As I stood on the roof of the hotel, the remaining energy in my body made me realize something. The Type Two’s plant ability that I absorbed had become more tamed. An ability that I could manage like my standard energy blasts and freely use to my heart's content. From my understanding, this only happened because of that resolve-boosting conversation I had with Rosey. I had no idea why this was.

What I did know was that I was fifteen minutes away from Barclays Center and I planned on arriving there in only fifteen seconds.

I steadied my stance, planting my feet firmly as I cupped my hands at my side as vines and skinny trees emerged from my back and gathered around the radioactive energy building in my hands. Orbs appeared in the air in front of me and were all swiftly led to my palm by the plants, like an aircraft marshal guiding a plane back to land. I knew the weight was increasing, and yet it did not feel as heavy as it once was.

The large ball in the center of my hands pulsed vehemently, causing the roof to tremble as weeds sprouted from the soles of my feet. The combination of my plants and my technique cast a green illumination in the night sky-—a chilling message for the giant resting rose in the distance, which seemed oblivious to it.

Then, I thrust my hand forward with all my might and roared.

“Fatherly Beam!”

The brilliant, enormous attack sliced through the air like wet tissue, the shockwave’s force completely eviscerating the roof as the beam shot five blocks away.The energy weeds that had spawned from my feet fired a dark green gas that ejected me through the sky until I was face to face with the beam that I had just launched.

Three seconds.

The vines and slim trees that surrounded the attack steered it toward the arena, keeping the energy in place while I activated my Rocket Feet technique to compete with the overwhelming speed. A fire had ignited inside my body and it’d be ridiculous if I didn’t go full throttle!

Six seconds.

Ahead of me, carnivorous plants lined the path to the arena—Venus Flytraps and Pitcher Plants snapping their sharp teeth in a menacing display. Without hesitation, I brought my forearms together, projecting energy to form a massive leaf. I snapped it in half with a sharp motion, dodging their relentless chomps. In a fluid strike, I diced the Pitcher Plants into shreds, while the Fatherly Beam zigzagged through the air, riddling the Flytraps with smoldering holes.

Ten seconds.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

My body was enveloped by a green aura as I placed my leaf blades forward, spearing a hole in the Barclays Center’s wall like an arrow with the overwhelming intensity of a nuke. The beam crashed into the arena floor, the explosion boosting my speed until I finally shaved off a section of the roses’ petals, revealing the sleeping Type Two and the little girl cradled within.

Fourteen seconds

I snapped my arm forward, vines shooting from my palm and catching the girl before she fell. Before the Type Two could even open her eyes, I nestled the child between my arms and rocketed out of the arena.

Fifteen seconds!

*****

“Hey Victoria, you still alive, right?” I asked, shaking her gently. Her body was still made of grass. “ I gave up a lot of energy for you. C’mon!”

I had taken her to a random building I accidentally crashed into and…Hmm.

I’m starting to get real Deja Vu here…

After a couple more shakes and begging, Victoria’s eyes shot open and I was shocked to see that her eyes were unusually green. “Good, you’re awake. Are you ok? Besides your…appearance.”

Surprisingly, she stared at my whole body and didn’t even flinch at the fact that a zombie was not only holding her, but also speaking. She stayed silent for what felt like minutes and I was a little eager on what her first words would be.

“Are…you gonna take me back to Master Corleone?”

I hesitated, baffled by what she had asked me. “No…you’re not going back to the Slavelands. I’m gonna take you back to your mom.”

“My mom?” She blinked, her face trance-like. “I don’t…have a mom anymore.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?” I chuckled awkwardly. “Your mom’s been trying to find you this whole time. And she’s just a couple blocks away.”

“But my mom died…a year ago.”

What!? Is something messing with this girl’s memories somehow? Probably having all this grass on her for so damn long.

I placed my fingertips on her blank face and said, “Don’t worry, kid. I’ll absorb this off of you real quick.”

However, Victoria grabbed my hand and squeezed it with as much power as her little hand could use. “You can’t absorb me…I need to stay like this for my mom. My mom is doing this because she…loves me.”

“Victoria, you’re confused right now,” I said bluntly. “I don’t know what that zombie lady did to you specifically, but she’s giving you these wrong thoughts in your head.”

“No. No. No!” she screamed, trying to pull my hand off of her. “Why do you adults always get to decide who my mom is!? First, a whore. Then, a slave. And now, a zombie!? Who do you think you are?”

I ignored her and continued at my absorption attempt when something unexpected happened. She began to scream “No” at the top of her lungs as a tree instantly sprouted from her mouth, knocking me backwards. I regained my footing and attempted to charge back in to save the girl, but vines blasted through the wall from outside and firmly wrapped me up in place.

A couple seconds passed and a familiar figure emerged from the hole to my right. It was the goddamn Plant Zombie. She smacked away the tables and chairs in her way and approached Victoria, clawing at the tree in her mouth.

“I can’t believe that a man like you performed that feat…in only fifteen seconds. And you had the audacity to take my Sunflower away from me in that small amount of time.” Her voice was filled with rage, building up with each passing second. “It’s a good thing I planted that defense mechanism within her body—to protect her from bad people like you.”

“Big talk coming from a zombie who stole a mother’s daughter from her,” I retorted, tightening my body. “I know us zombies don’t have hearts, but if you saw how distraught that mother was with your own eyes, you’d probably see that you’re the only bad person here.”

She glared at me with her hollow eyes. “You say all that with such an evil smile on your face…” She lifted her hand and a part of her ooze lifted from her palm, lighting up the room in a green hue. “I’ll make sure to add more cracks to that ugly appearance of yours.”

“I’d like to see you try!”