Desert Ghost: DESTROYA's Gift

Arrival - Chapter 1

     I opened my eyes. The space around me was black, with the exception of the bright white dots called "stars" that gleamed around me. I looked around in awe and reached out to touch one of the stars. It was warm to the touch and fit perfectly in the palm of my hand.

     I heard a voice then; a loud but oddly comforting voice that boomed around in the space.

     "It's your time to go, little one. The world begs for a savior and you are the one that must save them. We'll speak again someday," the voice said. 

     I started to feel all fuzzy inside and I watched, confused, as my skin started to fizz away like tiny bubbles into the dark. It didn't hurt, but created an odd numb feeling that quickly spread throughout my body. I looked around at the gleaming stars one last time before I closed my eyes and completely fizzed away.

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     I woke up in the sand. It was dusty as all hell and there I was, lying in it. I groaned and stood up, coughing a few times before I finally cleared my lungs. I looked around and noticed a few things. 1: The sun. It was very hot and very bright. I'm lucky to have clothes that cover my skin. 2: My clothes. I appeared to be wearing a bright purple leather jacket with white stripes and a skull on the back. I had on white skinny jeans and a faded gray T-shirt with bold and cracked lettering that read: "THE MAD GEAR AND MISSILE KID!". I also had on a pair of black boots, black fingerless leather gloves, a silver chain that hung from my belt, and a black and white bandana across my forehead. 3: My hair. I had long, scruffy, off-white hair with purple zig-zags at the tips. Woof, what a way to stand out! And finally, 4: The car rapidly approaching my general direction. Wait, what?

     I tried to run and fell on my ass as the car screeched to a halt. I scooted backwards and watched as four strangers got out of the car. They stepped out of the glare of the sun and I could see them clearly now. The one that had been driving had short, bright red hair, a blue and white leather jacket with red patches, white skinny jeans, and a yellow mask that covered the top half of their face. The one on the passenger side was tall and skinny, had very short, slicked-back blonde hair, a yellow and black striped shirt, a red leather jacket, and dark shades. The one behind him was short, had straight black hair, a dark green vest, a yellow and black shirt, and tattoos covering his arms. The one behind the red-haired person was tall, had curly, dark brown hair, dark shades, and a dark outfit.

     "Woah, calm down there, dude," The tall one with the brown hair said, "We're not gonna hurt a fellow Killjoy!"

     "Killjoy? What? Who are you guys?" I said, confused and distressed. They all looked at each other, their eyes bright and skeptical. Who are these people? What do they mean by "Killjoy"? And where the hell am I?

     "What? You mean you don't know us? And c'mon, you're obviously a Killjoy, just look at you! Are you stupid or something?" The short one said with an eat-shit grin plastered on his face.

     I shook my head, wildly confused. I have no idea who these people are or what I'm doing here.

     "Well," the red-haired one started, "We're the Fabulous Four- I'm Party Poison, this over here is my brother Kobra Kid," they pointed at the blonde one, "this is Fun Ghoul, and Jet-Star," they motioned to the short one and then the tall one, "And who might you be?" they asked and raised out a hand for me to grab.

     I took their hand in mine and wracked my brain for anything. A name, a place, anything that might tell me who I am. Nothing. "I don't know." That answer embarrassed me. Why didn't I know?

     Party Poison pulled me up off the ground. "Well, welcome to the team, Killjoy," they said with a grin.

     I smiled back and they walked me to the car. I climbed in and sat between Jet-Star and Fun Ghoul. I was fairly comfortable, but there wasn't much leg room considering I was similar to Jet-Star's height. Party Poison started up the car and sped off in the direction they came from, dust trailing in clouds behind us.

     "So, newbie, what's up with you? Do you really not know what a Killjoy is?" The short man to my right asked. "Call me Ghoul, by the way."

     "No, I really don't. I don't know my name, why I'm here, how old I am.." I trailed off, suddenly feeling as though I'd given away too much information and that they'd all turn on me, or worse. I had no idea what these people were capable of.

     "Dude, we've gotta give you a cool name! I've got some ideas already! White Snake, Purple Haze, Memory Boy-" Ghoul started listing names, but none of them appealed to me. I awkwardly turned to Jet-Star who, thankfully, interrupted him.

     "Alright, Ghoul, I think he appreciates your enthusiasm, but we've gotta start with the basics first." The tall man said. I turned my attention to him and waited for him to continue. "First off, welcome to the Zones! The Zones are made up of six rings surrounding Battery City. Nothing much is out here besides us Killjoys and the dracs they send after us. The dracs come from Bat City, which is the only city left." I listened intently for the next ten minutes, absorbing all the information Jet was telling me. 

     Eventually the car came to a stop in front of an old, dusty-looking diner. The windows were boarded up and there were big words, phrases, and drawings spray-painted on the walls in various bright colors.

     Poison took out a ring of keys and unlocked the various locks on the diner door that prevented anyone from entering. After the last lock was unlocked, they swung open the door and dashed to the kitchen with a shout, "I'm makin' dinner!"

     Ghoul cheered and jumped onto a faded green-ish couch that had been placed near one of the front windows. Jet and I followed him in and sat down on the couch as well. Kobra followed Poison into the kitchen without a word.

     "Is Kobra usually this quiet?" I asked no one in particular.

     "Yeah, pretty much, but he'll warm up to you. Anyways, let's get back to names! So, how about. . ." Ghoul started listing a bunch of names that weren't-quite-right or didn't-quite-fit. I ended up turning down each one, to his disappointment. Not long after, Poison and Kobra came in the room holding opened white cans with a black smiley face logo. Poison handed each of us one and then they and Kobra sat down in chairs opposite of us.

     I looked in the can. There was this orange-ish goopy stuff in there that didn't look all too appetizing. I looked around at everyone else. Ghoul was shoveling it into his mouth, while Kobra and Jet ate normally, and Poison picked at it for the perfect bite. I looked at the label on the can. It was titled "Power Pup". I decided not to read any further and just be thankful that I had food. I stuck a spoonful of the goop into my mouth and swallowed. It wasn't.. horrible, y'know? Just very bitter. And not exactly good tasting.

     The room was quiet until Kobra spoke: "What about Desert Ghost?"

     We all turned to look at him. "What?" Jet and I asked at the same time.

     "Your name," he said, "How about Desert Ghost?"

     I thought about it for a minute, seeing how the name sounded in my head. "Yeah," I said, "Yeah, I like it!" I smiled. Now I have a name for myself, I know where I am and a bit about this place, and I'd guess I'm roughly 16 or 17, the same age as the rest of these guys. I'm a few steps closer now to figuring everything out. I looked around the room at each of the guys. Yeah, I think I can get used to this!

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A/N - I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I will try to update regularly but I can't guarantee anything. If you have any comments, suggestions, questions, or spot any errors, don't be afraid to say something! Keep kicking ass, Killjoys! <3