Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm



"You are scared of zombies," I said, staring at Hao Jing Ya as if she were some type of unknown specimen in front of me. The fact that I had spent ten years being terrified of zombies to the point that in my third life, I had planned on being locked away from everything just to avoid zombies never once entered my mind. 

"Any sane person is scared of zombies," she snapped back, never turning her attention away from the basement door where the sound of roaring zombies was coming from. 

"Are you scared of zombies?" I asked, turning to look at Mao Jing. I would fully admit that I might not count as the sanest of beings, so I decided to ask someone else for their opinion.

"Originally?" asked Mao Jing, standing just on the other side of Liu Wei. "Yes, I was scared of them. However, I am not anymore."

"Then you are an idiot," snapped Hao Jing Ya. Taking her eyes away from the door, she turned her glare back on Mao Jing. The poor man, there was no way he was ever getting into her good graces again. If he was ever there in the first place. 

"How do you expect to control a city when you don't control the zombies inside of it?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. 

Hao Jing Ya looked at me as if I was an idiot for even asking that question. "I control the humans, so I control the city."

"No, you control the humans, so you control only a fraction of the city," I answered quickly. "And let's face it, the zombies probably take up more than half of the population as it stands. Alright. Let's go," I continued, getting off Wang Chao's lap and heading toward the front door.

"Where are you going. We haven't settled anything yet," said the woman, coming to her feet. "I demand that you sit back down and discuss this like an adult."

I was feet from the door, my men following behind me. Even Mao Jing was standing next to the guys, supporting my decision without question. "I am settling this like an adult. You are going to get your ass out there, fight the zombie, and I will make a deal with whoever wins."

It made the most sense in my head. There was no point in making a deal with someone who only had a fraction of the power. It was like putting out a small campfire when there was a forest fire coming up behind you. 

Besides, I promised Daisy that I would deal with the male Alpha so that she and the others could go outside without fear. 

Might as well kill two birds with one stone. 

"I'm sorry… what did you say?!?" demanded Hao Jin Ya, coming to her feet. 

"I said, you and the Alpha are going to fight. Then, I will deal with the winner. I am tired of wasting my time, and this made the most sense," I answered with a shrug of my shoulders. I didn't want to throw her over my shoulder to get her out of the club, but I would if I had to. 

I was on a tight schedule and she was definitely not helping.

"You can't be serious!" she screeched… completely losing her calm. 

"I can, and I am. Now, do you want to walk out of this building like the proper head of the human city, or am I going to have to carry your ass out of here? Because either way, you are leaving and fighting a zombie." 

Her follower stepped in front of me, ready to defend the object of his obsession. While I could appreciate that gesture, my men really couldn't.

Chen Zi Han slid forward between me and the unknown man, a knife already in his hand. "If you value your life, you will take a few steps back and not go near my wife again," he growled, his voice low. 

"Liao Shun Yuan," snapped Hao Jing Ya, bringing her minion back to heel. Without a word, Liao Shun Yuan turned around and went back to her side without complaint. It really was a sin that the woman didn't understand the power that she wielded over that man. 

I watched Hao Jing Ya thinking for a few moments, surrounded by her men. I could practically read her mind as she thought about the pros and cons of following me. Hell, I could even see her smirk when she thought about throwing me to the zombie and saving herself the headache of dealing with me.

I should be insulted, but instead, I just found it funny.

"Are you coming?" I asked once I saw that she had reached a decision. She nodded her head in response, and I turned around and headed out the door and down the Joker hallway until we reached the outside. It took me a moment, but I quickly realized that this was the first time I had been out of the club since the blowup with the original boss. 

For me, it felt like days had passed, but when I actually thought about it, I realized that it had only been a matter of hours in the real world. 

Stepping past the entrance, I ignored the long lineup of people waiting for the club to open. At least, that was one less thing to worry about. However, in my annoyance and lack of understanding of how time worked, I realized that I had sent everything in motion at night, in the pitch black. 

Yeah, I was an idiot. 

I turned to Mao Jing, who was walking beside Liu Wei. "If you want to go and supervise the club, that is fine," I said, giving him an out. I was not in the habit of making life difficult for one of my people. Just the frustrating ones. 

"Oh, so now you know to be scared," sneered Hao Jing Ya as she came to a stop beside me. "Trying to save your favorite one?"

"No," I said with a sigh. "But I do know how to read lines, and that one is telling me that the club is going to be busy tonight," I continued with a tight smile, pointing to the lineup that was now around the block. I really should start charging admission.

"He stays," she snapped, brushing past me and walking down the street. I raised my eyebrow at her back and let out a bark of laughter. No one was going to tell me what I could or could not do with one of my people.

"Do you want to stay or come with us? The choice is yours," I said, looking over my shoulder at Mao Jing.

"I stay with you," he replied with a stead nod of his head. 

"Understood. Stay between Wang Chao and Liu Wei, and you will be fine," I advised him before leisurely following the head of the city down a darkened street lit only by the full moon. I had no idea where she was going, but I could only assume that she did.

We continued walking down the street for another ten minutes before we got to an area that was completely deserted. There were row upon row of warehouses on either side of the street, their chain link gates firmly closed. 

"This is where they stay," said Hao Jing Ya as she waved her hand to show off the buildings. "If you take one more step forward, it will call them to you, and you will not get out alive."

"I have a better way of calling them," I said with a smile. But first things first.

"Chen Zi Han, some light, please," I said, not looking at the man. All of a sudden, the bright glow of a mini sun shone down upon us, lighting up the area. Hao Jing Ya looked startled at the strength and power that it took to be able to pull off something like that, as if it was nothing.

"Now that I can actually see," I said right before I tipped back my head and let out a roar of challenge. 

Hao Jing Ya's men shifted back and forth as streams of zombies filed out of the doors of the warehouses around us. There must have been hundreds, if not thousands, of zombies in front of us. No wonder it was so easy for Hao Jing Ya to take over the city. There was probably no human left. Or at least very few. 

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" demanded Hao Jing Ya as she spun around and confronted me. "Are you trying to get us all killed? Is that your master plan? You are sick of your life, so you want to end ours too?"

"Oh, get over yourself," I grumbled, not at all impressed with her exaggeration. "If anyone was going to die, I can promise you, it wouldn't be on my side."

"Who challenges me?" came a low grumble as a giant of a zombie cut through the horde to approach us. "Was it you?"