The End

The crackly reception brought them the news around noon.

"Come on and fuck this whole wide world..." The last chords of Mad Gear and the Missile Kid faded out with a crackle and Dr. D's voice began over the usual background music he enjoyed.
"Turn it up." Party murmured to Ghoul, sitting next to the radio at the two worn out Diner seats.
His friend began fiddling with the buttons until the static cleared a reasonable amount to hear the words.
Something was wrong, you could tell. Just from the way Dr. D voice shook slightly, somber tones that weren't usually used on his radio station.
"Bad news from the *bbzzztt* zones tumbleweeds." The radio twisted and distorted again, causing Ghoul to jump to try and regain the signal. "It looks like Jet star and the Kobra K-" The radio crackled again, obscuring the last part of a well known name. Party buried his head in his hands, fists clenched above his temples. "Had a clap *bbzzzt* with an exterminator that--- all Costa Rica and, uhhh, got themselves ghosted---- usted out on Route Guano-"
Ghoul silently turned the radio off in a hiss of static.
"Interference." Party said finally "We heard wrong."
"Party..."
"They just can't have Ghoul. They can't!"
"I'm sorry Party. They've gone. It's just us now."
"No! No!" Party shoved his chair back, slamming his hands on the table.
"Wait-" Ghoul began, but Party Poison's figure had already disappeared out of the dull room.
Ghoul leant his head back against the wall, hitting it back with two resounding thumps, just to check everything was real. He cast a quick glance to the space Jet usually occupied next to him before looking back to where Party had disappeared.
"Don't..."

Party shoved open the door, the sand blasted wood banging against the wall of the old diner.
"Mikey..."
Mikey had been with him since the beginning, they were brothers, not always the closest but they cared for each other all the same. Stormy arguments where the sun clears again and everyone made up in the end.Fantasy that couldn't last. Then Party's own demons had caught up with him, the drinks, the drugs. His brother... His brother had his own demons, they couldn't always support each other like they'd promised.
Party would always regret that.
2012. They promised it would be the end of the world, Party guessed it had been in someways.
The Helium wars, the endless bodies, then... Peace, BL/ind. Hell they'd turned out to be bad news anyway.
He'd been the last family he had left.
Now those bastards had gone and killed him.
And Jet... Ray had been his best friend, his band mate. He supported him, helped him, told him what he needed to know and sometimes needed to be reminded him of.
They couldn't just be gone.
They couldn't.
"Party." Ghoul's voice murmured beside him. He hadn't noticed the other come outside.
"What?" His voice was harsher than intended but he didn't care now. Nothing mattered.
"They wouldn't want you to be like this."
"How can I not be?! I've lost everything Ghoul! My parents, Lyn-z, Bandit was barely old enough to be in Kindergarten! Now this?"
"It not just you that lost things! What about Jamia? Cherry and Lily were 3 Gerard!"
Party looked only briefly shocked at Ghoul using his real name before he began shouting again.
"Is this a competition now?"
"Only because you seem to be turning it into one!" Party stepped away, shaking his head.
"I don't have time for this."
"Party!"
"Shut up!"
"Fine. Fine!"
Party turned toward the desert.
"I'm going to find them."
"Not like this you're not."
"I'm not letting BL/ind get their hands on them."
"You think I do?"
"I don't know what you think anymore Ghoul." Party muttered, as he began running out towards the distant road where Jet and Kobra had disappeared off in the Trans Am only hours before.

"Shit." Ghoul ran a hand across his face "Shit, shit shit."
He knew this wouldn't end well not with Party like this. The last time he'd see him like this was when Lyn-z and Bandit had died. Civilian casualties from an attack on their home town.
That's what they said anyway.
He sighed again before breaking into a sprint after his friend, trying to close the gap between them before it was too late.
Party reached the bodies a heartbeat before he caught up with him, his longer legs making the distance easier to cover. Ghoul watched as his friend dropped to his knees by his brother, tears slowly spilling over onto his cheeks.
Ghoul took a moment to take it in fully.
Kobra was sprawled on the floor, on arm - his shooting arm, bent at an awkward angle. His shirt was burnt from the shot to the heart that had killed him.
Jet was slumped against a rock nearby, gun still in his hand, torn fabric and burns reveled where rays had hit him.
Shot to the head.

A stick cracked behind him, whirling around he grabbed his ray gun and shot the Drac that emerged.
Party's head shot up as he reached for his own gun.
Not quick enough.
Two more Dracs appeared, stepping over their slain 'comrade'. They too bore the marks of their fight with Kobra and Jet.
The first shot hit Ghoul in the shoulder sending him staggering backward, clutching at his bleeding arm.
He shot back, though he was shakier now, his shots both missing their targets. A third shot hit the first Drac in the torso.
The white clothed man fell, alive but unable to fight now. The second drac lunged at Ghoul, bowling him over. Ghoul screeched as a foot caught his forehead, drawing blood. A second hit found his cheek. Blood tasted metallic in his mouth, warm and thick.
Party eventually snapped out of his shock and began firing.
Ghoul felt pain sear his stomach as the Drac shot blindly, falling to the floor with burn marks on his chest.

Party finished off the First masked man before hurrying over.
"Ghoul!" He pressed the wound, blood dripping down his own arm from a ray gun mark "Please... Don't!"
Soon his hands were red with Ghoul's blood, it didn't seem to stop coming.
"Don't leave me..."
Ghoul moaned slightly. Party leant in close as Ghoul's lips moved, straining to hear what he was saying.
"Idiot." Ghoul muttered, smiling slightly
"Don't talk. It's all my fault..."
"Hey,  it's not your fault. I shouldn't a' yelled at you." Ghoul coughed, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth
"Neither should I... I'm sorry."
"Me too."
Ghoul sighed and went limp beneath him, eyes closing an mouth hanging open slightly.
"No!" Party grabbed his friends lapels, pulling him up to shake him as if in a vain attempt to wake him up
"Not you Frank, you can't..." He began to sob again "Don't leave me..."

He didn't know how long he sat there, sobbing surrounded by the bodies of his friends and enemies.
From behind the BL/ind billboard came the sound of cars. Then footsteps.
Party Poison looked up, straight into the steely grey eyes of Korse.
The man smirked, a blot of white and grey on the bright sunset desert.
A gun was raised, bright and shining.
Party gazed at the ray gun with dull eyes, drained of emotion and energy.
"The famous Party Poison, the last one left. All your friends are dead Poison. Well," He laughed slightly "Where are your famous last words now huh?"
Party shook his head, looking down. Then his gaze met Korse's own, one last time.
"It's Gerard." Then he waited for the end.
And it came. A flash of light, that was it. straight between his tear stained eyes.
Then there was nothing.
The last, the final...
The Fabulous Killjoy's were no more.