CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE

The creature suddenly lunged at her, its sharp claws tearing through her blouse. Cassie screamed and stumbled backward before turning and running. “As if my day couldn’t get any worse!” she cried, tears filling her eyes. “First, my husband cheats on me, and now there’s a freaking zombie apocalypse!”

Cassie ran toward Welson Corporation as screams filled the streets. Behind her, blood-covered creatures chased terrified people.

Was that really a human turning into a zombie?

Hundreds of people rushed toward the building, desperate to get inside.“Let me through!” Cassie shouted as she pushed through the crowd.

Inside, the lobby was pure chaos. People were crying and bleeding, while others already showed signs of infection. Their eyes looked empty, and their movements were strange.Employees hurried toward the underground bunker with supplies while security guards checked IDs.

Then Cassie saw him.

Briar stood near the bunker entrance with Fiona and Erica. The guards were getting ready to close the doors.

“Briar!” Cassie screamed, He turned as she rushed toward him. “Please! Let me in!”

Briar stared at her before letting out a cold laugh.“Well, well, well. Look who’s back. The woman who wanted a divorce.”

“Briar, please!” Cassie begged. “I’m your wife. Let me inside!”

“My wife?” He laughed again. “You wanted a divorce. You slapped me, threatened me with lawyers, and walked out.”

“I was angry. I didn’t mean it.”

“You meant every word.” Briar’s eyes hardened. “You thought you could leave me and survive without me. Now look at you.” He smiled coldly. “You’re begging me to save you.”

Cassie swallowed her pride. “Briar, please. I’m begging you. Let me in.”

“Begging,” Briar repeated with a cruel smile. “That’s what you do best. You begged me to love you and stay with you. Now you’re begging me to save you.”

“Please—”

“You wanted a divorce,” he cut her off. “You thought you could walk away and survive on your own. But I was prepared.” He stepped closer to the glass. “I built this bunker and stocked it months ago. And guess what? Your name isn’t on the list. Not once.”

Cassie’s face fell.

“I thought about saving you,” Briar continued, “but then I remembered all the wasted years and disappointments.”

Cassie’s eyes filled with tears. “Briar…”

Fiona stepped forward, resting one hand on her stomach. “Cassie, I’m sorry, but there’s only so much room. And the baby needs to be safe.”

Cassie froze. Her eyes dropped to Fiona’s stomach. “Baby?” she whispered. “What baby?”

Fiona placed both hands over her stomach and gave Cassie a sad smile. “I’m pregnant, Cassie. I’m carrying Briar’s child.”

The world seemed to stop.

Cassie stared at her in shock. “You have to be joking. Pregnant?”

“Three months,” Fiona said softly. “We wanted to tell you, but we didn’t know how.”

“That’s right,” Briar said proudly. “She’s carrying my son. My heir. The one thing you could never give me.”

Cassie’s eyes filled with tears. She looked at Briar in disbelief. “You’re unbelievable. After everything I did for you, this is how you repay me?”

Briar remained silent.

Erica stepped forward. “Your family bought their way into ours. Now it’s time for you to leave.”

Cassie turned toward her, anger replacing her tears. “And you’re no better! You watched your son destroy our marriage and did nothing. You forced me through test after test and treated me like I was worthless. Now you’re protecting the woman he cheated with!”

Erica’s face hardened. “Watch your mouth.”

“No!” Cassie shouted. “I’ve been quiet for six years. I let all of you treat me like I was nothing because I loved this family. But I’m done!”

She turned back to Briar and wiped her tears.“You’re a pathetic husband,” she said bitterly. “I gave you my love, my money, my time, and six years of my life. You threw it all away for the woman you cheated with.”

Briar’s face darkened.“You gave me nothing!” he shouted. “Six years of waiting and disappointment. Now I finally have something that matters.”

Cassie stared at him, her heart breaking.Then she noticed the bunker doors slowly closing.

A distant scream came from outside.

Cassie turned. Several infected were rushing toward the building, getting closer by the second immediately Her anger disappeared and Fear took over. She rushed toward the glass and pounded on it.“Briar!” she screamed. “Please! Open the door!”

He looked at her and said coldly, “You can die for all I care.”

Cassie froze. “What?”

“You heard me. I was waiting for the right time to get rid of you. Looks like that time has come.”

“Briar—”

“Goodbye, Cassie. Enjoy dying alone.”

The reinforced bunker door closed. Behind the glass, Briar, Fiona, and Erica stood safely inside.

Then an infected man lunged at Cassie. She kicked him away, but another grabbed her arm and bit down.

“Ahhh!”

Cassie pulled free as blood ran down her arm. She looked toward the bunker. “Briar!” she screamed. “Please! I’m your wife! I freaking hate you for doing this to me!”

Briar didn’t move.

Fiona looked uncomfortable, but she said nothing.

Erica quickly pulled her away from the glass and turned her face in the opposite direction. “Don’t look, Fiona. Think about the baby.”

Fiona took a few steps back, while Cassie struggled to stay on her feet.

Before she could move, another infected suddenly grabbed her leg and dragged her down. She hit the ground hard, pain shooting through her body as she desperately tried to crawl away.

She looked through the glass one last time. Fiona stood with one hand resting protectively over her pregnant stomach, while Briar remained beside her.Neither of them moved toward the door. Neither of them came to save her.

Cassie’s vision blurred as she remembered everything she had sacrificed for Briar. “I was never part of their plan,” she whispered.

At the exact moment Cassie’s life ended, something buried deep inside her body suddenly awakened.

It had been silent for years. The System Core implanted in her body after the accident at nineteen finally activated.

[host life force critically low.]

[system core awakening.]

[synchronization beginning.]

[temporal restoration protocol activated.]

Cassie looked at Briar one last time.

Her vision was fading, but the anger in her eyes remained. “If I ever get another chance…” Her voice broke. “I’ll make every one of you pay.”

Before she could say anything else, an infected creature lunged at her. Pain tore through her body. Then everything went black.

Cassie died.

But then—

Light.

Cassie suddenly gasped and sat upright.Her heart was pounding as she looked around the room in confusion. Everything looked exactly the way she remembered it the bed, the curtains, the dresser, even the small lamp beside her bed.

She slowly turned her head and stared at the familiar walls.The Welson mansion. Her bedroom.

Cassie stared at everything in disbelief. “I’m… home?”

She quickly looked down at her arms. There were no wounds, no blood, and no bite marks. Her skin was completely clean. “What the hell?” she whispered.

Cassie jumped out of bed and rushed to the mirror. The woman staring back at her looked healthy and untouched.

She raised a trembling hand and touched her face. Her fingers shook as she stared at her reflection.“No…” she whispered. “I died.”

Suddenly, her memories came rushing back. She remembered Briar’s betrayal, the outbreak, the infected, and being left outside the bunker.

Cassie quickly grabbed her phone and checked the date. Her eyes widened.“No way,” she whispered. “This can’t be real.”

It was three months before the apocalypse.Cassie covered her mouth as tears filled her eyes. She was alive. She had another chance.

“I’m back,” she whispered, Before she could process it, a blue screen suddenly appeared in front of her.

[system activation complete.]

[apocalypse survival system — version 1.0]

[host: cassandra heathers]

[primary core detected.]

[infertility link detected.]

[welcome, survivor.]

[you have been granted a second chance.]