Chapter 1

He went over the details with the other heroes.

For the past few days since the incident, Zombieman has tried to piece together what was told of the heroes when they were tasked in taking out the family. The methods given would have certainly killed them, yet he was stunned as many of them wanted to find a way of taking the family out yet not kill them.

"I was told to crush his heart telepathically…" Tatsumaki said as she explained her failed attempt to save Goliath. "What the hell are they thinking? There was no other way of saving them?" she demanded.

"I never thought you would care that much to try…"

"Shut up!" she snapped back. "I have come to like a few of them… not my much though, just a little." She protested with her arms crossed. Yet she shook her head to it all. "He was in so much pain, trying to keep himself under control. He was going to go into the ocean to hopefully stop the sound that was driving him insane… but…" she trailed off and sighed aloud. "I couldn't stop him, hell I didn't even know about the bullets that could kill him!"

"None of us were aware. But that does explain their confidence in the matter…" Zombieman muttered. "What's troubling me is the fact that there is still one more bullet in their possession. If they know about the six, my brother…"

"No, I think that bullet is going to have my name on it…"

Zombieman paused as he turned to see Amai Mask wonder towards him. He looked between the two and nodded. "Let's face it, the six are wanted by someone else and they want them alive, more than likely the damn clone that brought about their creation… if anything, if they still have one bullet left, they are going to use it on me."

"I would," Tatsumaki said with a smirk.

"Not surprised," Amai replied with a smile of his own. "Sadly this wouldn't be the way I wish to go out, however if it happens…"

"No one else is getting killed!" Zombieman protested. "Look, we don't know all the answers right now, for that matter we still don't know what the hell is going on, all I can say is this, we need to have each other's backs."

Tatsumaki sneered. "I have to look out for him?" she muttered. "I got more important things to do!"

She stormed off shortly after. Yet, as Zombieman was about to continue his conversation, Boros appeared out of nowhere! "Geeze, don't do that!" he protested. "I thought you were going to see Emp!"

Amai jumped as he turned yet settled hen he realized who it was. "I am just about to, however over heard your conversation and it has brought something to light before me. I have a strange favor to ask." He said aloud.

"Oh?" Zombieman question.

"Not from you… but you." Boros said as he stared down Amai. "I wish to speak with you in private."

He appeared curious enough to listen, Amai nodded in agreement as he walked off with Boros. Zombieman was still gathering details as to what happened from everyone.

#

Their stories were all the same.

They went to confront their target, just as they appeared to have regained themselves, they were shot in the head or right in the heart. "I couldn't have taken a better shot myself," One shooter explained. "But I had no intention of killing them either. I mean, how could I?"

"What could any of us have done differently…" Zombieman muttered.

Yet something wasn't sitting well with him. Boros for one is too calm and collected with how things have happened. Had he been in Boros's place, he would have ripped apart the world by now if he truly saw Alley and Suiryu as a mother and father. Perhaps he was wrong and the attachment didn't run as deep as he thought it did.

Either way, there was something else going on.

His phone rang.

"Zombieman here,"

At first there was silence. "Hello?"

"Hey, Zombieman. It's Bad,"

He froze to the voice. He hasn't heard from or seen Bad in a while. "Hey…"

"I got a favor to ask of you, you see, I need someone to look out for Zenko. Alley made a promise if I needed a favor it would be done… well, this is it." Just by his tone alone, Zombieman could pick up that something was wrong.

"Everything okay?"

"For now yeah, but, I want to be safe than sorry. Mind looking out for my sis for a little while?"

He would honor Alley's promise to Bad, and he didn't mind helping out an old friend. "Sure Bad, we'll send Snek's drone to pick her up…"

"Thanks, and… sorry about how things went down after the Monster Association…"

"Think nothing of it kid, we all had to do what's right for us. We'll take care of Zenko, and you know, if you need help…"

"Yeah, thanks man,"

When the phone line went dead, he got a sudden chill down his spine. "I hate it when I get that sensation. Shit's about to go down…" he muttered.

Venturing to Alley's lab, he found a small box with a key in it. The 'in case of company' was for this very reason. He ventured to the resting quarters of the Association and found the room that's always locked, he undid the latch and checked inside. It was like a small apartment with its own kitchen and bathroom. In case if someone wish to have their privacy. He nodded his approval before locking it back up.

Zenko arrived a few hours later with her things, a strange monster like dog and the family cat.

Instantly Zombieman knew something was wrong. "Zenko?" he asked as he went out to greet her.

She tried to keep a brave face, but her quivering lip revealed otherwise. She began to cry, before Zombieman knew it, her arms wrapped around him as she wept into his chest. He wasn't the consoling type, but he tried his best as his hand went on the back of her head and he gently patted it. "It's okay kid, we have all been through hell over the past 24 hours…" he explained.

"Why did they do this?" she cried. "They didn't hurt anyone innocent, there were no lives lost even when they couldn't control themselves, why did they have to die?"

He didn't have an answer for her. How could he when he himself didn't know what was happening. He was just as trapped as was in the thought that someone went through the trouble to make the family appear like the monsters that were to be feared. "Let's go inside kid,"

She calmed down and nodded.

He helped her get Zenko's things to her room. She looked about rather amazed to the space. "I never knew about this place!" she said in amazement.

"Alley always had something like this at the ready, just in case. You can put your things anywhere you like and Tama with whatever that is, can have free reign in this room."

"Thank you…"

"Don't thank me, Alley planned for all this… that kid's mind was something else…"

She merely nodded in agreement. He left her to settle in, yet couldn't help but notice the ring she wore on her left hand. 'Shit,' he thought to himself.