Chapter 5 – Aliens Invasion

Sandra's eyes widened as she recognized Daryl Anderson, the skilled fighter who had originally despised Sasha because she once tried to manipulate him and steal supplies from his group. He was the love interest of both Sasha and Francine in the novel, and the main reason Sasha became a villain after he chose Francine over her.

He is even more handsome in person! Sandra thought, staring at his sharp eyes and perfect face. She blinked several times, unable to believe that the fictional man she had admired was standing right in front of her.

“What are you looking at?” Daryl asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing!” Sandra answered quickly, stepping away from him. “I was just surprised because you appeared behind me without warning.”

Before Daryl could respond, Francine aggressively pushed Sandra away and grabbed his arm. Sandra lost her balance and fell onto the hard floor, her palms scraping against the rough tiles.

“Stay away from him, Sasha!” Francine snapped. “I know exactly what you want, and I will not let you seduce Daryl again!”

Daryl glanced at Sandra, and concern briefly crossed his face. He seemed ready to offer her a hand, but Francine tightened her grip on his arm and turned toward him.

“Daryl, do not forget what she did to other people,” Francine warned. “She betrayed survivors, stole supplies, and abandoned innocent people when they needed her most. Now she is pretending to be helpful because she wants something from us!”

Sandra swallowed hard and slowly stood up, brushing the dust from her clothes. “I do not want to fight either of you,” she said, keeping her voice calm despite the embarrassment burning inside her.

“Then stop following Daryl around!” Francine replied angrily.

“I was not following him! I don’t even know he is here,” Sandra protested.

“Enough,” Daryl interrupted, looking between them. “We have more important problems than arguing over something that happened in the past.”

Sandra quickly looked away because her heart was beating so fast that she could barely think. She could not tell whether the strange feelings came from being inside Sasha's character deep obsession with Daryl.

Please calm down, she told herself. He is only a character from a book, and I am Sandra Johnson. I cannot allow Sasha's feelings to control me.

Without saying anything else, Sandra walked away and searched for a quiet place where she could think. She found a small storage area behind a closed shop, entered it, and sat on a dusty box while the sounds of frightened survivors filled the hallway.

She slapped her cheek lightly, hoping the pain would wake her from what felt like an impossible dream. “Ouch! That hurts,” she muttered, rubbing her face. “So this is real, and I am still trapped inside Sasha Monroe's body.”

Sandra found a small mirror among the scattered supplies and stared at her reflection. The beautiful woman looking back.

She shook her head in disbelief. “I do not know whether I should be happy or terrified that I am inside my favorite book. I always wanted to meet Francine, but she hates me because she sees Sasha whenever she looks at me.”

A bitter laugh escaped her lips as she remembered how Sasha's story ended. In the original novel, Daryl chose Francine, Sasha became jealous, and her desire for revenge eventually led her to betray humanity.

“I will not follow that path,” Sandra promised herself. “I will not hurt Francine, and I will not chase Daryl like Sasha did. I only need to survive and change the future.”

Then another memory struck her, making her blood run cold. She remembered the next major event in the novel, when an alien invasion force attacked the shopping mall shortly after the first zombie outbreak.

“Oh, no!” she whispered, suddenly jumping to her feet. “The shopping mall is going to explode! The aliens will arrive, and everyone inside will die if we stay here!”

Sandra rushed toward the storage area's door, nearly tripping over a fallen box. She had to warn the others before it was too late, even if Francine accused her of inventing another lie.

As she hurried into the hallway, she collided with someone carrying food. A bottle of water slipped from his hand, but Daryl caught it before it hit the ground, then looked down at her with a frown.

“Careful,” he said. “Where are you running off to?”

Sandra stared at the bottle and the piece of bread in his other hand. “Are those for me?”

Daryl held them out. “I heard you rescued several survivors earlier, and one of them is my aunt. She told me you saved her and gave everyone food, so I thought you might need something to eat.”

