Holding Out for the Wishing Well

“Where were you?” Mikey asked as Gerard slipped through the door after another day with Kel. He’d been seeing her every day, and she always had something fun, something amazing to show him. Somehow, she always managed to find the silver lining, the beauty in Hell, and he wanted to see more of what she did. Gerard, however, had kept Kel and all her secrets from his fellow Killjoys.
“Just… wandering.” Gerard shrugged, knowing that Mikey wouldn’t pry. Even Frankie had given up trying to force or trick an answer out of Gerard a week ago. Ray had never pried in the first place.
Mikey sighed, giving his older brother a concerned look. “I don’t want you patrolling alone tonight. We’ll go out, just you and me, and see what we can find.” With no way out, Gerard had to nod in agreement, glad when Mikey decided just walking about in their parade jackets was enough.
The two brothers walked side-by-side, slowly falling into their old pattern of jokes and old memories, reminiscing on all the pranks they’d pulled back when they were young and immature. Gerard hadn’t realized how much he’d missed the time he used to spend with his brother; he hadn’t even realized how much both of them had changed since being sentenced to Hell. As he and Mikey talked, Gerard found himself feeling the light, happy feeling he only found around Kel these days. It was one of the first times he wasn’t thinking of her, too.
Just as soon as he realized that, he spotted a familiar shadow darting into an alleyway ahead of him. He glanced to the side as he passed, and caught sight of a familiar red feather and a winking grey eye before all that was left was an empty alley. Gerard smiled to himself, knowing that Kel was watching out for her ‘pet skip,’ and shook his head in bemusement. As he and Mikey walked, it took them a moment to realize that the cityscape was fading, to be replaced by the dead, barren field where they had first arrived. Gerard frowned about in distaste, automatically comparing it to the field he so often visited with Kel. He had camped out with her just the other night, the two of them curling up in the tall grass, laughing as they played pranks on one another. Gerard was smiling absently at the memory when the voice spoke to him once again, and he realized Ray and Frankie had joined himself and Mikey.
“You have done well, Killjoys. You are saving Hell from itself, though there is a task yet to complete.” The voice sounded clearly, though there was no source. “The most vile, dangerous thief, a murderous cutthroat has gone unseen by you Killjoys for this entire time, unseen for what she truly is. She must become your priority, and she must be killed on sight, whether you wear the Parade jacket or the Killjoy mask.” The voice ordered. The grass before each man weaved itself slowly into a square the size of a sheet of paper, clipping itself from the rest of the field as words faded into existence.
“She must be killed at all costs.” The voice ordered, and the men watched as words and a photograph appeared on the page.
Keladry – to be killed on sight, no exceptions. Offences include violence, thievery, attempted murder, murder, alcohol abuse, and breaking all known city laws.
“What hasn’t she done?” Frankie joked, and Ray nodded at him with a grin.
Gerard, however, was too busy staring at the girl in the photo. She was grinning wickedly at the camera as she held up two fingers in a ‘peace’ sign, her other hand clutching a bloody knife. Her grey eyes danced with an impish light, and a blood red feather was perched jauntily in her raven hair.
“You have seen her crime scenes before, in which only a spatter of blood and discarded prizes are left. She has left you no clues or signs, only the desire to hunt her down.” The voice explained. “Keladry must be stopped.” The voice said with firm finality, and the men found themselves back in their house, somewhat dazed by the revelation.
“She doesn’t look dangerous, other than the bloody knife.” Frankie tried, but no one laughed.
“That’s why we have to kill her, before she figures out something horrible to do to us.” Ray replied firmly, and Mikey nodded in agreement as Frankie grinned crookedly, excited to be on the hunt.
-
Gerard wandered out of the house, alone and unarmed, dazed by the revelation. She’s one of them. He thought sluggishly, not paying any attention to where he was going. She’s one of them, and I’ve got to kill her. He flinched at the thought, glad his friends weren’t there to see him, and kept walking, trying and failing to banish the thoughts from his mind.
Next thing he knew, Gerard had been dragged down an alley and was being beaten on by a huge guy who was yelling something completely incoherent. Gerard scrambled to gather his wits and fight back, cursing himself for leaving his gun at home, but by then the man had frozen.
“I thought I warned all of you to stay away from him.” Though the voice was cold and deadly, it was unmistakable. “I told you all; he’s mine, and to be left alone.”
“Aw, Kel, you ain’t done anything to him.” Whined the man, who still clutched a bruised and bloodied Gerard’s shirtfront. “Let the rest of us have some fun, at least.”
“What I say, goes, Calvin.” Kel said, then she launched herself on the man. She seemed to have forsaken her knives for dirty tricks, fighting empty handed and still managing to beat the shit out of the monolithic man. She was merciless, her grey eyes cold and empty as she pummeled the man until he was broken and bloody on the cracked pavement.
