Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm

Chapter 241  Safety Blanket

Sliding down the banister was both the most fun thing I have ever done and the scariest. Because the entire stairwell was dark, I had no idea exactly what was on the other side. I mean, it could be another set of stairs or absolutely nothing and I was going to fall to my death.

Either way, it beat walking down.

I relaxed my grip as I leaned my upper body against the railing causing me to speed up even more. But that was when it hit me. I wasn't turning. I was literally going straight down. Just how deep was this thing?

I continued my fast descent when a hand came out of the darkness, stopping me from going any further. Letting out a strangled yelp, it took me a second to realize that I had managed to catch up with Chen Zi Han.

"Hi!" I said breathlessly. "Fancy meeting you here," I continued in my most angelic voice. When he didn't say anything, I knew I was in trouble. His face was lit by the steady flame coming out of his hand and he definitely did not look impressed.

"You've had your fun," he said as he picked me up off of the railing and deposited me back on my feet beside him. "We should almost be at the bottom."

"Yeah, that's the issue, the bottom of what?" I said with a sigh. But I was fine with walking beside Chen Zi Han for the rest of the way. I had my moment and it reset me better than any time in my space could. Becoming serious, I walked down the remainder stairs until we couldn't go any further forward.

Facing yet another metal wall, I sighed and waited for Wang Chao. Something told me he was going to take more than a few minutes to get down here to unlock the door, so I prepared to wait. I wasn't going to ask him to give me the passcode ahead of time because I wasn't going to go through there without everyone acting as backup.

We had a Ripper somewhere in the building, an espresso-drinking psycho (because let's face it, only psychos drink their coffee that strong without milk or sugar), and we were all trapped like rats in a maze.

I took out a bag of Skittles and offered some to Chen Zi Han. The man, being as smart as he was, turned it down and I shrugged my shoulders. The trick with me was even when I was offering, I really wasn't offering. Taking it would only result in me being pissed.

I took two of the candies at a time and put them in my mouth, relishing in the feeling of sugar seeping through my bloodstream. "You okay, Princess?" asked Chen Zi Han as he leaned against the wall across from me.

I raised my eyebrow at his question. "That is a loaded statement if I ever heard one," I said with a smile as I threw back a few more Skittles. "Are we talking mentally, physically, or spiritually? Because I am pretty certain that the answer depends on which one we are talking about."

"Mentally," said Chen Zi Han with a smile and I cocked my head to look at him. He might have a smile on his face, but I could feel that he was genuinely interested in my answer.

"Better than I thought I would be," I said honestly as two more candies went into my mouth. "But then again, seeing as I thought I would be curled up in a fetal position on the floor, crying my eyes out, I don't know how good of an endorsement that statement is."

"What do you need from me?" he asked as he came closer to pull me into his arms. "Whatever you need, it's yours."

"I need for nothing to happen to any of you guys," I said as I looked up at the man in front of me. He was my caregiver and always seemed to know when I needed something before even I knew it.

"Done," he said with a smile on his face and I let out a sad chuckle. "Don't make promises that you can't keep," I said softly as I laid my head on his chest.

"Princess, that is one promise that we all can keep. I am not saying that we won't get hurt. Injuries happen all the time. But I can promise that not even death will take us away from you."

I looked up at him and wondered how he could be so certain. "Because, even if there wasn't you protecting us this whole time, I would like to point out that we have all lived longer than you at… dicier… professions and have remained alive to this point."

I smiled at that. Taking a deep breath, I tried to relax my shoulders. He was right. He was a high-ranking member of an organized crime syndicate, he was wanted by the police in God only knew how many cities and countries, had probably fought in countless of wars. Unfortunately for him, even knowing all that, I still wanted to wrap him up in bubble wrap before he left the house.

I would get over this incessant need to protect them… I was pretty sure… I mean, I would have to… right?

But I needed them to be safe like I needed air to breathe. There was actually a crushing feeling in my chest at the very idea that something might happen to them… and heaven forbid they get taken by the Reavers. I might just unleash Hell on Earth if that were to happen.

My mind spun with thoughts of my boys being grabbed by the Reavers, I didn't hear the other three men coming down the stairs and to a stop in front of us.

"What's given her that look?" asked Liu Yu Zeng as he came up inches away from my face.

"The idea that something might happen to us. There is something specific—" said Wang Chao and I quickly shut down my thoughts. I had no problem with him always wanting access to my mind. I wasn't born yesterday, I knew that he could turn it off if he wanted to. But I also understood that to him, it was a safety blanket.