The only experience I remembered having with an invisible zombie was that prick Kevon back in Boomsbarrow. Who would've thought I’d be next? Good thing it did or I would’ve been stuck between a masked psycho and a flaming giant. And I was in no condition to fight either one, let alone both at the same time.

  While I recalled activating a State Between Absorption with Kevon, the process for that wasn’t completed considering he escaped at the very end. And yet, my two enemies couldn’t see me. Not just that. To them, it was like my very existence vanished, so hearing my voice or feeling me touch them was also off the table.

  Although, if Kevon’s Radius Ability was a part of my arsenal now, then why didn’t I see his orb back in the State Between Release? Was Sunflower hiding it from me back then or did I just now activate it?

  Well, I could ask her later. Right now, the impending battle between the two monsters had my attention locked in a cage.

  “Decapitation!”

  “Do not interfere with my battle, masked man,” said Incinivon, stomping towards Jason, splashing the lava beneath his feet like water. “I am here to kill the Radion named Jerome Hunter.”

  “Slit Throat!” Jason said angrily, unsheathing his machete.

  “Do not worry about your city,” the giant assured, gesturing for the masked man to calm down. “The air will eventually cool down the lava, adding a nice touch to an overall dull place. The heat never overstays its welcome.”

  “Headshot!”

  Incinivon sighed, sparks spilling from his lips as orbs of fire ignited around him.

  “I see… To oppose the fire is to oppose me.” His eyes narrowed, molten light flickering inside them. “And don’t forget—you're not the only one with something to protect.”

  The orbs danced, spiraling together until they fused into a single, massive sphere of flame that dwarfed its master. It drifted downward slowly in a seemingly deliberate manner, as though Incinivon was confident Jason couldn’t dodge.

  But Jason wasn’t one to do that. He stood his ground, blade poised, and cleaved the inferno in half with one strike. The river of lava split open as well, hissing.

  Incinivon’s expression hardened. His arm began to melt and reshape, swelling into a massive, molten fist. I rolled out of the way right before the zombie stretched his arm and slammed it against the masked man. Jason’s guard was already up by the time the fist made contact, and he was defending against the fire way better than I was.

  The blazing fist broke apart into smaller pieces, though it wasn’t ’cause his opponent threw any punches. Embers surrounded Jason, morphing into tiny fists, intent on crashing down like a meteor shower.

  That was when…

  “Decapitation!”

  Suddenly, Incinivon’s head dispersed into nothing. His body fell, but that didn’t stop the fire fists’ movement. I backed up even further, worried I’d get caught in the impact. However, Jason erased that worry once he used his next move.

  “Mincemeat!”

  The Radion’s body was instantly sliced to bits by some invisible force, dissipating the fire fists. The victory seemed to go to Jason. Beheading a zombie or destroying their head would kill a zombie. Even with Type Twos, we’d at least be incapacitated.

  That wasn’t the case for Incinivon. His body regenerated only seconds after Jason reduced it to pieces. No energy. Nothing to eat. He just… came back like it was nothing. I guess he really was a big hunk of fire.

  Jason didn’t let that bother him as he charged in to continue the fight. Even when a fire beam tried to stop the maniac in his tracks, he kept going, ignoring that his shirt and jacket had just been burnt to crisps. He closed the distance, and there was one big move both fighters agreed on doing.

  One big punch.

  Their fists clashed, releasing a devastating shockwave across the area. Buildings shattered. The fire evaporated. Fireworks painted the night sky, as if God himself was congratulating them on their fight. Even I couldn’t help but feel a little excitement. Sure, these guys were my enemies, but they were showing me something really valuable.

  This was what a fight between the strong looked like.

  Is this what those wrestling commentators felt like calling matches? Giving the audience perfect descriptions of every little move that The Rock and John Cena made in Wrestlemania 28 or the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels in Wrestlemania 25.

  No clear winner. Anyone could win or lose. Live or die.

  If I wanted to get far in this world, then I had to fight on that level. There was still more strength for me to obtain.

  Jason backed away, still keeping his guard up. “Bleed Out!”

  “It’s clear to me that you are much harder to kill than I thought,” Incinivon replied. He spread his hands out, aimed them at the ground, and released a burst of condensed flame. “Jerome has strong allies, so I’ll leave him alone for now. But do not forget. You can extinguish the flames, but if there’s even a tiny ember left, then the burning will continue.”

  The thought of Jason being my ally in anyone’s mind almost made me vomit, but given how fast the Radion flew out of Hallowsville, correcting him would have to wait.

  Jason turned around, his blade still dripping with molten residue. His eyes locked directly on me. That should’ve been impossible. No one could see me right now. And yet, he stood there, silent, as if his senses were screaming that someone else was still here.

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  He didn’t speak. Didn’t blink. Just stared straight through the air where I stood with those crimson eyes—eyes redder than the lights covering the city.

