Ricky had a sinister grin painted in his face while he twirled Lyra's hair around his finger. “Godfather—a Radius Ability that gives me the ability to absolutely control. I might not be the strongest, toughest, or the fastest guy around, but this power of mine absolutely levels the playing field against monsters like Hunter, Kofi, and that damn Fire Type Two. In fact, I feel like a million fucking bucks! If I ever see that damn zombie again, I'll take control of him and make him kill everyone he loves. No one breaks my jaw and gets away with it!”

  Way to give up very useful information about yourself. The cocky asswipe gets a new, dark look and thinks he’s the shit. Maybe the only way to knock him off his high horse was to shatter those stupid veneers.

  Sunshine tilted her head, staring at Ricky’s mouth. “Speaking of veneers, how the hell did yours get fixed? Last I checked, Jerome sent yours through the ground.”

  “Bitch, these aren’t veneers! These are all natural, baby,” Ricky spat, pulling his bottom lip down to flash his teeth some more. With all the venom he’d just spat, it was surprising to see the bubble hadn’t disintegrated.

  “Soldiers of the Darkness,” said Richman. Sunshine had just noticed that there were now only two rods piercing his skull. There used to be four. “Only those who’ve walked a path of darkness could withstand the unimaginable horrors that it brings, and if they can withstand it, then the darkness will grant them what they need to spread its influence.”

  In other words, his Radius Ability had healing properties. Maybe Sunshine should've won an award for deciphering that shit.

  Ricky glanced at Moonlight. “I'm starting to think I actually killed that girl. I don't think she's woken up at all.” He said it with a slimy smile that made Sunshine’s blood boil.

  “She’s not dead,” growled Sunshine. Although, truthfully, even she wasn’t sure. Was it normal not to hear at least a little breathing from her? “And if she was, wouldn't be living for much longer.”

  “Even if she wasn't right now…” Roddy heaved the forcefield onto his shoulders, the floor cracking beneath his shoes. “We promised to kill anyone associated with Jerome and Sunshine Hunter, especially the ones trying to kill Jason. You and that girl are going to die regardless.”

  Lyra laughed softly. “Aaah, so that's the stunt you guys and Jason are trying to pull. You people think that if you can get in the good graces with each other, then you collectively have a chance of taking my father and the UR down for good. Newsflash geniuses, my father would've seen this outcome from a mile away. Why do you think he has that talking zombie up here along with my brother?”

  Ricky put a stop to Lyra’s talking with a punch to her head. His fist would probably look better inside a meat grinder instead of the face of the third girl he’s punched today. “I just thought of an absolutely funny thing to do, Roddy. What if we mailed her severed head to Daemon and give him something to really cry about?”

  “Yeah, but we would have to rough her face up before doing it,” Richman added, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Knowing she suffered before dying would definitely have that asshole drowning in the darkness.”

  Ricky paused for a moment and sighed, adjusting his shades. “You know, this would be where Conny would advise us not to do that. Probably say some shit about consequences and to think smarter, not dumber.”

  Richman began to walk out of the aisle. “Yeah, he would. It’s unfortunate he won’t be doing that anymore.”

  Sunshine tried to control the forcefield one last time, though the damn thing wouldn’t budge. “Hold on. I thought you guys wanted to kill me? Shouldn’t you be trying to destroy this-”

  There was something about Lyra’s eyes at that moment that flipped some kind of “stop talking!” switch in Sunshine’s brains. Maybe it was that twin telepathy that came with having Dante’s mind. Or maybe it was the fact that the giant teddy bear behind them was quietly moving to a different location.

  If she has a plan, then that shit better work.

  “He’s not dead,” Ricky said bluntly, following his partner. “And we can absolutely make sure of that by going back and finding him.”

  “Not happening,” replied Richman. Sunshine didn't know if it was intentional or not, but the man avoided every spot the light from the windows touched. “We've wasted enough time.”

  “Do you really think that zombie bastard killed Conny? Shouldn’t his Counter ability work on all things energy?”

  One of the rods on Richman’s head twitched. “It’s fishy, but the darkness says he’s dead, so he’s dead. Drop it already.”

  Ricky raised his eyebrows. “You’d believe the color of these glorified bathrobes over the life of who I thought was our friend?”

  Richman turned to look at Ricky, stopping a few aisles away from the exit. “First of all, black is a shade, not a color. Second of all, ‘glorified bathrobes’ are the only reason you don’t have to speak with a metal jaw for the rest of your life. Third of all, Conny wasn’t a friend. He was a coworker. Everyone in the Corleone Family are just coworkers.”

