Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 160

Chapter 160 Briggs, Do You Believe Me Now?

Finished

Joanna, sit dower and let me bring you up to speed,” Briggs said, motioning toward a worn leather chair across from his desk.

Will quietly took a seat in the back of the room. He leaned against the wall while sitting on the chair, remaining completely alert and scanning the room, but keeping his presence entirely non-intrusive.

Joanna crossed the room and sat down, her eyes locked on the Commander as the flickering lamplight cas long shadows across his intense expression. Briggs leaned forward, resting his well defined forearms on the desk as he prepared to reveal exactly what had been happening behind closed doors.

Briggs let out a heavy sigh, the weight of leadership crushing his shoulders. “You were right, Joanna. Jax never went north. He is hiding just outside the inner city, waiting for the convoy. Also… we can’t get an exact count of civilians in the mall yet. Is there any way to grab supplies from there? Winter is almost here, and reports say it’s going to be bad.”

Joanna looked away for a second, staring into the flickering shadows of the kerosene lamp before turning back to Briggs. “Do you believe me now, then?”

Briggs stared at her. He gave one firm nod, but his entire posture reflected his absolute trust and understanding of her predictions. “Yeah, I believe you, Joanna. But it still doesn’t help me with getting the supplies. Knowing Jax, he would probably kill the civilians, and his force is twice the size of mine. The thought of walking away and letting him clean out the mall is a bitter pill to swallow.”

Joanna drummed her fingers on the dusty table, the soft rhythmic tapping matching the tense silence that filled the office for a few heavy seconds.

“If you want those supplies from the mall, we have to do things my way,” Joanna said, breaking the silence. “First, I can tell you that some things will be occurring shortly that will explain everything.”

She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a deadly serious pitch. “This winter is going to be the worst winter in history. We’re talking temperatures in the triple digits below freezing. Next, I am agreeing to clear the mall right now because I know a tsunami is coming either today or tomorrow, and parts of this city will be completely washed out as well.”

Both men’s eyes grew wide, the sheer scale of the looming disasters catching them completely off guard.

Joanna looked directly at Briggs, giving him no time to process the shock. “This is why we have to do things fast and get out of here. I can help you with the mall supplies, but I want to ask you about your base in Evercrest.

Briggs swallowed hard but nodded, forcing himself to process the reality of a tsunami and a lethal winter. He took a breath and began to explain. “The base at Evercrest was supposed to be run by a different general, but he died in Felton before he could assume command.”

“General Mathews,” Joanna stated flatly.

Briggs nodded, not even surprised anymore that Joanna knew the name. Mathews was the exact general who had commanded the base in her vivid dream, which was how she knew his identity before Briggs could even say it.

“Once he died,” Briggs continued, leaning back in his chair, “command had no one left who actually wanted

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Chapter 160 Briggs, Do You Believe Me Now?

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the post. It’s a massive undertaking. It would take years of heavy building and engineering to bring that base up to a standard where it could safely accept and sustain civilians. That bleak timeline is exactly what made split from us. He refused to wait, so he offered command to set up a separate base in the north instead.”

“So, do you have to set up your base in that location?” Joanna asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Briggs sneered, a flash of bitter frustration crossing his face. “Joanna, high command has completely fallen. No one has any actual authority over us anymore. We are little better than mercenaries.”

He slammed his hand lightly on the desk, the kerosene lamps rattling. “That’s exactly why Jax is such a snake. He is making a tactical play to build a base for his own absolute control, fully knowing there is no chain of command left to stop him. He’s carving out his own kingdom in the chaos.”

“As for me, I don’t have to set up a base,” Briggs muttered, his voice dropping into a rough whisper. “But what else is there left for me to do? We just need to fight on in this hellish situation. A base would offer security for me and my men.”

For a brief second, his fierce armor completely shattered. A moment of absolute bleakness filled his eyes, looking hollowed out and completely lost as the sheer weight of a fallen world, a looming tsunami, and an impossible winter crashed down on him at once. He was a commander with a battalion, but no country left

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