20 DAYS BEFORE THE REMATCH IN HALLOWSVILLE

  Angela wasn’t answering her door, and after about fifteen or twenty knocks later, I figured talking to me was the last thing she wanted to do. I’d say acting the way she was over a little fight was a bit silly if it wasn’t for the fact Sunshine and I nearly killed each other yesterday.

  Angela wasn’t just scared of me; she was right about me too.

  She saw a side of my daughter I didn’t want her to know about, and that stung the worse.

  “She’s still not answering, huh?” Sunshine said, leaning on the wall with her sword at her hip. If she was trying to look cool, then the kitten resting on her head ruined that.

  “I should give her some more time,” I muttered, my arm dropping back down to my side.

  “You could always just punch the door down.” She flexed her arm, as though Vlad gave her lessons on how to search for validation. “Or I could do it for you.”

  “No need.” I walked over to her and rubbed her head. She still had the flannel wrapped around it. “You’ve done enough public property damage.”

  “Stop that.” Sunshine lightly pushed my arm away, blushing. “If you’re gonna be doing some more training, you’ll need energy, right?” She raised her hand, and it was already surrounded with aura. “Here.”

  “Don’t waste it on me. You’ll need all the power you have left.” I gestured for her to put her hand down, and she listened. “I’ll just get some from the Nuclear Pool.”

  She squinted at the kitten clinging onto my shoulder. “Alright, fine.” My kid walked off, but stopped in the middle of the hallway to say something else. “Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. Moony wants to train with me today. That’s cool, right?”

  “Huh!?”

  “You were the one who said she needed to train more, so I’m helping her with that. If you say no, I’m just gonna help her out anyway.”

  “Of course you will.” I sighed as Sunshine laughed. “Make sure she doesn’t get hurt. Or worse.”

  “I would never!”

  Just when I was about to leave, the SB in my pocket began to vibrate. The only people that could call me were the two that had the phone’s identification number: Kofi and Lyra. Pulling it out and checking the screen, I realized it was the person I wanted to talk to the least. My second trip to Hallowsville was cancelled until the foreseeable future, so Jason’s own team or plans were still a mystery. Wouldn’t be good if that’s the first thing I was asked about.

  My finger pressed against the green phone icon, and I was immediately met with the sight of Lyra scarfing down a plethora of coins like they were chips. Was she trying to speed-run a cancer diagnosis?

  Also, how was I able to see her in the first place? That didn't happen when Michael Corleone called us.

  She tossed the bucket of coins aside, causing a metallic chatter. “I’ll keep this short and-” Surprise came upon her face upon looking at me. “Oh, you’re back to your normal self again. Why is everything involving you and your kid always so random?”

  I shrugged, and then grabbed my face. “Are you disturbed by my horrifying, zombified features?”

  “Yes. Very much so,” Lyra replied bluntly, putting a hood over her head. “Once again, I’ll keep this short and sweet. A member of the Underground Radius is currently searching for your location. His name is Pluto.”

  My arms returned to my side. “And why the hell are we being targeted again? Are y’all still trying to eliminate Sunshine?” I kept my voice quiet in case anyone was listening.

  “Pluto’s on his own. I can assure you that.”

  “Well, the place we're in isn’t exactly an easy place to find.”

  “That dickwipe is stubborn as fuck,” she said in an irritated tone. “I can also assure you that. His Energy Sense isn’t much, but the moment he does sense anything off, he’ll be on it like a cheetah chasing a gazelle.”

  I began walking toward where the exit was. “Why’s he trying to find us anyway?”

  “It’s not you two he wants to find. It’s two people I’m sure you’re well acquainted with. Angela Angels… and Moonlight.”

  Coldness ran through my body, and all the worries I had about that zombie girl came back in full force. “Why?”

  “The three things you should know about Pluto is that-” Lyra held up one finger. “-he’s egotistical-” Two fingers. “He’s stubborn.” And finally, three fingers. “And most importantly, a dreamer. All that man wants is to become a member of the Seven — the most important members of the Radius. But right now, he can’t because those two ladies are now in his way. And the only way to solve that in his eyes is to get rid of them.”