  “Mr. Corleone wouldn’t say that,” said Ricky, veins popping from his forehead.

  “That man would give away your life in a heartbeat if it meant-” The argument stopped as Richman walked closer to his partner, staring at an aisle from the right. A sweat trickled down Sunshine’s forehead when she realized the teddy bear was in that same spot. “I know for a fact that pink oversized bear wasn’t there before. My memory’s good, so I know I’m right. What do you think, Ricky? They trying to play us?”

  Ricky turned to look at the bear and proceeded to fire two shots into its belly. He placed his handgun back and said, “Well, whoever was in there is now swiss cheese. I can absolutely guarantee that.”

  Sunshine smirked a bit. This is good. If they think that’s how it works, then-

  “No, that’s not it,” denied Richman, slowly shaking his head. “I remember that toy didn’t have a proper entry for-”

  Just then, Lyra shrieked at the top of her lungs, causing the two men to flinch. Sunshine could’ve sworn she saw a crack form in one of the glass cups on the shelf. “You assholes didn’t even give him a chance to defend himself!”

  “The darkness says she’s lying.”

  “And I say you’re an undiagnosed schizophrenic,” joked Ricky, patting Richman on the shoulder. “I know women better than anyone, and that was an absolute genuine scream of horror.”

  “The darkness says you pay for all your sexcapades.”

  Ricky raised a middle finger and pointed it at the ceiling. “Tell the darkness that this is what I think of it.”

  Sunshine couldn’t find any smart reason as to why these dudes would be wasting so much time leaving the store. Were they really not worried about what Jason or their Corleone boss would think of them being late? Not to mention the other problem that would affect all of them if they didn’t leave soon.

  “You clowns do realize that Jerome’s a Type Two Radion, right?” asked Sunshine, specifically staring at Ricky.

  “Yeah, so what?” Ricky answered.

  “Everytime a Type Two leaves an area, a shitload of other zombies start flooding in and destroying everything in sight,” said Sunshine. “I’d say we have a good few minutes left before shit goes south.”

  The asswipe in shades checked his wrist, clearly pretending there was a watch there. “According to me, we have about ‘shut the fuck up about it’ minutes until they come, so… shut the fuck up about it?” For someone who already had a punchable face, that smug smile made him even more punchable. “Besides… we already have a contingency plan just in case. Ooooh, Benji!”

  Ricky snapped his fingers, and out from the shadows came a familiar face. It was the teleporter Sunshine remembered fighting on the mountain, cloaked in the same shadow that the other two were in. His intimidating appearance, however, couldn’t save him from a clumsy entrance—he stumbled into the aisle.

  “Hey, it’s you,” shouted Sunshine, pointing at the man as he regained his bearings.

  The teleporter pointed back at her, scowling. “And it’s you—the stupid kid who left me to die yesterday! I bet you're wondering how I survived that fall, huh?”

  I’m more so wondering what your name is. I don’t even know what this dude is talking about. Benny? Benadryl? I know his name was just said, but… God. Everything about him just feels so… irrelevant. Well, besides his ability.

  Benji showed off his hands and tried clapping them, though they phased right through each other. Not only did that power have healing capabilities, but seemingly intangibility too. “That’s still going to take some getting used to, but what I was trying to say was that I used your teleportation idea to land safely before I turned into zombie food. Speaking of zombies, that talking freak you call a father is going to pay for nearly killing me!”

  “You don’t have any problems with me though, right?” asked Sunshine, fully expecting him to disagree. “Even though I’m kind of the reason it broke?”

  Benji was about to answer, but Ricky’s immediate laughter cut him off.

  “Wait, hold on,” he said through his amusement. “You’re telling me a nine year old broke your leg? Holy shit, that’s so weak! We really gotta train you hard next time, dude.”

  “Well, it wasn’t her that broke my-”

  “This is unacceptable,” growled Richman, interrupting Benji. He stomped over to the teleporter and lifted him up by his face. “The darkness says she’s not lying, which means you got your ass beat by a child. Not just any child—a child that Michael Corleone wants dead. Utterly unacceptable.”

  “Woah, come on, Roddy.”

  Sunshine turned back to Ricky, and she noticed his hold on Lyra was loosening, as though he actually cared about what happened to… whatever his name was. It was in that instant where she got another case of ‘twin telepathy’, causing her attention to shift to Lyra’s eyes. That fierce intensity immediately told Sunshine that her temporary sister had a plan, and the missing teddy bear only reaffirmed that.

  “Benji’s one of our members, which absolutely makes him a friend. Who cares if he messed up once?”

