The Color of her Skin.

(Zone 6 - 2.am)

After seeing his brother vanish inside their beloved Trans Am, Kobra immediately rushed back to find the others. Ghoul and Jet had started to wander around the diner looking for Bonnie but the tension in the air made everything harder. The darkness around them and the infinite horizon made it almost impossible to know where she could have gone. If she was hiding, she could be anywhere, and if anybody found her before they did, god knows what would happen. Ghoul was terrified at this thought, he felt very protective for that girl, something inside of him was holding on to her, something he couldn't explain, even to himself.

‘I’ve checked the side of the road, maybe we should go see down that cliff-‘

‘GUYS! Party is gone!’ Kobra came running and interrupted the two Killjoy’s conversation, the blond haired boy had an exhausted look on his face and you could hear the struggle cracking through his voice. ‘He just left… He took the car.’ He pressed his hands on his knees while his eyes fixed the ground, waiting for the air to come back to his lungs.

‘What? When? He took Angela?’ Ghoul asked in shock, wondering how anything could go any worse by now.

‘About 15 minutes ago, as soon as I came looking for him he was already outside. I tried to stop him… but it was too late.’ Kobra claimed in between gasps.

‘Let’s not make anything worst than it already is, guys. Party will be back, in the mean time we need to find Bonnie…’ Jet stated before the situation would get out of hand. The tensions in the air and the lack of sleep from the Killjoy’s heads wasn’t something to take for granted. They needed to stay focus and wish for the best, even if everything was falling apart.

‘Fucking Party, fucking things up and disappearing. What the fuck is wrong with him!’ Ghoul turned his back away and started walking towards the diner while lighting a cigarette. His moves were rough and the anger he felt could no longer be controlled.

‘Ghoul, come on, take it easy. We need to find the girl.’ Jet replied, desperately wanting to keep things calm. Ghoul stopped moving at his words and a short laugh escaped his mouth, but the expression coming from it was bitter, nothing like the casual heart warming sound he so frequently had.

‘Why is everything always so cool with you Jet, huh? Aren’t you sick of being so positive? Aren’t you tired of this bullshit? Fantastic Four my ass! Things are not like they used to be, we’re all drifting apart and the man that is supposed to be our leader is acting like a teenage boy, while the only hope I had left just escaped in the middle of night. She won’t come back, not after what Party did to her. She trusted me…and now she’s scared of us…’ He turned around to face his friends, the cigarette standing between his fingers was shaking while his other hand played vigorously through his hair.

‘Let’s get inside and find some flashlights, I’ll make some coffee and listen to the radio. Dr. Death might be aware of new changes in the zones. She’s probably not that far away, she may be scared of Party but she trusts you, Ghoul. Don’t take this out on me, I just want to help.’ Jet knew how easy it’d get to start a fight, he had to keep in control, no matter the urge he felt to slap everyone in the face. They needed a plan and some kind of fuel to keep them going. He passed near the angry Killjoy and walked away before any of them could reply.

‘I guess he’s right.’ Kobra was still positioned with his hands on his knees, the panic he felt minutes ago had decrease and the thought of a cup of coffee was enough to make him forget all of this crazy mess. ‘We should probably get back, I can feel the rain on my neck…’

Ghoul turned around a couple of times and called Bonnie’s name before realizing that what he was doing was pointless. The three Killjoys walked distantly in silence until seeing the blemish neon lights of the diner appearing through the obscurity.

Jet had started making coffee while Kobra searched for the flashlights that were hiding somewhere in the supply room. Ghoul still hadn’t said a word and was inhaling his nicotine while carefully observing for a sign of his beloved Angela throughout the window. The smell of the beans started invading his senses but too many thoughts were fighting against each other into his mind. He couldn’t concentrate but yet, all he could do was staying still.

‘Found them!’ Kobra shouted from the other room. He came back a couple of seconds later with 3 heavy flashlights covered in dust and a few spider webs. He threw them on the table where Jet had carefully started to poor the coffee in three assorted mugs. The impact caused the hot liquid to spill all around and made the curled haired Killjoy swear when his hand got burned.

