FicWad

This story now has the stamp of approval from Wolfbane17, and will be moving steadily throughout the rest of the upload process! So hold onto your masks!

Just a warning, there is an OC in here, the Killjoyverse is so open and free to the imagination that new characters should be added! But I promise there is no love interest. Onward!

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The dusty Trans-Am pulled off to the side of the road on Route Guano a half hour later, stopping next to a battered Jeep Wrangler. Show Pony sat in the passenger seat, helmet firmly in place and tapping his fingers against the door impatiently.

Seated next to him in the driver’s seat was a female Zone Runner, long brunette hair with streaks of blonde and red tied loosely at her neck. She wore a purple and black leather jacket and a light blue half mask was pushed to the top of her head.

The driver’s door to the Trans-Am opened and Grace stepped out, closing the door again behind her before skipping over to the jeep.

“Motorbaby! They didn’t say you’d be here!”

The female driver smiled broadly at the little girl. “And miss a chance to see my favorite lil Killjoy? Not a chance!”

Grace rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh, “I already told you, I’m not a Killjoy. I’m just a Runner like you.”

Motorbaby gave a wink and Grace giggled again. “Dr D’s hidin’ out in my neck of the desert, meaning I get to lug Pony’s carcass around for a while.”

Show Pony swung his arm in an attempt to hit the female beside him, but she moved across the seat to avoid, striking back and starting a small slapping fit between the two.

Ghoul stuck his head the back window and whistled loudly.

“Hey there Baby, I knew you just couldn’t stay away.”

Motorbaby rolled her eyes as Show Pony reached out and pulled Grace over the side and into the back seat of the jeep.

“Oh Ghouly, how I miss that charm of yours. It’s a wonder I can stay away from you for so long.”

Show Pony lifted the helmet from his head and shook out his shoulder length hair with a smile. “Ya know Ghoul, I think she’s being sarcastic.”

“No shit, dumbass.”

“Language!”

Ghoul eyed the females in the other vehicle, having just been yelled at by them both.

“Don’t even try to act like you’re a saint Motor. You make even Party blush with some of the cuss words you’ve come up with.”

Party reached around the back of his seat in an attempt to slap the younger Killjoy behind him as Motorbaby shrugged.

“Yeah, but at least I know when to keep it clean around little ladies.”

Ghoul gave a loud “Psht” but Party cut off any other comments by revving the engine.

“Keep an eye on her for us. We’ve got a meeting.”

Show Pony’s expression became calm and serious, “Last update we got is they’re heading toward the inner edge of Zone 2 along Guano heading back toward the city.”

Party nodded, “Thanks Show.”

He gunned the engine, sending the other Killjoys into the back of their seats as they shot forward and down the road.

Motorbaby leaned on the steering wheel and watched the Trans-Am disappear.

“You know this is a bad idea right?”

Show Pony sighed and shrugged as he replaced his helmet, keeping the visor up.

“I know, but you try and tell that to Party. Besides, he’s cleaning up the trash in your zone for you, you lazy as-”

Grace cleared her throat loudly from the backseat, causing Show Pony to give a sheepish smile and quickly try to change his words. “-ssssphalt Zone Leader.”

Motorbaby shrugged her shoulders and pulled her mask over her eyes.

“Yeah, like I have a death wish.” She looked over her shoulder and smiled at her backseat passenger. “Gracie girl, you’ve got the patience of a saint with those boys. I ever told you you’re my hero?”

