FicWad

My nose twitched. I groaned inwardly and scrunched it, my eyes coming closer together in a closed-lid squint. I felt it twitch again. I cracked an eye open to look at what was making my nose twitch, and I had a feather sitting on it. I sat up, knocking the feather off my nose and into my lap, and looked around. “What the hell…?” I asked slowly to myself as I noticed I was back at my hideout, laying on my cot that felt softer than usual. I looked at the feather in my lap and picked it up. The brown speckled thing glinted and gleamed in the light that was coming through my opening in the wall from which I shot killjoys, and I noticed it smelled faintly of cologne. I blinked in confusion and looked around again, trying to figure out what was wrong with this picture besides the feather. Then I looked down at my legs. Oh yeah…

I gasped and grabbed my head, cursing myself again. FUCK! God damn it, FUCK!!! I stomped out of bed and wobbled, my legs hurting but only a dull throb that flared when I kicked the chair to my table. “God damn it!” I yelled out, hopping on my left leg, holding my right. I fell backwards on my bed, probably cursing enough to draw attention from Zone 3, two zones away. I had let myself forget my goals, and now I didn’t know where Ger—Party Poison was. He could be in Mexico for all I knew. “Damn it damn it damn it,” I muttered, then stood back up, slower this time, careful not hit anything else. I looked over at the medicine cabinet I had and frowned. “They took everything. Just fucking lovely, Frank, just fucking lovely.” I wanted to go and retrace my steps, go and find Party Poison and take him to Korse, to end my year-long battle.

I stopped. I wasn’t able to walk or run much, but I could still ride. I grinned somewhat and quickly hobbled outside, to my little covered outcropping that hid my Draculoid bike from the road in the canyon below. I dragged a finger along the seat and grimaced at the dust. Oh well. I hopped on my bike and fired it up, making sure I had enough gas in the tank to get somewhere. Plenty, enough to get to Battery City and back. I grinned and flicked my wrist, setting the bike in motion and sending me flying out of my outcropping down the little path I had made.

Goals, Frank. Goals. Find Party Poison and bring him to Battery City. I shrugged and sped the bike up, leaning down to make for the aerodynamic speed I loved so. Driving past a number of cacti and even past a girl on another Draculoid bike, a girl with blue hair, I sped down the dirt-covered road, in the same direction I was driven in when Party Poison had me in the front seat. Egah. Not something I want to do again. Though, that kiss… I shook my head, trying to stop that thought in its tracks. No. Don’t think of that. That’s what lovers do. And you are not Gerard’s… Party Poison’s lover. I gagged at that thought, deviating from the straight line I had going. None of that.

I looked ahead on the horizon, hoping I was getting somewhat close, and saw a building coming up on my left. It looked kinda like the house… But when you arrived, it was on your left. They wouldn’t turn around, Frank…. Would they? I bit my lip but grew closer and closer to the building, which was looking more and more like a garage. Then I saw the big letters on the roof of the building. DINER. Well that says a lot. I don’t remember anything about a Diner out here in the Zones though… I shrugged and began slowing down, in just enough time to stop in front of this Diner, which had a gas station outside of it too. Huh. I kicked the stand on my bike down, leaped off, and walked closer to the Diner, examining it. Killjoy. Small, but deep. I do not remember hearing about this during orientation.

I looked up at the letters again, the sun coming down in between them and hitting my face. I looked down, and I had the wonderful greeting of a gun in my face, its wielder none other than Jet Star.

Jet grinned and cocked the gun, cocking his head to the side. “Remember when I said I could give a mean death, Frank?” he asked, looking similar to Ge—Party Poison with his smile and his aviators on. “This might be one of those times. Get inside and don’t make a sound, got it?”

I grinned right back and rasied my gun, pressing the tip of my wonderfully white gun into his black ‘fro. “Telling a registered BLI hunter that they need to go inside a killjoy dwelling? Offensive, Jet Star. Now drop the gun and get on the ground. I have to take you to Battery City. You’d be just enough money for the sugar I put in my coffee.”

I heard a gun, an actually bullet-eating gun, click, and my eyes darted towards the noise, where Kobra was holding the gun to my temple. “Gun down, Frank. I’m sure you don’t want to go back to Korse with a bullet in your brain,” he growled, face emotionless. “Not something most people want as is.”

