Mindless Self Indulgence (Fuck Off)

Escapees

The next morning I wake up to the sound of Lyn-Z ripping off a sleeve from her blazer.

"What are you doing?" Steve asks from the couch.

"We need a better look. You know more punk rock," she takes the other one off.

"More punk rock?"

"Yeah, you know all the other bands are crazy with their stage personas and stuff. We need something more," she holds out the blazer out to get a better view. It's a vest now.

That's when I see her sleeve tattoo. "There's a chicken tattooed to your arm!" I grab her arm so I can examine it closer.

"Yeah," she waves me off, "maybe you should do something too."

"You think?"

"Everyone has to," she says frankly.

"Fine. Where's your bathroom. Do you have hair gel? and duct tape?"

"Hair gel's in the bathroom and the duct tape's in my room. The bathroom is over there," She points to a door right next to hers.

"Okay," I go into the bathroom. Inside there's a mirror but half of it's missing. The whole place is half gone what was I expecting?

The hair gel is right on the counter in plain sight. Good. Now I don't have to tear down the bathroom trying to find it.

I grab a bunch of hair and put hair gel on it. Then I make stand upright. Then I do it again and again and again. And again and again and again until my entire head is covered in spikes.

I start searching around for something more. This isn't POW! enough. There's a slot in the wall. There's a spray can with a pink lid on it. It says 'Hair spray' on it.

I don't know where Lyn-Z and Steve find this stuff. It's amazing. I grab the can and spray myself with it. My hair is now pink. I'm sure I'd be violating a few laws back at the city.

This is great. I waltz out of the bathroom. Everybody's jaw drops when they see me.

"You're hair's pink!" Kitty says.

"Yes it is! Now I need the duct tape," I go into Lyn-Z'S room.

I take off my coat. It's like the kind that people use with tuxedos. On the back I put the tape on in the form of the words 'good bye'.

Now we'll look like kids that ran away from school. And in reality we all are. I think.

Where's Steve from anyways?

"Done," I yell walking out the door.

Kitty has her make-up mask on and her pigtails. Lyn-Z's added a plaid skirt and long socks to her uniform. And Steve, well, Steve's hair is stuck up but not because he put hair gel in it.

"That took you long enough," Lyn-Z says, "We have to leave now if we want to get a spot."

"Now? but the sun's still up," I complain. I thought this was at night.

"I'll go alone then," she says slightly annoyed.

"Wait. I'll go with you. Okay?" I really don't want to see her get angry because who knows, she could set me on fire. This time for real.

I walk out the door with her.

"So where is this place anyway? I've never seen anyone out here...except for Steve," I kick a piece of garbage at my feet.

"We all come out at night. We're like vampires," she says with a laugh.

"Vampires? What are vampires?"

"Oh, right," she says glumly.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Okay," I give her a look, "so where is this place then?"

"It's in this half collapsed factory. The part that's not collapsed has the bar and the part that is collapsed has the stage for the bands."

"Oh," I say. I don't know how to answer.

We walk in silence for a while.

"What are we calling the band?" I ask her.

"I don't know. We'll come up with something when we sign up."

We finally reach the building. The one side that's caved in has been cleaned up. Someone's also built a stage there. We go in through the other side.

"Jack!" Lyn-Z yells.

"Yeah?" A man with a Mohawk comes out of a room, he's carrying a tablet from before the war. "Oh, it's you."

She glares at him.

"You know you need more than two people in a band here, right?"

"We have four now," she tells him.

Jack looks at me. "What's your name?"

She falters. We don't have a name yet.

"You haven't even come up with a name for your own band?" Jack says mockingly, "You need one of those too you know."

"Mindless self indulgence," I tell him, "our name is mindless self indulgence."

He raises his eyebrows. "Okay," he types something down on the tablet.

Lyn-Z turns to leave. I follow her but not before I give Jack a mocking smile.

"Where did you get that from?" She says angrily.

"I found it on your desk," I say simply.

"You don't have permission to use that!" She hisses.

"I made our band that much more awesomer now. You should thank me."

"Awesomer isn't a word," she says in defeat. She knows I'm right.