I can't hold my smirk at bay. He went down so easily, it's laughable. One hit to the head. He was out like a light within the first ten seconds. The outrage and excitement in the crowd at my supposed 'lucky shot' only makes my blood shimmer in my veins.

The vampire referee, or vump as I call him (vampire umpire), announces him dead. He retreats with me as he calls for a frenzy. I've won the brackets tonight, but to keep attendance up, the ring is always opened to any challenger. If I don't make it past that, too bad, so sad, I die. But it's rare anyone wants to go up against the humans. After all, they're the ones who bet on us. Wouldn't want to lose their star challenger, would they? Especially with the championship coming up here soon. A lot of people could win a lot of money on me, and those elves are big spenders.

The vump looks at me and I nod, giving the signal I'm ready to take on whatever's about to come at me.

I twirl the nail-studded bat in my hand and watch the crowd eagerly. If someone approaches and gives what should be a finishing blow, I'll have to pretend I'm dead and never show my face around here again. And that means no more money. No more feeding my siblings. No more job.

"This was the last scheduled fight of the night. With a reward of more money than she can hold, this human could be free. But it all depends on if she wins the Hum-fight Championship in a few weeks. And that's if she makes it out of here alive tonight. The ring is open for second-world challengers. Perhaps a zombie or wolf that didn't get a bite of the tank this young girl took out."

The crowd falls into a stiff silence. As I open my mouth to thank the vump for his hospitality, a voice parts the seas.

"I'll do it."

My eyes snap around to the front row, one of the zombies I noticed earlier raising his hands. His face is chiseled, curly hair flopping onto his forehead and spilling down his neck. For a zombie, he looks pretty muscled-up, like he's been working out for a long time. He's attractive, but that isn't what twists my guts.

There's a tingle that rushes up my spine. The way Maverick looked at me earlier, the sudden worry he'd expressed toward me... it all comes flooding back. That ominous residue coats my tongue and insides like how clothes cling to your skin after a downpour. My entire body reacts to him as he argues with what looks to be friends he'd come here with. For some reason, it feels as if this guy will be the reason I'll crash and fall.

As if he'll be the death of me.

"Frick," I whisper, hiding my sudden lapse with a glower. I feign confidence with a smirk.

"She's mine."

His words are easy to understand as he climbs over the bar holding him back, rocking me to my core.

I convince myself I'm just overthinking what Maverick had said. There's no way a fragile zombie will best me.

But I don't feel one hundred percent. He's thrown me off. I can't focus.

"A zombie?" the vump comments, humming with curiosity. "I'm not sure if this is idiotic or commendable."

His eyes lock on mine, penetrating my heart with an ice-cold arrow. Zombies can be terrifying in the right light, and especially if you're a human. But I'm not. However...

I bounce on my toes, trying to clear my mind, but I can't shake it.

"Yeah," he says with a grimace, "well, I'm hungry."

The acrid scent of his zombie toxins fill the air and overtake my senses. If he bites me, I'll have to pretend like I'm growing more paralyzed. Unless I want to take on the angle that I'm immune to zombiism, but my mind's too convoluted to decide. He'll also be able to spit up bile from his stomach, which means I have to dodge it as believably as possible. If I don't, the acid will eat through my skin and the crowd will witness it healing, and I'll be outed as both a Bleeder and a cheater.

Which, again, means no money.

"What is your name, zombie boy?" the vump asks.

"Zeke."

"Zeke the zombie." The vump quirks a smile. "Very well. I'll do well to remember that name, should you leave this ring alive." Then, to both of us, he says, "You may begin once I leave the ring."

I lock onto the boy in front of me. He seems to be around my age, a familiar level of rage staring back. I watch his pupils dilate as he lowers his stance, his skin growing a shade grayer as his zombie instincts kick in. His heart rate lowers to almost still.

I've never been targeted by a zombie, so this is a new experience. I've watched an old movie called I Am Legend, and I can only imagine that's what it feels like, considering those creatures are smart.

Intelligent zombies. I swear that's what did humanity in. Without them, more of the human race would have one thousand percent survived the apocalypse.

"You're mine," he threatens as the vump exits.

Pushing the worry from my system, I place the bat on my shoulder and decide to enjoy myself. One less zombie to track down my siblings. "Bring it on, Stiff."

I bum-rush him, deciding to take it easy. This is just a zombie I'm up against, not something more difficult to take down.

As I bring the bat around, he shifts his feet and twists to the side, barely avoiding the blow. Confusion trickles through my brain as I spin and scan him head-to-toe.

"Zeke, be careful!" a girl calls from the crowd, but it doesn't break his focus.

I approach slowly, dragging the bat in the dirt. "You must be suicidal." He gives a small smirk, one I don't think he realizes is gracing his lips. "I misjudged you. But you can't win this."

He rolls up the sleeves of his baby blue button down, solidifying a thought. He definitely wasn't expecting to jump into this ring. I wonder if he didn't get a piece of Mr. Muscle, and that's where this fury is stemming from.

"Or maybe you've met your match. You're food, nothing more."

I snort, my smile growing. "Is that so? You underestimate what a human can do when it's fighting for its life."

I push off the ground again, this time using a bit of my strength to assist. He dodges again, but this time I dig my heels in and twist around. He lifts his arm and blocks it, a hollow thud echoing across the ring as the nails dig into his rotting flesh. A putrid, all-consuming stench fills the air and I hold my breath to keep from gagging as black goo spills from the wound.

His eyes redden as black tendrils sprout up his esophagus. I use the next split second to push him back and swing again, but it's another miss.

Frustration makes my teeth ache as I miss again, his fist connecting with my temple.

How the frick did he land a blow on me?

"You're a zombie," I spit as I take a step back. "Aren't you supposed to be slow and dumb?"

"Sure," he says as he blocks my kick with his knee. Something cracks, but I know he doesn't feel pain. "But I'm not as helpless as you think."

He kicks me in the stomach, making me stumble back. I trip over something and hit the ground, my mind a mess. I've been up against so many people, how is a zombie, of all creatures, getting the better of me? This is impossible. Does he have a descendent of Athena helping him or something?

I stand as he grabs a plank of wood. I smash it in two with my bat, blinded by rage as I struggle to control my instincts, keeping my embarrassment in check.

He tosses one half at me and I smack it away, ready to bring the bat up in an arc and make him beyond Mindless, when the other half plunges deep within my chest. I cry out as the bat falls to my feet and the crowd bursts to life. My heart falters in my chest as my ribs crack and blood spills from my wound and out my mouth.

And I can't control it anymore.

The pettiness inside me lets the sharpened flanges extend slightly as I bring up my hand and swipe them across his cheek.

He grabs my wrist as I fall to my knees, but it's too late. He'll be the same as me in a matter of seconds.

I grunt as he bits into my arm and pulls away, sputtering. A grin slides onto my face as I wrap my fingers around the plank and yank it out. Bleeder blood is the worst tasting blood there is—half rotting and half alive.

"You'll regret that," I promise as chaos erupts. Sirens shatter the air, but he and I stay still.

I stand on wobbly legs, my body working quickly to repair itself. "Congrats," I croak as I switch my gaze to his cheek. "Looks like dead men can bleed."

I watch as it sinks in, what he's become.

That sense of dread begins to spread, like my destiny has just been thrust into motion.

As if I was waiting for him.