Chapter 1

The end of the world came, and I shielded my little sister, Susie Thompson, as we struggled to survive.

Susie had a cold personality, never competitive, never demanding.

While I fought tooth and nail just to get us two passes to the safe zone, she turned around and gave one away without hesitation.

On the way to the safe zone, I noticed a swarm of the infected approaching. I dragged her into a shelter just in time, yet she blamed me for not warning the rest of the group.

I risked my life clearing the way, battling the undead up front, while she handed out favors and earned herself a saintly reputation.

When we finally made it into the safe zone, I was accused of murdering innocent people.

I begged her to speak up, to tell them that the ones I killed were ruthless criminals, and I only did it to protect everyone.

But she just said, "Amelia, if you're truly innocent, the truth will come out in the end. The pure fear no stain."

Because of her words, I was beaten, my arm broken, and thrown out of the safe zone, left to become food for the infected.

And her? She married a big shot in the safe zone, praised by all as the beloved and virtuous Madam Saint.

But now, I time-traveled back to the day the apocalypse began.

*****

When I opened my eyes again, I was already fighting tooth and nail with others over a pass to the safe zone.

"You're alone. Why did you take two passes?" a woman yelled.

"Get lost. Try me and I'll rip them up. Let's all die together," I snarled, baring my teeth.

My ferocious, desperate look made the woman flinch. Seizing the chance, I kicked her hard in the chest, knocking her over, and quickly stuffed the passes into my shirt.

In the apocalypse, showing mercy would only get one killed.

Just then, my sister, Susie Thompson, walked over, her tone soft, almost pleading. "Amelia, everyone in the shelter is already having a hard enough time. We all just want to survive. Why go to such extremes? After all, it's only a pass."

I froze, looking up at her sweet, innocent face.

Her words struck a chord, memories from my previous life surfacing, growing clearer by the second.

Susie and I were born into a well-educated family. Both of our parents were university professors.

But unlike Susie, I was left behind in our hometown to be raised by relatives when I was little, while she got to stay with our parents in the city.

It wasn't until I turned ten that they finally brought me back to the city. The first time I saw Susie, she looked like a flower bud, so pure, so untouched by the world, almost ethereal. Compared to her, I felt like we belonged to two completely different worlds.

Susie was serene and graceful, living in her peaceful world.

But I'd grown up wild, with a certain fierceness about me that set me apart.

My parents always told me, "As the older sister, you have to protect Susie."

And honestly, Susie really did need my protection.

She was completely clueless about everything.

When we went to school together, Susie would always miss bus after bus just because she didn't want to jostle with the elderly during the morning rush.

She'd say, "There's no point in all that pushing and shoving. With so many buses coming and going, one of them will be ours sooner or later."

So thanks to Susie, I was late with her every single day.

Her homeroom teacher was gentle and never punished her for it.

But my teacher was old-fashioned and strict. He never bothered to ask why. I'd just get sent to stand out in the hallway, on display for the whole school to see.

One day, I just couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed Susie and dragged her onto the bus. But in the crowded scramble, an old lady twisted her ankle and fell to the ground.

Susie took her to the hospital.

While the old lady thanked Susie, she blamed me for pushing her down.

No matter how I tried to explain, no one would listen. I asked Susie to speak up for me.

But Susie just shook her head and said, "Amelia, I told you not to be so competitive. It's a good thing the madam's fine, or we'd both be held responsible."

In the end, everyone at school was singing her praises, while I got chewed out by my whole family and even ended up with a disciplinary record.

I was so mad that I decided I'd just ignore her from now on.

But then the apocalypse hit.

On their deathbeds, my parents made me promise to protect Susie at all costs.

In the end, my heart softened.

Susie and I were reduced to living in a shelter.

Even though the military tried to keep order, the world had already fallen into chaos. Inside the shelter, everyone was on edge, fighting over beds, food, and even getting into brawls over a single biscuit was an everyday occurrence.

Here, the elderly, the weak, women, and children were even more powerless.

But I was nothing like them.

If anyone dared to snatch my canned food, I'd fight them like my life depended on it. Once, I even sank my teeth into a guy's ear and tore it right off.

After that, word got around the shelter about how vicious and savage I was. People started calling me the rabid of the place.

In my previous life, it was that same fierce, reckless drive that got Susie safely to the security zone. Even though she kept betraying me along the way, I always let it slide for the sake of our sisterhood.

I kept telling myself that she was just a kid, pampered and sheltered by our parents. Of course, she didn't know any better.

It wasn't until what happened in my previous life that my view of her changed. I was accused of slaughtering innocent people, and with my life on the line, I begged her to speak up for me.

But instead, she publicly scolded me, "Amelia, I told you not to be so ruthless and violent. Now with so many lives lost, there's no way you can talk your way out of this."

I broke down, sobbing and clutching her hand, desperately begging her to speak up for me.

"Please, just say something, Susie. You know better than anyone that they were all bad people. If I hadn't killed them, how could I have protected you all the way here?" I screamed until my voice was gone.

But she just pulled her hand away from mine, let out a quiet sigh, and said, "Amelia, stop saying you did it all for me.

"You were always thinking about yourself. Back in the shelter, you acted all fierce and ruthless, and on the road, you were always butting heads with people. I lost count of how many times I had to clean up after you."

I couldn't believe it. Then I heard her say, "Amelia, if you're truly innocent, the truth will come out in the end. The pure fear no stain."

And just like that, I was cast out of the safe zone by their verdict.

As I was being driven out, someone with ill intent slashed my arm. The moment I left the gates, the scent of blood drew a swarm of the infected. In an instant, they tore me open, ripped me to pieces, and devoured me alive.

Meanwhile, Susie, the only family I had left, stepped over my corpse and used my downfall to become a great saint in the eyes of those innocent people I'd saved. Riding on that reputation, she married a big shot in the safe zone and became the Madam Saint everyone praised.