WEEKS AGO

  Sunshine’s body was drenched in sweat, and her feet ached every step she took that inched her closer to the Wayne Family Mansion. The Wayne Family consisted of a stern father, an overbearing mother, a whiny son, and a slothful grandfather. That was what Jesus described them as from the one conversation he had with each of them, and he came to one conclusion.

  They had to die.

  Despite her bleeding knuckles that Jesus had hastily wrapped in bandages and her sore muscles, the Horse Man’s confidence in their victory outweighed her worries. But Sunshine wasn’t just worried about losing.

  She had never killed anyone before, and yet Jesus put his full trust into a nine year old to do it. The comic books always made it sound so hard. None of the superheroes ever took a life, even when the villains took lives themselves.

  Would Sunshine be a villain if she killed someone? Even if they were the worst of the worst? Maybe that was the problem. If the Wayne Family were worse than the worst of the worst, killing them would be a good thing, an easy task, perhaps. And once she succeeded with this mission, she’d be rewarded with that metal baseball bat Jesus always hit her with.

  “Luz Solar, you got a little…” Jesus pointed at the forehead of his horse head, which meant he was actually referring to her forehead. At least, that’s what “you got a little” would imply.

  She wiped the sweat off her forehead, and then dried her hand on the pants Jesus forced her to wear. She couldn’t get the present box in her hands wet, after all.

  “If we’re gonna ki-”

  The horse man covered her mouth, as though she’d just said a forbidden word. “Remember what I said about speaking blatantly? Learn which words to use in certain settings.” His voice was quiet, and he spoke like a teacher reprimanding their student.

  Since Jesus whispered, Sunshine decided to do the same. “Why bring presents if… we’re gonna get rid of them anyway?”

  I hope that sounded good.

  He gave her a thumbs up. “It’s an illusion of friendship.” Shifting the present to his free hand — one that was way smaller than the one she was holding — Jesus knocked on the giant door.

  Mansions were pretty hard to permanently live in since everyone wanted to live in one once the apocalypse started. That meant fighting, and most importantly, death. Sunshine would’ve loved to live in one of it weren’t for her overprotective dad.

  Forty seconds passed. Jesus knocked again — this time, harder. When no one answered, he checked the doorknob. It turned, and the door quickly opened.

  A loud thud echoed from inside, causing the two to peek inside. A boy barely older than Sunshine lay on the marble floor, rubbing his forehead and his rear at the same time.

  His face was a reddish-pink, as if he just finished doing some exercise. Then again, his walrus-shaped body suggested he hadn’t done that in forever. He didn’t bother to fully button up his button up long sleeve shirt, and his black bow tie was smothered by his gargantuan neck fat.

  He looks like Garfield, Sunshine laughed in her mind, thinking back to those comic strips on the newspapers Jerome would use as a mattress sometimes.

  Jesus lent the kid a hand. “You ok there, morsa? It’s not safe to lean your head on the door like that. Find a pillow or something soft… like the butt of a Columbian woman.”

  The boy scrambled back to his feet, and frustration was written all over his face. “Do not call me ‘morsa’, Horse Man! You will call me Thomas.”

  “Un cadáver no tiene nombre.”

  His brows wrinkled. “Huh? Speak English!” His voice was as whiny as Jesus described it to be. But being… expressive wasn’t grounds for murder, was it?

  “Now, now, Tommy. Don’t be so rude to our guests — especially when they brought us these wonderful gifts.” Whoever this dude waddling towards them was, he made Richard look skinny. At least he had the decency to wear a suit that actually fit him.

  “Father!” The boy rushed to his dad’s side, hiding behind his leg. He must’ve been Mr. Wayne. “That meanie made me bump my head into the door.”

  “Don’t be foolish, boy,” Mr. Wayne laughed, smacking his son on the back of his head. “Everyone knows how clumsy you are. You probably just hit your head from running too fast.”

  What would ‘too fast’ for him even look like?

  The father gestured for the boy to leave, and Thomas reluctantly obliged. He was surprisingly fast on his feet.

