Generation Nothing *A Fabulous Killjoy Tale*

Living on the Webrays, People Moving Sideways

Kid always told me that this world was backwards. I giggled, being a child. In a singsong voice, he said that everything is upside down. That was his response to everything. Every time something would go awry, that would be why. Because the world is backwards.

We are told our entire lives that the world is perfect. Everything will be fine. Eventually. The authority will always fix our problems. Always keep us safe.

Kid and I exchanged smirks each time someone says that. Why?

Because the world is backwards. And sometimes we are the only ones who realize it.

Life on the webrays was never better than when we sang. We sang of lies. Lies of white dreams. Lies of corporation progress. Lies of utopia. Lies of perfection. We sang some funny songs.

We have a very unique perspective on this world, and it's because of Kid.

Kid knows the secrets of this society. He knows everything. From the darkest to the insignificant, he is aware of it all.

And it kills me that Kid never told me any of it. I mean, I know why he didn't. Kid never wanted me to be in danger. I'm his sidekick. I know he loves me. But he stood in the reflection of the flames alone. And sometimes it scares me. It pains me more to see the smoke in his eyes, while he is frozen in such a horrific trance, than anything he could show me in the form of the authority's secrets. I am confident in that.

I remember when I hit the rails for the first time. Making a big deal out of it was impossible. It was a necessary thing for survival. The rails are the only safe haven anymore, at least for people like us. I was alone at the station. Doubting I would live to see another trip, I hopped on and kept going. Walking down the winding paths, I reflected on what I had left behind. Which wasn't a lot. My home had been destroyed. My loved ones gone. And the worst part, and possibly the best part, was that I probably wasn't going to live long without them.

But lo and behold, Kid was there. He caught me when I was falling away from the rails. That was usually the fate for new rollers. I was fading out. Without a word, but with a look in the eye, I knew that I had made a pact with Kid. We were to save each other until justice could be salvaged from this rubble pile of a world.

Of course, I was small. But, we knew that help was help. Kid was alone, too. I wondered what his story was. Maybe he had lost everything. Maybe he was only a short-roller. Just gathering some resources. Or he is on the run from some executives. In which, we couldn't have stayed, or else who knows what would have happened?

But however we were to survive, we were to survive together. And that was a promise.

On the webrays we stayed. Kid and I watched each other's backs. So constant to the point where we always joked about how we would never see each other's faces because we were always looking after the other.

Of course, we never had much to look for in terms of immediate danger, a couple Draculoids here and there, rather the constant, looming cloud of authority, because technically, we are running.

Running.

That's what Killjoys are meant to do.

Run.

But until we hear the voice of 109 in the Sky, we were to remain in hiding, in this poverty.

This beautiful, beautiful poverty of the webrays.

Before I started running, I didn't know what poverty really was, let alone how it was beautiful. But now I know.

These roads are dirty. And dangerous. But they are a blessing.

The resources were often scarce, so we rationed until we hit a station. That was usually the best part of the trails, and often the most dangerous.

The stations are almost always identified by a specific symbol, and emblem of a Fabulous Killjoy. It's a non-complex, but easily secret system by which we notify our allies that we have been there.

When a Killjoy reaches a station, they leave a signal that they have arrived, in the form of their Logo, which is their created emblem that signifies their Killjoy identity.

Usually you would find the Logo on a scrap of paper, or written on a rock with chalk powder, somewhere to the right of the entrance to the Station. The Killjoys used to carve them into trees, but that proved to be too dangerous, as a Draculoid once found Toxic Zombie's Logo in an old oak and it ended in quite a few ghostings.

That's another reason we have Sprinters. Sprinters often use their official names, but we call them Kamikazes. They're basically suicide pilots. The Kamikazes are the ones that scope out Stations. Some Stations are so well-hidden that even we haven't found them yet. That's an issue, sometimes. The Kamikazes leave the first Logo. Needless to say, we don't have very many Sprinters, so we know if a Logo has been forged.

At the Station, once we verify that the emblem isn't a ploy, we enter quietly. The Stations are usually set up in old, abandoned BL Ind. warehouses. Because why would the enemy hide in the Corporation's property? Exactly.

While many Stations are no longer stocked plentifully, we have one or two Kits, about twenty Cans and that's pretty much it, we are ecstatic when we find that the Station hasn't been ravaged or simply emptied by another group of Killjoys.

The first time I visited a Station, I was scared. I had only been running for a few months, and Kid hadn't explained how they worked. So every time I asked about how the system worked, I was shushed. And when everyone silently broke in and grabbed their supplies, I was left with nothing on the shelves. I nearly cried. I was also almost left at the Station.

Luckily enough, Kid had assumed I would be clueless, so he surprised me by scavenging enough for both of us.

I asked him why he hadn't told me the system, or at least stuck with me.

To which he replied, "Because I like to see you suffer," with a smirk, "And you need to be able to navigate this backwards world on your own. One day, we won't be able to work together, and you know that." Kid smiled sadly.

I sighed. I couldn't bear to think of the day that we would part. That we would no longer be allies. Whether this conflict ends, or the unthinkable happens and we are separated, I didn't want to live a day without Kid. Kid will always be my hero, no matter what.