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Dec. 16th, 2023 at 5:56 PM
[Racing down the interstate as fast as they fucking can, Johnnie tugs Chrissy closer and ducks low over his bike. They're streamlined now, they'll pick up just a little bit more speed, and then they can outride this giant evil fucking wasp for sure -
His eyes blink slowly against the light in the room, and then he frowns and lifts his pillow from under his head and flings it at the alarm clock on the bedside table. That shouldn't work, except that it falls off the table and unplugs in the process, leaving the room blissfully silent.
And now he doesn't have a pillow. Shit.]
Ugh. Hey, you up?
[Like Chrissy could sleep through that.
Soon enough though, he rolls on out of bed, gets the water going, tugs fresh clean clothing out of his bag, then checks on that shower. Yep, nice and hot. Time to get clean and ready for the day.]
Whatcha think? Wanna check out the cafe for breakfast? Maybe we can make 'em do some eggs an' pancakes even though they're gonna say it's dinner only now. I hate when places do that, it's such fuckin' bullshit.
His eyes blink slowly against the light in the room, and then he frowns and lifts his pillow from under his head and flings it at the alarm clock on the bedside table. That shouldn't work, except that it falls off the table and unplugs in the process, leaving the room blissfully silent.
And now he doesn't have a pillow. Shit.]
Ugh. Hey, you up?
[Like Chrissy could sleep through that.
Soon enough though, he rolls on out of bed, gets the water going, tugs fresh clean clothing out of his bag, then checks on that shower. Yep, nice and hot. Time to get clean and ready for the day.]
Whatcha think? Wanna check out the cafe for breakfast? Maybe we can make 'em do some eggs an' pancakes even though they're gonna say it's dinner only now. I hate when places do that, it's such fuckin' bullshit.
Comments
Tomorrow will be another fun adventure, I bet.
[Yawning, she kisses his shoulder before brushing another across his jawline. She settles down after that, easily drifting off to sleep. She's restless in her sleep, nightmares about all the things that could've happened in the war cars time period haunting her. But she doesn't wake up, not until the unfamiliar sound of the alarm ringing tears her from her dreams.
She wakes with a sharp gasp, bolting upright as she looks around. It takes her a minute to remember where she is, that she's with Johnnie and safe, and that it's an alarm going off. Grumbling a little, she reaches over him to turn it off. What a wake up call.]
I don't think the sun is out all the way yet.
[Is that a demand they get up or a request for more time to sleep? She isn't exactly sure yet.]
[He grumbles back, but now he's suddenly feeling more awake after that start of hers. He sits slowly upright, sweeps hair out of his face, and blinks over at Chrissy and down at the clock.
Remembering the point of getting up early brings a smile creeping onto his face. Hell yeah, time to get up and enjoy the havoc they've hopefully wreaked on this dumb little town.]
C'mon, we gotta go get some breakfast so we can have the best damn picnic. I want donuts. Better be donuts in this shitty little town.
[Donuts, coffee, and fear and anger. Talk about the perfect wakeup fuel. It gets him out of bed with a bounce in his step as he picks up his clothing.]
Can we set the town on fire if there aren't any?
[It seems very reasonable to her. There's barely anything here, no one would miss a donutless town. Just the thought of getting to light an early morning fire puts energy into her, and she's quickly rolling out of bed to hurry and get dressed so they can get moving.
He gets a kiss to his cheek as soon as she's fully clothed, and she hurries into the bathroom to pull her hair up into a ponytail. She's merrily humming and dancing in place as she admires herself in the mirror, chipper and ready for the day ahead. Sure, she barely slept. But who cares about that when there's about to be donuts or a possible fire?]
[Because fuck it, why not. Might as well take everything this small town has to offer and then wipe it off the map. Sounds like one hell of a fun morning to him. The canyon trip was all right, the war cars bullshit was bullshit, and now he's really aching to fuck something up for someone else just to get back for that combination of slight boredom and then their relative helplessness in whatever weird time period they were in.
Seems like a good day to do up his hair, make himself look good and feel good too because if he's going to wind up demolishing this town, they might as well do it in style. Minus his jacket, which is still a bummer, but what can you do?
He gathers up the rest of his stuff, the stolen cash, everything worth keeping, downs another handful of pain pills for his arm, then holds the door for her on the way out to the car.]
