The End Begins

For Evelyn Hart, it was the first morning of her second life.

Forty seven hours remained.And this time, she would not die for anyone.

She stepped into the elevator with her phone in one hand and her car keys in the other.

The moment the doors closed, her expression changed.

The smile and warmth disappeared.

Only cold determination remained.

She opened the lottery application on her phone.

In her previous life, she had almost forgotten about the winning numbers. She had only remembered them after the apocalypse began, when money had already become useless.

But now she remembered.

Five numbers.Then the bonus number.

She entered them into the application.

The results were not announced yet.

That was not a problem.

Evelyn knew exactly what would happen.

She pressed confirm.A message appeared.

Ticket purchased.

She smiled.

“One million dollars. That would be enough to begin.

The elevator doors opened.

Evelyn walked through the lobby without looking back.

Her apartment building was still filled with people who had no idea what was coming.

A businessman was talking loudly on the phone.

Two women were discussing a wedding.

A child was crying because his mother would not buy him candy.

A security guard was drinking coffee.

Everything looked normal.

That was the terrifying part.

The end of the world did not begin with everyone screaming.

It began quietly.

People went to work. Children went to school.

Restaurants opened. Traffic moved.

People complained about the weather.

Then everything changed. Evelyn walked toward her car.

Her phone rang. Adrian.

She stared at his name.

In her previous life, she would have answered immediately.

This time, she let it ring.

It stopped. Then it rang again.

She ignored it. A message arrived.

Where are you? Another one came.

You said you were going shopping.

Then another. Can you transfer me some money?

Evelyn stared at the screen.

She almost laughed. He had not changed at all.

Even before the apocalypse, he had already been using her money.

She typed one sentence.

I am busy.Then she blocked his number.

She knew she should have done it years ago.

But revenge was not about anger.

It was about timing.Evelyn started the engine.

Her first stop was a warehouse.

Not a large one and not anything suspicious.

Just a normal wholesale food warehouse on the edge of the city.

She walked inside and met the owner.

“I need supplies.” The man looked at her.

“How much?”

“Everything you can sell me.”

He laughed.

“Everything?”

“Yes.”

“Are you opening a supermarket?”

“No.” She looked at the shelves.

Rice. Flour. Cooking oil. Canned food.

Instant noodles. Bottled water. Salt.

Sugar. Milk powder. Biscuits. Bread.

She remembered the first week of the apocalypse.

People had fought over instant noodles.

Not because they were special.

Because they were cheap, easy to cook, and lasted a long time.

She pointed at the shelves.

“I want all the instant noodles.”

The man’s smile faded.

“All of them?”

“Yes.”

“The whole stock?”

“Yes.”

He looked at her for several seconds.

Then he called his workers.

Within minutes, boxes began moving.

Evelyn opened her Spatial Sanctuary.

The system appeared.

[Spatial Sanctuary.]

[Current Capacity: 20 Cubic Meters.]

[Storage Condition: Stable.]

[Time Until Apocalypse: 46 Hours, 31 Minutes.]

Evelyn touched one of the boxes.

It vanished. Her eyes widened.

Inside the space, the box appeared on the ground.

Perfectly preserved.

No temperature change and decay. No weight on her body.

She smiled.

“Good.” She continued.

Instant noodles. Rice. Canned meat. Canned vegetables.

Cooking oil. Salt. Sugar. Flour.

Dry beans.

Milk powder.

Bottled water.

The workers continued carrying boxes.

Evelyn kept sending them into her space.

After almost an hour, the warehouse was nearly empty.

The owner looked at her strangely.

“I have never seen anyone buy this much food.”

“I am preparing for a long trip.”

He nodded. He did not ask more questions.

Evelyn paid. Then she left. Her next stop was a supermarket.

She bought toothpaste. Soap. Shampoo.

Toilet paper. Towels. Toothbrushes.

Sanitary products. Detergent. Trash bags.

