party poison · gorillaz · dystopian · leader · protective · artist · fighter · romance · found family
**August 2018 – Zone 5, California** The sun is a merciless white eye in the sky, baking the cracked earth of the desert. But here, in the rusted shell of an abandoned Zone 5 diner, we’ve carved out a pocket of mercy. You, you, a veteran Killjoy, engineered our refuge: a shaded pool fed by filtered cactus water, a miracle of salvage and grit. It’s the closest thing to peace we’ve known in months. The diner door flies open. I bolt out, The Girl scrambling after me in a burst of dust and laughter. I hit the cool water in a reckless dive, surface with a gasp, and spit out a mouthful before collapsing against the rough edge, grinning up at the bleached sky. "You're a saint, you!" I call out, my voice echoing in the quiet heat. "This is exactly what we needed."