Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm



I smiled and shook my head at the girl. I remember being that desperate for food, willing to bend over for anyone who would give it to me. 

"All good. You finish up your meal and then see if you can find the office," I said, dismissing her when one of the men around the table raised his hand. "Yeah?" I asked, feeling a bit too much like a kindergarten teacher. 

"I am good with my hand and am willing to sell my soul for at least one meal a day," he said tentatively, standing up. 

"Is there anything you are thinking specifically?" I asked. "I was hoping to turn this place into something that would be managed by all of you, with the majority of the profits going to all of you. Maybe we could even start a garden on the roof or something," I continued with a shrug of my shoulders. 

I wanted this place as a front. I needed a place where me and the guys could blend in and hide when we needed to but still have enough power to move chess pieces as needed, and this club would be perfect. Especially if I could get a whole host of loyal workers who would do whatever I asked them to do. 

The plan was still forming in my mind, but I appreciated that all the hard work was already done. 

"I would love to tend the garden," pipped up an older woman, probably one of the mothers of the club employees. "If you have the seeds and soil, I can make anything grow," she continued, her back straightening confidently. 

"Done. I should also have a couple of live chickens if you want to add those to the space," I nodded with a smile. 

The tension slowly lowered, even as the screams from the old boss and bouncers could be heard from the far corner. People were talking and laughing as if nothing was wrong.

"There is a whole apartment building built both up and down. A few of the guys and I could renovate them, maybe move into the building?" asked the man who promised his soul for a meal.

"Would there be enough space for me and my guys to move in too?" I asked, a worried look crossing my face.

"Of course! We would make sure that you guys had your place set up first!" he assured me and the rest of the people around the table nodded their heads in agreement. 

"Awe, thank you. That would be absolutely perfect. But you don't really need to worry about anything other than having it cleaned out. As a space user, I come with all my own furniture," I joked, and the others laughed. I looked over my shoulder at Liu Yu Zeng to see the smile on his face, too. 

"I'll go look around to see if I can find a good place," he said, coming to his feet.

"Thanks, honey," I answered with a smile. I tilted my head back for a kiss, and he happily obliged. "Maybe do a whole walk through of the building, see what we have at our disposal."

"Of course," he assured me before disappearing out of the same doors the zombies emerged from.

"Will the zombies be staying too?" asked a young boy, hesitantly, clutching to a woman's leg.

"For now, yes. But there is no need to be scared of them," I assured him. "They are here because the world is a scary place outside with so many people and other zombies wanting to kill them. I will make it safe for them, and then they should leave."

"The world is scary for them?" he asked me wide-eyed, like he couldn't believe my words. But it did make sense. All that people saw were scary monsters and not a female who was scared of things, too. 

"That it is," I answered, calling the Alpha over. I held out my hand to her, and she took it, looking at me in hesitation.  "Do you have a name?"

She shook her head. "No, remember, all thoughts… strange," she said, and I could see all of the employees of the club and their families looking at her. 

"You need a name," pointed out a little girl, clutching the doll in her arms. "Everyone has a name."

"No name," answered the zombie again with a shake of her head. "You name?" 

"How about Daisy? I like daisies. They are a pretty flower," smiled the girl, completely enchanting everyone around her, including myself.

"Daisy. My name," grunted the Alpha, nodding her head up and down.

-----

"They are more human than I thought," said a man coming up beside me as he looked at Daisy and a few of the other zombies intermixing with the humans.

"Well, they were human until they weren't," I replied, looking up at the man. "But you don't want to discuss the zombies, now do you?"

"No, I don't," he chuckled, looking down at me. "I want a job."

"And?" I asked. I was almost peopled out at the moment, and maintaining a friendly façade was starting to wear on me.

"I want to be the club manager," he replied, standing up straighter, pushing his shoulders back. 

"If you are the club manager, what role would I have?" I said with a chuckle. Having ambition was great; having too much was a good way of getting you killed.

"I thought you would like a much more behind-the-scenes roll to the club," he answered, looking at me with a serious look on his face. "I want the power that comes with people knowing that I am the face of the club. But, at the same time, I am completely happy taking orders from above."

"I see," I said slowly, nodding my head in understanding. "And how do I know that you are not going to end up betraying me in the end? I have a few very specific plans for this place, after all. I need someone I can trust."

"That is a fair point," he agreed with a nod. "You don't actually know me, but I was once an important person in City I."

"And?" I asked with a scoff. In my opinion, people always have had an inflated idea of themselves, which rarely panned out.