Save Yourself, I'll Hold Them Back

Chapter 3

*Party Poison*

                As we pulled back up to the diner, I was ready to explode. My anger had been simmering for the past four hours as we sped through the desert, and I got more and more pissed every mile. I wasn’t sure if I was angry at Aly for following us and almost getting Ghoul killed, or if I was mad at myself for letting it happen. But I couldn’t ignore it for long.

                I helped to carry Ghoul inside, and we set up a makeshift bed for him in the back storage room. I managed to find some bandages and some antiseptic, and we cleaned Ghoul’s wound the best we could. Ray gun injuries were typically quite severe; they pretty much burn the flesh away. If aimed in the right spot on a person’s body, it can cause instant death. Luckily, no vital organs were hit, so Ghoul’s chances of surviving were good. That calmed me a little, but I was still boiling. I stormed outside, not able to contain myself any longer.

                I slammed the door behind me, and sank down to a sitting position on the front steps. That was where I found her. Standing in the dirt, staring at the sunset. She turned around when she heard me walk out, her eyes lifeless. That’s when I completely lost it.

*Alkaline Insanity*

                “What the fuck was that, anyway?” He said, throwing his hands up in the air, anger plain on his face. I just stood there in the sand, the setting sun behind me. I didn't know how to answer. I didn’t have a good reason for following them. Not one that could justify Ghoul getting hurt like he did. He continued to glare at me, awaiting my response.

                “Poison…” I started quietly, backing away from him as he advanced on me. I raised my hands in front of me, trying to show surrender. But he didn't let up. He continued forward, not removing his eyes from mine.

“He could have died, Aly! DIED!” he yelled, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his hands into fists.

“HOW COULD I HAVE KNOWN HE WOULD GET HURT?” I screamed back, my voice cracking on the final word. “And I know just how serious it is!” I continued, still yelling. “I've been standing out here for the past half hour, tearing myself apart over it!” Tears were starting to roll down my cheeks. I was terrified for Ghoul. How could Poison think I wasn’t? 

                I kept backing up, trying desperately to retreat from Poison’s horrifying stare. Suddenly, I hit something. Hard. It was the brick wall of the diner, dusty and wind-blown. I had nowhere else to go.  

“We leave you here for a REASON, Aly. Did you ever think of that? None of us wants to see you get hurt!” He screamed back, his face inches from mine.  I looked down, not wanting Poison to see any more of my tears. He placed his hand under my chin, tilting it up to that he could see my eyes. He gave me an even stare, and continued. “We all care about you. Some of us probably more than we should.” He added, glancing up at the front door of the diner. He had calmed for the moment, but then he began yelling again. “Seeing how upset you were after what happened last time, we couldn’t let you go through that again! It killed us to see you like that!”

Letting out a shaky breath, I sank into the dirt, and placed my head in my hands. “I’m sorry.” I said quietly, starting to sob. I didn’t know what else to say. “I n-never wanted any of this to hap-happen. I didn't m-mean for him to get h-hurt.”

He didn’t respond. Poison only looked at me for a moment, then walked away, still furious.

I continued to sob quietly into my dirty palms, hating myself for what had happened. Ghoul was inside, dying, for all I knew, and it was pretty much my fault. I cried as the sun finally sank below the horizon, the desert air cooling considerably as it did.

***************

The stars sparkled above me, hued green and pink from the excess radiation in the atmosphere. I was near a gas station. Jet and Ghoul weren’t far behind me, I knew, but I was still paranoid. The dracs had been detected by Show Pony, and were due to be here any minute. My feet crunched on the gravel as I parked my bike behind a large rock. I drew my violet ray gun, holding it out for protection.

I heard an engine rumble not far in the distance, and I jumped, startled by the sudden noise. I moved my head back and forth, looking for the source of the sound. But everything was dark, silent. ‘Maybe I’m imagining things…’ I thought to myself as I continued to walk toward the ghostly building. I was supposed to check to be sure that it was safe…

Suddenly, a hand was at my throat. I screamed, but my airway was choked off in an instant. My heart pounded as my ray gun clattered to the dirt. On instinct, I kicked the figure in the stomach, and it fell to the ground, momentarily stunned. It was a drac, a stray I hoped, because I wasn’t ready to fight off a whole hoard of them on my own.

Before I had a chance to dive for my gun, it hopped back up, lunging for my throat again. I pulled my arm back and it snapped forward, landing a punch square to the drac’s jaw. It staggered back again and fell to the ground, head cracking against the hard dirt. Thank God, it was unconscious. I scrambled for my ray gun, cocked it, and pulled the trigger. The ray hit the drac in the chest, ghosting it in a quick burst of light. I let out a slow breath and knelt next to the figure, searching it for anything that could be of use.

I started to remove its gloves, but stopped short. There was something printed on its wrist in curvy, black ink. “No, no, no…” I said, my hands beginning to shake. I pulled the glove off, staring at what was written before me. I recognized the tattoo instantly, despite not having seen him in years. ‘Awake and Unafriad’ it said. No. It couldn’t be. I ripped off the drac’s mask, trying to prove myself wrong. But I couldn’t. It WAS him. He was dead. And it was my fault.