5 YEARS AGO

  “Hey, Jerome, you should let me kill something for once,” Sunshine suggested, pointing her finger gun at the air and pretending to shoot radioactive birds.

  Her dad smiled. “Not until you’re my age, and then you can kill whatever you want.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “But you’re old, and it would be illogical to think I wouldn’t have to kill something during those two decades.”

  “If you keep raising that eyebrow, your face’ll get stuck like that.”

  “Huh? Is that true?” Her face quickly reverted back to normal. “Ok. I should be good now.”

  The two had been out buying boxes of food and drinks from a Resource Adventurer base the next town over, which Sunshine found weird considering their closest neighbor has plenty of resources to share. Then again. Jerome had always been a big fan of the RAs, so helping their cause in any way he could was worth the walk.

  She wished her dad would've let her hold one of the boxes, but she admired how strong he was and that unyielding determination — even if it was for such a simple task.

  They made it to their lovely little shack at the outskirts of a mostly abandoned neighborhood when the back of Jerome’s boot pressed against her chest. His hand trembled while her heart raced — not in fear, but excitement.

  A radioactive bear blocked the entrance to their home, staring at a bear cub up on a tree. Its moans sounded sad, so that must’ve been its child that got stuck up there.

  “Sunshine, don’t be too loud and please don’t move a muscle,” her dad pleaded, lightly pushing her back.

  She scoffed, wiping the dirt off her dark green sweater. “Just give me your knife. I’ll go for the legs, then the neck, then the eyes, and then I’ll go for glory.”

  “How about you go for those rocks over there?” he said, pointing at the stones under another tree. “You’ll distract the momma while I help her baby get down.”

  Someone didn’t have to be the smartest guy in the world to survive as long as they had common sense, and Jerome was top tier when it came to that. Now Sunshine was worried her dad couldn't even use that.

  “That’s crazy,” she whispered as he placed the boxes down. “Normal mommy bears go berserk when someone touches their kids, and that’s a radioactive bear. Imagine how even more berserk it could get.”

  “Don’t argue with me on this. I’m serious.” Jerome took off his camo jacket and dropped it on her head. “Trust me, Sun.”

  Sunshine held on to his leg, the jacket falling off. She might’ve been weak, but that didn’t stop her from trying to stop such a crazy plan. “But… that thing will kill you. And for a kid that’s not even yours? It’s dumb.”

  Her father patted her on the head and gave a thumbs up. “Don’t worry about me. I’m never gonna die.”

  Despite the confidence in his voice, Sunshine didn’t loosen her grip. She clung harder, small fingers digging into his pant leg like she could anchor him in place by sheer will. Jerome tried shifting his weight. No luck. He tried stepping forward. She moved with him.

  He finally had to pry her arms off one by one. Only when he met her eyes — that stubborn determination — did she reluctantly let go.

  Sunshine went over to the pile of rocks like they’d planned, scooped up a handful, and hurled them at the shack. Then she darted behind the tree before the startled bear turned its head.

  She glanced behind her hiding spot. The bear was beginning to turn back, but Sunshine didn’t let that happen, throwing some more rocks. A clang echoed and this annoyed the animal enough to put its full attention on where the rocks landed.

  Thanks to her, Jerome was able to climb up swiftly but carefully. Avoiding the wrath of an aggressive mother was already dangerous. Imagine trying to help a terrified kid down a tree without falling.

  That’s what Sunshine predicted would happen as she gripped the bark with sweaty palms. The momma bear searched aimlessly, digging up the ground with its claws. Every swipe into the dirt made her flinch. It was too easy to imagine her dad there instead.

  To her surprise, none of the horrible outcomes she imagined came into fruition. The baby had trusted Jerome enough to cling onto its back, though the nibbling it did on his gray hoodie worried her.

  Was it her dad’s soft demeanor that lowered the baby bear’s guard? Did he smell like food that bears liked?

