“I am Michael Corleone…”

  If his demeanor wasn’t already a strong display of his confidence, then that soft ass voice sealed the deal. Emmy began backing away from the man, and that had me thinking something. His Radius Ability had to be overpowered for everyone to be so afraid of him, but what the hell was it? That woman’s body exploded ‘cause of water, so was that his power?

  Just then, the water on the floor rose up and began transforming, presumably proving my theory correct. That was until the liquid turned into a blue haired woman, whipping her hair around like she’d just taken a dip in a pool. While her clothes were still made of water, her skin made it clear she was human. A partner? No, probably another Corleone Family member.

  Michael took out a fat stack of cash from his pocket, removed the rubber band around it, and began to count. “$6000 as agreed upon. I hope the task wasn’t too disgusting for you, Ms. Azura.”

  Azura’s mouth began to water, and the big smile on her face showed the whole reason why she was here in the first place. “Well, don’t mind if I do.” She swiped the cash out of his hand and giggled sinisterly. “I just love money. The smell, the taste, the feeling of it. It just gets me so tingly.”

  “You just killed a serial killer’s mother.” Michael pointed at something I couldn’t see. “Bits and pieces all over there.” He pointed at something else. “And there too. I’d be less excited if I were you. Not even Daemon will protect you from Jason’s wrath.”

  She tapped her chin with the cash and hummed. “Yeah, but I’d just tell him you contracted me for a job. I have no reason to boom his mom other than all this lovely cash, and he’ll come after you once he kills me.”

  The man softly chuckled, reaching his hand out to Azura. “Then you have a perfect understanding of our new agreement then?”

  She shook his hand and said, “No one goes babbling to anyone about this. Yeah, I understand… Geez, you have a strong grip.” Azura yanked herself out of the handshake and caressed her hand. “You’re pretty weird, but you know how to make people happy. Pleasure doing business with you.”

  The Corleone Family boss nodded.

  “Oh, and you don’t have to worry about the blood and gore,” Azura continued, morphing her body into water and seeping into the floor’s cracks. “It’ll be gone before you know it.”

  Just as she said, what remained of the elderly woman dissolved like a zombie in the rain. Was there an acid effect a part of her ability?

  Michael waited a couple seconds before turning back to me and sighing. “Would you say she was a pretty girl? I don’t know why, but I have this fondness over the average.”

  “Man, I don’t give a fuck!” I spat at him. “You put a bomb inside of my kid. Take that shit out. Now!”

  He blinked. “Or what?” His voice wasn’t just calm. It was dry. The kind of dry you sound like when someone you couldn’t care less about is talking to you.

  “Or I’ll-”

  “Or what? Kill me?” Michael swooped the hair out his face. “Jerome, you are a broken skeleton on the ground whose weakness is something that I drink. In fact…” A tiny bottle slipped out from his suit’s sleeve and into his palm. “All it takes is this. One drop.”

  “You’re bluffing,” I replied. “I’ve been told you need my power. You wouldn’t kill me.”

  “It’s not about me killing you. It’s more so other things killing you. The weakness all you zombies share is abundant in our world, and you cheated to gain a strength that wasn’t your own.” He placed his hands in his pockets. “It’s not ‘Jerome Hunter’ that I want. It’s your Radius Ability.”

  “Well, you can’t have my ability unless you have me using it, dumbass.”

  “And that's exactly why I'm so glad you brought in Absolute Ricky Saints to Hallowsville for me. Now Saints, are you gonna tell me why you haven't greeted the boss of your family yet? Care to amend that?”

  To my dismay, that five-head having bastard was free from his restraints, standing where I thought Emmy would be with a nasty look on his face. How he got out of the ropes confused me the most. Yes, someone’s body detonated into nothing, but was only a water bomb. That certainly couldn’t destroy the ropes, right?

  This really wasn’t sitting right with me. Ricky would’ve definitely been complaining or moaning in pain before Michael came in, but the dude had been dead silent that whole time. Add in the fact that Emmy was suddenly gone, and you have a classic case of someone getting played. I didn’t know when she transformed into him, though the speed at which it happened was just what we needed to buy time.

  “Good… Good morning, boss,” said Ricky, pursing his lips. “I hope you’ve had an absolutely good day.”

  Michael kept his eyes on me whilst continuing to speak. “Saints, are you angry your friend offed himself? I don’t know why he did it. He could’ve just hung up the call.”

