The Kids From Yesterday (A Party Poison Story)

Chapter 28 - Val Velocity

"I... I don't know." I whispered back, startled at the unknown presence.

When Party and I exited the old shack, we were met with a man who had striking red hair, and a sinister smirk prying at his lips.

The stranger looked as if he could be Party Poison's double. The stranger leant casually against the fabulous four's trans am, so he was directly facing us.

Alarm bells were ringing in my head almost as soon as I laid eyes on him- where did he come from? With all my years of living in this base, there was no way we couldn't have not heard this guy approach us. I've also learnt Party has exquisite hearing- how did neither of us hear anything?

The man who stood before us looked like a soldier, and looked not much older then Party and I. The white jacket he wore had old bloodstains covering the leather, and he looked almost drained from what I could see- the mans white mask to match his jacket made it hard to identify who hid behind it. The white mask had blue slits down the middle, and the shape looked extremely similar to Party Poison's yellow one.

The unknown killjoy? Ritalin rat?- whatever he was had bright red hair, the exact shade as mine. Where as you could tell Party Poison's hair was artificially coloured, his dark roots evident breaking through the red, this guy's hair looked like mine; natural. Despite the bright hair, that's not what caught my eye. The most frightening thing about this stranger wasn't how he showed no fear, or even how he showed up here with out making a mere sound. No, what made my eyes widen, was the strangers crimson eyes, identical to mine. It was hard to see behind the mask, however I could definitely see the scarlet shade. Now, I was even more curious.

"Well well, looks like they weren't lying about you being a real person." The man spoke directing his statement at me, throwing a stiff nod my way.

From the corner of my eye I noticed Party Poison's fingers lingering over his ray gun, no doubt feeling just as confused as I currently was.

"State your name." I spoke confidently, taking a step towards the unknown killjoy. I still held all my clothes with one arm, so if I absolutely had to, I could reach for my ray gun with my injured arm in time.

"I'm the same as you, Suicide Spark." At his words, my body stiffened. How did he know my name? No one could possibly know my name. Unless the stranger was somehow associated with the fabulous four, there was no way he could know my name, and judging my Party's current scowl, he was most certainly not.

"That's not what I meant." I shot back, becoming tired with the unnecessary riddles and bullshit. To this, the guy sighed and stood up straight from leaning against the dusty trans am. He began taking a few steps closer towards Party Poison and I, making me suck in a breath of air. I hadn't realised how intimidated I actually was by this guy until now, although I would never allow myself to show it.

To the sudden action, Party reached for his ray gun, pointing the end straight at the unknown killjoy. "One more step and you'll be dust."

Many would fear Party Poison, standing tall ready to fire at any moment. However, the guy who stood before Party and I didn't even flinch at the threat.

"You wouldn't ghost me, Poison. Not until you hear what I have to say." How he also knew Party Poison's name was beyond me. Deciding to take initiative, I cut into the conversation.

"Why would we care what you've got to say?" I spoke strongly, taking a further step towards the man.

The unknown redheads lips curved into an upward smirk. With out breaking eye contact with me, he lifted up his white mask, revealing the crimson eyes I was sure I saw when Party and I first stepped outside of my base. At least now my suspicions were confirmed.