  My jaw tightened as I made a fist. “You mean kill them? But how are they in his way? Those two don’t care about the Radius. Moonlight doesn’t even know who they are.”

  “That doesn’t matter,” Lyra answered coldly. “It’s already been decided that they’ll be recruited. Moonlight specifically was based on my recommendation.”

  “What?” I stopped near Dr. Banana’s room. “So this is all your fault then?”

  She grimaced a bit. “Don’t get your undead panties in a twist. With a father like mine, I have to play both sides. Playing both sides is a useful tactic, you know. How do you think Jesus got the better of you? And the better of us while we’re at it.”

  The woman had a point.

  “Besides, it’ll probably be days before he even finds you, which gives you time to prepare.”

  “What’s his Radius Ability?”

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  She thought about it for a moment. “Something to do with planets, I think. You’ll have to forgive me. I don’t really pay attention to irrelevant people that much.”

  Was it just me, or did all these egomaniacs have a tendency to call most people “irrelevant”? Have I ever called someone that in my Nuclear Form?

  I leaned on the wall. “Will my daughter and I beat him? How strong is he?”

  “Uuuuh, he’d give you some trouble, but you’re the perfect counter for him.”

  I nodded. “Your idea of short and sweet was pretty long.”

  “Are you saying I talk too much?” she asked, raising a brow.

  “I’m just saying you really are Dante’s twin.” I paused, noticing her pissed off reaction. “I’ll call you back at another time. Cool?”

  “If you see an ‘unknown caller’ on your SB, just know that that’s me. I’m trashing this burner.”

  Without clarifying what she meant by that, Lyra hung up the phone. Although, that did allow me to gather my thoughts together and come up with a conclusion.

  If Pluto’s Radius Ability was related to planets, then did that mean he was summoning them? No, that didn’t sound right. Bringing in balls of rock like Mars or Uranus to Earth would just blow everything up, and that definitely wouldn’t be good for the user of that power. And since Lyra had probably seen his ability in action to tell me about it, then the planets must’ve been on a smaller scale.

  So, it wasn’t summoning. It was… creation?

  Atoms were able to change themselves and other people, but could they also change objects? If Pluto used Atomic Energy, then maybe he transformed a rock into balls that look like planets. Then again, there was one type of energy that Dr. Banana talked about that specifically mentioned objects.

  Radioactive Energy.

  It would make more sense if he just mutated objects and turned them into planets. I’d prefer if that was the answer since I knew my body could absorb Radioactive Energy. I didn't know about Atomic Energy though. That seemed to involve the physical body more than actual energy.

  “He could also be a Nuke.”

  I flinched, and then looked up. For the second time this week, my daughter was clinging to the ceiling and creating more problems for the scientists to fix. Moonlight was dangling off her waist.

  “Were you reading my mind?” I asked, coming off the wall.

  “Nope. But I’m your daughter, so I obviously know what you’re thinking,” Sunshine answered with a high and mighty voice.

  “We were eavesdropping on your conversation with that child kidnapper,” Moonlight added. “I can’t believe you didn’t even notice us, Mr. Hunter.”

  “Of course he didn’t notice us, Moony. We were like ninjas,” my daughter whispered, squinting, holding two fingers up to her face.

  “Sneaky ninjas,” the zombie girl said, copying Sunshine.

  Ninjas was an understatement. Moonlight was in my kid’s room, which was on the other side of the facility. I was only talking to Lyra for a few minutes at most. Has her speed really increased that much?

  I felt a twinge of excitement. “When you said Pluto could be a Nuke, what did you mean by that?”

  Sunshine dropped from the ceiling — her friend clinging on tightly — and landed in front of me. “Maybe he uses giant pure energy balls with the properties of the planets he’s basing them on? Lyra did say you were the perfect counter for him.”