  “Who cares? I care!” Richman hissed. “You should care! We’re associating ourselves with a weakling who failed the Corleone Family. That makes us failures by association, and do you know what the oh so great Corleone does with failures?”

  “Rodrick!” You could probably cut the tension with a butter knife, a tension even thicker than the veins popping out of Ricky’s forehead, a tension distracting enough for him to finally let go of Lyra and hurry over to his angry partner.

  With how caught up they were in arguing, it was no wonder they didn’t notice the other sounds erupting around them—the relentless pounding, shelves crashing as glass shattered, the supermarket floor splitting in two beneath the force of the teddy bear’s claws. But out of all the noise flooding her ears, one sound forced her gaze downward: aggressive growling.

  What Sunshine said before was true: Type Two Radions certainly did attract a horde of zombies. However, she would’ve never expected such a massive swarm of them underneath the store. Their species were known for their reliance on each other, and yet these monsters were pushing and clawing at each other like rabid animals. As they fell deeper into the emerald abyss, the zombies’ greediness and need to satiate their hunger became clear. Even the unlucky Resource Adventurers between some of their teeth weren’t enough for them.

  Saying the smell was horrendous was an understatement. The toxic stench hit her nostrils like old meat left out in the rain, seasoned with rotten eggs, then microwaved in a dumpster. Someone without the tolerance would probably die before a zombie could even lay a finger on them. Maybe that’s how those Adventurers perished.

  Sunshine realized they wanted more than those Resource Adventurers, they wanted them. It seemed like the best way for the monsters to get what they wanted was to climb onto each other and keep moving upwards. So much for one big happy zombie family. Though, perhaps being stuck inside a sewer system with minimal lighting and no new humans to eat would do that to you.

  “Shadow Web!”

  Pieces of the darkness that were on the sewer walls stretched out from each direction, connecting themselves to each other until they formed a makeshift spider web that successfully caught everyone… except for Lyra.

  “Ly!” Sunshine screamed.

  Lyra’s transmutation ability was strong, but it came with a few negatives. One of them being that she was limited to three uses per day—pretty shitty when she had already used her ability twice today. If Lyra was going to find a way out of those zombies’ grasps, then she’d need to give up helping Sunshine escape from the forcefield. It looked like Dante’s sister realized that too as she quickly took off her cloak and placed it under her feet.

  It expanded, morphing itself into a circle. Metal rods popped out of its corners, stabbing one of the zombies in the head once she made it down there. Then, her feet sank into the fabric inch by inch, eventually launching the woman back up. Sunshine presumed she would land on the surface safely. Ricky made sure she didn’t even get past the web, snatching Lyra by her neck in quick fashion.

  Ricky kept his grip tight on her glorified dog collar. “We should’ve known this bitch would turn that pink mess into a sentient creature. Although, I absolutely don’t understand how she was planning on getting her little girl squad out of this mess. It’s not like the forcefield was gonna bounce their way out of here.”

  Richman continued to look up. “Well, unlike them if they were alone down here, we have a way out.” Richman patted Benji’s back, who looked uncomfortable. “Benny.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “B-Benji, actually.”

  “Benadryl,” Richman replied bluntly. “Teleport us the fuck out of here, and I’ll consider convincing Corleone not to punish you after all this. Obviously, I would be placing all the blame on you.”

  A nervous smile appeared on the teleporter’s face. “You see, Mr. Richman, that’s not really how my ability works. I can’t teleport all of us at once, and even if I could, my ability is more “switch places of two things” rather than going anywhere I want.”

  “Are you saying we’re fucking stuck here?” asked Ricky, leaning his face to Benji.

  “I’m saying that in order to get out of here, someone has to be strong enough to throw something up there so I can switch places with it. Depending on what or who we’re throwing, it should be more than… five times.”

  Ricky pinched his forehead, shaking his head. “You know what? This is still good. We don’t even have to throw. Roddy can just encase one of those flesh eaters with some black and float them up there.”

  “Yeah, that’s the other thing. My radius doesn’t go that high up, so…”

  “So, in other words, you’re useless!?” Richman grabbed the red haired man’s face and removed the shadow cloak protecting Benji’s body. “Only reason the darkness kept you alive was because your power sounded powerful. I don’t know how or why you’re in this family, but it’s about time you get on out!”

  To Benji’s dismay, the big man opened his hand, forcing him to come to terms with the fact that he was about to be zombie food. Sunshine changed that outcome, instinctively forming a bubble around the teleporter, putting an abrupt end to his descent. She noticed the man was about to clap his hands, though stopped right before doing so. If the plan was to switch himself with Richman, then he must’ve figured it would backfire.

