When I was a kid, I remember my dad taking me to this basketball game at the Barclays Center. He was really big on that sport, watching a game on TV and then rewatching that same game the next day just to “understand” the plays more. I couldn’t go one day without him telling me how much his future depended on me playing professional basketball.

  “Don’t play it because you love it. Play it because I love it,” was what he always told me when he made me practice on the weekends. Those were the only days my dad wasn’t off at his job so I guess he thought he was using his time wisely. That was until the day of that basketball game where he realized I wasn’t so big on his passion as he believed I was.

  Instead of consuming the supposed spectacle before me, there was someone else that caught my attention. A bald man in the front row who, unlike the other celebrities wearing those fancy clothes, wore a simple oversized black t-shirt and jean shorts. He was chugging two cans of beer at the same time, a beverage banned in the arena at the time. He didn’t give a shit about some ban or all the cowards sitting away from him. He was a goddamn wrestler.

  But when I told my father that's the kind of person I wanted to be, the only thing he told me was “You ain't ever gonna be a wrestler, Jerome. Just keep doing what I tell you to do and you'll have a good future.”

  It hurt me to hear my own father say that.

  So when I bore witness to the Barclay’s Center, overrun and ravaged by a swarm of various plant life, I didn’t feel a hint of sadness. The plants in the area were rather unusual though. Venus Flytraps towered over the Center, chomping on giant chunks of debris from other buildings as dust spilled from their mouths. Vines twirled around the arena like a snake coiled around its prey. And to top it all off, a large rose was in the middle of the arena poked out from the middle of the arena, the roof seemingly destroyed.

  Yeah…good riddance to all that shit.

  Me and Elias were pretty far away from the plant life’s new habitat, hiding behind a flipped over car as Elias tried calling his friend Brandon over and over again. We had to lock Rosey inside the room of a random hotel so she wouldn’t blow our cover.

  That girl was a screamer.

  “There’s no use calling him. He’s dead,” I said bluntly.

  “Obviously I know that,” replied Elias, still calling. “But if you call an SB enough times and no one picks up, it sends out a beacon to its exact location. That way we can at least have some idea where his remains are.”

  “Status boards can do that?” I asked in genuine shock. “I didn’t know that.”

  “You’re a resource adventurer, right? You should already know that.”

  “Oh, yeah. But I come from a more humble civilization that doesn’t sell those advanced copies. Just flimsy little tape dispensers that’re pretty shit compared to yours.”

  “Don’t you have one too? The one with a cracked screen that you forced me to put in my bag?”

  I rubbed my head. “Well, yeah but-”

  “Now that I think about it, where are you from anyway? And you never told us your name on the way here. Maybe if I searched up your name, we could call-”

  An ear-shattering roar reverberated through the broken city, cutting Elias off as he accidentally dropped his SB. “Oh shit,” he whispered, his voice tense. “What the hell was that? Can you see it?”

  I stuck my head out and was surprised to see that a giant bear was roaming through the streets ahead of us, flipping over cars with its skull and ripping through vines on the ground. However, this wasn’t an ordinary bear. This was a radioactive one, and its size was probably comparable to a school bus. Length wise, that is.

  “It’s a bear,” I answered, surveying its heavy movements. “A big ass bear in goddamn New York.”

  “Seriously? Must’ve came from Prospect Park Zoo. I remember that place having a few bears.”

  “It’s not just some regular bear.” I crouched back down when I noticed the bear slowly turning its head to our position. “You know what I mean by that, right?

  Elias was still trying to call Brandon. “Oh, great. A radioactive one? Is it stronger than that bird you killed?”

  “Yeah, obviously. It’s a bear. My attacks will probably bounce right off of its-”

  At that moment, the vehicle was slammed into by something, the impact sending us spiraling down the street as the vehicle separated in half mid-air, glass and metal fragments raining down on us. I clawed through the ground whilst still tumbling and planted my feet firmly on the concrete, Elias colliding into me.

  Elias groaned in pain. “God dammit! That monster just tackled the hell out of us. You ok, man!?”

  “Don’t worry about me!” I shouted, hopping to my feet. “Your status board…that’s still working, right!?”

  He checked his hands and sighed. “Sorry, I dropped it! Must be near where we were hiding before that bear spotted us.”

