[1] Apocalypse: Third Rebirth

Chapter 33: Liu Wei's Flashback

Liu Wei stepped into the room that Li Dai Lu had prepared for him and looked around. It was a very standard room, not too over the top, but was obvious that she did try to make them comfortable.

The narrow window at the top of the wall was just enough to allow natural light in, but not big enough to let a human out. There was a queen-sized bed with very practical navy-blue sheets, a desk, a chair, and an ensuite. It wasn't a four-star hotel, but it did beat some of the places that he had slept in while in the army.

He took off his glasses and put them on the desk and went to sit down on the bed. He pinched the bridge of his nose and rotated his neck, trying to fight the feeling rushing through his body.

As soon as he took the vaccine, he could feel it coursing through his veins, like an army of thousands of ants crawling across his skin. His discipline prevented him from scratching his arms until they bled, but suppressing it was taking a lot of effort.

He ran his fingers through his hair and removed his suit jacket, tie, and vest. If he was going to go through Hell, he might as well be comfortable while doing it. He laid down on the bed, his legs crossed at the ankles, and folded his hands over his stomach. Staring at the ceiling, he had to smile when he saw the little happy face sticker stuck to it, right above where his head would be.

He would have to thank her for that when he came out.

His eyes drifted closed as the ants crawling inside of him had taken over every

muscle, bone, and fiber of his being.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a Wang Chao that he had never seen before. Normally meticulously put together, Wang Chao was wearing his normal black combat uniform, but it had been ripped in numerous places and both red and blue blood poured out of the slashes. Liu Wei could see his mouth moving, seemingly screaming at him, but he couldn't hear a sound.

He could feel though. He could feel sharp fingers holding him down, of teeth ripping out chunks of flesh. He could see the smiling faces over top of him as a light blue human with an inhuman mouth stood over him.

One foot planted on each side of Liu Wei, the zombie put his own wrist into his mouth and ripped out a chunk. Blue blood flowed from the wound and dripped down onto Liu Wei's face and into his mouth. Any cut that he had was also infected with the blue blood.

He could feel himself giving up, of losing all hope. Liu Wei screamed at himself to keep fighting, to not let whatever it was that the zombie was doing to him win. He knew that if he gave up the fight... there would be nothing left.

He turned his head to the side and watched as Wang Chao underwent the same treatment, and he watched as Wang Chao also seemed to give up hope. He felt his eyes close and the next thing he knew was the hunger.

Somewhere in the back of his brain, he knew what was going on. Was sick to his stomach with every bite of a human that he took. The need to feed and fight took over completely until that was all that he knew. He followed the Alpha, knowing that he could take over if he wanted, but there was nothing driving him to have complete command. That was his brother and he would always protect his brother.

His life was a constant circle of feeding and fighting until time itself seemed to have stopped. He didn't notice the sun rising and falling or of the days of extreme heat transforming into extreme cold. Nothing registered to him. Follow Wang Chao, fight for Wang Chao, feed to gather strength, and live another day.

But there was something lacking, something that Liu Wei could not put a finger on, but knew without a doubt that he needed it.

Inside the zombie body, Liu Wei looked at the world, knowing that this was not his reality, but it was still real. He could feel all the drives of the zombies, the way they thought, the way they responded, and realized that Li Dai Lu was right. They were still themselves, trapped within the body of an animal. Never to die, but also never to live. It was a cruel fate... and one that was coming.

The scene changed and he saw himself standing next to Wang Chao after they followed the scent of something to this location. They watched from the side as a Class 3 horde waited outside of a complex like sharks waiting for a ship to finally sink.

He saw the body of an unconscious woman being dragged out of the protective chain link fence by a figure that looked somewhat familiar and dumped just outside the gates. Liu Wei watched as the woman regained her consciousness only for the horde to fall upon her and feed, the rest of the humans safe on the other side of the fence.

The eyes that seemed to look straight at him would be something that he would never forget. As a giant pink and blue fireball engulfed the horde and the woman within, that feeling of something missing intensified until he let out a roar of pain. He never heard the roar of Wang Chao joining his.

Liu Wei sat bolt upright in bed, gasping for breath. Growing in a low tone, he went to the washroom to splash water on his face, never bothering to look at the mirror before him.

Once he cooled off enough to be comfortable, he made his way back to the bed. Incapable of doing anything else, he lay down and stared at the ceiling... the happy face looking back at him.

This time, he dreamed of his family... of his grandfather and younger brother. He dreamed of the Organization and all the brothers that he had grown up with... and the woman he was supposed to marry.

While he was busy fighting for survival in Country S and all the way down to City A, they were living the life of luxury. His grandfather and the woman that was chosen for him decided that they did not need any type of superhuman power and simply stayed at home, letting everything they needed come to them.

His brother, however, got stronger and stronger. He developed a strength that came only through bloody battles, trying to protect his family and men.

Liu Wei watched as his brother constantly looked for information about him. How he rebuilt communication towers throughout Country K in hopes of getting some word about him, never giving up the idea that Liu Wei would still be out there, alive and well.

This time, when Liu Wei opened his eyes, his vision was clear and he could see a sliver of sunshine coming in through the small window of his room. The smiley face was still there, looking down at him.

Grabbing a shower, Liu Wei knocked on the door to see his best friend and his... a smile appeared on his face as he hurried up and got ready...