“These are the blood of the superpowered. It’s got juice—energy, I mean. For a little tyke like him, it’s a bit much to handle. He’ll be right as rain once his body soaks it up.”

  Michael Joke explained.

  Billy Jean watched as Joe, who’d just smacked into the table leg again and landed flat on his back, let out a soft chuckle.

  The little rascal was kind of cute.

  “Knock, knock, knock...”

  Just then, a knock came at the door.

  Michael Joke shot a glance at the others and then made his way over.

  Peeking through the peephole, he saw an 18-year-old girl with flaming red hair.

  She was looking around like a scared cat, worried zombies were gonna leap out.

  “What do you want?”

  Michael Joke barked in a deep voice.

  The girl outside didn’t seem to expect a man to be in there.

  She froze for a sec.

  Then she snapped out of it and said,

  “I’m looking for Sister Loree.”

  Michael Joke looked back at Loree, who was still sawing logs.

  He said, “She’s not here. Try back later.”

  Susan naturally didn’t buy it.

  She’d seen Loree hauling in supplies through the window just a bit ago.

  She lived upstairs.

  When she saw the coast was clear at the door, she hightailed it down.

  “I’m friends with Sister Loree. Tell her, and she’ll let me in for sure.”

  After all, Michael Joke wasn’t the host.

  Since he couldn’t ask the lady of the house, he had to check with the man.

  Michael Joke looked at the mummy with a question in his eyes, asking if he should open the door.

  The mummy was clueless too.

  But hearing it was a friend and a girl’s voice, he thought, What if something happened to her and his wife got steamed when she woke up?

  Better let her in.

  They could sort the rest out when his wife roused.

  The mummy nodded at Michael Joke.

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  Then he carried Loree into the bedroom and shut the door.

  Michael Joke opened the door and said to the girl on the doorstep,

  “Come on in.”

  When Susan saw Michael Joke, her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

  She didn’t expect him to be such a looker.

  “If you don’t get in, I’m shutting the door.”

  Michael Joke’s face went cold as ice because of Susan’s gawking.

  “Don’t! I’m coming.”

  Susan scurried inside.

  Once in, she spotted the food Loree had scrounged up that day on the table.

  Her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

  She grabbed the grub, ripped open the package, and started shoveling it in, like she hadn’t eaten in weeks.

  After wolfing down a pack of biscuits, she paused.

  But she wasn’t done.

  She stuffed all the remaining food in her pockets, not leaving so much as a single piece of candy.

  “Taking without asking is stealing.”

  A frosty female voice rang out behind Susan.

  Susan’s face tightened.

  She spun around and only then noticed a woman perched on the sofa.

  Seeing the other woman’s drop-dead gorgeous face, Susan scoffed inwardly.

  She must’ve had work done.

  What’s the big deal?

  “Why’d you say I was stealing?”

  “If it’s not stealing, what is it?”

  “I’m friends with Sister Loree. How can you say that?”

  “What kind of friend swipes all the food someone busted their hump to get, nearly risking their life, and doesn’t leave a crumb? You sure you’re a friend and not a thief?”

  Billy Jean sneered.

  “You...”

  Susan’s face was as red as a beet.

  “I’m not talking to you. What do you know about my relationship with Sister Loree?”

  With that, she made a beeline for the door.

  She didn’t have all day. Her boyfriend was waiting for her to bring home the bacon!

  “Ah...”

  Susan let out a shriek and hit the deck hard.

  The stuff she’d just pocketed went flying everywhere.

  Michael Joke, who’d been leaning against the shoe cabinet, lazily pulled his long leg back and looked at Susan, sprawled on the floor, with a smirk on his lips.

  “So you’ve got your nose in the air. No wonder you don’t watch where you’re going.”

  Billy Jean knew Michael Joke had her back.

  The corners of her mouth twitched up a bit.

  She didn’t expect someone as proper as him to play such pranks.

  Susan, flat on her back, heard Michael Joke’s jab and was fit to be tied.

  She jabbed a finger at Michael Joke’s nose and started hollering:

  “Bullying a woman. What kind of man are you? You look all right, but you’re scum. If you don’t make this up to me, I won’t let you off the hook.”

  “Oh? How’re you gonna stop me? I’d love to see.”

  Michael Joke said, disdain dripping from his voice, his eyes like ice.

  “You...”

  Susan sized up Michael Joke’s tall frame and cold, black eyes and felt a twinge of fear.

  She swallowed hard and tried to play it cool.

  “I’m the bigger person. I won’t stoop to your level, scum.”

  With that, she bent down to pick up the food.

  “Then I’m really sorry. I love a good scrap.”

  Michael Joke booted away the food she was reaching for.

  Susan was seeing red.

  She stood up straight and lunged at Michael Joke, ready to rumble.

  Suddenly, a figure darted over and shoved Susan away.

  “Susan, who gave you the right to lay a finger on my guests in my house?”

  The usually gentle voice was now seething with anger.

  Susan looked at the beautiful woman in front of her and did a double take.

  Then she stammered,

  “Sister Loree?”

  Loree’s face was like a thundercloud.

  “I told you not to come around anymore.”

  Before the apocalypse, Susan didn’t live here.

  She showed up after and parked herself upstairs.

  Once, Susan knocked on her door, begging for food, saying her two-year-old brother was starving.

  Since Loree had a kid of her own and felt sorry for her, she gave her some grub.

  Who knew Susan would latch on like a leech.

  Every time Loree brought in supplies, Susan would use her “brother” to beg.

  Loree, being a softy, caved time and time again.

  Just recently, she found out Susan didn’t even have a brother, so she cut her off.

  She didn’t expect her to show up today.

  Susan looked at Loree, then at the photo on the wall.

  She was gobsmacked.

  “It’s really you. How’s that possible? Loree was ugly as sin...”

  She realized she’d blurted out what she was thinking and slapped a hand over her mouth.

  But she wasn’t rattled.

  After all, this chump wouldn’t call her on it.

  But she didn’t know the Loree in front of her was a zombie now, and her heart had turned to stone.

  “Slap... slap...” Two sharp smacks.

  Susan clutched her swollen cheeks, dumbfounded.

  This idiot had actually dared to hit her.