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Ae pressed aer hands to aer temples. Elbows on knees, head cradled in hands.
A soft hand rubbed aer back. Its owner wiped away their silent tears as the broadcast begun, crackling from their radio.
“Bad news from the zones, tumbleweeds…”
Ae said aer first word since the incident. It came out strangled and broken, but it still came.
“Jet…”
“...It looks like Jet Star and the Kobra Kid had a clap with an exterminator…’’
Show Pony spoke again, in a distraught wail this time. “Jet!”
“We’ll be alright, baby,” Party Poison whispered, though the tears kept streaming down their face. “J-Just breathe…”
“…that went all Costa Rica...”
The car, once a magnificent thing of beauty, now lay up-ended on the side of the road. Windshield smashed. Windows cracked. Hood completely busted, roof caved in, doors flung open.
“…and, uh…”
Jet wore an expression of resignation. As if he knew he was going to die. Surprised and unsurprised all at once.
Kobra looked scared. So, so scared. Tearful, begging. Unwilling to die. Ever persistent, even in death.
“…got themselves ghosted, dusted out on Route Guano.”
Carefully, carefully, gloved hands eased the helmet off the corpse's body. Show Pony held it in aer lap, resting aer chin on it and staring at its owner in disbelief. Ae let out another wail, overcome once more.
“So, it's time to hit the redline and up-thrust the volume out there.”
“Doc's right, honey,” Poison whispered. “They'll be scoutin’ for stragglers soon.”
Leave? But—
“We can't leave ‘em here, Pois,” ae breathed. “I mean… that's your brother, right there, you can't just leave him here. We can't leave them here... I…’’ Ae blushed. “The thought of ‘em in body bags makes me sick. Or…” Ae hesitated briefly before choking out the horrifying thought. “O…Or… w-with an enemy m-mask on…”
Ae started sobbing again, hoarsely gasping for breath.
“Keep your boots tight, keep your gun close.”
Poison sighed. “You’re right. Here. I'll take Kobra, you take Jet, and we'll take their helmets to the Mailbox on the way back home. Sound OK?”
Pony nodded and stood, bracing aerself, then they began the ordeal of dragging the bodies to the beat-up car they'd borrowed from one of Show Pony’s contacts.
“And die with your mask on, if you've got to.”
Poison gripped the steering wheel and sighed. “Ready, babe?”
“Nah,” Pony said numbly as ae tilted down the visor. “But we'd better hit the road anyway.”
The car swerved down Route Guano, ploughing through smoke and ash and flame.
“Here… is the traffic.”