Sweet Vendetta //Danger Days//

21. Onward and Out

Morning had come, then afternoon. We had left Zone 6, and I couldn't catch sight of anything different. Just sand and road and dead plants.

"How much further are we gonna go before we turn around?" Ghoul asked from the back seat.

"We'll keep going until we find something." I responded, but I was starting to loose hope. Maybe Party was right. Maybe there was just desert. Had the entire United States really turned to dust?

"Uh, what's that?" Kobra pointed out of the window. A tall, blurry green thing stuck out of the ground. It was very far away from us, and it was difficult to make out.

"Party, go over there." I ordered, my face pressed up against the window. He veered right, rolling off of the road and over the rocky terrain.

It was a tree. An actual tree, standing towards the sky. It wasn't dead, and it was the first wild plant I had seen since I was fourteen. When Party stopped the car, I abruptly swung open the door, stumbling towards the giant tree

"Hold on, Atomic!" Party warned, but I ignored him. I pressed my hands against it's rough bark, letting out a giggle of joy as I reached to touch a single green leaf.

"It's real!" I squealed like a child. Ghoul came next, almost scared to feel the walnut tree.

"It can't be." He gasped, smiling as his fingertips graced the wood.

"How the hell would there be a tree out here?" Kobra questioned.

As if on cue, we heard the oncoming rumble of an engine. All five of us pulled out our guns, watching as what looked to be like a big tour bus speed towards us. We huddled close together as the oncoming vehicle came to a sputtering stop in front of us.

"What the..." Jet clung onto his gun as the bus door swung open.

A girl with very light blonde hair hopped out of the black and blue bus. She appeared to have the body of a twelve year old, but her face looked much older. She wore very tiny shorts, accompanied by a set of blue sneakers and a loose white tank top. She flicked her green sunglasses off of her head, revealing a pair of big brown eyes.

"Hey guys! Lookit this group!" She called into the bus. Her accent sounded like it was from the deep south.

"Are they armed?" A young man's voice asked from inside the vehicle.

"Yeah, but they won't shoot. C'mout here Hammy." She smirked.

"Don't call me Hammy. I'm not a pig." The man grumbled, stepping out of the bus. He looked at least twenty-two, and wore a simple brown t-shirt and blue jeans. His messy brown hair was hidden under a black beanie, and he was much taller than his southern counterpart.

"You guys from the city?" He asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"Y-yeah. Who are you?" I continued to aim my gun at the two strangers.

"Oh, I'm Amsterdam." The man stuck out his hand. Tentatively, I shook it.

"I'm Atomic."I responded. The blonde girl snorted.

"Oh, are you're one of those guys?" She snickered. Amsterdam shot her a warning glare, and she immediately shut up.

"That's Brandy." He pointed to the girl.

"Nice to meet ya." She waved.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'those guys'?" Party asked.

"You're Killjoys, right?" Amsterdam responded.

"Yeah, what are you?" Kobra challenged.

"Um, people?" Amsterdam scoffed.

"Where are you guys heading?" Brandy spoke up.