I shoulda picked up more lighters last night. Maybe we check the gas station. They'll have donuts, right? 'Cause if they don't, that's the perfect place to get this blaze all started up.
As soon as they've got their things put away, she gently pushes him against the car, both hands resting against his shoulders. The gas station is waiting for them, but there's nothing wrong with an eager kiss to get their day going.]
Let's drive over and see if we can top off on gas. We can get your lighters and some snacks for breakfast too.
[Even if donuts aren't in the picture, they're about to have a great morning. She goes right back to whistling her song as she slips into the drivers seat. This is going to be a great day, and nothing's going to ruin that for her.]
[One more kiss, and then he nudges her away with a hand on her shoulder, chuckling softly, as he goes around to the passenger's side. His arm is marginally better today, but even so, he's going to count on her to drive to begin with.]
I'll take over once we get some miles behind us. I wanna get these pills to kick in before I'm behind the wheel. You good with that?
[At least to begin with, they won't have far to go.]
[It's just that she likes it better when he drives, because she thinks he would've handled situations like the whole war car fiasco better than she did. They probably wouldn't have gotten stuck in the sand if he had been driving, and she knows that's just because he has a lot more experience than she does. And the only way to improve herself is to drive more, so this is a perfect chance.]
I'm sorry you're still hurting.
[She leans over to quickly kiss him, then focuses on getting the car started and in motion. It's a ridiculously quick drive over to the gas station, which leaves her laughing to herself as she gets out. It's closed, of course. But this is one of those small towns where people must not drive through after hours because the pumps haven't been turned off.]
The pumps are unlocked, so maybe the building is too. Idiots.
[She nods over toward it, sighing like she's both grateful and disappointed people are so trusting.]
Go check it out and see what you can find.
Lotta trust in places like these. We're gonna make 'em see the real world ain't like that! Gotta look out for yourself more if you wanna get anything at all.
[Too damn funny to him.
The shop doors are locked, but just with one single weak little lock that he can flip right back up with the blade of a knife to let himself in. He takes his time strolling through the aisles, picking up snacks for their trip, does a full search of the place, empties the till into a bag because why not have more cash, then emerges with a sack of money and a sack of treats, plus a few extra lighters.]
You'll never guess what they didn't have. Not even the shitty boxed powdered donuts. All they got was donut holes!
[And those? Those don't count. He sets the bags down in the back seat of the car and digs for the box so he can pop a donut hole into his mouth.]
Coffee in a minute or two though, I turned the pot on.
[Because the holes don't count. No way! Not at all. Her hands rest on her hips as she surveys the area in impatience, up until the little click of the gas pump tells her the car's full. A minute or two is so long to wait for the comforting warmth of fire, but she can be patient.]
You got the cash out of the register though, right?
[She knows he did. There's no way he'd just leave it laying there. The grin on her face is definitely devilish as she leans in, laughing a little as she kisses him. The taste of donut on his lips makes her want some of her own, so she reaches down into the box to grab one to enjoy.]
There's no reason the good stuff has to burn up with everything else. Not when we can make good use of it.
[But he's not that particular. Vegas will have coffee. Home has coffee. Hell, maybe there's still some instant shit buried in the back if the war cars guys didn't search their stuff well enough, but it's probably gone. No real loss, he's not bothered.
Not when he has donut kisses, and donut holes. They're fine. They're not donuts, but they're fine.]
You could go grab whatever else you see in there you want when the coffee's done. I only had one hand to carry shit with, after all. Might be there's more good stuff. Gotta take advantage while the taking's good, right?
[And how about a breakfast smoke, actually. He pauses to light himself a cigarette. Been a while since he had one, and boy does it satisfy right now along with the sugar. He breathes the smoke outward toward the town, like a precursor of the blaze they're about to light.]
She drinks a couple of small cups before she makes a larger one with ice, and carries it out to the car to put in the cup holder.]
The coffee smells just about done. Come inside with me.
[It's probably a good idea that one of them stay out and keep watch, but they can be quick. There's nothing to worry about. Regardless of whether or not he joins her, she pops back in to look at magazines and a little rack of sunglasses. Maybe she needs some that aren't heart shaped, just to see if she can look cool instead of cute.
