Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm



"Me?" I asked, feeling my men stiffen from where they stood behind me. "I don't think that you want to do that," I continued with a sigh.

"Why? Sacred that...it… might win?" sneered Hao Jing Ya, the smirk on her face just begging for me to slap it off. 

"It has been years since a zombie managed to take its chunk of flesh from my body, and even then, it didn't live long enough to enjoy it," I assured her, a sneer of my own on my face. My mind went through all of the different solutions to this problem until I landed on one perfect one.

"Mao Jing. You will need to find someone else to be the manager of the fight club," I said to him, never taking my attention away from the zombie Alpha in front of me. 

"But—" he stuttered, looking between me and my men, not knowing what was going on.

"You are going to be the Alpha of City I for both the human and the zombie population," I explained. It was the only conclusion that I could come up with on such a short notice. I was not hanging around here to look after yet another city. Not when I had a Reaver camp to deal with. 

And, let's face it, Hao Jing Ya was not worthy of controlling the entire city. In fact, she would be lucky to make it out of here alive if my men had any say in the matter. 

At my words, both the Alpha and Hao Jing Ya looked at me, startled. "I think you are getting a bit ahead of yourself right now," said Hao Jing Ya. The Alpha grunted in amusement. 

"Why? Do you really think that this is my first dominance battle? Hardly," I scoffed. "And you are the weakest zombie I have faced yet. Now. Are you going to submit or die?"

"I no submit," growled the zombie as he rotated his giant head around his stick-thin neck. I wondered how much force it would take to snap something like that. Maybe I should do an experiment. After all, it's not like he wouldn't heal in seconds. 

"Understood," I said right before I tilted back my head and issued a formal Alpha challenge.

"Sweetheart," said Liu Wei, holding out his hand to the Alpha to not answer me. "I understand that you will kick his ass and probably feast on his soul. However, I would like to maybe suggest that you step back and let one of us handle the challenge."ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ N(o)vᴇl(F)ire

"I am not pregnant," I responded with a sigh. I didn't want to say the words outright, but this was getting ridiculous. 

Don't get me wrong… their worry meant everything to me and made me realize just how much they wanted me to be pregnant, but if wishes were horses and all that. 

"Did you start today?" asked Liu Yu Zeng, coming up to my other side. Everything else around us was ignored.

"It is hard to say. Her period could technically start at any point in time; however, she has not asked for chocolate once. She hasn't started," chimed in Chen Zi Han. 

I would like to take this time to say that I really love my men. I love how much of a priority that they make me. I love how much they care about me, not because they have to, but because they want to… however, there was a time and a place for this conversation, and this was not it. 

"No, I have not started—" I began, only to be cut off by Liu Wei again.

"And since that is the case, let's err on the side of caution and not have you fighting irrelevant battles," he said, placing a hand on my arm and around my waist, trying to gently turn me around.

"Irrelevant battles?" screeched Hao Jing Ya. "She was the one that wanted this fight in the first place."

"No, she wanted you two to fight to determine who would be the ultimate ruler of the city, making things easier for everyone all around. You are the one that was too much of a pussy to actually fight the zombie Alpha and threw my wife under the bus instead," snarled Liu Yu Zeng, turning his rage to the woman that deserved it. 

He was stressed and more than a little anxious. I could understand where they were coming from. It wasn't like we could just go to a corner store and confirm things one way or the other. And none of us were doctors or had access to ultrasounds. But—

"I would like it noted that I take offense with the fact that you called her a pussy as a term of insult," I pointed out, leaning against Liu Wei, enjoying the show. This wasn't where I saw myself when I woke up this morning, but that was one of the benefits of the end of the world. Every day was a surprise. 

"I am sorry. You know that I worship at the altar of your pussy. But you are right. I shouldn't have insulted it by comparing it to her," smirked Liu Yu Zeng, briefly looking over his shoulder at me before turning his attention to the woman in front of him. 

Wang Chao walked up beside him and patted his shoulder before turning his attention to the zombie Alpha in front. "Personally speaking, none of us really care what you guys do when we leave. And we will be leaving soon. However, our wife has decided that there needs to be a small sanctuary in the middle of this city for her people. We are willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen, including leveling this city to the ground so that the only beings to survive belong to her."

He turned to Hao Jing Ya, who was practically panting under his attention. Yeah, she was going to have to die. 

"What is your choice?" asked Wang Chao, his mouth twisted into a snarl as he turned away from the other woman and back to the Alpha.

"I no understand," answered the Alpha looking between me and Wang Chao. I shrugged my shoulders, not commenting. My men were taking the lead, and I was not going to slap them down in public because of it. Besides, it's not like he was wrong. The club is going to be a test of sorts about how the country as a whole will be run. 

If humans and zombies could learn to live side by side, then once my goal has been completed, I will ensure that happens before I go back to the mountain.

If they can't… well then, I'll have to pick a side.

"Will you submit and work with Mao Jing, or will we kill all of your horde?" spelled out Wang Chao. Hao Jing Ya let out a low giggle of happiness, probably thinking that Wang Chao was taking her side. 

"If he chooses death, you and your men will die with him, and we will just reset the city," finished Wang Chao with a snort. "So, choose."

"I choose challenge," growled the zombie, sprinting toward Wang Chao in a surprise attack. However, not much ever seemed to surprise that man anymore. Reaching out his hand in a very Jedi move, he froze the Alpha mid-step. The zombie looked around frantically as Wang Chao lifted up his arm, causing the zombie to lift up from the ground.

"I have discovered that people think in a very one-dimensional way when it comes to the powers that we develop," mused Wang Chao, twisting his hand around, causing the zombie to spin slowly like a top. "Most think that if you are a spirit user, it is all about the mind… mental manipulation, mind reading, that sort of thing."

He started to rotate his hand in the other direction, and the zombie, complexly powerless, moved with him. I think that this is the first time I have ever seen a zombie that petrified. Not even Liu Yu Zeng has managed to scare a zombie like this before. 

"But my oh-so-smart wife once pointed out that our powers were like a muscle. And that got me thinking. If you use the muscle just enough to maintain it, then, of course, you are going to maintain your power exactly as it was. But if we use a bodybuilder's analogy and keep exercising and exercising the connecting muscles, then who knows just what kind of power you will have at the end of the day."

"Kind of like if you want to work out your legs, you need to work out each muscle separately in order to have a more well-rounded development in your legs?" asked Mao Jing, completely entranced by what he was hearing. 

He had watched fire users show off their powers, more often than not, to intimidate the people around them, but even the best one could only create a flame the size of their hand. It was nothing like the flame currently overhead, lighting up the night as if it were daytime. 

"Exactly," nodded Wang Chao, pleased that someone was smart enough to understand what he was saying.