  Whatever the answer was, it allowed Jerome’s feet to hit the ground safely. That safety didn’t last forever.

  The moment the cub let out a startled squeak, the momma’s head snapped toward them.

  The beast charged

  Sunshine lurched forward from behind the tree, her whole body screaming at her to move — weak or not, she couldn’t just watch. But before she could take a single step, Jerome threw a hand out in her direction without even looking back, his fingers spread in a clear command:

  Stay.

  She froze, heart pounding like it was trying to tear out of her chest. The bear thundered toward him, claws carving up the ground that she feared would be her dad’s grave.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Still, Jerome didn’t flinch. He set her baby down in front of him, stood tall, and stood his ground.

  The momma stopped inches before tackling the two, as though her dad’s fearlessness created a wall around them, blocking her from entering.

  “We saved your son, so do us a favor and get the hell away from our shack,” her dad said.

  The bear looked down at its cub and then at Jerome, debating on if it should sink its teeth into his face. Thankfully, it didn’t, lumbering away with its baby right behind. Sunshine waited for them to pass by and — after a long wait — slipped past undetected.

  “Jerome, that was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” she said, trying to contain her immeasurable excitement. She jumped up and hugged him. “You made that bear your bitch.”

  He flinched. “What the- Language, Sunshine! And no, I didn’t make her my… b word. But I did use a special power of mine.”

  Her eyes sparkled. “Powers? You have powers? No way. Impossible. Illogical. But I wanna hear what it is anyway.”

  Jerome posed like a superhero on the cover of a comic book. Had he been reading the ones he got for her? “Negotiating.”

  “Negotiating? What’s that?” she asked, sliding down his body.

  “It’s basically like, uh… those hostage situations in those books you read. A ‘give me ten thousand and I won’t blow this girl’s brains out’ thing.”

  “Ooooh, so in exchange for you helping its kid down, it left you alone?” She crossed her arms, trying to make sense out of that. “But bears can’t speak or understand English. I think. How did it understand you? You must really have powers then.”

  “Sun, it doesn’t take powers for two parents to understand each other. At the end of the day, protecting her kid mattered way more than fighting me.”

  “I still think that was dumb. You almost died! We should've teamed up and killed it.”

  Her dad laughed. She didn’t intend for her words to be humorous. “Sure, that might sound easier if you assume we had the weapons to do that in the first place. But you can’t solve all your problems by brute forcing everything. We’re not that strong and definitely not that important. Everyone has problems of their own, and they might respect us more if we help solve those problems. Then that’s when you get what you want.”

  “And if that doesn’t work?”

  Jerome gestured for a fist bump. “Then we beat the heck out of them, obviously.”

  Overjoyed by his response, Sunshine bumped his fist. “Now that’s what I like to hear!”

  “I don’t like the sound of that.” Her dad looked at the boxes he left on the ground. “Since you’ve been reasonably tame today, I’ll let you have a crack at carrying one of those.”

  She smirked, rolling up her sleeves. “Finally. Now I’ll know what hard work feels like.”

  ********

  Sunshine sat in a dimly lit room washed in sunset orange. It was obvious the Resource Adventurers tossed her in here and left. However, they didn’t use restraints on her — no cuffs, rope, or even chains.

  Whoever or whatever was on the other side of the door was enough. Its aura scraped against the wood like claws, hungry for food. It didn’t matter if she opened the door or it did. Either way would bring bad results.

  The hinges groaned. The door began to open. Sunshine’s breath caught as dread flooded her body like a sudden fever. If she could break through the walls, she would. Her hip didn’t let her. Those Adventurers added bandages, and yet they couldn't take away the pain.

  The thing behind the door revealed itself, and that thing turned out to be a person — a person she recognized. An all white camo fit with white locs that didn’t match his young appearance. The air felt like she’d be struck by lightning any second now. And the only person with that kind of aura was…

  “Kofi,” Sunshine muttered, her eyes softening. Sure, the dude was an Underground Radius member, but he let her and Jerome leave when he could’ve easily captured them. Or worse.