  Ricky gritted his teeth. “What the hell, Roddy? He could’ve died!”

  The big guy glared at Sunshine, and she looked back. “We have bigger problems to worry about. Why the hell does that brat have Dante’s ability, and how are we getting out of here?”

  “Dante could be nearby, but that wouldn’t explain why she absolutely made his hand gesture,” Ricky muttered, tapping his chin. “As for our zombie problem, the only way I see us getting out of here without getting bit or eaten is by using the Radius Combo.”

  “Unfortunately, that looks to be our best bet,” Richman agreed, a rare occurrence these past couple of minutes. “However, if I redirect Shadowverse to the outside world, it might interfere with Hunter’s capture. The darkness says so.”

  The collar around Ricky’s neck released itself, landing in his palm with a loud thud. “Would you rather trust your friend or an abstract concept?”

  Pieces of the Shadow Web floated to the middle of Richman’s palms, morphing into a ball of dark energy. “We are coworkers.”

  “Whatever you say, buddy,” Ricky snickered, dropping the metal collar. The zombie closest to the web became prisoner to the man’s Godfather, causing it to stand upright. Compared to the other zombies, Ricky’s new slave seemed way more civilized now, like an obedient soldier. Sunshine didn’t know if this was important or not, but the zombie’s collar had a blinker which flashed red while Lyra’s blinker wasn’t even turned on. Did it work differently for zombies? Or had she done something beforehand?

  His bracelets only control one thing or person when they get caught in it, so what does this asswipe plan on doing? And what the hell is a ‘Radius Combo’?

  Those questions would soon be answered as the ball of dark energy shot from his hand, racing toward the rabid horde. It washed over the man-eaters like a tsunami crashing through a city, staining them darker than even the shadow cloaks he and his ally wore. In the next instant, blue beams fired from the zombies’ collars, striking each one square in the head—even those that hadn’t revealed themselves.

  The growling and the moaning stopped—replaced with an eerie silence. No more climbing, biting or crawling. They all stayed still like soldiers as their hollow eyes gazed upwards.

  Pure obedience.

  “Radius Combo!”

  “Arise!”

  “Shadowverse: Shadow Army!”

  Ricky pointed his finger to the surface. “Push us up, guys! And yes, I absolutely care how long it takes you! Chop chop!”

  Sunshine’s eyes widened in awe of what the two had accomplished. This was on a much bigger scale than Dante capturing some animals in his balls. Ricky had literally tamed zombies on a massive scale, and there was something genuinely scary about that. Mindless zombies were basically just animals who could be outsmarted. These flesh eaters were nothing like that. They felt more… huma-

  Suddenly, a flash of memories flooded her mind, each more painful than the last. Dante’s mother, the soft skin peeling off her face, the screams of agony that left her mouth, the fear in her eyes, knowing her own son turned into one of those… monsters, knowing those shadowy, evil things was what her son became the equivalent of…

  It was too much for her. No, not Sunshine. For Dante.

  Sunshine fell to her knees vomiting, heart pounding like a drum. “L-L-Let’s stop this, Sunshine! I’ve had enough! It’s been way past a minute. Why the hell are you still doing this!?”

  “I don’t know how to deactivate it! I don’t when it deactivates! Dante, I don’t know what to do… Just tell me how-”

  “I’ll tell you what the fuck to do! Get me the hell out of your head!”

  “I can’t! We have to protect Moonlight and your sister, remember? Jerome got teleported somewhere, so I have to do this!”

  “I said get me the hell out of here!”

  “This kid is absolutely insane.”

  “The darkness says she’s dissociating.”

  Sunshine glared at the two with gritted teeth. “How about I dissociate those rods from your skull and shove them up your ass, you fat whale?”

  Ricky cackled, playfully pointing at his partner. “Ok, you gotta admit that was kinda funny.”

  “The darkness says I’m 300 pounds of pure muscle.”

  “Are you laughing at my face!? Quit laughing at me! I am not a jo-”

  “Sunshine, are you ok?” The moment Sunshine heard that familiar voice, her heart began to slow down while her attention shifted to her left. Her new friend had finally awoken, but Moonlight’s face looked off. “Hmm. You’re not her, are you? Who is this?”

  Sunshine wiped the traces of vomit from her mouth with her shirt, eyebrows wrinkled. “You were unconscious for so long, and you weren’t breathing. I thought you died. I’m happy… you didn’t.”

