Luna Thorne, Mervin Warren, and Micah found a small, dilapidated room in the low building. They located a few old blankets in the storage room and spread them on the floor. The three of them simply sat, neither sleeping nor speaking.
The tranquil night was so peaceful it seemed as if all sound had vanished, leaving the trio, who had just escaped the research facility, feeling somewhat lost.
Annelise Locke slithered up a tree, coiling her snake tail around a branch before leaning against a fork in the trunk to gaze at the sky. Neal Wallace joined the twelve special forces soldiers, and together they fanned out to guard the perimeter.
Silence had long since fallen around the low building. But aside from the unconscious Gavin Todd, no one else had any desire to sleep.
Flora Bloom and Lex Cross were in the courtyard. Lex watched as Flora, standing under a jujube tree, alternated between kicking the trunk and pacing back and forth.
"Why won’t you let me handle this?"
"I heard what you told Cynthia Grant."
"..."
"I’ve never been so afraid of losing someone, Flora." Lex spoke casually, but his eyes never left her. He looked so calm and unconcerned, just like Flora had when she told Cynthia Grant back in the master bedroom that the story she told was just something she’d made up.
"It’s in the past now."
Flora stopped and gave Lex a placid smile from beside the tree. That one smile made Lex’s heart seem to stop for several seconds. He couldn’t hold back any longer. In a few quick strides, he grabbed the woman who was still restlessly kicking the trunk and pulled her into his embrace.
A bright light shone in both their eyes, but reflected in Lex’s was a deep heartache for her. Only by feeling the warmth of the woman before him and the swell of her belly did he feel even a faint sense of reality.
"Why didn’t you tell me sooner?"
Hearing Lex ask that, Flora was certain he had overheard her entire conversation with Cynthia.
Flora shifted into a more comfortable position in Lex’s arms. "If I had told you back in Varden Village, would you have believed me?"
"I wouldn’t have," Lex admitted with a relieved smile. "But even if I hadn’t believed you, my love for you would never have changed."
"Such a smooth talker! You old scoundrel!"
"No wonder. I remember that night in Varden Village, you told me we had to become stronger within three years, no matter what. It’s because you’ve already lived through it, haven’t you? What happens three years into the apocalypse?"
The low building wasn’t large, and in the dead of the silent night, everyone present was a superpower user with enhanced hearing. They heard every word of Flora and Lex’s conversation, and it shook them to their core.
"Three years into the apocalypse, there will be a world-shaking war between humans and zombies. Most of the powerful superpower users will die in that great battle. Consequently, by the fifth year of the apocalypse, when nature truly reshuffles the deck for all living things, humanity will have lost its place and find survival to be a struggle.
I died in the tenth year of the apocalypse. I died filled with hatred for Shelton Underwood and Belle Bloom. But I think even if I hadn’t died right then, I wouldn’t have survived for much longer."
Lex sighed. "I’m here this time. I won’t let history repeat itself!"
Flora suddenly looked up, her expression serious as she asked a question.
"Lex, let me ask you something. If you knew that one day in the future, your nation was destined to be shattered and broken, would you tell those around you? Would you have them prepare for what’s to come?"
Lex rested his chin on Flora’s head. "Are you trying to change the fate of this world?"
"I just don’t want the people of this land to lose their faith.
Living things, including humans, have survived on this land for millions of years. Every speck of dirt, every tree, carries the marks of human history. If humanity is annihilated, all traces of our existence on this land will be wiped out, erased and forgotten by history.
In the future, zombie-like lifeforms or various evolved plants will become the masters of the Earth, while humanity will have vanished. Billions of souls will be left without faith. The world will shatter, but their spirits will not perish. That’s too cruel."
"When that time comes, I’ll take you away from here."
Flora froze for a moment, then pulled out of Lex’s embrace.
"I’m not leaving. You may not feel any attachment to this place, but I do. I was born here, I grew up here, and I’ve lived my life here. This is my home, these are my roots.
Heaven gave me a second chance at life, and I’m so grateful for it. If I hadn’t been reborn, I would never have met you again and ended up with you. I’d probably just be a lonely spirit, forever drifting across this land, filled with regret and hatred."
Lex met Flora’s eyes. "Must you stay here?"
Flora nodded. "I’ve been thinking about it ever since you told me that the appearance of the secret realms would cause the world to slowly shatter. I’m not leaving. Even if I die again, I will die here, on the soil of Veridia."
"Hah!" Lex sighed. "How could I ever let you die?
If you want to protect this land, then I’ll help you protect it.
If you want to stop this world from shattering, I’ll help you find a way.
Whatever you want, I’ll make it happen for you, alright?"
Flora looked up at Lex’s ruggedly handsome face, then couldn’t resist pulling him down by the neck and standing on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his face.
"Thank you, Lex."
"If you really want to thank me, then be good and take everyone back to Morhaven. I’ll come find you as soon as I’ve settled things here."
"Okay."
The group hadn’t slept anyway, so when the sky began to lighten at dawn, they all heard rustling sounds coming from all around them.
Those who were awake went outside to look, and—holy cow—they were surrounded. A herd of water buffalo with massive, long horns had them completely encircled.
Flora looked at the herd before them. The buffalos’ bodies weren’t much different in size from before the apocalypse, but their horns were obviously much longer.
She turned and asked Robin Grant, "Elder Grant, is there anywhere nearby that raises cattle?"
Robin Grant thought for a moment before it hit him. "That’s right! Before the apocalypse, this land was part of the West Suburb Pastures. There were several large ranches and rice-farming operations out there.
Not only did they have high rice yields, but people used to raise water buffalo in the artificial lake over there. These buffalo must have come from that area!"
"Ranches?" Flora’s eyes lit up. "Does that mean there are dairy cows? The kind that produce milk?" ’In my past life, I was malnourished, which meant I didn’t produce enough milk after giving birth.
Even though I’m not short on food in this life, I’m still pregnant. There’s no guarantee something won’t go wrong. It would be a huge problem if my milk supply was low.
Besides, Polly needs milk to grow. If I could get a few dairy cows into my dimensional space, I’d have another source of nutrition for the future.’
The surrounding water buffalo had clearly underestimated the group’s combat prowess. With a single move, Lex sent a dense net of lightning crashing down on the animals, causing the entire herd to collapse.
Flora collected them into her dimensional space one by one, inwardly ecstatic. ’So many water buffalo! To me, this is just a mountain of delicious beef, tripe, and tendon.
When I get back to Morhaven, I have to get Ethan Monroe to make some hot pot base for me. Tripe was one of my favorite things to eat in hot pot before the apocalypse. Add some seafood, some vegetables... aah, just thinking about it is making my mouth water.’
"Lex, let’s go check out those ranches, what do you say? If there are dairy cows, we can get a head start on preparing nutrition for the baby."
Lex, of course, had no objections. And Robin Grant, being familiar with the local geography, was naturally tasked with leading the way.
Flora took out several hot dishes and warm rice that Ethan Monroe had prepared and stored in her dimensional space. The group enjoyed a delicious breakfast, leaving six special forces soldiers behind to guard the still-unconscious Gavin Todd before the rest set off.