Fight, Flight, or Freeze: The Healer's Story
Chapter 327: The Most Amount Of Pain

Chapter 327: The Most Amount Of Pain

Everyone woke up early the next morning, myself included. It was like we could see the finish line, and each one of us was anxious to get there.

The conversation from the night before continued to play in my mind as I tried to think of a way that the economy of City D could be developed. However, as much of an interest as I had in history, it really wasn’t my forte.

I would leave that up to the people who specialized in that sort of thing... i.e., Zhao Jun Jie.

The ants on my arms were back out in full force, but they weren’t causing pain yet.

However, after what happened in Bin An Sha’s condo, I wasn’t willing to overlook anything.

"Something bad is coming," I whispered to Bai Long Qiang. He had won the dubious privilege of waking beside me, something that the guys argued over this morning, and finally settled on rock, paper, scissors to determine.

He looked at me for a moment before nodding his head. "Any idea what?" he replied, looking around. We were continuing down the highway, the whole journey taking at least a week or more before we even got into the city.

"No," I answered with a shake of my head. I was sure that if I tried hard, I would be able to see a vision of what was to come, but things didn’t seem that urgent yet. "Just that the ants are back."

"So, this could be something that happens today, next week, or even next year is what you are saying," nodded Cheng Bo Jing, Wang Chang Ming in his arms. Was it pathetic to be jealous of a three-year-old? Asking for a friend.

"Not today," I said after thinking about it for a moment. I have gotten really good at reading the ants, and this was the same feeling that I got when things were one wrong decision away from danger.

And to my knowledge, no one has made a new decision today.

Narrowing my eyes, I looked at Ye Yao Zu, the most diplomatic one among us. "Do you want to subtly ask Chang Guo Zi if he has decided to go look for other survivors?"

That might be it. If he was about to make the decision and go off, it might set off the ants.

But this was like standing at the crossroads of 250 plus paths, each one branching off in another direction and countless directions after that.

In other words, trying to figure out what was making me uneasy was a waste of time. It would either happen or it wouldn’t, and we just needed to be prepared.

"Got it," nodded Ye Yao Zu, and he walked ahead and struck up a conversation with the man in question.

----

We continued walking, the peace and quiet of our surroundings creeping me out more than I would like to admit.

I think that was what happened when you were constantly in a state of survival; when things calmed down, you didn’t know what to do with yourself.

Or maybe I was just going insane.

I would have put good money on the fact that someone was watching us from the woods, but every time one of the guys would go check it out, they would find nothing. Not even Rip found something to be worried about.

Which made me feel even more upset over the idea that I was going crazy and the guys were just humoring me going to check every hour or so.

But I felt them; I could have sworn I felt them.

"It’s okay, Little Fox; it is completely normal to be feeling this way once all the threats have been eliminated," murmured Ye Yao Zu as he rubbed his hand up and down my arm. We were picking up after a brief stop for lunch, and once again, I could feel the eyes on me.

But the ants on my arms didn’t do anything, and there were no visions in my head about what was going on. It was official; I was finally losing my mind.

"I’m good," I smiled up at him as I rested my head on the side of his arm. It was awkward to try and do it while walking, but it would have been even weirder to make him stop just so I could touch him for a moment.

"Ah, Sweetness, you and I both know that you can’t lie to someone in your head," he chuckled back, reaching for my chin and forcing me to face him. "You are not going crazy. I would know; I am trained to detect it. Have you thought of using your powers to find something out of place?"

I wanted to smack myself on the head because, no, I hadn’t thought to do that.

This time, I did come to a complete stop as I concentrated on my breathing and sent a wave of power through the ground.

I felt everyone’s footsteps as they continued on our path to City D. The cement, while making it a bit hard, was not as effective at muting the feeling of everyone’s life force as it once had been. Two hundred and fifty-four people walked around me in groups of different sizes, but not a single person walked alone.

And there was nothing big enough to be a human in the woods on either side of us.

There was absolutely nothing to indicate where the feeling was coming from.

Letting out a sigh, I shook my head and started walking again. "Whatever is out there, it will come when it comes and not a moment before."

----

He stared at the woman as she started walking again, shaking her head at one of the men beside her. Waiting a few more minutes to make sure that it was safe, he got down off the rock he had jumped up on when he saw her stop.

He had been watching her for months, and not once did she ever realize that he was there. He had started this whole thing with nothing more than the idea of her death in his head, but that quickly fizzled out.

He had fantasized about how he was going to kill her, the images following him into sleep more times than he could count. But death was too easy for her.

Silently, he laughed to himself as he continued to trail behind the Healer. He knew her better than anyone else... and he knew what would cause her the most amount of pain.