  Moonlight began to flex her arms, puffing her face. “Not being able to hear me breathe is one of the things that comes with a body like mine. I’m also pretty good at acting dead. Never mind that though.” The girl placed her hand on Sunshine’s cheek. “Your eyes look crazy, and your voice got a little deeper. And what happened to your bruises? How did they heal so fast?”

  That blue hair. That voice. This feeling…

  “Mother…”

  Moonlight tilted her head. “Huh?”

  Sunshine poked around her face and realized her wounds actually were gone. Since when did Dante have healing abilities?

  “Uuum, Roddy, you heard that, right?”

  Sunshine noticed that the two men were now walking towards their forcefield.

  “Indeed, I did. Apparently, Dante and the Hunter girl are in the same body somehow. It makes perfect sense now that I think about it.”

  Ricky smirked, readjusting his sunglasses. “Then it looks like plans are changing once again. But this time, we’ll have a good reason for it.”

  “The darkness says the only way to separate the two is to knock the original unconscious. But I won’t be the one to break that forcefield.”

  “You won’t, but they will.”

  Suddenly, one of the zombie soldiers marched to the forcefield and struck it with their fist. Then another. And then another. None of it made any sense. If Richman’s shadow cloaks made them intangible, then how were they physically interacting with the bubble? It wasn’t like they could control what they could and couldn’t touch as Benadryl… Benjamin… the teleporter wasn’t able to touch his own hands. Unless only Richman was able to control it.

  “You think they’ll leave me alone if I went back to playing dead?” asked Moonlight, awkwardly chuckling.

  “Probably not,” Sunshine whispered.

  She glanced at Dante’s twin, and her expression hadn’t changed since coming down here. Did none of this scare her? Affect her? Anything? She knew Lyra had a plan, but why was she waiting so long!? If anything, it seemed like her original plan backfired immensely.

  Now that I think about it, why didn’t either of them suggest using Lyra’s power to destroy this forcefield? Is that why she’s staying silent? To get any unwanted attention off of her so they forget?

  The two knew Lyra had used her ability twice, but they must’ve been unaware of that hidden room she created to hide from the explosion. Maybe they wanted to save that third use for something else.

  Sunshine dug through her pockets and pulled out something she hadn’t considered ever since she got it. It was the orb she had used to capture the Roach Man after their battle, and the chances of it working was probably low.

  I don’t know how the hell this stayed in my pockets the whole time, but I’m glad it did.

  “Ooo, that’s pretty,” said Moonlight. “I don’t see how that’s going to help us, but it’s nice to look at something pretty before our likely demise.”

  “Don’t be so sure of that, Moonlight. In this orb contains a powerful asswipe who Sunshine captured not too long ago. I forgot his actual name, so I just call him Roach Man.”

  “Ooo, is he like your Spider-Man? I like that character.”

  “I don’t think superheroes are known for trying to skewer kids with their bare hands, so no. That’s one reason I’m afraid of bringing him out. He’s really angry at her.”

  Although, if he really was a member of the Corleone Family like he and the teleporter said, then he oughta be just as angry at them for abandoning him. I mean, why else wouldn’t he be at the Slave Lands like the rest of those pricks?

  Sunshine’s grip on the orb tightened, preparing to release the beast within. That was until another blast of twin telepathy hit her, forcing her to turn her focus back to Lyra.

  “This is gonna absolutely take way too long,” said Ricky, pulling Lyra in front of him. “I completely forgot Daemon’s little lady could help us out with this.”

  “If we use her ability now, then we won’t be able to use it again for the day.”

  “I’m willing to take that risk.” Darkness covered Lyra’s feet as Ricky pushed her forward. “Lyra, get rid of Hunter’s forcefield now!”

  Lyra didn’t speak. She didn’t blink.

  She marched forward like a lifeless machine. Not a word. Not a thought. Just programming. Whatever was left of the girl named Lyra had gone quiet. And something colder had taken her place.

  Or is that what you want us to believe, Ly? If this is all just acting, then bra-fucking-vo. But wouldn’t Ricky be able to tell if people he’s captured were actually under his control or not? If so, then why isn’t he taking any action? Or maybe he can’t tell… God, why is Dante such an over thinker!? Oh wait, I am Dante.

  The sight of Lyra’s hand touching the forcefield snapped the girl out her thoughts. And then—the forcefield changed.

  The smooth, glowing barrier warped under Lyra’s touch, rippling like disturbed water before hardening into jagged metal. Circuits crawled across its surface like veins. With a hiss of steam and a grinding clank, it folded inward on itself, reshaping into a machine gun.

  However, doing that came with a painful cost. The blood trickling from the sister’s mouth proved that.

