Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm

Bin An Sha leaned his head against the back of his couch and let out a long sigh. He had just come back from a 12-hour shift at the hospital, and he was absolutely exhausted. If he hadn't been outside of City A for the past two years and seen what the real world was like, he never would have thought that there was a zombie apocalypse happening just on the other side of the ten-foot fence. 

Rubbing his forehead, he sighed again, debating whether or not it was a good thing to come back. He understood why the others had left him alone in that apartment and knew that it was his fault. Trying to force her to drink mushrooms was probably the stupidest idea he had ever come up with, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why he felt compelled to make her do it.

He had tried to leave a few days ago to go back into the world that actually needed doctors and healers for legitimate reasons but was refused at the gate. Apparently, he was too important to the city to be allowed to go. 

He snorted at that as he got up to pour himself a glass of whisky. Right. Because it was more important to consult with women who wanted 'just a little touch up' on their faces or to have some stubborn fat removed from around their stomachs.

Maybe if they would just eat a bit less, then they wouldn't need to worry about that. There were literally people starving to death just outside of their homes, and yet, they didn't even notice. This city was the perfect example of two extremes in one place. 

And he hated every moment of it. 

He was once considered to be one of the world's best surgeons, specializing in cases that others wouldn't take because of how tricky they were. He has repaired the hearts of infants so that they could live a long, healthy life… only to see that same child begging on the streets for a scrap of moldy vegetables. 

He looked down at his glass of alcohol that he had barely even touched. Swirling around the amber liquid, he stared at the drink, wondering where his life went wrong.

Coming back to City A. That was the moment his life went wrong. He never should have bothered. 

Lifting up his arm, he chucked the glass at the nearest wall, watching it shatter into a million pieces, just like his life. He needed to leave, and he needed to go now. 

Standing up, he went in search of the broom. As satisfying as it was to break something, there was no one around but him to clean it up.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. 

Bin An Sha looked at the offending portal, trying to figure out if he actually needed to answer that or if it was something that could be ignored. Once again snorting at his own thoughts, he ignored the knocking and went to clean up his mess. The clinking of the glass echoed in his head as he swept it up into the dustpan.

"Doctor," came a voice from his doorway. Turning around from where he was crouched down, Bin An Sha looked at the man who had entered his apartment. 

"I didn't realize I had left the door unlocked," he said calmly before rising up. Walking over to the garbage can, he deposited the shattered glass into the bin. That was what happened when you broke; you were thrown out like garbage with no chance to even try to put yourself back together again. 

"You didn't. It's a perk of my position to have keys for every door in this city. Fantastic, isn't it?" laughed the man, swinging a ring of keys around his finger. 

Bin An Sha's upper lip curled into a sneer as the intruder made himself comfortable on the couch. 

"So, is it everything that it is cracked up to being?" he asked, letting out a low whistle as he looked around the place. 

Bin An Sha didn't bother to respond. Instead, he wet a rag and went over to clean up the rest of the mess against the wall. 

"You know, throwing a temper tantrum isn't going to help your situation," continued the man, not at all caring that the other was ignoring him.

"And I suppose that you have the answer to everything, don't you?" asked Bin An Sha, turning to look at the man. Throwing the rag back into the sink, he went to go sit down in the chair opposite. He studied the man that he had grown up with. If that was what you could call it. 

Mei Shi Zhe. The Messenger. 

The one person in the organization that you never wanted to pay you a visit. 

"I do have an answer to your problem, but honestly, I don't know if I should pass it on," mused the man, stretching his arms along the back of the couch. 

"Just spit it out. You know that you have no choice in the matter," sneered Bin An Sha. At this point in time, all he wanted to do was get rid of his uninvited guest and get some sleep before his next shift.

"Do you believe in Gods?" asked Mei Shi Zhe suddenly, leaning forward and staring at the man in front of him. 

That question caused Bin An Sha to let out a bark of laughter. "Do I believe in Gods?" he repeated, the scorn in his voice evident to all. "No, I really don't."

"Too bad. Because they believe in you," shrugged the Messenger as he once again got comfortable. 

"Just spit it out," growled Bin An Sha, his eyes narrowing on the clerk in front of him. Yes, he knew exactly the role Mei Shi Zhe played in this city. He was the one who assigned apartments and homes to all newcomers. That was why he had the keys to every door in the city.

"You need to stay here and make nice with Wu Bai Hee," said Mei Shi Zhe seriously. "You need to get yourself in a position of power. And to do that, you need to make her think that her manipulation is working on you."

"I would rather take a bath in acid than allow that woman to touch me," growled the assassin, staring at the Messenger. He pulled out a short, unassuming scalpel and started to twirl in between his thumb and forefinger.

"I never said anything about letting her touch you," replied the Messenger with a growl of his own. "But you need to make nice. The one that you are waiting for will be coming soon. But she will need your help. You have to be in a position to help her, and the only way to do that is to be friends with Wu Bai Hee. What you do with the bitch after is completely up to you."

"How do you know these things?" demanded Bin An Sha, not trusting the other man's words for even a moment. There was no one that he was waiting for. Let alone one that would be important enough to make him be willing to be nice to a viper. 

"I don't know anything," shrugged the other man, once again taking control of his emotions. He wanted to be the one to rid the world of the disease known as Wu Bai Hee. Alas, that was not his job. Sometimes it really sucked to be a messenger. 

Bin An Sha let out a snort of laughter. "And yet you know enough to give me that cryptic statement. Are you trying to become an oracle or something?"

Now it was Mei She Zhe's turn to laugh. "Fuck that. Those women are some of the craziest fuckers I have ever had the misfortune of knowing. All those visions inside their head of every possible outcome for every possible decision. It's no surprise that they have all gone crazy."

Leaning forward, knowing that his job was done now that he had delivered the message, he smiled at the man he had grown up with. He truly wished that he would listen to him. If anyone deserved a happy ending for all the shit they had to put up with, it was him. 

"You never asked me the most obvious question," he said, staring at Bin An Sha, a serious expression on his face. "Whose messenger am I?"

Bin An Sha forced his mouth to remain closed as the other man stood up and saw himself out of the condo. 

------

"I delivered your message," said Mei Shi Zhe, bending down on one knee, his head bowed. He stared at the ground, refusing to look up for even a moment. 

He could hear the sound of shoes echoing against the marble floors as they came to a stop right in front of him. 

"Do you think he will listen?" came the most beautiful voice he had ever heard. Mei Shi Zhe squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to look up at the owner of the voice.

"I don't know."