Chapter 2

Flora 

The agonizing sensation of my flesh being ripped apart vanished instantly. Cold, hard floor pressing against my knees replaced the mud and blood of the zombie horde. A sharp, sterile smell of bleach and rubbing alcohol cut through my nose, making me gasp for air.

I opened my eyes.

No rain. No shattered glass. No monstrous roars echoing in the night.

I looked down at my hands. There were no deep scratches, no makeshift bandages, and no blood. My skin was smooth and whole. I was kneeling on a polished linoleum floor, clutching the wooden bench of a hospital waiting room.

I was alive.

The clock on the wall read nine in the morning, and the date on the electronic calendar displayed a time from a year ago xactly thirty days before the outbreak would begin.

My heart hammered violently against my ribs as reality set in. I had been reborn. I had really come back to the day my life fell apart, thirty days before the world turned into a living nightmare.

"Flora, stop making a scene in the hallway," a familiar, cold voice snapped above me.

I froze, then slowly lifted my head.

Holland stood in front of me in a tailored suit, adjusting his watch with a look of pure disgust. Behind the glass window of the room beside him, my four year old daughter, Annabel, lay pale and still on a white hospital bed, wires attached to her tiny wrists.

"Holland..." My voice came out raspy, raw from the ghost of my dying screams.

"I told you no," Holland said, pulling his arm back as if my gaze burned him. "She needs a rare blood type, and I have a heart condition. Giving a pint of blood right now could trigger an attack. I am saving my health for my future operation."

In my past life, I had stayed on my knees likd this e, crying and begging him every chance I get for days while my daughter's body grew colder. I had believed his lie about his heart. I had believed he cared.

"Your heart is fine," I said quietly, standing up on shaky legs. "The doctor said donating blood will not harm you. When your operation time actually comes, we will find another donor. Please, she is your daughter."

Holland scoffed, brushing an imaginary speck of dust off his jacket. "You can always find another donor for her. I have an important meeting at the office. Stop being dramatic."

And just like that, He turned on his heel and walked away down the quiet corridor, his shoes clicking sharply against the floor.

As his figure disappeared around the corner, a glowing, translucent blue panel materialized directly in front of my face.

A gasp flew out of my lips. 

[Apocalypse Survival System Initialized.]

[Count Down to Outbreak: 29 Days, 23 Hours, 58 Minutes]

[Select Your First Upgrade:]

[Option A: Gain Apocalypse Survival Cheat Codes]

[Option B: Activate Target: Holland Spencer Tracking System]

I stared at the floating words and the ticking red numbers. The apocalypse was coming back in less than thirty days. The monsters, the cold, the hunger it was all waiting for us. But survival meant nothing if I could not destroy the monsters standing right beside me first.

"Option B," I whispered, my voice steady and cold. "Target tracking."

The panel flashed, and a real time map appeared in my vision, marking Holland's position with a glowing red dot. I tapped his marker, and a live audio stream played directly inside my head.

He was inside his private office already. The soft sound of heels tapping on carpet came through, followed by a woman's sweet voice.

"Did you give the girl your blood?" Lena asked him.

"No," Holland replied, his tone dripping with distaste. "I am not bleeding for a child from a woman I hate so much."

"Holland, you should have just given it," Lena said softly. "If the child dies now, Flora might get angry and file for divorce. We need to stay married to her so we can inherit the child's trust fund later. Once we find a way to kill Flora without leaving a trace, everything belongs to us."

Holland laughed softly. "Do not worry about her. She is completely blind to everything I do. How is our baby doing? Are you taking your vitamins?"

"Our baby is growing strong," Lena cooed. "Just play nice with Flora a little longer until we can secure her family's wealth."

Standing outside my daughter's room, my breath hitched. Lena was already pregnant. They were planning to let my daughter die, steal her inheritance, and then murder me.

A dark, terrifying calmness settled over my chest. The pain of my past death washed away, replaced by a ruthless fire. This second chance was not just about saving my child. It was about tearing them down piece by piece before the world ended.

I wiped my eyes, walked into the room, and kissed Annabel's cold forehead. "Mummy is going to fix this, baby."

I left the hospital and went straight to the city's largest television news station. I paid for an immediate live emergency broadcast, stepping in front of the rolling camera with a pale face and eyes full of tears.

"My daughter is dying in the hospital," I said into the microphone, letting my voice tremble just enough to break the hearts of everyone watching. "She needs a rare blood type immediately. I am offering five hundred thousand dollars in cash to anyone with this exact blood type who arrives at the city hospital today."

The broadcast went live across every local channel within minutes.

By evening, I returned to our villa. Holland was sitting in the living room, a glass of whiskey in his hand. The moment I walked through the door, he stood up, his face dark with anger.

"Are you out of your mind, Flora?" he demanded, stepping into my space. "You went on national news offering half a million dollars? Why would you throw away so much money for a dying child when we can just have another one?"

I suppressed the urge to claw his eyes out. I forced my posture to slump, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes filled with fake devotion.

"She is my daughter, Holland," I murmured, letting a single tear fall down my cheek. "I would do anything to save her. I know you were just worried about your heart condition earlier. I am not angry with you."

Holland's tense shoulders relaxed. A smug smirk touched his lips as he stepped closer, placing his hands on my waist. "I am glad you understand, sweetheart. I just want what is best for our future."

He leaned down and pressed a kiss against my lips. I forced my mouth to stay soft, enduring his touch while my stomach churned in absolute disgust.

"I am going to check on the garden," he said, patting my shoulder before walking out toward the back patio.

The moment the glass door slid shut behind him, the blue screen flashed before my eyes again, the red timer steadily ticking down.

[Count Down to Outbreak: 29 Days, 14 Hours, 10 Minutes]

[New Target Unlocked:]

[Target: Save your daughter.]

[Strategy: Team up with Harvey Spencer to survive the apocalypse!]

I froze, staring at the glowing blue letters.

Harvey Spencer?

My mind raced back through the years. Harvey was Holland's older Twin brother the family black sheep who was framed for murder years ago. But Harvey was dead. He had died in prison on the very day he was supposed to be released.

Why was the system telling me to team up with a dead man to survive the apocalypse?