Be Careful What You Wish For: A Zombie Apocalypse
Chapter 518: A Whole New World

Chapter 518: A Whole New World

The sky above the Devil’s Playground hadn’t changed much in 250 years. Still bruised with streaks of red and gold, still thick with the scent of ash and promise. But the world beneath it? That was a different story entirely.

Gone were the ruined cities and scorched earth. In their place stood empires forged in blood and fire, built by the very monsters who once tore the world apart. Now, they ruled it. Carefully. Watchfully. And at the center of it all, sitting cross-legged on the edge of a rooftop garden made from skulls and roses, was the Devil herself.

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I was sipping my coffee when I heard the sound of boots approaching behind me. Not hesitant, not frightened—too heavy for that. Confident. Familiar.

Hazel-Anne Davis. The granddaughter of the little girl who asked if I was a witch because I lived in a haunted house. When she was five, her grandmother, also called Hazel-Anne, brought her to me. She was too strong for her age and her lineage. Being a halfling, most children took after their human parent.

But not Hazel-Anne... never Hazel-Anne.

The kid was taller than me now—freakishly tall, actually, towering over me at five-foot-nine like that was a normal height for anyone not possessed by a demon or an overachieving teenage growth spurt. Her blond hair shone in the sunlight, and her bright blue eyes looked at me with determination.

After 15 years, it was finally time.

She dropped down beside me without a word, her legs dangling over the edge as she stared out at O City.

"Aunt Hattie," she said after a long moment. She always called me that, even though we didn’t have any blood relations. But I guess two months every year at my house made her family.

Besides, it’s not like I have any other crotch goblins running around. Hazel-Anne was more than enough for me and my men.

But no matter how much I was beginning to develop feelings for the little spawn, I wasn’t about to let her know that. So instead, I didn’t bother to respond.

She kicked her heel against the side of the building, then tried again. "Aunt Hattie... can you talk to my papa?" she asked, not at all put off by my silence.

I took another sip of my drink, letting the silence stretch.

She huffed, muttering, "I’ve spent my entire life learning about survival. Traps, poisons, weapons, war strategy, how to kill a man seventeen different ways with a rock and a banana peel. But I don’t want to survive anymore. I want to live. I want to explore the world. Learn more about what it means to be human. To not be seen as too human... or too demonic. I just want to be me."

I raised an eyebrow without looking at her. "Who told you that you could call me Aunt Hattie?" This wasn’t the first time we had this conversation. She’s been calling me that since she was five. But there is a ritual to our interactions, and it wouldn’t feel right if we deviated.

The smile on her face let me know that she was enjoying this conversation as much as I was. "Mawmaw," she shrugged. "She also said that you have to obey your elders."

"If that’s the case, then I am your Grandmother’s elder... stop calling me Aunt," I sneered, hiding my smile behind my coffee mug.

"Mawmaw also said that you were family and I wasn’t supposed to take you seriously."

Yup, you heard that right. Me, the Devil, the Goddess of Balance, wasn’t someone you should take seriously. If anyone else tried that, they would be praying for death for the next few hundred years.

But this is Hazel-Anne... and she wasn’t wrong.

"And if your grandmother told you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?" I asked, cocking my head to the side as Dimitri took the head off one demon that was clearly pissing him off. The feeling of the tether breaking was slight, but it was still there.

Hazel-Anne grinned at my question. "I don’t know. Would it mean I didn’t have to take any more lessons?"

"That would depend on the size of the cliff," I shrugged. "Are the lessons really that bad? Your father is human; he knows what hides in the darkness better than anyone, and he wants to protect you from it. This is the Devil’s Playground, the next apocalypse is just a wish away."

"I get that," sighed Hazel-Anne, her tone different from what it normally was. It was enough to make me sit up and take notice. "But I can’t be protected all my life. I want to..." She sighed, not finishing the sentence.

That made me laugh. "You really think your wings have hardened that much, huh?" I finally turned to face her. "You think it’s time to fly away?"

"How do I know for sure if I don’t try?" she said, her voice quieter now. "I hate the survival training. I know it’s important, and I know they’re doing it because they love me. But I don’t feel like I belong here anymore. I don’t belong in a cage, no matter how safe it is. Is it really that bad that I want to find where I do belong?"

I nodded slowly, placing my empty cup beside me. She was right. At some point in time, everyone had to find that special place for themselves. I found it when the apocalypse came. Hazel-Anne was just lucky enough not to have to wait until the end of the world to make her move. "Then make a wish. Prepare the sacrifice."

Hazel-Anne took a breath, looking out at the horizon where the sun was setting in a blaze of crimson and gold. "I wish," she started, her voice clear, unwavering, "to find the one place where I belong."

"And your sacrifice?" I asked, voice soft.

She hesitated; her brow furrowed. "I don’t want to give up either half of me," she admitted. "I don’t want to stop being human... and I don’t want to lose my demon side either. The entire point of this wish is to find the place where I belong. They’re part of who I am, and I refuse to change for anyone."

I nodded my head, agreeing wholeheartedly with that statement. "Then will you give up your place in this world?"

It only took her a second to think about it. "I will."

I stood and reached for her hand. Her palm was warm in mine, trembling slightly but steady enough to make me proud.

"Deal accepted."

A wind began to rise—not cold, not warm, just ancient. Full of promise. Full of change. All she had to do was take that first step forward.

"Wherever this takes you," I said, "remember—you’re not leaving anything behind. Where you are going is the one place in the entire universe where you belong. It’s up to you what you want to do with it."

Hazel-Anne turned to me, tears in her eyes, but her chin held high. "Will I see you again?"

I smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "All you have to do is call, baby girl. I’ll burn the stars down if I have to." What could I say? She was family... and that meant something to me.

Leaning in, I kissed Hazel-Anne’s forehead. "Find your place, Hazel-Anne Davis. And if you ever want to come home..."

"I just have to call," Hazel finished, smiling faintly.

"No," I smiled sadly. "You just have to survive. And if someone tries to stop you—"

"I know," Hazel said. "Set a trap. Bury them deep. Light a fire."

I grinned. She had really been spending a lot of time with me. "That’s my girl."

The wind surged, wrapping around Hazel like a cocoon of magic and memory. And then—

She was gone.

I stared at the space in front of me, knowing that all the memories of her in this world would quickly disappear. For everyone but me and mine. That was the cost after all.

Letting out a long sigh, I sat back down on the roof, looking out at O City.

"She gone?" asked Chang Xuefeng, appearing beside me. I must have been more out of it than I thought if Daddy could feel me that well.

"Yeah," I hummed, curling into his embrace. "A whole new world and all that shit."

"She’ll be okay?"

"She’s my niece," I announced with a wicked smile. "She’ll be better than okay."

Daddy hummed as the rest of the guys silently appeared on the rooftop. We didn’t speak; there was no reason to. Instead, we just sat together in the sunrise, watching the Devil’s Playground breathe.

The world had survived. The Devil was in charge.

And now, a new story was ready to begin.