ONE MONTH BEFORE THE APOCALYPSE: FALLING AGAIN FOR MY KILLER

CHAPTER 1

VIVIAN'S POV

An unknown substance leaked into the air of Golden Lane Street. That was the beginning of the apocalyptic era.

No one knew where the substance came from or who had released it. At first, people thought it was some kind of chemical leak. Then, people started getting sick. Their bodies changed, their eyes became lifeless, and their minds slowly disappeared.

They became zombies. The infection spread faster than anyone could control.

Two years after the zombie apocalypse began, on October 22nd, I died at the hands of hundreds of zombies. The cause of my death was not only my soft heart, but also my trust in the wrong people. Especially one man—the man I had fallen in love with.

Damian Stark.

The same man who had once saved me when my apartment was no longer safe. The same man who had allowed me into his secured room when my neighbors became desperate and started attacking one another for food. And the same man who eventually pushed me out of his secured hideout and left me to the mercy of hundreds of zombies.

I could still remember the sound of their growls, the way their hands reached for me, and the way I screamed and begged. But Damian never opened the door. I had died believing he had betrayed me.

So, why was I still alive?

I suddenly woke up in my bed, gasping heavily. My hand immediately went to my neck. Nothing. I checked my arms. No wounds. No blood. No bites.

My breathing grew heavier as I looked around my bedroom. Everything was normal. My curtains were still hanging beside the window. My dressing table was in its usual place. My shoes were scattered carelessly beside the bed, exactly how I had left them. There were no broken windows. No blood. No zombies. No smell of death.

I jumped out of bed and rushed toward the window. My hands trembled as I pulled the curtains aside. The street below was busy. Everything was normal. The air was clear. There was no chaos. No military vehicles.

I stood there for several seconds, unable to understand what I was seeing. Could it have all been a dream? The apocalypse, my death, Damian—everything. Maybe I had simply imagined it.

But I knew that wasn't true. I remembered the pain too clearly. I remembered the zombies tearing into me. I remembered the fear. And most importantly, I remembered dying.

My eyes fell on my phone lying on the bed. I rushed toward it and grabbed it. The date on the screen made my heart stop: February 29th. I stared at it for several seconds. It was exactly one month before the apocalypse began.

My heart started pounding. I was reborn. I had been given another chance.

But this time, I wasn't going to waste it. I had one month. Only one month to prepare myself before everything changed. In one month, the world would begin falling apart. There would be a severe breakdown in society. The military would lose control. People would panic. Zombies would begin appearing on the streets. Stores would be emptied within hours, and money would slowly become useless. People who had once smiled at each other would kill one another for food. I had seen it all. I had lived through it. And I knew exactly what was coming.

My phone suddenly rang, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked at the screen. Noah. My fiancé. The same Noah Reed who had pushed me out of his car during the apocalypse and driven away with my best friend, Sarah. Those two had been planning how to get rid of me. They had been having an affair behind my back, and during the apocalypse, they didn't even bother hiding it anymore.

I stared at his name for a few seconds before answering. "Hello?"

"Hello, baby. Remember I said I'm coming over to your company today?" His familiar voice made something twist inside me.

"Yes, I remember." It all felt like déjà vu. I remembered this exact conversation. In my previous life, Noah had called me that morning and canceled his visit because something had suddenly come up. I supposed that the "something" was probably Sarah.

Noah hesitated. "Well, I'm so sorry, but something came up. Can I reschedule?"

"Of course," I replied calmly. "In fact, the company will be super busy from now on, so don't bother coming again. My employees are fine without knowing you as my fiancé."

There was silence. "Babe, did I do something wrong? You're so cold this morning."

"You did nothing wrong. I'll hang up now. I have to prepare for my day." I ended the call before he could say anything else.

I stared at my phone. I felt satisfied with the way I had treated him, but it wasn't enough. There was still so much anger inside me. My veins practically screamed for revenge against everyone who had treated me like I was worthless during the apocalypse.

Noah.

Sarah.

Damian Stark.

I had once been a foolish woman who trusted people too easily. Not anymore.

I got ready for work and headed downstairs. As the elevator moved lower, I looked around the apartment building carefully. This place had looked completely different during the apocalypse. Some of my neighbors had been infected almost immediately. Others had become desperate when they realized their apartments weren't secure enough.

I remembered people trying to break into other apartments. They wanted food, water, medicine—anything that could help them survive. My own apartment had eventually been targeted. They had tried to break through my door several times, and eventually, they succeeded.

If Damian Stark hadn't helped me at that time, I probably wouldn't have survived those early days. That was what made everything so complicated. Damian wasn't simply the man who betrayed me; he had once saved me. He had allowed me to stay in his room when I had nowhere else to go. His apartment was incredibly secure, and now that I had returned to the past, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Why had he been so prepared? Why had he moved into this building? Why had he fortified his room before the apocalypse became public knowledge?

Damian Stark was no ordinary man. He owned the Stark Group, one of the most powerful companies in the city. It suddenly occurred to me that Damian might have known about the apocalypse. Or perhaps he had simply been preparing for something else. Either way, I needed answers.

I drove to my company with my mind on high alert. Everything looked normal. Employees were arriving at work. People were going about their daily lives. No one knew that their peaceful lives had only one month left.

I entered my office and barely had time to settle down before my secretary, Mark, approached me.

"Ms. Lake, since you accepted the proposal from the Starks, they said the meeting is two days from now."

I paused. The Starks.

Some weeks ago, they had offered my company a proposal to work on a project together. Back then, I had been extremely excited. Working with the Stark Group was a huge opportunity. But now? Everything seemed suspicious. The Starks cooperating with my company, Damian Stark moving into my apartment building, his unusually secured room... Could all of this have been connected?

"Ma'am, are you having second thoughts about this?" Mark asked. "This is a huge opportunity for us."

I raised my hand, dismissing him. I remembered what would happen to him. During the apocalypse, Mark had worked with the finance department manager and HR manager to steal all the money from my company. But money had become almost meaningless after the apocalypse. Food was more valuable. Water was more valuable. Weapons were more valuable. Survival was everything.

I wasn't going to allow that to happen again.

"Mark," I called before he could leave. "Who is representing the Stark Company during the meeting?"

A huge grin appeared on his face. "Damian Stark himself."