  “What am I going to do with that little rascal?” Mr. Wayne sighed, turning his attention back to the two. “Mr. Hernandez, long time no see. I love the suit.”

  He raised his hand to him.

  “It’s only been a month,” Jesus chuckled as he shook his hand.

  “A month is a long time nowadays. One day, you’re eating dinner together on a beautiful Saturday evening. Next, you’re getting your interiors ripped out by a filthy Radion.”

  “It’s a cruel world we live in, so it’s our job as humans to be less cruel.”

  Mr. Wayne gave Jesus a smile, staring at him for an uncomfortably long time. That stare then shifted to Sunshine. “What a dapper young slave you have here. She surprisingly looks good in a suit.”

  Being called a slave made her stomach churn, but she had to play the part right.

  “Oh, Mr. Waaayne,” Jesus groaned. “What did we say about using that language? They’re called workers — not slaves. It’s the 21st century. I think society as a whole realized how bad that word is when referring to… certain types of people.”

  “Eh, they don’t get paid either way. What’s the difference?” He began waddling through the long hallways before that question could be answered. “C’mon, Mr. Hernandez. We got business to discuss, don’t we? It smells like my wife is finished with dinner.”

  Sunshine glanced at the Horse Man, unsure of what to do next. It wasn’t that she didn’t know what the mission was. She just didn’t wanna do it, and was hoping he’d understand that.

  However, Jesus wasn’t her father. Him walking inside without exchanging a look proved that.

  But that only meant she still had time to prove herself to him. And to Jerome.

  They caught up to Mr. Wayne inside, which unsurprisingly took no effort. It was then where Jesus said something that Sunshine had already wondered about.

  “We were knocking on that door for a while,” Jesus told Mr. Wayne. “Were you in the middle of something?”

  “Hey, you know how those Corleone people can get with their silly phone calls,” he replied, crushing a dirty glass plate left on the floor beneath his feet. “The butler will clean that up. Watch your step.”

  Sunshine hopped over the shattered glass, but that got her a slap on the noggin from Jesus. I guess showing too much energy isn’t playing the part, she thought, caressing her head.

  “Wow! Have you lost weight then?” the horse man lied in a humorous tone. “I mean, the only Status Board you have is that old timey one in your basement, right?”

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  Mr. Wayne laughed. “You don’t have to lie to make nice with me, Hernandez. The gifts you brought were enough, and I’m already in a good mood. And do you want to know what’ll make me even happier?”

  Sunshine guessed the answer was the food in the kitchen they just entered that emitted that wonderful smell blessing her nostrils. Lined up on the large dinner table was cooked meat, and a tall, lean woman with silky blonde hair was adding more to the already stacked meal.

  The mere sight of it caused drool to ooze from her mouth, though she wiped it off before anyone noticed. Thomas didn’t bother wiping off his as he sat down.

  She must’ve been Mrs. Wayne, but how did a man of Mr. Wayne’s appearance reel in such a catch? Was he funny? Or maybe the money got her heart tingling — enough money to obtain that beautiful blue and white striped dress she wore with elegance.

  “Oh, Mary, please tell us dinner is finally ready,” said Mr. Wayne, approaching the woman and sliding his hands together. “I know I’m famished. I’m sure Mr. Hernandez here is too.”

  “Well, hello there,” Mary said to Jesus, smiling innocently. “My husband told me we’d be getting an important visitor, but who knew it’d be a member of the Underground Radius. Surprised you’re without that, um, what do they call it again? Katana?” She looked at her husband and patted his head. “And yes, dinner is ready, dear.”

  “Wonderful!” He picked up a plate and flashed the meat at the two, like a pet owner goading their dogs to eat. “Don’t be shy. Come join us at our table.”

  “Ok, if you insist,” Jesus said, gesturing for Sunshine to follow her. “But you should really tell me what kind of meat this is. It has a unique smell.”

  “A chef never reveals her secrets,” Mrs. Wayne giggled.