  The veins on Saints’ forehead bulged. “Screw that fake fuck. What I’m mad about is-”

  “Conny will not be killed by the Two-Face,” the boss interrupted. “There will be no need to save him. Thinking there is a need will suggest you have no faith in my plan, and that you think I’m incompetent.” Michaal paused, his eyes looking colder than before. “Do you think your boss is incompetent, Saints?”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Emmy’s acting went off the charts once he said that. She had the sweating and the twitching hands down to a t.

  “Nah, boss,” Ricky said quietly, brushing the back of his head. “I’m just… worried for a good friend. That’s all.”

  “Awww. That’s so cute. You wanna give him a little kiss on the cheek too?” Michael replied. That was the first time he had some actual emotion in his voice. “It’s never good to get too hooked on any one person.”

  Ricky just stared at the boss, his eyes widening slightly.

  “You were in a cave mining for ore for hours without rest before I found you. I built you up, but you can easily be sent back into the same position.” Michael gestured for him to come over with one finger. “Now come over here and help out your good friend.”

  His feet stayed planted for a long moment. But the weight of Michael’s gaze must’ve pressed down on him, smothering any resistance. With a slow, reluctant step, he began closing the distance. Once Ricky was near, the dead eyed man placed his arm on the guy’s shoulder.

  “Work your magic, Saints.”

  Shit. There is no magic for Emmy to work with. Transforming into other people is cool, but it doesn’t mean anything with people like these. People with powers she can’t copy. How was she getting out of this?

  No. I needed to get her out of this. Somehow.

  Before Ricky could speak, I decided to cut in. “Hold up. You wanna control me to use my power for your fucked up slaveowner family, right? What would Daemon say about that? He views me as his prized possession, and taking that away will bring down a storm on your whole operation, I bet.”

  “You… ‘bet’?” Michael looked at me for a couple more seconds before repeating to Ricky what he said earlier.

  “Wait! I’m being serious! Daemon doesn’t see you as a threat. He literally told me him-”

  “I absolutely can’t use my power right now, boss,” said Ricky, causing my mouth to gape. How could she give up so easily? There better be a plan for this.

  “What do you mean you ‘can’t’?”

  “The shackles I need for The Godfather… I need, like, specific things to make them. It’s why I don't really use them a lot ‘cause those ingredients are absolutely tedious to find. Sugar, spice, and everything nice.”

  Michael tilted his head and blinked. “What a… unique limitation for an ability.” Michael began digging through his pockets. “It’s a good thing I already brought them for you.”

  “You did?”

  Michael answered his question by tossing him two small bags labeled “SUGAR” and “SPICE” which Ricky nearly dropped while catching. The boss leaned his face in, pressing his cheek against Ricky’s as he gently put his arm around the dude’s neck. The transformed Emmy waited for another word, but Michael’s unyielding stare said everything she needed to hear.

  Her grip on the bags tightened. “Wh-What about everything nice?”

  “Oh, yes. That.”

  Michael’s hand slid down his back pocket, keeping his eyes on who he believed to be Ricky. He pulled out a small knife, aimed it at his own hand, and ran the blade through it. I already thought this piece of shit was crazy. Now he doesn’t even seem human.

  The boss never flinched. Even when the blood spilled from his hand, the eye contact never ended.

  “Damage to yourself? That’s… not intelligent.”

  “Hey, hey. You're starting to sound less like Ricky Saints and more like… someone else.”

  From the little time I was cursed with his presence, Michael always moved calmly and slowly. But this time was different. Not one round of questioning or interrogating. Not even a punch to the face. All it took was an inkling of suspicion for the man to take out a handgun and shoot a bullet into her head.

  The transformation ended, and Emmy’s body dropped as hard as my confidence, my high expectations that winning this fight would be possible. Sunflower and that little boy in the Underground were supposed to be the last times I let someone die in front of me.

  I failed. And that failure was all his fault. All because of…

  “Michael!”

  “Michael, you bastard!”

  Someone else shared my rage in that instant, and that person was Sunflower, jumping at the Corleone Family boss. Spikes of grass followed her movements, stretching towards Michael with an intense rage, a rage only rivaled by the one shown on the teen’s face.

  Surprisingly, the man dodged the attack effortlessly, his expression remaining unchanged despite the unexpected reunion. However, the way he moved backwards was weird. It was more like something or someone pushed him out the way before he was skewered. But I didn’t have time to figure out what happened laying on the floor.

