Fight, Flight, or Freeze: The Healer's Story
Chapter 265: Be Careful When You Fall

Chapter 265: Be Careful When You Fall

265 Be Careful When You Fall

Cheng Bo Jing ignored the woman as he focused his attention on the child in his arms. The boy was much too small for his peace of mind, and everything inside of him wanted to bring the boy to Wang Tian Mu to be healed and looked after.

"What’s your name?" he asked the child softly.

The boy looked up at him, his wide eyes blinking, "Food," he said simply, the word working itself out of a parched and bruised throat.

"Of course, we will get you some food," reassured Ye Yao Zu, rubbing the child’s back up and down in a soothing manner.

"No, my name is Food," replied the boy with a shake of his head.

Blinding rage cut through Cheng Bo Jing, and all he wanted to do was kill everyone in this room, from the men to the women and even the children. There wasn’t a world in which that type of cruelty was acceptable.

For a child to think that his name was Food?

"Evil wins when good men do nothing," quoted Ye Yao Zu, recognizing the rage in the other man simply because it was reflected in himself. He usually considered himself a pacifist, preferring to find a peaceful resolution to most scenarios. But this wasn’t most scenarios.

There were boxes full of MREs and hiking food around the campfire, and still, they chose to eat the most vulnerable of them.

"Being complacent when an act of evil is occurring is just as bad as committing the act themselves," growled Cheng Bo Jing, trying to push down his anger. The child didn’t know that it wasn’t directed at him.

He would just react as if it was. And Cheng Bo Jing wouldn’t accept ever scaring a child like that.

"You two are really good at judging," sneered the woman. "But look around. We are on borrowed time; we all know that. Any minute now, the zombies could burst in, and we will all be food. You stand mightily at the top of that pedestal. Be careful when you fall down that the shock doesn’t kill you."

"Eating a child is never an acceptable choice," replied Ye Yao Zu calmly. "But it is too late for you to repent anyway."

"Repent?" repeated the woman before she burst out laughing. The men followed her actions, rising to their feet as they laughed at Ye Yao Zu. "You sound like a priest. I hate to tell you, Father, but there is no God here. There is no need to repent or even a reason to. We do what we have to do in order to survive. Nothing more. Nothing less."

Ye Yao Zu shook his head at her in pity before turning his attention back to his friend. "I’ll take the child with us. You do what you want with the rest of them."

The child, when he heard that he wouldn’t be able to stay with Cheng Bo Jing, clung to the man harder, refusing to let go. "Go with him. You’ll be safe, and I’ll be there in a few minutes. But there are some things that you don’t need to see," assured Cheng Bo Jing, laying a small kiss to the child’s forehead.

Si Dong would have to get his ass in gear and get them some water; he had been lax on that aspect of his powers. But the child needed a bath, and he was the only one in their group with a water power.

Maybe he should let him know about the shape shifting aspect of his powers.

Cheng Bo Jing shuddered suddenly. Nope. Giving that man the ability to shape shift was not something he wanted on his conscious.

"You’ll come back?" asked the boy, his bright brown eyes looking up at him, pleading not to be left behind.

"You can count on that," reassured Ye Yao Zu, gently untangling the child from Cheng Bo Jing. "The Healer is in our team, and he would never do anything to be parted from her."

The woman perked up to hear that Cheng Bo Jing had a healer as part of his team. "Are you looking for women to join?" she asked, pulling her shirt a little lower to show off her ample breasts. "I am sure that you are. A healer won’t dare get tired of satisfying you, but we can," she continued, gesturing to the other women.

Everyone started to try to tidy up their appearance, trying to make themselves attractive enough to be chosen.

Any team with a healer attached was enough to ensure their food and safety for the rest of their lives. And they weren’t going to pass up that chance.

"I am that boy’s mother," called out one woman, walking forward until she was standing directly in front of Cheng Bo Jing.

"Bull shit. You did nothing when he fell out of the bunks; there is no way you are his mother," shrugged Ye Yao Zu.

"Tell him, you brat," hissed the woman, glaring at the little boy. "Tell them that I am the one that looks after you."

But the boy didn’t say anything; he just tried to make himself smaller in Ye Yao Zu’s arms.

"Doc, get him out of here. He doesn’t need to put up with this," growled Cheng Bo Jing as the woman reached forward to touch him on his chest.

As soon as the door closed behind his teammate, the leash Cheng Bo Jing had on his temper snapped.

Grabbing the woman by her throat, he lifted her up and away from him. "I really hate being touched," he sneered, his face twisting in disgust as the metal under his skin shifted around in agitation.

"I won’t do it again. But you are too good of a man to hurt a woman. After all, you saved the boy. I owe you for that," stammered the woman as her face started turning red.

"I don’t see how those two things are the same. Besides, I am an equal opportunity killer. I have seen too many people underestimate a woman and die as a result of their stupidity. I won’t be one of them," laughed Cheng Bo Jing.

Those men who refused to hurt a woman in a combat situation were just asking for death.