Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm



Bai Long Qiang gripped the bars of his cage as Si Dang and Qu Kuan Ji flew into the open cage beside them as if the hounds of Hell were on their heels.

"What the fuck is going on?" he demanded as Si Dang pulled the door shut just as a stream of skeleton-like creatures flowed into the fighter's area behind them. Maybe the hounds of Hell really were on their heels.

The two of them bent over, their hands on their knees as they gasped for air. "Clearly, you haven't been training hard enough," sneered Bai Long Qiang from his cage.

"Yeah, sure, Boss, let's go with that," muttered Qu Kuan Ji, glaring at the other man.

"Well, are you going to tell me what is happening?"

"Would if I could, but I can't," responded Si Dong as one of the skeletons tried to open his cage. Lao Tie had manipulated the metal locks on all of their cages, preventing them from fully locking. And as great as that was when one of them needed to go around the camp, it wasn't so good now that something was trying to get in.

He and Qu Kuan Ji pulled hard on the cage door, struggling against the desperate skeleton. What the fuck could make them so scared?

"You left the gate unlocked," growled a creature coming up behind the skeletons. Without turning around, they stiffened and froze, almost as if they thought that if they didn't move, the creature with the red eyes wouldn't notice them.

"What?" asked Si Dang confused. He shook his head as the creature tried to get past his spirit powers and into his brain. The pain was excruciating, but then it stopped.

"Who do you belong to?" it demanded, turning its attention to the three men.

Bai Long Qiang opened his mouth to answer that they didn't belong to anyone, but a quick look from Qu Kuan Ji made him close his mouth again.

"We belong to the Healer," said his teammate, never taking his eyes off the creature. The skeletons let go of the bars and tried to slip away while the dark shadow was distracted, but it was useless.

"You want to fight? Fight. And close the door behind you, for fuck's sake. You are scaring the women, and the Queen is not happy," growled the creature, and the skeletons frantically nodded their heads as they turned around and left. One even stopped to lock the gate behind him.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Si Dang and Qu Kuan Ji let go of their grip on the bars and stared at the creature. He looked so much like the one with white eyes, and yet, different.

"You belong to the Healer?" asked the creature, turning his attention to Bai Long Qiang. The other man bit his tongue, refusing to say that he belonged to anyone other than Wang Tian Mu.

"He belongs to the Healer, too," said Qu Kuan Ji, his eyes glaring at his team leader.

"He doesn't seem to agree," smirked War, coming out of the darkness of his shadows and into the light of day.

"Wang Chao?" asked Bia Long Qiang, more than a little confused about what was going on.

"So, you remember me," smiled Wang Chao, having more than a little fun with everything that was going on. It was like a whole new side of him was released.

"Li Dai Lu said that my woman was here. So where is she?" growled Bai Long Qiang. He had searched the area tirelessly, trying to find the woman who meant more to him than anything else in the world. But he couldn't find her. 

"You double my Queen's words?" asked a stunned Wang Chao, as if questioning Li Dai Lu was the most insane thing he had ever heard. "Then maybe you will be one of the ones to die when this is all over."

"You can't," said Qu Kuan Ji quickly, bringing the other man's attention away from his Boss and back to him.

"And why can't I?" smirked Wang Chao, his eyes taking on a reddish glow.

"Because whether or not he will admit it, he belongs to the Healer, and because of that, you cannot kill him," stated the other man, trying to suppress his trepidation. The only way they were going to make it through this carnage was to claim they belonged to the Healer.

He didn't actually know who the Healer was, just stories passed around by the VIPs; however, everything inside of him screamed that he was owned by this woman he had never met.

Wang Chao stared at him for a few minutes before a smile graced his face. "You are one of the few smart ones," he said, walking up to the cage. "Never be ashamed for belonging to a woman. Because in return, she will belong to you and that, that is the greatest thing in the universe."

Qu Kuan Ji nodded his head, not fully understanding what the man was saying but still agreeing. There was nothing wrong with belonging to someone, body, mind, and soul. In fact, that was the type of connection he was looking for.

He had found it once, with Wang Tian Mu, but knew that she belonged to his team leader. It killed him, seeing just how much she loved the other man. It became quickly apparent that if he wanted to stay by her side, he would have to push down his feelings, his obsession. He would have to be content just watching from the sidelines. As long as she was happy, that was all that mattered to him.

Wang Chao grunted as a figure with silver eyes came up beside him. "What are we doing with the Alpha?" it asked. Bai Long Qiang, Si Dang, and Qu Kuan Ji inhaled sharply at that question, causing the creature with the silver eyes to turn its attention over to them instead.

"Who do they belong to?" it asked. Bai Long Qiang wanted to swear at everyone for asking that question. He belonged to only one person, and that person was Wang Tian Mu. The only one that could command his loyalty. If only he had listened to her in the first place.

"The Healer," said Wang Chao with a smile as he looked over at Bai Long Qiang. "Otherwise known as Wang Tian Mu."

The three men straightened and looked at Wang Chao, their eyes opened in disbelief. "Wang Tian Mu is the Healer?" demanded Bai Long Qiang, rattling the door to his cage in an attempt to get out.

"I wouldn't if I were you," said the silver-eyed creature as he watched the door to the cage swing open. "Anyone that is not inside of a cage is free game. Should I add your name to the list?"

Bai Long Qiang swallowed and looked between the opened gate and the creature before him. He could probably get past him, but he had no idea where his fiancé was.

"She is safe and happy," answered Wang Chao as if reading his mind. "In fact, she is eating chocolate bars right now and telling my wife what she can and cannot eat."

"I should be paying attention to that then," said a third creature, coming out of the shadows beside Wang Chao and the silver-eyed being. "You guys don't need me anyway."

"Are you sure, Famine?" asked Wang Chao, staring at the newcomer.

"My place is beside our Queen," he said before once again vanishing into mid-air.

"Famine?" asked Si Dang, staring into the space where the being just was.

"Yeah," grunted the silver-eyed one, looking off into the distance. "You know, if the Healer is talking about childcare, I should be paying attention, too."

"Are you sure that is a wise idea?" chuckled Wang Chao, not at all intimidated by the creature beside him. Bai Long Qiang was impressed. He couldn't guarantee that he would be acting the same way if he had a creature from Hell standing over his shoulder.

"Yes," grunted the creature, raising his hand and touching a spot where his face would be if he had had one. Bai Long Qiang could have sworn it was like he was adjusting his glasses, but that was impossible, right?

"Then how are all these people going to die if Death simply walks away?" asked Wang Chao, his eyes studying the three men in the cage before him.

The shadowy figure shrugged his shoulders like it wasn't that big of a deal. "No point in making death easy for any of them. Besides, my brother still has yet to have his fun."

"Nope," grunted a new figure, his white eyes a familiar sight to Si Dang and Qu Kuan Ji. The two men nodded their heads in greeting as the latest creature turned his attention to them. "I'm done."

"So fast?" smirked Wang Chao, the connotation more than clear to the three human men in the cages. It was almost like the three of them were friends.

"What can I say? When you are good, fast, or slow, the outcome is the same." Si Dang could have sworn he heard a smirk in the creature's voice. "I assume Famine is already with her?"

"Yes," grunted the silver-eyed one. "And if everyone is done. I'll reap them all and call it a day. There is no need to keep the Queen here longer than absolutely necessary."

"Hold off for now," cut in Wang Chao, "We'll have to see what she says about it."

One second, Wang Chao and the two beings were there; the next, they were gone.

"Famine and Death?" said Si Dang, turning to look at his friends. "As in two of the Four Horsemen?"