Be Careful What You Wish For: A Zombie Apocalypse
Chapter 146: Family

Chapter 146: Family

It took immense willpower for Chang Xuefeng not to laugh as the girl in his arms closed her eyes to make a wish. She seemed to be an old soul with the weight of the world on her shoulders sometimes... and others, she was too naive and innocent to be real.

Following the family line, he could sense within her body; he transported the two of them halfway around the world.

Looking around, he cocked his head to the side as the oppressive heat smacked him in the face. "Where are we?" he asked when his Wish Girl opened her eyes.

"I have no idea," she sighed. "But this definitely isn’t home."

In front of them was something that looked like a gated community that was heavily guarded. Men in uniforms carrying semi-automatic rifles paced back and forth in front of the only gate leading in.

Men, women, and children were lined up in an orderly line, practically silent as they trembled despite the heat.

"Are you sure?" he asked again, more than a little confused. This was where the family line had led him, so how could she not know where they were? Unless maybe her family was here, looking for her. "I mean, didn’t you wish to go home?"

"I did," sighed Hattie, a look of disappointment on her face as she rested her head on top of his. "But this isn’t the Dragon’s Lair, and I can’t see Luca and the others. The heat I recognize, and it’s nice to know that the snow isn’t anywhere to be found... but this isn’t home."

Walking to the back of the line, Chang Xuefeng started to seethe. His power could find souls that had a connection to each other and, more often than not, family. Hattie was unusual in that she seemed to have connections to many people, but there was only one that carried the scent of family.

"Let’s go inside," shrugged Hattie like it wasn’t that big of a deal. "With a big population, there should be lots of people wanting to make a wish."

Chang Xuefeng hummed, still trying to figure out exactly where he went wrong.

-----

It was weird... the place looked and smelled like home, but there was no way this was the bayou. It stunk of wealth, and even the buildings maintained their old world charm with bright colors and planters in full bloom.

Hell, there wasn’t even a single man wearing his cap backward, and that was almost unheard of where she was from.

"Name," snapped the guard as he looked up from the clipboard in his hands. Wrinkling my nose, I spoke before thinking. "Hattie LaRue."

"LaRue?" replied the guard, a look of confusion on his face as he looked me up and down. Apparently, he had been staring just a bit too long because Chang Xuefeng let out such a deep growl that even a gator would think twice about messing with him.

"That is what she said," snapped Chang Xuefeng, his English absolutely perfect. "Hattie LaRue."

"Any relation to Delliah Magnolia LaRue?" pressed the guard, lowering his clipboard. The look on his face was of absolute disgust as he took in my dress and pigtails.

However, I didn’t have time to care about what some nameless man had to say about my appearance; the name he called out was enough to send me into a spin.

"Well?" he snapped, causing Chang Xuefeng to let out another low growl. "We have a long line and a lot of people to process."

"She is my Maman," I replied softly.

"You may enter," grunted the guard. "Men to the left, women are on the right. There will be a small building in which you are to enter and strip down. You will be inspected for any bites, infections, and anything else that might make you a danger. From there, you will be assigned a room to spend an entire week in just to make sure that you don’t become a zombie."

Two guards came from either side of us; one plucked me out of Chang Xuefeng’s arms like I was nothing more than a child, and the other one put massive chains on my Reaver as if expecting a fight.

That was probably a smart thing to do because even if they couldn’t feel the anger and hatred pouring off of my Reaver, I could. "Go with them," I said, keeping my head high, even as I was being carted around like a child. "Find me when you are out."

"Will you be okay?" demanded Chang Xuefeng, not even bothering to look at the guard, whose face was becoming more and more pale by the second as he looked up at the monster in front of him.

"When am I not?" I replied with a shrug. "Besides, I’m kinda looking forward to seeing what Maman has been up to since I last saw her."

Something must have registered when he saw my face because Chang Xuefeng looked like he was about to pull a Godzilla and pull the entire city down around our ears. With a final shake of my head, I let the woman carry me off to the right."

----

The woman carrying me on her hip looked at me. "It’s going to be okay, Sweetness," she said gently, a kind smile on her face. "I know this is kind of scary, but I promise you, it’s important. When you get out of the quarantine section, you can be absolutely sure that nothing scary has been able to pass."

I cocked my head to study the woman better. She looked to be in her late 20s or early 30s, with curly blonde hair that was tied up in a high ponytail. Her green eyes sparkled with kindness as she tried to set me at ease.

"What do you wish?" I asked, searching her eyes for something that would let me know what to expect from this place.

"I wish that everyone has a safe place to sleep for the night," sighed the woman as she put me down on the ground. Taking my hand, she continued forward. "But I don’t see that happening any time soon."

Grunting at the selfless wish, I felt it being granted. At least for one night, everyone would have a safe place to sleep.

However, I made no promises as to what would come tomorrow morning.