Variable

"What do we do?"

Jamie screamed at Sawyer. They couldn't just keep fighting and hope that the zombie and the vine will get tired. Before that happened, they would fall like boneless jelly.

"We have to attack them."

Jamie yelled, "How genius? And they will stand still asking us to attack?"

Jamie sliced another part of the vine that came towards her. The stupid vine had tendrils that became alive even after slicing. What did it eat to reproduce like this?

Jamie couldn't concentrate on the zombie because of this senseless vine. Calling it a monster made the monsters seem deadly. Jamie knew some sweet monsters.

"I am tired. I don't think I can keep shooting lightning bolts."

Leo had started using his spear now. He used that spear as a walking stick most of the time. Good to know that it was a hidden weapon.

"We need something this vine hates. Fire. Can't you burn something with your lightning?"

Sawyer yelled while kicking the zombie in the face repeatedly making it even more angrier. The small cave didn't give them much space so they hit themselves too.

"Ah, Leo, watch where you hit that. If you take out my heart, I'm gonna haunt you."

Jamie screamed at him.

She heard their conversation. Sawyer said he needed fire. Wasn't there a lighter within her space? And how was she going to take it out?

When the vine pulled her hair, Jamie threw reason away.

"Here, I have something. Flick the button."

She threw it to Sawyer. He caught it by jumping and rolling on the floor. The zombie swung a blow and hit his knees.

That was painful. He grunted.

But the lighter, he flicked it and a small flame appeared.

He felt that his palm was hot and somehow, he felt one with the flame. As if he could sense its presence and knew which movement would cause the flame to move left or right.

He felt joy. He felt like his heart was expanding and he couldn't stop it. He snapped out of it at the exact moment the zombie was about to bite him.

Zombies had a preference. They bit some but killed others. Not every human could become a zombie. And Sawyer didn't want to become a zombie. He dodged and then brought the flame towards the zombie's heart. The smell of rotting fish intensified.

Sawyer found a tendril of the vine and burned its end. The slamming whip was ready. He was a pro at using the whip. The zombie felt physical pain and roared.

Jamie, who just noticed this, winced. Maybe she should take out another lighter and light this monster plant to ashes.

Leo hit the plant for a while and then kicked the zombie towards the whip wielded by Sawyer. Sawyer had made the flame a spirit. The flame kept burning and moving towards the direction he desired. Too bad no one noticed that.

Sawyer became proficient and the zombie was nearly dying. The zombie's heart was gone and the zombie was burning. He then sent the flaming whip towards the monster plant and set it ablaze.

Jamie and Leo moved back in sync.

"This is just so difficult."

Jamie sighed. She crouched and ran a hand over her head as if to check if there was a chunk of her hair gone.

She was happy to know that her hair was sage and sound but the pain was overwhelming. She glared at the shrinking vine.

Sawyer manipulated his flame more and more.

'No- no fire-'

He paused and then looked everywhere.

His teammates were bandaging themselves.

'No- kill- I!'

Sawyer focused on the vine and reduced the flame. The vine had shrunk to the size of a little budding plant. If he hadn't checked carefully, he wouldn't have noticed it.

'I- defend- home- smelly!'

Sawyer somehow understood its speech. The smelly was obviously the zombie. That meant this was the plant's cave.

Sawyer stopped burning it. He wouldn't kill it.

"Come on, let's take the crystal and leave."

This crystal would fetch them so many things.

"Yes, I think we will have to lay in bed for at least ten days before we can go back to fight."

Leo gasped.

Jamie didn't worry about them. She now worried about what bluff she needed to use when Sawyer asked her about the lighter. Such lighters were from the past if Sawyer was concerned.

But he never asked. Jamie was feeling happy about it. So happy that she didn't notice the fact that he didn't return the lighter.

Jamie cleaned herself and fell on the bed. She was fast asleep but Sawyer on the other hand was communicating with the monster plant.

"You became a spirit?"

"I opened my mind a few days ago. That's why I was observing that smelly thing."

The monster plant spoke fluently now. It danced on his palm. Sawyer noticed the plant but he was thinking something else.

"How many days ago?"

The plant tilted left and right and then answered.

"Seven days?"

Sawyer nodded.

He put the plant near the window and sat watching it.

He then took out the lighter. The flame danced happily as if saying hello to him. He extended his other palm and the flame jumped onto his palm. He would have been surprised if he hadn't seen Leo play with his lightning powers earlier.

The flame became bigger and smaller according to his thoughts.

Sawyer played with it.

"Come on, you go to sleep too."

The flame vanished and he felt warm. He knew that the flame was within him.

Things that could have never happened were happening. But why did he think they all originated from the same epicenter?

The same epicenter that was probably sleeping in the house opposite him?

Before, things were the same. He came out and this place was just like the place he left. The only difference was the luxury. Everywhere, the strong ate the weak.

But now, a big variable appeared. Sawyer smiled.

"It's nice to meet you, huh, Jamie?"