Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm



Have you ever had one of those moments where your anxiety had just taken over and you were so stressed and nervous you were either going to lash out or lay down and cry? I was officially at that moment. The 45-minute drive to the City J Navy base took more out of me than fighting four hordes of zombies one after another. 

We were officially in blizzard conditions out here which meant that we could see less than a foot in front of us and there was no way we could hear anything to lead us in a proper direction due to the high winds. We were, essentially, fucked. And if we had to stay out there longer, many of us would have died from exposure or gotten lost. I kid you not. You could get lost in a blizzard, feet from your house because you simply could not see where you needed to be.

And just—just as we were about to step into what we had determined to be our safest bet, guns were pointed at our faces.

Yes, Sir, Ladies and Gentlemen, I was done.

With a slight flick of my wrist, I pulled all the guns that I could see into my space.  Not willing to deal with their questions of "Where is it?" and "Where did it go?" I turned to look at Wang Chao.

"Where am I staying?" I would try to make nice tomorrow after I calmed down, but my arms were still shaking and I wasn't sure how long my legs would be willing to support me. Wang Chao simply ignored the people in front of him and, placing an arm around me, guided me through the crowd and up a set of stairs. 

Because with the day that I have been having, why wouldn't there be stairs?

I think Wang Chao understood how close to a breakdown I actually was because he swiftly picked me up into his arms and sprinted up the stairs to wherever he had in mind.

I closed my eyes, counting in my head.  I wasn't sure what I was actually counting, Wang Chao's steps? His breath? My breath? His heartbeat? Whatever it was, it was steady enough to allow me to get lost in the numbers and get myself under control.  Opening the door at the top of the stairs, he continued to carry me down the hall.

I was pretty sure I was supposed to object to this, say something about me being too heavy or being able to walk. But honestly, I just appreciated being taken care of for once. I closed my eyes and savored the feeling.

I felt Wang Chao shift his grip so that he could free up a hand again and open the door to another room.  Slowly opening my eyes, I saw an absolutely beautiful apartment completely furnished and a sheer wall of horizontal snow blowing outside the large windows.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked as he gently placed me on the light grey sectional. Calling a pillow and a few blankets from my space, I didn't object as he took them from me and turned me into a cocoon.

"In my first life, I was an orphan," I said slowly as if tasting the words and seeing how they made me feel.  "I remember I must have been young when I first when into Children's Services, and I was probably about 7 or 8 when I learned that my parents died while driving home in a bad snowstorm.  I was told that when the police came to the house, it was still snowing.  I have been terrified of driving in the snow after that. Which sucks since the winter lasted like 6 months of the year."

"Why didn't you let one of us drive?" he said as he started to rub my hair like I was a cat.

"I can't. The anxiety is worse when someone else drives.  My psychologist said that it was because of a lack of control. I have to be in control of the car, but it only lessens the anxiety, it doesn't take it away," I explained, feeling like a complete and utter idiot for freaking out like this. Driving in winter and swimming in open bodies of water were my two major fears… and so far, I have not been able to overcome them in any of my lives.

The most ironic part was that my fear of open bodies of water stemmed from being scared of sharks and other things below me that I could not see. Now that the sharks have come onto land, I don't know if I've gotten over that fear or what would happen if I actually came across a real shark.

"Alright," said Wang Chao as he moved to stand up from where he was sitting beside my head on the sectional. I let out a sound of protest and he simply chuckled. "I am just going to deal with the situation downstairs and then let the guys know where we are staying."

My brain went into overdrive when he mentioned leaving and I realized that I was not ready for that at all. "Shhh," he said as he knelt down in front of me, still gently playing with my hair. "We are all safe. We are all here. I'll bring the others up here and we can all stay here for as long as you need us. But right now, Liu Wei is getting grumpy, thinking that the people here set you off. So before he tries to take on this section of the County K Navy, I am going to go down there."

"There is no more Navy," I grumbled. I knew that I wasn't acting my age, or how I normally did, but I needed to let go of everything, if only for tonight.

"I know that, but they don't," he reassured me and gave me a gentle kiss on the forehead. "Try to get some sleep and we will all be in here driving you crazy before you know it."

"You won't leave the building?" I looked at the man in front of me and a big part of me was freaking out that this would be the last time I saw him if he left the building. I know it was an irrational fear, but let's face it… most fears were irrational.

"I promise," he said, once again petting my hair and giving me a kiss. "Now, hurry up and close your eyes, little girl, and when you open them again, I will be here."

With that promise, I closed my eyes and let sleep carry me off.  I would be back to normal for tomorrow, but for tonight… I could just be myself without any repercussions.

----

If Wang Chao was not impressed having been called away when Li Dai Lu needed him, Liu Wei, Lui Yu Zeng, and Chen Zi Han were even less so.

Liu Wei recognized a few people in the crowd surrounding him and his men, but that was not enough to set him at ease or even make him happy. "Major!" he heard someone shout and turned to look at the voice.  A woman stepped out from the back and approached Liu Wei, saluting when she got closer.

Nodding his head, Liu Wei recognized the salute but did not return it.  He was currently a civilian and as such, was not required to salute someone else… let alone someone from the Zhao family.

"Captain Zhao Jia Li," he said. "Are these your men?"

"No," she said shyly, shaking her head, "We are simply the unit on watch right now. There are still a few hundred people living here," she admitted, looking down at the floor, apparently not able to meet his eyes.

"Was this Li Dai Lu's definition of a green tea bitch or a white lotus?" asked Liu Yu Zeng in a loud whisper to Chen Zi Han.

"Not sure," admitted the other man, "But after she pointed out Wu Bai Hee, I am noticing them more and more."  Liu Yu Zeng nodded sagely. "I agree," he admitted, looking at the woman in front of him. "Are you going to introduce us, brother?"

Liu Wei absentmindedly scratched his eyebrow and pushed up his glasses. "This is Captain Zhao Jia Li," he said, indicating the woman in front of him. "She is the eldest daughter of the Zhao family from City A." And the Zhao family was a long-time rival of the Wang family, but he was not going to say that.

Turning his attention back to the woman after the brief introduction, he asked, "Is there anyone in charge right now?"

Zhao Jia Li was frozen for a second before she was able to answer Liu Wei's question. Quickly shaking her head she opened her mouth, "Vice Admiral Zhou Gang Jia is here but is in a meeting with a few other higher-ups in regards to the situation outside. We are the ones currently on guard duty."

Liu Wei nodded his head. "I caught that the first time," he admitted. Turning his attention back to his brother he continued, "Are all the men inside? Li Dai Lu is going to want a head count."

Liu Yu Zeng grunted and he and Chen Zi Han went through the ranks of their men to see who was accounted for and who was not. He was sure that Hell would rain down on them tomorrow if they lost someone. Li Dai Lu almost took it as a personal insult if one of the men had so much as a hang nail.

"May I ask that you return our guns?" asked Zhao Jia Li, trying to get Liu Wei's attention back to her.

"You might be able to get them tomorrow," said Wang Chao as he entered the lobby where everyone stood talking.

"But we need them!" said Zhao Jia Li in somewhat of a panic as she ran up to Wang Chao.