  My hand reached out to Emmy’s body, hoping deep down she’d shoot up and scream like before. That didn’t happen—even when I touched her face. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t help me beat this bastard and every other bastard to a bloody fucking pulp.

  “I’m sorry…”

  Absorbing the energy Emmy was made of, my body regenerated as a resurgence of power exploded out of me. The basement shook — the floor snarled, plaster cracked, lights flickered. Something hard and black slithered over my ooze, scales snapping into place until the green could only peek through the seams. Energy slammed up my spine and burst from my skull, knitting itself into a crown of spiky, green hair that hummed and spat sparks.

  Saving up my strength for Jason? Screw that. I was gonna to make sure this Michael fucker didn’t live to see another day—then blow Jason out of this world in one goddamn sitting!

  “Type Two: Nuclear Version!”

  I turned my attention to the dead eyed prick. Sunflower dropped to her knees at the sight of my incredible power, and who could blame her? When you had someone of my strength, someone with my anger in the room, the best thing to do was to step aside and let them work their magic.

  “Michael Corleone, you’re dead,” I growled, pointing at him. Despite the might of my finger point, the man looked at me as if I was just a minor inconvenience.

  “Aaah, I see. So that was a KB? I would’ve never gues-”

  Intent on never hearing another word from him again, I closed the distance before he could realize it. My fist was inches away from his jaw, but something got in the way of me landing that fatal blow. A spring made of energy made itself visible on Michael’s cheek, coiling, trying to bounce me back.

  That wasn’t going to happen. A silly spring wouldn’t be enough to stop me. My rocket feet activated, pushing me forward, bringing my knuckles closer to his face. Fortunately for the prick, my arm was blasted back, causing me to recoil.

  Well, that was not the smartest idea. Although, if that’s all his Radius Ability was, then this wasn’t going to be any trouble. When it came to pure strength, I-

  No, don’t be foolish, Jerome. The odds of someone as infamous as Michael Corleone having such a basic ability was extremely low. While we haven’t figured out what it actually was yet, we did see something he showed good skill in. What was that?

  Working with people.

  With the springs being so familiar, I thought back to any time in which that same power was used. That’s when the image of the Spring Head that attacked me back in Boomsbarrow flashed in my head. He was a Corleone Family member, and now…

  I glared at the staircase behind Sunflower and Michael. “He’s here.”

  The man chuckled. “Oh my. You figured it out.”

  A piece of me was fired up in a way it usually wasn’t. Using my brain wasn’t a natural gift of mine, so having someone else doing it was always my go to. That’s how I knew there was another ally present in this battle.

  Emmy! I should’ve known a regular bullet wouldn’t put down a being made of energy for good. You‘ve gained my respect. Achieving my level of power was impossible for her, but absorbing that girl gave me something I desperately needed.

  “What would you call this, Jerome?” Michael asked, rubbing his chin. “A fusion?”

  “Hmph! Do not call me Jerome or Emmy.” Energy radiated from my body as I titled my head forward a bit. “You can refer to me as the one who will kill you, and everyone else who wants to kill my family.”

  Sunflower’s knees were still locked to the ground, staring at me with fear in her eyes.

  “Don’t tell me you’re still frightened by this powerful transformation, kid? If you can’t even withstand my presence, then how are you going to defeat this human who’s treated you like feces for so long. Get up and fight, or I will absorb you.”

  “Uh, ok? I should add… while you and the girl are certainly fast enough to stop me from manually making Sunshine go kaboom, if my heart stops, she will explode. This is what we call contingency pla-”

  Cracking my fists, I asked,“Who said you were the first to die?”

  I blitzed past the two humans and entered the staircase. There was where Spring Head was hiding, crouching in a position that allowed him to see everything happening. Perfect place for a coward to avoid a fair fight, but types like him were easy pickings.

  Or so I thought. One second of eye contact, and a spring appeared under my chest. I was forcefully launched upwards until I was hovering above the building’s roof. It looked like Spring Head wasn’t the last of Corleone’s reinforcements as a suited woman with a shark tattoo stood a few meters away, pouring a bottle of water on the floor.

  You remember her, don’t you, Jerome? Not every irrelevant human has to be forgotten, you know.

  Yeah, this chick was also at Boomsbarrow. In other words, these two weaklings wanted a rematch, and a 2v1 was the only way they wanted it.

  “Pathetic!” I laughed, crossing my arms. “Well, bring it on then!”