Fight, Flight, or Freeze: The Healer's Story
Chapter 193: Meeting The Team

Chapter 193: Meeting The Team

My guys were surrounded by a group of maybe ten or so other people. The strangers were bandaged up and looking halfway decent, but my men had yet to be touched by anyone.

They stood there, covered in different colors of blood, and while they were still smiling and carrying on as usual, I could see them holding themselves tense. I knew the blue and purple blood on them meant zombies, and while I had not yet come in contact with any of the undead yet, I knew they were not easy to put down.

"Are you guys okay?" I asked, my eyes scanning each one of them. The only problem was that I had no idea if the blood was from themselves or someone else.

"We’re fine," assured Bai Long Qiang, coming up to give me a kiss on the forehead. "Let’s get going. I’ll introduce everyone when we get back home."

----

"Where’s Rip? I didn’t think he would leave you," asked Bai Long Qiang as he looked around the apartment.

"He’s getting me some takeout," I shrugged, not really wanting to tell outsiders all of my secrets. "But who’s the new guys?"

"Are you really calling us the new guys?" joked one of the men. He was sporting a thick beard that was starting to turn grey, but other than that, he looked like a jolly old man.

"Well, if the shoe fits," smiled Fan Teng Fei. He seemed to be relaxed, leaning against the window, but I could see the tension flickering in him. It showed every time his fingers twitched like he was looking for a weapon or something.

"There aren’t enough of us to make up a team," explained Bai Long Qiang as he watched me. "So we decided to join the Phoenix Rising team. They are part of the Retribution guild."

"I see," I replied, not sure what else they were expecting me to say. I had no idea about any of that, but I was feeling... uncomfortable... about making too many ties with City A.

"We can leave whenever you want," assured Ye Yao Zu as if he were reading my mind. He explained that he usually could, but there was something about me that was like a brick wall. He couldn’t see into my head.

Dad always assured me that I had a hard head. I was sure he would be happy to know that he was right.

One of the strangers made a sound of protest, and all six of my men turned to look at him.

"Technically, the Retribution guild has a Chapter in every city," explained one of the other men coming forward. "Bai Long Qiang had told me about his concerns, that you might want to leave the city, and I told him that was fine. As long as he is part of the Retribution guild, there are no consequences."

"And if we aren’t?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I was not going to be signing up for some guild or other. I wouldn’t be tied down to where I could go and what I could do. I might not be completely clear about my path, but I knew enough to know that I wouldn’t be caged by anyone.

Not even a guild.

"Then I am sure that something could be arranged," assured the man as he looked at the one who had made a sound with narrowed eyes.

I nodded my head. "And you guys are sure you are okay?" I pressed. They kept telling me to wait until we got home, but now that we were, they were still keeping their mouths shut.

"Nothing that Bin An Sha can’t heal," assured Bai Long Qiang as he took off his bulletproof vest. However, by unfastening it, he released the pressure on the wound that he refused to mention.

"You were shot?!? I thought Fan Teng Fei was just joking about that?!?" I screamed, going up to him.

I held my hands out, hovering over the injury.

"I’m fine. It just hit at a weird angle," he shrugged like it wasn’t that big of a deal. I know he had been shot before, but he had never come home actively bleeding.

I took in a deep breath. I wouldn’t cut off my nose to spite my face. I had the ability to heal him. I couldn’t ignore the wound simply because I was scared that he would eventually hate me, too.

As I moved closer to him, he leaned so far back that he fell onto the couch in an attempt to get away from me.

"No," he said calmly. I looked at him, somewhat crushed. Was he the same as all the other ones? Did he not want me to heal him too? Was I really that much of a monster that he would rather bleed to death instead of being healed by me?

"Whatever is going on in your head, stop it now," he growled, getting back on his feet. However, he left a body print of blood, and God only knew what else on Bin An Sha’s couch. "It’s not what you are thinking. You are still recovering yourself. You don’t have to do this. Bin An Sha is more than capable of looking after me."

"Your faith in my healing astounds me," sneered Bin An Sha as he rolled his eyes. "But in this case, he is right. You are much too weak to be able to help."

I paused for a second and worked past my emotions.

They were right. I was barely managing to stand on my own feet, let alone be able to take on a wound like a gunshot.

"Fine," I grunted, walking over to stand beside Fan Teng Fei. "But get the blood cleaned up."

"Of course, Kitten, whatever you say," smiled Bai Long Qiang as he tilted his head toward the master bedroom.

My men nodded and took off, ready to get cleaned. Bin An Sha gave me a look before slowly trailing after them.

"He is going to need a break sometime soon," I said, watching the man sauntering down the hallway. There really was no other word to describe the way he was walking. It was like a jungle cat walking through his territory, knowing that he was the baddest thing in the place.