Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 71

Chapter 71 Come on Mr. Crispy

Jonna moved quickly through the trees, the heavy scent of ozone thick in the freezing air. Several ancient pines were blackened and split wide open, wisps of smoke desperately fighting the downpour. There, in the center of a scorched patch of mud, lay Julian. He was sprawled flat on his back, completely motionless, with faint trails of steam rising from his soaked clothing.

Joanna stopped dead in her tracks. Well, she thought with a dry, sarcastic twinge, at least he can’t complain about doing his chores anymore.

Amusement quickly faded into practical calculation. She had to figure out what to do with him. Dropping him into the life-giving spring inside her pocket dimension would probably jumpstart his recovery, but she wasn’t ready to add him to the permanent registry yet. The guidelines of the Bonded Partnership Protocols were absolute-it was a blood covenant requiring a fusion of blood to grant permanent residential access and enforce 100% absolute loyalty via neural bonding. A partner would be biologically incapable of betrayal until death. While the open-minded system loophole allowing multiple spouses and elite allies was pragmatic, she wanted to save those ten slots for her core tactical team. She wouldn’t lock his soul to hers just to treat a sunburn.

“Back to the truck it is,” she grumbled.

She opened the rear seats of the truck, using her shoulder to shove the rear door open before rolling his steaming, unconscious body onto the leather backseat.

Before tending to him, Joanna closed her eyes and took a quick glance inside her pocket dimension to check on her other patient. Through her mental link, she saw the little Pembroke Welsh Corgi napping happily in the corner of her house, completely dry and snoring softly on its plush makeshift fleece bed. A small wave of relief washed over her.

Turning her attention back to the literal billionaire lightning rod in her backseat, Joanna reached into her pocket dimension and pulled out a fresh bottle of perfectly preserved spring water. She climbed into the cabin, propping Julian’s head up against her knee.

“Come on, Mr. Crispy, drink,” she muttered, cracking the cap.

Carefully, she tipped the bottle against his lips, feeding the crisp, energized spring water to him little by little. She watched closely as the fluid trickled into his mouth, waiting for those dark, intense eyes to crack open and break the terrifying silence of the mountaintop.

Looking at him up close in the dim cabin light, Julian looked terrible. His skin was unnervingly pale beneath the soot, and his breathing was shallow, punctuated by a faint, erratic tremor in his chest. A heavy knot of worry and doubt tightened in Joanna’s throat. Was he actually going to make it? The timeline had promised he would survive the strike to awaken his abilities, but seeing his limp, superheated body made her question everything. What if her interference had altered the outcome?

Needing immediate tactical advice, she pulled out her phone and frantically texted Jake, her team’s primary medical expert. Julian just took a direct lightning strike. Unconscious, breathing shallow, skin steaming. Give me immediate treatment protocols.

Jake’s response was instant, practical, and devoid of panic. Check airway and pulse first. Keep him flat. If he’s breathing, the immediate danger of cardiac arrest has passed, but his nervous system is fried. Do not plunge him into cold water-it’ll shock his system. Keep him warm, hydrated if conscious, and check for entry/exit burn wounds. Isolate him from any more electrical charge.

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Chapter 71 Come on Mr Crispy

Finished

Relieved to have a clear directive, Joanna threw the SUV into drive. She abandoned the scorched mountain

akand navigated the treacherous, muddy incline, steering the heavy vehicle back down the winding roads toward Brimstone. Through the torrential downpour, she finally pulled up to the rustic, off-the-grid cabin belonging to Nathan, Julian’s great uncle, desperate to get the unconscious billionaire inside and out of the storm.

The heavy truck skidded slightly as Joanna tore down the mountain pass, reaching the edge of the tree line in no time. Through the sweeping sheets of rain, she saw Nathan standing on the rustic porch of the cabin. He was already opening the front door, waving a welcoming hand through the deluge, expecting his nephew to return from his solemn errand.

That welcoming smile twisted into profound confusion the moment the vehicle slammed into park.

Joanna didn’t waste a second. She threw open the rear door, grabbed Julian’s massive, unconscious frame by the shoulders, and effortlessly hoisted him out of the backseat. Before Nathan could even step off the porch to help, Joanna was already striding across the muddy yard, dragging the limp billionaire along as if he weighed no more than a sack of grain.

Nathan’s jaw dropped, his eyes darting frantically between the two of them. “What in God’s name… what is wrong with Julian?” he stammered, his voice choked with panic as he stepped aside to let them burst into the warm cabin.

But beneath the terror for his nephew, a deeper, bewildered shock paralyzed the older man. He stared open-mouthed at Joanna’s slight frame, completely unable to process what he was seeing. How on earth was she this strong?

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