  “Alright. Even so-” I looked at Moonlight. “We should still prepare.”

  My daughter side-eyed the girl. “Or you could trust me to protect her.” She wrapped an arm around her friend’s shoulder. “Isn’t that right, Moony?”

  Moonlight put on a brave face, placing her fists at her sides. “Yeah. Despite what you said, Mr. Hunter, I want to get stronger with you guys too. If I can level up my healing abilities, then I’ll be an amazing support for your team.”

  I crouched down, chuckling weakly. “And I love that you wanna do that, but there are safer ways of leveling up your skills. Like away from this facility.”

  “Oooo, let’s go to where Kofi is,” Sunshine suggested, blushing. “He’s been with the RAs for a while. I wanna see what he’s doing.”

  “Good idea! I’ll give him a call as long as you quit it with the blushy act. And since he’s also after Angela, we gotta get her out of here too.” I stood up straight. “I don’t care if she doesn’t wanna see us. I’m busting down that door and-”

  A door did bust down, but it wasn’t Angela’s.

  Dr. Banana came flying out of his office room with a swatter in his hand, swinging it around like a maniac. The fly that had been terrorizing the facility for days was dodging his attacks like he was moving in slow motion. I felt pity for his situation, and it compelled me to give him some help.

  However, the doctor stopped me. “This is my fight, Jerome! I can do this.” Despite being out of breath, Dr. Banana sounded confident. Was it the crowd of scientists coming out of his room and cheering him on, or the rifle he pulled out from his back?

  “Are you really gonna shoot a fly, man?” I asked in disbelief, stepping aside.

  “Kill it! Let it feel the wrath of your bullets, Banana Man!” Sunshine exclaimed in a manic voice.

  “I really don't think we should kill any animal,” Moonlight muttered, twiddling her thumbs.

  Dr. Banana aimed the gun at the fly, who was now resting at the wall. “By the power invested in me, fly, I sentence you to fiery pits of Hell!”

  There was an uncomfortable amount of rage in his voice as he pulled the trigger. But a bullet didn’t come out.

  A ray of red light did, enveloping the bug. I thought it would vaporize the tiny creature, but it grew instead. And it kept growing until we were all forced to step back a couple meters. Its crimson, compound eyes ballooned into vast domes, each one reflecting the room. Its head switched to each side like an owl’s, and then it settled on me.

  Without warning, the fly flew toward my direction, its wings beating with a deep, grinding buzz that rattled the air. I punched, but I missed. It moved upwards, hooked its legs onto my shoulders, and flew off with me. Sunshine, Moon, Dr. Banana, and everyone else followed us deeper into the facility, attracting the attention of more lab geeks.

  “Mr. Hunter, are you ok!?” Moon asked, riding on my daughter’s back.

  “Yeah! Let me just-” I attempted to grab the fly’s legs, but it unhooked my shoulders — dodging my hand — and latched back on in one sequence. “How fast are these things?”

  “It’s not that they’re fast. Flies just have insane reaction time. They’re impossible to hit without the perfect timing,” Sunshine informed me.

  Seeing all the people around us, the fly spun, tearing up the ceiling, and flew in the other direction. Everyone followed.

  “I’m gonna remove the doctor from your name, Banana, ‘cause you don’t act like one at all!” I shouted.

  “It’s not my fault I got confused by which gun was the growth ray, and which one was a normal gun,” he argued. “It’s also not my fault that I didn’t create a shrink ray to erase the effects of the growth ray.”

  It sounded like it was his fault…

  I sighed. “Soooo, can none of you get rid of this thing!?”

  Sunshine and the scientists collectively began attacking the fly, though it weaved through all of their attacks, slashing through the walls with its brittle body hair.

  “Screw this! Time for Plan B!” Banana shouted, revealing a watch under his sleeve. “Re-Re, take us to the wilderness!”

