Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm



The zombie king once again bowed his head before coming to his feet. As soon as he was full height, he let out a roar of dominance.  A flock of crows rose up through the trees, their startled cry the only sound around.

Letting out a huff of pleasure, he looked around the street, taking in the zombies on their knees behind him as well as the new zombies that had unknowingly followed me to the battle.  He let out a second roar, a challenge roar, to the zombies that were on their knees behind my men and Bin An Sha.

Once again, only silence met his challenge. Satisfied that he was the second most dominant being around, he looked at me. "Dumb meat?"

"All yours, big boy," I said with a smile. "But leave mine alone, understood?" I pressed. The king looked at the five men in front of him and snorted.

"More dumb meat," he grunted before letting out a bark. All of the zombies rose as if they were one and waited for his next order. I didn't pretend to be able to speak zombie, but I knew commands when I heard them.

There was another sharp bark, and the king started forward, past my men and Bin An Sha and past the new zombies. As if everything was choreographed, the newer zombies waited until the larger horde had passed before filing in at the end as if they were always part of the bigger horde.

"Fascinating," said Bin An Sha as he watched the zombies gliding into the distance. "Is it always like that? I will admit, I had something different in mind when you were talking about zombies," he continued as he turned to Wang Chao. "That was like a ballet or an opera. Everything is just so precise. Not at all like the mindless creatures that I thought they were. It seemed almost easy to defeat that big one."

I blinked at him a few times, wondering where his mind was at to think that any part of that was easy. I mean, it was fun, don't get me wrong, but it was not easy. I looked at him like he had gone crazy before shaking my head and walking to Cerberus.

"I was promised a yacht!" I reminded the men. "Let's go get it."

"Are you going to tell us what is going on in that delicious head of yours?" asked Liu Yu Zeng as he jogged to catch up to me.

"Ask Wang Chao," I replied with a smirk as I climbed into the cab and closed the door behind me. "You know, whether or not you want to escape this madhouse, it is too late for you now. I hope you know that," I said with a smile, leaning through the window and giving the man a brief kiss.

"I would chase you to the end of the world and back again," he reassured me.

"Even after I destroy humanity?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"Awe, why are you leaving all the fun parts for yourself? We are the ones that are supposed to bring Hell on Earth. You need to let us do our jobs, too, you know," said Liu Yu Zeng with his signature smirk. Giving me a wink and a kiss, he turned around and got on Lin. "Last one to City H has to sleep by himself!" he shouted right before taking off.

The other men sprinted to their bikes and took off after him. I burst out laughing as Cerberus took off like a bat out of Hell. "They are good men this time," said Violence, still seated in the passenger seat. Her tone was thoughtful as she watched the bikes weave in and out of the stalled cars, debris, and each other. "Still nothing more than big kids, but they are good men."

I turned to look at her with a smile. "I don't remember any other versions of them, but yeah, they are good men," I said, chuckling as Liu Yu Zeng popped a wheelie, bringing the front tire up and driving only on the back one. It was almost like watching a bunch of kids playing around with their friends.

"You all need this," said Violence, and I realized that she was studying me as I was watching the guys.

"What do you mean?" I wondered out loud as the bike, which I could only assume belonged to Bin An Sha, started to flick between the other guys, joining in on the fun.

"I always remember them as being too serious. They were so caught up in their roles as the Four Horsemen that they didn't know anything else. Even Bin An Sha was so busy trying to figure out where he fit into the dynamics he forced himself into that there was no time for just… being. There was no laughter, no fun. Nothing."

"I think I like them better this way," I said. I mean, the seriousness had its time and place, and my men have all proved that they can take care of their business. But at the same time, they needed a way to blow off energy and just… be.

Violence let out a humming sound and nodded her head. "I agree. I think we might stand a chance this time."

"Even if we don't stand a chance, at least we got to live, love, and take over the world. I mean, that has to count for something, right?" I replied, turning to look at her.

"Look at you, taking over the world. I hate to break it to you, but Country K is not the world, no matter what you might think."

"It might as well be," I answered with a shrug as I took out a cup of coffee for the both of us. "I mean, who's to say that the rest of the world even exists?"

"Oh, it exists, but you are right. Start small, then work your way up," said Violence as she spun her mug around to read what was written on it. "I want to be a nice person, but everyone is just so stupid." She once again hummed as she took a sip of the coffee. "I think I am going to have to keep this one."

"By all means, I am partial to this one more," I laughed as I showed her my mug. 'I'm sorry I slapped you, but it seemed like you'd never stop talking, and I panicked.' Yeah, that one fits me to a 'T' right now.