beyondtheline | I sure like the feeling of an endless road

[Johnnie glowers at the threat, though it isn't unexpected or anything. He's almost more surprised they're being let go. Dante must have a shred of common sense.]

Watcha, asshole, same to you.

[Though if Dante is to be taken seriously, the World Enders must not have much territory anymore these days. Something went real wrong here. At least he and Chrissy can make sure there's still some reputation left, make sure these motherfuckers fear them just like they should.

Johnnie is too high on adrenaline to think about his nose right now. He strides on out through the middle of everyone, pistol at the ready in case any of them so much as lift a finger in the wrong direction, and once out of the building he pivots to keep an eye on the door for a moment as the two of them retreat, making sure the gang doesn't get up and chase. A few of them pour out the front door, but go no further than the edge of the sidewalk surrounding the building.

Even so, Johnnie eyes them, pistol pointed their way to keep them at bay while he walks out through the parking lot.]

You got it in you to make an example of 'em? They gotta know they can't follow us or they're fucked.

[He's asking her to do it? She nods, and finally lets out the breath she's been holding during their entire retreat.]

Yeah, I can. I didn't want to in there because I wasn't sure I could stop it from hurting you too. But we're far enough away that -

[Well, it's better to just show him. There's still plenty of fear and adrenaline inside her, enough that she focuses on it and lets it all build up to the point where the darkness whispers at her to let it take control. It'll protect her. It will keep her and Johnnie safe.

She extends her arm like it's a weapon, and focuses on the feeling of all those lives burning bright with rage and energy just ahead of them. There's so many in there, that she can't pinpoint just one or two. So she reaches out indiscriminately and tries to open a hole into the darkness inside of all of them.

As expected, it causes them all to implode instead. About half the ones outside are left in puddles of gore and blood, and judging by the screams coming from inside the Roundhouse, a good handful of them are in varying states of exploded too. Serves them all right.

Her nose is bleeding, but she just wipes it away with the back of her hand. It's hard not to smile at her handiwork when Johnnie's safe right beside her. They're fine. This is great. She used self-restraint and still got to show off a little. The Ender is going to be so proud when she talks to him again.]

I could probably try again and get everybody else too. Do you think I should?

[Oh, that's good. That's good. Johnnie watches with deep satisfaction as the bodies cave in and collapse on the sidewalk, and as their companions scream and shout and recoil in horror.

They probably have a few seconds now before some number of them decide they're pissed off enough to give chase despite that grotesque warning not to do so, but it's so fucking satisfying that Johnnie doesn't care. He claps her on the back, full of pride and anger and fire, then tugs her along with him as he picks up the pace.]

Nah. Give 'em some survivors to spread word. They won't fuck with the Enders no more after this. C'mon, we gotta bail.

[It's a shame there's probably no way for them to track down what exists of the gang here and now. He'd love to drive south, find his brothers older, warier, but so glad to hear news of their success tonight. But space and time likely won't allow it, and it's better to disappear off into the darkness and let it be.

As they get some distance between themselves and the Roadhouse, that rush of violence and fury turns to celebration. He starts to laugh, starts to realize his nose is throbbing, and wipes blood off with the back of his hand.]

Fuck, though! They gotta be fuckin' pissing their pants back there now! Oh man, nothin' like takin' on a pile a' dudes an' watching 'em fall apart! Babe, you're so fuckin' gorgeous, you know that?

[He has a real bounce to his step now as he carries on, grinning and twirling her as he gives a howl up at the night sky.]

[She always worries that he'll see her as a liability or a monster, or be bothered by the things she can do. When none of those things happen, she's always delighted. It's easy to grin and laugh along with him, loud and joyful as he twirls her around.

She howls along with him, head tipped back as she tries to sound off over him. What ends up happening is their tones match perfectly, creating a haunting sound that leaves her giggling and pulling him in for a quick kiss.]

I'm just glad you're okay.

[There's a hint of seriousness in all their amusement, because she genuinely was terrified she might make him explode on accident.]

You still have those mushrooms, right?

[They might as well get really high off them and have a great end of their night.]