  Fear came over me at that moment. A different kind of fear. The kind you get when facing off against the unknown. And right now, that unknown was whether I’d live or not if I continued to stand here.

  A second passed and I was already out running. That wasn’t a fighter watching me anymore. That was an unsatisfied predator who couldn’t finish off its prey.

  Now a replacement was needed.

  **********

  “Your body is fascinating, but I assume you already know that,” said Emmy, closely inspecting my body. “It’s similar to mine, except you have bones, a nervous system, and other parts a living organism would have.”

  I didn't respond. My mind was so focused on Jerome’s safety that nothing else mattered to me right now. Not Emmy’s annoying questions. Not the sudden chaos that fell on Hallowsville minutes after we left. Not even the guy who just got a cash register thrown at his head…

  Ok, maybe that deserved some attention ‘cause what did he possibly do to deserve that?

  Emmy pulled me closer into the cardboard box we found while running away. “These surfers have extremely strange customs.” Emmy raised her eyebrows at my loud groan. “I understand you’re in pain, but can you be in pain a little quieter?”

  “Geez, what is with you and surfers? You do know a “surfer” is someone who rides water on those big boards, right?”

  Emmy scratched the side of her head. “Ah, so my word has two meanings, just like the word "bat ". English would be such a complicated language if it wasn’t literally shoved into my mind upon my creation.”

  “Noooo,” I said dryly, sinking deeper into her arms. “Surfer has one definition. You’re the one making it complicated by giving it another one.”

  “Of course someone of your intelligence doesn’t understand that ‘surfer’ is a combination of the two words surface and dweller.” I was afraid if I continued replying, she’d go into a long, irrelevant rant about her dumb vocabulary. That didn’t stop Emmy from speaking though. “I will consider this progress. I was afraid your incessant screaming and protesting would’ve continued long after we escaped.”

  I frowned. “That doesn’t mean I’m not still worried about him. If he dies ‘cause of me… then that adds another person to the list.”

  “Hmph!” Emmy exclaimed with a touch of annoyance. “If you think that hard-headed Radion will perish here, then you’re even more idiotic than I thought. This sounds very illogical for someone like me to say, but… dying isn’t something that’s possible for him.”

  “Weren’t you also worried for him? I remember that sad look on your face.”

  The KB flinched as her cheeks turned dark green. She hesitated to respond back, clearly trying to come up with an excuse for her out-of-character emotions back there. “That-That was not because I was personally worried for him. I was just worried our King and Savior Daemon’s plans would be ruined.”

  “Daemon? The guy who almost killed you?”

  “If Daemon saw my termination as a fitting punishment for me failing my mission and continuing to be up here so long, then so be it.”

  If her body shaking everytime she said the name “Daemon” wasn't proof of how bullshit that statement was, then I didn't know what was. Then again, I almost joined Michael’s family, so I wasn't one to talk.

  “Is that what you really want?” I asked her.

  Emmy smirked, but her eyes told a different story. “Um, yes, obviously. My purpose as a KB, which stands for Kare Bot, is to contribute to the betterment of humanity and “kare” for all types of living organisms. Nothing about that has any evil connotations.”

  “Wait, if you're what he calls a “care bot”, then why is it a KB? It should be a CB.”

  The KB, who should've been called a CB, snickered. “Typical low intelligence of a surfer. The word “kare” is spelled K-A-R-E. I've been programmed to know and know how to spell every word in a select few languages. Well, aside from useless ones like your idea of a “surfer”.”

  Clearly that was false…

  “Look, if you really wanna do what that guy says, then why do I sense so much fear from you?”

  Emmy froze, her once tight grip now loosening.

  I sighed, realizing I had to talk more than I wanted to. “Emmy, do you have a dream?”

  “To contribute to the betterment of humanity and-”

  “No, dummy.” I shoved my finger into her cheek. “Do you have a dream?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “I wasn't created to be… capable of dreaming.”

  “Well, that's stupid. Dreams are fucking cool. Wanna know what mine is? My mom told me a story about her and this school club she was in was trying to stop these city higher ups from cutting down a tree that's been growing there for decades. Even though they failed to stop it, Mom never stopped talking about how hard they fought that final day.”

  “Ok… I don't really understand-”

  “I want to bring back the Old Earth.” Emmy gasped, as though what I wanted was a great taboo. “And when the cities come back, I want to grow one giant ass tree in every single one of them. Should be easy without those higher ups ruining everything.”

  “Have you ever considered that they wanted to cut down that tree because it would benefit the city financially? That's assuming they would use that extra space to build-”

  “Who cares what they want?” I cut off. “If being selfish is what helps me achieve my dreams, then fuck it. Nothing's stopping my pursuit of happiness.”

  The KB paused, staring at me. “Your mindset is similar to the Type Two’s. To pursue happiness is to be selfish? A strange statement… but I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel the same way.”

  “Woah, really?” I chuckled, relieved she had some kind of understanding. “We got a rebel on our hands?”

