Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23 Rachel Jensen formidable telepathic abilities.

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Once Jolie finished logging the final serial number, they locked up the warehouse and drove to a seafood restaurant a few blocks away for lunch. After parking, they stepped into a laid-back, cozy dining room. They had never eaten here before, but the glowing online reviews convinced them to give it a shot.

A hostess gestured toward the back, and they began walking toward a quiet corner table. But as they passed a booth near the center of the room, Joanna froze.

Seated at the table was a tall, strikingly handsome man with light brown hair, dark, brooding eyes, and a sharp, square jawline. But it wasn’t the man who made Joanna’s heart stop. It was the elegant woman sitting right next to him.

Rachel Jensen.

Joanna forced herself to sit down at her own table, but internally, her emotions were a chaotic riot. If that really is Rachel, I just struck gold.

In her dreams of the apocalypse, Joanna had encountered Rachel several times during supply runs with Drew. Back then, Rachel went by “RJ.” She was an absolute powerhouse who had awakened formidable telepathic abilities.

A vivid, terrifying memory flashed in Joanna’s mind. She remembered being pinned inside a collapsed supermarket, spending three agonizing days fighting off endless waves of zombies. By that point in the timeline, Joanna was a seasoned fighter. But without an offensive superpower-relying solely on her spatial storage—she had drained every ounce of her physical strength. Drew and the rest of the team were barely holding on. It was a brutal war of attrition.

On the third night, the first floor had completely collapsed. The team had been forced to barricade themselves in a cramped, upstairs office space. Joanna knew they were running out of options and time.

Then, through a shattered window, they saw RJ arrive. She was accompanied by five people, driving a modified car straight toward the neighboring building.

RJ had leaped onto the roof of the vehicle. She didn’t flinch. She simply stared down the swarming wave of the undead and issued a short, clipped command: “Go.”

Within two seconds, the zombies abruptly halted their assault on Joanna’s building, turned on their heels, and dispersed into the surrounding streets.

Gasping for breath, Drew had leaned out the window and yelled, “Thanks!”

RJ gave a brief, dismissive wave before disappearing into the adjacent building. Exhausted and

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Chapter 23 Rachel Jensen formidable telepathic abilities

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battered, Joanna and the rest of the squad had collapsed against the walls, too drained to do anything but breathe.

The next day, they learned that Rachel came from Blackcloud-a powerful neighboring base- and was already a living legend there. Eager to curry favor, Drew offered up a generous portion of their supplies as compensation. Rachel accepted, and the transaction bought them an hour of casual conversation.

During those dream-timeline days, Joanna remembered feeling a bitter pang of jealousy toward RJ. Rachel possessed a magnificent superpower, and Drew had showered her with suffocating attention. He was always like that-consistently sucking up to anyone who could elevate his own status.

But Rachel had been surprisingly kind to Joanna. She had even praised Joanna’s storage space, calling it incredibly useful. Over time, as they crossed paths on subsequent missions, they maintained a polite, mutual respect. Once Joanna realized Rachel had absolutely zero interest in Drew’s subtle, oily flirtations, she had finally relaxed around her.

Sitting in the restaurant now, staring at the pre-apocalyptic version of the telepath, Joanna’s eyes narrowed with fierce determination.

Rachel is exactly the kind of person I need to recruit, Joanna thought, her resolve hardening. And since I have absolutely no intention of ever depending on Drew again, Rachel looks like the perfect teammate.

The restaurant’s ambient chatter faded into background noise as Joanna’s mind locked onto her new target. She wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip away.

She leaned across the table, keeping her voice low. “Jolie, change of plans. Look at the booth to our left, but don’t be obvious about it. The woman.”

Jolie casually shifted her gaze, pretending to study the menu. “The pretty one with the brooding guy? Who is she?”

“Someone we need on our side, order me something to eat,” Joanna murmured, her fingers tapping a restless rhythm on the wooden table. “I’m going over there.”

Before Jolie could object, Joanna stood up, smoothed down her jacket, and walked over to the booth. As she approached, she caught a snippet of their conversation. The man was speaking in a hushed, intense tone, while Rachel looked thoroughly bored.

“Excuse me,” Joanna said, striking a tone that was polite but firm.

Both of them looked up. The man’s dark eyes narrowed instantly, a flicker of annoyance crossing his handsome face at the interruption. Rachel, however, simply arched an eyebrów, assessing Joanna with calm curiosity.

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