Yeah. Yeah, an' I wanna get into 'em right away. That is, if they're real, hopefully that asshole wasn't tryin' to poison us.

[But he's pretty sure he can determine if the shrooms are the usual sort of thing or not, probably. First, though, he needs to deal with his bashed up nose, and grabs for his handkerchief to blot at it. It's going to be bruised and sore for a while.

When he decides he's done, he dabs at her own nosebleed with a clean corner of it, then wads it up into a pocket to wash or toss later and fishes out the mushrooms. Under a street light, he examines them, then has a tiny nibble of one.]

They don't taste any different, I dunno. Gotta be fine.

Is that one the penis envy one?

[The name of it still makes her laugh a little, and she definitely glances down at his crotch before looking back up at his face. What a silly name.]

If it's safe though, I want to try! Give me some penis envy!

[There is absolutely no chance she's going to let him get high on mushrooms and not do them too. Her hand outstretches palm up, and she looks all kinds of eager to take whatever he gives her. She can't remember the name of the other mushroom, so she's very focused on getting the one with the name she can say out loud.]

[He laughs at her enthusiasm as he reaches into the bag and pulls out a couple little pieces - one cap, one stem. He can't remember which is supposed to be which and it doesn't really matter, but the stem is long and skinny like a dick so he'll pretend he knows what he's talking about.]

Yeah, I bet you want some. Wait. Right? What does that even mean, anyway?

[Laughing, he chews up the rest of the piece he'd taken for himself, and follows it up with the other. Seriously, for all he knows, Dante was talking total bullshit, but they're small and this feels like the right amount to him. There's about one more dose left in the bag for each of them, which they can save for a special occasion.

And once those are back in his pocket, he takes her by the hand and leads her on back toward downtown. Toward the lights, and out of the area in case those assholes come back for some revenge after all, though he can't imagine they'll want to come chase the two of them down so soon after what happened.]

Edited 2025-06-02 02:20 (UTC)

[It's nice to walk hand in hand and just enjoy the city for what it is. A piece of crap compared to home. But the lights are pretty, and she stops every so often to look up at streetlights to see if the mushrooms are kicking in yet. She decides after the third stop that maybe what they were given aren't really any good, and just shrugs it off. There's no reason Johnnie needs to be angry about losing out on thirty dollars.]

What exactly is penis envy, anyway? Like do guys really get jealous of each other?

[She's still fixated on the name and won't apologize for it, even when she asks the question about five minutes later. Actually, it's hard not to giggle at saying penis envy at loud. It's pretty funny to think about being jealous of someone's penis.]

Oh yeah, it's fuckin' dumb. Guys always tryin' to make fun of people for havin' small dicks, or wishin' theirs were bigger. Y'know, it must fuckin' suck to be one a' the dudes who's into fucking other dudes, I bet all the dick comparing shit just gets worse. Then again, you gotta figure most girls have seen a buncha dicks too so they're always judging you whether you like it or not!

[Which makes him laugh. He doesn't care that much, thankfully - he's ever-confident, at least now. Maybe not as much when he was a kid. And now now, Chrissy only has, what, one other dick to compare to? And that dude was such an asshole that Johnnie can't possibly imagine her giving him any kinds of positive reviews.

These mushrooms are slow to act, but they were promised a smooth ride. Johnnie is pretty sure he's noticing the lights feel brighter, a little more vivid, but it's a thing that's taking its sweet time. Hopefully they're not just fucking weak. He wants San Francisco to dazzle before they leave.]

[She nods, laughing a little.]

I guess I get it. I always was jealous of girls who had bigger boobs, or girls who were skinnier than me. If someone had a flatter stomach, I -

[Thankfully, she's distracted by the lights on a nearby apartment building. Each window glows in a different color, and she stops walking to stare in awe at how it makes her think of a giant stained glass window. There's no reason to talk about purging or not eating anything at all when she's having a religious experience out in the middle of the street in San Francisco.]

It's so pretty, isn't it? All the colors are there, even some that don't have names yet.

Oh yeah, you're seein' 'em now, huh?

[He's following just along behind in terms of the progression of his own trip - maybe on account of being a little heavier, maybe it takes more time, more mushroom. But the city glows regardless, beams of light flowing from one building to another in a growing monument to the stars.]

