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Alice Cole had never cared about jewelry. At least, that was what she always told herself.
After years of marriage to Jason Cole, one of the richest men in the country, she had received countless luxury gifts. Expensive watches. Designer handbags. Rare collections other women could only dream of. Yet none of them mattered as much as the meaning behind the gift. That was why the necklace Jason gave her on their anniversary made her heart soften. It was not just another expensive item. Jason stood in front of cameras, holding a black velvet box, and told the world that Alice was the woman who had stayed beside him before his success. The media loved the story. The billionaire CEO who never forgot the woman who supported him when he had nothing. Alice wanted to believe it too. She wanted to believe Jason still remembered the nights she stayed awake helping him build his first company. The days when no one believed in him except her. Maybe the necklace was his way of saying he had never forgotten. Two days later, that illusion shattered. Alice was having lunch with her best friend, Clara, when Clara suddenly grabbed her wrist. “Wait.” Alice frowned. “What?” Clara stared at the necklace around her neck. Her expression shifted from curiosity to disbelief. “Where did you get this?” “Jason gave it to me.” Clara looked at her carefully. “Honey, do you know what you’re wearing?” Alice laughed softly. “Apparently, a very expensive necklace.” Clara didn’t laugh. She pulled out her phone and searched for something. A few seconds later, she turned the screen toward Alice. A breathtaking blue diamond appeared. “The Celestia Blue Diamond.” Alice stared at the image. The diamond looked almost identical to the one around her neck. Clara lowered her voice. “This diamond isn’t just expensive. It’s almost impossible to own. Sixty million dollars.” Alice’s fingers touched the necklace without thinking. “Sixty million?” “There are only three Celestia Blue Diamonds in existence. Each one was privately commissioned and tracked by international jewel collectors.” Clara scrolled. “The first belongs to Isabella Moretti, the actress. The second belongs to Princess Elena Valmont.” She stopped. Alice noticed. “What’s wrong?” Clara hesitated. “The third belongs to Vivian Laurent.” The name hit Alice harder than she expected. Vivian Laurent. Everyone in business circles knew her. Beautiful, elegant, and much younger than Alice. The daughter of one of the most powerful families in the country. And recently, she had been rumored to be close to Jason. Alice forced a smile. “That’s impossible.” Clara looked uncomfortable. “Babe...” “No.” Alice shook her head. “Jason bought this for me.” But memories began surfacing. Jason becoming increasingly busy. Guarding his phone. Leaving business dinners early. Getting irritated whenever she mentioned Vivian and Vivian’s smile whenever they met. Alice had always thought it was politeness. Now she wondered if it had been a smirk. “Damn.” Alice slowly removed the necklace. Her hands were shaking. “Let’s go to a jewelry shop.” Clara blinked. “What?” “I’m checking if this is real.” The jeweler carefully examined the necklace, inspecting the gemstone, the setting, and the craftsmanship. It took less than thirty minutes. When he finally looked up, his expression had changed. Alice immediately knew something was wrong. “I’m sorry, ma’am.” Her heart sank. “The necklace is fake.” Alice stared at him. “What?” “It’s a very sophisticated imitation. The craftsmanship is excellent, but the diamond isn’t genuine.” The words echoed in her head. Fake. Not priceless, not rare, not the Celestia Blue Diamond. A carefully crafted imitation. A beautiful lie. Alice stared at the necklace resting on velvet. Her fingers trembled as she reached for it. A sharp pain spread through her chest. She had believed Jason. Defended him, supported him, and spent years helping him build an empire. And the one thing he gave her as a symbol of their marriage was fake. Tears blurred her vision. Clara watched silently, her heart aching. Alice quickly wiped her tears. She refused to break down in front of anyone. But beneath the sadness, anger began to burn. If Jason had lied about the necklace, what else had he lied about? She clenched the fake diamond in her hand. “Let’s go home.” The entire drive passed in a blur. City lights moved outside the car window, distant and unfamiliar. For years, Alice had believed she was building a future with Jason. Now she wondered if she had only been building a dream that belonged to him. When she finally entered the mansion, the silence felt suffocating. The house that once represented love and success suddenly felt like a stranger’s home. Alice walked upstairs, holding the necklace. Under the light, the blue diamond still looked flawless. Just like Jason’s lies. A tear slipped down her cheek. Jason Cole was worth billions. He could buy anything. Yet the woman who had stood beside him before he became successful received a fake diamond. While another woman had the real one. The humiliation burned deeper than the anger. Because Alice finally understood the cruelest part. Jason hadn’t simply betrayed her. He had replaced her. The fake Celestia Blue Diamond felt heavier than it should have. Just like the marriage she once believed was real. Alice had spent years convincing herself that Jason’s success was their success. Now she wondered if their entire relationship had been an illusion. Maybe their marriage had been fake long before the necklace ever was. Her fingers tightened around the pendant. She had given Jason her loyalty. Her trust, her entire heart, and in return, he had given her a counterfeit. Slowly, Alice wiped away her tears. The sadness in her eyes disappeared. Something colder took its place. Determination. For years, she had protected Jason’s image. Defended him whenever people doubted him. Stayed silent whenever others underestimated her contribution. But she was done. Done protecting a man who had already let her go. Alice picked up the necklace and stood. She walked toward the door, intending to throw it away and leave behind the final piece of a marriage built on lies. But before the necklace left her hand, it changed. A faint blue light escaped from the diamond. Alice froze. “What...” The gemstone began glowing brighter. Light spread across the room, casting blue shadows over the walls. Alice slowly opened her palm. The fake diamond was no longer behaving like an ordinary gemstone. Symbols began appearing inside it. Then a final message emerged. GLOBAL COLLAPSE. Alice’s breath caught. Another line appeared beneath it. 60 DAYS REMAINING.As if things weren't already bad enough, the doctor's phone began vibrating at the worst possible moment, creating a loud sound in the tense silence that made their hearts race uncontrollably.Lance and Joe weren't the only ones who panicked. Clara, standing beside the doctor, was startled as well. She accidentally bumped into a broom, setting off a chain reaction that sent several objects clattering noisily to the floor.Lance and Joe were furious. They had intended to hide and stay alive, but instead, they had put themselves in grave danger.“Damn it! You two have put us in serious danger!” Lance hissed through gritted teeth.Overwhelmed by panic, the doctor grew so nervous that he suddenly forgot how to turn off his phone.Lance gestured to Joe while keeping an eye on the situation outside. There was no other way out of the room.Joe immediately snatched the doctor's phone and switched it off. The room fell silent once more, leaving only the sound of their rapidly pounding hearts.