  Despite the damage she took, Lyra’s once robotic face regained most of its humanity—a stark contrast to the shadow zombies standing around them.

  “Sunshine, we really should start running,” murmured Moonlight, hiding behind Sunshine.

  “No, I trust her,” she whispered back.

  “It’s time to come out, Dante,” shouted Ricky, smiling. “Lyra, ensure that that happens.”

  Lyra’s hand slid down to the trigger, the mouths of the machine gun itching to unleash bloody devastation. She didn’t fire. Instead, Lyra lifted the weapon above her head, turned, brought it down, and let the bullets run wild.

  “What the hell!?” screamed Ricky, shielding his face.

  While the other bullets passed through his body like he wasn’t even there, a few of them struck his face. Blood didn’t explode out of his skull like Sunshine expected, though his face was wet. Not with blood, but… with water.

  Lyra had made a gun that shot water. A water machine gun.

  What the hell is she doing!? This ain’t fun in the sun time. This is get rid of those asswipes so we can get out of here time!

  Darkness cloaked Ricky’s face, allowing his face to phase through the attacks. “Why isn’t she under my absolute control!? My Godfather is still around her neck.”

  “Never mind that,” said Richman, cloaking his own face. “We gotta stop her.”

  They rushed towards her. Lyra was faster, grabbing Sunshine with her hand and Moonlight with her mouth. All this while holding that heavy gun with one arm. She jumped off the Shadow Web just as the darkness on her feet disappeared.

  Landing on the teleporter’s forcefield, Lyra shouted, “This forcefield isn’t like the last one, so fly us out of here!”

  Considering Sunshine was the one who created it, it was obvious the task fell on her to complete. The pressure of their bodies dragged the glowing barrier down an inch, but it held. The forcefield pulsed beneath them, brighter, tighter. Then—movement. A slow rise, almost imperceptible at first. The weight didn’t vanish; she carried it with her, through every inch of lift. But she refused to let that stop her.

  “Fuck! I absolutely forgot Dante could do that!”

  Spikes of shadow stretched towards them while the zombies jumped to catch them to no avail.

  With a low hum, the field surged upward, carving an emerald path through the dark all the way back up.

  At least, that was what Sunshine intended. Reality had other plans for her, and it came in the form of a giant, black hand. The hand was closed, but it wasn’t going for a punch. It was holding something, multiple things. The moment it opened, a pack of zombies jumped out like lions.

  Realizing this, Sunshine attempted to form another forcefield around the four of them. There was a problem that prevented her from doing so. Dante was able to use the Nuclear and Radioactive energy from the environment to create his energy constructs, but it was impossible to do that here considering Richman had tainted almost everything in the sewer with his dark energy. She could sense that the dark energy used energy, but it was as if it didn’t exist at all.

  With a Radius Ability like that, they were surely doomed.

  However, in those few critical seconds, three people seemed to notice Sunshine’s predicament.

  The first was the teleporter. For reasons unknown, he chose to switch places with her. It was a split-second decision—noble or reckless, she couldn't say—but it left him exposed. And the cost was immediate: one of the zombies lunged, sinking its teeth into his hand before he could react.

  The second was Richman. Emerging from the palm of the giant hand, he moved unlike the other zombies. While the rest were only worried about who was on top of the forcefield, he made a direct line for it. Whether he had originally been targeting the teleporter, or somehow anticipated the switch, Sunshine couldn’t tell. But the precision of his movement chilled her more than the chaos.

  The third was Lyra. In truth, she may have been the first to notice. But the injuries she had sustained dulled her reflexes, slowing her just enough to fall behind. Her eyes widened with realization too late to act—though her intent was clear.

  Richman’s hand phased through the barrier just as he landed on it. Despite her confusion at that moment, Sunshine was able to notice something. Right after his whole arm had entered the bubble, he deactivated the shadow cloak around his palm. In fact, the palm of his right hand and the soles of his shoes all had their cloaks taken away. Using this chance, she morphed a small part of the forcefield into an arrow, and then shot it forward.

  For the first time since they met him, Richman started to bleed.

  “Damn it!” he shrieked, holding his bloody palm. The arrow was still lodged in his hand. “You stupid… brat!” It was very possible that was one of the few moments Richman had felt pain since the start of the apocalypse, and Sunshine was satisfied knowing she contributed to that.

  Since the two of them were so focused on that very pain, they weren’t able to notice that Lyra had thrown Moonlight deeper into the zombie sewer. It was when Sunshine did that fear and anger filled her heart.

  Since the two of them were so focused on the pain—his bitten hand, her burning energy—they didn’t notice what Lyra had done.