  Did they really have to ruin a perfectly good meal with blood and corpses? Couldn’t they save the killing stuff for after her belly was stuffed? Obviously, she didn’t care to ask those questions out loud, and instead followed her mentor’s lead.

  Mr. Wayne took a seat next to his wife and son, and Jesus sat across from him. Sunshine attempted to join the group, but was stopped by Mrs. Wayne’s hand shooing her away.

  “Mr. Hernandez, tell your slave we don’t allow filth at our nice table,” she said in a rude tone.

  Sunshine’s fist shook, but clenched it with her other hand, holding back what was building inside.

  “Mary, Mary, he wants us to call her a ‘worker’.”

  “Mommy, can we eat now!?” Thomas said, banging on the table, smiling foolishly.

  The mother scoffed. “What’s the difference? They’re both unpaid professions.”

  “That’s what I said! Two unpaid professions full of the weak and pathetic. Just like this little girl here.” Mr. Wayne gently held his wife’s hand. “You see, this is exactly why I love you.”

  “Aww, I love you too, dear.”

  Sunshine’s other hand began shaking. Jesus glanced at her.

  “Mommy! Daddy! Eat now! Please!?”

  Mrs. Wayne slapped Thomas’ hand the second his fingers touched his food. “Don’t be rude, baby.” She gave him one of the neatly folded napkins on the table. “Here. Clean yourself up.”

  “I hate to see your kid get tortured like this, so why don’t we just give y’all the gifts we prepared,” Jesus said as Thomas wiped the drool off his mouth. His head turned to the girl. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

  Sunshine’s hands were still trembling, but she placed the big box on the table anyway. Her mentor never said what was inside the box, but he did say it would be one they’d never forget.

  Mr. Wayne’s eyes widened in glee, curling his fingers. “Well, don’t mind if we do!”

  The present box the father received was the type that could be opened by lifting the lid. He tore it up anyway, leaving nothing left beside what was inside.

  It was a head.

  The head of an old man.

  Sunshine raised an eyebrow. Since when was that considered an appropriate gift!?

  “Ooo, Mommy, look! It’s our dog!” Thomas exclaimed, pointing at the butler.

  “Hey, Hernandez, care to tell me why my butler’s head is on my table?” Mr. Wayne asked with a smug smile. “It’s rather… unsettling.”

  “What I find most unsettling is how unnaturally big you are. Does human meat really have that much fat in it?”

  The silence was deafening. Even Sunshine’s pounding heart slowed down at the sheer disrespect of the swordsman’s words. The act of cannibalism in the kitchen didn’t register until Thomas chomped down on what she initially thought was a chicken drumstick.

  Her mind went into a frenzy as she grasped her gut. The disgust of it all was about to tear her stomach open. Radions and radioactive beasts were known to eat people — not other humans. What could they logically gain from reducing the numbers of their own species? Sustenance? They’re rich. They could buy all the food and water they needed.

  Unless…

  Do they like eating this?, Sunshine wondered, watching the Waynes intensely. How many people have they killed just for this one dinner?

  “A baseless accusation,” said Mrs. Wayne, moving Thomas’ plate away from him.

  “Half this table is the cooked remains of your butler,” Jesus spat back. “You’re all cannibals.”

  “Huh?” Mr. Wayne scoffed. “Oh, we’re not talking about that. We’re proud of what we are.”

  “We just don’t appreciate you calling out his weight,” his wife said. “He’s been working really hard on his weight loss journey, and the last thing he needs is someone making fun of him.”

  Jesus didn’t respond. Instead, he placed his gift — much smaller than the one Sunshine had been holding — on the table.

  Mr. Wayne rubbed his chin. “Another gift? Unless it’s something that’s actually of value to us, then we can’t excuse that disrespectful comment earlier, Mr. Hernandez. In fact, I think it’s best you take yourself and that sweaty slave of yours out of my home if you know what’s good for you.”

  “Hold on. Hold on,” Jesus laughed, holding his hands out to him. “Let’s open this one last gift of yours before we leave, ok? Trust me. You’ll love it.”

  The swordsman carefully lifted the lid open and the contents of the box to them. The parents’ eyes widened at the sight of whatever was inside.

