the shadows, firing off three shots, two of them taking down a pair of the dark-clothed men, their bodies crumpling to the ground. Ghoul popped up beside him, carrying a gun in each hand and shooting blindly into the oncoming surge of S.C.A.R.E.C.R.O.W. They had narrowed the numbers down by 5, but there were still least another 2 dozen people piling out of vans and pulling up on cycles. Drawing up the rear of the convoy was a black car, and for a fleeting moment Party feared the Korse man had come back for vengeance. But it wasn’t a tall, bald man that stepped out, it was a woman in a tight black suit and a pair of katanas slung over her back. She walked to where S.C.A.R.E.C.R.O.W. was standing, whispering something to the man closest to her. In an instant, the entire group was firing shots towards the Runners, aiming for any body part so long as they hit the sand. Kobra was the first one shot. The laser brushed over the top of his left shoulder, burning the skin and cutting a good chunk of skin and flesh out. He fell to his knees, grasping his shoulder and trying to shoot at the same time. Jet hopped from behind his car, covering Kobra with his back and dragging him behind the arcade. Party made a move to join his brother, but Ghoul grabbed his jacket sleeve and threw him forward, “You ain’t quitting now,” he growled, unloading an energy cartridge and sliding in another.

Party snarled softly and used the last few rounds in his own cartridge, tossing the used gun behind him and grabbing the spare from his holster. They fought for what felt like hours, picking off whoever they could, only to have two more men replace them. The woman was watching with slit eyes, her mouth puckered into a smirk around her cigarette, “There’s no pointing in fighting,” she shouted, “You know you’ll never win.”

The doctor huffed and fired a rocket at her car, laughing hysterically as it blew up and sent the woman toppling into the sand. She scrambled up and wiped the dirt off her suit with a malicious glare, pulling one of the katana’s from her back. At once, all of the shots were pointed in his direction, blowing off the chunk of roof he was standing on and sending him sliding down the back wall. The rocket launcher banged down beside him, unloading another round and sending it spiraling recklessly down the road.

Pony was standing by the front of the arcade, his hands wrapped around a long automatic phaser. It was a bright, glittery pink, and angled so the shimmering would reflect the moonlight and confuse S.C.A.R.E.CR.O.W. as to where he was really standing. He was doing his best to remain hidden and pick off stragglers. If anything, he could get the numbers down so there would be less moving targets.

But they were running out of ammo, and it was clear S.C.A.R.E.C.R.O.W. wasn’t going to be chased off so easily. Blitz was tending to Kobra behind the arcade, pressing a towel soaked alcohol and cactus juice, keeping another towel stuffed in his mouth to quiet his yelling. He glared at her and buckled under her touch, but she kept a firm grip on his jacket as she pinned him to wall.

“You’re kinda cute when ya struggle,” she huffed, ripping open a pack of gauze with her teeth, “Like a nerdy wolverine or somethin’.”

He hit her side with the butt of his gun, and spat the towel out of his mouth, “Just shut up and fix it.”

She rolled her eyes and slapped the bandage on, smirking softly at his howl of pain, “Like I said, you’re cute when you struggle.”

She stood up from the dirt, brushing off her knee pads and pushing in plasma rounds into the chamber of her gun. Kobra followed her up, grabbing his own gun from the sand and tucked it into his holster. They rounded out to the back side of the arcade, popping out behind hidden transmission equipment and climbing into a blue pick-up parked beneath the only tree on the lot. Blitz climbed into the driver’s seat, starting the engine with a mighty growl and pushing her feet hard against the gas pedal. Kobra had climbed into the truck bed, laying himself down low and keeping his gun perched over the edge of the gate. She barreled out into the middle of the clearing, slamming her fists into the horn and shooting her canon out the window. She then shot off down the road, firing rounds into the two vans that flanked her, blowing both of their engines in a shower of blue and red sparks. Kobra stood up in the bed, taking down two more men before Blitz fishtailed and sent him toppling backwards into the truck. She pulled a sharp turn and began roaring back to the middle of the action, swerving from side to side to take out which ever men she could, pointing and laughing as they bounced off the hood and went flying into the night.

