Evacuating a town was way harder than I thought it’d be. With survivors scared to go against their “king” and others scared of me, I was stuck wandering this town until I accidentally came across this bar. However, my evacuation plans were gonna have to wait. Those two suspicious people from before were in the room, and it looked like they were terrorizing the people inside.

  I aimed to fire, but something hit me first. I didn’t even see it. Just a sudden pressure slamming into my ribs, sending me skidding through the bar, out the door, and into the open street. My body bounced like a ragdoll. Neither of those two freaks hit me. Whatever had done it was already on my body before I could react.

  The aura shapeshifted, taking the form of a spring. Despite figuring that out, I was still launched into the sky as Spring Head and Shark Tattoo exploded onto the scene. Stopping my movement midair with my rocket feet didn’t work—a spring attacked from the side this time.

  Then from above. Then below a second later.

  Pieces of me were beginning to fall apart, giving me the answer to what they were doing. This wasn’t just a way to annoy me. They were planning on slowly breaking my body piece by piece, no matter how long it took. Maybe I could absorb through something other than my hands or mouth. But with springs slamming me from every direction, this wasn’t the place to test it.

  The only way I could think of getting out of this trap was moving faster than the springs could form. Considering they were made from the aura around me, that would be difficult.

  But I had to try.

  Energy burst from my hands and feet as I kept getting launched in every direction, my body curling into a ball. The world around me became a blur, my sense of hearing diminishing. My speed increased to a point where it felt like I wasn’t even moving anymore.

  I hit the ground so hard the blur in my vision snapped back into focus with a jolt. Dust surged around me in a wave, chunks of earth tossed skyward like confetti. Groaning, I forced myself upright. Dust hung thick in the air, but shapes emerged—twisted buildings, running civilians, the two attackers closing in.

  That’s when I saw it.

  The ground beneath me was gone. A massive crater had replaced it—deep, uneven, and still steaming at the edges. It took a second to realize I had caused it.

  “How can a pair of humans allow zombies to eat your own kind!?” I screamed, flying to where they were.

  Just when I was about to catch them, both of them were blasted a couple meters backwards by the springs, leaving my hands nothing but the air to grab.

  “We don’t care about the human shish kebabs he makes. Just the explosions,” said Shark Tattoo, massaging her partner’s neck. “As long as that Type Two stays here, the zombies underground won’t leave. That keeps the guy we’re really worried occupied long enough for us to continue our other plans in New York.”

  “Who’s the guy?” I asked.

  “Jesus Hernandez.”

  That guy again? Looks like he wasn't lying about being so important.

  As if the man himself heard his name being called, green energy exploded from the ground, erasing two houses in the distance.

  “This town is toast. No use in keeping it around now,” said Spring Head. “Kevon must’ve been planning this since this other Radion came here.”

  “Failing our first mission,” Shark Tattoo sighed. “Mr. Corleone won’t be happy about this.”

  With more explosions coming in, these guys still here, and screams drowning out their voices, I wasn't too interested in what they had to say anymore.

  Spring Head pointed at me, his eyes widening. “Type Two, don’t think figuring out my ability’s weakness means you’re above me. When I see you again, you’ll be-”

  Finger bullets sprayed the field before he could finish, though Spring Head and his partner sprung into the air, avoiding my attack. They didn't come back down either–they flew south of Boomsbarrow right after.

  Whether those two were coming back didn’t matter. My legs knew where I needed to go, and the energy firing out of my feet led me there in quick fashion. More explosions spawned throughout Boomsbarrow, and I did what was feasible for me–absorb the energy and grab anyone in danger.

  Some shrieked in horror. Others outright refused. I took them by their hands anyway, carrying each survivor I found to the town’s gate. Jesus's power never touched the outside of Boomsbarrow, so the people outside of its range should be fine.

  Sure, their home was being destroyed, but Kevon’s presence was already doing that. Due to his invisibility, he wouldn't have stood out anywhere for him to be seen. But if there was one place a king loved being in, it was his castle and the shiny throne inside.

  Surprisingly, the zombie “king” wasn't inside. The sheeted tables had empty seats, and the throne was left for anybody to mess around with, including commoners.

  But that’s not what you would want, isn’t it right, Kevon?

  I aimed my hands at the throne, fingers burning bright. Then, a concerned “Hey!” caused my body to turn, a punch following along. I missed, or at least I thought.

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  “Like I said before, Jerome. If you can’t see it, you can’t touch it,” Kevon said in a snarky tone.

  “Quit being a coward, and turn your power off,” I said, anger flooding my voice.