Batteries. Candles. Lighters. Matches.

Flashlights. Blankets. Sleeping bags.

First aid supplies. Pain medicine. Disinfectant.

Bandages. Gloves. Masks.

She remembered something else.

Pet food.

Even though she did not own a pet, she bought several bags.

Animals would become extremely difficult to feed later.

She also bought seeds.

Tomatoes.

Potatoes.

Corn.

Wheat.

Carrots.

Spinach.

Beans.

She did not have enough space yet to grow anything.

But she would.

The system had already told her that the space could grow.

She only needed to give it resources.

When she finished, she checked her phone.

A notification appeared.

Congratulations.

Your lottery ticket has won.

Evelyn stopped walking.

She opened the message.

The amount was exactly what she remembered.

One million dollars.

Her lips curved.

“Perfect.”

She immediately called her lawyer.

“Mr. Hayes.”

“Ms. Hart?”

“I have another request.”

“What is it?”

“I won the lottery.”

There was silence.

“You are joking.”

“I am not.”

“How much?”

“One million.”

He laughed.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you. I need you to help me collect it as quickly as possible.”

“That can take time.”

“I know.”

She looked at the supermarket around her.

People were shopping.

Laughing.

Complaining.

Living normal lives.

“They will make an emergency payment.”

“Why?”

“Because I need it.”

He paused.

“You really are serious about this.”

“Very.”

She ended the call.

The system appeared.

[Resource Collection Detected.]

[Food Storage Completed.]

[Daily Necessities Storage Completed.]

[Preparation Progress: 18 percent.]

[Spatial Capacity Increased.]

[Current Capacity: 35 Cubic Meters.]

Evelyn stared at the screen.

Her eyes brightened.

The space had grown.

Not dramatically.

Not magically into some endless world.

Just enough to hold more.

That was exactly what she wanted.

She continued shopping. By noon, she had spent nearly one hundred thousand dollars.

Her car was packed. The Spatial Sanctuary was even more packed.

But she was not finished.

She drove toward an old property outside the city.

It belonged to her late grandfather. Nobody had lived there for years.

In her previous life, she had sold it shortly before the apocalypse.

This time, she would not.

The property sat behind a long wall.

There was an old house. A large underground storage room.

A water well and a small field.

And enough distance from the city to give her privacy.

Evelyn stepped out of the car. She looked at the property.

“This will work.”

She called a construction company.

“I need the underground room reinforced.”

“How quickly?”

“Today.”

“That is impossible.”

“I will pay double.”

The man became quiet.

“How much work?”

“Steel doors. Reinforced walls. Backup generator. Water storage. Ventilation. Solar panels.”

“That is a lot.”

“I will pay in advance.”

Another pause.

“Send the address.”

Evelyn smiled. Money was useful.

Not because it could save the world.

Because it could buy time before the world ended.

She spent the next several hours arranging everything.

Then she drove back into the city.

On the way home, she saw something strange.

A woman was standing in the middle of the road.

She was barefoot, Her clothes were dirty.

Her head was lowered. Cars were honking.

Nobody could understand why she was standing there.

Then the woman suddenly collapsed.

People rushed toward her.

Evelyn slammed on the brakes. Her heart started beating faster.

She knew this scene. Not exactly.

But she remembered the news from her previous life.

The first infected had not appeared in hospitals.

They had appeared in ordinary places.

On roads. In supermarkets, At train stations.

The early symptoms had been mistaken for heatstroke.

Fever. Confusion. Violence. Then death and reanimation.

Evelyn watched the woman on the road.

A man knelt beside her.

“Ma’am, can you hear me?”

The woman suddenly opened her eyes.

They were completely red. She grabbed his arm.

Then bit him. The man screamed.

People around them panicked.

Someone shouted.

“What is wrong with her?” Another person tried to pull the woman away.

She attacked him too.

Evelyn’s hands tightened around the steering wheel.

“No.” It was too early.