Grace smiled back but didn’t say anything as she sat back in her seat and the car turned around to head back toward Dr. D’s current hide-out.

~~~~

Party Poison drove like a bat outta Hell, flying through the second part of Zone 2 in half the normal time. He only slowed down once they came to the area that Show Pony had mentioned as the last updated position for Korse.

Fun Ghoul climbed through the open driver window and sat on the door as he scanned the area around them, Frankenstein’s Monster mask shoved to the top of his head. Jet Star copied his movements on the passenger side, helmet still sitting on his seat so he could scan the area around him.

Kobra Kid sat tapping his fingers against his own helmet, itching to grab his reygun and feel the soothingly warm hum as it primed in his hand.

“There!” Jet screamed and pointed off toward the east where they could see a cloud of dust rising toward the sky and moving quickly toward them.

Party spun the wheel and had the car turned a full ninety degrees before either Ghoul or Jet had a chance to slide back into the safety of their seats.

As they grew nearer, Party’s grip on the steering wheel became almost painful as all blood circulation was lost and his knuckled turned white. They had the element of surprise. They could take him this time.

When the black car and two white bikes finally came into view, he pushed his foot that last little bit on the accelerator and they shot straight toward the other vehicles. Within yards of a high speed collision, he slammed the brakes and thrust the wheel to the side, causing the Trans-Am to screech to a halt a spin to the side to block the road.

Kobra and Jet immediately threw their door open on the far side of the vehicle and began to shoot from behind the safety it provided, while Party and Ghoul remained on their side and shot through the open window crouching low in the seats.

One of the bike Dracs went down quickly, losing control of the bike and skidding across the ground where he came to a jarring halt and lay motionless. The other bike pulled back to relative safety behind the black car as they both came to a halt, the four Dracs within the vehicle all taking positions similar to The Killjoys to return fire.

All shooting soon came to an abrupt halt as the front passenger door opened and Korse slowly stepped out, an evil smirk spread across his face.

Party growled quietly beneath his breath before kicking open his own door and climbing out, Ghoul close behind him. Kobra and Jet slowly moved around to join them, standing in a line in front of Korse and his remaining five Dracs.

Korse eyed the four Runners before him, masks and helmets all firmly in place. He had known that they would come to him with very little work on his part.

“It’s been a while dear Party Poison, you and your merry little band of thieves.”

Party made no movements to prove that he had heard, only continued to stare calmly through the eyes of his yellow mask.

Korse tilted his head to the side and his smirk became a little wider, “Aww, what’s the matter? Not in the mood to, party?” He gave a little chuckle and pulled his reygun from its holster.

Party brought his own gun up in line with his face, barrel pointing upwards.

Korse’s smile disappeared, and he mimicked Party’s pose. “Let us begin.”

~~~~

The fighters quickly broke into groups, Jet Star and Fun Ghoul off to one side with tree of the Dracs, and Party Poison with Kobra Kid taking Korse and the other two Dracs. Party and Kobra were using the Trans-Am for cover, firing over the top and ducking back down when they needed to recharge.

On one lucky strike, Kobra was able to jump up and aim, getting one of the Dracs square in the forehead, causing it to drop to the ground and lie motionless.

“One down.”

Party nodded, back pressed against the side of the car as he recharged his gun.
They both looked over the top of the car, listening as the blasts died away, meaning that Korse and his men were recharging as well.

Kobra smiled through his helmet at a sudden thought. “This is our chance. Let’s run over and get them while they’re recharging!”

He jumped up and ran around the car before Party had a chance to stop him, fingers just missing the red jacket as he ran passed.

Party let out a frustrated scream as he jumped up and followed his brother around the vehicle.
He knew something didn’t feel right, and the point was proven right when he saw Korse was not crouched behind his own vehicle, but standing with his gun pointed straight at the approaching blonde Killjoy.

“Kobra! Move!”

Kobra’s eyes grew wide when he realized his mistake, everything seemed to slow down to where he could almost see the ray blast leave the tip of the gun and shoot straight toward him.

He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable pain as his momentum kept him moving forward, but something suddenly slammed in his left side, sending him sprawling to the ground. He shook the fog out of his head from the impact and looked up to see Party on the ground in front of the black car, shaking his head to clear his vision, reygun lying useless a few feet away.
Kobra tried to stand, but he suddenly caught sight of Korse standing over his brother, an evil smile on his face as he reached down and grabbed Party by the hair and hauled him to his feet.
Before he could get his feet underneath him, Kobra was grabbed by the collar of his jacket and yanked into a standing position. He tried to struggle, but soon found himself thrown to his knees beside Jet and Ghoul, both also being held down by the remaining Dracs.

Korse had his left arm wrapped around Party’s chest and a steel grip on his chin, forcing the Killjoy’s head back and against his captor’s shoulder. His right hand held his gun, pressed firmly into Party’s side, just below the rib cage. He laughed loudly as he watched the other Killjoys fight frantically against the Draculoids to free their leader.

“Well well, I see things haven’t changed for you boys; still willing to blindly sacrifice yourselves for each other. Tsk tsk tsk. Haven’t you learned by now that all that assures you is a higher place in line for your execution? Except for you, dear Party Poison. I’m afraid you can’t get any higher on the list than you already are.”