  “Before you engage me in physical combat, why not join me in my lunch for today?” the “king” asked, the sound of his footsteps moving towards the left table.

  Then, Kevon revealed what was under it.

  The table was set perfectly — cups arranged in pairs, silverware polished, napkins folded into little triangles. It smelled like…

  No. Not food, not normal food. If it was, I wouldn’t be able to smell it.

  My mouth gaped. Fresh human meat as though they were defrosted hours before this moment was set up on the plate like it was Thanksgiving dinner.

  Severed fingers in small cartons like fast food fries, blood in plastic cups, various pieces of flesh cut up in ways that mimicked steak. If I had a gut, it would’ve lurched. This wasn’t just disgusting — it felt wrong in my soul.

  And yet… the smell. There was something sweet buried in the disgusting display. I hated that I noticed.

  Kevon wore the golden cape that was placed on one of the chairs, and sat down.

  “You’re acting like you never had steak before.” He undid the invisibility on his finger and pointed to the plate closest to me. “That one there? Female. Twenty-one. Best thing you’ll ever taste. Don’t need the tits though. Too much fat.” The zombie grabbed a plate with two arms on it. “These ones? Thick and meaty. Classic college athlete. Probably football.”

  “Hey! Don’t eat t-”

  Meat! I need it! C’mon, legs, move!

  No matter how much I tried to stuff that voice down, its strength was too much for me. It was loud, louder than the explosions tearing the town apart.

  “You hear it too, right?” asked Kevon, cutting a tiny piece of the arm with a knife. After he took a bite, he continued. “That voice telling you what’s supposed to be the most heinous thing someone could think of doing? I’ve been there, Jerome. However, I’ve accepted it, and thus the voice naturally became my own.”

  “You’re cra-” I shouted as my hands gripped my skull, the urges pounding my mind.

  “ No, don’t fight it. You’re a zombie.” He tossed me one of the arms on his plate as if I was a dog. “You are biologically engineered to want to eat that. This is who we are. Besides, I could smell the blood on your teeth outside that dirty shack. That bomber must’ve caused you a lot of trouble, huh? Consuming humans makes zombies stronger, after all.”

  I hated his voice, and how “right” it sounded. My knees didn’t listen to me, descending to the floor.

  Kevon took a sip of blood, and then poured some of it onto his meal. “It’ll be my job as Zombie King to look after those of my kind, to make sure they’re well fed. Don’t you think you’re hindering my future legacy by denying who you are? It’s very… unnatural.”

  My hands hovered over the arm, jaw twitching. I couldn’t cross the line

  “Despite your disrespect, I still have to thank you, Jerome,” he said coldly, his face turning back to normal. “I’ve been trying to build a zombie army underground for months now, and that horse headed bastard kept hindering my plans. Now with your presence, that army has doubled and it’s becoming way too much for the human to handle. Congratulations to us. We have won!”

  Humans! That’s it. If I think about all the people I like or at least tolerate, then that has to activate some kind of “this shit is disgusting” button.

  Let’s see, there was my daughter obviously, and my wife who I love very much. Angela was always a good friend, and Jesus helped Sunshine in her time of need.

  Alright, this was good. I felt my mind calming down with each second, but I needed to think of a few more people.

  “Oh, and I’m not that worried about this town,” said Kevon, speaking while chewing. “My kingdom will be way bigger than this one. Bigger throne, bigger castle, more humans to rule over—the whole shebang.”

  That electricity guy in the Underground Radius showed us how to escape. That was nice. The Woodshaven survivors were always good to me. I hope they’re doing fine.

  “Perhaps I could make you one of my knights. You’ll be a loyal and sworn protector of, uh… Zombieland! Yes, that’s a fine placeholder name!”

  Who else? Oh yeah, those two teens from last night. I wonder if they’re doing ok too.

  That’s when a unique smell rammed into me, hijacking the calming rhythm of my thoughts. Roasted rabbit, expired hair gel, a high school jersey, zombie ooze, and that sour tang of fear baked into skin.

  I looked down.

  The severed arm gave off all those scents—the same scents one of those teens had.

  My head raised, and the zombie was staring at me, taking another bite of his food. I thought my face was lifeless, but I had never seen such a display of emotionlessness as I did in the creature in front of me.

  “That boy you almost sacrificed yesterday… What-What happened to him and his brother?”

  “We’re eating them right now.”

  I slapped the limb out of my sight and gritted my teeth. “Don’t give me that bullshit! Where the hell are they!?”

