Chapter 7: Chapter 7- A Long Car Ride

“So, Kid, when do we get in the damn hospital?” I said looking Bugboy dead in the eye.

“When do you need the briefcase?”

“I need it tonight, and no later than tonight,” I said crossing my arms awaiting his response.

“Well then, I’ll meet you at the front desk of the motel in about let's say three hours. And if you don’t show up by then I’ll come find you. Cya.” Said Bugboy lifting himself from the seat in a quick manner.

“See ya then kid…See ya then,” I said as I watched them leave the diner through the front desk and out from wherever they came from.

Left alone I could only think of everything that could go wrong if things went south at the hospital. For one I didn’t care if this Bugboy fella died, not like he was on my short list of people to give a shit about. But if things went south a hospital was the first to contact the superheroes of Metro City. And the last thing I need on my list is to be hunted by a superhero of god knows what kind of power. And if I killed that superhero then more would come. Killing a superhero was worse than killing the biggest mob family in the area. Cause if you so much as ended the life of those authoritarian fucks you would suffer the wrath of the company that often employed them. And the last thing I need is Mecha Corp biting my ass.

As I finished that train of thought I could see both Ghost And Angela walking back in my direction. Angela still looked nervous as she sat down and barely looked at me. Meanwhile, Ghost didn’t care as she plopped herself down on her seat grabbing the menu, and staring down its content.

And within a minute I could see the waiter come to us notepad in hand.

“And what will you lovely people like today.” Said the waiter as he looked at all of us with a facial expression of not wanting to be there.

“I’ll have the Cheeseburger meal, French fries, a side of ranch, and apple juice,” I said as I handed the menu off back to him.

“I’ll…ahem…have the all-American slam, with pancakes, over easy eggs, wheat toast, and black coffee,” Angela said handing off the menu back to the waiter.

“I’ll have the French toast platter, a vanilla shake, A waffle Sunday, three colas, and a water,” Ghost said handing off the menu back to the waiter.

The waiter looked awfully confused at Ghost's order as there attention had been gained by Ghost’s order. That much sugar was enough to kill someone if they ate that frequently and that much at once. But with a single stare at Ghost, he knew that she hadn't had a big meal considering how small and malnourished she looked. Then again he could have been intimidated by the death stare she gave directly at the waiter the moment the menu touched his hands.

“I’ll have them ready as soon as possible then.” Said the waiter right before leaving the three of us by ourselves.

Silence, there was nothing but silence that overcame the three of us. I didn’t want to say anything, Ghost didn't want to say anything and Angela most certainly didn’t want to…

“Why did you do it?” Angela said twiddling her thumbs as she spoke.

“Did what?” I answered condescendingly.

“That boy and girl you battered in, why would you do something so cruel to people who didn’t deserve it…” said Angela right before I cut her off.

“Didn’t deserve it? They deserved it for stealing my van and taking my payment for getting you back. So yeah, those damn kids definitely deserved it more than anyone I killed recently.” I said right before shutting up the moment our drinks came.

“And your apple juice sir, your black coffee miss and…your three Colas, water, and vanilla milkshake miss. If there's anything else you’d like let me know.” Said the waiter taking his leave from our table.

Silence remained between the three of us. That was until little miss hostage opened her mouth again.

“But they were kids? You bashed in their heads with a rock paperweight? Don’t you feel any guilt?” Said Angela grabbing the edges of her coffee cup.

“Kid…shut up, if you know what’s good for you…” I said right before being interrupted by the same but different voice.

“Where? Where am I? Grim, are we having dinner?” Ghost said in a child-like a tone and demeanor such as the one before.

It was almost like a switch. Someone had flipped her switch making her return to how I first met her. But how? She was giving me the death stare just a moment ago and now she was back to a child-like demeanor. But when…

It was the milkshake. Something must have triggered her the moment she took a sip of the shake. But what…?

“I didn't get to order anything I wanted.” Said Ghost In a ho-hum manner.

Angela looked confused the moment Ghost's face and demeanor changed. She didn’t know whether to be terrified or dumbfounded when Ghost looked at her and smiled like a child.

She must have had some case of mental illness. There was no way there was any kind of possible explanation under then she was mentally ill. So that left me with a psychic girl who looked at everyone with a dead stare and had that ability to rip someone apart with their mind. And the other one being a little girl trapped in an adult body who likes sweets.

Sigh. 

This is going to make finding her parents even harder than it already was. Or if she had any parents that were alive. For all I know she was kidnapped as a child or ripped her parents to shreds.

The last thing I need is more bullshit on my glorious shit Sunday.

“And here we go, the American slam for you miss. The cheeseburger meal and side of ranch for you sir. And for you miss your waffle ice cream Sunday and french toast. I’ll leave the check here for when you are both finished.” Said the waiter right before placing the check and leaving right after.

“All of this? For me?” Said Ghost as her eyes widened the moment she saw each and every platter of food appear before her.

“Well, you ordered it,” I said placing one of the fries in the ranch one moment and in the next in my mouth.

Got to love the taste of pre-apocalyspe American food. No wonder why we were all so fat. All the bad stuff tasted amazing. 

I blame salt. 

Makes everything taste good.

“YIPEE! Thanks, Grim, I’ll make sure to scarf all of this down. You can count on me!” Shouted Grim as she dug into her meal.

Angela I could tell wasn’t exactly the type of person to want to deal with things like Ghost’s sudden change in demeanor. For she dug into her meal the moment she could and didn’t look up.

I wouldn't deny it. This quiet moment of eating in a diner with someone wasn't something I had the pleasure of having often. Sure I was eating with complete strangers, but this feeling of warmth that came over me as I looked at the girls’ happy faces wasn't something I couldn't explain. But it made me nostalgic for times I could remember by feeling and not by memory.

