Danger Days: The Escape

Lady Killer pulled up outside a house in an abandoned neighbourhood on the outskirts of Zone 2. She was the only killjoy in the car who would recognise the residence before them.

When they had joined together in 2019, they had all come from Zone 5, all except for Lady Killer. She had often felt alone because there was no one around her who knew what it was like where she came from, but now that they were really on the run from BL/IND, this became an advantage to her. The house before them was her childhood home, and now, it would become their temporary hideout.

“Where are we?” Jet Star asked as he exited the car.

“Zone 2, almost Zone 1 really, we’re that far out,” Bob said casually as he climbed out behind him.

“What he said.”

Lady Killer stepped over the small brick wall and began smashing pot plants against the front of the house. The four men looked at her oddly as she did this. “My parents buried the spare key in one of these pot plants; I just can’t remember which one.”

“Your parents aren’t still here are they? It could get messy if anyone knows where we are. I think we should keep driving,” Party Poison said as he started walking back to the car, now fully awake after the incident between him and Korse.

The fifth pot plant contained the key; Lady Killer opened the door, not bothering to look back as she spoke. “Don’t worry, they’ve already been ghosted.”

The men exchanged guilty glances; they’d all been thinking the same thing about staying with her parents. Choosing not to speak again for fear of saying anything else stupid, they gathered the small amount of luggage they’d brought with them and entered the two storey house. Inside was rather dusty, but at least they had a roof over their heads this time. Every other place they’d stayed at only had trees and bushes for shelter. They actually had beds, a luxury they hadn’t seen in over a year. The bathroom quickly became the most popular room, with it being weeks since most of them had had a proper wash.

After a few hours of being in the house, in which everyone had been taking turns having a shower with hot water and soap, Party Poison sought out Lady Killer who had been hiding out in the kitchen for most of the evening. She was hunched over the island in the centre of the room. He could see she’d been crying.

“Kill?” he prompted softly. She glanced at him briefly and turned back to the photograph she had been holding. “I wanted to apologise about earlier, I’m really sorry. I didn’t realise your parents were dead, if I had have known...”

“It’s not your fault, Poison. I had every opportunity to tell you guys what had happened to them, but I didn’t, and I should have. I’m not mad at you.” She put her arms around Poison, who hugged her back gently. “It’s just hard, you know? You guys all know that your families made it out alive; they’re overseas living a normal life. My parents were killed by the same people that are after us right now. I saw them die right before my eyes, Poison.”

Party Poison wiped away the fresh tears on her cheeks. “I know it doesn’t make the situation any better, but not all of us know our family make it out alive. My brother, he went missing, and I don’t know if he’s alive or dead, if he’s joined BL/IND, I know nothing. At least you know what happened to your parents...”

“I guess...” she wiped her eyes, put the down the photograph and reached for her keys. “I’m going to head out to find some food, get some more petrol. I’ll be back later.”

Party Poison nodded. “Take Bob with you, kay? No one leaves this place alone.”

Party Poison, Jet Star, and Fun Ghoul spent the evening discussing a plan for fighting back against the enemy. They figured that having Bob on their side would put them at an advantage. He knew a lot about what went on inside BL/IND and the way they thought. Bob would also have access to the headquarters if ever it was required.

It was fairly late when Lady Killer and Bob returned from getting supplies. Lady Killer went upstairs straight away, returning a short time later dressed in cloud pyjamas with an old plastic washing basket in her hands.

“Nice PJ’s, Kill,” Fun Ghoul joked, barely holding back his laughter.

She gave him the finger before throwing a set of clothing at each of the men. “These were my father’s pyjama’s; he was larger than you guys, so they’ll be a bit baggy, but they’ll do. I’m sure you’d like to be out of these dirty clothes. I can wash them tomorrow, assuming the washing machine still works, that is.”

Party Poison, Fun Ghoul, and Jet Star started removing their clothing. Bob could not believe his eyes.

“There’s a lady in the room!” he shouted, shocked.

Lady Killer let out a small laugh. “This is nothing, Bob. In the past year I have seen these guys piss, shit, bathe, everything. What you see here is downright decent, actually.”

“They... you... I can’t...” Bob struggled to find the right words.

Party Poison shook his head as he pulled on his pyjama pants. “What are the sleeping arrangements for tonight?”

The house only had three bedrooms, so Lady Killer had to think carefully about where to put everyone. She looked across at the faces before her; Fun Ghoul and Party Poison captured her attention. They may have been on the run, but that didn’t mean Lady Killer had to give up an opportunity to play cupid. While they were at the house, there was a lesser threat of being found; relationships could be explored.

