جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

“I said no!” I spat out and what followed was a hard smack straight against my cheek.My lip tore, and I tasted copper, but the defiance in my eyes did not recede one bit.“Say it, you bitch!” a deep irritated voice barked at me, attempting to raise his hand once again, but I only turned my face to glare at him.“I said no!” Standing in front of me were my supposed boyfriend, Jayden, and my supposed best friend, Karen. They wanted me to take the blame for Karen’s massive screw-up. She was the one who didn't lock the back gates before lights out, which resulted in the zombie invasion this morning.​Now, they wanted to tell everyone it was my shift and that I had slacked off. Isn't that the same as asking me to die? The stronghold’s leader would throw me out into the wasteland without a second thought, and I'd be eaten alive by the zombies outside. There was no way in hell I was going to give them that satisfaction.Once again, his hand smacked across my face. It hurt. It hurt so much

The walk to Jayden’s apartment felt like torture because I was burning with rage. Every step I took with that metal bat hidden under my oversized hoodie reminded me of the weight of the knife Karen had driven into my throat.I planned to beat them up but that alone wasn't enough. It wasn't satisfying for just me to know, so I wondered. How to ruin them completely?I looked up at a digital billboard displaying a Livestream and a toxic idea struck me, my lips curling deviously. That's right… How will little miss perfect ever crawl out into public once I ruin her pristine image first?I reached Jayden's front door, and my fingers didn't tremble. I typed in the security code—the exact numbers he had carelessly mumbled around a campfire years later when the world was already in ruins and then it opened with a quiet click.I slipped inside, closing the door behind me without making a single sound. The apartment was quiet, except for the muffled, unmistakable sounds coming from the bedroom d

​The second I finally got back to my own apartment and locked the door behind me, the sheer reality of the situation began to dawn on me properly.​I was truly back. I was back in the past, and there were exactly two weeks left before the apocalypse.​I walked straight into my bedroom and collapsed face-first onto the mattress, tightly gripping the large brown teddy bear I used to cuddle every single night. The teddy I missed so much in those gruelling nights after the apocalypse hit. I buried my face in its soft fur, breathing in the clean scent. I had not just missed the teddy, but my bed was well. In the apocalypse, this kind of comfort was a premium luxury. Not even our stronghold leader had a mattress this soft and comfortable.​But as the adrenaline faded, a deep exhaustion took over—both emotionally and physically. Even though [Evidence Erasure] had wiped my body clean of blood, my untrained arms and muscles throbbed painfully from the exertion of swinging that bat.​A cold w

The moment I stepped inside, the bass from the speakers vibrated straight through the soles of my heels. The air of the main floor was filled with expensive liquor, heavy perfume, and on the ground were dancing bodies. But I wasn't here to dance. I kept my eyes moving, scanning the crowd, looking for any sign of a notorious mafia lord.I didn't see him anywhere. In a place this massive, finding a man who actively stayed in the shadows was going to be impossible just by looking. I needed to go deeper.Following the flow of a few men dressed in tailored suits, I navigated past the main dance floor and headed down a carpeted corridor that led to the basement. The throbbing music faded, replaced by the sound of clinking glasses, the shuffle of cards, and the low, tense murmurs of high-stakes gamblers.The underground casino.It was luxurious, drenched in gold accents and green velvet tables. My breath slightly hitched as I realized that this was Lucien Giovanni's true playground.I appr

Ted stared at me, his eyes boring holes into mine as he tried to figure out what kind of trick I was playing. He took a slow, deep breath, his chest expanding. I could feel the slight twitch in his palm as he finally settled on a number in his head.​"Alright," Ted said, a smug, confident smirk creeping back onto his face. "Go ahead, missy. Take your shot."​"Ten," I said instantly, not giving him even a second to savor his silence.​The smirk vanished from Ted's face so fast it was almost comical. His jaw literally dropped, his eyes widening into perfect circles. He froze, his entire body locking up as he stared at me in sheer disbelief.​"No way..." the guard in the back muttered, leaning forward. "Ted, did she actually—"​"Shut up!" Ted snapped, his face instantly flushing a deep, angry red. He glared at me, a subtle fury dancing in his eyes. "How did you do that? Who told you? Did one of these idiots signal you from behind my back?"​"I told you, Ted," I said, my lips curling int