Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm



  "Was that why nothing we did seemed to work?" asked Chen Zi Han. I nodded my head.

"I could see your power suck the water into a bubble-like thing, causing it to evaporate, but before it made a big enough difference, more water came rushing in, replacing it."

"Do you think that the reason why that doesn't happen to zombies on land is because they aren't surrounded by water?" thought Liu Wei.

"Probably," I said with a nod. I mean, the zombies were created by the exact same retrovirus, so there is no logical explanation why the ones on land were so much easier to kill than the ones in the water.

"What about the differences in appearances?" asked Wang Chao. I shrugged my shoulders. I had no idea what could explain those differences. It was almost like the aquatic zombies had their heads squished by something. I was almost tempted to experiment and toss a land zombie into the water and see if their head became more streamlined.

Great, now I was sounding like a crazy scientist who wanted to conduct further experiments on zombies. Let's just go back to my original plan of killing them. I liked that one better.

"Maybe it is a pressure thing," said Liu Wei thoughtfully. "I mean, a head that big would greatly reduce their speed and their ability to hunt prey."

"Not to mention if their head was filled mostly with air, they would just be floating at the top of the water. Not effective at all," smirked Liu Yu Zeng, and I burst out laughing at the idea of the land zombies floating vertically at the surface of the water, unable to move because their heads were too buoyant.

"That is good and all, but we still have an issue with mine and Liu Wei's zombies," interjected Wang Chao. Party pooper.

"Actually, I don't know if that is actually the case," I said slowly. "I mean, when I blinked back with Chen Zi Han and Liu Yu Zeng, we arrived in my last location, not theirs. So, I am thinking that if I hold on to you and Liu Wei, you two would end up where we were before."

"Wouldn't that put the other two back with their original zombies, then?" asked Liu Wei, and I felt like I was trying to figure out that math problem about crossing a river with a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage.

"Maybe if you are all holding me, then we will end up in the same spot?" I offered, not sure if that was possible or not. "Or maybe I could concentrate on only bringing you guys with me and leave Chen Zi Han and Liu Yu Zeng here. Then come back and get them so that the five of us were in one place."

"That might work," said Liu Wei with a nod. Mind you, I knew that we were all winging it, and not one of us wanted to face the aquatic zombies by ourselves.

"And if it doesn't, then I just bring everyone back into my space and we try it again," I added. If I blinked back and we weren't all together, I could come back here and try again.

"Done," said Wang Chao, standing up and awkwardly walking over to the storage barn, still in his diving fins. At least I remembered to take mine off before trying to walk on dry land.

The other three guys chuckled as they made their way over to grab new tanks, their fins in their hands.

I stayed where I was and closed my eyes. I felt the soft breeze caressing my face, and I smiled. I had originally thought that in an emergency this space would be worthless since it would put me back into the same situation, but now I realized that wasn't the case.

Oh sure, it put me back at the same moment, but it also gave me time to get myself together, create a new plan and try as many times as I needed to in order to ensure my success. And that was priceless.

"Ready, Sweetness?" asked Liu Yu Zeng as he came over to lie down beside me. We both looked up and watched the clouds drifting by.

"Is this place really so bad that you can't picture yourself living here for the rest of your life?" I asked softly, not answering his question.

"No," admitted Liu Yu Zeng. "I am coming to the realization that wherever you are is where I want to spend the rest of eternity."

I turned my head to look at him. "Really?" I asked, studying his face to see if he was being truthful or just telling me what I wanted to hear.

"Really," he confirmed with a nod. "Being part of an organization is nothing like being part of the military, and for more than just the obvious reasons," he started, not looking at me. "For us, you are either born into it or it is something that you fall into for survival. Most don't actively choose this lifestyle; it is more a choice of desperation. We fight tooth and nail because we know that if we stop, we will die. Then it gets to the point where your body is so primed to fight that you can stop it."

He took a deep breath before continuing. "You ask us flight, fight, or freeze, but in our lives, there is no option of flight or freeze. If you freeze, your enemy is going to kill you. If you run, your own heads will kill you."

I rolled over, so I was cuddled into the man, hoping that he could feel the warmth coming off of me.

"People chose the military. It is a noble occupation. People look up to soldiers like they look down on us. Even if people chose the military because their options are limited, the military opens so many doors that their future becomes endless." Liu Yu Zeng let out a snort of disdain.

"I think that there is a certain aspect of the military that almost starts to brainwash its men. I see it sometimes in Liu Wei, but more often in Wang Chao. It is the idea that there is always something to do. One mission is done, onto the next. They don't seem to get tired of constantly protecting people."

"A hero complex," I said with a small smile.