There were only a few S.C.A.R.E.C.R.O.W. left, but the Runners were exhausted and on their last rounds of ammo. Party had just taken out two more when his gun gave out. He dropped it on the ground and gave a panicked squeal, looking around desperately for any sort of weapon. It was when he wrapped his hands around a rusted machete did he hear the sharp tang of a sword being drawn from its sheath. He swung around in a huge arc, feeling a tug on the end of the knife as he turned to see behind him. In the dirt, the woman was on her knees, screaming. Twitching beside her was her left hand. She was holding the bloody stump, shrieking out orders as two men dragged her up from the ground and back towards the black car she came in. Party sneered and kicked the hand away into a pile of compost, spinning the machete around in his hands before pointing the sharpened tip to anyone who dared to come closer. What he didn’t see was the man crouched behind the black car, gun aimed in his direction. He didn’t feel the shot at first; just a blistering heat around his thigh, before an electric pain shot up his leg and into his head, his nerves all screaming out at once. He dropped to his knees, clutching at his leg and letting out agonized yelps. Blitz pulled up in the truck beside him, throwing open the passenger door and allowing him to crawl inside. He scrambled in as the last of the shots were fired, all of them bouncing off the door and down into the desert sand.

Jet and Ghoul were standing behind the vans, loading them up with whatever explosives they had, tossing on a match and sprinting back towards the arcades as one of the vans shot 20 feet into the air and rolled onto its side some distance away. The woman looked around frantically, her face a mixture of rage and terror. Blitz shot in her direction, pointing the gun down at her feet and laughing as she jerked from side to side to avoid getting hit.

“Y-you, you’re worthless!” she shouted, her voice dripping with venom.

Blitz smirked and revved the car, shooting off and keeping her fist pressed to the horn, kicking up rocks and dust as she span for the woman and the last remaining S.C.A.R.E.C.R.O.W. They dove into the black car, barreling down the road and away from the arcade. It took a few moments for them to realize they had won. That they had beaten S.C.A.R.E.C.R.O.W. Pony was the first too react, firing off his final rounds with a triumphant cheer. The rest of them huddled together in the sand, hugging one another and laughing. Party felt light-headed with all of the adrenaline in his body, and the pain in his leg was now a burning throb. He looked down at his pants, gasping when he saw the giant burn across his thigh. Blitz noticed it too, pursing her lips and grabbing the man by the wrist, leading him into the arcade.

“Got just the stuff for that,” she smiled, indicating the scorched flesh, “But it smells awful.”
Party only shrugged and followed her into a small, spare room with a mattress on the floor and a row of candles melted along the window frame. She pointed down at the bed, barking out a short ‘sit’ before beginning to shuffle around in one of the cabinets that had been nailed haphazardly to the wall. She came back with what looked like a mason jar full of cerulean grease. She was untwisting the cap when she gave Party a quizzical look. He cocked an eyebrow, mimicking her expression, “What? What’s wrong?” he asked.

”You’re gonna need to take your pants off,” she explained bluntly, and set the jar next to the bed.

“I… what?” he asked again, his voice going up an octave.

“You know what I said,” she smirked, pulling a roll of gauze from a leather bag on the floor.
Party huffed and shimmied out of his khakis, feeling himself blush as the girl began to rub the ointment into his skin.

“You’re lucky, y’know,” she mumbled, not looking up at his face, “Most people don’t meet S.C.A.R.E.C.R.O.W. twice and live.”

She wrapped the gauze carefully around his leg, keeping it all secure with old hairpins. When she picked up his pants however, she frowned and pushed her hand through the giant burn on the front. Party sighed and shuffled around on the bed, trying to cover up his boxers with his shirt.

“I think Pony has some old jeans lying around here somewhere,” she muttered, pilfering around the room before wandering out and looking through a dresser in one of the walkways.

With a happy shout, she pulled a pair of tight, grey jeans from one of the dresser drawers. She also pulled out a black t-shirt with a Technicolor zebra print, tossing the both of them in his direction and turning her back so he could change. When he cleared his throat she turned around, smiling down at the older man as he stood up from the bed and looked down at his new outfit, “It’s certainly more flattering then work clothes,” he muttered.

She nodded fervently and headed back outside, where the men were all standing together, Pony pointing off into the distance. It wasn’t until Party and Blitz reached then that they saw what they were gaping at. There was a fire in the distance, about a half-mile away, and was fueled by gasoline. Party squinted, “What does it say.”

Ghoul only shook his head, and no one else bothered to answer. He leaned forward, gasping softly. Burning brightly in the nighttime sky, the word ‘KILLJOYS’ had been spelled in large letters. The doctor gave a satisfied grunt, and turned to go back inside, “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a new nickname.”

*******
Motorbaby squirmed around in Ghoul’s lap a bit, before crawling off and burrowing under the sheets of her bed. Ghoul stood up, covering her with the comforter before heading towards the door.

"Are you sure you can sleep alone tonight?” he asked quietly.

She nodded and yawned, turning onto her side and burying her face into her pillow. Ghoul smiled and left the room, leaving the door open so she could watch their shadows dancing on the walls. She watched as Ghoul sat next to the bed, and could her the faint mumble of his voice. But soon sleep overwhelmed her, and she fell into a dreamy state.