Her little stack of magazines is set to the side atop a display of chocolate snack cakes so she can take her time trying on one pair after another.]
The coffee is still just on the side of too hot to drink, but he sips at it anyway as he leans back against the counter and watches Chrissy with her finds.]
Oh, those look cute, that light blue. Whatcha call that? Baby blue? Suits ya.
[She's pink, always pink, but other pastels are nice too, and the blue somehow brings out that strawberry tint to her hair, or maybe it's his imagination.]
C'mere an' get your coffee an' lemme see 'em up close.
Those blue sunglasses are pushed up to sit on top of her head, and she's grinning as she goes over to join him at the counter. Rather than lean up against it, she hops up to sit on the edge, and pulls him in to stand between her legs. Her new sunglasses are pushed back down so he can get the up close look he wants.]
Baby blue for your pink princess.
[She laughs at how silly that sounds, but doesn't waste time caring about it. Why would she, when he's standing right there, and she's able to taste the coffee on his lips when she kisses him so sweetly?]
Thanks for the coffee.
[She whispers before kissing him again, and one more time for good measure. Her cup is picked up, and she blows against the top like it's actually going to cool it enough that she can take a drink.]
Mm, sure thing, any time. Love the way you taste, all sugar an' sweet.
[And bitter now with the coffee, as he reaches to tip her chin toward him for another after she's had her sip. Snickering both with pleasure at their start to the day and the anticipation of what it will bring shortly, he finds a lid to slap onto his cup as he pulls away, then grabs yet another lighter off the rack and pockets it. Why not.]
Think we oughta get movin' on out, I bet this gas station opens up real soon. Lemme fill up a gas can.
[There are a few behind the register, probably not intended to be left out but rather given to those who purchase them. An empty one is light enough to hold gingerly in his right hand, and he takes it on outside and sips his coffee while filling it up at a pump.]
[She offers as she watches him, now sitting in the drivers seat. He's focused on getting gas for their little fire, and she turns her attention out to the tiny ass town to try and figure out where they can watch things burn.]
Do you know what the problem with this place is? Everything is so close together, I don't think we can watch from any of the rooftops. It'll all burn in ten or fifteen minutes.
[Maybe that means they drive just a little outside town and hope they're able to watch the destruction. There's just no fun in setting fires if you're not able to observe them burning though.]
[Oh well. Gas can full, he lets her get it into the car while he has a gulp of his coffee, now cool enough to attempt that without burning himself. He lets his right hand take the cigarette once he's in the car, dangling it out the window so the ash doesn't get on her pretty interior, and settles back into the seat with his drink and the rest of the donut holes at his side where they can both reach.]
Here, you put that here at my feet, I'll tip it out as we go. Smoke's almost out, I can just drop the butt on the end of it once we're done drivin' past everything that's gonna burn.
[He sets his coffee down in a cup holder and beckons with his left for the gas can. It'll be heavy with one hand, but he'll manage.]
We'll start it here, so we get a real big explosion at the end of the line, like fireworks or somethin'.
Her boyfriend is extra happy today, looks hot while he's pouring gasoline all over things, and they're about to light a fire together. It's the best morning they've had in a long time.]
I guess that's it, huh?
[They've reached the edge of town. Her sunglasses are adjusted, a single finger pushing them down her nose so she can look at him clearly.]
Let's light it up. I'll pull over half a mile down the road and we can watch things burn.
And now, at the edge of town, he gives her a grin and a kiss, then flicks the remnant of his cigarette onto the pool of gasoline, then drops the can in the back seat as they pull away. The fire catches quickly, golden flames reaching like fingers for the sky, as they then gather strength and race backward the way they came.
The first car to get splashed lets up a column of thick black smoke, and then the gas tank explodes, letting off one hell of a loud boom as it sends charred car pieces in all directions, spreading the flames faster.
Not long after, she's pulled them over, and Johnnie laughs as he gets up on his knees to gulp down the last of his coffee and watch it all go up.]
Yeah! Fuck you all, fuck your dumb shitty fuckin' town!
[People look like flecks of ash at this distance as they careen through the smoke, aimless and panicked. If anything, he just feels happier to see it. Fuck every last one of them.]
Shoulda had donuts, assholes!
Yeah! Take that, you donutless bastards!
