Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm



We were walking for maybe 10 minutes with absolutely nothing alive around us. This wasn't the eerie stillness before an attack, this was more of a 'it's too fricking cold to go outside' type of thing.

"Fuck this," I grumbled as my lashes started to ice over from my breath. Taking out the Ripsaw EV2 ATV, I climbed into the passenger seat, letting Liu Yu Zeng and Chen Zi Han to fight over who would drive.  Chen Zi Han won. I guess he had driven Liu Yu Zeng around a lot before, so he technically had more practical diving experience than Liu Yu Zeng.

"You know, I used to race cars, right?" pouted Liu Yu Zeng from the back of the ATV. He was strapped into one of the seats on either side of the enclosed space.

Hearing that, my eyes widened and I looked at Chen Zi Han in fear. I did not want a man that equated driving race cars to driving me in the middle of the snow and ice.  Chen Zi Han just chuckled at my expression and patted me on the knee. "And that is why I am driving," he assured me.  I was sure that we were both not mentioning the fact that he had no experience when it came to driving in the snow, but I trusted him to take his time.

It's not like we really had anywhere to go, so there was no point in rushing. Plus, this thing had the same treads and design as a tank, so I was pretty sure that we would be just fine.

We made great time, these things designed for all types of climates and road conditions. I could almost ignore my crippling fear of driving in the winter as this vehicle seemed to be extremely safe and secure.

And then the gas light went on.

In case you were wondering, no, I did not throw any extra gas into my space, I left all of that on the ranch. You know, the place that I thought I would be? But that is miles away from my current location and as such, completely, utterly… useless.

I heard Liu Yu Zeng laughing from the back seat. "What?" I turned around and snapped at him.

"Sorry," he said, waving his hand in front of his face. "I just find it funny that you have everything in your space except for gas."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," I grumbled as I turned on my phone. Realizing that it was nothing more than a paperweight without the internet, I threw it back into my space and crossed my arms in front of me.

"Don't worry, Princess," smoothed Chen Zi Han as he briefly looked over at me.

I must say, I was falling for this man more and more, and for the weirdest of reasons. Case in point? My heart rate picked up and I blushed over the fact that he was driving slow, with his hands at 11 and 2, and was keeping his whole focus on the road in front of him simply because he knew I was not comfortable in this situation.

That, my friends, was a keeper.

"I can just make out a sign for a gas station in front of us. Maybe less than 2 minutes," he continued, having no idea where my thoughts had gone. And that was probably a good thing for me. I nodded, and sat back in my seat, trusting him to get me there safe and sound.

"We should probably have a plan put in place," I admitted as I saw the gas station in front of us.

"What do you mean?" asked Liu Yu Zeng already unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Like how to deal with anyone inside, the number of supplies we will have access to, what we need to bring back, and how to safely store the gas and diesel inside my space," I said, speaking my thoughts out loud as they appeared in my head.

Honestly, the idea of meeting other people was stressing me out just as much as the idea of driving in the snow. In fact, I think I was just a bundle of nerves counting down the seconds until our group was back together again. Yes, I missed Wang Chao and Liu Wei, but this feeling was so much more than just missing them… it was like the end of the world would come if I didn't get back to them and keep our group whole.

Then again, the end of the world did come so I guess that was a pointless comparison.I think you should take a look at

I took a deep breath and got out of the ATV. I had my gun strapped to the outside of my snowsuit, a knife at my hip and my sword sheathed at my back. Cracking my neck, I chuckled as Chen Zi Han hit the lock button on the car key, causing it to beep. It was such a normal sound that it completely stood out.

"I'll get the gas," said Chen Zi Han as he moved towards the back of the Ripsaw, ready to fill the tank.

"Remember that it is diesel," I shouted, not wanting him to put in the wrong fuel.  As much as everything was 'gas' in my head, I still tried to make sure that what I was putting in the vehicles was correct for those particular ones.

Chen Zi Han simply waved his hand and started to pump the diesel into the ATV. And yes, the gas will still pump even after the electricity has gone out as Country K had enforced a new rule that all gas stations had to have generators in the case that the electricity was no longer available. Plus, with all of the different pumps that actually bring the fuel from the tank to the pump, it only takes a bit of energy for it to work and the generators work on… gas! It is a beautiful cycle if I do say so myself.

See, stupid things you pick up when the world comes to an end. Gas stations will still work as long as there is fuel in their tanks.

Now, how do I put those tanks into my space?

I waited for Chen Zi Han to finish filling the ATV, still paying attention to the outside world to make sure that no one can sneak up on us before I attempted to get the tank into my space.

Closing my eyes, I pictured what I thought the tank would look like beneath the surface. I didn't know if it would work, this was my first time trying this, but when I saw a bright silver cylinder tank appearing in my space, I gave a little jump for joy.

Chen Zi Han came around the ATV and looked at me and Liu Yu Zeng to see if we were ready. Nodding my head, the two men took out their 9mm guns and started to walk in a lowered stance toward the gas station store with me in the middle.

However, the closer we got, the more warning bells rang in my head. I looked around to see where they could be coming from, but I couldn't see anything. And maybe that was part of the problem.

The windows of the convenience store seemed to be a one-way mirror, I could see me and the guys on the outside, but nothing on the inside. No, I didn't think that a gas station would spend that type of money on a one-way mirror, but they probably had a reflective coating on the glass of some kind or other.

All I knew was that anyone in the gas station would have no problems seeing me and my men, while we were sitting ducks. I kind of wished that we brought more of our men as backup, but I was trying to be nice and give them a day off after fighting the zombies yesterday.

Yet another reason not to be kind and considerate.

I heard Liu Yu Zeng let out a cackle as he brought his gun up higher. "Reminds me of that one time—" he started before Chen Zi Han cut him off.

"Yeah, yeah, just try not to get stabbed this time, please. I won't be caring about you with Princess here and I will be more than happy to let you fend for yourself," said Chen Zi Han, not a hint of mirth in his voice.  I raised my eyebrow.

"Now you got me curious," I admitted, not bothering with my gun.  I was starting to rely more on my flames right now than my guns. I would need them all later once the Reavers got going.

"Ignore him," snapped Liu Yu Zeng.  I guessed he realized that the story would not be painting him in a competent light. I simply chucked in response.

Walking up to the glass doors, I looked at the men on either side of me. At their nod, I quickly opened the doors and stood stunned at the number of AK-15s pointed in the boy's and my direction.

"I really wish this would stop happening every time I opened a door," I grumbled as I watched one man step forward, his gun trained on me, his vision unwavering.