Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm



"Everyone expects the apocalypse to be this big, sudden change from everything that they knew. And technically, that was what happened when the EMP went off and we lost all of the electricity that we had come to depend on for our very survival. But that was the first step," I said, willing the guys to understand what I was trying to say.

"The EMP was our first step into the quicksand," said Liu Wei, looking at me intently. "But because the apocalypse didn't happen overnight, people just stood still."

Ah, it was so nice for someone to speak Li Dai Lu.  I chucked. "Exactly. People still expected the government to come around and save them, they still expected everything to go back to normal quickly and easily, and that the grocery stores would miraculously have food in them again. So what was the point of stressing or preparing?"

I saw the men nodding their heads and I tried to really drive home my point. "How many times have we really encountered the zombies?" I asked, watching as the men froze. "Not that often, right? Especially not if we are considering this to be a zombie apocalypse."

"So, what exactly is happening right now?" asked Liu Yu Zeng.

"Humans are frozen, completely unaware of any dangers coming their way."

"And the zombies?" asked Chen Zi Han. I looked over my shoulder to see the man staring down at me from where I sat.

"The zombies are taking their time discovering a whole new world," I said. "They are fighting amongst themselves for positions of power, and getting their ranks in order. They are learning about all the new and fantastic changes that their bodies have undergone and they are slowly learning how to successfully hunt their prey."

"Not to mention that they are stuck in all this snow too," pointed out Liu Yu Zeng.

Once again humming in agreement, I leaned against the back of my hair and felt Chen Zi Han's hand on my shoulder.

"If we are lucky, we have five months to gather as many supplies as we can and set up a safe haven for us to be able to withstand the initial onslaught. But it is more than that, we have to find a place where we can have enough room to grow our own food, we have to make sure that we don't have anyone around that would betray us, and we need to hone our powers to be even more efficient at killing."

"Killing zombies or killing humans?" asked Liu Yu Zeng as he stared at me, wondering just how grey my own lines were.

"Both," I said, slowly, surely. He raised his eyebrow as if asking if I was sure, but there was still one thing that he didn't quite understand. I had no lines to cross. Any shackles of morality, humanity, or even common courtesy were shattered when I was ripped limb from limb in my previous life.

Liu Yu Zeng simply nodded his head. "So essentially we are starting our own syndicate and we have five months to be up and running." Thinking about his statement for a second, I realized that he was exactly right.

"Oh, and one more thing," I said with a deep sigh.  The three men stared me down as if their very lives were dependent on what was going to come out of my mouth next. And in a way, they were. "The zombie hordes that we have been dealing with? Those were child's play in front of the tide that is coming."

"Tide?" asked Liu Wei. He had planned to stand up, but at my words, he sunk back down into his chair.

"What else would you call an endless surge of zombies that as soon as the first line falls there is an unending number of them to take their place. Some tides went non-stop for weeks, even months. Most places couldn't deal with the sheer numbers and were annihilated."

"Fuck," whispered Liu Yu Zeng as he tried to wrap his head around that idea.

"Yeah, the only good thing to come from it was that people discovered that they had powers that they could use against the zombies with more success than just bullets."

"And that is why you only want our people in this building," said Liu Wei nodding his head as if he had already come to that conclusion.

"If I was being completely truthful? I don't even want your people here. But I can't tell you to abandon them. However, there is a finite number of supplies right now. And no one is going out looking for them seriously yet. Yes, they are raiding grocery stores, but not on the level that they are going to be," I said, cracking my neck. Before I could even finish, Chen Zi Han wrapped both hands around my shoulders and started to give me a massage.

I groaned in pure bliss.

"So, what are your plans?" asked Liu Wei making himself comfortable again as he watched Chen Zi Han running his hand in small circles around my neck, shoulders, and head.

"Option A, I leave this place and try to find somewhere else to live. But I would be taking everything that is mine with me," I said, implying the stove and solar panels.

"Then you will not be leaving this place alone," said Liu Wei as he studied his nails, his own mind going a hundred miles per hour.

I looked over at him. "We are yours, so by your very statement, you cannot leave us here."  I smiled in agreement. He was right, they were mine so I couldn't leave them behind.

"Option B, we stay here and try to find enough supplies and space for everyone to be able to function. But we are also leaving the door open for someone to betray us to save themselves when the tide actually comes."

"Don't know how much I like that idea," admitted Liu Yu Zeng as Liu Wei and Chen Zi Han nodded their heads in complete agreement.

"Option C, we stick with the original plan of kicking everyone but our men out of here and taking over the building," I said with a wiry smile on my face. "But Wang Chao kind of shot that plan to hell."

The boys grunted in agreement over that statement. "Is there an option D?" asked Liu Wei.

"Of course," I said smiling. "But it means getting over my crippling fear of driving in the snow and we all high tail it back to the ranch and hope to get there before the zombies do."

"If you had everything go your way, which option would you choose?" asked Chen Zi Han as he worked out one stubborn knot in my neck.  I tilted my head to the side to give him better access.

"I have no idea," I said, my eyes closed. "And that is the biggest problem because we are still dealing with a ticking time bomb until the end of the world actually arrives and humanity is wiped out."

"Do humans actually become extinct?" asked Liu Wei as he took off his glasses and proceeded to clean them on the handkerchief from his breast pocket.

I snorted at that question. "If we were anything other type of living thing, we could have been classified as critically endangered. As it was, I think our population went down to only 10% of the original, not including those that became zombies. But it would have been so much nicer if people became completely extinct." I shuddered at the memories that flashed through my head. "People don't exactly become nicer when pushed into adverse conditions," I said, trying to be as diplomatic as I could.

Zombies were much more predictable and nicer to deal with than our fellow humans.

"I say we go with option A," said Liu Yu Zeng as he broke the silence we had fallen into. "I am not willing to be caught with my pants down around my ankles, nor do I want to be putting in the hard work for someone else to enjoy."

I chuckled as a child's book popped into my mind.

"What's so funny?" he asked looking at me. A dark glower spread across his face.

"Nothing," I said as I smiled at him. "It's just that it reminded me of a child's book we would read to the kids in my first life. It was called 'The Little Red Hen' and it was about a hen that was asking for help from other animals, but none of them were willing to help. Then, when she was all finished and had a loaf of bread fresh out of the oven, all the other animals that couldn't be bothered to help wanted a piece of her finished product. She said no and sent them on their way. If they did want to help with the making of it, then they couldn't enjoy it when everything was done."

Liu Wei nodded his head and stood up, "That is a very important lesson for children to learn, too bad most adults seem to have forgotten it. Make sure you tell that story to our kids in the future so they learn."

I was stunned. I couldn't help but stare at him as he came to stand in front of me and placed both of his hands on either side of my armrests. "You seem to forget that we are yours, and you are ours. Try not to do that in the future."

"Yeah," I stuttered. "But that is still a long way off from kids."

"Might as well inform you now of my future plans," he said shrugging as he walked towards the door with one hand in his pants pocket.