After a moment of spooky silence among the three of them.

  Michael Joke fished out a new tire and some tools from his space and got ready to swap out the flat.

  Billy Jean was starting to twiddle her thumbs.

  “Michael , you handle the tire change. Ivan and I are gonna stretch our legs around here.”

  “No way in hell.”

  Michael Joke shot back right away.

  A guy and a gal off on their own? Fat chance.

  “We’re just sitting here like bumps on a log. Maybe we’ll stumble onto something cool if we poke around.”

  “Then why should I be the one stuck here changing the tire? That’s not fair.”

  “So, what do you want?”

  Billy Jean asked, throwing up her hands.

  “Rock, paper, scissors. Loser changes the tire.” Michael Joke said.

  “Childish.” Ivan snorted.

  “Exactly, naive.”

  Billy Jean chimed in, nodding vigorously.

  The next second.

  “Rock, paper, scissors.”

  They all said it at once and thrust out their hands.

  Two pairs of scissors and one sheet of paper.

  Billy Jean stared at the paper in her hand like it was a snake.

  What the?!

  She had to change the tire?

  “Cough... Surely you wouldn’t be cruel enough to make a delicate flower like me change the tire under this blazing sun, right?”

  Billy Jean’s voice shot up an octave, and she batted her eyelashes like crazy.

  Michael Joke and Ivan got goosebumps all over.

  After hemming and hawing for half a second, they both turned tail and walked off.

  Billy Jean’s voice dropped back to normal.

  “Hey! Don’t go! Why are you two bailing? Are you really gonna leave me high and dry to change this tire?”

  Watching the two who’d already hightailed it, Billy Jean couldn’t help muttering under her breath.

  Damn it to hell!

  The air between Michael Joke and Ivan was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

  Ivan broke the ice.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “Why’d you come back to Ri-city? Is it really like Billy said? You can’t let go of what went down and came back to get even?”

  “She told you that?”

  A wry smile tugged at Michael Joke’s lips.

  “That’s right. I’m here for payback. Back in the day, with the law breathing down our necks, I couldn’t do much. But now it’s the apocalypse. Perfect time for revenge. Of course, you’re not getting off scot-free either.”

  “Then why haven’t you made your move yet?”

  “If I don’t make her squirm enough, why should I let her off easy?”

  “Then why’d you offer your blood, go through the trouble of collecting blood for her, and keep tabs on her every move? What gives?” Ivan said.

  "..." Michael Joke clammed up.

  Ivan’s eyes narrowed.

  “Michael , I’m asking you, what’s the real deal with how you feel about Billy now?”

  Just as he finished, a deafening boom came from behind.

  “Boom...”

  Michael Joke’s face went white as a sheet.

  “Billy .”

  Ivan just saw a blur, and Michael Joke was gone.

  Watching Michael Joke sprint toward Billy Jean, he figured he’d already gotten his answer.

  Billy Jean was in the middle of changing the tire when a car came barreling from the distance and plowed into the military vehicle.

  “Boom...”

  The impact was like a bomb going off, sending the little car flipping and skidding a few yards.

  Sparks flew, and it finally ground to a halt.

  Car parts were strewn all over the place. The small car was basically a mangled mess of scrap metal.

  With all that force, the military vehicle only had a busted headlight.

  Billy Jean, standing there with the tire iron still in her hand, stared at the chaos.

  Damn it!

  She’d almost jumped out of her skin.

  Rushing to meet their maker?

  Driving like a maniac.

  “Billy , are you okay?”

  Michael Joke came running up, sweating bullets.

  He spun Billy Jean around and grilled her.

  “Are you hurt anywhere? Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” Billy Jean said.

  Michael Joke gripped Billy Jean’s shoulders and practically shook her.

  “Where are you hurt? Spit it out.”

  Billy Jean pointed at the broken headlight with her pinky.

  “It’s hurt.”

  Seeing he’d been scared half to death and she was still cracking jokes, Michael Joke flicked her on the forehead in annoyance.

  “Cut the crap.”

  Billy Jean covered her forehead with one hand and swatted at Michael Joke’s hand with the other.

  “Can’t you be a little nicer? I’m older than you, after all.”

  Michael Joke mussed up her hair with his big paw.

  “If you want me to be nice, you need to act your age. You’re as immature as a kindergartner every day.”

  “Go, go, you’re the kindergartner.”

  Billy Jean shoved him away.

  The corners of Michael Joke’s mouth twitched up, and a glimmer of amusement flashed in his dark eyes.

  At this time, the door of the wrecked small car creaked open.

  “Boom...”

  A blood-soaked man with a gushing head wound crawled out.

  “Survived that? What a tough nut.” Billy Jean exclaimed.

  Ivan happened to stroll up.

  When he saw the man emerging from the small car, he wrinkled his brow.

  “Nobrow.”

  Nobrow saw him too and staggered over, begging for mercy.

  “Help me, Ivan, save me.”

  Just then, Billy Jean sensed a creepy vibe.

  “Something’s coming.”

  In a flash, a figure vaulted over.

  When Ivan saw who it was, he knew it was Gaby.

  But his face was as white as a ghost, his eyes were bloodshot, and both his arms were snapped like twigs.

  With an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth, he looked like something out of a horror movie.

  “He’s a mutant.” Billy Jean said.

  Ivan’s expression turned grim.

  Seeing Gaby show up, Nobrow felt a chill run down his spine.

  Gaby had been hot on his heels.

  Otherwise, he wouldn’t have crashed.

  He quickened his pace toward Ivan.

  “Ivan, off Gaby. He’s a monster now. Hurry up and kill him.”

  Gaby leaped and cut off Nobrow’s path.

  “Ahhh...” Nobrow shrieked in terror.

  Gaby’s mouth started to open.

  Wider and wider it grew, until his whole head split in two and transformed into a gaping maw.

  His yellow teeth were like crooked tombstones.

  Billy Jean wrinkled her nose in disgust.

  Nobrow backed away, trembling like a leaf.

  “Gaby, for old times’ sake, let me go... Ahh...”

  Before he could finish, Gaby chomped off his head.

  “Crunch, crunch...”

  Blood and brains oozed from his mouth.

  It was stomach-churning.

  After gobbling up the head, Gaby stuck out his tongue, scooped up the cigarette on the ground, and popped it back in his mouth.

  His hideous maw snapped back to normal.

  Except for his pasty complexion, beady eyes, and too much white showing, he looked almost normal.

  It was hard to believe he’d been that monstrosity a moment ago.

  After killing Nobrow, Gaby didn’t leave.

  His tiny, mung bean-sized pupils zeroed in on Ivan.

  Ivan knew he was in the crosshairs.