#tanoshiguru

A white bike lay burning in the parking lot, neatly in the direct centre of an allocated space, and a painted ‘X’ covered a store entrance, still wet and running down the glass. A warning not to enter. @tanoshiguru

Poison had arrived at the shops at sun-up, dressed in their Sunday best. Their hair was dyed a dark bluish red, far from what would become their signature scarlet, but their jacket fit a little better, and they'd managed to scrounge up shiny new boots. Their raygun was new too, the standard Better Living model spattered in blue and pink. They carried a small bag of supplies with them, a few bottles of water and cans of PowerPup.

They stop to stare at the burning bike, a frown stealing across their features, and turn their gaze towards the X marked across the doors. This could be a trap, but if Aiko's in there...

@tanoshiguru​  [ scream ]   my  muse  hears  your  muse  scream  and  runs  to  them

“Ghoul- Ghoul?” Poison shouts, spinning around in a panic, never mind the fact that it’s probably a really fucking stupid idea to shout his name when he could be getting murdered or...something. The abandoned mall is massive, half-collapsed from storms and earthquakes, but what’s left is practically paradise- it’s relatively inaccessible unless you’re willing to climb over massive piles of concrete and broken glass, so unlike most other buildings, it’s not quite picked clean.

@tanoshiguru

Mousekat pauses with its hand on the doorknob and turns around to face Ghoul, its motions just a little off. This is its first time out in months- Poison hadn't wanted it to leave after Val and the twins arrived at the Diner, and now it's been interrupted.

@tanoshiguru

Poison kicks open the door to the gas station, not bothering to put down the can of fuel they were carrying. Ghoul had been in there earlier, looking for any left-behind supplies while they’d been siphoning gasoline- their mouth is gonna taste like it for weeks, gross- but he’s not... here anymore?

Poison spins in a quick circle, scanning the nearly-empty shelves. Only a few crickets and packets of what by now must be dust remain, but then- 

A few of the shelves leading to the back room have been knocked over, and now that Poison listens closely, they can hear the muffled sounds of fighting. Shit. They make their way over quickly and quietly, and when they crack open the door, there’s Ghoul and a SCARECROW agent- must’ve disguised its bike, of course- and the agent is painted red with blood, obviously its own. Ghoul slams the ‘crow’s head against the wall.

"-ot to upper abdomen, just outside the market in Zone Five."

Poison's stomach drops to his feet, and he feels a headache coming on. He scribbles a note to Kobra, probably unreadable, grabs his keys, and sprints to the Trans Am as fast as he can. The drive to the market is more nerve-wracking than it should be- he probably presses the gas pedal down further than it should go, but the car rumbles obligingly and speeds down the highway.

He jumps out the car as soon as he parks it, raygun at the ready. "Ghoul? Where are you?" he shouts, hoping Ghoul could hear him.

@tanoshiguru

@tanoshiguru