Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm



"Fuck Lin! Hurry up and deal with it! You are going to wake her up with all that noise!" came a disgruntled voice beside my ear. I moaned and tried to roll over in bed only to realize that I wasn't actually in bed at all.

"Cerberus?" I asked, my voice hoarse from just waking up.

"Li Dai Lu," he said softly and gently, a complete contrast from how he was sounding just a moment ago. "Go back to sleep," he continued as I felt myself shifting from side to side. "Everything is okay. We have it handled."

"Does something need to be handled? Are the guys okay?" I asked still half asleep.

Before Cerberus could answer me, I heard what sounded like a mini explosion outside that drew my attention away from sleep and onto whatever was going on outside.

"Fucking bikes," Cerberus grumbled as we continued to weave back and forth. "Always need to put on a show."

"What is going on?" I asked as I took a cup of coffee out of my space in a travel mug. This one was white with a little red fox on it and at the bottom it said 'For Fox Sake'. Personally, I thought it was adorable.

"Honestly?" he asked like it wasn't a big deal when a second explosion came so close that it managed to rock the truck. I tried to look out the window but I think Cerberus did something to it because it seemed a lot darker than before. Too dark to see out of.

"No, I want you to lie to me," I snipped sarcastically. Who didn't ask a question and wanted an honest answer to it?

There was a slight pause and then Cerberus' tentative voice filled the cab. "So that was a yes, right?"

"Yes, Cerberus, I would like an honest answer. What is going on outside?" I asked as I was gently rocked back and forth in my seat.

"Honestly, the bikes are little shits and your men can't control them."

I took a sip of my coffee before opening my mouth. "You do realize that told me nothing, right?"

"Sorry," he said, actually sounding sorry. "There was a motorcycle gang on the highway. They wanted the bikes to stop. The bikes played with them for a while and the gang took offense. But they were the ones that started shooting first so you can't be upset if we finish it."

Children. I was surrounded by children. Even the non-humans were children. Maybe Cerberus was right, I really should go back to sleep. I was about to close my eyes after putting my mug in the cup holder when a third explosion came from outside.

"Who the fuck is doing that?" I grumbled.I think you should take a look at

"Lin," came the hesitant reply.

"Who is Lin?"

"Lin is Chalchiuhtotolin, he is Liu Yu Zeng's motorcycle," said Cerberus as if I should have already known that.

"Chalchiuhtotolin? As in the Aztec god of disease and plagues?" I asked confused. "Wears black and has white eyes?"

"That would be the one. He prefers Lin though."

"Sure, whatever. Can you stop and let me out? Apparently, I need to go play referee." Grumbling about children in playgrounds, I waited for Cerberus to stop so I could get out. After a few seconds of him not even slowing down, I raised an eyebrow. "That wasn't a request, no matter how nicely I stated it. Stop the truck so I can get out and put an end to whatever shit you all disturbed while I was asleep." Couldn't even get a decent nap in before shit hit the fan? I swear to god the guys attract trouble like it's nobody's business.

Thankfully Cerberus understood that I was serious and stopped the car. Pulling on the handle to open the door, I had to take a breath. "Unlock the doors Cerby," I growled as I tried the handle again. This time it opened and I was able to see the chaos outside.

Using the lights from Cerberus, I looked around the area. It looked like a war zone with smoke coming out of craters on the pavement. I could only assume that they were the explosions that I had heard. There was some sporadic gunfire, but I couldn't see who was firing at who.

Letting out a high-pitched whistle I waited until the boys stopped fighting long enough to pay attention to me. After a few minutes with no change, I let out another piercing whistle willing to give them one last chance to smarten up.

When even more time passed, I had just about given up. It was pitch black outside, the only lights that I could see were the purple ones from Cerberus, and the four colors from the motorcycles. Figuring that the other motorcycles had much better odds, seeing as I couldn't see them, I decided to light up the night.

Calling a giant blue flame, the width of my arms, I hung it in the sky over me. 

Looking at what appeared in front of me, I really debated going back to sleep. I was too tired to deal with this shit.  There were very clear lines drawn on the road, on one side were my boys, and on the other were about 15-20 men on motorcycles. I could only assume that they were the older models that didn't rely on electricity too much.

As soon as the giant fireball appeared over the top of my head, the fighting stopped and everyone turned to me. "Now that I have your attention," I said as I put my hands on my hips. I was really feeling like a mom right now. "You are going to fuck off," I continued as I pointed at the bigger group of men, "And you are going to get back on the road. There will be no more fighting… or else. Understood?"

One of the men scoffed at my proclamation. "And just what do you think you are going to do about it?" he sneered. I pointed up at the giant. Ball. Of. Fire and smiled at him. "Do you really have to ask?"