CHAPTER TWO

I stared at the ceiling for several seconds while trying to understand what had just happened. My head was still hurting, and my heart was beating so fast that I could feel it in my chest. I slowly sat up on the bed and looked around the room, wondering if I was dreaming or if the cold had finally driven me insane.

Everything looked familiar.

The curtains beside the window were the same ones I had bought months ago. My dressing table stood in its usual place, with my hairbrush and a few bottles of perfume arranged on top. My wardrobe was closed, and my slippers were lying beside the bed exactly where I had left them before going to sleep.

I looked down at myself and realized that I was wearing the old pajamas I used to sleep in before the apocalypse.

My hands began to tremble as I reached for my phone on the bedside table. I needed to know what was happening. I needed to know whether I was truly alive or if this was some cruel dream created by my dying mind.

I grabbed the phone and unlocked it. Before I could think about anything else, I checked the time.

7:15 a.m.

The familiar numbers stared back at me, and I frowned. The time was ordinary, but something about it felt strangely important. I had woken up in my own room, wearing my old pajamas, with no sign of the freezing temperatures that had destroyed the world.

Then I checked the date displayed on the screen, and I froze.

3rd July, 2021.

I blinked several times, convinced that I had read it incorrectly. I rubbed my eyes and checked again, but the date remained the same.

3rd July, 2021.

What?

I sat there with my mouth slightly open, unable to make sense of what I was seeing. My fingers moved across the screen as I checked the year and the date again. Everything was exactly as it should have been two days before the apocalypse began.

Two days.

I had returned to a time when the world was still normal, when people were going about their daily lives without knowing that an unimaginable disaster was about to destroy everything they knew.

I was alive again.

I was actually alive again.

I threw the blankets aside and jumped out of bed so quickly that I nearly lost my balance. A laugh escaped my mouth, followed by a scream of excitement that probably would have frightened anyone who heard me.

At least this time, I get to prepare properly for the apocalypse!

I said the words aloud, looking around my room as though I needed someone to confirm that this was real. I was no longer lying helplessly in the snow. I was no longer begging Lucan to open the door. I was back in my own home, with two days remaining before the disaster that had destroyed my life.

I had another chance.

I had a chance to protect myself and the people I loved. I had a chance to prepare for the freezing temperatures instead of waiting until it was too late. I had a chance to make sure that nobody would ever have the power to throw me away like I was worthless.

And this time, I would not make the same mistakes.

My excitement slowly faded as I remembered the people responsible for my death in my previous life.

Lucan.

Mireya.

Their faces appeared so clearly in my mind that my stomach twisted with anger. I remembered Lucan looking down at me with disgust while I begged him to let me stay in my own house. I remembered the way he had pulled me away from the doorframe and shoved me outside without hesitation.

I remembered Mireya telling me that she was sorry while doing absolutely nothing to help me.

Those memories hurt more than I wanted to admit. I had loved Lucan with everything I had, and I had considered Mireya family. I had trusted them with my heart, my home, and my supplies. When the world began falling apart, I believed that our relationship and friendship would be strong enough to survive the disaster.

Instead, they had shown me exactly how little my life meant to them.

My breathing became unsteady as the memories of my death rushed back into my mind. I remembered Lucan dragging me toward the door. I remembered Mireya standing there without lifting a finger to help me. Most importantly, I remembered the freezing wind hitting my face as Lucan threw me outside and left me to die.

I remembered begging them to let me back inside until I could barely speak.

I remembered the cold taking away my strength.

And I remembered the promise I had made to myself before darkness swallowed me.

I would make them pay.

I wiped my face with the back of my hand and forced myself to take a deep breath. Crying would not help me. Thinking about what they had done would not protect me from the coming disaster, either.

I had only two days.

If I wasted those hours mourning my previous life, I would end up in the same situation again. I had to be smarter this time. I had to think ahead, make better decisions, and protect everything that mattered to me.

As for Lucan and Mireya, I would deal with them when the time was right.

I was not going to run to Lucan and end our relationship immediately, even though every part of me wanted to call him and tell him never to contact me again. He knew me well enough to notice if I suddenly changed overnight. If I became hostile without a clear reason, he might start asking questions, and I could not afford to let him interfere with my preparations.

For now, I would pretend that nothing had changed.

I would answer his calls, speak to him normally, and allow him to believe that I was still the same Anwen he knew. I would not tell him about my memories, and I would not let my anger reveal what I was planning.

He had no idea what was coming.

I intended to keep it that way.

My phone suddenly began ringing in my hand, and when I glanced at the screen, my expression hardened.

Lucan.

Of course, it had to be him.

For a moment, I considered declining the call. I wanted nothing more than to erase his number and remove him from my life forever. But I stopped myself before my finger could touch the screen.

No, I thought. Not yet.

I waited until the last moment before answering, making sure my voice sounded as normal as possible.

Hello, Lucan, I said.

His familiar voice came through the phone, and I had to fight the urge to end the call immediately.

Good morning, sweetheart. Have you just woken up?

I closed my eyes briefly.

Sweetheart.

He had called me that countless times in my previous life. There had been a time when hearing that word from him made me smile without thinking. Now, it made my stomach turn.

