Chapter 3 A Dangerous Deal

The first day passed quickly.I bought food from several wholesale stores and arranged for the supplies to be delivered to a small storage unit outside the city. I also rented a second apartment in a quiet residential area, choosing one with reinforced doors and windows that could be secured from the inside.

I did not have enough time to build a perfect shelter.

For now, I needed somewhere safe to hide.

The second day, I visited a medical supply store and purchased first aid kits, antibiotics where available without a prescription, painkillers, disinfectant, masks, gloves, and other essential items.

I also bought a heavy backpack, sturdy boots, and thick clothing.

Every time I saw someone laughing in a restaurant or arguing over something unimportant, I felt a strange sadness.

They did not know what was coming.

In less than two weeks, the streets would fill with blood.

Hospitals would collapse under the number of infected people. Families would turn against one another over food. People who had never held a weapon would be forced to fight for their lives.

And the dead would not stay dead.

That night, I stood in front of my bathroom mirror and studied my reflection.

I looked like the same woman who had died in the warehouse.

But I was not the same person anymore.

The woman who had trusted Caelan with her heart and Mirelle with her secrets was gone.

In her place stood someone who knew how cruel people could be when survival was at stake.

I would not make the same mistakes twice.

My phone vibrated.

A message appeared from an unknown number.

You have been asking questions about Lucien Dravik. Stop before you get yourself killed.

I stared at the screen.

How did someone know what I was doing?

I typed a reply.

Who is this?

The answer came almost immediately.

Someone who knows what happens to people who disturb him.

I swallowed.

Then I typed another message.

Tell me where I can find him.

This time, the reply took longer.

If you insist on meeting him, go to the Blackthorn Club tomorrow night. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The message disappeared a few seconds later.

I tried calling the number.

It was no longer available.

I stared at my phone.

Blackthorn Club.

I had heard of it before. The place was popular among wealthy businessmen, powerful criminals, and people who preferred to conduct their affairs away from public attention.

Lucien Dravik was rumored to own the building.

If I wanted to find him, that was where I needed to go.

I had less than twenty four hours left before the system’s deadline.

I could not afford to hesitate.

⸻

I arrived at the Blackthorn Club shortly after nine that evening.

The building stood on a quiet street, surrounded by black vehicles and men dressed in dark suits. Cameras watched every entrance, and security guards examined everyone who approached.

I wore a simple black dress beneath a long coat. My hair was tied back, and I carried a small handbag containing my identification, money, and a pocketknife.

I knew the knife would be useless against a man like Lucien.

Still, having something in my hand made me feel better.

A guard stopped me at the entrance.

“Name?”

“Vespera Quinn. I need to see Lucien Dravik.”

The guard looked at me as though I had announced that I wanted to buy the building.

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No.”

“Then you cannot enter.”

“Please tell him that I have information he needs.”

The guard’s expression did not change.

“Everyone has information. Leave.”

I remained where I was.

“Tell him it concerns the outbreak.”

For the first time, the guard looked interested.

“What outbreak?”

“The one that will begin in twelve days.”

He stared at me.

Then he laughed.

“Are you drunk?”

“No.”

“Then you need a doctor.”

He stepped aside and motioned for another guard to approach.

I had made a mistake.

I should have found another way inside.

But before they could escort me away, a black car stopped near the entrance.

The guards immediately straightened.

A man stepped out of the driver’s seat and opened the rear door.

Lucien Dravik emerged.

He wore a black shirt beneath a dark suit, with no tie. His hair was neatly styled, and his face was calm.

He did not look angry.

That somehow made him more frightening.

His eyes moved across the entrance before settling on me.

“What is going on?”

One of the guards answered quickly.

“This woman insists on seeing you, sir. She claims to have information about an outbreak.”

Lucien looked at me.

“What outbreak?”

I forced myself to meet his gaze.

“The zombie apocalypse.”

Silence fell around us.

Then Lucien smiled.

It was not a kind smile.

“Bring her inside.”

My heart dropped.

For the first time since returning to the past, I wondered whether I had made a terrible mistake.

