Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm



"You had to have seen that coming," I said with a sigh. Leaning back onto my throne of ice, I stared at the man in front of me. "I don't know exactly what your plan was, but I don't think that it is going the way you want it to at all. Your men are being slaughtered and yet here you are, trying to blackmail us."

The Major General just stared at me before he looked over to Wang Chao.

"Are you really going to let this happen?" he asked raising an eyebrow at my man as if he could sway my opinion or even veto it. Clearly, he had not been paying attention.

"Why not? It's not my men down there," said Wang Chao with a shrug. I guess he withdrew all of his men before coming up here to check on the situation. Smart play by a master strategist.

"It might not be your men, but it is your people," countered Deng Jun Hie as he refused to break eye contact with Wang Chao.

"My people?" chuckled Wang Chao as he put his hand in his pockets and leaned against the side of my throne. "My people are here in this room, or are in Elysian City, or even in Elysian Fields Ranch. I don't have 'people' outside of that. Those that are down there fighting on the front lines? Those are your people."

"Your unit would be disappointed in you," snarled Deng Jun Hie.

"I somehow doubt that seeing as my immediate teams are still with me right now. But if you are implying that once a military man, always a military man, then I guess in some ways, you are correct. I am a military man, and I will always put the safety and well-being of my team and my people ahead of everything else. All in all, my mission is unwavering."

"If your mission is unwavering, then why aren't you protecting the civilians of Country K down there that are dying?!?"

"Because that is not my mission," replied Wang Chao, his face and body a blatant contrast to Deng Jun Hie's.

Deng Jun Hie scoffed at that. "Then what is your mission?"

"Protect my people." The statement was said with such certainty, with such conviction that I couldn't help but smile. Wang Chao understood the new assignment. It was no longer a matter of a country or the citizens that lived in it. The new mission was a matter of keeping you and yours safe, fed, and happy.

The tense atmosphere was sliced through by another scream from outside as the zombies increased their attacks. I looked at Liu Wei and tilted my head towards the window. This was completely pointless, a waste of time when everyone in this room knew the outcome. Apparently though, there just needed to be a pissing match first.

But what Deng Jun Hie failed to realize was that everything that happened next would depend on me and me alone. I was the queen who moved her knights, not the other way around.

But I was at an impasse. My men were here, and they numbered at just over 100 people. So I needed to make sure that the zombies would not be a threat to them. On the other hand, I refused to do what Deng Jun Hie wanted and save all of his people. So, what did I do next?I think you should take a look at

"The line has broken," reported Liu Wei as he stared out the window. Getting up, I walked over to join him. 

From our vantage point, I could see just how poorly the humans were doing. There were over 500 humans against maybe 40 zombies at this point, and there were groups of four zombies carrying men off like a pig going to a roast.

On the other side, there were groups of 10-15 humans just ripping zombies to shreds, throwing the disarticulated limbs over their shoulders like that would keep the zombie down. I could only shake my head as I watched a forearm start to shake and form into a completely new zombie.

I leaned against the open window frame and just watched as more and more humans were carried off into the writhing body mass of thousands of zombies. Their screams of pain and terror seemed to act as an endorphin to the zombies as they picked up their pace, eager to go back to the feeding frenzy.

Everyone had to eat, I guess.

I chewed on my thumbnail as I continued to watch the massacre in front of me, wondering more if there was something wrong with me for not wanting to jump in and save everyone.

And then I remembered, no one would jump in to save me if it situation was reversed.

Feeling much better about my decision, I walked over to my chair and sat down. Placing my hands on the armrests, I looked at Major General Deng Jun Hie.

"We can save everyone left," I said with a smile on my face. My boys didn't say anything, just continued to watch the soldiers around us to make sure that there were no more treats. "But because you were so insistent, and I am a vindictive bitch, I really don't want to do that."

"On the other hand, we are all in the same boat. If the zombies manage to breach your walls, then there is a possibility that my men could be impacted. I can't have that either. So, what to do?" The index finger of my right hand started to tap as I thought about possible solutions.

"Do I kill everyone here that doesn't belong to me just so I am not doing you any favors, or do I only kill the zombies?"

Deng Jun Hie opened his mouth as if he actually had some sort of input on the matter, but I simply held up my hand to silence him.  Showing a modicum of intelligence, he shut his mouth.

"Then again, there is a third option that I never considered until just now. If I only kill you, then no one else on your base needs to die. That way I can save my men and still not submit to your plans.  What do you think of that option?"

Let's see how much virtue he has when it is his life in exchange for all of the civilians down on the ground.