Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm



Wang Chao stood there and watch as wave after wave of zombies dropped dead before they could even make a sound. He looked over to Liu Yu Zeng to see if it was him, but when the other man raised a single shoulder in a shrug, Wang Chao understood that he didn't have anything to do with it.

Turning to look at the other side where the older Liu brother was fighting, Wang Chao was stunned to see the other man standing still, the look of confusion on his face mirroring his own. Knowing that it wasn't any of them, Wang Chao continued to watch the zombies fall down to the ground.

Liu Yu Zeng walked over to the unofficial head of the four men and placed his elbow on his shoulder. "Any clue what is going on?" he asked as he tilted his chin towards the zombies. He couldn't figure out what was killing them so fast, and they were killed dead dead. It seemed like the mass fatalities that he could do with his power, but as far as he knew, he was the only one that could do something like that.

"None," said Wang Chao, not bothering to move the younger man's arm. He turned his attention away from the zombies as Liu Wei approached him. "I take it it was neither one of you?" asked Liu Wei as he pulled off his glasses to clean them. He hadn't even managed to kill a single one of them before the first ones started to drop.

All of a sudden the men felt a brief flash of pain as if a hand had grabbed their heart.  Not able to stop themselves each man clutched his chest as if that physical act would keep their hearts in their bodies.

As quickly as it had come, the pain was gone, and in its place was a feeling of curiosity and a brush of an apology. 

Wang Chao shared a look with the other two men and each one shook their head, not knowing what was going on any more than he did.  And that was when the first human started to fall.

Wide-eyed, Liu Yu Zeng turned to look at his brothers. "What the fuck is going on?" he asked. It seemed like whatever had affected the zombies was now affecting the humans. Was it a virus? A mental attack? But if it was a spirit user then how could it kill the zombies so easily?

Liu Wei remained silent as he turned around and watched as the majority of the humans guarding the gates of the Sanctuary fell to the ground, dead. "I think it has something to do with that pain," he said slowly, rubbing his chest as if that would lessen whatever feelings were going through his mind right then.

"Then were we found wanting? Or were they?" asked Liu Yu Zeng turning to look at the humans. Only about 150 people were still standing, and the majority of them were their men. In fact, it looked like not a single one of their men was touched in any way.

Wang Chao was about to open his mouth to say something when he stopped and turned in the direction that Chen Zi Han and Li Dai Lu had taken.  Striding towards them, his gait eating up the distance, was Chen Zi Han with Li Dai Lu in his arms.

Forgetting about the mystery of the dead bodies, the three men quickly rushed over, meeting Chen Zi Han in the middle.

"What happened?" demanded Wang Chao as he took Li Dai Lu out of the other man's arms. He needed a moment with her before he needed to share her again. All of this fainting was not good for his heart.I think you should take a look at

"I don't know. She closed her eyes for a while, and then I felt pain in my chest like someone was trying to rip out my heart. By the time I recovered, she was just about to collapse. I managed to pick her up in time, but I don't like what is going on so I brought her over here," explained Chen Zi Han precisely.

Wang Chao nodded his approval. Until they figured out everything, it was best to stick together. Nothing would be able to get through them to get to her.

"Could it have been her stalker?" asked Liu Wei, narrowing his eyes and looking around the road. She hadn't mentioned feeling them around, but that didn't mean that they weren't here.

"Maybe?" said Liu Yu Zeng, not over-convinced that that was what happened.

"Whatever caused it, we have things to do right now," said Wang Chao as he carried his little girl toward the entrance. They still had a Major General under arrest and with an unconscious Li Dai Lu, he had no idea how she wanted matters handled.

The gate slowly opened as the survivors made their way to the entrance, a quiet, subdued aura around them.  They had lived, but now they were wondering why they lived while so many others died.

"What was that?" asked one of their men as they met up at the base of the stairs to the watch tower.

"No idea," said Liu Yu Zeng with a shrug. His smile was plastered back on his face and he looked like he didn't have a care in the world as he slapped the shoulder of the man in front of him. "But aren't you glad you lived?"

The man snorted in disbelief. "Can I even be glad that I lived if I don't know why I did?"

"There is no point in survivors' guilt in this new world," said Liu Wei as he walked up to stand beside his brother. "Whatever reason it left you alive was its own. Be happy to live to fight another day, because there is no guarantee that the next battlefield you step onto you will be able to walk off so easily."

The man nodded his understanding. When there were so few humans left he should just be happy that he was one of them.