Seraphina's Revenge: A Rebirth In The Apocalypse Novel

Chapter 474: Let The Good Times Roll

Lachlan had always liked driving at sunset.

There was something about the way the light flattened the world, pulled the sharp edges off things, made even wreckage look almost peaceful for a few minutes. It was easier to pretend then, easier to breathe, easier to joke like the world wasn’t constantly trying to eat them alive.

The truck rolled steadily forward, tires humming against the road as dust lifted behind them in a lazy plume.

Sera sat in the passenger seat with Oogie Boogie tucked under one arm, humming again like she had been earlier, the tune drifting in and out of hearing whenever the engine pitch changed. Luci was sprawled in the truck bed, his massive body loose and content even as his ears twitched at every new sound but otherwise relaxed in a way that meant he trusted the moment.

They had lost him in the middle of the fight, but since he came back with his head covered in blood, Lachlan had assumed that he decided to have a quick meal, too.

He leaned back in his seat and stretched his legs, his hands laced behind his head like they were on a road trip instead of fleeing the aftermath of mass slaughter.

"Well," he said lightly, breaking the quiet because that was his job whether anyone admitted it or not, "I feel like this is the part where someone should tell me where we’re going so I can pretend I packed accordingly."

Zubair didn’t look over, but Lachlan could see the faint shift in his jaw, the way he always tensed when responsibility reared its head.

Psycho and Aerenyx were sitting beside him, silent and watchful, the space between them tight with a tension that hadn’t eased since the ridge. Lachlan decided to ignore that for now. That particular problem was not one that he wanted to touch with a 10 foot pole until that 10 foot pole had something sharp on the end.

Sera hummed once more, then smiled without opening her eyes.

"Oh," she said pleasantly, like she was commenting on the weather, "right. I didn’t tell you. We’re going to my death. I don’t quite know what we should have packed for that occasion."

The truck screeched to a halt as Zubair slammed the brakes hard enough that Lachlan lurched forward. He instinctively bracing one hand against the back of Sera’s seat as gravel sprayed around them.

Luci shifted in the bed with a startled grunt, claws scraping for purchase before he settled again.

"Absolutely not," Zubair said immediately, turning in his seat, heat flaring just enough that Lachlan felt it against his skin. "We do not joke about things like that. It is not funny at all."

Sera burst out laughing.

It wasn’t a soft laugh, it wasn’t polite in any way. Instead, it was a bright, delighted sound that filled the cab and chased the tension right back out of it.

She opened her eyes and leaned back in her seat, clutching Oogie Boogie to her chest like this was the best joke she’d told all day.

"Relax," she said, still smiling. "I’m not dying today. I just always wanted to ride off into the sunset. This felt like a good time to check that off my bucket list."

Zubair stared at her for a long second, searching her face for something that wasn’t there. Fear. Doubt. Regret. He found none of it. Whatever else Sera was, she wasn’t careless with words the way humans were. Lachlan knew that too, and the knowledge slid into his gut like a stone.

Zubair exhaled slowly and eased his grip on the wheel, easing the truck back into motion. "Please don’t joke like that," he said quietly. "Or at least if you do... warn me first."

Sera grinned at him sideways. "Where’s the fun in that?"

Lachlan laughed, loud and easy, throwing one arm up in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, noted. No sudden announcements of impending doom while the vehicle is in motion. Safety first and all that. But look on the bright side. Now we know that the breaks and seatbelts work like a charm."

Zubair snorted despite himself.

The road stretched ahead of them, straight and sunlit, the land flattening out into open fields and scrub that rolled on forever. Fences flashed by in long, broken lines. Somewhere in the distance, cattle shifted lazily, dark shapes against the gold.

After a few minutes, Zubair spoke again, voice more measured this time. "If we keep going this way," he said, eyes flicking to the horizon, "we’ll cross the border into Region L before nightfall."

Sera’s hum changed pitch, pleased. She nodded once, as if he’d just confirmed something she already knew. "Mm," she agreed. "That seems like a fun place to play. Let’s do it! Let’s go to Region L."

Lachlan tilted his head, eyebrow lifting. "Region L, huh? That’s the one with the creepy reputation and the even creepier rumors, right? The place everyone says you don’t go unless you’re desperate or stupid?"

Sera smiled wider.

"What do they say?" she mused. "Laissez les bons temps rouler? Let the good times roll?" She laughed softly again. "That sounds like a fun place to play next."

Lachlan let out a loud whoop as Zubair shook his head and stepped on the gas.

Lachlan leaned forward, bracing his hands on the seat in front of him. "Hell yes. See? This is what I’m talking about. New region, new problems, new horrifying nightmares. Keeps things fresh."

Sera glanced back at him, eyes bright. "You’re very enthusiastic about impending doom."

"Someone has to be," he replied easily. "Otherwise it gets depressing and Zaddy looks a bit pathetic when he is depressed."

She snorted and went back to humming, gaze fixed on the road ahead like she could already see what waited for them there.

Lachlan leaned back again, grin still firmly in place.

Inside, though, something twisted.

His creature shifted under his skin, not snarling, not panicking, just... watching. That didn’t sound like a joke, now did it? it asked quietly.

Lachlan didn’t answer right away. He kept his expression light, kept his posture loose, kept being exactly who everyone expected him to be. That was another job he’d taken on without anyone asking.

’No,’ he admitted finally. ’It didn’t.’

The unease wasn’t sharp. It wasn’t fear in the traditional sense. It was the same feeling he got right before a fight broke out and he didn’t know if he was going to survive or not.

Sera didn’t joke about death the way humans did. When she said something like that, it meant something had brushed close enough to be interesting.

And she’d smiled.

If she thinks she’s going toward her death, his creature continued, voice steady and grim, then the only thing we can do is stand between it and her.

Lachlan swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.

’Yeah,’ he agreed silently. ’That tracks.’

He glanced toward Sera again, cataloguing her the way he always did when his instincts started to itch. She was relaxed. Content. Happy, even. There was no tension in her shoulders, no edge to her breathing. She looked like someone who’d just made a decision she’d been waiting a long time to make.

That scared him more than if she’d been anxious.

"Hey," he said casually, because casual was his armor. "Just checking. You’re not planning on springing any more existential surprises on us before dinner, right?"

Sera tilted her head, considering him. "No promises."

Zubair shot her a look.

She laughed again, softer this time. "I’m kidding," she said. "Mostly."

Lachlan groaned theatrically. "You’re killing me."

"Not today," she replied sweetly. "I’ll save that particular death for later."

The road dipped slightly, the sun edging closer to the horizon, painting everything in deep orange and red. The sign for the regional boundary loomed ahead, weathered and half-faded, the letters still visible enough to read.

REGION L — PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Lachlan read it aloud. "Well, that feels welcoming."

Zubair didn’t slow. "We can turn back," he said, though his voice lacked conviction.

Sera shook her head, humming once more. "No," she said simply. "This is where I want to go."

No one argued.

The truck rolled past the sign and into Region L as the sun dipped lower, shadows stretching long across the road. Lachlan felt his creature coil tighter, not in fear, but in readiness.

Whatever waited for them here, joke or not, he knew one thing with absolute certainty.

If death thought it was going to take her, it was going to have to get through all of them first.

And Lachlan had never been very good at letting things get past him.