  Before answering my question, he scoffed down some of the fingers that were in the carton. “I said we’re eating them,” Kevon repeated, his voice eerily calm. “They endangered my kingdom, so my men and I got rid of them. Now, they’re atoning for their sins by filling our bellies.” I heard him slap his gut. “Ah, bodyguard fingers sure do hit the spot!”

  B-Bodyguard fingers!? So he ate them too…

  “I’m gonna assume the girl that was with them is gone too,” I said, standing back up.

  “I don’t know who you’re talking about, but…” Kevon deactivated the invisibility on his hand and gestured to the plate with feet on it.

  My body began to shake like a volcano about to erupt, my hands curling into tight fists. “Is that so?”

  Just when I was about to let loose, Kevon stopped my movements. Not with physical strength or that invisibility trick from earlier. All he did was say “No.”

  “Why can’t I move? What did you do!?”

  The “king” stood up from his seat and approached me. “We’re both zombies, Jerome, but you’re clearly new to this whole thing, so let me break it down. Zombies don’t see other zombies as their enemies—especially not Type Two Radions. You couldn’t attack me even if you really wanted to. It’s not in your nature because we are all family.”

  “Me and you are not family!”

  “Oh, but we are. That girl… “Sunflower” can never be your real family because she’s not one of us. Either you’ll eat her or I’ll eat her. Either way it won’t be fun for her.” He leaned in closer to my face. “And deeeeep down, you know I’m right. About her, about you and I, about the humans. Are you really going to tell me you lived this entire decade without despising those worthless sacks of meat?”

  My jaw tightened while I pondered that question. “I did for a bit. It was always my daughter and me against the world in my head. Even when I was told some really fucked up news about the consequences of that, I just said ‘Screw the apocalypse!’ and moved on. But then I realized that there are a few people in this world I wouldn’t want to die, and those few people existed, then more like them would too. So, no, I don’t despise humans ‘cause monsters like you are even worse than them.”

  “Huh!?”

  My mouth brimmed with energy. “And my daughter’s name isn’t ‘Sunflower’. It’s Sunshine!”

  The blast fired. The Type Two disappeared before it could make contact. The wall on the other side became the attack’s victim, but I had two more energy balls lying in wait, ready to be released.

  Two words changed that plan.

  “God’s Light!”

  A hole was now present where my chest used to be, the pain of the damage forgetting to make its presence known. I didn’t see what sounded me, and the lack of immediate discomfort meant this wasn’t an energy based attack.

  So what was it!?

  “I don’t know the specific science behind it, but being invisible allows me to use light in that way,” Kevon informed, causing me to turn my head. The door was wide open, and the sun was shining bright. “It’s a completely unavoidable attack. My body is completely untouchable. There’s no point in fighting me, Jerome.”

  “The moment I found out what you did to Maria’s baby was the moment I decided to do this,” I hissed, raising my arms.

  “That fake ass daughter of yours is poisoning your mind. Maybe I should take care of her first.”

  The energy balls on my palms pulsed. “If you lay a single slimy finger on that girl, I’ll kill you.”

  “You can’t hit me, remember!?”

  “I’m not aiming for you.”

  “Huh? Wait! What are you-”

  “Fatherly Bomb!”

  The orbs collided, and we were instantly blinded by a mass of emerald light. My body was ejected into the sky, debris following my path. The blast eviscerated the church, and hopefully the human remains inside were too. No one there deserved to be treated like food. There were better ways to bury those people, but destroying the things Kevon found the most pleasure was the best thing I could think of.

  Now the only thing left to do was destroy him. However, the zombie was nowhere to be found as the energy dissipated and I returned to the ground.

  “God’s Light!”

  I was flying in the air, and yet I wasn’t at the same time. My body hadn’t moved from its position, and it was missing the one thing that would help it move.

  My head.

  Unfortunately, it ended up in the grasp of Kevon, and his full appearance was finally out for me to see. Although, that just meant the bitch was confident enough to take me down without hiding.

  “You don't even know how close you were to destroying the most important thing in this stupid town!” The zombie began to crush my skull, the bone cracking under the pressure. “Don't worry. I'll bring you back after I've killed every human you're connected to.”

  With time running out and the pain worsening by the second, I had to act quickly. I fired another blast from my mouth, which shaved off a portion of his neck. Roaring in the pain, the zombie let me go. I took the chance while in the air to chomp down on Kevon’s hand, the taste of death plaguing my mouth.

  Suddenly, a flash of memories barged into my mind, memories that weren't mine.

  A life I never lived.