A banging on the metal door woke awoke me from a rare dreamless sleep. I shot up from my pillow so quickly I hit my head of the bunk above me. I winced and rubbed my head, hearing Fun Ghoul snickering a couple bunks away.

"Look alive, Sunshine! You kids have ghosting to do today!" Dr. Death rattled the door one last time before shuffling away, followed by the sound of roller skates rolling smoothly on the floor.

"Come on then," Party Poison said, sitting up slowly from a top bunk. "Let's gear up." I slipped my legs over the side of my bunk and dropped my feet to the ground, stepping into the bright light of an overhead lamp. Party, Ghoul, Kobra, and Jet were already in their jeans, grabbing their belts and jackets. I pulled my own belt off the shelf and tightened it around my stained white pants.

"Hey, Missile. Pony left this for you. You can change in here, we've gotta do the show with Dr. D." Jet handed me a large, brightly colored parcel. He gave me a quick smile before he and the rest of the guys picked up their ray guns and walked out.

I tossed the package on my unmade bed and kneeled down to open it. Tearing off a strip of the material on the edge, I pulled out an assortment of clothes as colorful as the paper it was wrapped in; the first item I looked at was a long sleeved red t-shirt, with a quirky, psychedelic pattern. The next thing I found was a dark green cargo vest, smartly placed withing a puffy blue vest.. I also found a pair of faded jeans and tall black boots, along with a pair of brown leather gloves and a worn out pilot's hat.

I grinned widely. How Pony got these for me so suddenly, I didn't know. But I would find a way to thank him. I stripped BL/ind's bland outfit from my body and slipped into my new clothes, immediately feeling more comfortable. I re-strapped my gun belt around my waist and went to the front of the diner.

The whole place was eerily quiet, the only sound coming in muffled from the other side of the building. I sighed and sat on a bar stool, reaching over the counter and grabbing a can of BL/ind food. As I pictured sweet, syrupy waffles in my head, Party, Ghoul, Jet, and Kobra emerged from the radio room. Kobra climbed on the bar stool beside me and nudged my arm.

"Dr. Death wants you in the back. Good luck." He grabbed four cans of food from the counter and turned back to the booth where the others were sitting, not looking at me. I dropped my spoon in the mush and hopped off my seat. Halfway down the hall, Pony met me and waved. I smiled and automatically took his hand and walked briskly wit him as he skated me into the radio room.

"Alright tumbleweeds, like the Killjoys and I were just saying, we've got a new ally with us today. And here she is, Missile Kid. C'mon, Kid, get over here." Dr. D was looking at me, his headphones on, talking into the microphone. Pony pulled me over to Death Defying and quickly put a set of headphones over my ears. Dr. D rolled his eyes and signaled for me to hurry along. I grabbed a mic, and he continued.

"Alright, Missile. You have one of the biggest bounties of any BL/ind criminal, and you don't appear to be older than thirteen. The question is, what could you have possibly done to make you such a valuable target?" Unprepared for questioning, I stuttered throughout my answer.

"Uh-well, I've, uh, ghosted some Dracs and Exterminators. I, uh, I stole a ray gun, food, batteries...and I've destroyed some property." Dr. D laughed silently, unimpressed.

"Wow, that's insane, Kid. Tell us, why did you turn to a 'harsh life of crime?'" His sarcasm made me want to get out of here and go eat my breakfast, but I decided to stay and change his mind about me. There was no stuttering in my next reply.

"My mother was killed by my father, a converted Draculoid, who tried to kill me too. I managed to get away, but he was following me. When he confronted me I attacked him. He dropped his ray gun and I shot him. He was dusted. Apparently he was pretty high in the ranks because afterward I was being chased by every kind of Better Living goon they had. I fought to survive, it wasn't about liberation or fighting the corrupted system. It was for me, and for my mom." Dr. D's sarcasm and amusement was gone, and he looked at me and spoke to me with real interest.

"Now THAT'S impressive. I might even go as far as to say it was brave. So, now that you've survived, do you plan to join the Killjoys, or find refuge with the Found?" I smiled at the obvious answer to his question.

"The Found are rescues. Emotionally brave people who endured the cruelty of BL/ind and have managed to live safely outside the Zones for the rest of their lives. But I still have unfinished business to attend to. I'm still fighting for my mother, and I'm not going to give up until Better Living is long gone." A smile crept across Death Defying's face and he laughed again, approvingly this time.

"Well then, I guess you'll be busy ghosting today. You'd better get out there and gear up; The Killjoys are waiting for you." I smiled, almost triumphantly, and slid off the headphones. Pony took my hand once again and led me back to the diner, where my food had been sealed up in a bag, dangling from Ghoul's fingers.

"You can eat on the ride there." He said with a smile. "We're going into the zones today."

Hey everyone, its the author, Jane here. I just wanted to thank you guys for all the positive feedback. I love you, everyone! Also, any suggestions for future chapters would be just swell. Thanks again, and stay frosty.