The roar of the approaching rescue helicopter shattered the silence of NorthVale's pitch-black night. A powerful navigation beacon cast a sharp beam of light from the helicopter, cutting through the darkness surrounding the rooftop of the Communications Center. “That's Hopper's helicopter!” Vance shouted, pointing toward the sky. However, the joy of the ten soldiers on the rooftop vanished in an instant. The thunderous roar of the engines had apparently triggered a violent reaction from below the building. From behind the steel framework of the transmission tower, a massive mutant zombie leaped upward with tremendous force. The black veins bulging across the monster's body stood out as its fingers clamped tightly around the helicopter's landing gear and rear skid. BAM! CRASH! “Mayday! Mayday! That damn monster has latched onto the tail of the aircraft!” the pilot shouted, his voice breaking through the static-filled radio channel. The rescue helicopter immediately lurched violen
“Any word from Rikes yet?” Hopper asked. “Nothing yet. In fact, we've lost communication with them!” Alan replied, a headset pressed against his ear as he stared at the glowing computer screen. Hopper let out a long sigh as he stared at the monitor, frustration evident on his face. “We need to take action!” he declared. “Do you still have no idea where Rikes and the others are?” he asked, turning toward Alan. Alan turned to face him, loosening his headset. “Their last known position is still the same as when they disembarked from the helicopter.” Hopper raised his right hand and rubbed his chin. “Send a helicopter over there!” he ordered. “Yes, sir!” Alan replied, returning to his workstation. Alan quickly typed a series of commands into the keyboard, causing lines of code and a digital topographic map of NorthVale to flicker across the large monitor. The telemetry signal connecting the main command headquarters to Rikes's special forces unit flashed red, repeatedly displaying
The blue glow emanating from the pendant on Alice's chest grew brighter, pulsing rapidly in sync with her erratic heartbeat. At the end of the corridor, the Blue Stone-mutated creature raised its head. The glowing blue veins along its neck throbbed violently, responding to the light from Alice's pendant like a radio picking up a dangerous frequency.KRRRRRR... GROAAARGH!The creature lunged forward at a speed that defied logic. Its footsteps slammed against the corridor tiles, cracking them beneath its weight.“It's after the stone, Alice. You won't have time to break through that door if it catches you!” Tate shouted.Before Alice could react, Tate moved swiftly. He grabbed a dirty metal pot from an open apartment doorway beside him and swung it with all his strength against the main metal pipe running along the corridor wall.BANG! BANG! BANG!The deafening metallic clangs echoed loudly throughout the narrow apartment corridor.“Hey, you damn monster! Over here!” Tate shouted at the
The roar of a powerful V8 engine thundered from around the highway bend, cutting through the thin haze of smoke hanging over the gas station forecourt. An armored jeep sped into view, slamming on its brakes as it ran over two infected figures, sending them flying into the price signpost.CRASH!The jeep's battered front bumper splattered thick black blood. The military vehicle came to a halt diagonally in front of James's sports car, blocking the advancing wave of zombies crawling in from the highway.“Get in the car! Hurry!” a man's shout cut through the chaos.Jade appeared at the jeep's driver's window, a rifle in his hands. His eyes were sharp and calculating. Without hesitation, he unleashed a burst of gunfire at the approaching horde.The bullets pierced the heads of three undead creatures that were about to reach Victor. Blood splattered everywhere, filling the air with a foul stench.Drenched in sweat and gasoline, Victor hurriedly shoved the now-full plastic jerrycan into the
Within seconds, the once-sterile emergency room had transformed into a terrifying scene. Clara jolted in shock on the examination bed as she heard the screams.She grabbed a sharp pair of surgical scissors from the medical tray, enduring the stinging pain in her leg, which had only been half-stitched. Clara climbed down from the bed, moved cautiously toward the door, and opened it.Clara's eyes widened at the chaos outside. She had never expected the outbreak to reach the hospital so quickly.Fresh blood splattered across the emergency room's tiled floor as the bitten paramedic collapsed. Blood sprayed everywhere, even staining the hospital's pristine white walls. The smell of antiseptic had been replaced by the metallic stench of blood.The elderly doctor who had been treating Clara's leg was cornered between a medicine cabinet and a table. He was trembling violently as he raised a metal tray to shield himself from the attack of the former ambulance patient.“Doctor, watch out!” Clar