Sandra's eyes widened as she remembered the elderly woman she had rescued. She had never expected Daryl to thank her, much less bring her food and water himself.

“Thank you,” she said, accepting them with both hands. “But we need to leave this shopping mall immediately!”

Daryl frowned at her sudden urgency. “Why? It is late, and most of the survivors are resting. We have already cleared the nearby zombies, so leaving now would only put everyone in danger.”

“You do not understand!” Sandra insisted, clutching the bottle. “Something much worse is coming, and we cannot stay here until morning.”

Francine appeared at the end of the hallway, crossing her arms as she watched them. Her expression darkened when she saw Sandra holding the food Daryl had brought.

“I knew it!” Francine exclaimed. “You are still trying to flirt Daryl, aren't you? You pretend to save people, then use your actions to make yourself look innocent!”

Sandra almost dropped the bottle. “What? No! I am not trying to flirt anyone!”

“Then why are you standing so close to him?” Francine demanded. “You always find a way to get his attention, even when everyone is fighting to survive!”

“Francine, I brought her food because she saved my aunt. That is all,” Daryl said, his voice firm.

Francine turned toward him, clearly unhappy with his defense. “You are too trusting, Daryl. Sasha has fooled people before, and I will not let her trick you again.”

Sandra wanted to explain that she was not the same person Francine remembered, but she knew that saying the truth would only make her sound insane. Instead, she took a deep breath and looked directly at both of them.

“Listen to me carefully,” she said. “I know you do not trust me, and I understand why. But you must believe me this time, because staying here will get everyone killed.”

Daryl studied her face. “What exactly are you talking about?”

“Aliens,” Sandra answered, her voice shaking. “An alien force is coming, and they are going to shoot this shopping mall. The explosion will destroy the building, and anyone who remains inside will have almost no chance of escaping.”

For several seconds, neither Daryl nor Francine spoke. Then Francine burst into laughter, shaking her head as if Sandra had told the most ridiculous joke she had ever heard.

“Aliens?” Francine repeated. “Are you serious, Sasha? First, you pretend to be a hero, and now you expect us to believe that aliens are coming to attack a shopping mall?”

“I am telling the truth!” Sandra shouted. “I know it sounds impossible, but you have already seen zombies walking around and creatures that should not exist. Why is it so hard to believe that something worse is coming?”

“Because you expect us to accept every ridiculous story you tell!” Francine replied. “If you want to leave, go ahead, but nobody is leaving because of your latest trick!”

Sandra turned toward Daryl, desperate for someone to listen. “Please, you have to believe me. I know I have a terrible reputation, but I am not asking you to forgive me. I am asking you to help me get everyone out before it is too late.”

Daryl's expression remained serious as he watched her trembling hands. “How can we believe you when you have given us so many reasons not to trust you?”

Sandra opened her mouth, but no answer came. She could not tell him that he was a character from a novel, that she had died in another world, or that she remembered the terrible future waiting for them.

“Please,” she whispered, stepping closer. “I do not want anyone else to die. You can question me later, but we need to leave now.”

Daryl looked into her frightened eyes, searching for the selfish smile he remembered from the old Sasha. For the first time, he seemed uncertain about what to believe, but Francine immediately stepped between them.

“Do not listen to her!” Francine ordered. “She is trying to confuse you because she knows you will never choose her over me!”

Sandra stared at Francine in disbelief. “This is not about Daryl! Why can you not understand that I am trying to save everyone?”

“Because I know who you are!” Francine shouted.

Sandra could not bear another argument. She grabbed Daryl's arm, her fingers tightening around his sleeve as she looked at him with desperate eyes.

“Please believe me, Daryl,” she begged. “Something is coming, and we have almost no time left!”

Daryl looked down at her hand, then back at her face. Before he could answer, a deafening explosion erupted outside, shaking the entire shopping mall and throwing dust from the ceiling.