[1] Apocalypse: Third Rebirth

Chapter 102: Green Tea Bitch or White Lotus?

Have you ever had one of those moments where your anxiety had just taken over and you were so stressed and nervous you were either going to lash out or lay down and cry? I was officially at that moment. The 45-minute drive to the City J Navy base took more out of me than fighting four hordes of zombies one after another.

We were officially in blizzard conditions out here which meant that we could see less than a foot in front of us and there was no way we could hear anything to lead us in a proper direction due to the high winds. We were, essentially, fucked. And if we had to stay out there longer, many of us would have died from exposure or gotten lost. I kid you not. You could get lost in a blizzard, feet from your house because you simply could not see where you needed to be.

And just-just as we were about to step into what we had determined to be our safest bet, guns were pointed at our faces.

Yes, Sir, Ladies and Gentlemen, I was done.

With a slight flick of my wrist, I pulled all the guns that I could see into my space. Not willing to deal with their questions of "Where is it?" and "Where did it go?" I turned to look at Wang Chao.

"Where am I staying?" I would try to make nice tomorrow after I calmed down, but my arms were still shaking and I wasn't sure how long my legs would be willing to support me. Wang Chao simply ignored the people in front of him and, placing an arm around me, guided me through the crowd and up a set of stairs.

Because with the day that I have been having, why wouldn't there be stairs?

I think Wang Chao understood how close to a breakdown I actually was because he swiftly picked me up into his arms and sprinted up the stairs to wherever he had in mind.

I closed my eyes, counting in my head. I wasn't sure what I was actually counting, Wang Chao's steps? His breath? My breath? His heartbeat? Whatever it was, it was steady enough to allow me to get lost in the numbers and get myself under control. Opening the door at the top of the stairs, he continued to carry me down the hall.

I was pretty sure I was supposed to object to this, say something about me being too heavy or being able to walk. But honestly, I just appreciated being taken care of for once. I closed my eyes and savored the feeling.

I felt Wang Chao shift his grip so that he could free up a hand again and open the door to another room. Slowly opening my eyes, I saw an absolutely beautiful apartment completely furnished and a sheer wall of horizontal snow blowing outside the large windows.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked as he gently placed me on the light grey sectional. Calling a pillow and a few blankets from my space, I didn't object as he took them from me and turned me into a cocoon.

"In my first life, I was an orphan," I said slowly as if tasting the words and seeing how they made me feel. "I remember I must have been young when I first when into Children's Services, and I was probably about 7 or 8 when I learned that my parents died while driving home in a bad snowstorm. I was told that when the police came to the house, it was still snowing. I have been terrified of driving in the snow after that. Which sucks since the winter lasted like 6 months of the year."

"Why didn't you let one of us drive?" he said as he started to rub my hair like I was a cat.

"I can't. The anxiety is worse when someone else drives. My psychologist said that it was because of a lack of control. I have to be in control of the car, but it only lessens the anxiety, it doesn't take it away," I explained, feeling like a complete and utter idiot for freaking out like this. Driving in winter and swimming in open bodies of water were my two major fears... and so far, I have not been able to overcome them in any of my lives.