Resurrection

There was an element of relaxation that none of them had found in a while and Party didn’t want to move and spoil the moment. Ghoul’s head rested on his stomach, Crim was tucked into one shoulder and he could see Rain snuggled up against his best friend’s back. It had been too long since they had managed an evening together and Party had needed it and the half bottle of vodka that now lay empty on the floor.
“Penny for them…”
Party smiled, his hand tousling Crim’s hair.
“Just thinking how good this is and why it can’t be like this all the time.”
“There’s a war to win remember?”
He pulled a face and kissed her smile as Ghoul stirred and opened an eye.
“Thought you were done with war.”
“I am but you idiots can’t be trusted not to die every time I let you out my sight so…”
Rainbow started to laugh as she was jolted awake by Party and Ghoul tickling Crimson until she screeched and pushed her lover on the floor. He used the opportunity to look for smokes as Ghoul pulled both women to him. There was something immensely comforting about being snuggled so close, he was warm and Rainbow wanted to do nothing but sleep.
“We could leave.”
Everyone’s heads shot up, Ghoul, Rainbow and Crimson stared at Party as he leant back against the door, the cigarette hanging from his lips. If there had ever been words that they had not expected to hear, these were those. Crimson knew she had gone a little pale and fixed the dark haired man with a stare.
“Leave…..you have never even come close to saying that before.”
“I never died before. Look at those kids today, they have the fight and the fire we used to have. All I want now is this and Jet and my brother, all of us safe.”
Ghoul took the ciggie and puffed on it.
“BLI would chase us down.”
Party nodded with a grin, his smile widening as Crim and Rain tucked the blankets around themselves and snuggled up close. He had surprised himself with his words but the more he thought about it the more sense it made. He was tired of fighting, tired of it all. Ghoul watched the emotions on his face and considered the irony of the switch in view. Before it had been himself who had wanted to run and now all he wanted was to end it once and for all, then Party could have his peace.
“Guys!!!”
Frantic hammering on the door immediately made Party scramble up and open it to see Jet, his face pale and worried. Ghoul appeared behind him, noting that Jet didn’t even raise an eyebrow about the amount of nudity on display.
“Kobra?”
“Yeah, he managed to get the evac code out. Don’t know what happened but we need to go get him.”
There was a rush for clothes and weapons, all of them half dressed as they ran after Jet and up the many sets of steps to where Toxic was manning the radio. He had returned from Bright’s camp with one of the smarter kids who was known as Red Racer and was now showing him the radio. Quickly Party grabbed the coded paper and read the scribbled words. He had agreed with Kobra that it would be as simple as code blue and now rode out the adrenaline as he turned to his friends.
“Toxic, keep the channels open. Ghoul and I will go and get Kobra. Can you guys raise some noise on the other side of One to keep the dracs busy?”
Jet nodded, he had spent all day playing with the new weapon but was happy to leave that now and test the grenades he had filled with a concentrated form of the fruit they had found in the spider bunker. Crimson was already tucking her gun in her belt, Rainbow had the keys to the Mustang in her hand.
“No problems, go bring him home before he gets in any more trouble.”
Party kissed Crim’s smile as Ghoul hugged Rainbow and Jet. There was always the subtle fear that something would go wrong but now that was overridden by concern. The code was only for emergencies which suggested Kobra had been rumbled or at least thought he had. Time was now an issue.
Toxic wired the channels open and started sending out messages asking for information on drac and scarecrow movements. The spies out in all the zones would be able to tell Rainbow where to head while the rescue was ongoing. They split up at the cars and Party watched his friends drive off before turning to Ghoul.
“Got the big guns?”
“Baby, I’m always packing the big guns…”
Party patted his ass and nodded, gunning the car as soon as Ghoul was aboard. Both men were heavily armed and watchful, the exit pipe from the city that Kobra would use was not guarded but Zone One tended to be crawling and any sign of the Killjoys might bring unwanted attention.
“You think he’s ok?”
Ghoul nodded, checking the batteries in the green gun.
“Yep or he wouldn’t have got the message out.”
“Could be a trap…”
Ghoul stared at him, the worry on Party’s face was infectious and he didn’t want to think about that possibility. There were many reasons why Kobra would want out, could be that he had found something that would be enough for them to win the war. He certainly hoped so and prayed the thought into the wind as the desert night fled by the car.
“We would know, Korse would have been shouting it out.”
Party drummed his fingers on the wheel and considered that point. He knew the overprotective side was worse with Kobra than the others and tried to be positive. His brother was good, too good to take bad risks.
“I just want him well away from the city.”
A silence fell, both turning back to their thoughts and the hours of driving ahead. Getting from Six to One took a long time, well long enough for the radio to start talking of huge explosions in Four that required urgent assistance. That made both men smile, there could be no doubt who was making that noise.
Dawn was breaking as they crossed the border into One, only a single fire fight had been needed and the dracs hadn’t stood a chance against two guns and a bazooka. It had made Party feel a little better, eased the tension he was feeling and now he cautiously drove them to the scrubland near the city. From here they would have to hike, hiding the car as best they could in the ruins of the church.
“Ready?”
Ghoul nodded and followed Party across the dust and stones of the desert. Here you could still see the remains of pre war houses and even the odd cluster of bones that had once been living human beings but now were charred sticks. It was sobering, the Geiger counter clicking ominously as they reached the outcrop of rocks that hid the entrance to the pipe. Both men paused and checked around them before pushing the stunted bushes aside. Party whistled a low note and waited, the sense of relief flooding him as Kobra appeared, covered in dirt and blinking but seemingly unharmed.
There were smiles and hugs but none of them spoke until they were back in the car and heading towards Two. Kobra was grateful for the water and the sight of his best friends alive. He leant over from the back and ruffled Ghoul’s hair.
“Sorry about panicking you but I came home to find the apartment had been pulled to pieces and there was an alert looking for me.”
“You ok?”
Kobra shrugged, rubbing his forehead.
“Weird headache but yeah. What’s been happening?”
Ghoul filled Kobra in on the raids and Jet’s secret project which amused Kobra. Only Jet could build something in a lab surrounded by people and still keep it secret. The hours passed, Ghoul driving so that Kobra and Party could sleep and when they finally reached home all of them were hot and exhausted.
“I need a shower…”
“I need a drink….”
“I need Crim to suck me off….”
Party smirked at his friends and thought to himself that finally things were looking up.

Notes