  She had thrown Moonlight—deeper into the zombie-infested sewer.

  Fear and anger exploded in Sunshine’s chest.

  What the hell is wrong with her!? she thought, tearing open a hole in the bubble and diving out after the girl.

  She caught Moonlight just in time, the child’s small frame weightless in her arms, but the fall was steep and the zombies below were too close.

  Sunshine braced to activate the forcefield again—to catch them, to lift them away before the swarm reached them—

  But then something yanked them upward.

  Lyra.

  She was gripping the edge of the hole in the bubble, one arm extended down, fingers locked tight around Sunshine’s wrist. The forcefield hadn’t saved them.

  Lyra had.

  “Didn’t I tell you not to risk your life again!?” Lyra yelled, blood dripping from her mouth.

  “You could’ve killed her!” Sunshine growled, moving her head out to the way of a falling pipe.

  “Yeah, you could’ve killed me,” Moonlight repeated.

  “That kid’s holding us back and you know-”

  Before she could finish her sentence, Lyra let go of the forcefield the second she saw the zombies were about to take a chunk out of her flesh. Considering they were falling down to even more zombies, maybe she should have clung on…

  The sureness of their deaths faded as one by one, they were all teleported to the bottom of the sewer. A blazer, white button shirt, and a tie replaced them, quickly torn to shreds by the shadow monsters.

  They were now in front of a hole in the sewer wall. Somehow, the teleporter had survived the onslaught of zombies and saved the three girls. Unfortunately for him, he still got bit, and the ooze leaking from his hand was a bad omen for his future.

  “You saved us,” whispered Sunshine, helping Moonlight up, her voice half disbelief. “But why?”

  “It’s because you saved my life, ok?” he answered. “Now hurry up and crawl through this hole before they spot us.”

  They didn’t need to be told twice.

  One by one, they dropped to their knees and squeezed into the narrow tunnel. It stank of rot and mold, the walls slick with slime. Ahead, darkness swallowed everything.

  Then behind them—groans. Shuffling. Nails scraping concrete.

  A few of the zombies had followed.

  “How the fuck are they coming through here if they phase through everything they touch?” asked Benji—the third person that crawled in.

  “They can move on anything with darkness on it, like shadows or dark places like this hole here,” said Sunshine—the second person that crawled in. “It’s like pouring a cup of water in a lake. It just mixes together. It’s a really cool power, but easy to deal with if you understand it.”

  “Then how come I couldn’t clap my hands before?”

  “That’s something I noticed too, and it might have to do with Richman’s weakness. He and the zombies can’t actually attack someone unless a part of their body goes back to normal. If they wanna punch or grab someone, Richman has to remove that shadow cloak temporarily.”

  “So that explains why we were able to stand on the floor before,” the man noted.

  Sunshine’s eyes gazed forward. Moonlight was in front since she was the slowest in the group, which made her more susceptible to getting caught in the event an enemy followed them. However, that same speed hindered the rest of them a bit, especially when Lyra was carrying the machine gun with her. How she was able to fit that in the hole was beyond Sunshine’s knowledge.

  “Don’t worry about me, Dante,” said Lyra—the last person that crawled in. “Their teeth shouldn’t be able to penetrate my skin.”

  “Can you explain why?”

  “What do you me… Hold on, you’re that zombie’s kid again, aren’t you? Did you really think now was the time to change back?”

  “My body was pushing way past its limit. You’re lucky I even went over five minutes, man.”

  Moonlight sighed. “Hey guys, pay attention. I see an exit.”

  Just as she said, there was finally an end to the path, and yet there was no end to the relentlessness of the zombies. However, the place they were about to enter had a key that would unlock the stairway to victory.

  Light.

  “How is there sunlight in an indoor area?” asked Moonlight, leaving the hole.

  “It’s not sunlight. It’s that artificial light all the stores used to have back in the day.” Sunshine was next to leave the hole, standing by to help out Benji. “It’s called electricity. I read about it in a book one day.”

  Benji held out his uninjured hand, allowing the girls to pull him out to safety.

  Lyra was next, pushing her weapon out first.

  But just as she was about to crawl through, shadowy hands seized her ankles. She grunted as she was yanked backward into the tunnel.

  “Benjamin, help me!” said Sunshine, grasping Lyra’s black hair.

  “I got her!” Benji growled, lunging forward and grabbing Sunshine’s waist. “And the name’s Benji!” But Lyra was already halfway dragged into the dark, her pink sneakers scraping the dirt.

  The two zombies swarmed her, teeth gnashing. One of them clamped its jaws onto her neck—

  And paused.