I frowned some. “You’re missing one. Where’s Party Poison, Kobra? Is he off boiling babies? Or hiding from the Draculoids?”

Jet flicked his gun up and hit my nose, making it bleed immediately. “Last I checked it was the BLIND guys who were boiling babies. Poison’s out. Would you like to leave a message?” His gun pressed into my forehead. “I’m sure he’d love to hear your last words.”

I smirked. “Eat. My. Shorts.” Moving quickly as time suddenly slowed, I shot Jet Star in the shoulder and threw my arm back, knocking Kobra’s gun out of his hand. I stepped on Jet’s chest, kicking him back, and Kobra came towards me, shoving me on the ground and attempting to pin me down. I kicked him off me with both feet, causing something to tear, and shot at Jet’s ray gun, knocking it away from his grip. I jumped off the ground and grabbed Jet’s gun, aiming my gun at Kobra and Jet’s gun at Jet. “You’ll never get me alive. Not before your merry band of idiots are in Battery City and I have my money.”

While fighting, I didn’t notice the Trans Am pull up. So I didn’t register anything as I felt myself plummeting towards the ground, a body forcing me down. I landed on the ground with an ‘oof’ before my face ate dirt, and I tried to sit back up, sputtering. “Having fun, Frankie?” I heard a voice purr into my head, sending chills down my spine. “Don’t get used to it, pet.” I felt the body lean back, pulling me up too, and the cold feeling of steel against my neck signaled a blade. “Try this again and see what happens. You’re lucky I don’t want to ruin my jeans. I just had these washed. Not something I can do often. I couldn’t take it if I had to go with blood stains on these jeans for the next while.”

Kobra stood up and took the guns from my hands, kicking my knee on purpose and causing me to whimper in pain. “Jet, take these and get inside. Doc’ll help you clean up your shoulder,” he said, staring at me. “Party, what are we going to do with him?”

I felt Ger—Party Poison god damn it Frank, Party Poison, not Gerard, shrug behind me, his muscles tightening in his chest as he did so. Frank… “I’m sure Death would love to see Frankie here, there’s no secrets with Death. Hmm… Frankie? You wanna meet the Maker?” Gerard breathed in my ear, the blade pressing a little harder into my neck, which felt hypersensitive, what with Gerard’s breath running down it and all. “You’ll love him, pet, I promise.”

That breath. Fuck… Frank, think of the goals… I bit my lip and shook my head. “I’d rather die before meeting Doc Death,” I whispered shakily, my heart thudding erratically. GOALS, FRANK, GOALS…. Take Party Poison… inside… have a little fun… No, wait, that doesn’t sound right… God damn it...

Gerard just shrugged again, making his shirt raise a little at the bottom, and dragged the knife lazily along my neck, not deep but deep enough to cause a sadist’s dream of a stinging sensation. I squirmed and Gerard stopped, pressing the blade into the new scratch. “Squirm and I’ll drag it out,” he growled, sending shivers down my spine, making my jeans a little bit tighter.

I was just about to spit out words, hoping they worked, but I heard a huff and the blade was removed from my throat. “You can’t kill him, Party, he might be bugged or something. Last thing we need is Korse on our trail,” Kobra said, and I let out a silently annoyed sigh, mad at Kobra for interrupting Ger—PARTY POISON, GOD DAMN IT. It’s PARTY POISON, not GERARD. “I know if we get Korse on our trail, we’re fucked.”

Gerard’s breath was felt by my ear again. “You’re lucky, pet, another day to anticipate your death,” he growled, then shoved me down on the ground, standing up as I coughed somewhat. My neck felt like it was on fire with the stinging, but I didn’t register it as pain. God… damn it… Frank, get on your feet… C’mon, boy… I stood up slowly, trying not to breath too hard, and watched at Gerard walked in the Diner door and Kobra took a step towards me.

I held a finger up to Kobra. “Fuck off for one moment, por favor?” I asked, my other hand on my knee. “Just… a moment…”

Kobra smirked and folded his arms, shades on, something he wasn’t wearing before Gerard tried to kill me. “Seems like someone is into sadism, Frank,” he said, chuckling a little. “Don’t get too excited, you can’t do anything here. We have the place rigged. Anywhere and everywhere, if you even so much as try to contact your BL/ind guys we’ll know.” Kobra turned around once I was up on my feet and started walking in. “And Show Pony’s got your bike.”