  “What do you expect us to do with a kitchen knife?” Mr. Wayne asked, snickering.

  Jesus placed his fingers inside the box. “To die.”

  His arm whipped in a deadly arc, and Mr. Wayne’s head flew across the room. The slice was so clean and fast that the father’s blood never spilled. That was until his body landed on the floor with a sickening thud, crimson pooling beneath the table, drowning the room in an overwhelming unknowingness.

  “D-Daddy! M-Mommy, he killed Daddy,” Thomas said, his body trembling, his face full of anguish.

  In contrast, Mrs. Wayne’s face wore an unimpressed expression. “Yes, a very unfortunate situation. But this means more food, Tommy.”

  “More food!?” Thomas shouted, jumping from his seat.

  She got up from her seat and backed up. “Honey, clean up this mess.”

  Thomas’s jaw fell open. Then it kept falling, until his chin hit the floor, as if someone had unhinged the lower half of his skull. Sunshine’s breath hitched.

  Comparing him to a walrus felt wrong now.

  A human whale was more like it.

  Something shifted in the air. A soft but growing pull grazed Sunshine’s legs, brushing her clothes toward the boy like a faint breeze.

  Did someone leave a window open?

  Jesus jumped out of his seat with the knife in hand and landed right behind the girl. Mrs. Wayne also left the table to stand behind her son, though in a much more calm fashion.

  The table rattled. Forks and plates trembled. The pool of blood quivered.

  Then they all rose.

  Streams of red slid across the floor, rising in delicate ribbons that drifted straight toward Thomas’s gaping maw. And the body followed — slow at first, then with horrifying ease. His mouth widened further, stretching to a size no human should bear.

  All for the purpose of absorbing everything in one massive gulp.

  Reshaping the body in order to perform inhumane acts — something only a user of Atomic Energy could do.

  An Atom, she thought while Thomas’ jaw reverted to its original shape.

  “Mmm, tasty!” Thomas said happily, rubbing his tummy. “But that table was nasty!”

  Jesus handed Sunshine the knife. “Take this.”

  Uncertainty filled her body, but she gripped the weapon tight anyway. “He has a tricky ability, but I can’t sense any strong aura from either of them. I can do this by myself.”

  “I know you’ll do this by yourself,” Jesus said sternly.

  “Aura? Whatever could you mean by that, you filthy mutt?” Mrs. Wayne snickered. “If you think your disgusting hands will touch me or my son, you have another thing coming.”

  Sunshine ran toward her, intent on shutting up that stupid mouth of hers. The mouth she should've been worried about was Thomas’ as he whipped his head around.

  His jaw sagged open. The black hole ahead had grown in size since its last usage, dwarfing her until it eventually sucked her in. But Thomas didn’t swallow. She reinforced the aura in her fingers and clenched his upper lip like she was on the edge of a cliff.

  Her nails hadn’t been cut yet, so they were still long — long enough to dig into his skin. The boy screamed. That didn’t stop Sunshine from letting go. Not until the pulling sensation stopped, and after a couple more seconds of pain, Thomas had enough.

  Once the air settled down, Sunshine jumped out, though she didn’t let go yet. No, her grip strengthened. She pulled her arms downward, shutting his mouth like it was a garage door.

  Thomas’ head snapped backwards. Sunshine’s kick sent it back even harder. His skull slammed against one of the cabinets, and cries filled the room soon after.

  Mrs. Wayne’s expression throughout that short exchange was unimpressed, as though she fully expected her son to come out on top. She and that shocked expression of hers clearly couldn’t have guessed that he’d be laying on the floor instead.

  “Tommy, no!” she shrieked, rushing to the kid’s side. “C’mon, honey, get up! I know you still have some fight left in you, right?”

  Sunshine picked up the knife she dropped and crept towards the loud duo. It felt cold.

  “Honey, your head’s gonna be just fine, ok? You’re gonna be alright.”

  Jesus watched from afar, leaning on the hallway wall patiently. She got close, lifted her arm up, and prepared to strike.