“My old bedroom only has a single bed, so since I’m the only girl, I think I should stick to that. Bob and Jet, you guys can take the guest room at the end of the downstairs hallway. So that leaves you two,” she said, looking to Party Poison and Fun Ghoul with a glint in her eyes. “You guys can share the master bedroom.”

There was a brief exchange of nervous glances between the two men, but Lady Killer ignored it and headed quickly upstairs before there was any time for them to object. If she had her way, they’d be together by the morning. Actually, to be perfectly honest, if she’d had her way, they would have been together months ago.

About ten minutes later all the killjoys had retired to their bedrooms for the night. In Bob and Jet Star’s room they were asleep almost immediately; the same was true for Lady Killer’s room. In the master bedroom, though, the two men laid in bed wide awake, tired but not enough to let sleep consume them straight away.

Fun Ghoul’s mind had been predominately focussed on Party Poison since he’d found out that he’d been captured. The idea that he was captured worried him enough, but seeing him lifeless on the floor just a few hours earlier made him go numb. He couldn’t picture fighting the enemy without their fearless leader.

Party Poison’s voice emitted quietly from the darkness. He had also been thinking. “Just so you know, Ghoul, I was relieved when I looked up and saw you when I came to in the car; I couldn’t believe you were actually there. I’m glad that you’re safe... just wanted you to know that.”

Fun Ghoul smiled happily into the darkness. “Well, just so you know, when I was captured and tortured, I was so terrified, but that was nothing compared to how scared I was when I thought you were dead in the main control room. I thought I’d lost you forever... just thought you should know that.”

A warm hand grasped Fun Ghoul’s lightly. It was just a small action, that probably meant nothing to Party Poison, but for Fun Ghoul, it filled him with hope for the future. Perhaps when the war was over something could happen between them, he thought, but then again, that would mean that his friend would have to feel the same as him, and he just didn’t believe that was possible. Nevertheless, he squeezed Party Poison’s hand back. Neither of them let go.

“Before we go to sleep, I just have one more thing to tell you,” Party Poison said softly.

Fun Ghoul turned on his side to face him. They may not have been able to see each other with the lights off and the curtains drawn tightly together, but he still felt he had to give him that kind of attention. “Yeah?”

“If any of those Drac’s try to come near you ever again,” he said softly, “I’ll shoot each and every one of them until they’re dead. I’ll never let them hurt you, I promise... just so you know, Ghoul.”

During that night, their hands stayed connected. There were moments when they laid closer together than friends should, and others where they were as far apart as possible for fear of what would happen. They may have even shared a kiss that night, but neither one knew for sure; it could have been a dream. All that they were sure of was that during their brief conversation before bed, they had grown much closer as friends and were on the verge of something that they both thought of as forbidden.

***

The following morning Lady Killer was up fairly early. She took on the role as the mother of the group, washing everyone’s clothes and cooking up a big breakfast to feed the hungry men. It was almost lunch time when they all joined her in the kitchen, sitting around the island as if it was a normal thing they did every day.

“So, while I was doing the washing earlier,” Lady Killer said about halfway through breakfast, “I got to thinking; Bob needs a killjoy name and costume.”

“Me, a killjoy?” Bob asked.

“I agree,” Fun Ghoul added, muffled by a mouthful of cereal. “We’d all be either dead or locked up if it wasn’t for all your help yesterday. You’re one of us.”

“You need a name. Does anyone have any ideas?” Party Poison asked. They all threw out random names, but they were either really bad, or just didn’t seem to fit. After a while Party Poison began to get frustrated. “This is useless, we need Kobra. He’s great at coming up with names.”

They all nodded in agreement, except for Bob. They sat in silence again, all trying to think of something amazing and suitable like they knew Kobra Kid would.

“I’ve got it!” Lady Killer shouted out a few minutes later. “Neon Nightmare! Bob’s hair and eyes are both bright, and he’s our secret weapon against BL/IND, it’s perfect!”

“You’re right, it is perfect,” Jet Star agreed. “The costume can be easily sorted, but what about the ray gun? He’s going to need one.”

Lady Killer left the room abruptly and could be heard running up the stairs. She returned a few minutes later with a bag in hand. After clearing a few plates away, she sat the bag down on the table and removed a purple and black ray gun from it.

“I picked this up last night while we were out, just in case,” she said, handing it Bob. “I also got a replacement for you, Jet. It’s identical to your last one because I am just that awesome.”

They all laughed, and for a brief moment it felt like everything was right in the world. They almost forgot that they were fighting against an evil corporation, and that they hadn’t seen their families in over a year, and that Kobra Kid was missing. But with a war going on, it was only a matter of time before the harsh reality of the situation would come rushing back to them.