⸻

Lucien’s private office was on the top floor.

The room was large, with dark furniture, a wall of windows, and a long table covered with documents. Two men stood near the door while Lucien sat behind his desk.

He motioned for me to sit.

I remained standing.

“You have thirty seconds,” he said. “Explain why you came here to tell me that the dead will start walking.”

I swallowed.

“In twelve days, a virus will spread through the city. People will develop high fevers, become violent, and attack anyone nearby. Within hours, many of them will die.”

“And then?”

“They will come back.”

Lucien leaned back in his chair.

“As zombies?”

“Yes.”

One of the men near the door snorted.

Lucien did not laugh.

He studied me with an expression I could not understand.

“How do you know this?”

“I have seen it.”

“Where?”

“In the future.”

His eyes narrowed.

I knew how ridiculous I sounded.

But I could not tell him that I had died and returned five years into the past. He would probably think I was mentally unstable.

Instead, I reached into my bag and took out a folded piece of paper.

“I wrote down several things that will happen over the next twelve days. If even one of them comes true, you will know I am not lying.”

Lucien did not take the paper.

“Put it on the desk.”

I obeyed.

He glanced at the page.

Then he looked up.

“You expect me to believe that you can see the future?”

“Yes.”

“Why should I care about saving you?”

I had prepared for that question.

“Because I can tell you where the first outbreaks will occur, which roads will become dangerous, and how you can protect your people. In return, I need your protection.”

Lucien’s expression turned cold.

“So you came here to make a deal.”

“Yes.”

“And what makes you think I want you?”

I hesitated.

The system’s words appeared in my mind.

Find the most dangerous man in the city and make him your protector.

I did not know how to make that happen.

I only knew that I could not leave without trying.

“Because you are the only person I believe can keep me alive.”

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then he stood.

He was taller than I expected.

He walked around the desk and stopped directly in front of me.

“Look at me.”

I raised my head.

His eyes were dark and cold.

“Do you know what I do to people who lie to me?”

I tried to keep my voice steady.

“No.”

“I make sure they never get the chance to lie again.”

He reached toward my face.

I flinched before I could stop myself.

His hand paused.

Something unreadable passed through his eyes.

Then he caught my wrist.

“Interesting.”

“Let go of me.”

His grip tightened.

“You came into my building, told me a ridiculous story, and asked me to protect you. Now you are giving me orders?”

“I’m not giving you orders.”

“Then stop telling me what to do.”

He released my wrist so suddenly that I stumbled backward.

My hip struck the edge of the desk.

Pain shot through my side.

I gritted my teeth.

Lucien watched me without offering help.

“Get out.”

I stared at him.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“But the outbreak…”

“If you mention zombies again, I will have you thrown out of this building.”

Panic rose in my chest.

The system’s deadline was approaching.

If I failed, I did not know what would happen. The penalty said death, and I had no intention of discovering whether it was a threat or a promise.

“Please,” I said. “You don’t have to believe everything I say. Just give me three days. If nothing happens, I’ll leave and never bother you again.”

Lucien’s face hardened.

“Three days?”

“Yes.”

He stepped closer.

“You have five seconds to leave my office.”

I could not move.

He grabbed the front of my coat and pulled me toward him.

“One.”

My heart hammered.

“Two.”

I tried to free myself.

“Three.”

“Lucien, please!”

“Four.”

He shoved me away.

I stumbled toward the door, but one of the guards blocked my path.

Lucien’s voice came from behind me.

“Search her bag.”

“What?”

The guard seized my handbag.

I reached for it, but another man caught my arm.

“Let go of me!”

They emptied the bag onto the desk.

My identification, money, phone, and pocketknife scattered across the surface.

Lucien picked up the knife.

He examined it briefly, then looked at me.

“Did you bring this here to kill me?”

“No!”

“Then why do you have it?”

“For protection.”

“From whom?”

I looked directly at him.

“People like you.”

The room went silent.

One of the guards sucked in a breath.

Lucien stared at me.

Then he laughed.

It was a low, humorless sound.

