arte and sunny's guide to surviving the apocalypse

Tori was wiping at Sunny's face as they walked through the grimy back alleys of the city, trying in vain to wipe a bloodstain off his cheek. "Honestly, Sunny, if you're going to kill someone, be less messy." She rubbed his face almost raw with her sleeve, while Sunny just stood there, wanting to push her away, but feeling oddly frozen. Barley brushed her away instead, and while Sunny wanted to thank him, no words came out.

"Oh lay off him, Tori. You act like we're going somewhere fancy." His tone was something lightly teasing, a touch of gentleness Sunny really found he dearly needed, even if it wasn't directly for him. Tori almost smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Of course we're going somewhere fancy. It's not every day you get to walk right to the end of the world!" She patted Sunny's shoulder idly, adding, "Besides, we'll attract a whole lot less attention if he's not covered in blood and oil." A quick glance at Sunny again, and she was almost scoffing. "Mainly blood, ugh. You need a shower."

"We're a bit busy for that," Barley chimed in, almost laughing. Something in his expression darkened, mumbling, "Well, a lot busy, but..."

"Right, we have a building to storm." She leaned away from the alley wall, pointing down the square of the city, to the skyscraper obnoxiously taking up residence right at the center of the mechanical island. It was an eyesore, all decked out in purples, greens, and silvers, black windows, and with two lavish hawk statues seeming to fly around the sides. Occasionally the statues would spurt flames from their mouths, always seeming to catch the attention of the milling crowd below. Sunny stepped into the center of the alley, drawing closer to the street as he took in the city.

There was a strange darkness about it, with every building washed out, grimy colors, usually purple or green. All the windows seemed unwashed, making them appear muddy and nearly impossible to see through. Shopfronts and outdoor malls littered the area they were closest to, with them being inescapable from the moment they'd left the parking garage. Back farther, he could see what looked to be apartment buildings, all much worse quality than the ones in Argilstead or even Static Flats. Nothing about them seemed nearly as chic or posh- they were just as washed out and disgusting as the rest of the city.

Various bits of trash blew around in the street, attracting small swarms of fat, black flies, surely enjoying the overflowing bins the trash heralded from. Nothing about Everettopia seemed clean, or even safe, with the buildings seeming to groan and creak with every gust of wind.

Bright neons assaulted your eyes wherever you looked, telling you to go there, or buy this and that, all flashing in differing shades of unnatural colors. The brightest looking space of all was what looked like a carnival, just southwest of the central skyscraper. A ferris wheel gave them a wave as it went around and around, various other rides also flashing their cheap paint jobs and obnoxious lights. The smell of popcorn and deep-fried food mingled with the lingering stench of trash, making the whole thing leave an actual, physical sickly taste in Sunny's mouth.

It was the most artificial thing he'd ever seen, the worst display of human nastiness he could think of. In a way, it was a poetic kind of beautiful, but Sunny had no time for poetry. The only thing he could think about while staring down the bright lights and horribly crowded streets was how his brother had to be in the building ahead of him. That alone was driving him forward, keeping him going. He tried to keep his mind blank, however, fearing Buddy would catch on and take away his powers again; he needed every resource he could get if he was to survive.

All of that wasn't what he was completely focused on, however- his eyes were drawn instead to the makeshift little stage in front of the skyscraper, to the massive television screens being hung up everywhere. They were getting ready for some sort of show, maybe? With a start, Sunny remembered the chauffeur's words- "We've heard so much about you, and it would be our dear King's greatest delight if you were to join us this evening." It's us, we're the show.