On The Road

A gray SUV raced down the desolate country road, pushing close to 100 mph, the landscape blurring past in a whirlwind of yellow and brown. Dirt stained the sides of the vehicle with a few small cracks shot through the windshield. With nothing of interest to stare at in the open midwest, the seven passengers within had very little to entertain themselves but the radio.

“The Vultures have just finished their raid in Sacramento, collecting a total of roughly six thousand subjects for experimental research,” a composed feminine voice reported over the station. “Citizens are expecting an hour in delay before the government declares the city as open again. Traffic remains diverted with heavy congestion on the—”

“That’s enough of that,” a young lady with long curly light-brown hair leaned forward from her seat in the middle row. Her white jacket stretched slightly as she reached forward and swiftly tapped a button on the dashboard, switching the station to hip-hop.

“Please do not reach forward from your seat, miss,” a masked individual wearing a trench coat turned the knob to the left, lowering the volume. They adjusted the sheathed katana that leaned against their black suit, resting the hilt just left of their matching tie.

“It’s fine, don’t act like a wraith,” the girl rolled her eyes as she leaned back against her seat. She adjusted her beige skirt and buttoned-up pink cardigan before swaying to the beat.

Turning her head to her right, she beamed at the girl sitting next to her. She wore a forest-green cardigan over a white and lime-green hoodie that partially covered her brown skirt.

“Doesn’t this remind you of the good ol’ days?” The lady-in-white brushed back a tuft of her hair with a pink tint.

Her friend briefly looked back in silence. She pulled her hood over her head and turned her gaze back to the window, her short brown hair swaying forward as she did so.

“No one is thinking that, you birdbrain,” a short girl with a maroon ponytail let out an annoyed groan from the back seat. She had her arms crossed over her purple hoodie and sat between two boys who ranged in age.

“Now, you don’t need to scream, my dear poltergeist,” Bird turned around in her seat and placed her arms on her headrest. “Why can’t you enjoy this road trip like the rest of us?”

“Miss, please sit down,” Wraith said calmly from the front passenger seat.

“First of all, this isn’t some stupid road trip, no thanks to you! Second, why is the old man smoking in here?” Poltergeist shot a finger toward the driver.

A middle-aged man with silver hair had his right hand on the wheel while the other held a lit cigarette. Smoke had begun to fill the interior of the vehicle, drifting to the back seats.

“Sir, please put out your cigarette and open a window,” Wraith ordered before repeating, “and miss, please sit down.”

“Tch, both of you are no fun,” Bird muttered but sat back down.

“Please put your seatbelt on.”

“Don’t push it.”

The quiet beat from the radio washed over the group as they settled into an awkward silence, the cigarette smoke swirling around them like a fog. The driver lowered the windows of the SUV for the smoke to dissipate. Taking one last huff, he tossed the cigarette out and let out a tired sigh.

“It’s a good thing we got out of the city quickly,” Wraith’s eyes glimmered as they projected the news directly onto their black sunglasses, turning the lenses into a makeshift screen. “The wait times for leaving are getting shorter.”

“The people have gotten used to the military,” the driver declared. “The Vultures have more power than ever. Look at them: impenetrable carbon-infused exosuits, neural disruptors, and muscle immobilizers that freeze their targets in place upon contact.”

“Of course you of all people would know,” Poltergeist shot a glare at him through the rear-view mirror. “You were a government lackey once, after all.”

“Air Force, not a Vulture,” the man tapped the military tactical patch on his worn-down flight jacket. “But I’m a long-forgotten revenant.”

“Sure you are…” Poltergeist slumped back against the black vinyl seats. She felt a gentle tug on her left sleeve. A young boy no older than nine looked up at her, clearly hesitant to speak.

“Sis… I need to go to the bathroom…” he squirmed in place anxiously.

“Tell the young rascal to hold it in for a bit longer,” Revenant called back as they zoomed past a green sign. Bird’s eyes lit up, her twilight-gradient eyes shifting from deep blue to soft purple and gentle pink. She shook her friend, trying to get her to stare out the other window.

“We’ve just entered Las Vegas.”

The group pulled into the parking lot of a hotel a few miles outside of the bustling attractions. Half of the parking spaces were already occupied, a mix of vehicles reflecting the diverse clientele drawn to the vibrant scene. A shuttle was parked near the hotel, ready to take customers into the gambling district.

Upon parking the SUV, Bird sprang out with vibrant energy. She stretched her arms high above her head, releasing a relieved squeal. The second her friend stepped out, Bird ran to the other side of the vehicle.

“We’re going to check out the information center here!” Bird snatched the girl-in-green’s wrist and began dragging her toward the entrance. The girl shot a pleading look at Revenant for assistance, but he merely waved them off with a casual gesture after exiting the vehicle.

“Wake up, sleepy phantom, we’re here,” Poltergeist shook the tall male she and her brother sat next to. The boy stirred slightly, clutching at his black jacket that was draped over him like a blanket.

“Come on, my brother needs to use the bathroom immediately,” Poltergeist grasped his long black hair and pulled his head back.

