Fight, Flight, or Freeze: The Healer's Story
Chapter 358: Try Climbing Over It

Chapter 358: Try Climbing Over It

Taking a small section of my life force, I pushed it into the ground just outside of the cabin in the woods. Forcing it as far as it could stretch, I created a barrier that couldn’t be seen but that I would always be able to monitor.

I broke off that life force, wanting to see if my idea would hold, and I was happily surprised to know that it did.

The perimeter was about 100 feet by 100 feet, encompassing the first bunker, the woods, and the cabin leading to the lake. But only having a perimeter alone wasn’t making me happy.

Taking even more of my personal life force, I weaved it into a grid pattern so that I could tell exactly where something was and just how big it was, too.

Happy, for the moment, I tried to connect with my life force inside of my mind and it lit up like an electrical grid. It was perfect.

I could sense Si Dong walking out to the lake, and I could feel Rip walking around the outside of the cabin as he continued to look for danger.

But even then, I wasn’t satisfied. I wasn’t looking for a hiker or something to stumble in on my sanctuary and think that they had a claim on it because, let’s face it, it was a possibility. No, I needed to make a barrier that was much more visible.

And next to impossible to get through.

By this time, I was sure that Ye Yao Zu, standing behind me, was getting restless, but I still wasn’t willing to leave.

Instead, I pictured exactly what I wanted.

The barrier needed to be tall. At least ten feet high, if not more, and there needed to be spikes of some kind or other to prevent people from wanting to climb it.

I know that the guys always laughed that I was more Sleeping Beauty than Snow White, but I think Sleeping Beauty had the right idea... even if it was just this once.

I remember that the prince had to cut through a thick, bramble wall in order to get to the castle and to the princess.

That was what I wanted.

Was it? No... I know.

I pictured trees rising from the ground, fully grown, almost as tall as they could be. Then I pictured vines with thorns as long as my fingers weaving between the branches and trunks like a massive spider web.

I stretched this barrier as far out as I could, encompassing the entire grid until it came together to form a perfect square around me.

Then I added raspberry bushes, because not only did the ’wall’ need to be purposeful, but it also needed to be functional. This way, we could bathe in raspberries twice a year.

"Impressive," grunted Ye Yao Zu, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I turned to look at him, nodding his head as he studied the barrier. Walking over to it, he reached forward, only to prick his finger on one of the thorns. I rolled my eyes because, of course, he wouldn’t just believe that they were sharp; he needed to prove it as well.

"Thank you," I said with a shrug as the rest of the guys appeared, studying my barrier.

"Just one small question," continued Ye Yao Zu as he stuck his finger in his mouth and licked off the blood. "Just how do we get out?"

----

I was always the practical one, the one who could see solutions to problems in half the time that peers twice my age weren’t able to see.

I prepared for the end of the world, knowing full well that it probably wouldn’t happen, but still needing to make sure that I was ready for absolutely everything.

That was me.

And for the first time in my life, I created something just because I wanted to. It came into being exactly how I thought it would. Hell, the vines with thorns didn’t even exist in this area, and I made them grow.

Was I thinking about practicality? No, absolutely not. I was thinking about the safety and security of my family and building something that could pretty much withstand anything.

And what does he say? ’Where’s the door?’

Seriously. Not taking longer to marvel at my feat of engineering or the strength that it would take to build something that was so large.

Nope.

Just how do I get out?

"There is no door," I hissed, turning my back to him and storming toward the cabin. "Try climbing over it."

----

"Huh," grunted Bai Long Qiang with a smile. "I am surprised that you were the one to step on that particular mine. Did you at least gush about how amazing it was?"

"I told her it was impressive," answered Ye Yao Zu, blinking rapidly as he looked around at the other guys, each one of them were slowly shaking their heads.

"You tell a three-year-old that their art project is impressive, even though you have no idea what it could possibly be," pointed out Cheng Bo Jing as he studied the barrier in front of him. Never in his wildest dreams could he have thought that something like this could be made.

It was a solid barrier made up of plants. Reaching his hand forward in slow motion, he watched as one thorn moved on its own to intercept him, digging into his finger quickly before retreating, a single drop of blood staining the green tip.

"You tell a new recruit that managed to trip over his own feet in basic that he is impressive," sneered Fan Teng Fei as he too, approached the barrier. This time, when the vine tried to reach forward to attack him, he was able to jump out of the way.

It was like the vines were living creatures capable of thought.

"I thought impressive was a good word to use," Ye Yao Zu gestured, clearly showing off the wall. It is extremely impressive."

"It is. And then what did you say?" asked Bin An Sha, not going near the thing. He didn’t need to touch fire to know that it was hot, and he didn’t need to touch the living wall to know it was a threat.