‘Fuck Kobra could you be more careful, I’m not your housemaid. Get a towel and clean that up.’ He brushed his now swollen skin unto his shirt to calm the burning sensation while taking a seat at the booth.

‘Sorry, but all the towels are dirty. Guess we’ll have to use my shirt.’ Kobra took off his jacket and his shirt before whipping up the liquid that covered the table.

‘How nice, a striptease.’ Jet stated sarcastically while trying to take a sip of his bitter tasting coffee. The two of them laughed and for a second, forgot all their problems.

Ghoul was still standing by the window, unable to think about anything else but Bonnie and Party. Rain had started to poor down heavily and made the gleam of the night shined brightly. He wanted to sit down and relax with his friends but he couldn’t. His eyes wouldn’t leave the view. Still in the hope of seeing something or someone show up in the distance.

‘That feels nice, tastes like shit, but feels nice.’

‘Shut up and drink.’

The voices of Jet and Kobra played softly in the back while he took another cigarette from his pocket. His eyes focused on the flame until a cloud of smoke bursted in the air. He took a giant puff when small headlights started appearing on the road. Distance made it hard to know what it could be, but that was enough to make Ghoul jump and throw his newly lit stick on the ground.
The lights grew bigger and were approaching the diner. At this moment, Ghoul knew exactly what they were.

‘GUYS! I see something, I think it’s a car. I think it’s Angela!’

Kobra and Jet went silent and immediately joined Ghoul who had opened the window to get a better view of the strange lights coming in sight.

‘You mean Party?’ Kobra asked nervously.

‘I don’t know yet, but that’s definitely the Trans, it’s Angela!’ The raven haired Killjoy shouted before reaching the front door.

‘Well then it must be Party, told you he’d be back shortly.’ Jet bragged when he recognized the car.

‘Let’s make sure he doesn’t get away this time…’ Ghoul vanished outside to reach the side of the road, the ground was slippery and caused the sand to stick to his boots. The two others followed him. They all stood in the rain in the hope to see Party’s face appearing in the driver’s seat.

‘Wonder what the hell he’s been doing…’ Kobra shot when the image of the car became clearer through the wet scenery.

Jet took a few steps further to make sure he would be seen by who ever was driving. ’Guess we’ll have to ask… ‘

The damaged engine was still struggling to move and the same black smoke was escaping from the hood. ‘Jesus fucking christ, I can’t believe Angela’s still running…’ Ghoul shot once he noticed the state of the car.

When the engine reached destination, it passed right through the Killjoys and moved until it got close to the diner’s entrance. That wasn’t the usual parking space and confused even more the three boys who were still beside the highway. They waisted no time and reached the motionless car in front of the building. Once the door finally opened, Party Poison slowly made his way out. He had a sad look on his face, and didn’t even try to argue once Ghoul started shouting at him.

‘What the fuck Party! Where the fuck were you? Did you know Bonnie is still missing?’

The Killjoy ignored the angry voice and reached the passenger’s seat. He opened the door and bend over to grab something.

Kobra who stood behind the back of the car started realizing what was going on. ‘Shut up will you!? I think you really want to shut up now. Just look!’ he told Ghoul who wouldn’t stop screaming and swearing at the red haired man.

Once Ghoul saw Party holding the pale figure of Bonnie in his arms, the hard and enraged look on his face immediately changed. ‘Oh my gosh…’ His voice cracked at the sight of the naked girl trembling above Party’s grip.

‘She’s not dead, get her inside now. She needs your help.’ Party walked to the front door and kicked it open while the three others stood and fixed him for a couple of seconds before all running inside.

Nobody screamed or shouted, nobody said a word. As Party carried Bonnie in his arms, they placed her on a table they used for medical procedures in their small emergency room. Ghoul and Kobra sat quietly in the dinning-hall, uncomfortably moving in their usual booth. Jet Star,being the only one of them who had knowledge in medical care from his previous life, was carefully examining Bonnie. Time in the zones inevitably made him some kind of doctor, and the Killjoys always relied on him whenever someone got hurt.

