CHAPTER 1 — I DIED BECAUSE I TRUSTED THEM

The air inside the abandoned gas station utility room reeked of copper, rot, and burning diesel. Outside, the screeching of dozens of infected tore through the stormy night, their clawed hands beating against the thin steel doors.

"Mia, hand it over! Give me the key!" Jason’s voice cut through the flickering emergency light. He didn't look at my face. His eyes were glued to the heavy silver key card held tightly in my bloody fingers—the master key to the underground military shelter across the highway.

"Jason... I can't walk..." I rasped, clutching my torn jacket over my abdomen. My blood pooled dark and thick against the cold concrete floor. "My leg is broken... You have to help me up..."

"Carry you?" A sharp, high-pitched laugh echoed from the shadow behind the shelving units.

Sabrina stepped out wearing the heavy goose-down winter coat I had scavenged three days ago. She didn't have a single scratch on her. In her right hand, she held my medical kit; in her left, my last bottle of purified water.

"Sabrina?" I gasped, staring at her in disbelief. "What are you doing..."

"Jason, hurry up and take it from her!" Sabrina hissed, giving Jason a hard shove toward me. "The horde broke through the outer fence! If we waste any more time here, we're dead!"

"Jason, no..." I reached up with a trembling hand, grabbing tightly onto his jacket sleeve. "I found this shelter. I hid us for weeks. I gave you my food when you were starving... You swore you loved me. You said we'd survive together!"

Jason yanked his arm back with a cold, disgusted sneer. He raised his foot and slammed his heavy combat boot directly onto my shattered ankle.

"ARGH!" A blood-curdling scream tore from my throat as agonizing pain shot up my spine. I collapsed onto my side, tears blurring my vision.

"Love you?" Jason laughed, stepping over me and ripping the silver key card from my fingers. "Mia, look at yourself. You're pathetic. Did you really think I was staying with you because I cared?"

He reached down, grabbed the shoulder straps of my heavily stocked tactical backpack—filled with all our antibiotics, canned rations, and battery banks—and unclipped it from my chest.

"Jason, please!" I sobbed, crawling forward on my elbows, dragging my broken leg across the iron floor. "Leave me a single water bottle! Don't leave me to die!"

Sabrina walked over, raised her designer boot, and kicked my hand away from Jason's ankle.

"Everything you built, everything you scavenged, belongs to us now, Mia," Sabrina sneered, slinging my tactical pack over her own shoulders. "Did you really think Jason liked you? He’s been sleeping in my tent every night while you were out searching for food. You were just our free supply courier."

My breath hitched in my throat. I looked up at Jason. "Is that... true?"

Jason didn't even flinch. He grabbed Sabrina’s waist, pulling her close to his side, and gave her a kiss on the cheek right in front of my face.

"You served your purpose, Mia," Jason said, his voice completely devoid of warmth. "Thanks for keeping us fed. Now do us one last favor and draw the zombies away while we make a run for the bunker."

Before I could utter another word, Jason kicked open the back emergency hatch, grabbed Sabrina by the hand, and stepped out into the night. As he closed the door behind them, he jammed a heavy steel crowbar through the door handles from the outside.

CLANG!

"Jason! Sabrina!" I screamed, beating my bloody fists against the lower panel of the hatch. "Unbar the door! JASON!"

"Save your breath, Mia!" Sabrina’s voice mocked from the other side. "The zombies are coming in through the front vent! Try not to scream too loudly, okay? It might distract them while we cross the road!"

CRASH!

The metal ceiling vent above me buckled and tore open. A grey, rotting corpse plunged down, landing heavily on top of my legs.

Cold, jagged teeth sank deep into my neck.

A blinding heat flared through my collarbone. Flesh tore. Blood spurted across the cold floor. Another pair of jaws locked onto my wrist, snapping the bone with a sickening crunch.

I stared up at the ceiling, my vision turning crimson, my heart hammering its final, erratic beats.

If I ever get another chance... My mind screamed through the agony. If there is a god... if there is a hell... bring me back! I will tear your pride, your lives, and your dignity to ash!

The dark tide washed over me completely, pulling me under.

GASPAT!

My eyes burst open. Air rushed into my lungs like liquid fire.

I sat up violently, my body reacting on pure survival instinct. I gripped my neck—smooth, unblemished skin. No blood. No torn arteries. My ankles were whole.

The smell of copper and rot was gone, replaced by the faint scent of clean linen and sweet jasmine. Warm morning light filtered through sheer white curtains, illuminating a clean, modern bedroom.

My phone on the nightstand lit up with a sharp PING.

I reached over, my hand trembling as I tapped the screen.

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

07:14 AM

Forty-eight hours.

I was back. Two full days before the sky turned red and the city fell into chaos.

Ding!

A crisp, metallic chime echoed directly inside my mind.

[Apocalypse Survival System Initialized.]

[Host: Mia Carter.]

[Current Status: Reborn.]

[Sub-dimension Space Unlocked (Level 1: 30 Cubic Meters).]

[Primary Objective: Prepare for Local Outbreak.]

Suddenly, a bright light flickered on the floor beside the bed. A smartphone lit up with an incoming text notification.

It wasn't my phone. It was Jason's.

He was fast asleep on the soft mattress right next to me, his arm draped lazily over the duvet.

I reached out silently and picked up his phone. The screen displayed a preview from an saved contact named Sabrina:

“Did you grab Mia’s credit card yet? The hotel reservations for our trip next week are due today. Make sure she doesn't check her bank app before you leave.”

A cold, terrifying smile spread across my face as I lowered the phone back onto the nightstand.

The future had already changed, but their betrayal had already begun.

I looked at the sleeping man beside me, then at the floating blue system screen hovering before my eyes.

30 cubic meters. 48 hours.

I took a deep breath, my eyes turning as hard as ice.

I died for you once, Jason. But in this life, I will watch you burn.