Austin Ling’s peepers dilated like saucers.

  “zombie! You’re a zombie!”

  Gaby and the rest recoiled in horror, their eyes as wide as headlights.

  Ivan’s head was spinning.

  His eyes were full of disbelief.

  “Jean, you...”

  “I’ll fill you in later.”

  Billy Jean stood up, glaring at Austin Ling like he was a bug.

  “Now that the zombie’s right in front of you, what are you waiting for? Come at me!”

  From that one move just now, Austin Ling could tell he was outmatched.

  So he wasn’t dumb enough to go toe-to-toe.

  “I’m a gentleman. I don’t scrap with ladies. I’ll take him on.”

  Austin Ling jabbed a finger at Michael Joke.

  The guy had a face like a punching bag.

  Looked like a pretty boy all show and no go.

  With his wood whammy, he was sure he could handle this wimp.

  “If you win, I’ll let you call the shots. If I win, you back off.” Austin Ling hollered.

  Billy Jean eyeballed Austin Ling like he’d lost his marbles.

  Where’d he get the nerve to think he could take down Michael Joke?

  “Hehe... Hope you don’t eat your words later.”

  Hearing Billy Jean’s jab, Austin Ling got a shiver down his spine for no good reason.

  Could that dude really be a powerhouse?

  Nah, impossible.

  If he was so tough, how’d he end up looking like roadkill?

  He must be bluffing.

  Austin Ling threw the first punch.

  Countless wooden spikes zipped at Michael Joke like missiles.

  Michael Joke sidestepped ’em cool as a cucumber.

  He stomped, and a mega-watt electric current shot up from under his feet, barreling at Austin Ling underground.

  “Crack...”

  Austin Ling was blasted off his feet by the jolt.

  His body flew through the air and crashed far away, puking blood like a fountain.

  Gaby and the crew were gobsmacked.

  Austin Ling got wiped out in one hit.

  They didn’t even see what the other guy did.

  Austin Ling was kicking himself.

  He’d been a fool to pick a fight with a lightning ace.

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  No, he had to scram.

  Just then, a pair of feet loomed into view.

  He looked up and locked eyes with a pair of blood-red peepers that were colder than ice.

  His eyes bugged out in terror.

  The next second, his head went rolling, and blood spurted like a geyser.

  “Ahhh...”

  The two women screeched like banshees.

  Caught in Billy Jean’s icy glare, they clammed up and huddled together, shaking like leaves.

  Gaby and Nobrow were as white as ghosts.

  If Austin Ling, the hotshot, got creamed, they didn’t stand a snowball’s chance.

  Fear hung over ’em like a dark cloud.

  Billy Jean didn’t give ’em a second glance.

  She eyed the dead ability user at her feet.

  Even though she’d just chowed down, waste not, want not.

  She whipped out her “snack gear”.

  She jammed it into the carotid artery.

  A bombshell babe squatting next to a stiff.

  It was downright spooky.

  A pang of grief flashed in Ivan’s eyes.

  Only now did he buy that Billy Jean had gone zombie.

  If he’d been in Ri-city when the world went to pot and shielded her, would Jean still be human?

  Ivan was eaten up with remorse.

  “She’s a zombie now. When she flips her lid, she’ll go on a killing spree. If you don’t want to meet your maker, you better vamoose.”

  A frosty voice cut through the air.

  Ivan looked up and saw Michael Joke had sidled up.

  The hothead who’d clocked him years back had grown up and was even more of a looker.

  When he first saw Michael Joke, he was floored.

  He didn’t expect to see him with Billy Jean again after all this time.

  Hadn’t they split?

  Why were they back together?

  “You and her, you’re from different planets now. It’s a no-go in this lifetime. Scram.”

  Michael Joke said, his voice as dark as a storm cloud.

  Ivan cracked a wry smile.

  “What? You think you can’t hang with me, so you’re trying to spook me, your rival?”

  Michael Joke, his bluff called, decided to drop the act and go for the jugular.

  “It’s the apocalypse. If you keep sniffing around her, it won’t be like a slap on the wrist. I’ll waste you.”

  “Then bring it.”

  Ivan sprang up and blipped out of sight, reappearing smack in front of Michael Joke.

  That’s right.

  He’d just woken up to his teleportation mojo.

  He cocked his fist and popped Michael Joke in the kisser.

  He had to admit, he still had a bone to pick from back then.

  Surprise!

  Michael Joke didn’t fight back.

  He ate the punch and went flying ten yards, landing next to Billy Jean.

  Ivan was dumbfounded.

  Was that really necessary?

  He’d only thrown one punch.

  Anybody watching would think he’d hit him with a Mack truck.

  Could it be his strength had gone through the roof with his new superpower?

  Billy Jean, mid-bite, nearly jumped out of her skin when Michael Joke crash-landed beside her.

  “Hey, Michael Joke, you okay?”

  Michael Joke pointed a shaky finger at Ivan.

  “He wants me to take a hike. When I said no, he sucker-punched me.”

  With that, he turned his head and hocked up a mouthful of blood.

  Ivan:!!

  Damn it! What a drama king.

  Seeing Michael Joke spitting blood, Billy Jean gave Ivan a stink-eye, like he should’ve just tapped him.

  Why go all out?

  Ivan:...

  “I’ll give you a hand. Easy does it.”

  Billy Jean reached for Michael Joke’s arm.

  Michael Joke looped his arm around Billy Jean’s shoulder.

  A glimmer of victory flashed in his downcast eyes, and his lips twitched.

  Ivan narrowed his eyes.

  This joker...

  Gaby and the others saw Ivan hadn’t zombie_fied but had unlocked an ability.

  Thinking about how they’d wanted to ice him and now fearing payback, they started yapping.

  “Ivan, it was that rat Austin Ling who conned us into thinking you were turning. We didn’t mean it.” Gaby said.

  “Yeah, it was all Austin Ling’s fault. That snake.”

  The woman with long black hair fumed.

  “Ivan, I’m sorry. I stood up to ’em. But I was outnumbered. Glad you’re okay.”

  The woman with short hair scooted up to Ivan.

  “I’m stoked you’re an ability user.”

  “Sorry.” Nobrow didn’t say much.

  “Beat it.” Ivan said, cold as ice.

  He couldn’t be bothered to waste ’em.

  They wouldn’t last long out there anyway.

  The woman with short hair was stunned.

  “You’re not coming with us?”

  The woman with long black hair panicked.

  “Ivan, you can’t leave. Austin Ling’s gone. If you’re not here, we’re toast.”

  “I was never part of your crew. We teamed up on the fly. Now I’ve found who I was looking for. What happens to you is none of my beeswax.”

  Michael Joke heard Ivan’s spiel and his eyes darkened.

  He really had a death wish.

  “Ivan, you can’t be so heartless and ditch us. You’re sending us to the lions.”

  Gaby pleaded.

  Ivan’s face hardened like granite, and he snarled,

  “I’ll say it one more time. You’re dead to me. If you don’t skedaddle, don’t blame me for getting rough.”

  The woman with short hair got desperate and made a grab for Ivan’s sleeve, but he dodged her.

  “Ivan, I’ve got a crush on you. Let me stay. I won’t be a bother.”

  Her voice was all quivery and weepy, her eyes red and pitiful.

  Michael Joke peeked at Billy Jean’s reaction.

  Seeing she was just enjoying the show and didn’t seem jealous or steamed, he smirked.

  Maybe she’d only played him for a fool back then and didn’t really have the hots for this wild card.

  This time, he’d make sure she never strayed again.