I turned my head around to look at my bike, and lo and behold, it was gone. “Damn,” I muttered softly, then began walking inside, shoving my hands in my pockets with some trouble. I forgot that skinny jean pockets weren’t really pockets. Hey, Frank, be glad they’re tight. You’d have a little situation. “So, Kobra, who exactly is Doc Death?” I asked when Kobra stopped, waiting for me to catch up with him. At least getting some information is good, Frank…

He shrugged. He fuckin’ shrugged. God damn it. “I don’t know. Everyone sees Doc differently. I can’t say what you’ll see,” he grinned, looking at me from the side of his shades, which I noticed were Ray Bans, like the ones I used to have. “Who knows. Maybe he’ll decide to off you like the others.”

I scoffed as we entered the Diner, my adjusting before being somewhat shocked of the sight. The place was a gutted out mess. Tables were scattered close to the walls of the big room that normally was the kitchen, with stuff ranging from radios to batteries to a mascot head sitting on them. Chairs were grouped together, five or six, with one flipped and another sideways. A few dummies with targets on them were set against the wall, and that was just this back room. “Holy shit,” I muttered, my jaw hanging open some. Note to self, find yourself a Diner.

Kobra continues walking further into the Diner, through the giant room I was gawking at. “Don’t stray, Frank,” he called, and I started walking after Kobra again, examine the room. “Come on, Frank.” I gave the second doorway the finger and stepped up my pace, peering into the room ahead. Just a normal diner area, where people eat. Cool. Kobra was at the end of the diner, tapping his foot, shades still on, arms still folded. “My god, could you hobble any slower?” he asked impatiently, tapping his fingers on his jacket sleeve. “Grandma Elena can shuffle faster than that.”

Middle finger in the air again, I kept my pace, finally reaching Kobra. “Happy, ass hole? I can’t help it if Gerard shot me in both legs. Be glad I can walk,” I grumbled, sulking. “Well? What did you drag me inside for?” I snapped, looking up at Kobra, who’s a tall fucker. Seriously. He needs to get short.

Kobra grinned and walked past me, shrugging merrily. “I don’t know. Wanted to see how fast you can hobble. Went the wrong way on purpose.” His shit eating grin did nothing to help the fact that my leg hurt like hell and I was supposed to follow Kobra some more. So I jumped on his back.

“Mush.” I kicked my good foot into his side, and Kobra began walking, shaking his head.

“You realize you’re heavy as hell, right?” he asked, hefting me up farther on his back and stepping down hard, jolting my body in the air for a second.

I tightened my grip around his neck in a feeble attempt to choke him. “You realize you’re tall as hell, right?” I replied sarcastically, kicking his side again. “Where the hell are we going.”

Kobra walked back to the giant staring room and through a doorway close to the board door I entered in. Ass hole. “You’ll see,” he sang-songed out, stopping in a room with about four different radios, a computer, and a wall of records. “Doc? Party? Star? Anyone here?”

Someone in tights, roller skates, and a short tank top skated from behind us, carrying a stack of records. “Hey Kobie boy,” he said, smiling as his pink hair hit his face when he spun around to look at me holding on to ‘Kobie boy’ and his back. The pink haired guy leaned up against the desk with the radios on hit and spread his legs somewhat. “Whatcha doin’ back here? Going ta take me up on ma offer?”

I chuckled as Kobra blushed and looked away from Pinkie here. “Show, I’m here to see Doc. I won’t be taking you up on your offer any time soon,” he mumbled, and I noticed he was tapping his foot again. “Go get him for me?”

“No need, Kobra boy, Defying’s already here,” I heard a smooth voice purr, and I looked behind me to see a man in an electric wheelchair with a beard-mustache combo going on roll into the room, stopping at the desk. “Just talking to Poison and Jet outside, whatcha need?” Doc Death Defying, as I assume his full Killjoy name is, remember that, Frankie, FRANK, then looked at me and a slow smile spread on his face, not looking sick like Gerard’s but genuine. “You brought us a Drac.”

