Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 69

Chapter 69 Pouting because the sky wouldn’t electrocute him on command

She kept her gaze fixed on her phone. “Go take care of the ashes,” Joanna said, her voice quiet, grumpy, and masking the deep anxiety she carried for his safety.

Julian didn’t argue. He just gave a slow, tired nod, the quiet sadness settling deep into his features. He clicked the heavy door open, letting a gust of freezing, rain-soaked air invade the cabin before slamming it shut. Joanna watched his shadowed figure battle the gale-force winds, disappearing into the mist toward the precipice to give his grandmother her final rest, looking small against the vast, unforgiving mountain.

Silence settled into the truck, save for the rhythmic drumming of the storm. Joanna leaned her head agains the headrest, her hand instinctively drifting to her pocket dimension, tracking her gear./

A sharp, sudden movement to her right snapped her eyes open.

Through the passenger window, past the blurring rain, she saw the thick, low-lying mountain bushes shuddering violently. This wasn’t the wind. The movement was localized, erratic, and heavy.

Her apocalypse experience kicked in instantly. Was it a bear? Or worse, a mutated creature reacting early to the shifting atmospheric energy?

Joanna unlocked the door and stepped out, her eyes darting over the dense brush. The leaves parted, and a small, sodden shape stumbled out onto the muddy gravel.

It wasn’t a monster. It was… a Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

Its coat was completely matted with filth and burrs, its signature large ears pinned flat against its head in sheer terror. Joanna’s sharp eyes immediately noticed the outline of its ribs and spine pushing through its soaked fur. It was profoundly malnourished, shivering so violently that it could barely keep its footing. Around its neck hung a frayed, cheap nylon collar with no tags-the unmistakable sign of a creature left behind to the elements by an owner Joanna silently cursed under her breath. It reminded her of herself in her dream, hungry and broken.

The stoic armor Joanna wore all morning instantly cracked, replaced by a fierce, protective determination.

“Hey! Come here, buddy,” she called out, her voice swallowed by the thunder.

The corgi flinched, tucking its short tail tightly between its legs and attempting to retreat back into the thorny brush. Its back legs gave out from sheer exhaustion, and it collapsed into the mud, panting heavily.

“No, no, don’t run,” Joanna pleaded. She scrambled across the gravel on her knees, uncaring of the mud soaking through her clothes. Reaching into her pocket dimension, she bypassed her weapons and pulled out a bottle of perfectly preserved spring water. Crackling the plastic, she poured a small puddle into her cupped palm and extended it forward, keeping her body low. “Look. Water. It’s okay.”

The dog sniffed the air, its dark eyes wide with cautious desperation. It crawled forward an inch at a time, its belly dragging in the dirt. Finally, its pink tongue darted out, frantically lapping the water from her hand.

Joanna smiled faintly, pouring more until the dog finished the bottle. “Good boy. You’re starving, aren’t you?”

With a quick flick of her wrist, she reached back into her pocket dimension. Instead of the emergency

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Chapter 69 Pouting because the sky wouldn’t electrocute him on command

Finished

rations, she pulled out a container of perfectly preserved, freshly cooked meat-still steaming hot, as if it had just left a chef’s skillet. She tore off a small, soft piece and placed it gently on the ground.

The corgi didn’t hesitate. It snapped up the meat, swallowing it whole. It looked up at her, its ears lifting just a fraction of an inch, a tiny spark of hope returning to its exhausted eyes.

Before she could coax the dog any further, branches snapped behind her making her straighten and alert. Joanna whipped her head around in the direction of the noise.

Julian was walking back through the sheets of rain, looking entirely clueless. He had a look of profound confusion on his face as he approached. “Joanna,” he called out over the wind, entirely oblivious to the starving corgi at her feet. “I scattered the ashes, but… wasn’t I supposed to get hit by lightning or something? I’ve been standing out there for ten minutes. Nothing happened.”

Joanna stared at him, her jaw dropping. “What do you mean nothing happened? You just walked away?” Panicking, she stood up, abandoning the dog for a split second to chase Julian right back toward the edge of the precipice. She was just as clueless as he was; she had the timeline memorized, but she honestly had no idea how the lightning was actually supposed to target him.

“Did you stand on the highest rock?” Joanna yelled over the thunder, scanning the dark clouds. “Maybe you need to hold something metal? Do you have your phone on you?”

Julian shrugged, the rain plastering his hair to his forehead. “I tried holding up a tire iron I found in the back. I even stood near a dead tree. Am I supposed to provoke it? Call it names?”

They threw a few more increasingly ridiculous suggestions back and forth in the middle of the downpour- debating whether he should take off his jacket to act as a better conductor or if he needed to stand on one foot. Finally, realizing they were just guessing, Julian let out a heavy, defeated irritated sigh. He turned back around and trudged back toward the highest point of the cliffside, slouching his broad shoulders like a grumpy child who had just been told he had to do his household chores before he could play video games.

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