  Emmy scratched her head with a confused expression. “Would it be selfish to say that… sometimes I’d rather stay up here and continue studying the surface world than going back to Underground City?”

  “Hell yeah, it would. And there’s nothing wrong with that.”

  Now that I thought about it, I could weirdly relate to Emmy. I’ve spent pretty much my entire life in those stupid fields and those shitty mines, growing marijuana and mining colorful crystals. It’d be a nice change of pace to just do all the shit I’ve never got to do. Plus, I’d like to go one week without getting hurt once. Or is that too much to ask for?

  It looked like that last wish was gonna have to wait as someone finally took notice of us. And that someone was a man, a man who I could only describe as the very definition of a creep. His bulging eyes were fixated on us like a predator about to feast on its prey. Saliva spilled from the dude’s mouth, his hot breath cursing my nostrils.

  “Hello, my name is… Richie. You two are very pretty girls,” he moaned, wiping the spit from his mouth. “It’s hard for me to find any pretty girls here. They’re all either wearing a mask or batshit crazy. But I can see both of your faces. And your bodies… are very nice to look at.”

  “Of course my body is nice to look at. I was created to look appealing to the masses.” Emmy said with a condescending tone. It was obvious she liked the compliment, and her naivety pissed me off.

  The KB’s comment made him drool even more. “Yes, I can see that. Your parents did a wonderful job on you. And that costume is… very nice.”

  “Dude, get the hell out of our faces!” I shouted in his face, my right eye twitching.

  “This isn’t a costume. In fact, I’m not even wearing any clot-”

  Without hesitation, I covered the girl’s mouth with my hand. “Emmy, don’t give the creep more reasons to keep being a creep.”

  The weirdo began to flex his muscles, like that would erase the strangeness of this conversation. “Do my ears deceive me? Not wearing any clothes? I see the boobs, but where are the nipples?” He flashed a wide, yellow grin. “Oh, it doesn’t matter. I’ve been lonely for so long, and Jason won’t let us leave this place. I need… relief.”

  I removed my hand from Emmy’s mouth. “Emmy, quick! Punch his lights out!”

  “Special Attack: Eye Poke!” Emmy yelled, stabbing the creep’s eyes with her fingers.

  The man shouted in pain, placing his hands over his eyes and falling on his ass. “What the heck!?”

  “Alright! Now give him a class nut shot!” I said, throwing my fist in the air.

  Emmy looked at her fingers, and then looked at me. “I don’t see how shooting nuts at him will deal any more significant damage than what my fingers achieved.”

  “Nooo,” I groaned. “Kick him in the nuts. You know, his balls?” After seeing the confusion on her face, I realized the actual names needed to be said, despite how much I hated saying them. “His, um, testicles? I think that’s what they’re called. The parts under his, uh, you know what.”

  “Oh, why didn’t you just lead with-”

  “This is exactly why I don’t talk to women,” the man moaned, beginning to stand up.

  “Hurry up! Before he gets the chance to touch us with his grimy fingers.”

  “Alright! Special Attack: Groin Kick!” The creep’s balls faced the wrath of Emmy’s foot, causing him to collapse yet again. “Ha! My attack was super effective!”

  His pained groans were like music to my ears. If I continued to show Emmy the ways I handled things, then we’d have a beautiful mini me in our hands. Now I just had to change the way she spoke.

  “Hmm, I still don’t understand why I had to attack this surfer,” the KB said, poking the perv’s body.

  “Ew, don’t touch him, girl! You don’t know where he’s been!”

  “Hey, Emmy, you’re ok!”

  Hearing that voice immediately replaced the bad vibes I got from that dude with a sense of relief. I didn’t know how he did it, but knowing Jerome survived a fight with that monster brought a smile to my face…

  But there was no way I was gonna show him that—especially after that embarrassing display I put on earlier. If I showed any more signs of being a helpless child, Jerome would just coddle me. Chill and nonchalant. Yeah, that’s how I needed to act!

  “Well, if it isn’t the Type Two surfer,” Emmy said, placing her hands on her lips like a mom. “Why do you look so unsightly!? You did win, didn’t you?”

  Unsightly? He couldn’t have looked that bad if his head was still there.

  That’s when I saw him. Both of his arms were missing, and he stood in front of the KB with a hole in his torso bigger than my own damn head. What an insane man, getting hurt like that for someone he wasn’t even related to.

  “Nope, but that’s not important,” Jerome replied. “Where’s Sunflower?”

  “J-Jerome,” I muttered, my lips quivering. Chill? Nonchalant? Screw that. There was nothing embarrassing about showing him I cared.

  The zombie crouched down, and his face lit up after seeing me. “There you are. You’re surprisingly in much better shape than I am.”

  I let out a soft laugh. “Jerome, I would hug you, but everything hurts right now. Care to, um, start-”

  His arm stumps were already around my body before the question finished. “I’m gonna absorb you now, alright? It’s about time you get some rest. Also, I really need to heal up.”

  “That’s fine.”