The continuation to the Fabulous KillJoys

Chapter 30: The Light Behind Your Eyes

*3 months later*

"We have a problem...I can't find Nat or Party. I've searched the entire hotel and outside." Jet said to the rest of the group who sighed. Shelby grabbed the baseball bat from underneath the cushions of the couch and marches up to the couples bedroom. "I'll go make sure she doesn't kill Party." Cherri said in a quiet tone before following Shelby.

The rest of the group and the kids looked for the two but all of them came up with nothing. "Where the fuck are those two?" Kobra asked then he saw a Mountain Dew can fall from the roof. The group follows him outside and looks up to the roof to see Nat and Party. "GET THE FUCK DOWN HERE BEFORE YOU FALL!" Shelby and Ashlee yell in unison but Party throws a can at them both. "That's a lot of work, and besides it's peaceful up here." Party replies but then they spot a couple draculoid cars. Korse walks outside to see what all the yelling was about then he warned the others about the approaching cars.

The group rushes back inside as the cars get out into park. Moments later laser bullets fill the main room on the first floor of the hotel and the killjoy group shoots back. A blast that would've hit Party was intercepted by Nat who dove in front of them, blood stained their shirt where the blast cut their skin. Party's eyes fill with tears as they crouch down beside Nat and tries to keep them awake. "Nat's down!" Party yells to the others who could barely hear over the sounds of their guns and the lasers being shot at them.

"Gee...k-keep the kids safe." Nat tells Party, tears run down their cheeks and a large puddle of blood forms from their wound on the ground under their body. "Not without you!" Party exclaims as they cry but Nat shakes their head. The last drac hits the ground dead while Party throws their gun to the other side of the room and rushes to try and stop Nat from bleeding more. The rest of the group sees the scene and rushes over, but it's too late and Nat lays limp in Party's arms. The rest of the group turns their gazes away from the scene, not wanting to know how Party will react.

Party holds Nat against their chest and wipes the blood from their mouth while crying and trying to keep all their emotions bottled up. "P-Party..." Ghoul speaks up but Party just meets his gaze with tear filled eyes and a small smile before asking what he needed. "Dude, t-they're gone..." Ghoul told them sadly but Party denied it and told the group Nat was just sleeping the pain off.  "G-Gerard...Nat's gone. Like gone gone." Cherri told them but Party just denied it once more and said Nat was a heavy sleeper.

The kids rushed downstairs and saw the sight of the battle. Bandit picked Bug up and carried her over to their parents but froze and set Bug down when she saw Nat's body in Party's arms. Bug walked over and asked if Nat was just sleeping to which Party told her they were but Bandit knew the truth behind the partial lie her dad had told her baby sister. Grace pulled Bandit into a hug as the two of them cried but the other kids didn't get to see the bloodied scene due to Cherri, Kobra, and Jet keeping them away and lead the group of kids outside.

*1 week later*

Bandit sat at the bar area of the hotel as Val slid her another Bug Juice in a whiskey glass with an ice cube in it. "Kid, you have barely slept for the past week. You gotta get some rest." Val told her but Bandit shot him a glare, if looks could kill Val would've dropped dead where he stood. "Yeah and after we buried dad, papa hasn't once stepped back in here." She told Val before drinking the juice and tearing up again. "Now me and Bug are basically being raised by Aunt Shelby and Aunt Ashlee." She continued as Val looked at her with sympathy. Bandit met his gaze with an annoyed look, "Stop feeling sorry for me! You're looking at me like I'm a fucking hurt puppy or something!"

Val poured her another cup of juice as her eyes started to close but she kept forcing them to stay open. "Bandit, go lay down you need rest." Val told her but after almost falling from the stool she reluctantly agreed. Moments later she was sound asleep, Val put a blanket over her and made sure she was comfy.

Ashlee and Shelby walk down the stairs and see Val as he was walking back to the counter. "How's she holding up?" Shelby asks but Val just shrugs in response. "Mikey said Party still is refusing to come back inside." Ashlee told Shelby and Val who didn't respond and avoided her gaze. "Bug is finally asleep...I don't know for how long though. She hasn't been able to sleep and she keeps asking where Nat is and why Party is refusing to come back in here. We don't know what to do." Ashlee continued but stopped when Jet and Ghoul entered the room.

"We'll be back in a bit, we need to talk to Dr. Death about something." Jet explained as he and Ghoul walked outside to the Trans Am and drove off. "Tell Kobra to talk Party into getting their ass back inside before the cicadas eat em alive or they melt in the rain and weather." Val tells Ashlee as he cleans a dirty glass then puts it away on the shelf where other cups set. "Things sure are quiet these days." Shelby said, trying to start small talk. "Yeah that's because two of the four gremlins are either dusted or going clinically inside and refusing to get their ass back in here and take care of their kids." Val says while becoming more bitter with each word before walking into the other room.