  Its teeth didn’t sink in. No blood. No torn flesh. Just a dull clack, as though it had bitten metal.

  “I told you not to worry about me,” said Lyra, gritting her teeth. She then pointed behind them and said, “Grab the gun and shoot it!”

  She released her grip on Lyra and snatched the machine gun, its weight nearly dragging her back down. But with what little strength she had left, she hauled it up and pulled the trigger.

  Blasts of water erupted from the barrel, tearing through the tunnel like a hurricane. The zombies on top of Lyra were shredded to bits, killed by the one thing that felt like cancer to their bodies. The shadow cloaks must’ve vanished the moment the light hit them, and with them gone, they were eventually able to get Dante’s sister out.

  They all took a much needed breather, reflecting on the horror of what they just survived. Not even the flickering light bulb could shine a light on the dark, hellish landscape still etched into their brains.

  Sunshine would never admit it, but that Radion army affected her the most. Their heartless aggression, their endless hunger, their indifference to human lives–those aspects were the true nature of that species. It had to have been a miracle that her dad never ended up like that.

  No. She couldn't even be confident in that thought. That explosion Jerome created with just a single attack and the destruction that resulted from it was still fresh in her mind. One wrong move or if she was just a little slower, and Sunshine wouldn't even be here right now.

  Was that really the kind of power that came from being one of those… things?

  All her life she'd been a fan of all the things the new world had to offer. This might've been the first time she truly understood the gravity of their existence.

  “Sunshine, you're hyperventilating again,” said Moonlight, rubbing Sunshine’s arm.

  Dang it. Again? Her pulse thundered in her ears as her chest tightened.

  Moonlight held Sunshine’s chin and looked into her eyes. “Just focus on my face, ok?”

  “Alright,” said Sunshine, her heart slowing down.

  Lyra groaned. “This is just great. She’s having a panic attack. That shirtless dude got bit. And I can’t use my ability again until tomorrow.”

  For someone with a tongue that sharp, you’d think her outfit would be just as cutting. But no—Lyra came to the surface in a short navy-blue jean skirt and a tight Nike tee, practically begging a zombie to take a bite.

  She really was Dante’s sister.

  “You… Your name’s Lyra, right?” asked Benji, gripping his hand in pain. “How the hell didn’t you get bit? You made out of steel or something?”

  Lyra swooped the hair out her face. “Whenever I go past my Radius Ability’s use limit, my body gets transmuted to the material I used last. Since that forcefield was made with a really durable form of radioactive energy, my skin is just as tough for now. Still hurts though.”

  Sunshine took a deep breath and turned to the woman. “How many more hours till you can use it again?”

  Lyra pulled out a Status Board from her skirt’s pocket, decorated with yellow stars and glitter. “Well, this stupid thing is damaged. Would've worked down here too. I suspect Kofi’s electricity range reaches here since we're pretty below the surface.” Guess she didn’t care about the damage as she put it back where she held it. “It was like midday when this all started, right? I’d say ten hours is what I’ll need.”

  “T-T-Ten hours?” said Benji, visibly worried. “There’s no way we’ll survive down here until tomorrow. Are you insane?”

  A surprised expression appeared on Moonlight’s face. “I can’t stay away from home for that long. My family will get worried about me.”

  “If you want me in top condition, then that’s what we’ll have to do. It’s not just me though. The kid has to recharge her Radius Ability too. Probably the same amount of time.”

  Benji fell on his butt. “Oh God…”

  “It’s not just that. My dad’s still lost somewhere, and only Richman knows where he is. Lyra, you might be on the enemy team, but we both want to keep Jerome alive, don’t we? Besides, I know you have your reasons for saving him that go beyond just the UR’s ultimate goal.”

  Lyra scoffed, lowering her gaze. “Whatever you say, kid. But we have something else we need to deal with.”

  Both of their attentions shifted to Benji’s hand, and it didn’t take long for him to realize what their eyes suggested.

  “W-W-Wait! We don’t have to resort to that! It’s literally the only way I can use my power. Without it, you all would’ve been fried.”

  “Benji, if we don’t deal with that now, the ooze will start spreading even further than just your hand.”

  Lyra sighed. “Since you have powers, the transition to becoming a zombie takes longer, but becomes deadlier the longer you take to deal with it. You could try and kill us at any moment. Believe me… I would know.”

  Sweat filled his frightened face. “C’mon, Sunny. We’ve saved each other’s lives. I’m indebted to you now.”

  Lyra picked up her machine gun. “This is just how the world works, dude. We gotta destroy your hand.”