“O-ouch! I’m awake, okay?” Phantom jolted up, bashing his head on the roof of the SUV. He covered his head with both hands, groaning in pain as Poltergeist and her brother slid past him and out of the vehicle.

“Go take the little rascal to the bathroom,” Revenant was leaning against the passenger seat with Wraith still sitting inside. The man already had another cigarette lit. “I’ll be waiting here with the robot.”

“I’m not a robot, sir,”

“Cyborg, cybernetic prosthetics, whatever. They’re all the same to me,” Revenant shrugged nonchalantly while the maroon-haired siblings dashed through the glass sliding doors into the hotel.

“Good morning,” Phantom stepped out of the SUV with a hand covering his yawn.

“Good morning, princess,” Revenant let out a stream of smoke. “It’s two thirty. Did you sleep this much when you were an experiment?”

“Where are we?” Phantom asked while ignoring the old man’s comment. He paused and reached back into the vehicle, searching through the back seat. After a short moment, Phantom pulled out a hair tie and secured his hair into a small ponytail.

“We’re in Nevada,” Revenant answered. “It’s about a half hour away from the famous tourist zones,”

“Nevada…” Phantom repeated as he stretched his legs, the hem of his shorts riding up slightly. “Where are the others?”

“The siblings went to the bathroom,” Revenant stated. “My niece went with the lively hummingbird to check the brochures.”

“Excuse me,” Wraith glanced out the open window at Revenant. “Can I get out now?”

Revenant, still leaning against the door, took a puff before exhaling a thick column of smoke.

“No.”

“[No.]”

“What do you mean ‘no’?!” Bird held the opened brochure directly up to her friend’s face after reading the rejecting text. “It’s a full day’s worth of shows and performances!”

“[That’s more of your style. Flashy and gaudy.]” the next text read as she perused the other pamphlets in the information center. As she approached, a sleek black screen on the wall lit up, displaying personalized trip options tailored to her preferences.

“You can really be mean sometimes without even meaning it, Mouse,” Bird pouted as she stashed the brochure into her already overflowing jacket pocket.

“[Don’t call me that.]” the next message stated.

“I would call you something else if you talked,” Bird placed a hand on her hip and waved her phone back and forth in the other hand.

“[Birdbrain. You know very well why I don’t talk.]” Mouse huffed, gripping her own phone in both her hands.

Walking back toward the entrance, the two girls spotted the males resting in the lobby. Phantom and Revenant sat in some smart-seating armchairs, molded to individual shapes for maximum comfort while embedded climate controls ensured the perfect temperature.

The soft lighting above adjusted to the mood of their guests, setting the glow above a massaged Phantom to a mellow pink while it remained a warm white above Revenant as he breathed from an e-cigarette.

“I don’t get the appeal of these with the fruity taste,” he chucked the thing toward a metal trash can that slid its lid open for the shot to go into the basket. “So have you two decided where to head to?”

Mouse went to hold up her phone with a site on it but Bird launched forward, holding up one of the several pamphlets in her hands. The brochure showed bright pictures of slot machines and roulette tables, listing huge cash prizes and comfortable facilities in large text on the side.

“I wanna gamble!” Bird’s eyes gleamed.

“Gambling, huh…” Revenant noticed her niece’s fuming glare at Bird from behind. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea to spend our money here.”

“I’m a skilled gambler!” Bird persisted.

“Really?” Revenant said unconvinced. He pulled out a coin from his pocket and flipped it in the air. “Heads or tails.”

“Heads!”

Revenant caught the coin in the palm of his hand. It landed heads.

“Beginner's luck. One more time,” Revenant flipped it again with a flick of his thumb. He clapped his hands together to catch the coin mid-fall before Bird’s face.

“Heads, tails, heads, heads, tails, tails, heads, tails, heads,” Bird called out.

“Make up your mind. Which one is it?”

“No, the next nine including that one will follow that order,” Bird explained.

The veteran opened his hands revealing another head. He let out a chuckle. “I’ll take your word for it, kid.”

“Give it to me,” Phantom raised his hand in front of him. Revenant abruptly flipped the coin over to him before leaning back in the self-molding chair. Tails.

“You may be skilled in pure luck but those games are rigged,” Revenant let out a relaxed sigh. “We should still probably do something else.”

“But I want to gamble!” Bird whined.

“We do need to accumulate funds,” Wraith approached from behind the group. They slid their black gloves over their silver hands, flexing their fingers to make sure they fit snugly.

“But through gambling? Come on. We all know that’s a dumb move; even with her luck.”

“She won’t be making us the money,” Wraith slightly lowered their visor, revealing digital red eyes. “The rest of us will.”

“Right, you and the rascal’s sister,” Revenant got up and stretched his back. “I guess it’s settled then. You’ll take the girls gambling. The boys will come with me for supplies.”

“How did you do it?!” Phantom shot up from his chair, holding out the coin between two fingers. “The flips were exactly as you said!”

“Oh, really?” Bird held her hand up in front of her mouth in surprise. “I was just messing with you all.”

The entire group stared at the young girl in disbelief, not knowing what to say due to her sheer luck.