Party Poison did his best to scowl at the man over his shoulder and jerk away, but Korse’s grip wouldn’t budge; it only seemed to tighten more, to the point that Party’s ribs ached from the pressure.

Korse sighed dramatically as he rested his head on Party’s shoulder, being sure to keep a tight grip on the redhead’s chin so he couldn’t move. He smiled as he heard the Killjoy growl and start to breathe deeply in barely suppressed rage. He gave an evil grin when he noticed how much his small movement caused the other Killjoys to try harder to escape as well.

“I’ve been chasing after you for a very long time Party Poison; so long that I don’t think I can remember life before I knew you. But even after all this time, I don’t think I’m quite ready to kill you yet. You’re still too confident, cocky and unafraid of death. No, when it comes time for me to kill you, I want you to be on your knees and begging for death. Then, and only then, will I give you that peace, take you away from all this fighting and pain…”

Party tried to pull away again but froze as Korse whispered in his ear.

“Just like I did for your wife and daughter.”

Party became deathly still, his eyes wide open and his mouth slightly slack. He couldn’t believe that he had been this close to his family’s killer for so long and never knew it. Lynds and Bandit. Hazy thoughts began to cloud his memory of his last moments with his wife and daughter, and the man whose face he couldn’t remember until now.

Korse gave an evil chuckle at his captive’s shocked state, keeping his head on Party’s shoulder and feeling the way the muscles beneath him tensed. Now he had set the bait, soon Party Poison will be begging for his death.

“Keep running.”

Then he pulled the trigger, relishing in the quiet gasp and stiffening of the body against him before it went slack and he let it fall to the ground.

The rest of the Killjoys stared in silent horror as their leader fell in a crumpled heap, unmoving and deathly quiet. They renewed their fierce struggles against the Draculoids but were unable to break free. They could only watch as Korse mounted the nearby bike and reached down to twist his hand into the collar of Party’s jacket.

Looking up, he locked eyes onto Fun Ghoul, barely able to see the Killjoy’s eyes through the goggles he wore over his mask. His smirk turned into a full blown smile as he revved the engine of the bike and shot straight toward the trapped Killjoys, dragging Party Poison’s body along the dusty, hard ground.