Kobra shook his head. “Not a Drac. Note the clothes. He’s been hunting Party for ‘pparently a year now. Some kind of special agent or something. Knows Korse personally. We couldn’t get anything out of him last time we tried to interrogate him, wanna give him a go?”

I heard footsteps, and suddenly a pair of hands were on my ass. I gasped. “Hello, Frankie pet,” I heard Gerard purr into my ear, and I jumped off Kobra’s back, hurting my foot but the last thing I needed was myself poking Kobra in the back and causing a huge scene. The hands moved from my ass, and Jet Star walked into the room, holding his shoulder, scowling somewhat. “Death, Frank, Frank, Doctor Death Defying,” Gerard said, smirking somewhat. “Frank, go nuts with questions. I guarantee you’ll get an answer.”

I bit my lip, hands folded in front of me, and I looked up at Doctor Death Defying, who was waiting patiently with his hands folded together in front of his face. “That’s a lot of radios you have there,” I said quietly, holding my head up higher. “WLOX 109 In The Sky, is it?”

Doctor Death Defying smiled and put his hands down, nodding. “He’s a Korse-thumper, all right. Yes, this is the station for 109 In The Sky. Music from 10 to 10, every day I can and music all day. Show Pony here’s my helper, brings me new records when he can find them. Never missed a day in the few years we’ve had this. Anything else you want to know to bring it back to your owner, lap dog?” he asked, head to the side some.

I stood up straighter despite my foot and folded my arms, making Gerard smirk out of the corner of what I could see, what with Kobra on one side and Jet on the other. “How have you kept this place so well hidden?” I asked calmly, my head high. “This station has been something of a job to find for Better Living Industries.”

Death chuckled and shook his head, a finger going over his lips in a shushing gesture. “That, my blind friend, is a secret only known to the killjoys out here in the Zones. How the Dracs pass it every time and miss it every time I will never know. Stupidity must be in the DNA.”

I gave the old man the finger and bit my thumb nail. “Self sustaining?” I asked, talking about the building. Remember this part, Frank. This’ll be helpful to Korse.

Death sighed and shook his head, smiling. “Yet another secret, Frank. You’re not getting very many answers.”

Show Pony moved from the desk out of the room, chuckling. “Ask ‘im ‘bout the wheelchair, Frank,” he said, twirling and dragging Kobra out of the room with him, who was protesting. “He’ll tell ya.”

I looked at Death and leaned against the doorframe, arms leaving their position to put my hands in my pockets. “How did you get the wheelchair? Those are hard to come by, and even harder to find batteries for,” I said, smirking.

Death smirked right back. “Korse,” was all he said, and I lost my smirk. Korse doesn’t kill… He didn’t kill…. What?

Gerard clearly could tell Death hit a note, because he chuckled. “Your beloved master isn’t innocent, Frank. He goes hunting, doesn’t he? You think he leaves those hunting trips empty handed most of the time?” he asked, his arms going to rest on his delicious ass. Damn it. Frank. Out of those thoughts, right now. “Why do you think your killjoys are becoming sparse? We’re not losing numbers, we’re gaining, but we’re getting smarter while your Dracs are still back in 2012. Killjoys aren’t idiots. You probably thought the Diner was empty, didn’t you? The only thing that gave us away was the board for a door. Had it not had that, you would’ve passed it by probably.”

I could feel myself slightly gawping. Jet spoke up. “We’ve hidden here since 2012, Frank. Your Korse just hasn’t found us yet, even with all the racket we were making when we started out here. He may catch us going through old houses, but he hasn’t found us here yet.”

“It’s quite surprising you haven’t found the station yet. This is the only thing for miles, it’s the strongest signal anywhere in the Zones if you face this direction, and the Death Machine is parked right outside,” Death said, not turned around to plug in some wires to the radios. “You guys just never catch us.”

I was shocked. B-but… We’ve been past this place hundreds of time… there’s never a car parked outside… Never a single sound… The antenna… What? I tried forming words – impossible. “Wha-you-when-HUH?”

Gerard chuckled and walked over to me, whistling. He put his hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes, grinning. “Pet, we’re only telling the truth. You can’t help it if your IQ is a double digit number.”