‘Now Party, you need to tell me what happened. Otherwise, I can’t really help…’ Jet asked while covering a blanket over the girl’s body. The brightest lights they had were neons and gave a green and yellow color to the white room. The place was surrounded by small cabinets suspending across the walls. A small metal table was standing near the main one and was filled with sterilized needles and sharp instruments covered in dried blood.

‘I was just driving, I needed some air….and then…’ Party whipped the remaining water dripping down his face as he looked at the pale expression playing across Bonnie’s face. She wasn’t dead or dying, but he knew they had to be some kind of check up in between her legs.

‘What happened?’

‘I saw a bunch of Draculoids….so I stopped, like I always do. But…’

Jet waited for Party to finish up his sentence, his eyes almost screaming at him to keep on going while lightly shaking his head from side to side.

‘I saw a girl…legs, laying in their car. One of the Dracs was standing over her… he was raping her.’ Party’s whole body trembled when the last word’s escaped his mouth. He closed his eyes and prayed for the filthy images travelling through his mind to get away. ‘I don’t know what else they did, but you need to check what kind of damaged they might have caused…’

Jet nodded and kept his calm. ‘It’s okay, you can leave, I’ll take care of it…’ He assured Party who clearly looked confused, his hair was a mess and small bits of blood covered his leathery clothes.

‘Don’t leave me…’ Bonnie’s voice was so low but the words still managed to reach Party’s ears just before he turned around, his heart flinched when he heard the broken sound. He knew he couldn't stay. He was only a powerless man, standing, looking at an injured girl. Jet was the one who could make her feel better. The flamed hair Killjoy left the room and joined the others who were practically dying for answers. As soon as they saw him, Ghoul jumped up and grabbed his shoulders.

‘So? What is going on, please tell me she’s all right…’ He pleaded at his friend.

‘She will be fine, Jet will tell you everything once he’s done. I need some air…’ He pushed his friend and turned around to reach the backdoor.

The rain was still pouring down and you could see the sun slowly rising behind the clouds. Party threw his body on the wet ground and let out a loud moan before closing his eyes.

*

‘Hey, you’re awake…’ a voice softly whispered as rays of the sun penetrated the room. She blinked a few times to adjust to the brightness around her. If not for the angelic face of Ghoul, few inches away from her own. The muscles in her body felt at ease and a warm sensation travelled through her members. A small pain was coming below her stomach but this was the best she'd ever felt in years.

‘Hey…’ She quietly replied while stretching her arms. ‘Where am I?’

‘We had to make some kind of place for you, so the boys and I cleaned our supply room and crafted a bed for you with one of our spare mattresses, it’s not ideal but I think you’ll be fine.’ Ghoul sat back and took a small tray from the ground, he gently pulled it up and placed it on the side of the bed. There was a bowl filled with fruits and a small glass of water. ‘We don’t have much food other than the Power Pup, but i’d figure i’d be too harsh for your stomach, so I found some canned peaches hiding in the cubers…’

Once again, seeing how much Ghoul cared for her made her heart melt. She didn’t know how to respond to such kindness and was still unused in being so honestly close to any human.

‘Thank you, but…you didn’t have to do this for me, this is…’ She struggled to find the right words while suspending the upper part of her body on her elbows. ‘This is more than I could ever ask for.’

‘Don’t worry about it, nobody forced me to do this. I just want you to feel better…’ He smiled widely before getting up on his feet. ‘You don’t have to talk about it, I know what happened… But you’re safe now. Please don’t run away again, Party needs a little bit of time but, he’s a good guy.’ Ghoul walked to the entrance of the room and gave her a last glance.

‘Eat, you’ll feel better. I'm going away for a couple of hours, I'll see you tonight. If you need anything, Kobra is working on the Trans outside.’ She didn’t have time to say anything back before he left the room.