  Kofi was the closest thing she had to an ally right now.

  “W-What are you doing here?” she asked softly as he brought a chair in.

  Setting the chair in front of her, the dreadhead sat down. “Wagwan. Sunshine Hunter — creator of the most deadly disease since… I don’t know, fucking Ebola. It’s been a while.” He gave her an up-down look and snickered. “You look like shit.”

  Sunshine caressed the bandage across the bottom of her face — most likely used for the gash that Death Riders girl gave her. “This month hasn’t been the best, b-but I’m trying my best to stay strong. For my dad.”

  “There’s a difference between trying to be strong and being strong. You’re not either one of those.”

  Her jaw tightened at that reply, but Sunshine didn’t defend herself. His strength wasn’t anything to scoff at and coming off as a whiny little girl in front of him was the last thing she wanted right now.

  Kofi moved his chair closer, making her heart race. “You ate zombie flesh, which is objectively disgusting. But I personally find that kinda cool.”

  He thinks I’m cool!?, Sunshine thought, the light in her eyes slowly returning. But I wish he’d call them Radions.

  “Unfortunately for you, no one else thinks that’s cool, and you shouldn’t either. When someone eats zombie flesh, there’s a high chance they’ll either be infected or shitting their brains out for the next ten days. Your pants aren’t shit-stained, so now everyone thinks you’re infected. That’s why I’m watching over you now.”

  How would someone ‘shit their brains out’? Brains aren’t in butts.

  “You told the Resource Adventurers I’m a Radius Ability user, didn't you?” Sunshine asked, furrowing her brows. “If I was infected, they’d just kill me while I was unconscious. But if they knew you and I were the same type, they’d get scared and entrust their strongest member with you?”

  “Good reasoning,” Kofi complimented, smirking. “Hard to believe you’re the same kid who got herself into this mess in the first place.”

  “T-thank you,” she blurted out, gripping her seat. “But I just have to ask, what would you do if I had turned?” Sunshine already knew the answer, but she wanted to make sure.

  “I would kill you.”

  That answer stung. “Even knowing who my dad is?”

  “I find it crazy that you’re threatening me with your dad’s useless anger instead of asking for his whereabouts.”

  “I’m not too worried now,” Sunshine replied. “I was holding Jerome when those dicks shot me, and then I made sure they knew he was my dad. It would be out of character for the RA’s to kill my zombified relative without me involved.”

  Kofi nodded with genuine respect. “I’d say your answer was impressive… if it wasn’t totally wrong.”

  Her confidence crumbled like a building on fire. “Wait… he’s not with you guys?” She jumped out of her seat, wincing immediately after. “W-Where is he then!?”

  Kofi pointed at Sunshine. A spark of electricity dancing on his fingertip seemed to beckon her to sit back down. “Careful there, Sunnyside. Don’t give me a reason.”

  “Hula Hoop.”

  Electricity erratically twirled around the girl’s body before settling as a large ring. Instead of trapping her entire body like a cage, it only lined up with her belly, as if that was all Kofi needed to keep Sunshine in line.

  “Why don’t you give escaping my lightning ring a try? I wanna see if you can do it,” he said with a crazed smile.

  Strands of the electricity clawed at her, making her skin tingle. “I’m not gonna do anything! Just tell me where he is, dude!”

  “Dis gyal stubborn bad,” Kofi said under his breath, standing back up. “Don’t worry. He’s fine… I think.”

  “You think? So he’s not fine!? You’d only say ‘I think’ if you were unsure of his safety!”

  He dug inside his ear, gritting his teeth. “Low di noise! Yuh a go mek mi deaf, pickney!” His chair faced the wrath of his bare foot, smashing into the wall. “Fine. I’ll take you to him. But you won’t like what you see.”