I still couldn’t talk, but I could get angry. I punched Gerard in the jaw, making his stumble backwards, holding his jaw, and for Jet to push me in the ground and sit on me, pinning me down. “Fuck you. You’re losing numbers every day, killjoys. Ten killjoys a day is an average. If you think you’re gaining, you must be drinking something.”

Death turned around to look at me. “We drink the bottle of your water, lap dog. Everything we take from you.” He nodded once at Jet, who nodded back and stood up, pulling me with him. Gerard grabbed my feet and they walked out of the room, with myself in their arms, despite Jet having a hurt shoulder. Must have not hit him hard enough.

They walked outside to the Death Machine in the back, Gerard singing. “In the middle of a gun fight, in the center of a restaurant…” he sang softly, nodding to Jet towards the trunk. “They say, come with your arms raised high…”

Jet chuckled darkly and shifted me to he was holding me with one arm, the other opening the trunk. “Well they’re never get me, like a bullet through a flock of doves…” he sang back, tossing my head in the trunk and making it hit painfully against the bottom. “To wage this war against your faith…”

“In me…” Gerard sang again, tossing my legs in, making me grit my teeth in pain. He grinned and shoved me down further in the tiny trunk, squishing my feet in. “Your life… will never be the same… On your Mother’s eyes say a prayer, say a prayer yeah.” He looked at me in pain and grinned. “Have fun, Frank.” Then he shut the trunk door.

----------

I felt my eyes shoot open when I heard a car door shut. I didn’t know where it was coming from, but footsteps stepped over to me quietly, slow, deliberate steps, meant to make the listener worry and fear what was next. I didn’t. I knew what was coming. Something I was used to by now. Something you had to know, no matter what rank or area of Better Living Industries you were employed in.

“I see you’ve been in touch with Party Poison, Frank.”

Korse.

I let out a silent sigh and blinked. “Yes, sir, I have been. He got my left leg and my right foot. I am still able to walk, but slowly, sir,” I said in monotone, face emotionless even though I couldn’t see Korse most likely staring me down. “I would appreciate your assistance, sir.”

I swear I heard Korse grin. “Well, Frank, assistance I will give.” I heard more footsteps, heavy, quick ones, come towards me, and I was being lifted into the air be several pairs of hands, something I had grown accustomed to. “Did you learn anything these last six months?”

“Yes, sir,” I responded, still monotone, earning myself a sick grin as Korse walked around the group of Draculoids to look at me. “Many things that may help Better Living Industries.”

Korse nodded, still smiling, and stood up straight, walking towards what I assumed was his black car. “Good. I have been waiting for something these last months, Frank. I was almost afraid I was going to have to hunt Party Poison myself.”

Gerard, I heard myself think idly, then gulped a little. “Sir, I don’t think it would be good if you went out and searched for Party Poison,” I said quickly but not too quickly, as any hesitation or lack there of would attract attention. And I wanted to get Gerard, oh fuck it man, not Korse. “That’s one of the things I learned.”

Korse let out an ‘oh?’ “Do enlighten me on this, Frank.”

“Killjoys hide, sir,” I explained as the Draculoids began carrying me towards the black car. “The killjoys Better Living Industries gets are ones that must be travelling from hiding out. Apparently they’re gaining numbers, sir.” I felt a blast of air conditioning, and I knew we were close to Korse’s car. I must be going in the back. “They must come out at night to do normal day-to-day things.”

I was shocked to be placed in the front seat, with Korse in the driver’s seat. “You have been talking to Party Poison from what I’m gathering. Did you learning anything about him?” Korse asked as my door shut and he started up the car.

I bit my lip, then thought a moment. Frank… What should you do… “No, sir,” I said, looking ahead out of the car. “Nothing.”

Korse looked over at me with his smile gone. “Six months and you didn’t learn a thing, Frank? Amazing at what skills you have.” The car began moving, and I saw Battery City’s skyline in the distance. “I shall remember that when we get back to Battery City.”

Third chapter. Had I posted Chapter 2 on Christmas, it'd be a weekly double. Very rare. I should be doing homework.
Fuck that shit.
And I quite enjoy making Frank a... lover boy? pansy? whelp? It's funny. I can't wait till Korse has his fun with Frank. Next chapter, folks, next chapter.