Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 57

Chapter 57 Wait Allen is coming?

59

Finished

The drive back to Aurora was a quiet battle against gravity. In the backseat, Raven had finally succumbed to sleep, while next to her, Jolie ran on pure fumes.

“If anyone asks,” Jolie mumbled, resting her head against the window, “I was at an exclusive, highly aggressive mud-spa retreat.”

Joanna let out a tired laugh. “And the shovel?”

“A state-of-the-art massage tool. Don’t knock it.”

The relief of stepping back into their apartment was absolute. Within an hour, the night’s grime was washed down the drain. Clean, warm, and finally relaxed, Joanna sank into an armchair in the quiet living room. Jake sat nearby, quietly sharpening knives, while Jolie sat on the kitchen counter, towel-drying her wet hair.

Just as Joanna closed her eyes, her phone buzzed. It was a text from Rachel:

Hey Joanna. Allen and I are in a bit of a situation, and we really need to talk. Can we meet up somewhere

tomorrow?

Joanna stared at the screen, her protective instincts instantly flaring. She tapped out a reply:

Of course. No need to meet in public. Why don’t you and Allen just come over to my apartment tomorrow? I’ll make lunch.

Rachel’s response was almost instant:

That would be amazing. Thank you so much. We’ll be there around noon.

Joanna locked the screen and looked up at her team. “Rachel and Allen,” Joanna said softly. “They’re in some kind of situation. They’re coming here tomorrow at noon.”

Jolie froze mid-towel-dry. “Wait-Allen’s coming?” she asked, her voice jumping half an octave before she quickly coughed to mask it. A faint, sudden pink dusted her cheeks, and she hurriedly shook her wet hair over her face to hide her expression. She cleared her throat, trying to sound casual and failing miserably. “I mean… great. Cool. Good to know.”

Jake paused his knife sharpening, casting a surprised look, and slightly amused smirk in Jolie’s direction.

Sensing Jake’s eyes on her, Jolie quickly tried to pivot to a strictly professional topic. “So… should we hide the gear? We’ve got tactical rigs, custom crossbows, and high-capacity drives lying around. If they’re coming inside, we can’t just have an apocalypse catalog on display. Especially since Allen is… you know, really smart. And observant.” She twirled a strand of hair,

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Chapter 57 Wait Allen is coming?

her eyes darting toward the floor.

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Finished

“No need to hide everything,” Joanna said, a subtle smile playing on her lips as she watched Jolie’s uncharacteristic fluster. “But we will keep the heavy hardware out of sight. Let’s see what they want first. Jake, tomorrow make sure you and Raven are upstairs. Stay out of sight. Rachel and Allen are good people but they have deep ties in Felton so better to be safe than sorry.”

Jake agreed, quickly cleaned up everything, and picked up Raven who was falling asleep on the couch. He murmured a quick “Goodnight” and carried her upstairs to their apartment. Shortly after, Jolie and Joanna went to their rooms to sleep as well.

The morning started on the mats, the rhythmic thud of bodies echoing through the workout

space.

“Keep your guard up, Jolie!” Jake barked, easily dodging a sluggish punch.

“Jake, my muscles are currently screaming in Latin,” Jolie panted, wiping sweat from her forehead.

“Train through it,” Joanna said calmly from the sidelines. “The virus won’t wait.”

The second Jake called a break, Jolie bolted. Slipping out before Joanna could question her, she drove straight to the high-end market. She spent the next hour in a state of absolute panic over Allen’s arrival, buying a ridiculous feast: garlic-herb chicken, fresh strawberries, artisanal bread, and ingredients for a scratch-made vinaigrette.

By eleven-thirty, the apartment smelled like a five-star bistro. Jolie was a frantic blur of nervous energy, managing three sizzling pans at once.

“Jolie, stop vibrating, I just buzzed Rachel and Allen in.” Joanna said, walking into the kitchen as a metal whisk clattered to the floor. “You’re making enough food to feed a platoon. This is about Allen, isn’t it?”

“It’s for Rachel! She’s stressed!” Jolie squeaked, scrambling to pick up the whisk, her cheeks a fiery red.

A sharp knock at the door cut them off. Joanna opened it to find Rachel and Allen. Rachel looked pale and terrified, while Allen stood with his arms crossed, looking like he’d spent the morning chewing glass.

“Joanna,” Rachel breathed, rushing forward into a desperate hug.

Allen shuffled in behind her, offering a dry, mocking salute. “Nice place. Glad to see some people are living the dream while we have been on the run since yesterday.”

His eyes immediately darted to the kitchen, landing on a frozen, blushing Jolie. He rolled his eyes, but walked straight over to the counter. “Let me guess,” he grumbled, his sarcastic tone

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