Hey, look right here, you gotta see this.

[Up, at the tallest building around. It's a pain in the neck to keep looking up, though, so he bends his knees and then flops backward onto the street, arms spread, to get a better view.]

Yeah, that's the good shit. City an' stars all part of the same fuckin' sky. It's like people tryin' to reach on up to the shit lookin' down at 'em, like maybe they'll go there themselves.

[She fully plans on joining him, it's just that she's so mesmerized by all the lights that she has to admire then for a minute before she lowers herself down to her knees on the street like she's going to pray. Ever so slowly her head tips back so her eyes can take in the lights above them, and it's not long before she's falling back to rest her head on his stomach.]

We'll go there someday.

[It's said with such certainty that she laughs a little, because how could the two of them wind up in space? It's ridiculous.]

We'll be the first couple in space. Maybe we'll even discover whole other planets!

[Her eyes go wide with all the possibilities, and for a second she reaches up like she's going to gather stars in her hand to weed out the planets she catches with them.]

Been there, it ain't shit.

[Thankfully these city lights are somehow keeping him grounded enough where he can appreciate them without drifting off into those nightmarish visions.

Though he could swear he sees what moves between them, if he tries.

But maybe that's just the fog. Fucking San Francisco, supposed to be foggy, right? Maybe not here in the middle of summer though. No, instead it's just big and new and full of steep hills and people trying to kill him, only that latter part isn't all that new, he's fine with it. The pistol at his belt makes lying in the street a little uncomfortable, but he can't get up now with Chrissy's head where it is, so instead he strokes her hair and ignores the weird lump.]

Where we gonna go tomorrow? Or, wait, we still gotta grab stuff here, right? I want pop tarts.

[It's just barely like a normal conversation, thinking of food while splattered with some other dude's blood and watching skyscrapers bend and swerve to meet the sky.]

[No matter how hard she tries, she just can't capture the light in her hand. That's fine, it probably is prettier glowing up above them. His speaking makes her lift her head a little, but not for long. Those fingers in her hair mean she's at ease and not wanting to move anytime soon.]

We can get pop tarts. And some other stuff here. We just need to hit up the cash registers at lots of stores. Then we can go back to the hotel because you really need to sleep, babe. You gotta rest before we go anywhere else.

[She has a feeling once this nice high wears off she's going to crash and burn too. They can rest up after robbing some places and then get on the road before anyone finds them. She sighs happily and sits up for a second so she can shift to rest her head beside his on the ground. There's absolutely no concern for the fact they're laying out in the middle of the street covered in blood.]

I kinda do want to go to space though, Johnnie. Just a little.

[He sighs quietly, a small denial of his supposed need to rest. He's fine! They're in a big new city and there's so much to see and do, why should he sleep through any of it? He can run on pure adrenaline and enthusiasm for days, she just doesn't seem to realize it.]

Whatcha want with space anyway?

[She means not very far out, obviously. She's dreaming of planets after all, she said it herself.]

Just seems like there's a lotta nothing up there, 'til there's too much. You wanna see if we can go find us a view? Maybe that'll get you closer.

[See, he's willing to play along. A view is space enough for him tonight. She shot down his chance to buy something that would've taken them farther out anyway, that's on her.]

Maybe.

[Her sigh matches his, and she slowly sits up. Her eyes go from the sky over to the building that still looks very much like glowing stained glass. A frown slowly overtakes her face, but it's more thoughtful than anything.]

I guess I just want to grab a star and put it in a necklace so I can glow forever.

[She'd be the brightest person on the whole planet if she could do that. But she's pretty sure a star would burn right through her hands.]

Let's go find a view.

[Another soft sigh escapes her as she moves to her feet and dusts off her butt before offering him both hands to get him up too.]

But it doesn't have to be the stars. Maybe we can find something new. Something neither of us has ever seen.

All right, you're on. I know they got a fancy fuckin' bridge here somewhere.

[Thank goodness for her hands, he's a little wobbly on his feet getting up. Something about adrenaline and refusing to be tired and also being a little disoriented by the swirl of lights around his head as they swarm his vision.