  The floor opened up, and I felt the air tug at my limbs, pulling me and the fly downward like a vacuum. The bug tried pushing forward, its wings beating faster than ever. But it wasn’t strong enough, and we, along with everyone else, were sucked into the hole.

  We landed in the forest where Sunshine and I had fought Vladimir. Although, my feet only grazed the grass before the flying creature carried me back into the air, above the trees.

  Fortunately, my daughter was swiftly able to grab my leg.

  “Why’s this thing so attracted to me!?” I growled. “Does it wanna eat me or something?”

  “I think it just likes your stench, Dad!” Sunshine said. “Flies tend to hang around corpses, and that’s pretty much what you are!”

  “Remind me to take a shower then!”

  “You can’t take showers, silly!” She raised her hand, which was infused with aura. “Let me try something! I’ve been working on this since yesterday!”

  “Mind Trick-”

  Sunshine’s aura exploded outward, sending us all flying into different directions. I took that chance to absorb the traces of energy she left for me in the sky, and then crashed into a tree. The sound of buzzing grew more intense in the air. I jumped off, looking around me, fists ready to be launched.

  However, the fly wasn’t headed for me this time. Moonlight was its next target, and of course it was. She was kinda like Saveer — a zombified person that was closer to a zombie than a human.

  Making a finger gun, I fired an energy blast at the monster.

  It didn’t hit. The jewels that thing called eyes foresaw my attack once again. The ground near the group of scientists wasn’t so lucky, bursting into a cloud of dust, spraying dirt. Thankfully, Sunshine saved Moon before any damage could be done.

  The fly didn't give up its pursuit, but neither did I. One second, I was right on its tail. And the next, I was in front of it.

  The energy in my hand reshaped into a blade. It wasn’t as large as before — only the size of a fencing sword. It would have to do though.

  Vlad said my energy blasts didn’t scale to my own speed yet, meaning the best way to kill the bug was to use my body. Who cared how insane its reaction time was? Flies probably suffered from exhaustion, and I was gonna expose that weakness.

  “You won’t be dodging for long, Jewels,” I said, feeling the weight of the sword in my hand. I couldn't make any mistakes. The fly’s weaving ability could easily trip me up — especially if it's forcing me to swing the energy around for too long.

  “Who’s Jewels?” Banana asked casually, as though he didn’t cause the problem int he first place.

  “The fly’s new name,” I responded.

  Jewels rubbed its spindly arms together, like it was readying itself for a good fight.

  “You’re a little too confident.”

  I thrusted the sword. Yet again, the attack missed, but there was another problem that came about. My body was moving further than I wanted it too, as if the weight had more control over me than I had of it.

  I would’ve fell if it weren’t for Sunshine grabbing me with all her might. “It’s about technique, Dad! Not power!”

  We both regained our bearings as the fly tilted its head, waiting for the next move.

  “Technique? So, like footwork?” I asked.

  Sunshine twirled the katana I had gifted her on her finger, which reminded me of a certain someone. “That’s part of it. Your problem is that you struggle with the weight of your energy constructs, right? So, why would you just thrust your whole body forward like that? Of course you’re gonna fall.”

  “Right.”

  She planted her feet away from each other on the grass, straightened her arm out, and held the sword with a proper grip. “It’s like working out. Without proper form, you’ll injure muscles instead of gaining it.”

  Horse Head must’ve taught her that. Would it be wrong to thank him?

  “Just watch how I work my feet. Learned this stuff a couple weeks back.”

  Sunshine took several short steps forward, and drove the katana forward. Not her whole body. Just her arm and the weapon. When Jewels zigzagged through the area, she didn’t chase it. While her eyes traced its movements, she moved on her own path, swinging when the fly got close.

  No running. No swinging wildly. No big steps. All those things would tire my daughter out eventually if she did those. And if I did those things, then I’d end up catching an explosion to the face.

  Suddenly, I found myself copying her stance, and when Jewels flew a little too close to me, I swung my blade too.

  We always missed our attacks, but the more I did them, the lighter the energy began to feel.