  “Look, over there,” I said, pointing at the bear. Just as Elias suspected, he had dropped the SB where we were initially attacked and the beast was currently getting a good whiff of it. “Guess there’s only one way to handle this now.”

  “Jesus, this is bad.” Elias rubbed the sweat off his forehead. “Listen. Like I said before, I just need your name and we could call-”

  I didn’t give him a chance to try and catch me in my lie as I was already charging towards the radioactive animal. I barely had enough energy to shoot a bullet with half the strength I had before, let alone start the battle with a nuclear powered punch, so the only thing I could do is try and beat this thing without any energy release.

  The moment it saw me, its green eyes glowed in a rabid fury as it ran towards me, its claws tearing through the ground. Then, we collided, the bear’s paws and my hands clenching each other intensely. Perhaps even this rabid beast knew that I intended for this to be a simple battle of strength. No tricks, no strategy—just two freaks fighting it out like men.

  Like goddamn wrestlers!

  It released a ferocious, steamy roar at my face, trying to intimidate me but I didn’t back down. I roared right back at it, probably a little louder. We repeated this until we both grew tired of the useless intimidation.

  Good thing I didn’t have a nose ‘cause the bear’s breath probably smelled horrible.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  I lifted my foot and slammed it against the concrete continuously, the shockwaves pushing the bear back little by little. The animal was just about to fall when Elias suddenly appeared next to me and grabbed the SB.

  “Look over there!” he yelled, pointing towards the arena. “That light’s the beacon. I’m gonna go find whatever’s shining with it!”

  I was too engrossed in the contest of strength to look up but I knew what he was about to do was dumb.

  “Hey, don’t go running off in there without me,” I said, struggling to raise my voice. “Wait for me to finish this thing off.”

  He didn’t listen, instead bolting off to wherever this beacon was.

  “No! Stop it, Elias! You’ll get yourself kil-”

  My warning was interrupted by the bear stabbing through my hands with its claws, sparking up a fiery sensation throughout my entire body. My fingers loosened its hold on the paws and the monster took the chance to tighten its own grip on me. It then flung me to a nearby Deli, my body etching a Type Two Radion sized hole in the wall.

  Damn it! I thought adventurers were supposed to be smart. And here I thought they were more respectable a few years earlier…

  The bear was approaching me and I needed to think of something quick before it manhandled me a second time. A test of strength was something I wanted initially but it wasn't fun anymore when the energy I needed to win wasn’t the…

  Oh! I know!

  I quickly scrambled to my feet and readied my fists, the bear ignoring my newly acquired confidence as it stepped inside as radiated an ura of deliberate malice. Its massive size didn’t just create a hole. It destroyed the entire front side.

  It bared its emerald teeth and began swiping at the shelves, toppling them with ease as it closed the distance between us. Then, it stood on its rear legs, towering over me, and swung a massive paw in a wide arc. I ducked low just in time and drove my fist into its gut with everything I had, the bear vomiting a stream of green liquid on me.

  Whether that liquid was blood or vomit I didn’t know, but it was radioactive energy and that was all I needed.

  A burst of energy filled my body and I aimed another fist at the staggering bear, this time its head. Radioactive power shot out from my elbow, rocketing my arm forward until my punch completely obliterated the thing’s head, green blood and brain matter splattering across all the various foods and drinks on the floor.

  Once I descended back down, I immediately began to drink the bear’s blood while my fingertips absorbed the rest my mouth couldn’t reach. There were different ways to use my ability and sadly, this disgusting method was one of them.

  Thankfully, I had no taste buds!

  Once I depleted the bear of its essence, I noticed a difference in me that I haven’t felt in a while. I’ve been using my bullet technique for so long, I forgot how it felt like to have my body be this energized. This fueled.

  This whole “Kill Jason mission” Jesus assigned me didn’t seem as bad as before. But not even this power could defeat that maniac. Wherever that Type Two was, I needed to absorb it. Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to save that idiot Elias before he potentially gets killed by that thing.

  I flew out of the Deli and zoomed through the sky, scanning the area to see if Elias had gone back on his initial plan.

  However, to my surprise, Elias was right in front of the Barclays Center and…so was the Type Two Radion!