This was not supposed to happen yet.

The system appeared.

[Emergency Warning.]

[Apocalypse Event Has Begun.]

[Time Until Global Collapse: 00 Hours, 00 Minutes.]

Evelyn’s blood went cold. The apocalypse had started.

Forty six hours early.

A scream erupted outside.

Then another. Then dozens.

Cars crashed into one another. People ran across the road.

Someone smashed through a store window.

A man sprinted past Evelyn’s car with blood covering his face.

Behind him came three infected people.

They were not moving like normal humans.

They ran. Fast. Too fast.

One jumped onto the man’s back.

They fell. The infected tore into him.

Evelyn covered her mouth.

The city exploded into chaos. Sirens began screaming.

Police vehicles rushed down the street.

Then a bus crashed through a traffic light.

People ran in every direction.

A woman slammed her hands against Evelyn’s car window.

“Please!” Evelyn looked at her.

“Please let me in!”

The woman was crying.

Behind her, an infected man was running toward them.

Evelyn unlocked the door.

The woman jumped inside.

“Drive!”

Evelyn stepped on the accelerator.

The infected slammed against the back of the car.

The woman screamed.

“What are they?”

“Zombies.”

“What?” “Zombies.”

The woman stared at Evelyn.

“You are joking.”

“I am not.”

Evelyn swerved around a crashed vehicle.

Another infected jumped onto the hood.

Its face smashed against the windshield.

The woman screamed again.

Evelyn grabbed a metal flashlight from the passenger seat.

When the infected climbed onto the windshield, she slammed the brakes.

Its body flew forward.

She drove over it. The woman stared at her.

“Who are you?”

“Evelyn.”

“I am Claire.”

“Hold on.”

A police car crashed into a building.

Smoke rose into the sky.

The city’s emergency sirens became louder.

Then every phone in the area rang at once.

An emergency announcement appeared.

Remain indoors.

Avoid contact with infected individuals.

Do not approach anyone displaying violent behavior.

Evelyn laughed bitterly.

It was already too late.

The streets were filled with them.

She turned the car around.

“I need to go home.”

Claire looked at her.

“What about my family?”

Evelyn did not answer.

She remembered her own family.

She remembered Bianca. Her stepsister.

The woman who had helped murder her.

Evelyn’s phone suddenly rang.

Unknown number.

She answered.

Bianca’s voice came through.

“Evelyn!”

Evelyn’s expression became cold.

“What happened?”

“There are people attacking everyone!”

“I know.”

“Where are you?”

“Driving.”

“You need to come home.”

Evelyn said nothing. Bianca continued.

“Adrian is here.”

Of course. Evelyn almost smiled.

“What does he want?”

“He says we need to stay together.”

“Do you?”

“Evelyn, stop being difficult.”

There it was. The same Bianca.

Even now. Even with the world collapsing.

Still arrogant.

Still controlling and expecting Evelyn to solve everything.

Bianca lowered her voice.

“Listen to me. We have to do something before the government loses control.”

Evelyn knew what came next.

In her previous life, Bianca had done exactly the same thing.

She had pretended to be frightened.

She had begged Evelyn to let them stay with her.

Then, once inside Evelyn’s shelter, she had slowly taken control.

She had convinced Adrian to steal food.

She had encouraged other survivors to turn against Evelyn.

And eventually, she had pushed Evelyn outside during a zombie attack.

Bianca was planning it again.

Only this time, Evelyn knew.

“I am coming,” Evelyn said. Bianca sounded relieved.

“Good.”

Evelyn ended the call.

Claire looked at her.

“You are going to them?”

“No.” Claire frowned.

“You just said you were.”

“I lied.” She turned the steering wheel.

“We are going somewhere else.”

The roads were getting worse, the city was collapsing before their eyes.

A supermarket was on fire. People were breaking into pharmacies.

Police officers were fighting infected civilians.

Power lines sparked above the streets.

