Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm



When I woke up the next day, I was alone in the bed. Now, as much as that doesn't seem like a big deal, that hasn't happened once since the puppy pile started in December. My nerves screaming that something was wrong, I quickly got out of bed and went on a hunt for my men.

Luckily for all of us, they were easy to find in the kitchen, drinking their morning cups of coffee. Wang Chao and Liu Wei were stilling at the table while Liu Yu Zeng was leaning against the counter and Chen Zi Han was digging through the fridge. I could make out the low mummer of their voices, the sound alone causing shivers up my spine.

Smiling I walked into the kitchen. And then there was silence.

Tension seemed to stream out of the guys like it was a visible river seeping out of their pores. I studied each face as I went to sit down in my spot. I noticed the small things, like the tightening around Wang Chao's eyes, the dark circles on Chen Zi Han's face, and the sheer exhaustion on Liu Wei's. Liu Yu Zeng was the same as ever, but if I looked inside at his flame, it was frantically spinning in circles.

I stayed quiet as Chen Zi Han gently put down a cup of coffee in front of me. "Let me guess," I said, taking the first sip of the day. The warmth traveled through my very blood, offering me a little comfort. Cracking my neck back and forth, I tried to suppress a yawn. "We currently have an unidentified spirit user somewhere in the building, but you can't find them."

The men looked at me in shock, their eyes widening a touch. Taking another sip of my coffee, I tilted my head to the right, stretching out the left side of my neck. After counting to 10 I did the same to the other side and then took another sip of coffee.

When the men neither confirmed nor denied my statement, I took it to mean that I was right. "And you brought everyone into a communal room to figure out who is the odd man out?" I asked around a yawn. This was definitely not my morning.

"You made too big of a wave and sent the rat underground," I said with a sigh. This was not the first time it had ever happened to me, in fact, it would become an extremely common occurrence, especially in these early days before security got tighter. Life would be easier if we had a few other spirit users to guard the gates, but c'est la vie.

"Do you have a solution?" asked Wang Chao as he looked at me over the rim of his own coffee cup. I would have to find a good place to plant some of the coffee bushes so it wasn't so suspicious when I had an unlimited supply.

"Meh," I said, fighting another yawn. "It happens a lot," I offered the guys with a sincere smile on my face. And it did, I wasn't upset with the guys or even Ruan Ruo Xi for that matter. But I might turn a bit stabby once we found the uninvited guest. I mean, it was one of those days.

"Wang Chao, you and Liu Yu Zeng start at the very bottom of the building. I'm talking about the boiler room bottom. Any place that a person can go into, you walk around 'inspecting' for any potential damages. Liu Wei, you and Chen Zi Han need to check out any unoccupied residences. It is unlikely that a stranger would be able to slip into a place that already had people living in it without it being noticeable, so we will start with the most probable first."

"I don't want you alone," said Chen Zi Han as he narrowed his eyes on me. The man might not be a spirit user, but he was definitely able to read my mind most days.

"I need to be," I said with a wave of my hand, depositing an apple and cherry crisp onto the table, 5 spoons already inside the steaming dessert. I knew that most of the boys would turn it down, but I never wanted to assume just in case.

"You think that they are going to come for you?" asked Liu Yu Zeng as he picked up a spoon and bit into the gooey mixture.

"Yes," I said simply, closing my eyes as the sweetness and tartness of the crisp danced over my tongue. Combined with the coffee, it was the perfect breakfast.

"I don't like it," said Liu Wei, taking a sip of his own drink.

"I know," and I did. After the serial killer house, where I may or may not have snapped, the man had never once left my side.

"Fine," growled Wang Chao as he pushed himself back from the table, the legs of his chair scraping across the floor. "Let's get this over and done with,"

"A word of advice?" I said, lifting up my fork to make a point.  "If you do find them, knock them out or kill them as fast as you can. I don't need any more infections."

All four men grunted in unison making me laugh. Finally getting my morning kisses, I watched with a smile on my face as the men left the penthouse.

As soon as the door closed behind them, I dropped the smile and went to go sit down on my chair. Cuddling into my fluffy blanket, I pulled out my tablet and brought up a few books to read while I waited for some news.I think you should take a look at

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It took a few hours and a few books later before I heard a light scratching at the door. Putting down my book, I called out, "It's open!"

There was a pause before the door handle slowly turned. I wish that Wang Chao still had working biometric locks in place, but those were fried and I never one thought to add them to the list of things to get before the EMP hit.

Still curled up under my blanket, I had the perfect view straight to the door. There was a light click as the tumblers engaged and the handle was completely turned and a few more seconds before the door started to open. I mean, seriously, what is the point of trying to be all sneaky? I knew that they were there, they were clearly not the guys, so why all the cloak-and-dagger stuff? James Bond, they were not. 

Rolling my eyes, I grumbled about inconsiderate people. Cracking my neck, I waited for the person to fully open the door and step through. Friggin' Christ!

I rubbed my ears and continued to wait. 45…. 46…. 47…. 48…. 49… The door opened fully and in walked the little rat with the biggest smirk on their face.

There was something wrong with what I was seeing, I knew that for a fact, but at the same time, my brain refused to process exactly what was that seemed off.

"Spirit user, I'm impressed," I said, my eyebrows going sky high when I saw the person. I remembered seeing them before, but I thought-- "That's a big change since I last saw you. I always wondered about that. You know, what happened to you."

"Did you really think that I didn't have a set of keys to the cages on me when that fucker threw me in there?" snarled the man as he stalked towards me. His gaze was intent, his eyes staring into me. "But here I am," he said. "Ready to be the king of a ready-made kingdom."  I smiled wide at that remark.

"This kingdom already has four kings and is no longer accepting applications," I said, not bothering to move from my comfy position.

"That is where you are wrong, little girl. This kingdom doesn't have any kings or any queens. This kingdom only has me." I could feel his powers sliding over my skin like slim, leaving a trail that I thought I would be able to see.

"What happened to serving the people and all that crap?" I asked, trying to keep him out of my head. My brain was still trying to figure out what was wrong with this whole thing. He scoffed at my question. "This coming from the little girl that killed all those helpless people?" I shrugged my shoulder. Technically they asked for it. But to someone that had never experienced what they went through would not understand that sometimes, death was the biggest mercy.

He was so close to me that he was able to put his hands on the armrests of my chair and leaned forward, his face centimeters from my own. "I am the only king of this place," he said, staring into my eyes intently. His eyes glowed gold as he pushed his will onto me. "I think it is a fair trade, after all, you let that traitorous General throw me in a cage. That wasn't very nice, was it?" His voice went from being harsh to being a low purr. I could feel the goosebumps breaking out over my body.

My brain was screaming that what I saw with my eyes was wrong, that it couldn't be. But why?

"Not very nice at all," I agreed, my voice taking on a soft dreamy quality to it. I fought against him as much as I could, but he kept pumping more power into me. How was it that after only a few months, he could be this strong?

My mind when hazy. My eyelids too heavy to keep open.

"It's all that traitor's fault," he whispered into my ear and I could feel his breath teasing the small hairs on my neck.

"All that traitor's fault," I agree.

"Good girl," he purred as he reached up to brush a strand of hair off of my face. "Such a good girl."