  I lowered myself till I could get a better look at what the thing looked like and as soon as I did, the Type Two Radion raised its hand, beckoning to the vines on the ground.

  The plants were under her control!

  Elias froze at the entrance of the Barclays Center, his eyes wide as the vines writhed around him like snakes waiting for the kill. I clenched my fists, still charged from the radioactive bear’s blood, and bolted down toward him. The guy still had my status board in his bag and I couldn’t risk him getting torn apart by that plant monster.

  I was only a couple meters from the ground before a Venus Flytrap sprouted from the concrete and chomped down on me, trapping me inside its giant mouth. While the feeling didn't hurt me physically, the plant’s jaws still smothered me like two blocks of steel, restricting my movements. There was enough of an opening to see that the Type Two was approaching me through the air, standing on what I suspected to be one of the plants near the arena.

  “You…are like me,” she said, her voice raspy and gravelly. “Are you…the daddy I’ve been looking for?”

  So I was right! That voice from that SB call came from her. But that would mean that this zombie girl is like me! Is she attacking me ‘cause she thinks I’m just another unintelligent Type Two?

  The Flytrap opened up some more and I got a better look at what the Type Two looked like. She had on a short dress of sorts. It was made of vines, tightly coiled around her feminine body with radioactive ooze as a replacement for hair. She didn’t have a visible skeleton like me as the entirety of her body was composed of that green ooze.

  Well, I couldn’t tell if all of it was. Only her legs, arms and head weren’t covered.

  “How long have you been like this?” she asked, tilting her head in curiosity. “I don’t remember…who I used to be.”

  Memory loss? That’s weird. I know I had a bit of amnesia when I first became a zombie, but it wore off pretty quickly the moment I thought of Sunshine.

  “I don’t know. I guess a couple of weeks,” I answered, trying to push my head out further. “What about you?”

  “So…you’re not the daddy I’ve been looking for.” She sat down on what I now recognized to be a floating leaf. “I don’t know how long I’ve been searching. I’ve been like this for…so long.”

  “Ah, that sucks,” I said sarcastically. “But don’t worry! Once I absorb you, you won’t have to be a zombie for much longer.”

  She closed the distance between us and gave me a blank stare. “So, you want to…heal me? You don’t have to worry…about that. I need to stay as a zombie…to protect my daughter. From these humans. And this…world.”

  I paused for a couple seconds, processing what she just told me. Then, I asked “You have a daughter too?”

  To my surprise, the ooze above her chin curled into an innocent smile. “Too? That word suggests that you have one as well,” she said, excitedly kicking up her feet. “Isn’t that just wonderful? What’s her name? I bet it’s a cute one.”

  “Her name’s…Sunshine.”

  “Wooow. That’s almost like my daughter’s name. Her name is Sunflower. Well, that's her new name. I got rid of her old name. It didn't really fit what I wanted her to be.”

  “Can I just ask…do you know where a ‘Victoria’ could be around here? There was this man who I heard was with a kid when they were in that arena down there. That kid’s name was Victoria. I’m gonna hope she’s still alive so could you tell me where-”

  “There is no…Victoria,” she interrupted, her voice growing angry. “I only have a Sunflower.”

  “What do you mean there's no Victoria!?” I shouted, my tone tense. “Is she dead? Did you kill that little girl like you killed that man?”

  She clenched her head, seemingly in pain. “Her name isn't…Victoria. My daughter’s new name is-”

  “There's a mother with us, hysterical, because her daughter went missing and you're probably the only one who can tell her what happened. And if she’s already dead…” The energy in my body started to burn. “I mean…Geez. You used to be a human. What kind of sick fuck takes a parent’s child away from them? Just ‘cause you turned into a zombie, doesn’t mean you gotta act like one!”

  “Just…stop tal-”

  “And you call yourself a mother? How would your daughter feel if she knew how much of a sick murd-”

  Something heavy slammed into my body, pushing me down to the ground below whilst I was still imprisoned within the Venus Flytrap. I barely had enough time to think of my next move before a barrage of hits came raining down on my back, keeping me pinned. I scratched, clawed, and tugged at the Flytrap’s inside, but if it was unbothered by the beat down occurring outside of it, then what difference did I make?