They don't have to find the fancy fuckin' bridge, he has no idea how far that is, but they can sure walk until they find something new. Hills, though, shit, speaking of hills. It isn't long before they're out of the small downtown and have only steep choices to make - hills to the west, hills down to the east toward the bay, undulating streets to the north as he heads that direction through old homes and a little cluster of Chinese restaurants. He winds up laughing at how breathless he is after a few of them.]

Shit. They fucked up building this city, huh? So fuckin' up an' down. That's not just me, right?

[Because it does occur to him that the mushrooms might be moving the ground under his feet, actually. Maybe it's some of both. As he looks on, the road waves and bends like it's unrolling a carpet to beckon him forward.]

[She's absurdly quiet, face contorted in quiet concentration as she tries to pull away from him enough that she can take the lead. Rather than walking, she jumps like she's trying to find a stable surface to land on. It's nice the road gives her concrete lily pads to leap on when it ripples like this.]

I think this is the right way!

[It's late, but she still shouts anyway, laughing before she howls up at the lights overhead. She winds up dazed and staring upward as they all howl back in blinding white light, and stumbles until she falls back and winds up rolling right down the hill they just walked up.]

I'm okay!

[She hops up as soon as she stops rolling, and raises both arms over her head in victory. Those silly hills are playing hard to get.]

You're right. It's too much up and down. It needs to be flatter.

[In fact, she sees no need to go up the hill. So she sits right where she's at and figures she can take a breather. If she ends up distracted by staring straight ahead into a void where she can see the air swirling as it breezes over her, it's not her fault. It's just too pretty.]

[She's back on her feet before he can run over to help her up, and so instead he laughs and gives her a round of applause at her defeat over the road. He can see ripples in the air coming from where his hands meet, emanating outward as they grow fainter but longer until the stars have just as many hills as these roads.

So while she stares off at nothing, he finds himself doing the same, though it's a different nothing - one where the buildings roll like waves and where the sky billows like sails catching the wind.

Someone's car is parked by the road here and it offers the perfect seat to hop onto and watch from. It's a chunky Jeep, not his style, but it's in the right spot. He's in no rush to get back on his feet and tackle the hills, he's enjoying this just fine. This is all he'd wanted from the drugs anyway, a spectacular easy night.]

Hey baby girl, you're lookin' real good. I got me a car, you wanna see if we can take it for a spin?

[Keys would be nice, but they're not necessary after all.]

[His calling her baby girl tears her attention off the air and over onto him. She makes her way toward him at first on all fours, crawling so she can maintain her footing. When she's sure she'll be okay she pushes herself up to stand and hurries over to get into the Jeep.]

Let's drive this thing right into the ocean!

[It seems like as good of a idea as any. A joyride and crashing into the ocean. She leans over, lips pursed like she's waiting for him to kiss her. At the last second her attention span shifts, and she quietly presses her hand against the horn to hear it give a soft honk. That gets her started giggling, and she can't stop.]

Hell yeah! Let's fuckin' do it!

[He's a little disoriented right now and he's not sure where the ocean is, but he's aware that San Francisco is mostly surrounded by it so it can't be too hard to find. And besides, maybe the ocean will come to them if they drive so fast they make it all impressed.

That's how that works, right?

Anyway, he misses the attempted kiss and howls with laughter at her little tap of the horn, then jiggles his knife in the ignition to see if he can get it started. But it seems like cars in this day and age must have made some modifications to make theft a little more challenging, so he sighs and starts pulling off pieces from the dash to find the wiring. He knows how to do this, too, it just sucks and usually is reserved for when he needs to swipe something in particular and has the time to fuck around.

Eventually he finds the cables he needs to get the engine to spark to life, and he gives himself a cheer of victory before slamming on the gas. Except it's still in park, right. Okay. Cool, he can drive. Reverse, then - until he gets it out of its parking spot and on the road, moving at a pace that's too fast to keep up with but feels absolutely right.]

Ocean, here we come!

Yeah! This is the ocean's car now!

