Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm



I woke up to the sound of explosions and Cerberus weaving back and forth. Grumbling under my breath that it wasn't a road trip without Lin trying to blow someone up, I pulled the covers up to my chin and fell back asleep.

Or at least, that was the plan. When Cerberus slammed on his brakes and literally slid to a stop, I had had more than enough. "What now?" I groaned as I looked around. It must have been early morning because the sun was just peaking over the trees on either side of the highway.

"Sorry, My Queen," said Cerberus, sounding truly sorry for waking me up. "Some Reavers have caught up to us, and the Horsemen were trying not to wake you up."

"Sure, they were," I groaned, vanishing my blanket and pillow into my space. Taking out a mug of coffee, I looked at it for a few minutes. "If idiots could fly, this place would be an airport," I muttered, reading the mug. Taking a sip, I moaned out loud in happiness. Ah, freshly brewed coffee, how I loved you.

Getting out of the truck, I walked over to where the SUV and the RV were parked. I saw five of them surrounding the RV with a wide variety of knives and swords in their hand but not a single gun. "Morning," I called out, trying to suppress a yawn. The men looked at me, completely stunned, while I took a sip of my magical brew.

"What?" I asked, turning to look at Chen Bo Jing. He was the only one I knew by name, other than Bai Long Qiang, and I wasn't exactly talking to him this early.

"We are surrounded by a bunch of Reavers," explained Chen Bo Jing slowly, "It might be best if you return to your vehicle where you will be safe."

There was another explosion, causing the five men to startle before turning their attention away from me and to the surrounding area. It was quite cute, in a stupid kind of way. "You are safe," I assured them, wrapping my hands around my cup. The mornings still had more than a little bite to them. "The guys will protect you."

"We don't need protection," growled Bai Long Qiang. "What we need is a fucking way to defend ourselves."

"Why?" I asked, confused. Do you know what I was craving? Carrot cake. There was no better breakfast than coffee and carrot cake in the morning. Not to mention, it had been years since I was able to get away with it. Back at the cabin, Chen Zi Han insisted on making 'healthy breakfasts' in the morning. I tried to explain to him that carrot cake was incredibly healthy since it was made with carrots, but he just wouldn't listen."

"Isn't it obvious?" demanded the human, a low growl coming from him. "We are surrounded by Reavers with only knives to protect ourselves with. We are literally sitting ducks, and there is no way to defend ourselves once the Reavers break through your men."

  Two of the men looked at each other before turning their attention to me, "We heard Wang Chao call one of them Famine and the other one Death. Were those just military nicknames?"

"Yes and no," I answered, bringing out a piece of carrot cake. I handed my mug to the nearest guy and dug into the cake in front of me. "Liu Wei used to be called Death in the military. Now… it's a bit more complicated than that."

"Are you really trying to convince us that four men are able to hold off the Reavers? And even if they were able to, how long do you think that will last?" asked Bai Long Qiang. Looking around, I finally noticed that Rip was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Rip?" I asked, completely ignoring the question. I had told him everything once before, and he chose not to believe. I wasn't going to waste my breath trying to calm him down now.

"Inside the RV watching over Wang Tian Mu," answered Cheng Bo Jing as he approached me.

"No wonder your Boss has a stick up his ass," I muttered, taking my coffee from its holder. Looking down to make sure that the man didn't take a sip while I was distracted, I gulped down the rest. Sighing in contentment, I turned my attention to what was going on outside.

"The guys have the Reavers handled," I promised Cheng Bo Jing. "And even if they didn't, I would. So it would be best for you not to worry and get some more sleep. If the guys are having fun, this might take a while."

"Fun?!??" shouted Bai Long Qiang. "My fiancé hasn't woken up yet, and your guys are having fun?"

I blinked at his statement and cocked my head to the side, not entirely understanding what he was saying. "What do you mean she hasn't woken up yet?" I demanded, not at all impressed that they didn't start their sentences with the important stuff first.

"Exactly that. She hasn't woken up yet, and that… guy… hasn't left her side since," growled Bai Long Qiang. Staring at him, I could see the panic and worry in his features. I originally thought that it was because of the Reavers, but now I can see that it wasn't.

"I want them dead in two seconds," I said, raising my voice just a little. I wasn't concerned that the guys wouldn't be able to hear me. They could hear my commands even if we were half a planet away. "We are to make City A by the end of the day. Anyone that stands in our way: kill them."

"What the fuck was that?" asked Bai Long Qiang. "That's not going to work," he continued just as there was one final scream and then silence.

"You were saying?" I asked, turning around. "Get into your vehicles, and let's get going. We are burning daylight."

"You know City A is at least two days away from here, right?" called out one of the men, the one originally holding my coffee. I turned around from where I was climbing into Cerberus' cab and looked at the man.

"It was. And now it's one day. Sleep in shifts. We will not be stopping again until we are at their gates," I said, not at all caring about their thoughts. I would not let anything happen to the Healer while she was in my care. If I had to bend time and space to get us to a healer faster, then that was what I would do. However, I was still weak. I couldn't shorten the entire distance, but I could make us go faster.

"We leave now," I said, getting inside Cerby and buckling up. "Are the guys done?"

"They are ready to leave on your orders," assured Cerberus as I gripped the steering wheel and looked out at the road in front of us. This was going to take a lot of effort, but it would be more than worth it.

"Then let's get this show on the road," I answered.

-----

"We are almost there," said Cerberus encouragingly, but I was so dizzy that I was ready to puke. "We can drive the rest normally. We will get there by tonight, I promise. Draining yourself like this can't be good for the babies."

I let out a tired sigh and grunted. I had done the best that I could do, and any more would land me in the hospital bed beside the Healer. Taking out my favorite blanket, I closed my eyes, feeling the pull of sleep calling to me.

-----

"We are here," said Cerberus softly, pulling me out of sleep. I let out a jaw-breaking yawn as I stretched my arms over the top of my head. Stretching my neck from side to side, I looked out the window.

"Where are we?" I asked around, yet another yawn. I felt like I was supposed to know where we were, but at the same time, that nap was so freaking good that I was having a hard time getting my brain into gear.

"Just outside the gates of City A," answered Cerberus softy, letting me get my bearings. "The Healer has yet to wake up, and all of the men are here, waiting for your next order."

"Got it," I groaned, throwing aside my blanket and getting out of the truck. My men were all lined up and facing off against five of the Healer's men. I noticed that Rip was not around and can only assume that he was still in the RV with my sleeping friend.

"We have to hurry up and get into line," growled Bai Long Qiang. "They only let in a certain number every day, and I have heard horror stories about those that were left outside at night."

I had forgotten about that. However, he was much too old and grizzled to worry about those hunters. They preferred the young ones they sold for a higher price.

Wang Chao remained silent, not bothering to address the other male.

"That's fine. We have an in," I said like it was the most obvious thing ever. And as far as I was concerned, it was.

If Wang Chao couldn't get us in, Liu Wei could.

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