  Just do it. Do it, and you get the cool bat. Just think about the bat!

  But it felt like a chain was holding her back — holding her back from bringing down the killing blow. She knew they were disgusting cannibals that would've deserved to die in anyone else’s mind.

  And yet, all Sunshine saw in front of her was a mom worried about her son’s safety, and that same son hugging his mom for protection. She couldn’t help but compare them to her and her dad.

  And she hated that. She regrettably didn’t care enough about Saveer and that woman in Boomsbarrow’s gruesome murders, so why was it so hard to kill people significantly worse than them?

  Sunshine hesitated, and then eventually her arms dropped.

  She paid for that hesitation.

  Mrs. Wayne turned sharply with a beastly glare and sunk her teeth deep into the girl’s arm. Sunshine screamed. Her back hit the floor with the mother still latched on to her like a rabid dog.

  Sunshine kicked, punched, and squirmed, though Mrs. Wayne was relentless.

  This wasn’t a regular bite. She was an Atomic Energy user too, increasing the strength of her teeth to pin Sunshine down like this.

  But the power of an angry mother didn’t mean anything when you had no aura to combine it with.

  Sunshine’s pain twisted into anger. All that fury shot straight into her free hand. She thought Thomas was the only person she was gonna be gripping today, but Mrs. Wayne’s jaw just became a victim.

  She seized the woman’s lower jaw and pulled.

  At first it was just teeth slipping out of her arm, blood running hot down her skin. But Sunshine didn’t stop. She kept dragging downward, fighting against bone and muscle until… a crack.

  Mrs. Wayne’s jaw split in her hands.

  With the mother now broken, Sunshine was finally able to kick her off, sending her body next to Thomas.

  “M–m… ai zhaw!” Mrs. Wayne whimpered, hands hovering over her mouth. “Yu… boke… ai zhaw! A filsy… slay… boke ai zhaw!”

  Thomas was still crying, holding his head that was now forming a gruesome bump.

  Sunshine gritted her teeth. It hurt just moving her arm, but she powered through it and stood back up. “You can’t use your Radius Ability anymore and your son is too hurt to continue. So let’s stop fighting. And if you can promise you’ll never eat another person again, then we won’t come back to kill you.”

  Maybe it was too much to ask, but it was the logical thing to do.

  “Is that ok with y-”

  Clearly, Jesus wasn’t ok with that offer. The sight of a sword lodged in Mrs. Wayne skull shattered the question before she could ask it. Thomas’ neck was bowed, blood spilling from his neck.

  She knew it was him. Only he’d cut her off through violence.

  Sunshine turned to him. “I was about to handle that.”

  “No, you weren’t handling it. I told you to kill them. You were going to let them live,” he replied coldly, walking to the scene of his murder.

  “I had them beat.”

  “This isn’t just about beating them. This was a part of your training. Learning when to kill and how to be cruel. The Waynes were evil cannibals who thought of you as nothing more than a slave. Evil doesn’t need to exist in this world.”

  Sunshine furrowed her brows, making a fist. “Maybe… Maybe there’s other ways of getting rid of evil than by just killing. If you can take away something that makes them like that or find something or someone that can change them, then isn’t that the same thing as getting rid of it?”

  Her mentor paused. “We can’t change who we are, Luz Solar. I am the Devil of the Apocalypse.” He pulled the katana out of the corpse’s skull. “And you’re my horseman. If your dad was in your position, what would he do? Think about that.”

  She didn’t need to think. “Maybe he’d kill them. I don’t know. What I do know is that Jerome isn’t the type of man that would want me doing something like this.” If Sunshine kept talking back like this, then she’d never get the bat. But lying about this didn’t seem right.

  “Jerome is a good man. Too good for the New Earth.” The swordsman approached her and rested his hand on her head. “That’s why you’ll have to be different from him. Call it a balance. I can already sense you’re like me, but if you’re really adamant about no killing, then I can teach you ways to be cruel without it.”

  Cruelty without killing?

  “You’ll get the bat. Don’t worry.”