Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm



I woke up to sunlight in my eyes. Moaning, I rolled over and opened my eyes only to see the stunning view of bright green fields and mountains as far as the eye could see. Instead of a typical window or even a floor-to-ceiling window that was all the rage right now, the entire wall in front of me was nothing but glass. In fact, every wall in the room was made of glass to the point where it felt like you were sleeping outside.

I crawled over two bodies, not caring about their moans or groans, and got out of bed. The mountains seemed to call me in a way that even those behind my ranch outside of City A never did. I put my hand on the glass, pleasantly surprised to find it warm, and just stared outside.

I wanted to wake up to this view every single morning. 

"I take it you like it?" asked Liu Wei as he came up behind me and wrapped me in his arms. 

"I think it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," I breathed, looking at the snow-capped mountains and the low-hanging clouds. It felt like we were living in the sky, far above any zombie apocalypse or mortal problems. 

"I see something more beautiful every day. But at least now you know how I feel every time I look at you," he whispered in my ear as the two of us looked out at the scenery. 

"Flirt," I replied with a smile. Turning around in his arms, I wrapped mine around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. "But this place is fantastic," I breathed as soon as our lips parted. 

"And this is only the master," chuckled Liu Wei. "Come on, we will let the others sleep, and I'll show you around."

I took his hand in mine, not caring that I was still dressed in my red sweater and granny panties. I had all the time in the world to get changed and showered, but first, I needed to see the rest of this house.

We left the bedroom and walked down the hall to what should be the living room. There was a wood-burning stove in the corner of the room but nothing else. Thinking about the black fabric couch, loveseat, and oversized chair I had grabbed from one of the stores earlier, I brought them out and arranged them around the room. 

Putting a wooden coffee table in the center, I tossed some red throw pillows and a few blankets onto the couch. We could always arrange things later, but this would work for right now.

"What do you think?" I asked, looking at the furniture. Liu Wei chuckled and pulled me into the next room. 

"I think as long as you are happy, we are all happy," he said before sweeping his arm in front of me. "Welcome to the kitchen."

I gasped in disbelief. The layout was open concept, so the 'L' shaped kitchen shared a space with the dining room and family room. However, what took my breath away was the view. Once again, there were no walls to the outside world, only a glass barrier that separated us from the beautiful mountains and bright blue sky.

The kitchen cupboards were done in black, with a light wooden butcher's block countertop the only splash of color. The floors were made from a black marble-like material, and even the metal panels holding up the glass walls were black. The darkness inside only made the light outside all that much more prominent.

A few more flicks of my wrists and I had a fridge set up along with a range. I couldn't wait to start cooking and baking on it again, but I would need to install the solar panels. To say that we were 'off-grid' implied that there was a grid nearby, and I had a feeling that we left that hours ago.

I put the farmhouse dining room table in the middle of one of the windows and set up a cozy family room right off the kitchen. I even took out the big screen TV with its stand, the DVD players, and everything else that I could think of. I tossed a fluffy white run on the floor that almost looked like fur and placed a coffee table on top of it. 

Nodding to myself, I looked up at Liu Wei to get his approval. 

"Perfect," he said, looking down at me. "And I am not talking about the decorations."

I smiled and kissed him again just as Chen Zi Han came stumbling into the family room. "Good morning!" I said cheerfully. "What do you think?" I asked, gesturing around the room for him to see. 

"I think you look perfect," said Chen Zi Han as he came forward and gave me a big hug and a kiss. "I am going to assume I am going to be cooking on the wooden stove over there until we get the solar panels set up?" he asked, looking at Liu Wei. 

"Yeah," grunted the other man. "Wang Chao, Liu Yu Zeng, and I will get them set up while you get some food going."

"What about me?" I asked, cocking my head to the side as my two remaining men came out of the bedroom. I couldn't wait to spend my day decorating the place and moving us all in. 

"You, my darling dearest, can do whatever you want," said Liu Yu Zeng as he picked me up and spun me around. "You just let your men get your dream home set up."

I looked at my men and then around the house. This is the first time I think I have ever felt so… at home so quickly. But more than it just feeling like home, it felt like a home for the five of us. Even the ranch, and God knows how much I loved that ranch, felt like it was my home, and the guys were just visitors. 

But this place seemed like it was built for us as a family, and it was perfect. 

I smiled as Liu Yu Zeng put me down, and Wang Chao came in for a morning kiss. Wrapping my arms around him, I hugged him tightly.

"Welcome home," I said, looking at the men. They smiled at me and grunted their agreement.