¡Venganza! 【killjoys/mcr danger days fanfic】

Chapter 1: No time to die

The year is 201[], somewhere in what's left of California...

Vic woke up with a stiff neck. Never a fun way to start the day.

The sun's light was blinding on the horizon already and it hurt Vic's eyes as they pulled themself off the dusty ground and stretched their weary muscles. They blinked the dust and grime away and reached at their side, fingers brushing cool metal of the stolen ray gun.

Thank goodness.

They needed all the protection they could get out here. The zones were a harsh and lawless place, all about who was fastest, who was strongest, who was smartest. The kids out here did whatever they needed to survive. If you weren't good enough you were left behind to rot in the brutal dirt and heat. It was so very different to the sterile and regulated streets of Battery City.

The city...

Vic felt so distant from their old home, if it could even be called that. How far had they managed to travel last night? Surely no more than a few miles since they were on foot and in darkness. They needed to keep moving though, they needed to get so far away no exterminators from the city would bother to come after them. Vic was sure no one had managed to follow them last night when they sprinted past the city line. A few dracs had chased them but after they got their hands on the gun they managed to take them down, at least temporarily. With luck, no one else witnessed their escape, that would bring trouble. Vic just hoped they would not be caught in a situation where they had to rely on their aim, their shooting skills were admittedly non-existent.

Vic had spent 17 years living in Battery City, and for many of those years it had been a safe haven. A crystal pool in the centre of an unloving wasteland where Better Living Industries' authority allowed one to 'truly live to their full potential'. But it was not that for Vic anymore. Even before they stopped putting their headphones on each morning they would notice how things were... off. There were things people weren't meant to see. Citizens who failed to comply with the laws were swiftly met with violence. All that was impure was removed, even when the 'impurities' were alive. There was a nervous twitch in the tv reporters eye, a silent fear as a mother rushed her children past the scene of a porno droid being dragged away by scarecrows. And then there were the goddamn pills. Had Vic really never noticed how they drained every sap of emotion out of them? It was terrifying. Although the exhilaration from leaving the city still lingered in their fingertips, Vic was already starting to feel bleary and nauseous- a result of withdrawal from their compulsory and standardised Better Living Industry Medication.

Have I gone that long without meds? Gosh, my body sure isn't taking this one well.

They steadied themselves on their feet and hoped the feeling of dizziness would pass. Right now they needed to find food, which was easier said than done. The desert around them was emptier than a cloudless sky, with no movement except the dust blowing around their grubby boots. This was going to be a tough search.

Why didn't you think to bring food stupid? No point escaping into the zones if you're going to die in a week.

The sun was starting to prickle on their skin- no high rises and artificial sky to protect them from the deadly rays here. Vic pulled their rolled up jacket sleeves down to prevent their arms from burning to a crisp. Shading their eyes with their hand, they stared into the distance, trying to spot any sort of landmark. Nothing but red sand and quivering waves of heat.

Crap.

Vic decided they might as well pick a direction and start walking, no point waiting around for a way to die.

~ 

A/N: Welcome to the first chapter of something I'm writing for a bit of fun. The Fab Four don't appear until chapter 4 so if you are absolutely desperate to see them you can skip to there. Hope you enjoy!