I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

And I’d certainly kill for it.

…

“Wakey Wakey eggs and bakey, time to get up. We need to get your briefcase.” A familiar voice spoke at me in the dark of my room.

For a moment I didn’t react. And in the next realized that I had left the door locked after coming from the diner three hours ago.

Turning on the light and with one full sweep, the revolver I still had from before was now aiming at someone…but I couldn't tell who.

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“Woah! Woah! WOAH! Easy there macho man! You forgot to meet me at the lobby so I came and found you…please don’t shoot.” Shouted Bugboy with his eyes closed and his hands up.

“How did you get In here!?!” I shouted as I got up pointing the gun pushing the revolver on their forehead.

“I flew in through the window…I flew in as a fly…” Said Bugboy looking more sweaty than he usually did.

“A fly? What the hell are you talking about boy…!” I proclaimed as in mere seconds Bugboy vanished.

A buzzing sound littered the room for only a moment before Bugboy appeared on the bed as a human.

“See, I wasn’t lying.” He said taking in a deep breath as I lowered my gun.

Looking at the kid now his arms had strange triangular purple patterns on both there arms and a purple circle on the back of each of their hands. That wasn't even the weirdest part of his sudden change in look. Sure his neck all the way down to his right and left cheek had one long purple triangle on it. But the bug-like antennas told a different story.

No amount of Compound Zap could make one mutate like that. 

The only possible explanation for this they weren’t fully human. A mutant hybrid of bugs I could only assume. 

I couldn’t die by any means but if I was human…this man had enough power to rip me apart if he wanted to.

And that was a scary thought.

“Kid, next time, just bang harder on the door if you need me to wake up…sigh…can you give me a minute to get ready at least,” I said walking to the bathroom putting on the clothes I had taken off before I had fallen asleep.

“Yeah take your time… it’s not as if we have somewhere to be.” 

“What was that?”

“Nothing!” Said Bugboy jolting upwards as I came out fully dressed.

“Ready to go. I’m driving.” I said grabbing the keys to the van.

As each of us headed out of the motel with a quick glance at my watch I could see that in fact was three thirty in the morning. The devil's hour. And In a world where demons existed the last thing you’d want to be was outside at the devil's hour.

Demons didn’t scare me. But they certainly scared everyone else. Then again who was dumb enough to sell their soul to a demon?

Me, that's who.

“Get in,” I said opening the door of the van on my end.

“Mhm!” Exclaimed Bugboy opening the door as well.

With both of us inside and a quick start of the van driving in the night was a simple breeze. But as Bugboy gave me directions this drive which I thought would be quick was indeed long. It was an hour before we got to the hospital we needed to go to which meant silence was what all I could hear in the van.

That was until blabbermouth opened his mouth.

“So are you some kind of mercenary or something?” Bugboy stretched his arms up in the air as he spoke.

“Why do you care? Plus you do know that Long Town is a mercenary hideout right?” I asked condescendingly.

“Well…that explains a lot. Thought it was a bit weird for a small town to have this much maintenance and guards.”

“So you don’t live in Longtown?” I asked in a very confused manner, how the hell did this kid not know about Long Town being the hornet’s nest?

“Well live as a resident…no…but do I live in a box under the bridge in the main park like a possum…yes very much so.”

“So that’s why you needed the RV, you’re homeless?” 

“Very much so Grim my man…need an RV to get me out of Long town and to wherever the wind takes me. After all, not like anyone gives a shit about me anyway. A lone trans man looking for a home at the end of the world. It’s lovely ain’t it.” Said Bugboy with a light clench of their throat.

As he said that I could almost feel a type of sorrow in their voice.

“Well, wherever you go try not to enter a mercenary’s room through a window. The last thing you want is getting shot.” I said in a more serious and less sarcastic tone.

“You’re talking to a guy with a death wish. Thought you’d pick up on that after I just made a deal with a man who battered two teenagers’ heads with a rock paperweight.” Said Bugboy going from sounding sad to condescending within seconds.

“Well, I figured you were stupid for a…wait, how old are you?”

“Nineteen.”

“I figured you were stupid for a nineteen-year-old to strike up a deal with someone like me. Now looking at it you probably did have a death wish.” I said with a brisk cough coming out of my mouth right after.

“And what about those girls you were with? I assume they're part of some kind of a delivery job for you mister hot shot mercenary.” Bug boys stated twiddling there thumbs.

“One of them is part of a job. That briefcase contains payment for getting one of the girls to her father. And the other girl is currently tagging along till I find her parents and then she won’t be my problem.” I said staring out the window at a sign stating the hospital coming up ahead.

“That petite girl, the really short and skinny one. What’s her name?” Asked Bugboy in a tone that invoked curiosity.

“She doesn’t remember her name. I just call her Ghost. Why?” 

“She looks familiar…” Said Bugboy right before I interrupted him.

“Okay, then kid we can continue this talk later. We’ve just arrived. Hope you know what you’re doing.” I said interrupting him as we approached the desert’s highway exit.

Looking at the place I could see that it was a large hospital that had been renovated after the end of the world. There was no crack in sight or even any kind of deterioration. They had to be funded by someone important for that kind of level of renovation. It had to be at least twenty stories with hundreds of rooms. Its windows looked unharmed and whatever beige paint was on the building had not faded with age or was freshly painted. People went In and out of the front of the building. While the injured went in through the right of the building.

“So Bugboy…how are we getting inside?” I said parking in a spot in the large parking lot area.

“Simple, we go underground.”

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