Yes, I replied calmly. I just woke up. Is everything alright?

Everything is fine. I just wanted to hear your voice. What are you planning to do today?

I stared at the wall while listening to him. He sounded perfectly normal, as though he had never abandoned me to die. He spoke with the same easy confidence I remembered, and if I had not experienced what happened in my previous life, I might have believed every word he said.

I am not sure yet, I answered. I have a few things to take care of.

Oh, alright. Let me know if you need anything, sweetheart. I might come over later if you are free.

My fingers tightened around the phone.

In my previous life, I would have been happy to hear that he wanted to visit. I would have spent time choosing what to wear and thinking about what we could do together. I would have welcomed him into my home without a second thought.

This time, the idea of seeing him made me want to throw my phone against the wall.

That is fine, I said, keeping my voice steady. Just let me know before you come.

We talked for another minute before ending the call. I lowered the phone and stared at it, feeling as though I had just forced myself to swallow something bitter.

Pretending to love him was going to be difficult, but I could manage it. I had survived the worst betrayal imaginable. I could certainly manage a few more conversations with the man who had caused it.

I placed my phone on the bed and hurried to my desk. There was no time to waste, and I needed a proper plan before leaving the house.

I pulled a sheet of paper from a notebook, found a pen, and sat down. For a moment, I stared at the blank page, thinking about everything I had learned from the previous apocalypse. I remembered how quickly shops had emptied, how difficult it had become to find clean water, and how people who had ignored the early warnings had ended up fighting for the smallest scraps of food.

I was not going to make that mistake again.

At the top of the page, I wrote down the words I needed to focus on first.

FOOD AND WATER.

I began listing the essentials I would need to survive for as long as possible. Rice, beans, pasta, flour, oats, canned meat, canned fish, powdered milk, cooking oil, salt, sugar, dried vegetables, biscuits, nuts, and other foods that could last for months if stored properly. I added instant meals and high-energy snacks because I knew there would be days when cooking might become difficult.

Next came drinking water. I needed bottled water, large containers that could be filled and sealed, and a reliable way to purify more water if my supplies ran low. I also wrote down water purification tablets and portable filters.

I remembered how many people had become sick because they had no access to clean water, and I refused to let that happen to me if I could prevent it.

The next heading was WARMTH AND SHELTER.

I wrote down thick blankets, thermal clothing, winter coats, gloves, wool socks, boots, hats, and sleeping bags designed for extremely cold temperatures. I would need to protect my body from the cold, but that would not be enough if the house itself became too cold to live in.

I needed insulation materials, weather stripping for doors and windows, heavy curtains, plastic sheeting, strong tape, and supplies to seal cracks where freezing air could enter. I also needed safe heating options and enough suitable fuel to use them, while making sure that any indoor heating equipment would not expose us to carbon monoxide or fire.

I could not afford to be careless. A single mistake could kill me just as quickly as the freezing temperatures.

Under MEDICAL AND EMERGENCY SUPPLIES, I listed first-aid kits, bandages, antiseptic, pain relievers, thermometers, disposable gloves, masks, soap, disinfectant, toothpaste, sanitary products, and enough of any necessary personal medication to last through the first difficult weeks. I added batteries, flashlights, rechargeable lamps, power banks, a battery-powered radio, a manual can opener, lighters, matches stored safely, and basic tools.

I also needed portable power, if I could obtain it in time. A suitable power station and solar charging equipment would be useful, although I knew that heavy snow and limited sunlight could make solar power unreliable. I would have to consider more than one way to keep essential devices working.

My list grew longer with every passing minute.

I added sturdy storage boxes, waterproof bags, ropes, duct tape, a shovel, a small camping stove suitable for safe outdoor use, and extra fuel stored according to safety instructions. I wrote down cash, copies of important documents, spare keys, and a fully charged phone. I would need to keep my car ready, with fuel in the tank, because being unable to travel could become a serious problem.

Then I paused and looked at the page.

There was still so much to do.

I needed to check how much money I had available, buy as many supplies as possible, inspect the house, reinforce vulnerable areas, and make sure that my parents would be safe. I could not build an entire underground shelter in two days, but I could make the house more secure and prepare the warmest, most protected room for the worst of the freezing.

I would have to be realistic about what I could accomplish. I could not buy everything in the world, and I could not predict every problem that might arise. But I knew what was coming, and that knowledge gave me an advantage I intended to use.

I looked at the clock and realized that I had already spent too much time sitting in my room.

I folded the list and slipped it into my bag before grabbing my bank card. I would check my available funds and begin with the most important supplies. If I had to visit several shops, I would do it. If I had to spend every available minute preparing, I would do that too.

I was not going to stand helplessly in the snow again.

After making sure I had my phone, keys, and card, I hurried downstairs and headed for the front door. The morning sun was shining outside, and the neighborhood looked as ordinary as it always had. Cars passed along the road, people walked by without a care in the world, and somewhere nearby, someone laughed as if nothing terrible could ever happen.

They had no idea that their lives were about to change.

I opened the door, stepped outside, and tightened my grip on my bag.

Two days.

That was all the time I had left.

I had to prepare before the world froze, and I had to make sure my house would be protected at all costs.

Without wasting another second, I picked up my pace and left the house.