[Her hands wave in the air as she absolutely cackles in delight, watching fire and smoke take in the town. Sure, there's flickers of guilt when she realizes people are scared and panicked. But they're quickly washed away when she glances over at Johnnie and sees nothing but approval and joy in his eyes.
This is fine.
This is what she's meant to be, the person she's become is okay. There's nothing wrong here, they're just having some fun. And besides, the entire world is going to end anyway. They're just helping these people out, preparing them for what's to come.]
Fuck everyone in this shitty town!
[That's shouted maybe a little more intensely than she was meaning to, but she has to put feeling behind it to remind herself she really believes it. The world can be a beautiful, awe inspiring place. But it's also a terrible, cruel place. She's just glad she's in the position to be one of the dark cruel things, instead of always being the victim.
She relaxes against the seat, slowly chewing at the donut holes in her hand. It's impossible to see the fire behind them like this, but she doesn't have to see everything to know what's happening. She can hear and smell it.]
Trying, and losing. A huge cloud of black smoke bursts upward, followed by a deep boom which sends a shockwave through the smoke that is chased by the sound of shattering glass. That must be the gas station going up, with its fuel tanks throwing slabs of asphalt and shrapnel in all directions. He howls again, the sound wavering in the air like some mad coyote, and then he snickers as he grabs the last of the donut holes and pops it into his mouth, chews and swallows, then steals Chrissy for another powdered sugar kiss.]
Perfect fuckin' morning. Yeah, picking on a small town is easy, but look at it, we ripped the whole thing apart. Buncha losers. C'mon, let's get going, I wanna see Vegas.
[With a huff of satisfaction, he turns in his seat and kicks his heels up on the dash, drumming his fingers on his thigh in energetic anticipation.]
She howls as they drive off, leaving a dust cloud behind them as they speed toward the next town. At some point, she raises both hands in the air and howls louder, which is fun since she's recklessly careening down the road.
This is the life. Everything's light and fun and they don't have a care in the world. As they drive and put miles and miles behind them, that guilt of hers starts to ease in and gnaw at her.]
Everything really is going to end in darkness or fire or something, right? The world, I mean. It's really going to end?
Yeah, 'course it is! All this, just - [he waves his hand across the horizon like he's wiping it clean] gone, black, empty. Sky burns to ash, seas boil away, everything alive all gone an' forgotten.
[Something like that, anyway. He's seen enough to know it's real, but not enough to know all the details, and anyway, the details don't really matter. They'll find out more when it happens, that's good enough for him. No point thinking too hard about it before that.]
Why, what's eatin' ya?
[Something must be, to ask a question like that out of nowhere.]
I feel bad sometimes is all. Like if someone did that to us? I'd be so scared and angry.
[There's an unspoken edge to her tone that implies that because it's not them it's happening to, it's just fine. The shrug of her shoulders says plenty about her forced apathy.]
I mean, I don't feel bad enough to regret doing it. And everything's going to end anyway. So we're just helping them get ready for when that happens.
It's just part of bein' here, I guess. Bad shit happens to everyone. It's best for us to take advantage so we're better off, so we get whatever we want 'cause nobody else is gonna give it to us. It's just stuff, anyway. Buildings, money, lives, who gives a shit. They do, sure, for now, but then when they die, whether it's today or thirty years from now, they won't get to care anymore anyway, so it doesn't actually matter.
[Yeah, obviously the same can be said for him and Chrissy, and yeah, he gets that, and that's right. He'd be pissed off. He still is pissed off that Zazo had him murdered, even if he got his revenge and even if the cops are hunting them and all their friends now for that revenge. But it's all small time, short term bullshit. They do what they want, they have no regrets, and everything gets erased eventually anyway.]
It doesn't really matter. I like fire too much now to stop.
[A more genuine smile is on her face as she glances away from the road to look over at him, and she manages to swerve into the other lane as she does. Oops. She laughs as she rights the car and gets them back where they should be. Her hand reaches up to gesture to the open air just like he's done, and with that she dismisses any lingering guilt she might've been feeling.]
As long as it doesn't happen to us, it's okay.
[That's that, there's no point in dwelling on it anymore. She turns up the volume on the radio, before gesturing for him to find a station for them to listen to. It's time to scream and sing and just have fun. The less she puts any thought into the darker or sad things in her head, the better.]