The First Warning

Chapter Five

I barely slept that night.

The message from the unknown number kept replaying in my mind.

They're watching you now.

Who was watching me?

And how did they know about my preparations?

I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at my phone.

I called the number again.

Nothing.

Straight to voicemail.

I tried sending a message.

Who are you?

No reply.

I waited.

Five minutes.

Then ten.

Nothing.

I finally placed the phone beside me and rubbed my tired eyes.

Maybe it was a prank.

Maybe someone had noticed my unusual purchases and was trying to frighten me.

But something inside me refused to believe that.

The person knew too much.

I couldn't afford to ignore the warning.

The next morning, I drove straight to the property.

The workers were already there.

The outer walls were almost finished, and the reinforced gate was being installed.

I stepped out of my car and looked around.

This place had to become more than a house.

It had to become my lifeline.

"Miss Elena."

I turned toward the contractor.

"Yes?"

"We're making good progress. The gate should be finished today."

I nodded.

"And the water storage?"

"Almost done."

"The backup electricity?"

"Two more days."

I frowned.

"Make it one."

He looked surprised.

"One day?"

"I'll pay extra."

After a moment, he nodded.

"All right. We'll bring more workers."

"Good."

I walked around the compound, checking everything myself.

In my previous life, I had never understood how quickly ordinary things could become impossible to find.

Water.

Food.

Medicine.

Fuel.

Even batteries.

After the apocalypse began, people would fight over them.

I wasn't going to make that mistake again.

I opened my notebook.

Eighty-eight days.

Only eighty-eight days remained.

I still needed more food.

More medicine.

More fuel.

And I needed to find a way to produce food after the supplies ran out.

I immediately added seeds and farming equipment to my list.

If the apocalypse lasted longer than I remembered, stored food wouldn't be enough.

I needed to become self-sufficient.

By afternoon, I drove to a farming supply store.

I bought seeds, gardening tools, containers, water filters, and other supplies.

The cashier looked at the large number of items.

"Are you starting a farm?"

I smiled.

"Something like that."

He laughed.

"That's a lot of supplies."

"You never know when they'll come in handy."

If only he knew.

When I returned to the property, I spent the rest of the afternoon organizing everything.

I was carrying a box into the storage room when I heard a familiar voice.

"Elena?"

I turned.

Maya stood at the entrance.

Her eyes immediately moved toward the boxes.

"What are all these?"

"Household supplies."

She walked closer.

"So many?"

I shrugged.

"I like being prepared."

She laughed.

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

For one second, my heart stopped.

I stared at her.

Then I smiled.

"Maybe."

She shook her head.

"You're becoming strange."

I said nothing.

She walked away.

I watched her leave.

In my previous life, I would have told her everything.

I would have laughed with her.

I would have trusted her.

Not anymore.

I closed the storage room and locked it.

That evening, Adrian called.

I stared at his name on my screen.

I didn't want to answer.

But after a moment, I picked up.

"Hello?"

"You've been avoiding me."

"I'm busy."

"You've been busy for days."

I remained silent.

He sighed.

"Elena, can we meet?"

"Why?"

"Because you're my fiancée."

The word made my stomach twist.

Fiancée.

Once, that word had made me happy.

Now it reminded me of the man who would eventually stand behind the shelter gates and watch me die.

"I don't think that's necessary."

There was a pause.

"Did I do something?"

"No."

"Then why are you acting so differently?"

I looked out the window.

Because I know everything.

Because I know you and Maya are going to betray me.

Because I remember the way you watched them throw me outside.

But I couldn't say any of that.

"I'm just stressed."

"Then let me help you."

"No need."

His voice became quieter.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

The call ended.

I stared at my phone.

Something about his voice bothered me.

He was suspicious.

Maybe Maya had already noticed the change in me.

I couldn't afford to let them discover the truth.

The next day, I returned home earlier than usual.

Maya was waiting in the living room.

"Can we talk?"

I placed my bag down.

"About what?"

She stood.

"You've been spending a lot of money."

"So?"

"Dad is worried."

"I'll talk to him."

"It's not just Dad."

I looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

She crossed her arms.

"You're always leaving early and coming home late."

I said nothing.

"And you've been buying strange things."

"I have my reasons."

She smiled.

"What are you doing, Elena?"

"Nothing."

"You're lying."

My eyes narrowed.

"I don't owe you an explanation."

Her smile disappeared.

"We're sisters."

I almost laughed.

Those words would have meant something to me once.

Now they meant nothing.

"I haven't forgotten that."

I picked up my bag.

Maya watched me carefully.

"Whatever you're doing, you should tell us."

"Why?"

"Because we're family."

I looked directly into her eyes.

"That's exactly why I'm not telling you."

Her expression changed.

I walked upstairs before she could answer.

Once inside my room, I locked the door.

Then I opened my notebook.

I wrote:

Maya is suspicious.

I underlined it.

Then I added:

Do not tell her anything about the shelter.

I closed the notebook.

My phone suddenly vibrated.

I looked at the screen.

The unknown number.

Another message.

Unknown: Don't trust your family.

My heart began beating faster.

Another message appeared.

Unknown: The betrayal will happen sooner this time.

I stared at the words.

What betrayal?

Was something already changing?

I typed quickly.

Elena: Who are you?

The message showed as delivered.

No reply came.

I waited.

Nothing.

Then my phone rang.

It was the contractor.

I answered immediately.

"Hello?"

His voice sounded tense.

"Miss Elena, there's a problem."

I stood.

"What happened?"

"One of the workers has been asking questions about your property."

My expression changed.

"What kind of questions?"

"He wanted to know why you're building such a strong shelter."

"Did you tell him?"

"No."

I relaxed slightly.

"But that's not the worst part."

My heart tightened.

"What is it?"

There was a pause.

"Someone came here earlier today."

"Who?"

"I don't know."

"What did they want?"

"They asked about you."

I froze.

"What exactly did they ask?"

The contractor hesitated.

Then he said,

"They asked if Elena had already started preparing for the apocalypse."

My blood ran cold.

I couldn't breathe.

Someone knew.

But before I could ask anything else, the call suddenly ended.

I stared at my phone.

Then—

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I froze.

Someone was standing outside my bedroom.

"Elena?"

Maya.

My heart began pounding.

"Can I come in?"

I didn't answer.

She knocked again.

This time, her voice was softer.

"I know you're hiding something from us."

I stared at the locked door.

My fingers tightened around my phone.

Maya continued.

"And I think I know what it is."

My blood ran cold.

I slowly stepped toward the door.

Then she whispered the words that made my entire body freeze.

"You're preparing for the apocalypse, aren't you?"

I stopped.

My heart pounded violently.

How did she know?

And more importantly...

What would she do if she found out I was ready?