We're All Outcasts (Gerard Way/ MCR Fanfiction)

Look Alive, Sunshine

I woke up. I was lying in a sand dune.

Before any descriptions follow, picture this: the romanticised scene of waking up on a soft bed of sand still warm with residual heat from the day before, perhaps even a palm tree with fronds whispering in the morning breeze.

Now allow reality to hit you.

Without opening my eyes, I sat up.

There was sand in my hair.

There was sand in my ears.

There was sand in my underwear.

There was sand in my mouth, my tongue coated in a layer of grit I tried to get away from (then realised that I was making it worse by spreading the sand around my mouth).

There was sand between my toes.

There was even sand under my fingernails, for God's sake!

There was sand everywhere.

I was probably more sand than person.

Using the cleanest part of my hand, I rubbed my eyes and finally found the willpower to open them.

Guess what I saw.

Go on, guess.

That's right, there was a gun pointed at my head.

"Good morning to you, too." I said.

Without hesitation, the person wielding the gun spoke. His voice was calm but menacing; whoever he was, he had authority.

"Tell me who you are and what you're doing alone in the Zones without a gun or supplies."

"It's a long story and you wouldn't believe it anyway."

"Tell me."

"Don't say I didn't warn you. My name is Scarlet, I'm 16 and I come from a different reality. In my reality, I'm in a coma so my body and mind are separate. Because I'm not anchored in my reality, I can travel between realities. It's really complicated and I don't know how it works but it just does and it's a hell of a lot easier if you just accept it. I have no idea where I am or when I am or what the Zones are but I just came here and it would be nice of you to stop pointing that gun at me and explain what's going on."

His eyes narrowed.

"You're telling me you're from a parallel world?"

"Yeah."

"That's bullshit." He hissed, his eyes boring into mine. "But... you think it's the truth. What the hell have they done to you?"

"Please explain to me who 'they' are."

"You're coming with me. I need answers and you're not exactly forthcoming with them."

"What?!"

"Get up. I'm taking you back to base."

I made a disgruntled noise as he pulled me onto my feet, but it was cut short when I saw my clothes.

Yet another outfit change...

This time, I actually wore shoes - ankle high black combat boots with buckles and a chunky sole. The rest of my attire was a combination of green and blue: dark green skinny jeans, blue belt, black t-shirt with a cartoon skull painted onto it in fluorescent blue paint, turquoise leather jacket and a blue bandana tied loosely around my neck. What's more, my hair was as bright as my clothing - deep blue turning to electric green at the tips.

I scrutinised the man standing in front of me. He was wearing a yellow and pink mask, which did a good job of obscuring his features, had a mop of vibrant red hair, and was wearing clothes not dissimilar to mine: combat boots, jeans, bandana and a Dead Pegasus jacket.

"Stop staring and walk. We haven't got all day." he snapped.

I scowled and walked the way I was being dragged. We trekked up and over three sand dunes and I was relieved when we reached a road and a car.

"Get in."

I climbed into the back seat of the silver Trans- Am. As soon as my back hit the seat, the tyres squealed on the road and we disappeared (an apt description would be 'like a fart through hemp pajamas') off down the road.

"I don't trust you. You got in the back and that makes it easier for you to jump out." The man shouted, the wind whipping his words away so I only just caught them.

"Yeah, and do what? I have no food and the only water around here is the half- full container in the boot. I wouldn't last a day." I yelled in reply. "And if it makes you more likely to trust me..."

I tailed off, before quickly grasping the seat in front and vaulting over, landing neatly in the passenger seat.

"Happy now?"

He said nothing; he didn't need to - the radio blared into life.
"Greetings, Killjoys; this is Doctor Deathdefying with an update of what's going on in the Zones and your Traffic Report. A band of Draculoids have been spotted in Zone 2, but it's nothing you can't handle. There may be dust storms for Zone 6 tonight. Stay indoors and cover your vehicles. Everyone else, stay alert, ghost some Dracs and die with your masks on if you have to. I'll sign off this morning with an old favourite of mine. Killjoys, make some noise!"

A song burst through the radio, threatening to burst my eardrums. It was punchy, it was catchy and even I could figure out the chorus. It was the perfect song and by the end, even I was singing along at the top of my lungs with a grin on my face.

But the song had to finish sooner or later; when it did, there was nothing but the sound of the engine and the wind rushing past my ears. All too soon, a building grew on the horizon until, eventually, we screeched to a halt outside it.

Perhaps it was a diner once.