“Get up.” Kel ordered coldly, snarling when the man only whimpered. “I said, ‘get up’!” the man scrambled to his feet, then cleared out of the alleyway as fast as he could limp, with Kel glaring murderously after him. Less than an instant later, Kel turned to look at Gerard, her eyes softening. “Are you alright?” She moved closer to him, touching the ghost of the black eye that would appear over the next few days. “You’ll have a nice shiner, but they won’t bother you anymore.” Kel said quietly, meeting Gerard’s eyes.
Gerard stared back for a moment, not knowing what to do or say. He recovered quickly, blinking back into reality, but Kel had caught on that something wasn’t right.
“Come on, there’s something I want to show you.” Kel murmured, taking Gerard’s hand and leading him gently through the alley. Gerard followed, still confused and somewhat dazed after the short beating. “I’m sorry, I was hoping they would just back off for good, but I guess they wanted to test me. Usually, what I say goes around here.”
Gerard nodded mutely, worrying Kel even more.
“I had to make sure you were okay before I took you here.” Kel said when she finally stopped Gerard outside a door marked with a laughing face, though there was something grotesquely sadistic about the expression. “I didn’t want you to get torn apart by everyone in there, and I had to be sure you wouldn’t tattle on us to the Killjoys.” Kel grinned crookedly. “I’m trusting you to keep our little secret here.”
Gerard grinned, knowing he wouldn’t be busting whatever place this was any time soon. He wouldn’t be shooting Kel, and he certainly wasn’t going to help the other Killjoys find her. Maybe he wasn’t picking the right side, but he was finally picking a side. “Kel, you know me. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
Kel grinned at him, then leaned up to peck a light, friendly kiss on his cheek. “I knew I could trust you.” She beamed, not noticing that Gerard had frozen, and not seeing when Gerard gently touched a hand to his cheek when she turned to lead him inside.
Gerard glanced around in wonder once the door shut behind him. He stood in a room that tried desperately to be colorful, draped in gaudy shawls and bright cloths, jewels hung from lamps and lanterns, smoke and drunken laughter filled the room between too-loud, live rock ‘n’ roll being played by a band onstage. Gerard was shocked to see who was playing- Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was wailing away on vocals, flanked by Jimi Hendrix on guitar with Jimmy ‘the Rev’ Sullivan pounding away on the drum set.
“Holy shit.” Gerard breathed, staring around in awe. It was the first place he’d seen that offered a decent mixed drink, that allowed smoking, that offered any form of music at all… and all of it was on his hit list, all of it marked for destruction. “This place is incredible.” He was amazed Kel could hear him over the familiar guitar licks coming from the stage, but her grin informed him that she not only heard, but approved his assessment of the place.
“That’s not even the best part.” Kel said quietly, tugging Gerard away from all the pomp. He followed willingly, through a door to a dark stairwell, up and up the steps. When they emerged onto the roof, Gerard looked around in wonder. The smog was becoming even more colorful with the approach of sunset, but Kel wasn’t done yet. She pulled Gerard right to the edge of the building, then tugged him with her as she leapt to the next roof, then the next.
They ended their journey, panting and laughing, on the roof of a building so decrepit and derelict that it had to be condemned, even here. Gerard could still hear the faint rock ‘n’ roll thudding from the amps a few buildings down, but Kel towed him to a narrow, almost mini-skyscraper on the building’s roof, leading him up the spiral staircase around the edge.
When they reached the top, Gerard realized they were perched on the highest point of the city, and wind was brushing though his hair for the first time since his arrival in Hell. When he looked up, he found the sky almost painfully colorful, dyed vividly by the smog as the sun set.
“This is the best sunset in the city.” Kel said softly, staring at the colors as they lit her face, shifting and changing with every passing second. “And you and I are the only ones who have ever seen it.”
“Kel, this is… this is incredible.” Gerard said, turning in a full circle to take in the view; the sunset in one direction, the dark city dyed brilliant colors in every other which way. “I can’t believe… how did you find this?” he asked, beaming down at her ecstatically.
Kel smiled back crookedly, almost ashamedly. “I live here, Gerard.”
Gerard blinked, shocked. “But… this building could fall any second.”
“I know, Gerard.” Kel sighed, staring out into the sun as it sank beneath the horizon.
“Why do you live like this? Why not live on the nice side of town?” Gerard pressed, and Kel let out an almost frustrated sigh.
“I’ll tell you later, Gerard.” She smiled at him bitterly, then lay back on the roof to stare up at the darkening sky. When Gerard followed suit, he realized that the lights from Earth were clearer, steadier than they had been the many times he’d spent watching them in the field with Kel. He could make out what some of them were, even; the Eiffel Tower, major cities, baseball stadiums. There was something painfully amazing about being so close to the things he used to love, all the while knowing they were utterly, permanently out of reach.