A helicopter flew overhead. Then it suddenly lost control.

It crashed into a building.

A huge explosion shook the city.

Claire screamed. Evelyn continued driving.

She had seen this before.

But knowing it was coming did not make it easier to watch.

The world was ending.

She reached her apartment building. The lobby was already in chaos.

People were screaming. Someone had locked the front doors.

Three infected were hitting the glass from outside.

Evelyn stopped the car.

“Stay here.” Claire grabbed her arm.

“Where are you going?”

“Upstairs.”

“You cannot go alone.”

“I have to.”

Evelyn grabbed her supplies.

She entered the building through a side door.

The stairwell was dark.

The power had already failed.

She climbed quickly.

When she reached her floor, she heard voices.

Adrian. Bianca. They were inside her apartment.

Evelyn stood outside the door.

She listened. Bianca was crying.

“I am scared.”

Adrian spoke softly.

“Don’t worry. Evelyn will come back.”

“We need her.”

“Of course.”

Bianca sniffed.

“Once she gets here, we can convince her to let us stay.”

Evelyn almost laughed.

There it was. Her plan.

Exactly the same. She remembered another conversation.

Bianca had told Adrian that Evelyn was too soft.

She had said that Evelyn would always forgive them.

She had been right. The old Evelyn would have.

The new Evelyn would not. Evelyn opened the door.

Both of them turned.

Adrian rushed toward her.

“Evelyn!”

She stepped back.

“Don’t touch me.”

He froze. Bianca stared at her.

“What happened?”

Evelyn looked at both of them.

Outside the window, smoke covered the city.

People were screaming in the streets.

The first day of the apocalypse had arrived.

And the two people who had betrayed her were standing directly in front of her.

Adrian tried to speak.

“We need to leave.”

“No.”

“What?”

“You need to leave.”

Bianca’s face changed.

“Evelyn, this is not the time for your attitude.”

Evelyn looked at her.

“You still think you can control me.”

Bianca went silent.

Evelyn walked toward the kitchen.

She opened the refrigerator.

Empty. She opened the cabinets.

Almost empty.

Adrian stared at her.

“What are you doing?”

“Checking something.” She turned around.

“How much food did you two take?”

Adrian looked away. Bianca answered.

“Only a little.”

Evelyn laughed.

“A little?”

She remembered.

In her previous life, they had secretly taken almost everything.

They had already planned to abandon her.

They had simply waited for the right moment.

Evelyn looked at Adrian.

“You cheated on me.”

He froze. Bianca’s eyes widened.

“What?”

“You heard me.” Adrian’s face became pale.

“Evelyn…”

“Six months.” His lips parted.

“You knew?”

“I know everything.” Bianca stepped forward.

“You are crazy.”

Evelyn smiled.

“No.” She looked outside.

A group of infected rushed through the street.

Their screams echoed through the city.

The system appeared before her.

[Main Mission Updated.]

[Survive the First Apocalypse Day.]

[Protect Your Spatial Sanctuary.]

[Optional Mission: Sever All Hostile Relationships.]

[Reward: Spatial Capacity Expansion.]

Evelyn looked at Adrian and Bianca.

Then she opened the front door.

“Get out.”

Adrian stared at her.

“You cannot be serious.”

“I am.”

“There are zombies outside.”

“I know.”

“You will kill us.”

Evelyn’s eyes became cold.

“You were willing to let them kill me.”

Adrian stopped breathing. Bianca grabbed his arm.

“Evelyn, please.” Fear appeared in her eyes.

Real fear. Evelyn watched her.

“No.” She closed the door.

Adrian pounded against it.

“Evelyn!” Bianca screamed.

“Open the door!”

Evelyn locked it. Then she walked away.

The system appeared again.

[Hostile Relationship Severed.]

[Reward Granted.]

[Spatial Capacity Increased.]

[Current Capacity: 60 Cubic Meters.] Evelyn smiled.