“You have a death wish, don’t you?”

He opened the knife and pressed its cold blade against the side of my neck.

My body went rigid.

I could feel the sharp edge touching my skin.

“Tell me the truth,” he whispered. “Who sent you?”

“No one.”

“Wrong answer.”

“I’m telling the truth!”

He pressed the blade a little closer.

A thin line of pain appeared beneath my jaw.

My breath caught.

This was not how I had imagined meeting my protector.

I had known Lucien was dangerous, but I had not expected him to threaten my life before I had even finished explaining myself.

For one terrible moment, I thought he would kill me.

Then his phone rang.

He did not lower the knife.

One of his men answered the call and listened for several seconds.

His expression changed.

“Sir, we have a problem.”

Lucien looked away from me.

“What is it?”

“There’s been an incident at the central hospital. Several patients attacked the medical staff. The police are reporting multiple casualties.”

My blood turned cold.

The hospital.

In my previous life, the first reports of the infection had appeared at a hospital before spreading to the surrounding streets.

But the outbreak was supposed to begin in twelve days.

Why was it happening now?

The guard continued.

“Some of the patients were pronounced dead, but witnesses claim they started moving again.”

Lucien slowly lowered the knife.

His eyes returned to mine.

For the first time, I saw something other than amusement or anger in them.

Suspicion.

Then his phone rang again.

Another man answered a different call.

“Sir, the emergency department is being evacuated. There are reports of people biting each other.”

My hands began to shake.

No.

Not yet.

I had not finished preparing.

I had not activated the pocket dimension.

I had not even found a safe place to hide.

Lucien stepped away from me and listened as his men reported the situation.

Outside the windows, sirens began to echo through the city.

One after another.

My phone vibrated on the desk.

The blue system screen appeared.

[WARNING.]

[Unexpected timeline change detected.]

[Zombie outbreak has begun.]

[Survival quest updated.]

[Host must secure a protector immediately.]

[Time remaining: 10 minutes.]

I stared at the message in horror.

Ten minutes?

I had been given three days to convince Lucien to protect me.

Now I had ten minutes.

Before I could react, another notification appeared.

[Emergency mission initiated.]

[Survive the next 30 minutes.]

[Failure penalty: Death.]

A loud crash came from somewhere below us.

The lights flickered.

One of the guards rushed to the window.

“Sir, you need to see this!”

Lucien moved toward him.

I followed, my legs trembling.

On the street below, a man in a bloodstained hospital gown staggered between the parked cars.

A woman ran toward him, screaming for help.

The man suddenly turned.

He lunged at her and sank his teeth into her neck.

She fell.

People screamed and scattered in every direction.

The man lifted his bloodied face toward the building.

Even from the top floor, I could see that his eyes were empty.

Then he began to climb over the fallen woman, moving toward the crowd.

My stomach twisted.

The apocalypse had started.

And I had just walked into a building with a man who had nearly cut my throat.

Lucien turned toward me.

His face had become frighteningly calm.

“You said you could see the future.”

I nodded, unable to speak.

He took one step closer.

“Then tell me something useful.”

Before I could answer, the office door burst open.

A guard stumbled inside, blood running down his face.

“Sir, one of the men downstairs has been bitten!”

He collapsed to his knees.

Behind him, something slammed against the door.

Once.

Twice.

Then the handle began to turn.

Lucien pulled a gun from beneath his jacket.

His men raised their weapons.

I backed away, my heart pounding so hard that I could barely breathe.

The guard on the floor began to convulse.

His fingers twisted against the carpet.

Then his head snapped upward.

His eyes had turned a cloudy gray.

He looked at Lucien.

Then at me.

A terrible growl escaped his throat.

Lucien raised his gun.

But before he could fire, the infected guard sprang to his feet and lunged straight at me.

I screamed and stumbled backward.

My back struck the window.

There was nowhere left to run.

The infected man’s bloody fingers closed around my throat.

And as his teeth came closer to my face, Lucien’s voice cut through the chaos.

“Vespera, if you want to live, tell me why I should save you instead of shooting you with him.”