CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 5

Two weeks left before the apocalypse, and my apartment was already done. Yesterday, I almost emptied the supermarket. My whole apartment was packed with stuff: food, weapons, gas, and I had even installed solar panels.

I didn't see the need to go to work anymore. I just had to mentally prepare myself for that day. I didn't have anyone to run to, no family to look after or keep safe either. In two weeks, half the city would be turned into zombies, and I was here grooming myself in my apartment.

I felt pity. What if I just warned them—these innocent people—or dug into it? Would I be able to stop it?

The gas leaked first on Golden Lane Street. I hadn't been to that place, but at least I knew that was where Vance Villa was located. After the Starks, there were the Vances, their biggest rival. Somehow, if you knew the Starks, you knew the Vances. The Vances were not a family to speak of lightly.

Something wasn't right here, and I couldn't wrap my head around it. Did the Starks have something to do with this? I was definitely not buying Damian's "reborn twice" shit.

Something was definitely wrong. Someone leaked the gas. Someone created this virus.

My thoughts were disrupted by the ringing of my phone. It was Noah.

I scoffed. He was calling me now? It had been two weeks since I called things off, and only now was he reaching out.

I blocked him immediately.

Then my mind went back to Hellen, the gardener's daughter. She and her mother lived on the top floor, and that wouldn't be safe when the apocalypse began. I should repay her for helping me. What if I told her myself and she believed me? She could start preparing herself for the apocalypse as well.

I left my room and was about to step into the elevator, but then I saw Noah. He was panting hard, looking distressed.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I shot out.

"Vivian, I'm sorry!"

I didn't let him finish.

"Did you run here? Seriously, are you that pathetic?" I said, turning away, but he held my hands firmly.

"Listen, please, Viv. I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me. You're the one I love, not Sarah. She dragged me into this. I never wanted to—"

He stopped talking, his face turning to the side because I slapped him. I slapped him hard.

"I don't wanna hear it. No matter what you say, you will still remain useless to me, so just leave!" I yelled.

My heart broke again. It wasn't supposed to hurt, but there was lingering pain. I had spent five years with him, and it pained me how much I had trusted him. Now that I saw his true nature, he looked absolutely disgusting.

"Babe, I'm so sorry. Sarah and I aren't even a thing. She said she didn't even—"

He stopped. He didn't want to finish that sentence, but those were the only words that caught my attention.

"Sarah what?" I asked, my voice clipped.

Noah looked down in shame. "She was acting strange. She said she doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. And then I heard about you... It pains me to know that I have been so foolish. Please, we could still get married. We could still be together. I promise I will become a changed man—" Noah scrambled to get the words out.

I frowned slightly. Sarah broke things off with him? Why? Wasn't she supposed to be happy that I was no longer in the picture? Something felt off. I never expected him to reach out to me after all this time, let alone this morning.

"Look, Noah, I don't have time for this," I muttered, shaking my head. "What did you not understand about the sentence, 'It's over between us'?"

Noah held my hands tightly, refusing to let go. I rolled my eyes and tried to break free from his grip, but he held on even tighter.

"Forgive me, Viv," he said.

"Let go of my hands!" I warned, but he didn't move. His persistence shocked me.

"She said leave her be!"

That voice was deep and commanding.

I turned to see Damian Stark stepping out of his apartment. He walked over to us.

As if suddenly realizing what he was doing, Noah quickly pulled his hands away from mine.

"Mr. Stark?" he stammered.

He looked so surprised it seemed like he would pee his pants right then and there. Was Damian Stark really that intimidating?

"You can go now. She doesn't want you here," Damian said calmly, but the look he gave Noah was terrifying.

"Oh, I'm just talking with my fiancée, Mr. Stark!" Noah smiled widely and turned to me.

I scoffed and stepped away from him.

"Fiancée? You are Noah Reed?" Damian chuckled, scanning Noah up and down. Noah looked completely confused for a second.

"Do you know Vivian—"

Damian shrugged. "Leave now. I won't repeat myself," he commanded.

Noah muttered something incoherent and walked away, not even sparing a glance back at me.

I stood there, swallowed hard, and faced Damian.

"You didn't have to do that. I had it under control."

"I could see that. So, that's the guy you wouldn't stop crying over?" Damian said, a small smirk tugging at his lips.

I remembered seeing Noah and Sarah drive off, leaving me behind—it had been a massive blow to me. In the previous timeline, I had ended up narrating everything to Damian once we were safe in his room.

"So you've already moved in?" I changed the topic. "Why don't you just build a bunker for the future? I'm sure that's not too much to ask of you, rather than driving all the neighbors away."

"I'm only doing you a favor. Seeing how much trouble they caused last time, it wouldn't be a good plan to keep them around."

"What about Hellen, the gardener's daughter?" Back then, Hellen had been with us during our search for food, right before we went our separate ways.

"Oh, she's still here in the building, though she is really suspicious about why everyone moved."

I stared at him for a moment. I had so much to ask him. Why wasn't he doing anything with the vast power and resources he possessed? He could easily get to the bottom of the outbreak, yet here he was, simply looking for refuge just like me.

But I needed to see Hellen first.

I walked away from him and headed toward her apartment. I spotted her tending to the flowers in the garden by the side of the massive building.

How am I going to do this? I thought. Hell, she doesn't even know me, and I don't know her. She could be totally weirded out.

"Hey, Hellen!" I called out.

She turned to look at me. I walked closer to her until we were standing about a foot apart.

"How is your mother?" I asked.

In the past, she had told me her mother fell sick and couldn't move, eventually getting bitten and turning. I felt truly sorry for her.

"What?" she muttered.

Just as I thought, she was completely weirded out. She probably thought I was a creep.

"How do you know about my mother?" she demanded.

Silence stretched between us. How was I supposed to answer that?

"Aren't you the CEO of Lake Enterprises? What are you doing down here asking about my mother?" she spoke again, narrowing her eyes at me.

"I have to tell you something really important, Hellen. I know you won't believe me, but I hope the fact that I know about your mother's health is enough to convince you to come up to my place to talk," I said seriously.

Hellen remained silent for a minute, but she finally nodded anyway.

Thank God, that wasn't as difficult as I thought.

She followed me until we eventually arrived at my front door.

"You had better pray this thing you want to talk to me about is a big deal, because you made me leave my work for this," she muttered dryly, and I nodded.

She stepped inside, and I shut the door behind us.

"Start talking," she said immediately as we walked in.

I wasn't surprised by her blunt attitude. I had gotten to know her a bit in the past, and she was a very straightforward person—she didn't even talk much, quite like Damian Stark.

"I know you won't believe what I'm about to say, but in two weeks' time, there will be a zombie apocalypse."