Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 36

Chapter 36 The vision

The saleswoman from earlier stepped out, looking nervously over both shoulders. She was wearing a thick trench coat over her uniform, clutching a velvet-lined lockbox tightly against her chest.

Joanna stepped out of the van, keeping her posture relaxed but entirely alert. “Good evening.”

The clerk let out a shaky breath, her heels clicking rapidly against the concrete as she hurried over to the van. “You really came. Mr. Foster called the store manager’s emergency line screaming. He said he wanted the piece gone and the funds wired to his account immediately. Management approved the release, but technically, I’m supposed to process this at the register tomorrow morning.”

“We prefer to do business quietly,” Joanna said smoothly. She held out an envelope containing the remaining store fees, plus an extra two thousand dollars in crisp bills. “For your trouble and your speed.”

The woman’s eyes flashed with greed. She quickly snatched the envelope, peeking inside at the stack of cash before sliding it into her coat pocket. She handed over the velvet lockbox, along with a clipboard. “Sign at the bottom. The transaction is marked as a private, external liquidation. As far as corporate knows, the husband authorized the direct transfer.”

Joanna signed a fake name with a quick, practiced stroke and handed the clipboard back. “Thank you. And remember our agreement with Mr. Foster. The details of his… tragedy remain private.”

“Of course,” the clerk whispered, already backing up toward the security door. “I never saw you.”

The heavy steel door slammed shut, the lock clicking into place.

Joanna climbed back into the driver’s seat, setting the lockbox on the passenger side. She popped the latch and lifted the lid. Beneath the dim dashboard lights, the eight massive emeralds gleamed with a deep, mesmerizing green, their diamond borders catching the faint glow of the console.

Tracing her thumb over the gold inscription-To my love, Megan Foster-Joanna felt a grim satisfaction settle deep in her chest. Megan Foster was alive, and with Elliot now just like her dream.

Instead of putting the van in reverse, Joanna shifted into park. She killed the headlights, plunging the vehicle into the deep, natural shadows of the alleyway.

She was completely alone in the front seat. Jolie was back at the hotel room, safely collecting data on her laptop, assuming Joanna was already on her way back with the necklace. But Joanna couldn’t turn the key.

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11:26 Sat, Oct 3

Chapter 36 The vision

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Finished

She looked out the windshield, her fingers gripping the steering wheel as a sudden, visceral wave of recognition washed over her.

The flickering, yellow security lamps. The massive brick walls blocking out the city lights. The heavy, rhythmic hum of the high-voltage transformers nearby. It wasn’t just a random loading zone behind a mall. She had seen this place before. Not in the real world, but inside the vivid dream she had while soaking in her spring.

A chill settled over her skin as the fragments of that specific vision snapped into sharp, terrifying focus.

In her dream, this exact alleyway had been pouring rain, the air misted in heavy sheets. The vision had shown her a large, heavily muscular man. His face was cold, sharp, and twisted in an expression of raw, agonizing grief. He was collapsed right against one of these shattered service doorframes, sweat and blood mixing on his skin.

Joanna remembered how her dream perspective had pulled back, floating out into the dark, damp alley. She had heard the man rasp out a broken, desperate plea: “No… stay away from…” before his voice trailed off, passing out cold and slumping onto the wet pavement.

Across the shadow-drenched alley, two men wearing leather jackets had been bent over a small, still figure on the ground. Hidden by the darkness, Joanna hadn’t been able to make out the child’s face. One of the men had sneered, glancing back at the unconscious, muscular giant.

“Get rid of him. If he survives, he’ll definitely come after us. Kill him. I’ll take the girl-she should be worth a fortune on the market.”

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