  It was too difficult for me to focus and charge up some big energy attack when it felt like a Gatling gun was firing at me—except instead of bullets, it was launching bombs that exploded the moment they touched me.

  After what felt like an eternity, the onslaught finally ceased. The Type Two hovered back down, stopping just inches away from me. Her lifeless, black eyes stared into mine, as if I were gazing into two endless black holes.

  “How…are you still alive?” she said, poking at my teeth. “I gave you everything I had.”

  I chuckled. “Well, clearly it wasn’t enough. You forget I’m a zombie? I can’t die.”

  “Oooh yeah…I faced that same problem too. But now that my Sunflower is back, I don’t need to die anymore. Isn’t that…” She sighed sadly. “Wonderful.”

  I stuck my hand out of the mouth’s opening and touched the hair over her shoulder. “You’re gonna die no matter what you do ‘cause I need to absorb you for the sake of protecting my own daughter. And I need to make sure that woman’s daughter is safe from you.”

  “I didn’t kill…I only took back what was mine!” , she yelled, slapping my hand away. “You know, if you…apologized to me, I’ll consider forgiving you. Oh, and…and you have to say ‘honey, I’m home’ for me too.”

  Man, this lady is desperate…Didn’t she just want me dead!?

  “Fine,” I muttered. “Come closer.” She brought the side of her head to my mouth, acting like it was an ear.

  “You’ll never be…a true parent.”

  Suddenly, a thick vine pierced through my torso with brutal precision. The Venus Flytrap disintegrated to dust as the plant lifted me into the air like a skewered doll.

  While I was dangling in the air, I finally spotted Elias who had also been captured by the Type Two. Though, instead of being trapped in the mouth of a Flytrap, vines were wrapped firmly around his body. His mouth had also been covered so if he was crying for my help, I couldn’t hear him.

  “My plants…don’t hurt you? But how?” she questioned, readying up another attack.

  “I guess…you’re too weak too!” I shouted confidently, grabbing onto the vine.

  From what I learned from my new body these past couple of weeks, normal things that cause pain to humans don’t hurt me at all. Which confused me since…aren’t giant plants that can be controlled by a simple gesture not normal at all!? This ability should’ve been in the same category as what those Radius use. Something about these plants had Radius qualities whilst retaining their normalcy.

  However, I realized something once I shifted my focus to the vine. They were normal plants and yet, they were shrouded with a green aura.

  An aura that I could absorb.

  “What’s happening to the plant?” she asked, slowly spinning around the plant. “Power…is going down? No…being taken from me. What are you doing to it!?”

  “This is your last chance, Plant Lady! Tell me what happened to that girl before I absorb you,” I threatened, feeling the vine becoming softer. “I’m gonna absorb you anyway, so you should do it before you die. If your humanity and parenthood mean anything to you still.”

  The Type Two aimed her palm at the ground, her oozy hair ominously rising. “How many times…do I have to tell you? My daughter is not dead!”

  “Grassland”

  In that instant, a field of grass erupted from the cracked concrete, widening the cracks into deep crevices as every blade of green stretched skyward. I was just about to release my energy, but then something…unexpected happened.

  The zombie lady let out a piercing scream, her body convulsing as her levitating leaf descended to the grass. The vine embedded in my torso withered away in seconds, and I began to plummet—until I activated my rocket feet technique, my wound closing up soon after.

  I caught Elias before he could fall and noticed a spray bottle in his hand. “What did you do?” I asked him, flying back down.

  Elias laughed, which seemed weird given the situation. “Gave that bitch a taste of herbicide!” he said, shaking the bottle. “It only took five sprays to do all this. Imagine what the whole damn bottle could do.”

  “Wait…herbicide!? You knew the Type Two had plant powers and you didn’t tell anyone?”

  We reached the ground and Elias jumped off of me. Instead of answering my question, he bolted towards the Barclay Center’s entrance, hopping over the twitching zombie.

  “Elias, stop! If you knew the specifics of this zombie, then does that mean you didn’t tell-”

  “Wait!” The Type Two raised her hand toward the giant rose at the center of the arena, and it rushed toward Elias, swiftly blocking his path. “The girl…is here!”

  The middle of the rose opened, and to my surprise, an unconscious girl inside. She looked about Sunshine’s age and…was completely made of grass.