[Just because the sound is fun, she lays on the horn in quick bursts as Johnnie speeds along. It's good fun, but what's more enjoyable is turning on the radio full blast and letting rock music blast through the speakers. It's a song she actually knows, and she's able to scream sing and pretend head bang as she plays an invisible guitar. There's not much more fun than singing to Duran Duran's Hungry Like the Wolf, especially when she can howl every now and then.

All the while, colors and shapes blur and zoom around them. The ocean is there somewhere, she can feel it. Smell it. She's pretty sure she can even taste the salt in the air. ]

Let's try going that way. I bet we'll find the ocean there.

[It's decided after sticking her tongue out to feel how much salt winds up on it. The saltier her tongue, the closer they must be. The ocean is practically reaching out to drag them in close now.]

Let's see if you're right!

[Johnnie spins the wheel to follow her gut sense about the ocean, grinning as the rugged little car swerves responsively. The road rises up to meet them - or maybe it's another hill - and after a long climb it drops back down. He guns it and lets out an exhilarated shout as the speedometer ticks up - 40, 60, 80 on tiny city streets until he has to slam the brakes to make a turn and the tires screech and squeal in protest.

They swing around the corner like they're in a roller coaster, and in his mind the road swirls them around and the whistle of the tires is music. It's all music and lights, and somewhere down below in the financial district, the city beckons them forward. The dark blue-black of the night reflects off of office buildings, the same color as the sea at night.

He's not quite so lucky with the next turn. The car clips the curb and skitters sideways across an intersection, and before he can regain control they crash into a hedge, leaving a long back streak across the pavement behind them as they finally come to a shuddering stop. Johnnie is laughing despite the hard landing, and spits leaves out of his mouth as he reaches forward to shove the mirror, which is stuck under a branch. It creaks and pops off entirely with one last creaking gasp.]

Whoops! Hey, we're still good though, car's still running! I can fix this! Which way's the ocean now?

[The car shudders and shakes as he tries to reverse back onto the street, but it does seem to be moving still.]

Wait, wait, wait!

[Both of her arms move like wings up and down as she insists he waits, and she laughs as she climbs over to sit on his lap. Sure, he could scoot over and she could drive. But it's more fun to sit on his lap and let him control the gas and brake while she steers. It's like teamwork, only better because they're cute.]

I wanna steer this ship. I think the ocean's...

[She pauses as she sticks her tongue out both in concentration and an attempt to taste the thick salt air. She doesn't get much of a taste of anything, but does spot the street rippling like waves beneath them. Gosh, they're really rolling. Are they on a hill? She can't figure it out, because her head swivels toward power lines that look like giant craggy arms sticking out of the earth. They're all connected by wiry lines that remind her too much of veins, and her eyes close for a second as she continues to steer.

They side swipe a few cars on the road in the process, and she gasps with a laugh as her eyes open and she rights the wheel so they get back on the road.]

This way! The ocean's this way!

[There's no real confidence there, just laughter and someone having a good time fooling around. Even if they don't find the water, they'll at least drive this thing until they crash it through a building or something. Then they can ditch it and move on to something else fun.]

[Oh hell yeah, team driving, why not. It's like team pinball only way more fun. Johnnie cheers her on as he helps erratically, pushing more for speed than sanity and really only tries to keep them from dying all over again. Otherwise, it's in her hands - and perhaps in the hands of fate, if fate were a real thing he believed in.

The sideswiping makes him laugh harder, but also makes him take the wheel back from her, or at least hold onto it to "help" by pulling a little harder and directing them toward wherever "this way" is. They squeal their way on down back to the east side, not too far from where they first arrived in the city, and there, finally, is - well, a bay, but to him right now it's the ocean. It's a lot of water.]

Yeah! Yeah, fuck yeah, we did it! Seagulls, so that's the ocean!

[There's a wooden boardwalk and a few shabby buildings. Johnnie swings the poor sputtering jeep toward the boardwalk, but hits a curb he'd been oblivious to and the car comes to a stop again.]

Hey, I remember that bridge. That's not the famous one, but it's real big! Huh.

[Before him, it seems to stretch on eternally - like elastic, it reaches even farther over the black water shimmering with lights, pulling farther and farther away as he watches it go.]

Shit, but we gotta get this into the ocean still!

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