Just as he was about to run headlong into Fun Ghoul, he veered to the side and threw Party Poison into the other male, the Drac behind him letting go so that both of the Killjoys fell to the ground with a sickening thud. Korse didn’t slow down, only sped up and continued away, the Dracs climbing into their car and following close behind.

~~~~

Fun Ghoul took the impact of Party Poison’s body with jarring force, knocking the breath out of him and sending them both to the ground hard. But even through the stars and fog that suddenly clouded his vision, he never let go of the tight grip he had on the other male, praying that he was still breathing.

“Party!”

Ghoul slowly opened his eyes and noticed for the first time that his mask was now blocking his vision after being jostled in the fall. He wanted to move it so he could see, but was too afraid to release the death grip he still had on Party.

“Ghoul! Let go!”

Strong hands pulled against his until he was unable to hold on any longer and the body on top of him was carefully removed and placed on the ground beside him. Pulling himself up slowly, he reached up and tore the mask from his face, flinging it to the ground as someone helped him the rest of the way up.

“You okay!?”

The dark haired Killjoy looked up at the slightly blurry form of Jet Star above him and nodded his head, blinking until he was able to focus.

Kobra sat a couple feet away, holding Party’s upper half carefully in his lap and screaming his brother’s name over and over.

Ghoul dragged himself toward them and tried to look at the gunshot wound.

Party’s jacket had been hitched up his body from the fall, showing the steadily growing dark stain on his right side, just below the ribcage. Blood began to flow freely and fell to the desert floor where it was sucked up greedily by the dry, parched sand.

Ghoul’s eyes widened in horror as he yanked the bandana from his back pocket and pressed it over the wound, keeping Party’s shirt between it and the dirty material. “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Jet! Get the kit!”

Jet Star was already hanging halfway out of the Trans AM, having launched himself through the back window to reach across the seat for the large, beat up duffel bag they carried their medical supplies in. It was regretfully light as he heaved it out the window, berating himself for not going on a supply run sooner.

“Here use this.”

Ghoul took the large pads of gauze and replaced the bandana and t-shirt, pressing down hard on all three with as much strength as he could muster in his shaking limbs. Party still hadn’t moved, even with the amount of pain they had to have been causing him.

Jet grabbed a couple long pieces of cloth and knotted them together before wrapping them around Party’s torso as tight as he could, knotting them above the wound to cause as much pressure as possible.

“Let’s get him out of here; we need to clean that out before it’s infected.”

Scooping their fallen leader into his arms, Jet stood and carried his burden as quickly as he could to the car. Ghoul grabbed the duffel and moved to follow, but came to an abrupt halt when he saw that Kobra Kid hadn’t moved.

The blond Killjoy was frozen, helmet still firmly in place, but Ghoul could tell that his gaze was locked on the blood soaked ground where his brother had laid unmoving.

“Kobra! Let’s go!”

Fun Ghoul’s words went unheard as Kobra still didn’t move, his body starting to tremble as he raised his hands closer to his face and saw them tinged with red as well.

“Mikey! If we wanna help him we have to get him out of here, now!”

Kobra Kid’s head snapped up and he nodded jerkily, letting Fun Ghoul yank him into motion by the arm. They stumbled to the Trans Am, where Jet Star had positioned himself into the back seat, with Party Poison sitting on his lap, back pressed against the side window and head resting on Jet’s shoulder. The bigger male was pressing his hand against the white bandages as hard as he dared, praying he was stopping the blood flow underneath the four layers of material.

“Kobra, grab the blanket from the trunk. We need to fight the shock.” Jet’s words didn’t seem to register at first as Kobra continued to stare at the ground in front of him with wide eyes. “Kobra!”

His head shot up with a jerky nod and Kobra made his way to the trunk of the car to pull out the heavy, frayed blue fleece. Getting into the passenger seat, he twisted around and draped the blanket over the backseat occupants, tucking it tightly around his brother so Jet wouldn’t have to release pressure on the wound.

“Thanks.”

Kobra gave another jerky nod as Ghoul threw himself into the driver’s seat, tossing his mask and Party’s gun into the backseat, then gunned the engine as soon as the car roared to life. His knuckles turned white around the steering wheel as he fought to keep them from trembling.

“We gotta find Dr. D. We don’t have enough supplies to clean this.”

Jet nodded his head, his hair moving along Party’s face, but no movement came from the unconscious male.

“He’s hiding out at Motorbaby’s base on the other edge of Zone 2; it’d be closer than trying to get to the diner.”

Kobra shook his head, turning in the seat until he could see Jet, and inadvertently looking at his brother’s pale face as well. “We can’t go there, not with Korse in the ar-”

“Korse is gone,” Ghoul interrupted, “he found us like he had wanted, and now he’s gonna head back to Battery City. He won’t be headed far enough out to find anyone else.”

Kobra still didn’t like it, but after a minute of silence filled with nothing but the harsh, shallow breathing of his brother, he turned back around in the seat and nodded.

“Ok, we’ll head back. I’ll try and get him on the radio.”

“No.”

All conversation came to an abrupt stop and all eyes flew in the direction of the faint whisper (in Fun Ghoul’s case, the rearview mirror).

Party Poison’s breathing was even harsher than before, barely seeming to pull in enough air to fill his starving lungs before it was roughly pushed out again. His eyes were only a slit and his head was still resting against Jet Star’s shoulder.

“Leave Dr. D. where he is, can’t risk it right now. I’m fine.” His voice cracked on the last word and he broke into harsh coughs that sent a new wave of pain through his battered body. He bit off the moan that tried to escape once he was able to breathe again.

Kobra shook his head and glared, trying to put as much force into his voice as he could muster. “Party, you’re hurt bad. Dr. D. can-”

“No! Just take me the fuck home. Jet can clean the wound with what we’ve got and I’ll be fine. Dr. D. needs to stay hidden until we’re sure Korse and every last fuckin’ Drac is out of the area.”

The group was silent for a minute, before Ghoul slowly nodded. “Ok Party. We won’t call him right now.”

The other two hesitantly nodded and Party sighed in what seemed like relief before his eyes fell closed again and his body stilled. Jet thought the redhead had lost consciousness again, until he felt a hand grip his weakly. He smiled slightly as he squeezed back, trying to give back as much comfort and reassurance as Party was trying to give him.