Images from the previous night invaded her mind, she felt ashamed for what happened. She felt responsible for all the problems that were happening, but mostly she wondered how could she ever feel whole again. Her innocence had been ripped away from her, so many times. She needed to cry but did not want to. Her mind then remembered the Killjoy, the one who stood in the rain with his gun in hand. The one who gave her his jacket and carried her home. Feeling of comfort and fear collided inside of her. How could that person be the exact same one she was running away from? She didn't know how he found her, or why he did save her life. But something deep was growing in her stomach, whenever the face of the flamed haired boy danced inside of her head, something inexplicable and that was scarier than any Dracs or shallow desert she'd ever came across. She had to think of something else.

She observed the room around her, the white walls and metal floor gave the same industrial look to it. They were packed shells and many boxes in the back and a small area had been cleared out to leave space for her bed. She was wearing a large black shirt that clearly belonged to one of the Killjoys and some loose underwear. The clothes smelled like tobacco and a weird smell of acid came through if you’d sniff them properly.


It was late afternoon when Bonnie felt like taking a shower. She had wanted to get up several times but was still unsure of how she would react if she had to face one of the Killjoys. She tip toed in the hall way while trying to recognize a bathroom through the numerous rooms that passed her by. The first ones were just plain old rooms with beds, but one of them caught her attention as she remembered the table where she had been laid on the night before. They must of given her something to put her to sleep because the only thing she remembered was seeing Jet putting on a pair of gloves while telling her to calm down. She shook her head and walked away from the room when she heard a door open at the end of the hallway.

She quickly found the bathroom on her left and opened the rusty sink. There was a mirror hanging just above it. Bonnie looked at her own reflection, but did not recognize the woman facing her. How could she recognize someone she didn't know? Someone she despised, someone like herself. She splashed some water against her face and worked on her breathing. The cold feeling of it made her feel at ease and the girl didn't even realize that someone was standing at the door. Only when the loud clashing sound of boots against the floor made her turn away. Party's figure was standing at the door, a surprised look on his face.

'Wait!' She shouted when she saw the Killjoy walking away. The sound of her voice caused him to stop. He kept his back facing her, waiting for her to speak.

'You don't have to leave... I was just finishing.' She gasped nervously and started walking to exit the room, but when her body brushed the side of his arm, her feet stopped moving. She slowly turned her head towards the Killjoy, but did not dare to face him. She kept her gaze to the ground. At this moment, she could feel him looking at her, she could also hear his breathing. It was loud and shaky, almost telling her to go away.

'Why did you save me?' She had to ask him, she needed to know why he did what he did.

'Didn't you want me to leave?' Unable to control the emotions coming out of her voice, she waited for his answer while wrapping her arms around herself, her eyes certainly not leaving the shiny metal sparks below her naked feet. She then heard his mouth open slowly, his caught up breath being interrupted by words, quiet words, just lingering at the edge of his lips.

'Because... I'm trying to save myself...' he whispered slowly.

But Bonnie did not understand, she couldn't understand the meaning of his words. She frowned uncontrollably and instinctively lifted her head to have a proper look at the man standing so close to her. Something strange played across his face, something like regret, and anger. But how impossible it was for her to know the words he meant, and even more the silent ones he was trying to tell her with his eyes.

'I-I...can't...' But Bonnie was out of words. She had asked him the questions she wanted to, but was left even more confused than before.

They drowned into each other's eyes when a loud noise came from the front door. Bonnie bursted out of the way and ran to her room, closing the door behind her. She threw herself on her small crafted bed and gulped down the peaches that Ghoul had left for her. The sugary fruits tasted like heaven and gave her a calming sensation. As the fruits slid down her throat, she closed her eyes and desperately tried to forget about the Killjoy's face, circling in her head.

'Party I need your help, the car isn't starting, I need you to come and push it for me!' Kobra's voice echoed in the building.

'Yeah... I'm coming.'

The steps of the Killjoys played briefly across the hall before silence came back, leaving Bonnie wonder what kind of twisted life was ahead of her...

Could she trust these people and let them in?

Would they bare to know the dark secrets of her soul?

Only time could tell.

*

Notes

hi. :)