Blind Photographs

“Where are you, Destroya?” I asked myself quietly.

Somewhere deep down. I groaned. Radio Heat was back. Aw, you didn’t miss me?

“Not really, no,” I answered out loud. The ghosts could think what they wanted.

Let me take over. Just for a little bit. I’m going to get us out of here.

“No way, I can feel the vibes you’re sending out.”

Do you have a better idea?

“C’mon, Wraith. We contacted the fabulous killjoys. They’re coming back for you.” Specter sighed.

“What made you change your mind?” I asked quietly as he helped me into the car.

“ You wouldn't eat here, all you did was mope and sleep, it's not healthy. You grew up, you’re not that little kid anymore, and you belong with them. You’re not Wraith.”

“They call me Photo now. Thanks for taking care of me,” I said as the car slowed to a stop some time later.

“Are we at the diner?” I asked.

“No, we’re near the Tower. This early should be fine.” Another car pulled up.

“Is it them?”

“Does anyone else have cherry red hair and girl’s skinny jeans?”

I thought about it for a second. There were probably several killjoys with bright red hair, and there were girls who like skinny jeans, so why not?

“Hand over Photo, then you get your supplies.”

So it was a handoff. He didn’t mean the things he said.

“I did mean what I said.” Oh, the coincidence. “But the base is running low, so we figured we’d make the most of it. You get to go back, and we get some supplies. Everyone’s happy.” I nodded.

“Can one of you say something?” I asked as I stepped out of the car.

I had no idea what direction they were in, let alone where anything was.

“Over here, yeah, this way- no, a little more to your- wait, you’re heading the right way again,” Fun Ghoul described.

Party Poison grabbed my arm when I got close enough to the car and pulled me in. He was the only one who smelled like cologne and cigarettes. Jet Star was completely different, always leaving a stagnant smell of leather and whatever he used to get the guns working right. Ghoul smelled like smoke, Kobra smelled like sweat and cologne, but Poison was the only one who smelled like both. Then he threw something towards Specter that landed with a metallic clank on the sand.
It wasn’t until we got back to the diner that they asked about Grace.

“They handed her off to the city,” I answered. “But you can’t get mad at them too much. They thought they were doing the right thing. City can’t touch her. She’ll be safe there until we go and get her back.”

“Photo, you’re still not ready to go out there. You’ve never shot a real ray gun, you’re barely used to walking around here blind, what if something happens to you?”

“I can handle it. Staying here won’t do me any good.” We argued back and forth for a while.

“Why can’t you stay put, for once?” It fit in the conversation, but it was a low blow and they knew it.

“Because this is a toxic world, full of toxic people, with their corrupted thoughts and lying smiles, and I will never tie myself down to one group. I won’t be like them. I stay until I can move on.”

“Don’t you think that hurts them? You just leaving? Those people, those killjoys, they cared for you.”

“I’ve thought about that. I’ve thought about all of it. But you know what I’ve realized?”

I pulled the bandana up and looked Party Poison in the eye.

“People move on. It could be years before I’m ghosted, or it could be days. Sooner or later I won’t matter. None of us will matter, none of this will matter, so don’t get too attached.”

I retied it and moved into the back room. If they wouldn’t let me go get my sister back, I’d go without them. I climbed onto the cot and shut my eyes. Jet Star and Fun Ghoul came in to say goodbye, and then they were gone. I shoved my backpack under the cot and called for Show Pony.

“I know that I shouldn’t be doing this. But I need to go after her too. Can you help me get there?”

He led me silently out into the desert until we reached a van. I’d never heard anything about it before. He helped me in and we drove off. The guys got too much of a head start. They knew what they were doing, and they knew how they were going to do it. We pulled up as they ran out. We were packed into the back of the van.

Party Poison was yelling at me for doing such a stupid thing, Grace was asking what had happened to me when she was gone, and soon everything turned into a mush and I had to put my hands over my ears. We got back to the diner in one piece and the Kobra Kid clamped a hand on my wrist and pulled me behind the building.