Reborn After the apocalypse

Chapter One

The first thing I heard was laughter.

Cold, cruel laughter.

I opened my eyes and found myself standing outside a massive steel gate. Rain poured over me, soaking my clothes as I stared at the people standing safely behind the walls.

My family.

My stepsister, Maya, stood beside my fiancé, Adrian.

His arm was wrapped around her waist.

For a moment, I couldn't breathe.

"No..." I whispered.

Maya looked at me with a smile.

It wasn't the innocent smile she used to show everyone else. It was the smile of someone who had finally gotten exactly what she wanted.

Adrian wouldn't even look at me.

My heart shattered.

"You two..." My voice trembled. "How long?"

Maya tilted her head.

"Does it matter anymore?"

I stared at Adrian.

"You're my fiancé."

He finally looked at me.

"I'm sorry, Elena."

Those two words hurt more than anything else.

Sorry.

After everything we had promised each other, that was all he had to say.

I looked toward my stepmother.

"Please. You can't let them do this to me."

She avoided my eyes.

My father stood beside her, silent.

I stepped closer to the gate.

"Please open it. I'm your daughter."

My stepmother finally looked at me.

"You've become a burden."

I froze.

"What?"

"We don't have enough food anymore," she said coldly. "We can't keep wasting supplies on someone who can't contribute."

My eyes filled with tears.

"You can't mean that."

Maya stepped closer to the gate.

"You should have been more careful, Elena."

I stared at her.

"What did I ever do to you?"

She laughed softly.

"You had everything."

Her eyes moved toward Adrian.

"And you had him."

I looked at Adrian again.

He said nothing.

Then the gate opened.

Hope flashed through me.

Maybe they had changed their minds.

Maybe my family still loved me.

I took one step forward.

Someone pushed me.

I fell onto the wet ground outside the gate.

The gate slammed shut behind me.

My entire body went cold.

"No!"

I jumped up and grabbed the bars.

"Please! Please, open the gate!"

Nobody answered.

Then I heard a terrible sound coming from the street.

Growling.

I turned around.

Figures were moving through the rain.

The infected.

My breathing became frantic.

I looked back at the gate.

My family was still there.

Watching.

Maya had her arm around Adrian.

My stepmother stood behind them.

They weren't coming to save me.

They had already decided my fate.

I ran.

I didn't know how long I survived after that.

I only remembered the fear.

The darkness.

And the betrayal.

Then everything disappeared.

---

I gasped awake.

My body shot upright.

I looked around the room.

My bedroom.

My old bedroom.

I stared at the curtains.

The desk.

The wardrobe.

Everything was exactly as I remembered it.

My breathing became faster.

"No..."

I jumped out of bed and rushed toward the mirror.

The girl staring back at me was younger.

Alive.

I touched my face.

Then my neck.

There were no wounds.

No blood.

Nothing.

I grabbed my phone from the bedside table.

The date on the screen made my heart stop.

Three months.

Three months before the apocalypse.

I stared at the date again.

Then again.

My hands began shaking.

I remembered everything.

The virus.

The infected.

The collapse of society.

My family.

Maya and Adrian.

The gate.

My death.

Tears rolled down my cheeks.

I had been given another chance.

I slowly sat on the edge of my bed.

For several minutes, I couldn't speak.

In my previous life, I had been completely unprepared.

I had trusted the wrong people.

I had believed that my family would protect me.

I had believed that my fiancé loved me.

Those mistakes had cost me my life.

But this time, I knew what was coming.

Three months.

That was all I had.

Three months to prepare.

I wiped my tears and stood.

"I won't die again."

My voice sounded different.

Stronger.

"I will survive."

I walked to my desk and took out a notebook.

Then I began writing down the supplies I will need thing like water stable shelter food and other important supplies.

Anything that could help me survive.

I didn't know exactly how long the apocalypse would last, but I knew one thing.

It wouldn't end quickly.

The infected would spread.

Cities would fall.

Supplies would become impossible to find.

And desperate survivors would become another danger.

So I needed somewhere safe.

A place nobody could easily break into.

A place where I could survive even if the outside world collapsed completely.

I remembered a property outside the busiest part of the city.

It had a large compound and enough space to build what I needed.

I decided immediately.

I would turn it into my fortress.

Over the next few days, I began buying supplies.

I didn't buy everything at once.

That would attract attention.

Instead, I made small purchases and stored everything at the new property.

Food.

Bottled water.

Medicine.

Canned goods.

Cleaning supplies.

Clothes.

Blankets.

Tools.

My savings disappeared quickly, but I didn't care.

Money wouldn't save me after the apocalypse.

Preparation would.

I hired workers to strengthen the house.

The gates were reinforced.

The walls were made stronger.

The windows were secured.

I arranged for additional water storage and backup electricity.

Every detail mattered.

One evening, Maya walked into the house while I was checking another delivery.

She stared at the boxes.

"What are all these?"

I calmly closed the box in front of me.

"Household supplies."

"For what?"

I shrugged.

"I just want to be prepared."

She laughed.

"Prepared for what? The end of the world?"

My heart skipped.

For a second, I wondered if she knew something.

Then I smiled.

"Maybe."

She shook her head and walked away.

She didn't believe me.

Good.

I wanted it that way.

Later that night, I stood alone inside my new house.

The place was quiet.

Outside, the world was still normal.

People were laughing.

Cars were moving.

Businesses were open.

Nobody knew what was coming.

But I did.

I looked at the calendar hanging on the wall.

Three months.

I had three months to change my fate.

And this time, when the apocalypse came, I wouldn't be the helpless woman standing outside the gate.

I would be the woman behind it.

And nobody would take my survival away from me again.