Chef in the Apocalypse

’Heath took you under his wing, like the son he never got a chance to have. Yet you don’t know how much you healed him, giving him purpose and meaning to the life that he had already deemed meaningless.’ Macie pressed on, her words solemnly played out in Jayce’s mind.

Scenes of his previous life replayed in his mind, practicing the sword with his Leader, talking for hours about battle formations and their usefulness against different monster types. Heath’s face lighting up in pride when Jayce would perform well.

However these scenes were not from his point of view. It was as if he were a spectator, watching as himself and Heath interacted with each other. It was a bizarre feeling, one that he had trouble getting his head around.

In the next moment, the scene completely changed. In front of him was Macie and Heath, in the midst of a farewell at some makeshift city gates. Jayce could recognize them almost instantly, as he had just returned from Qinling city.

Unlike when he had seen it, the city seemed somewhat intact, at least by post-apocalyptic standards. He could see people walking past, and others waiting just outside the gates, dressed in their class gear.

"Are you sure I should be going on this expedition?" Heath asked with worry, his hand placed on Macie’s belly.

Macie smiled gracefully, putting her hands up to his face, "Honey, it’s only a few weeks. The baby won’t be here for another half-year at least. There’s no need to be so worried"

Heath rolled his eyes, this had been his wife’s answer for the past week whenever he broached the subject. "It’s only a small-scale expedition for supplies, I don’t think they need me enough for me to leave my wife and unborn child." he reiterated, trying to change his wife’s mind.

Puffing out her cheeks, Macie shook her head vehemently "You’re the number 1 guardian of Qinling city, and your people need you. Plus, the western stretch has barely been explored, wouldn’t you feel guilty if something happened?" she said with mock anger.

A few laughs were heard behind Heath, "Better listen to your Missus Heath. You’re not the only one who was kicked out by their wifey."

The laughter rang out even louder behind him, the expedition group clearly finding the words amusing. Heath on the other hand, did his best not to turn around and throw the nearest object in their direction.

After a while he sighed deeply and responded, "Okay. Don’t overexert yourself, if I hear that you’ve been working too hard I’ll smack your butt."

"Ohooo raunchy!"

"Don’t threaten me with a good time!"

Whoops and cheers rang out once again from the group behind him. This time, Heath summoned his large Kite Shield and ran at the expedition party in a rage, forcing everyone to run away screaming.

A few of the bystanders laughed at the sight in front of them, Yet Macie was not one of them. She looked on with sadness, holding her stomach protectively. Once the commotion died down, Heath returned sheepishly and planted a kiss on Macie. "Be safe, I’ll see you soon!"

With that, the group set off to the west without much fanfare. In the next moment, the vision went dark once again, only to return to the same place. But this time the scenery had changed, no longer were there people gathered around, it was now like something out of a horror show.

Houses were ablaze, their flames casting eerie, flickering shadows on the nightmarish tableau below. Screams and cries for help filled the air, but they were often drowned out by the ferocious roars and snarls of the monsters.

Humans, those who had not yet fallen victim to the carnage, were desperately trying to fend off the monstrous onslaught. Swords clashed against claws, spells sizzled through the air, and arrows whistled past in a desperate bid for survival. Limbs were severed, bodies torn asunder, and blood painted the streets in gruesome patterns.

The monsters showed no mercy. Some had wickedly sharp fangs that tore through flesh and bone, while others wielded twisted appendages that crushed anything in their path.

The scene changed once more, showing Macie locked in a room by herself with the sounds of destruction echoing from outside. However, her face looked calm, as if she had resigned herself to this fate. The only bit of unwillingness she showed was her hands that she’d wrapped tightly around her stomach.

In the next moment, the door burst open, bringing with it a tide of monsters which rushed in her direction. Macie immediately fell to her stomach, trying to shield the unborn child while she was torn apart by the group of monsters.

The scenes faded, bringing Jayce back to the present time, still holding Macie’s arm as they trailed behind Zane. He looked around, his thoughts in disarray, his eyes eventually fell on Macie’s who was staring back at him.

What had he just witnessed? Was that the final moments of Macie in his previous life? His questioning look prompted a mental response from Macie. ’I thought it was only fair that I share some of my memories with you Jayce.’ her tone solemn. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Memories... But she was alive right? Jayce’s thoughts were in turmoil right now, he had never been so confused since regressing. "What are you?" he whispered, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation.

’I’m an Oracle who deals with fate.’ she responded matter-of-factly. ’The visions you just saw were from your previous life, when the Beast Tide destroyed Qinling city.’

Before he could respond, she continued, ’Don’t ask anymore questions. I’m not strong enough to keep prying eyes and ears away from our conversation without attracting too much attention.’ her voice sounded a little fatigued. It seemed that sharing those visions had taken its toll on her.

Jayce nodded, trying to keep his cool. While everything did not fully make sense just yet, he believed that he could be patient enough to unravel the mysteries. After all, he already knew that they were being watched, so he could understand her need to be discreet.

For now, they had to return to Bastion, there was still the Beast Tide that they needed to prepare for and survive. These other things could wait.