Something Is wrong

Chapter 5 — Something Is Wrong

Chloe's POV

Something changed in April.

At first, I told myself I was imagining it.

After spending weeks preparing for the apocalypse, it was easy to become suspicious of everything. A cloudy sky could look like a warning. A delayed delivery could feel like the beginning of a disaster. Even a small power outage was enough to make me check the date on my calendar.

But then the little things started happening too often.

It began with the weather.

One morning, the temperature dropped so suddenly that I had to close all my windows. It wasn't supposed to be cold that day. The weather forecast had predicted heat, yet by afternoon, people were walking around in jackets.

Two days later, the heat became unbearable.

The change was so sudden that everyone complained about it.

"Weather is becoming crazy," my neighbor said while we stood outside our apartments.

I forced a smile.

"Maybe it's just the season."

She shrugged. "It will pass."

I hoped she was right.

But I remembered my previous life.

The strange weather had started before the first major incident.

Back then, I hadn't paid attention.

This time, I did.

I began noticing other things too.

The birds around our neighborhood became unusually restless. Dogs barked at empty spaces and sometimes refused to go outside. One evening, I watched a group of birds suddenly fly away from the trees at the same time, as though something had frightened them.

I stood there for several seconds.

A cold feeling settled in my stomach.

I knew that behavior.

I had seen it before.

The first time, I had thought nothing of it.

Now I went inside and locked my door.

The power began acting strangely a few days later.

It would go off for an hour, return for twenty minutes, then disappear again.

People complained online, but nobody seemed particularly worried.

My neighbor even laughed about it.

"At least NEPA is giving us free practice for the apocalypse."

I laughed with her, but my hands were cold.

In my previous life, the power problems had started around this time.

Then they had become worse.

I checked the news every morning.

At first, there was nothing unusual.

Then I saw a report about several people being hospitalized after suddenly becoming violent and disoriented.

The official explanation called it an unknown illness.

Another report mentioned unexplained animal attacks.

Then there were stories about people collapsing in public places.

Most of the reports were small.

Easy to ignore.

And people did ignore them.

Online, everyone had a different theory.

Some blamed pollution.

Others said it was a new virus.

A few people claimed the government was hiding something.

Most people simply made jokes.

I didn't.

I knew how this story ended.

I also noticed that the prices of certain products were beginning to rise.

Rice was more expensive than it had been a few weeks earlier. Bottled water had increased slightly. Some pharmacies were running low on certain basic supplies.

When I asked one shop owner about it, he shook his head.

"Suppliers are increasing their prices. That's all."

I bought what I could.

I didn't tell him why.

By the middle of April, I had started avoiding crowded places.

Not because I was afraid of getting sick.

Because I remembered what came next.

One evening, I was eating dinner when my phone buzzed.

A news notification appeared on the screen.

BREAKING: Multiple people reported attacking pedestrians in downtown—authorities urge residents to remain indoors.

My spoon slipped from my hand.

It hit the plate with a loud clatter.

For several seconds, I couldn't breathe.

I grabbed my phone and opened the report.

The video showed police officers surrounding a street. Several people were being restrained while others stood at a distance, watching in confusion.

One man was screaming that the people attacking them weren't acting human.

The reporter's voice trembled slightly as she described what was happening.

I had seen this before.

Not the same street.

Not the same people.

But the same thing.

In my previous life, the first major incident had happened on April 21.

I remembered because it was the day everything changed.

I looked at the calendar hanging on my wall.

My stomach dropped.

April 18.

I checked my phone again.

The date hadn't changed.

April 18.

Three days early.

"No."

I immediately searched for more reports.

There were already dozens.

Different cities.

Different streets.

Different people.

But the same pattern.

People suddenly becoming aggressive.

People attacking strangers.

People collapsing.

Authorities asking everyone to stay calm.

I sat completely still as the realization sank in.

This wasn't supposed to happen yet.

I knew the timeline.

I had lived through it.

The first major incident was supposed to happen three days from now.

Not today.

My phone buzzed again.

Another notification appeared.

Government Issues Emergency Advisory Following Unexplained Incidents.

I opened it.

The statement urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel and remain indoors if possible. It also advised people to keep enough food and water at home for several days.

Several days.

I almost laughed.

They had no idea.

My phone rang.

It was my mother.

I stared at her name on the screen.

For a moment, I considered ignoring it.

Then I answered.

"Hello?"

"Chloe, have you seen the news?"

"Yes."

"What's happening?"

"I don't know."

There was silence on the other end.

"Your father thinks it's nothing serious," she said. "He says people are exaggerating everything online."

I closed my eyes.

Of course he did.

"They should stay home," I said.

"That's what everyone is saying, but your father thinks—"

"Mom, please."

My voice came out more urgently than I intended.

"Just stay home."

She went quiet.

"Are you okay?"

I looked around my apartment.

My supplies were hidden inside the space. I had enough food and water to last far longer than a few days. I had medicine, batteries, clothes, tools and everything else I had managed to collect.

For the first time, I was grateful that I had started preparing early.

"I'm fine," I said quietly.

After we ended the call, I returned to the news.

The situation was getting worse.

Police vehicles were appearing on more streets. Several hospitals had issued warnings about overcrowding. Some shops had already started closing early.

Then another video appeared.

I watched it once.

Then again.

A man stumbled into the middle of a crowded street before suddenly attacking someone beside him.

People screamed and ran.

The video ended.

My fingers tightened around the phone.

I remembered this.

Not the exact man, but the moment.

The panic.

The screaming.

The realization that something had entered the world that nobody understood.

In my previous life, this had happened three days later.

This time, it had happened today.

I slowly lowered my phone.

My memories had been my greatest advantage.

They were the reason I knew what to buy, where to invest, and how to prepare.

But now, for the first time, I wondered if they could also become my greatest weakness.

Because if the apocalypse had already moved three days ahead of schedule...

what else had changed?